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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4fe1b87 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65919 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65919) diff --git a/old/65919-0.txt b/old/65919-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 14aea22..0000000 --- a/old/65919-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,21922 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, History of the Fylde of Lancashire, by John -Porter - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: History of the Fylde of Lancashire - - -Author: John Porter - - - -Release Date: July 25, 2021 [eBook #65919] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE FYLDE OF -LANCASHIRE*** - - -E-text prepared by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/historyoffyldeof00portiala - - - Some characters might not display properly in this UTF-8 - text file (e.g., empty squares). If so, the reader should - consult the html version or the original page images noted - above. - - - - - -HISTORY OF THE FYLDE OF LANCASHIRE, - -by - -JOHN PORTER, M.R.C.S., L.S.A. - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - -Fleetwood and Blackpool: -W. Porter and Sons, Publishers. -1876. -[All rights reserved.] - -Fleetwood and Blackpool: -Printed by W. Porter and Sons. - - - - -TO BENJAMIN WHITWORTH, ESQUIRE, M.P., IN ADMIRATION OF HIS ENTERPRISE, -GENEROSITY, AND PHILANTHROPY, DISPLAYED IN THE FYLDE, AND ELSEWHERE, AND -AS A TRIBUTE OF PERSONAL REGARD AND ESTEEM, THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY -INSCRIBED, BY THE AUTHOR. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -A few, and only a few, words are needed to introduce the History of the -Fylde to the public. In its preparation my aim has been to make the work -as comprehensive in description and detail as the prescribed limits would -allow, and I have endeavoured to write in a style free from any tendency -to pedantry, and I hope, also, from dulness. How far these conditions -have been fulfilled I must now leave to the judgment of the reader, doing -so with some degree of confidence that at any rate the attempt will be -generally appreciated, if the success be not universally acknowledged. In -the course of my labours I have availed myself of the works of various -authors, and desire to acknowledge my indebtedness, especially to -Baines’s Lancashire, Fishwick’s Kirkham, Thornber’s Blackpool, and many -volumes of the Cheetham and other historical societies. My thanks for -valuable aid are also due to the following gentlemen, amongst others, the -Ven. Archdeacon Hornby, of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; the Rev. W. Richardson, -of Poulton-le-Fylde; Col. Bourne, M.P., of Hackensall and Heathfield; -John Furness, esq., of Fulwood; W. H. Poole, esq., of Fleetwood; and the -Bailiffs of Kirkham. - - _JOHN PORTER._ - - _Fleetwood, August, 1876._ - - - - -ERRATA. - - -Page 7, line 15, after the word _crossing_, insert _the Main Dyke from_. -This Dyke is crossed after leaving, and not before reaching, Staining, as -stated. - -Page 147, line 9 from the bottom, for _Gulph_, read _Gulf_. - -Page 183, line 2, for 1857, read 1657. - -Page 256, dele the heading _Coasting_. - -Page 286, line 2 from the bottom, for _fortified_, read _forfeited_. - -Page 289, line 13 from the bottom, for the first _funds_, read -_expenses_. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE. - - CHAPTER I. - - THE ANCIENT BRITONS, ROMANS, ANGLO-SAXONS AND DANES 1-29 - - CHAPTER II. - - THE NORMAN CONQUEST TO JAMES THE FIRST 30-54 - - CHAPTER III. - - JAMES THE FIRST TO QUEEN VICTORIA 55-86 - - CHAPTER IV. - - CONDITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEOPLE 87-114 - - CHAPTER V. - - COSTUMES, COUNTRY, RIVERS AND SEA 115-150 - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE PEDIGREES OF ANCIENT FAMILIES 151-185 - - CHAPTER VII. - - PARISH OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE. POULTON 186-217 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - FLEETWOOD-ON-WYRE 218-267 - - CHAPTER IX. - - THORNTON, CARLETON, MARTON, AND HARDHORN-WITH-NEWTON 268-296 - - CHAPTER X. - - THE PARISH OF BISPHAM. BISPHAM-WITH-NORBRECK. - LAYTON-WITH-WARBRECK 297-310 - - CHAPTER XI. - - BLACKPOOL 311-362 - - CHAPTER XII. - - PARISH OF KIRKHAM. KIRKHAM 363-401 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - FRECKLETON. WARTON. RIBBY-WITH-WREA. WEETON-WITH-PREESE. - GREENHALGH-WITH-THISTLETON. GREAT AND LITTLE SINGLETON. - CLIFTON-WITH-SALWICK. NEWTON-WITH-SCALES. HAMBLETON, &C. 402-428 - - CHAPTER XIV. - - PARISH OF LYTHAM. LYTHAM. ST. ANNES-ON-THE-SEA 429-453 - - CHAPTER XV. - - PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL’S-ON-WYRE. UPPER RAWCLIFFE-WITH-TARNACRE. - GREAT ECCLESTON. OUT RAWCLIFFE. ELSWICK. WOOD PLUMPTON. - INSKIP-WITH-SOWERBY 454-474 - - PAUPERISM AND THE FYLDE UNION 475-480 - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -HISTORY OF THE FYLDE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE ANCIENT BRITONS, ROMANS, ANGLO-SAXONS, AND DANES. - - - “See! in what crowds the uncouth forms advance: - Each would outstrip the other, each prevent - Our careful search, and offer to your gaze, - Unask’d, his motley features. Wait awhile, - My curious friends! and let us first arrange - In proper order your promiscuous throng.” - -The large district of western Lancashire, denominated from time -immemorial the Fylde, embraces one third at least of the Hundred of -Amounderness, and a line drawn from Ashton, on the Ribble, to Churchtown, -on the Wyre, forms the nearest approach to an eastern boundary -attainable, for although the section cut off by its means includes more -land and villages than properly appertain to the Fylde, a more westerly -division would exclude others which form part of it. The whole of the -parishes of Bispham, Lytham, Poulton, and St. Michael’s; and the parish -of Kirkham, exclusive of Goosnargh-with-Newsham and Whittingham, are -comprised in the Fylde country. - -The word Amounderness was formerly considered to signify the “Promontory -of Agmund,” or “Edmund,” and this origin is alluded to in a treatise -written some years since by Mr. Thomas Baines on the “Valley of the -Mersey,” in which the following remarks occur:—“In the year 911 the -Northumbrians themselves began the war, for they despised the peace which -King Edward and his ‘Witan’ offered them, and overran the land of Mercia. -After collecting great booty they were overtaken on their march home by -the forces of the West Saxons and the Mercians, who put them to flight -and slew many thousands of them. Two Danish Kings and five Earls were -slain in this battle. Amongst the Earls slain was Agmund, the governor, -from whom the Hundred of Agmunderness (Amounderness) was probably named.” -In order that the reader may properly comprehend why Mr. Baines should -surmise that Amounderness received its title from the Danish Earl, -Agmund, it may be stated that the extensive province of Northumbria, then -colonised by the Northmen or Danes, embraced, amongst other territory, -the district afterwards called Lancashire, and, consequently, the Hundred -of Amounderness would be in a great measure under Danish governance. -When, however, we call to mind that the Danes did not invade England -until A.D. 787, and learn that this Hundred was entered in the Ripon -grant in A.D. 705, as Hacmunderness, it becomes obvious that the name -cannot have been conferred upon it by that nation, and some other source -must be looked to for its origin. In Gibsons’ Etymological Geography -there is “Anderness” (for Ackmunderness) described as a “promontory -sheltered by oaks, (ac, oak; and mund, protection).” As many large trunks -of trees have been discovered beneath the layers of peat in the extensive -local mosses, whilst others have been laid bare along the shore by the -action of the tides, it can be readily believed that at one time the -greater share of the district was clothed with forests. Leyland, who -was antiquary to Henry VIII., and surveyed the Hundred during the reign -of that monarch, 1509-47, says:—“Al Aundernesse for the most parte in -time paste hathe been full of woods, and many of the moores replenished -with hy fyrre trees; but now such part of Aundernesse as is towarde the -se is sore destitute of woodde.” With such irrefutable evidences of the -early woodland condition of Amounderness, there need be no hesitation -in accepting the signification which Messrs. Gibson have given to the -name—the Ness or Promontory protected by oaks. The word Fylde is regarded -simply as a corruption of “Field.” Camden in his “Britannia” of 1590, -writes:— - - “Tota est campestris, unde Fild pro Field appellatur.”[1] - - (The whole is champaign, whence it is called Fild for Field.) - -In a subsequent edition of the same work Fild is spelt File, and the -latter orthography was used in Fileplumpton, in the Duchy records, -afterwards called Fylde Plumpton, and now Wood Plumpton. The Fylde -section of this Hundred is a level well-watered country, highly -cultivated and richly productive, especially of grain, from which -circumstance it was formerly designated the corn-field of Amounderness. - -Anterior to the third invasion of the Romans in A.D. 43, the inhabitants -of the Fylde and other portions of Lancashire lying between the range -of mountains which separates this county from Yorkshire, and the coast -about the Bay of Morecambe, were called the Setantii or Segantii, “the -dwellers in the country of water,” but at that date the whole tract -populated by these people was included in the more extensive province of -the Brigantes, comprehending what are now known as the six counties of -York, Durham, Northumberland, Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Lancaster. -The Fylde at that epoch would be composed chiefly of morasses and -forests, interspersed with limited areas and narrow paths of more -stable land, and there can be little doubt that the dwellers on such -an uninviting spot must have been very few, but that it was traversed -and, as far as practicable, inhabited by the ancient Setantii is evident -from the several relics of them which have been discovered amongst the -peat in modern days. Two or three canoes, consisting of light wooden -frameworks, covered with hides, were found by a man named Jolly, about -half a century ago, when cutting the “Main Dyke” of Marton Mere;[2] -Celtic hammers, axes, and spears have also been taken out of the mosses -in the district, all of which were doubtless originally the property of -the aboriginal Britons. The bay of Morecambe and the river Wyre acquired -their distinctive appellations from the Setantii, the one being derived -from the Celtic _gwyr_, pure or fresh, and the other from _mawr_, great, -and _cam_, winding or bent. - -The hardihood of the native Britons of these parts is attested by Dion -Cassius, who informs us that they lived on prey, hunting, and the fruits -of trees, and were accustomed to brave hunger, cold, and all kinds of -toil, for they would “continue several days up to their chins in water, -and bear hunger many days.” In the woods their habitations were wicker -shelters, formed of the branches of trees interwoven together, and, in -the open grounds, clay or mud huts. They were indebted to the skins of -animals slain in the chase for such scanty covering as they cared to -wear, and according to Cæsar and other writers, dyed their bodies with -woad, which produced a blue colour, and had long flowing hair, being -cleanly shaved except the head and upper lip. That the power of endurance -possessed by the Setantii, and the neighbouring Brigantes is not to be -understood literally as expressed by Cassius may, we venture to think, -be taken for granted. It can scarcely be credited that the human frame -could ever be reduced or exalted to such an amphibious condition as to -be indifferent whether it passed a number of days on dry land or under -water; it seems more probable that in his description Cassius referred -to the hunting and other expeditions of the inhabitants into the forests -and morasses of the Fylde and similarly wooded and marshy tracts, where -there is no question the followers of the chase would be more or less in -a state of immersion during the whole time they were so engaged. - -The religion of the Setantii was Druidical, and their deities resembled -those of other heathen nations, such as the Romans and Greeks of that -era, but differed in their names. Cæsar tells us that this order of -priesthood was presided over by a superior, who was known as the chief -Druid, and had almost unlimited authority over all the rest. The Druids -were settled at various points of the island, where they erected their -temples, but in addition to these principle stations, many of their order -were scattered amongst the native tribes of Britain, over which they -appear to have exercised the functions and power of judges, arranging -both public and private disputes, and deciding all criminal cases. It -was part of the creed professed by the Setantii, to vow, when they were -engaged in warfare, that they would, through the agency of the Druids, -immolate human victims as an atonement for slaughtered enemies, believing -that unless man’s life were given for man’s life, the divine anger of -the immortal Gods could not be appeased. There were other sacrifices of -the same kind instituted at regularly appointed seasons and on special -occasions. The Setantii also believed in an immortal soul, but seem to -have had no idea of a higher state, as their priests inculcated the -doctrine that after death the soul was transported to another body, -“imagining that by this the men were more effectually roused to valour, -the fear of death being taken away.”[3] Ornaments called “Druids’ eggs,” -and worn only by these priests, have been found in the Fylde. - -How Cæsar, in B.C. 54 and 55, invaded Britain a first and a second time, -achieving at best an empty conquest, and how, after his death, the -emperor Claudius sent over an army with a determination to exterminate -the Druids, and after thirty pitched battles, subdued province after -province, is beyond the limits of this work to state, but as a connecting -link of the history of the country with that of our own county, and -that portion of it especially under examination, it may be stated that -Britain was finally conquered by the Romans under Julius Agricola, and -that the best investigation of the subject leads to the opinion that the -district which we call Lancashire, was brought into subjection to the -Roman conqueror in A.D. 79. A vigorous resistance was for long offered -to the army of invaders in the territory of the Setantii by the natives -under the Brigantine chief Venutius, but the well drilled legions of the -Romans, when commanded by Agricola, proved too formidable to be checked -or broken by the wild, undisciplined valour of the Setantii. Tacitus, -the son-in-law of the general, informs us that early in the summer of -A.D. 79, Agricola personally inspected his soldiers, and marked out many -of the stations, one of which, either made at that time or later by the -same people, was situated at Kirkham, on the line of the Roman road -running from the mouth of Wyre, which will be described hereafter. He -explored the estuaries and woods along the western coast of Lancashire, -and harassed the enemy by sudden and frequent incursions. When the -Brigantes and Setantii had been thoroughly overawed and disheartened by -the invincible Romans, Agricola stayed his operations in order to shew -them the blessings of peace, and in that way many towns which had bravely -held out were induced to surrender and give hostages. These places he -surrounded with guards and fortifications. The following winter was -passed in endeavouring, by various incentives to pleasure, to subdue -the warlike nature of the Britons, thereby diminishing the danger of an -outbreak, especially amongst such tribes as the Setantii, whose intrepid -spirits had been so difficult to quell, and who were not likely to submit -quietly to the yoke of the conqueror, unless some means were adopted to -allure them by the charms of civilised luxury from their free field and -forest mode of existence. Temples, courts of justice, and comfortable -habitations were first erected; the sons of the petty chiefs were next -instructed in the liberal arts, and Agricola professed to prefer the -genius of the Britons to the attainments of the Gauls. The Roman dress -became the fashion, and the _toga_ was frequently worn. The “porch, -luxurious baths, and elegant banquets” were regularly instituted, and by -degrees the crafty design of the Roman general was accomplished, and the -vanquished Britons had ceased to be the hardy warriors of old. - -About one century after the subjugation of Britain by Agricola no less -than seven important Roman stations, or garrisoned places, had risen -up in the county of Lancaster, and were situated at Manchester, Colne, -Warrington, Lancaster, Walton-le-dale, Ribchester, and Overborough. The -minor ones, such as Kirkham, supposing their sites to have been first -built upon in a season of warfare, subsequently became small settlements -only, and were, in all probability, unused as military depots. The rivers -which flowed in the neighbourhood of the several encampments, terminated -in three estuaries, denominated by Ptolemy,[4] the ancient geographer, -in his book, completed in A.D. 130, the Seteia Æstuarium, the Moricambe -Æstuarium, and the Belisama Æstuarium. The first of these estuaries is -generally regarded as the mouth of the Dee, the second is identified with -Morecambe Bay, and the third with the Ribble by some historians and the -Mersey by others. The same authority mentions also a Portus Setantiorum, -which has been located on the banks of the Ribble, Lune, and Mersey, by -different antiquarians, but in the opinion of the most recent writers the -ancient harbour of the Setantii was situated at the mouth of the river -Wyre. Further reference to the Setantian port will be made in a later -page of the present chapter. - -At the shore margin of the warren at Fleetwood there was visible, about -forty years ago, the abrupt and broken termination of a Roman road, which -could be traced across the sward, along the Naze below Burn Hall, and -onward in the direction of Poulton. From that town it ran in a southerly -line towards Staining, crossing Marton Mere, on its way, in the cutting -of which its materials were very apparent, and lying on the low mossy -lands to the depth of two yards in gravel. From Staining it proceeded to -Weeton, and in a hollow near to the moss of that township, consisted of -an immense stony embankment several yards in height; in the moss itself -the deep beds of gravel were distinctly observable, and from there the -road continued its course up the rising ground to Plumpton, the traces as -usual being less obvious on the higher land. From Plumpton it travelled -towards the elevated site of a windmill between Weeton moss and Kirkham, -at which point it turned suddenly, and joined the public road, running in -a continuous straight line towards the latter town. The greater part of -the long street of Kirkham is either upon or in the immediate vicinity -of the old Roman road. From Kirkham the road directed its course towards -Lund church, somewhere in the neighbourhood of which it was joined by -another path formed by the same people and commencing at the Neb of the -Naze near Freckleton.[5] Leaving Lund it ran through Lea on to Fulwood -moor, where it took the name of Watling street, and proceeded on to -Ribchester. This road has always been known in the Fylde as the Danes’ -Pad, from a tradition that those pirates made use of it at a later period -in their incursions into our district, visiting and ransacking Kirkham, -Poulton, and other towns or hamlets of the unfortunate Saxons. Numerous -relics, chiefly of the Roman soldiery, have been dug or ploughed up at -different times out of the soil, bordering on the road, or found amongst -the pebbles of which it was composed, and amongst them may be mentioned -spears, both British and Roman, horse shoes in abundance, several stone -hammers, a battle axe, a broken sword, and ancient Roman coins, all -of which were picked up along its line between Wyre mouth and Weeton. -Several half-baked urns marked with dots, and pieces of rudely fashioned -pottery were discovered in an extensive barrow or cairn near Weeton-lane -Heads, which was accidentally opened, and is now pointed out as the abode -of the local hairy ghost or boggart. In the neighbourhood of Kirkham -there have been found many broken specimens of Roman pottery, stones -prepared for building purposes, eight or ten urns, some containing ashes -and beads, stone handmills for corn grinding, ancient coins, “Druids’ -eggs,” axes, and horse shoes; in the fields near Dowbridge, where several -of the above urns were discovered, there was found a flattened ivory -needle, about five or six inches long with a large eyelet. A cuirass was -also picked up on the banks of the Wyre; but the most interesting relic -of antiquity is the boss or umbo of a shield, taken out of a ditch near -Kirkham, which will be fully described in the chapter devoted to that -township. The Romans were accustomed to make three kinds of roads, the -first of which, called the Viæ Militares, were constructed during active -warfare, when they were engaged in pushing their way into the territory -of the enemy, and easy unobstructed communication between their various -encampments became a matter of the utmost importance. The second, or -public roads, were formed to facilitate commerce in time of peace; and -the third were narrower paths, called private roads. The county of -Lancaster was intersected by no less than four important Roman routes, -two of which ran from north to south, and two traversed the land from -west to east. The course of one road, and perhaps the best constructed -of the whole four, we have just followed out; of the remainder, the -first, commencing at Carlisle, passed near Garstang and Preston, crossed -the Irwell at Old Trafford, and maintaining its southerly direction, -ultimately arrived at Kinderton, in Cheshire. The second extended -from Overborough to Slack, in Yorkshire, passing on its way through -Ribchester, the Ribble, Radcliffe, Prestwich, and Newton Heath; whilst -the third had its origin at a ford on the Mersey, in close proximity to -Warrington, and from that spot could be traced through Barton, Eccles, -Manchester, Moston, Chadderton, Royton, and Littleborough, thence over -Rumbles Moor to Ilkley, where was located the temple of the goddess -Verbeia. It is conjectured that these roads, which consisted for the most -part of pavement and deep beds of gravel, were begun, or at least marked -out, by Agricola during the time he was occupied in the subjugation of -Lancashire, and if this very probable hypothesis be correct the course -taken by that general in his exploration of the woods of the Fylde, and -the estuaries of Morecambe and the Ribble is clearly indicated by the -direction of the ancient path communicating with the mouth of Wyre and -the Naze. - -At the opening of the third century the Roman governor of Britain found -it necessary to obtain the personal co-operation of Severus, in order -to put an effectual check to the repeated outbreaks of the natives; in -A.D. 207, that emperor having landed and established his head-quarters -at York, a considerable force marched northwards under his leadership -to punish the revolting tribes, and it is surmised that the curious -road, running across the mosses of Rawcliffe, Stalmine, and Pilling, -was constructed by the legionaries whilst on this tour. The pathway -alluded to, and commonly known as Kate’s Pad, was deeply situated in the -mosses, and had apparently been formed by fastening riven oak planks -on to sleepers of the same material, secured and held stationary by -means of pins or rivets driven into the marl a little above which they -rested. Its width was about twenty inches, but in some places rather -more.[6] Herodian, in describing the expedition of Severus to quell the -insurrection of the Briton, says:—“He more especially endeavoured to -render the marshy places stable by means of causeways, that his soldiers, -treading with safety, might pass them, and having firm footing fight -to advantage. In these the natives are accustomed to swim and traverse -about, being immersed as high as their waists: for going naked as to the -greater part of their bodies they contemn the mud. His army having passed -beyond the rivers and fortresses which defended the Roman territory, -there were frequent attacks and skirmishes, and retreats on the side -of the barbarians. To these indeed flight was an easy matter, and they -lay hidden in the thickets and marshes through their local knowledge; -all which things being adverse to the Romans served to protract the -war.” There can be no doubt that, when the path, which consisted in some -parts of one huge tree and in others of two or more, was formed, timber -must have been very plentiful in the vicinity, and at the present day -numbers of tree trunks of large size are to be found in the mosses, -further corroborating the conclusions arrived at by Leyland, whose words -have already been quoted, and Holinshed, who wrote:—“The whole countrie -of Lancaster has beene forests heretofore.” An iron fibula, a pewter -wine-strainer, a wooden drinking bowl, hooped with two brass bands and -having two handles, a brass stirrup, and other relics have been taken -out of the moss fields; and in the same neighbourhood an anvil, several -pieces of thin sheet-brass, and a pair of shears were discovered in a -ditch. - -About the year 416 the Romans finally removed themselves from our island, -taking with them many of the brave youths of Britain, and leaving the -country in the hands of a people whose inactive habits, acquired under -their dominion, had rendered them ignorant of the art and unfit for the -hardships of warfare. According to Ethelwerd’s Chronicle, in the year 418 -those few of the Roman race who were left in Britain, not being able to -put up with the manifold insults of the natives, buried their treasure in -pits, hoping that at some future day, when all animosity had subsided, -they would be able to recover it and live peaceably, but such a fortunate -consummation never arrived, and weary at length of waiting, they -assembled on the coasts and “spreading their canvass to the wind, sought -an exile on the shores of Gaul.” The Saxon Chronicle says:—“This year, -A.D. 418, the Romans collected all the treasures that were in Britain, -and some they hid in the earth so that no one since has been able to find -them; and some they carried with them into Gaul.” It is far from unlikely -that the silver denarii, discovered in 1840 by some brickmakers near -Rossall, and amounting to four hundred coins of Trajan, Hadrian, Titus, -Vespasian, Domitian, Antonius, Severus, Sabina, etc., were deposited in -that spot for security by one of those much harassed Romans, previous to -his departure from our coast. - -A prize so easily to be obtained as Britain in its practically -unprotected state appeared, was not long in attracting the covetousness -of the neighbouring Picts and Scots, who came down in thousands from -the north, forced their way beyond the Roman Wall erected by Hadrian, -occupied the fortresses and towns, and spread ruin and devastation in -their track. The northern counties were the chief sufferers from these -ruthless marauders. Cumberland, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, were ravaged -and plundered to such an extent that had it not been for the seasonable -assistance of the Saxons, the whole country they embrace would have been -utterly devastated and almost depopulated. Gildas, the earliest British -historian[7], born about 500, described our land before the incursions of -the Picts and Scots as abounding in pleasant hills, spreading pastures, -cultivated fields, silvery streams, and snow-white sands, and spoke of -the roofs of the buildings in the twenty-eight cities of the kingdom as -“raised aloft with threatening hugeness.” We may readily conceive how -this picture of peace and prosperity was marred and ruined, as far as the -three counties above-named were concerned, by the destroying hand of the -northern nation. The British towns were still surrounded by the fortified -walls and embattled towers, built by the Romans, but the unfortunate -inhabitants, so long unaccustomed to - - “The close-wedged battle and the din of war,” - -and deprived of their armed soldiers and valiant youth, were panic -stricken by the fierce onslaughts of the Scottish tribes, and fled before -their advancing arms. Some idea of the critical and truly pitiable -condition to which they were reduced may be gleaned from the tenor of an -appeal for help sent by them to their old rulers, which the author last -quoted has preserved as follows:— - - The Lamentation of the Britons unto Agitius, thrice Consul. - - “The barbarians drive us to the sea, the sea drives us back to - the barbarians. Thus of two kinds of death, one or other must be - our choice, either to be swallowed up by the waves or butchered - by the sword.” - -The Romans were fully occupied with enemies of their own, the Goths, and -consequently were unprepared to offer any assistance to the Britons, -whose position was shortly afterwards rendered additionally wretched -by famine and its attendant evils. At that period both the state of -Lancashire itself and of its inhabitants must have been exceedingly -deplorable—the country ravaged and still exposed to the depredations and -barbarities of the enemy, had now become a prey to a fearful dearth. Many -of the descendants of the old Setantii, unable any further to support -the double contest, yielded themselves up to the Picts and Scots in -the hope of obtaining food to appease the fierce cravings of hunger, -whilst others, more hardy, but outnumbered and weakened by long fasts, -sought refuge in the woods and such other shelters as the neighbourhood -afforded. Disappointed in the Romans, the Britons applied for aid to -the Saxons, or Anglo-Saxons, a mixed and piratical tribe, dwelling on -the banks of the German Ocean, and composed of Jutes, Angles, and pure -Saxons. The men of this race are described as determined, fearless, and -of great size, with blue eyes, ruddy complexions, and yellow streaming -hair. They were well practised in warfare, and armed with battle-axes, -swords, spears, and maces. Their chief god was Odin, or Woden, and their -heaven Valhalla. About one thousand of these warriors, under the command -of Hengist and Horsa, embarked in three vessels, built of hides, and -called _Cyulæ_ or _Ceols_. They landed on the coast of Kent, about the -year 449, and by the direction of Vortigern, king of the Island, marched -northwards until they arrived near York, where an encounter of great -moment took place, terminating in the utter defeat of the Picts and -Scots. Inspirited by so early and signal a success the Saxons followed -up their advantage with alacrity, drove the baleful marauders out of the -counties of Lancaster and York, and finally compelled them to retreat -across the frontier into their own territory. After having rescued the -kingdom from these invaders the Saxons settled at York and Manchester, -and not only evinced no sign of returning to their own country, but even -despatched messengers for fresh troops. This strange and suspicious -conduct on the part of their allies excited considerable alarm and -anxiety amongst the Britons, who practically expressed their disapproval -by refusing to make any provision for the reinforcements. After a -short interval a mandate was issued to the Saxon leader ordering him to -withdraw his army from the soil of Britain. Incensed and stimulated by -such decisive action Hengist determined at once to carry out the object -he had cherished from the first—the subjugation of the people and the -seizure of the island. Having procured a further supply of men under -his son Octa, he established them in the country of the Brigantes, and -almost immediately invited the native nobles to a friendly conference -with his chiefs on Salisbury plain. The Britons, who were far from -suspecting his treacherous design, attended the assembly unarmed, and in -that defenceless state fell an easy prey to their Saxon hosts, who in -the midst of feasting and revelry, brutally massacred the whole of their -guests. Successful in his cowardly and murderous stratagem, Hengist took -possession of the southern counties, whilst his son Octa maintained his -sway over the Brigantine province of Northumbria, in which the Fylde was -included, as intimated at the beginning of the chapter. - -The ancient warlike spirit of the Setantii, which had lain almost -dormant for centuries, was once more thoroughly aroused in the natives -of Lancashire, and a determined and valiant opposition offered by them -to Octa and his army. Overborough capitulated only when its inhabitants -were worn out by fatigue and famine, whilst Warrington and Manchester -sustained severe and protracted sieges before they fell into the hands -of the enemy. Nennius, another early historian, who was born towards the -end of the sixth century, informs us that the famous King Arthur and his -sixty Knights of the Round Table worsted the Saxons in twelve successive -battles, four of which were fought on the banks of the Douglas, near -Wigan. In those conflicts our county was well and effectively represented -in the person of Paulinus, the commander of the right wing of the army, -who after many brave and sanguinary struggles overthrew the hitherto -unconquered Octa, and for a time, at least, delivered the Fylde and other -parts of Northumbria from the rule of the Saxons. This gallant soldier -was the offspring of a union between a Roman warrior and a British -maiden, who had established themselves in Manchester. The chieftain -Ella, however, compelled the Britons to submission, and assumed the -government over part of Northumbria. Clusters of Saxon huts, soon growing -into villages, now sprang up on the soil of the Fylde, which under the -wood-levelling and marsh-draining Romans had lost much of its swampy and -forest characters and been transformed into a more habitable locality. We -need have little hesitation in conjecturing that the valour displayed by -the inhabitants of our county was greatly increased, and often rendered -almost desperate, by the knowledge that if their land were subdued -and occupied by the Saxons the key, if it may so be called, to their -mountainous strongholds would be lost, and the line of communication -between them impassably and irretrievably obstructed; for the venerable -Bede[8] tells us that a portion of the Britons fled to the hills and -fells of Furness, and we are aware that a much larger share sought refuge -amongst the mountains of Wales, lying to the south-west, and visible -from the shores of the Fylde. Others escaped over to Armorica in France, -and from them it acquired the name of Brittany. Additional evidence that -Furness was peopled by the Britons, even for more than two centuries -after the arrival of the Saxons, is to be found in the writings of -Camden, who says:—“The Britons in Furness lived securely for a long time, -relying upon those fortifications, wherewith nature had guarded them; for -that the Britons lived here in the 228th year after the coming of the -Saxons, is plain from hence; that at that time Egfrid, the king of the -Northumbrians, gave to St. Cuthbert the land called Cartmell, and all the -Britons in it; for so it is related in his life.” - -The Saxons were great idolaters, and soon crowded the country with their -temples and images. The deities they worshipped have furnished us with -names for the different days of the week, thus Sunday is derived from -_Sunan_ the sun, Monday from _Monan_ the moon, Tuesday from _Tuisco_ -a German god, Wednesday from _Woden_, Thursday from _Thor_ or _Thur_, -Friday from _Friga_, and Saturday from _Seater_. - -When the nation was once more at peace, all the towns and castles which -had been damaged during the wars were repaired, and others, which had -been destroyed, rebuilt. The Britons were brought by degrees to look -with less disfavour on their conquerors, and as time progressed adopted -their heathenish faith and offered up prayer at the shrines of the same -idols, drifting back into darkness and forgetting or ignoring those true -doctrines which, it is said, had been declared and expounded to them at -the very commencement of the Christian era. According to Clemens Romanus -and Theodoret, the Apostle Paul was one of the earliest preachers of the -Gospel in Britain, but whatever amount of truth there may be in this -statement, it is certain that at the Council of Arles in A.D. 314, and -ten years later at that of Nicene, three British bishops were present. -All traces of their former religion quickly vanished from amongst the -native population of Lancashire under the pagan influence of their -rulers; and it was during that unhallowed age that Gregory, surnamed the -Great, and afterwards pontiff, being attracted by the handsome appearance -of some youths exposed for sale in the market-place at Rome, and finding, -on inquiry, that they came from the kingdom of Deira, in Britain, -determined to send over Augustine and Paulinus to Christianise the -inhabitants. In 596 Augustine landed with forty missionaries on the coast -of Kent, the king became a convert, and the new faith spread rapidly -throughout the island. Thousands were baptised by Paulinus in the river -Swale, then called the Northumbrian Jordan, and the waters of Ribble were -also resorted to for the performance of similar ceremonies. - -The advent of the Roman mission initiated a fresh epoch in the -ecclesiastical history of the county, monasteries and religious houses -sprang up in different parts, and at the consecration of the church and -monastery of Ripon, lands bordering on the Ribble, in Hacmundernesse -(Amounderness), in Gedene, and in Duninge were presented amongst other -gifts to that foundation. Paulinus was created bishop of Northumbria in -627, and it is to his ministrations and pious example that the conversion -of the inhabitants of the Fylde and vicinal territory is generally -attributed. The Saxon Chronicle records, however, that in 565 Columba -“came from Scotia (Ireland) to preach to the Picts.” Columba was born -at Garten, a village in county Donegal, and according to Selden and -other learned writers, the religion professed by him and the Culdees, as -the priests of his order were called, was strictly Presbyterian. Bede -writes:—“They preached only such works of charity and piety as they could -learn from prophetical, evangelical, and apostolic writings.” Columba -established a monastery at Iona. Dr. Giles states that “the ancient name -of Iona was I or Hi, or Aoi, which was Latinised into Hyona, or Iona; the -common name of it now is I-colum-kill, the Island of Colum of the Cells.” -Bishop Turner affirms that “the lands in Amounderness, on the Ribble,” -were first presented to a Culdee abbot, named Eata, on the erection of -a monastery at Ripon, but that before the building was finished he was -dismissed and St. Wilfred made abbot of Ripon, sometime before 661. If -the foregoing assertion be correct there is certain evidence that the -Culdee doctrines were also promulgated in Lancashire, and doubtless in -our own district, at that early date. Bede seems to support such an -assumption when he states that the Ripon lands were originally granted to -those who professed the creed of the Picts to build a monastery upon, and -did not pass to St. Wilfred, bishop of Northumbria, until afterwards, in -705, when he re-edified the monastery. Whatever discrepancies may exist -as to the exact period and manner in which Christianity was introduced -or revived in the bosoms of our forefathers, there is ample and reliable -proof that the majority of them had embraced the true faith about the -middle of the seventh century, when churches were probably erected in the -hamlets of Kirkham and St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. - -About the year 936 the Hundred of Amounderness was granted by Athelstan -to the See of York:—“I, Athelstan, king of the Angles, etc., freely give -to the Omnipotent God, and to the blessed Apostle Peter, at his church -in the diocese of York, a certain section of land, not small in extent, -in the place which the inhabitants call Amounderness,” etc. The Hundred -of Amounderness when this grant was made must have been pretty thickly -peopled, for Athelstan states that he “purchased it at no small price,” -and land at that date was valued chiefly by the number of its residents. -Here it will be convenient to observe that in some instances, as in -that of Amounderness, the Hundreds acquired the additional titles of -Wapentakes, and, in explanation of the origin of the term, we learn from -“Thoresby Ducat Leodiens,” that when a person received the government of -a Wapentake, he was met, at the appointed time and usual place, by the -elder portion of the inhabitants, and, after dismounting from his horse, -he held up his spear and took a pledge of fealty from all according to -the usual custom. Whoever came touched his spear with theirs, and by -such contact of arms they were confirmed in one common interest. So from -_wœpnu_, a weapon, and _tac_, a touch, or _taccare_, to confirm, the -Hundreds were called _Wapentakes_. Traces of the above antique ceremony -are still to be met with in the peculiar form of expression used when the -tenantry and others are summoned by the manorial lords of Amounderness to -attend their court-barons and court-leets. - -The Heptarchy, established about 550, and consisting of seven sovereign -states, was finally abolished in 830, and Egbert became king over the -whole island. The province of Northumbria, more especially the Fylde -and tracts of adjoining territory, had at that date been the scene of -irregular and intermittent warfare during the previous forty years. -Lancashire had suffered cruelly from the visitations of the Northmen, -or Danes, who spared neither age, sex, nor condition in their furious -sallies. In the years 787, 794, and 800, these pirates invaded the soil, -ravaged the country, butchered the inhabitants, and on the last occasion -shot Edmund, the king of the West Saxons, to death with arrows, because -he refused to renounce the Christian faith and embrace the errors of -heathenism. Egbert was no sooner seated on the throne than the Danes -re-appeared off the coasts, and there can be little doubt that some -of their bands made their way down the western shore of the island, -entered the Bay of Morecambe, and, guided by the old Roman road near -the mouth of the Wyre, pushed onwards into and through the heart of the -Fylde, plundering and laying waste villages, hamlets, and every trace -of agriculture in their path. “The name of the _Danes’ Pad_,” says Mr. -Thornber, “given to the Roman agger is and ever will be an everlasting -memorial of their ravages and atrocities in this quarter.”[9] In addition -it may be stated that many warlike relics of the Danes have been found -along the road here indicated, and that the names of the Great and -Little Knots in the channel of Wyre, opposite Fleetwood, were of pure -Scandinavian derivation, and signified “round heaps,” probably, of -stones. These mounds were, during the formation of the harbour entrance, -either destroyed or disfigured beyond recognition. Several localities, -also, along the sea boundary of the Fylde bear Danish denominations, -which will be treated of hereafter. In 869 Lancashire was again visited -by a dreadful famine, and many of the people in every part of the -county fell victims either to the dearth itself or the fatal disorders -following in its train. Those who were fortunate enough to escape the -wholesale destruction of the scourge suffered so severely from the -merciless massacres of the Danes that at the accession of Alfred the -Great, in 871, our Hundred was but sparsely populated. During the reign -of that illustrious monarch England was divided into counties, which -again were subdivided into Hundreds. Each Hundred was composed of ten -Tithings, and each Tithing of ten Freeholders and their families. When -this division of the kingdom was effected the south-western portion of -the old province of Northumbria was separated from the remainder, and -received the name of _Lonceshire_, from the capital _Loncaster_, the -castle on the _Lone_, or Lune. Alfred, as we are told by his biographer -Asser, did much to improve the condition of his subjects both for peace -and war; referring to their illiterate state, on his accession the king -himself says:—“When I took the kingdom there were very few on the south -side of the river Humber, the most improved portion of England, who could -understand their daily prayers in English, or translate a letter from -the Latin. I think they were not many beyond the Humber. There were so -few that I cannot, indeed, recollect one single instance on the south -of the Thames.”[10] After suffering a defeat at Wilton almost at the -outset of his career, Alfred surprised and overthrew the Danish camp at -Eddington; Guthrum, their leader, and the whole of his followers were -taken prisoners, but afterwards liberated and permitted to colonise East -Anglia, and subsequently Northumbria, an act of clemency which entailed -most disastrous consequences upon the different sections of the latter -province. The Fylde now became the legalised abode of numbers of the -northern race, between whom and the Saxon settlers perpetual strife was -carried on; in addition the restless and covetous spirit of the new -colonists constantly prompted them to raids beyond the legitimate limits -of their territory, rebellions amongst themselves, and conspiracies -against the king; insurrection followed insurrection, and it was not -until Athelstan had inflicted a decisive blow upon the Danish forces, -and brought the seditious province of Northumbria under his own more -immediate dominion, that a short lull of peace was obtained. In the reign -of his successor, however, they broke out again, and having been once -more reduced to order, agreed to take the name of Christians, abjure -their false gods, and live quietly henceforth. These promises, made to -appease the anger of Edmund, were only temporarily observed, and their -turbulent natures were never tranquilised until Canute, the first Danish -king, ascended the throne of England in 1017. The Norse line of monarchs -comprised only three, and terminated in 1041. Reverting to Athelstan -and the Danes we find that about ten years after the subjugation of the -latter in 926, as recorded in the Saxon Chronicle, Anlaf, a noted Danish -chieftain, made a vigorous attempt to regain Northumbria. The site of the -glorious battle where this ambitious project was overthrown and the army -of Anlaf routed and driven to seek refuge in flight from the shore, on -which they had but a short time previously landed exulting in a prospect -of conquest and plunder, is a matter of dispute, and nothing authentic -can be discovered concerning it beyond the fact that the name of the -town or district where the forces met was Brunandune or Brunanburgh, and -was situated in the province of Northumbria. The former orthography is -used in Ethelwerd’s Chronicle:—“A fierce battle was fought against the -barbarians at Brunandune, whereof that fight is called great even to the -present day; then the barbarian tribes were defeated and domineer no -longer; they are driven beyond the ocean.” Burn, in Thornton township, -is one of the several rival localities which claim to have witnessed the -sanguinary conflict. In the Domesday Survey, Burn was written _Brune_, -and it also comprises a rising ground or _Dune_, which seem to imply some -connection with _Brunandune_. From an ancient song or poem, bearing the -date 937, it is clear that the battle lasted from sunrise to sunset, and -that at night-fall Anlaf and the remnant of his followers, being utterly -discomfited, escaped from the coast in the manner before described. This -circumstance also upholds the pretentions of Burn, as it is situated -close to the banks of the Wyre, and at a very short distance both from -the Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay, as well as being in the direct line -of the road called Danes’ Pad, the track usually taken by the Northmen -in former incursions into the Fylde and county. In addition it may be -mentioned that tradition affirms that a large quantity of human bones -were ploughed up in a field between Burn and Poulton about a century -ago. Sharon Turner says:—“It is singular that the position of this -famous battle is not yet ascertained. The Saxon song says it was at -Brunanburgh; Ethelwerd, a contemporary, names the place Brunandune. These -of course are the same place, but where is it?”[11] Having done our best -to suggest or rather renew an answer presenting several points worthy of -consideration to Mr. Turner’s query, we will, before bidding farewell to -the subject, give our readers a translated extract from the old song to -which allusion has been made:— - - Athelstan king, - Of earls the Lord, - Of Heroes the bracelet giver, - And his brother eke, - Edmund Atheling, - Life-long glory, - In battle won, - With edges of swords, - Near Brunanburgh. - The field was dyed - With warriors blood, - Since the sun, up - At morning tide, - Mighty planet, - Gilded o’er grounds, - God’s candle bright, - The eternal Lord’s, - Till the noble creature - Sank to her rest. - ... - West Saxons onwards - Throughout the day, - In numerous bands - Pursued the footsteps - Of the loathed nations. - They hewed the fugitives, - Behind, amain, - With swords mill-sharp. - Mercians refused not - The hard-hand play - To any heroes, - Who with Anlaf, - Over the ocean, - In the ship’s bosom, - This land sought. - ... - There was made to flee - The Northmens’ chieftain, - By need constrained, - To the ships prow - With a little band. - The bark drove afloat. - The king departed. - On the fallow flood - His life he preserved. - The Northmen departed - In their nailed barks - On roaring ocean. - -Athelstan, in order to encourage commerce and agriculture, enacted that -any of the humbler classes, called Ceorls, who had crossed the sea -thrice with their own merchandise, or who, individually, possessed five -hides of land, a bell-house, a church, a kitchen, and a separate office -in the king’s hall, should be raised to the privileged rank of Thane. -Sometime in the interval between the death of this monarch, in 941, and -the arrival of William the Conqueror, the Hundred of Amounderness had -been relinquished by the See of York, probably owing to frequent wars and -disturbances having so ruined the country and thinned the inhabitants -that the grant had ceased to be profitable. - -During the earlier part of the Saxon era the clergy claimed one tenth or -tithe of the produce of the soil, and exemption for their monasteries -and churches from all taxations. These demands were resisted for a -considerable period, but at length were conceded by Ethelwulf “for the -honour of God, and for his own everlasting salvation.”[12] In 1002, it -is recorded in the Saxon Chronicle, that “the king (Ethelred) ordered -all the Danish men who were in England to be slain, because it was made -known to him that they would treacherously bereave him of his life, -and after that have his kingdom without any gainsaying.” In accordance -with the royal mandate, which was circulated in secret, the Anglo-Saxon -populace of the villages and farms of the Fylde, as elsewhere, rose -at the appointed day upon the unprepared and unsuspecting Northmen, -barbarously massacring old and young, male and female alike. Great must -have been the slaughter in districts like our own, where from the Danes -having been established for so many generations and its proximity to -the coast and the estuaries of Wyre and Ribble, a safe landing and a -friendly soil would be insured, and attract numbers of their countrymen -from Scandinavia. The vengeance of Sweyn, king of Denmark, was speedy and -complete; the country of Northumbria was laid waste, towns and hamlets -were pillaged and destroyed, and for four years all that fire and sword, -spurred on by hatred and revenge, could effect in depopulating and -devastating a land was accomplished in Lancashire, and the neighbouring -counties, by the enraged Dane. Half a century later than the events just -narrated, earl Tosti, the brother of Harold, who forfeited his life and -kingdom to the Norman invaders on the field of Hastings, was chosen duke -of Northumbria. The seat of the new ruler has not been discovered, but -as far as his personal association with the Fylde is concerned it will -be sufficient to state that almost on its boundaries, in the township -of Preston, he held six hundred acres of cultivated soil, to which all -the lands and villages of Amounderness were tributary. As a governor -Tosti proved himself both brutal and oppressive. In a very limited -space of time his tyrannical and merciless conduct goaded his subjects -to rebellion, and with one consent they ejected him from his dukedom -and elected earl Morcar in his stead, a step commended and confirmed by -Harold, when the unjust severity of his brother had been made known to -him. Tosti embraced the Norman cause, and fell at the head of a Norwegian -force in an engagement which took place at Standford a few months before -the famous and eventful battle of Hastings. - -We have now traced briefly the history of the Fylde through a period of -eleven hundred years, and before entering on the era which dates from the -accession of William the Conqueror, it will be well to review the traces -and influences of the three dissimilar races, which have at different -epochs usurped and settled on the territory of the old Setantii; our -reference is, of course, to the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and Danes. Under -the first, great advances were made in civilisation; clearings were -effected in the woods, the marshes were trenched, and lasting lines -of communication were established between the various stations and -encampments. The peaceful arts were cultivated, and agriculture made -considerable progress, corn even, from some parts of Britain, being -exported to the continent. Remains of the Roman occupation are to -be observed in the names of a few towns, as Colne and Lincoln, from -_Colonia_, a Colony, also Chester and Lancaster, from _Castra_, a Camp, -as well as in relics like those enumerated earlier. The word “street” is -derived from _Stratum_, a layer, covering, or pavement. Their festival -of Flora originated our May-day celebrations, and the paraphernalia of -marriage, including the ring, veil, gifts, bride-cake, bridesmaids, -and groomsmen, are Roman; so also are the customs of strewing flowers -upon graves, and wearing black in time of mourning. That the Romans had -many stations in the Fylde is improbable, but that they certainly had -one in the township of Kirkham is shown by the number and character -of the relics found there. This settlement would seem to have been a -fairly populous one, if an opinion may be formed from the quantity of -cinereal urns discovered at various times, in which had been deposited -the cremated remains of Romans, who had spent their days and done good -service in levelling the forests and developing the resources of the -Fylde. The traffic over the Roman road through the district must have -been almost continuous, to judge from the abundance of horse-shoes and -other matters picked up along its route, and whether the harbour of the -Setantii was on Wyre, Ribble, or elsewhere, it is evident from the course -taken by the well constructed path that something of importance, say a -favourable spot for embarcation or debarcation, attracted the inhabitants -across the soil of the Fylde towards its north-west boundary. Now arises -the question what was the boundary here denoted, and in reply we venture -to suggest that the extent of this district, in both a northerly and -westerly direction, was much greater in ancient days than it is in our -own, and that the Lune formed its highest boundary, whilst its seaward -limits, opposite Rossall, were carried out to a distance of nearly eight -miles beyond the existing coast, and comprised what is now denominated -Shell Wharf, a bank so shallowly covered at low water spring tides that -huge boulders become visible all over it. Novel as such a theory may at -first sight appear, there is much that can be advanced in support of it. -From about the point in Morecambe Bay, near the foot of Wyre Lighthouse, -where the stream of Wyre meets that of Lune at right angles, there is -the commencement of a long deep channel, apparently continuous with -the bed of the latter river as defined by its sandbanks, which extends -out into the Irish Sea for rather more than seven miles west of the -mouth of Morecambe Bay, at Rossall Point. This channel, called “Lune -Deep,” is described on the authorised charts as being in several places -twenty-seven fathoms deep, in others rather less, and at its somewhat -abrupt termination twenty-three fathoms. Throughout the entire length -its boundaries are well and clearly marked, and its sudden declivity -is described by the local mariners as being “steep as a house side.” -Regarding this curious phenomenon from every available point of view, -it seems more probable to us that so long and perfect a channel was -formed at an early period, when the river Lune was, as we conjecture, -continued from its present mouth, at Heysham Point, through green plains, -now the Bay of Lancaster, in the direction and to the distance of “Lune -Deep,” than that it was excavated by the current of Lune, as it exists -to-day, after mingling with the waters of Morecambe and Wyre. The course -and completeness of Wyre channel from Fleetwood, between the sandbanks -called Bernard’s Wharf and North Wharf, to its point of junction with -the stream from Lancaster, prove satisfactorily that at one time the -former river was a tributary of the Lune. Other evidence can be brought -forward of the theory we are wishful to establish—that the southern -portion of Morecambe Bay, from about Heysham Point, bearing the name of -Lancaster Bay, as well as “Shell Wharf” was about the era of the Romans, -dry or, at least, marshy land watered by the Wyre and Lune, the latter -of which would open on the west coast immediately into the Irish Sea. -If the reader refer to a map of Lancashire he will see at once that the -smaller bay has many appearances of having been added to the larger one, -and that its floor is formed by a continuous line of banks, uncovered -each ebb tide and intersected only by the channels of Wyre and Lune. The -Land Mark, at Rossall Point, has been removed several times owing to the -incursions of the sea, and within the memory of the living generation -wide tracts of soil, amounting to more than a quarter of a mile westward, -have been swallowed up on that part of the coast, as the strong currents -of the rising tides have swept into the bay; and in such manner would -the land about the estuary of “Lune Deep,” that is the original river -of Lune, be washed away. As the encroachments of the sea progressed, -the channel of the river would be gradually widened and deepened to the -present dimensions of the “Deep”; the stream of Wyre would by degrees be -brought more immediately under the tidal influence, and in proportion -as the Lune was absorbed into the bay, so would its tributary lose its -shallowness and insignificance, and become expanded to a more important -and navigable size. About the time that “Lune Deep” had ceased to exist -as a river, and become part of the bay, the overcharged banks of the Wyre -would have yielded up their super-abundance of waters over the districts -now marked by Bernard’s Wharf and North Wharf, and subsequently, as the -waves continued their incursions, inundations would increase, until -finally the whole territory, forming the site of Lancaster Bay, would be -submerged and appropriated by the rapacious hosts of Neptune. The “Shell -Wharf” would be covered in a manner exactly similar to the more recently -lost fields off Rossall; and as illustrations of land carried away from -the west coast in that neighbourhood, may be instanced a farm called -Fenny, at Rossall, which was removed back from threatened destruction -by the waves at least four times within the last fifty years, when its -re-building was abandoned, and its site soon swept over by the billows; -also the village of Singleton Thorp, which occupied the locality marked -by “Singleton Skeer” off Cleveleys until 1555, when it was destroyed by -an irruption of the sea. Numerous other instances in which the coast -line has been altered and driven eastward, between Rossall Point and -the mouth of Ribble, during both actually and comparatively modern days -might be cited, but the above are sufficient to support our view of the -former connection of “Shell Wharf” with the main-land, and its gradual -submersion. If on the map, the Bay of Lancaster be detached from that -of Morecambe, the latter still retains a most imposing aspect, and its -identity with the Moricambe Æstuarium of Ptolemy is in no way interfered -with or rendered less evident. The foregoing, as our antiquarian readers -will doubtless have surmised, is but a prelude to something more, for it -is our purpose to endeavour to disturb the forty years of quiet repose -enjoyed by the Portus Setantiorum on the banks of the Wyre and hurl it -far into the Irish Sea, to the very limits of the “Lune Deep,” where, on -the original estuary of the river Lune, we believe to be its legitimate -home. No locality, as yet claiming to be the site of the ancient harbour, -accords so well with the distances given by Ptolemy. Assuming the Dee -and the Ribble to represent respectively, as now generally admitted, -the Seteia Æstuarium and the Belisama Æstuarium, the Portus Setantiorum -should lie about seven miles[13] to the west and twenty-five to the -north of the Belisama. The position of the “Lune Deep” termination is -just about seven miles to the west of the estuary of the Ribble, but is, -like most other places whose stations have been mentioned by Ptolemy, -defective in its latitudinal measurement according to the record left by -that geographer, being only fifteen instead of twenty-five miles north -of the Belisama or Ribble estuary. Rigodunum, or Ribchester, is fully -thirty miles to the east of the spot where it is wished to locate the -Portus, and thus approaches very nearly to the forty-mile measurement of -Ptolemy, whose distances, as just hinted, were universally excessive. -As an instance of such error it may be stated that the longitude, east -from Ferro, of Morecambe Bay or Estuary given by Ptolemy, is 3° 40´ in -excess of that marked on modern maps of ancient Britannia, and if the -same over-plus be allowed in the longitude of the Portus Setantiorum a -line drawn in accordance, from north to south, would pass across the -west extremity of the “Lune Deep,” showing that its distance from the -Bay corresponds pretty accurately with that of the Portus from the -Morecambe Æstuarium as geographically fixed by Ptolemy. In describing the -extent and direction of the Roman road, or Danes’ Pad, in his “History -of Blackpool and Neighbourhood,” Mr. Thornber writes:—“Commencing at -the _terminus_, we trace its course from the Warren, near the spot -named the ‘Abbot’s walk’;” but that the place thus indicated was not -the _terminus_, in the sense of _end_ or _origin_, is proved by the -fact that shortly after the publication of this statement, the workmen -engaged in excavating for a sea-wall foundation in that vicinity came -upon the road in the sand on the very margin of the Warren. Hence it -would seem that the path was continued onwards over the site of the -North Wharf sand bank, either towards the foot of Wyre where its channel -joins that of Lune, and where would be the original mouth of the former -river, or, as we think more probable, towards the Lune itself, and -along its banks westward to the estuary of the stream, as now marked by -the termination of “Lune Deep.” The Wyre, during the period it existed -simply as a tributary of the Lune, a name very possibly compounded from -the Celtic _al_, chief, and _aun_, or _un_, contractions of _afon_, a -river, must have been a stream of comparatively slight utility in a -navigable point of view, and even to this day its seaward channel from -Fleetwood is obstructed by two shallows, denominated from time out of -mind the Great and Little Fords. The Lune, or “Chief River,” on the -contrary, was evidently, from its very title, whether acquired from its -relative position to its tributary, or from its favourable comparison -with other rivers of the neighbourhood, which is less likely, regarded -by the natives as a stream of no insignificant magnitude and importance. -As far as its navigability was concerned the Portus may have been placed -on its banks near to the junction of Wyre, but the distances of Ptolemy, -which agree pretty fairly, as shown above, with the location of the -Portus on the west extremity of the present “Lune Deep,” are incompatible -with such a station as this one for the same harbour. The collection of -coins discovered near Rossall may imply the existence in early days of a -settlement west of that shore, and many remains of the Romans may yet be -mingled with the sand and shingle for centuries submerged by the water of -the still encroaching Irish Sea. Leaving this long-argued question of the -real site of the Portus Setantiorum, in which perhaps the patience of our -readers has been rather unduly tried, and soliciting others to test more -thoroughly the merits of the ideas here thrown out, we will hasten to -examine the traces of the Anglo-Saxons and Danes. - -Many, in fact most, of the towns and villages of the Fylde were founded -by the Anglo-Saxons, and have retained the names, generally in a modified -form, bestowed upon them by that race, as instance Singleton, Lytham, -Mythorp, all of which have Saxon terminals signifying a dwelling, -village, or enclosure. The word _hearb_, genitive _hearges_, indicates in -the vocabulary of the same people a heathen temple or place of sacrifice, -and as it is to be traced in the endings of Goosnargh, and Kellamergh, -there need be no hesitation in surmising that the barbarous and pagan -rites of the Saxons were celebrated there, before their conversion to -Christianity. Ley, or lay, whether at the beginning of a name, as in -Layton, or at end, as in Boonley, signifies a field, and is from the -Saxon _leag_; whilst Hawes and Holme imply, respectively, a group of -thorps or hamlets, and a river island. Breck, Warbreck, and Larbreck, -derive their final syllables from the Norse _brecka_, a gentle rise; and -from that language comes also the terminal _by_, in Westby, Ribby, and -other places, as well as the _kirk_ in Kirkham, all of which point out -the localities occupied by the Danes, or Norsemen. Lund was doubtless the -site of a sacred grove of these colonists and the scene of many a dark -and cruel ceremony, its derivation being from the ancient Norse _lundr_, -a consecrated grove, where such rites were performed. - -At the present time it is difficult, if indeed possible, to determine -from what races our own native population has descended, and the subject -is one which has provoked more than a little controversy. Palgrave, in -his “History of the Anglo-Saxons,” says:—“From the Ribble in Lancashire, -or thereabouts, up to the Clyde, there existed a dense population -composed of Britons, who preserved their national language and customs, -agreeing in all respects with the Welsh of the present day; so that -even to the tenth century the ancient Britons still inhabited the -greater part of the west coast of the island, however much they had been -compelled to yield to the political supremacy of the Saxon invaders.” -Mr. Thornber states that he has been “frequently told by those who were -reputed judges” that the manners, customs, and dialect of the Fylde -partook far more of the Welsh than of the Saxon, and that this was more -perceptible half a century ago than now (1837). “The pronunciation,” he -adds, “of the words—laughing, toffee, haughendo, etc., the Shibboleth -of the Fylde—always reminds me of the deep gutterals of the Welsh,[14] -and the frequent use of a particular oath is, alas! too common to both.” -Another investigator, Dr. Robson, holds an entirely different opinion, -and maintains in his paper on Lancashire and Cheshire, that there is -no sufficient foundation for the common belief that the inhabitants of -any portion of those counties have been at any time either Welsh, or -Celtic; and that the Celtic tribes at the earliest known period were -confined to certain districts, which may be traced, together with the -extent of their dominions, by the Celtic names of places both in Wales -and Cornwall. From another source we are informed that at the date of -the Roman abdication the original Celtic population would have dwindled -down to an insignificant number acting as serfs and tillers of the land, -and not likely to have much influence upon future generations. Mr. -Hardwick, in his History of Preston, writes:—“Few women would accompany -the Roman colonists, auxiliaries, and soldiers into Britain; hence -it is but rational to conclude, that during the long period of their -dominion, numerous intermarriages with the native population would take -place.” Admitting the force of reasoning brought forward by the last -authority, it can readily be conceived that the purity of the aboriginal -tribes would in a great measure be destroyed at an early epoch, and that -subsequent alliances with the Anglo-Saxons, Danes, and Normans, have -rendered all conjectures as to the race of forefathers to which the -inhabitants of the Fylde have most claim practically valueless. - -The dense forests with which our district in the earliest historic -periods abounded must have been well supplied with beasts of chase, -whereon the Aborigines exercised their courage and craft, and from -which their clothing and, in a great measure, their sustenance were -derived. The large branching horns of the Wild Deer have been found -in the ground at Larbrick, and during the excavations for the North -Union and East Lancashire Railway Bridges over the Ribble, in 1838 and -1846 respectively, numerous remains of the huge ox, called the _Bos -primigenius_, and the _Bos longifrons_, or long-faced ox, as well as of -wild boars and bears, were raised from beneath the bed of the river, so -that it is extremely likely that similar relics of the brute creation -are lying deeply buried in our soil. Such a supposition is at least -warranted by the discovery, half-a-century ago, of the skull and short -upright horns of a stag and those of an ox, of a breed no longer known, -at the bottom of a marl pit near Rossall. Bones and sculls, chiefly -those of deer and oxen, have been taken from under the peat in all the -mosses, and two osseous relics, consisting each of skull and horns, of -immense specimens of the latter animal, have been dug up at Kirkham. In -the “Reliquiæ Diluvianæ” of Mr. Buckland is a figure of the scull of a -rhinoceros belonging to the antediluvian age, and stated to have been -discovered beneath a moss in Lancashire. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE NORMAN CONQUEST TO JAMES THE FIRST. - - -When the battle of Hastings, in 1066, had terminated in favour of William -the Conqueror, and placed him on the throne of England, he indulged his -newly acquired power in many acts of tyranny towards the vanquished -nation, subjecting the old nobility to frequent indignities, weakening -the sway of the Church, and impoverishing the middle and lower classes of -the community. This harsh policy spread dissatisfaction and indignation -through all ranks of the people, and it was not long before rebellion -broke out in the old province of Northumbria. The Lancastrians and -others, under the earls Morcar and Edwin, rose up in revolt, slew the -Norman Baron set over them, and were only reduced to order and submission -when William appeared on the scene at the head of an overwhelming -force. The two earls escaped across the frontier to Scotland, and for -some inexplicable reason were permitted to retain their possessions in -Lancashire and elsewhere, while the common insurgents were afterwards -treated with great severity and cruelty by their Norman rulers. Numerous -castles were now erected in the north of England to hold the Saxons in -subjection, and guard against similar outbreaks in future. Those at -Lancaster and Liverpool were built by a Norman Baron of high position, -named Roger de Poictou, the third son of Robert de Montgomery, earl of -Arundel and Shrewsbury. When William divided the conquered territory -amongst his followers, the Honor[15] of Lancaster and the Hundred of -Amounderness fell, amongst other gifts, amounting in all to three hundred -and ninety-eight manors,[16] to that nobleman, and, as he resided during -a large portion of his time at the castle erected on the banks of the -Lune, our district would receive a greater share of attention than his -more distant possessions. - -After the country had been restored to peace, William determined to -institute an inquiry into the condition and resources of his kingdom. -The records of the survey were afterwards bound up in two volumes, which -received the name of the Domesday Book, from _Dome_, a census, and _Boc_, -a book. - -The king’s commands to the investigators were, according to the Saxon -Chronicle, to ascertain—“How many hundreds of hydes were in each shire, -what lands the king himself had, and what stock there was upon the land; -or what dues he ought to have by the year from each shire. Also he -commissioned them to record in writing, how much land his archbishops had -and his diocesan bishops, and his abbots and his earls; what or how much -each man had, who was an occupier of land in England, either in land or -stock, and how much money it was worth. So very narrowly, indeed, did he -commission them to trace it out, that there was not one single hide, nor -a yard of land; nay, moreover (it is shameful to tell, though he thought -it no shame to do it), not even an ox, nor a cow, nor a swine, was there -left that was not set down in his writ.” The examination was commenced -in 1080, and six years afterwards the whole of the laborious task was -accomplished. In this compilation the county of Lancaster is never once -mentioned by name, but the northern portion is joined to the Yorkshire -survey, and the southern to that of Cheshire. - -The following is a translation of that part of Domesday Book relating to -the Fylde:— - - AGEMUNDERNESSE UNDER EVRVIC—SCIRE (YORKSHIRE). - - _Poltun_ (Poulton), two carucates;[17] _Rushale_ (Rossall), two - carucates; _Brune_ (Burn), two carucates; _Torentun_ (Thornton), - six carucates; _Carlentun_ (Carleton), four carucates; _Meretun_ - (Marton), six carucates; _Staininghe_ (Staining), six carucates. - - _Biscopham_ (Bispham), eight carucates; _Latun_ (Layton), six - carucates. - - _Chicheham_ (Kirkham), four carucates; _Salewic_ (Salwick), - one carucate; _Cliftun_ (Clifton), two carucates; _Newtune_ - (Newton-with-Scales), two carucates; _Frecheltune_ (Freckleton), - four carucates; _Rigbi_ (Ribby-with-Wray), six carucates; - _Treueles_ (Treales), two carucates; _Westbi_ (Westby), two - carucates; _Pluntun_ (Plumptons), two carucates; _Widetun_ - (Weeton), three carucates; _Pres_ (Preese), two carucates; - _Midehope_ (Mythorp), one carucate; _Wartun_ (Warton), four - carucates; _Singletun_ (Singleton), six carucates; _Greneholf_ - (Greenhalgh), three carucates; _Hameltune_ (Hambleton), two - carucates. - - _Lidun_ (Lytham), two carucates. - - _Michelescherche_ (St. Michael’s-on-Wyre), one carucate; - _Pluntun_ (Wood Plumpton) five carucates; _Rodecliff_ (Upper - Rawcliffe), two carucates; _Rodecliff_ (Middle Rawcliffe), two - carucates; a third _Rodecliff_ (Out Rawcliffe), three carucates; - _Eglestun_ (Ecclestons), two carucates; _Edeleswic_ (Elswick), - three carucates; _Inscip_ (Inskip), two carucates; _Sorbi_ - (Sowerby), one carucate. - - All these vills belong to _Prestune_ (Preston); and there are - three churches (in Amounderness). In sixteen of these vills[18] - there are but few inhabitants—but how many there are is not known. - - The rest are waste. _Roger de Poictou_ had [the whole]. - -When we read the concluding remark—“The rest are waste,” and observe the -insignificant proportion of the many thousands of acres comprised in the -Fylde at that time under cultivation, we are made forcibly cognizant of -the truly deplorable condition to which the district had been reduced by -ever-recurring warfare through a long succession of years. There is no -guide to the number of the inhabitants, excepting, perhaps, the existence -of only three churches in the whole Hundred of Amounderness, and this -can scarcely be admitted as certain evidence of the paucity of the -population, as in the harassed and unsettled state in which they lived it -is not very probable that the people would be much concerned about the -public observances of religious ceremonials or services. The churches -alluded to were situated at Preston, Kirkham, and St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. -The parish church at Poulton was the next one erected, and appears to -have been standing less than ten years after the completion of the -Survey, for Roger de Poictou, when he founded the priory of St. Mary, -Lancaster, in 1094, endowed it with—“Pulton in Agmundernesia, and -whatsoever belonged to it, and the _church_, with one carucate of land, -and all other things belonging to it.”[19] The terminal paragraph of the -foundation-charter of the monastery states that Geoffrey, the sheriff, -having heard of the liberal grants of Roger de Poictou, also bestowed -upon it—“the tithes of Biscopham, whatever he had in Lancaster, some -houses, and an orchard.” It is difficult to determine whether a church -existed in the township of Bispham at that date or not, but as no such -edifice is included in the above list of benefactions, we are inclined -to believe that it was not erected until later. The earliest mention -of it occurs in the reign of Richard I., 1189 to 1199, when Theobald -Walter quitclaimed to the abbot of Sees “all his right in the advowson of -Pulton, with the _church of Biscopham_.”[20] - -The rebellious and ungrateful conduct of Roger de Poictou ultimately led -to his banishment out of the country, and the forfeiture of the whole -of his extensive possessions to the crown. The Hundred of Amounderness -was conveyed by the King on the 22nd of April, 1194, being the fifth -year of his reign, to Theobald Walter, the son of Hervens, a Norman who -had accompanied the Conqueror. “Be it known,” says the document, “that -we give and confirm to Theobald Walter the whole of Amounderness with -its appurtenances by the service of three Knights’ fees, namely, all -the domain thereto belonging, all the services of the Knights who hold -of the fee of Amounderness by Knight’s service, all the service of the -Free-tenants of Amounderness, all the Forest of Amounderness, with all -the Venison, and all the Pleas of the Forest.” His rights “are to be -freely and quietly allowed,” continues the deed, “in wood and plain, in -meadows and pastures, in highways and footpaths, in waters and mills, in -mill-ponds, in fish-ponds and fishings, in peat-lands, moors and marshes, -in wreck of the sea, in fairs and markets, in advowsons and chapelries, -and in all liberties and free customs.” Amongst the barons of Lancashire -given in the MSS. of Percival is—“Theobald Walter, baron of Weeton and -Amounderness,” but, as Weeton never existed as a barony, it is clear that -the former title is an error. The “Black Book of the Exchequer,” the -oldest record after the “Domesday Book,” has entered in it the tenants -and fees _de veteri feoffamento_[21] and _de novo feoffamento_,[22] and -amongst others is a statement that Theobald Walter held Amounderness by -the service of one Knight, thus the later charter, just quoted, must be -regarded as a confirmation of a previous grant, and not as an original -donation. He was an extensive founder of monastic houses, and amongst -the abbeys established by him was that of Cockersand, which he endowed -with the whole Hay of Pylin (Pilling) in Amounderness. He was appointed -sheriff of the county of Lancaster by Richard I. in 1194, and retained -the office until the death of that monarch five years afterwards. His -son, Theobald, married Maud, sister to the celebrated Thomas à Becket, -archbishop of Canterbury, and assumed the title of his office when -created _Chief Butler_ of Ireland. The family of the same name which -inhabited Rawcliffe Hall until that property was confiscated through -the treasonable part played by Henry Butler and his son Richard in the -rebellion of 1715, was directly descended from Theobald Walter-Butler. -The Butlers of Kirkland, the last of whom, Alexander Butler, died in -1811, and was succeeded by a great-nephew, were also representatives of -the ancient race of Walter, and preserved the line unbroken. Theobald -Walter, the elder, died in 1206, and Amounderness reverted to the crown. - -Richard I. a few years before his death presented the Honor of Lancaster -to his brother, the earl of Moreton, who subsequently became King John, -and it is asserted that this nobleman, when residing at the castle of -Lancaster, was occasionally a guest at Staining Hall, and that during -one of his visits he so admired the strength and skill displayed -by a person called Geoffrey, and surnamed the Crossbowman, that he -induced him to join his retinue. How far truth has been embellished -and disguised by fiction in this traditional statement we are unable -to conjecture, but there are reasonable grounds for believing that the -story is not entirely supposititious, for the earl of Moreton granted to -Geoffrey l’Arbalistrier, or the Crossbowman, who is said to have been -a younger brother of Theobald Walter, senior, six carucates of land in -Hackinsall-with-Preesall, and a little later, the manor of Hambleton, -most likely as rewards for military or other services rendered to that -nobleman. John, as earl of Moreton, appears to have gained the affection -and respect of the inhabitants of Lancashire by his liberal practices -during his long sojourns in their midst. He granted a charter to the -knights, thanes, and freeholders of the county, whereby they and their -heirs, without challenge or interference from him and his heirs, were -permitted to fell, sell, and give, at their pleasure, their forest woods, -without being subject to the forest regulations, and to hunt and take -hares, foxes, rabbits, and all kinds of wild beasts, excepting stags, -hinds, roebucks, and wild hogs, in all parts within his forests beyond -the desmesne hays of the county.[23] On ascending the throne, however, -he soon aroused the indignation of all sections of his subjects by his -meanness, pride, and utter inability to govern the kingdom. His indolent -habits excited the disgust of a nobility, whose regular custom was to -breakfast at five and dine at nine in the morning, as proclaimed by the -following popular Norman proverb:— - - Lever à cinque, dîner à neuf, - Souper à cinque, coucher à neuf, - Fait vivre d’ans nonante et neuf.[24] - -Eventually his evil actions and foolish threats so incensed the nation, -that the barons, headed by William, earl of Pembroke, compelled him, in -1215, to sign the Magna Charta, a code of laws embodying two important -principles—the general rights of the freemen, and the limitation of the -powers of both king and pope. - -About that time it would have been almost, if not quite, impossible -to have decided or described what was the national language of the -country. The services at the churches were read in Latin, the aristocracy -indulged only in Norman-French, whilst the great mass of the people -spoke a language, usually denominated Saxon or English, but which had -been so mutilated and altered by additions from various sources that -the ancient “Settlers on the shores of the German Ocean” would scarcely -have recognized it as their native tongue. Each division of the kingdom -had its peculiar dialect, very much as now, and from the remarks of a -southern writer, named Trevisa, it must be inferred that the _patois_ -of our own district, which he would include in the old province of -Northumbria,[25] was far from either elegant or musical. “Some,” he -says, “use strange gibbering, chattering, waffling, and grating; then the -Northumbre’s tongue is so sharp, flitting, floyting, and unshape, that we -Southron men may not understand that language.” Such a list of curious -and uncomplimentary epithets inclines us at first sight to doubt the -strict impartiality of their author, but when it is remembered that, in -spite of the greatly increased opportunities for education and facilities -for intercommunion amongst the different classes, the provincialisms of -some of our own peasantry would be utterly unintelligible to many of us -at the present day, we are constrained to admit that Trevisa may have had -just reason for his remarks. - -In 1268 the Honor of Lancaster, the Wapentake of Amounderness, and the -manors of Preston, Ribby-with-Wray, and Singleton were given by Henry -III. to his son Edmund Crouchback, and in addition the king published -an edict forbidding the sheriffs of neighbouring counties to enter -themselves, or send, or permit their bailiffs to enter or interfere with -anything belonging to the Honor of Lancaster, or to the men of that -Honor, unless required to do so by his son. Edmund was also created -earl of Lancaster, and became the founder of that noble house, whose -possessions and power afterwards attained to such magnitude as to -place its representative, Henry IV., upon the throne, although nearer -descendants of his grandfather Edward III. were still living. - -We have now arrived at the unsettled era, comprising the reigns of the -three Edwards and Richard II., and during the whole of the time these -monarchs wore the crown, a period of one hundred and twenty-six years, -the nation was engaged in continual wars—with the Welsh under Llewellyn, -the Scotch under Bruce and Wallace, and the French under Philip. The -reign of Richard II. was additionally agitated by the insurrection of Wat -Tyler. Looking at that long uninterrupted season of excitement, we cease -to wonder at the riotous and disorganized state into which society was -thrown. The rulers, whether local and subordinate, or those of a higher -grade, were too actively engaged in forwarding the efficiency of the -army, to devote much attention to the welfare and proper government of -the people. Crimes and disturbances were allowed to pass unpunished, and -evil-doers, being thus encouraged to prosecute their unlawful purposes, -carried their outrages to the very confines of open rebellion against -all power and order. It was not until such a dangerous climax had been -reached that a commission, consisting of the following judges, Peter de -Bradbate, Edmund Deyncourt, William de Vavasour, John de Island, and -Adam de Middleton, was appointed to deal summarily and severely with all -offenders in the counties of Lancaster and Westmoreland. During those -troublesome times Sir Adam Banastre and a number of others assaulted -Ralph de Truno, prior of Lancaster, and his train of attendants at -Poulton-le-Fylde, seized and carried him off to Thornton, where they -brutally ill-used and finally imprisoned him. An inquiry into the -disgraceful proceeding was instituted by order of Edward I., but the -result has not been preserved, at least no record of it has as yet been -discovered amongst any of the ancient documents concerning this county. -Leyland, who was antiquary to Henry VIII., alluding to the death of the -disorderly knight, says,—“Adam Banastre, a bachelar of Lancastershire, -moved ryot agayne Thomas of Lancaster by kraft of kynge Edward II., but -he was taken and behedid by the commandment of Thomas of Lancaster.” -The first part of the quotation has reference to a quarrel between the -earl of Lancaster and Sir Adam, who for his own aggrandizement and to -curry favour with the king, as well as to divert the attention of that -monarch from his own misdeeds, declared that Thomas of Lancaster wished -to interfere with the royal prerogative in the choice of ministers; and, -professedly, to punish such presumption he invaded the domains of that -nobleman. An encounter took place in the valley of the Ribble, not far -from Preston, in which the followers of Sir Adam were vanquished and put -to flight. Their leader secreted himself in a barn on his own lands, but, -being discovered by the soldiers of his opponent, was dragged forth and -beheaded with a sword. Subjoined is an account of a disturbance which -occurred at Kirkham during the same period, transcribed from the Vale -Royal[26] register:—“A narrative of proceedings in a dispute between -the abbot of Vale Royal, and Sir Will. de Clifton, knt., respecting the -tithes in the manor of Clifton and Westby, in the parish of Kirkham, A.D. -1337, in the time of Peter’s abbacy. The charges alleged against Sir -William state, that he had obtained twenty marks[27] due to the abbot; -had forcibly obstructed the rector in the gathering of tithes within the -manor of Clifton and Westby; seized his loaded wain, and brought ridicule -on his palfrey: that he had also burst, with his armed retainers, into -the parish church of Kirkham, and thereby deterred his clerks from the -performance of divine service; had prevented the parishioners from -resorting to the font for the rite of baptism; and that, having seized on -Thomas, the clerk of the abbot of Vale Royal, he had inflicted on him a -flagellation in the public streets of Preston. After a complaint, made to -the abbot of Westminster, a conservator of the rights and privileges of -the order to which Vale Royal belonged, Sir William confessed his fault -and threw himself on the mercy of the abbot of the Cheshire convent, -who contented himself, after receiving a compensation for his rector’s -losses, with an oath from the refractory knight, that he would in future -maintain and defend the privileges of the abbey, and would bind himself -in forty shillings to offer no further violence to the unfortunate -secretary of the abbot.” - -During the reign of Edward III., Henry, earl of Lancaster, was created -duke of the county with the consent of the prelates and peers assembled -in parliament. This nobleman, whose pious and generous actions earned -for him the title of the “Good duke of Lancaster,” received a mandate -from the king during the war with France, when there were serious -apprehensions of an invasion by that nation, to arm all the lancers on -his estates, and to set a strict watch over the seacoasts of Lancashire. -These precautions, however, proved unnecessary, as the French made no -attempt to cross the channel. In his will, bearing the date 1361, (the -year of his death), Duke Henry bequeathed the Wappentakes or Hundreds of -Amounderness, Lonsdale, and Leyland, with other estates, to his daughter -Blanche, who had married John of Gaunt, the earl of Richmond and fourth -son of Edward III. John of Gaunt succeeded to the dukedom in right of his -wife. - -“In the ‘Testa de Nevill’,” a register extending from 1274 to 1327, and -containing, amongst other matters, a list of the fees and serjeanties -holden of the king and the churches in his gift, it is stated under the -latter heading:—“St. Michael upon Wyre; the son of Count Salvata had -it by gift of the present king, and he says, that he is elected into a -bishoprick, and that the church is vacant, and worth 30 marks[28] per an. -Kyrkeham; King John gave two parts of it to Simon Blundel, on account of -his custody of the son and heir of Theobald Walter. Worth 80 marks[29] -per an.” In another part of these records it is named that Richard de -Frekelton held fees in chief in Freckleton, Newton, and Eccleston; Alan -de Singilton, in Singleton, Freckleton, Newton, and Elswick; and Adam de -Merton, in Marton; also that Fitz Richard held serjeanties in Singleton, -by serjeanty of Amounderness. - -The earliest intimation of members being returned to represent our own -district, in conjunction with the other divisions of the county, is to -the parliament of Edward I., assembled in 1295, when Matthew de Redmand -and John de Ewyas were elected knights of the shire for Lancaster, -and in his report the sheriff adds—“There is no city in the county of -Lancaster.” The members of parliament in 1297 were Henricus de Kigheley -and Henricus le Botyler; in 1302 Willielmus de Clifton and Gilbertus de -Singleton; and in 1304 Willielmus de Clifton and Willielmus Banastre. -Henricus le Botyler, or Butler, belonged to the family of the Butlers -of Rawcliffe; Gilbertus de Singleton was probably connected with the -Singletons whose descendants resided at Staining Hall; Willielmus de -Clifton was an ancestor of the Cliftons of Lytham, and here it may be -stated that Lancashire was represented in 1383 by Robt. de Clifton, of -Westby, and Ric’us de Hoghton; and in 1844 by J. Wilson Patten, now Lord -Winmarleigh, and Jno. Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall. Thos. Henry -Clifton, esq., son of the last gentleman, and the Hon. F. A. Stanley are -the present members for North Lancashire. - -During the Scottish wars of Edward III., John de Coupland, of Upper -Rawcliffe, valiantly captured David II., king of Scotland, at the battle -of Durham, and although that monarch dashed out Coupland’s teeth and -used every means to incite the latter to slay him, the brave soldier -restrained his wrath and delivered up his prisoner alive. For that -signal service Edward rewarded him with a grant of £500 per annum, -until he could receive an equivalent in land wherever he might choose, -and created him a knight banneret.[30] “I have seen,” says Camden, “a -charter of King Edward III., by which he advanced John Coupland to the -state of a banneret in the following words, because in a battle fought -at Durham he had taken prisoner David the Second, King of Scots:—‘Being -willing to reward the said John, who took David de Bruis prisoner, and -frankly delivered him unto us, for the deserts of his honest and valiant -service, in such sort as others may take example by his precedent to do -us faithful service in time to come, we have promoted the said John to -the place and degree of a banneret; and, for the maintenance of the same -state, we have granted, for us and our heirs, to the same John, five -hundred pounds by the year, to be received by him and his heirs’,” etc. - -For some time after a truce had been concluded with Scotland, the war, in -which the incident narrated occurred, continued with little abatement, -and in 1322 this county with others was called upon to raise fresh -levies. These constant drains upon its resources, and the devastations -committed by riotous companies of armed men, so impoverished our district -that the inhabitants of Poulton forwarded a petition to the Pope, praying -him to forego his claims upon their town on account of the deplorably -distressed condition to which they had been reduced. The taxations of -all churches in the Fylde were greatly lowered in consideration of the -indigency of the people; that of Kirkham from 240 marks per annum to 120, -and the others in like proportion. Further evidence of the poverty of -this division may be gathered from a census taken in 1377, which states, -amongst other things, that—“There is no town worthy of notice anywhere -in the whole of the county”; and again, twenty years later, when a loan -was raised to meet the enormous expenditure of the country, Lancashire -furnished no contributors. - -In 1389, during the reign of Richard II., it was enacted, with a view -to the preservation and improvement of the salmon fisheries throughout -the kingdom, “that no young salmon be taken or destroyed by nets, at -mill-dams or other places, from the middle of April to the Nativity of -St. John Baptist”; and special reference is made to this neighbourhood in -the following sentence of the bill:—“It is ordained and assented, that -the waters of Lone, Wyre, Mersee, Ribbyl, and all other waters in the -county of Lancaster, be put in defence, as to the taking of Salmons, from -Michaelmas Day to the Purification of our Lady (2nd of February), and in -no other time of the year, because that salmons be not seasonable in the -said waters in the time aforesaid; and in the parts where such rivers be, -there shall be assigned and sworn good and sufficient conservators of -this statute.” The foregoing is the earliest regulation of the kind, and -the wisdom and utility of its provisions are evinced by the existence of -similar measures at the present day. - -From the annals of the Duchy may be learnt some interesting particulars -relative to changes in ownership at that period of certain portions of -the territory comprised in the Fylde. In 1380 John of Gaunt, duke of -Lancaster, issued a “precept to the Escheator to give seisin of the Lands -of William Botyler in Layton Magna, Layton Parva, Bispham, Warthebrek, -and Great Merton,” etc.; and shortly afterwards gave orders to “seize -the Lands of William Botyler.” In 1385 mandates were issued by the same -nobleman to his Escheator to “seize into the Hands of the King and -himself the Lands of Thomas Banastre, (deceased, 1384), in Ethelswyk, -Frekculton, Claughton in Amoundernes, Syngleton Parva, Hamylton, -Stalmyn,” etc.; also those of “Emund Banastre, (deceased, 1384), in -Wodeplumpton, Preston,” etc. In the Rolls the subjoined entries also -occur:— - - 1381. - - GRANTORS. GRANTEES. MATTERS AND PREMISES. - - John Botyler, Knt. Henry de Bispham, Enrolment of the Grant - Richard de Carleton, of the Manors of Great - Chaplains. Layton, Little Layton, - Bispham, and Wardebrek; - lands in Great Merton, - and the whole Lordship - of Merton Town. - - Henry de Bispham, John Botyler, Knt., Enrolment of the Grant of - Richard de Carleton. and Alice his wife. the above Manors, Lands, - and Lordship, in Fee Tail - special. - - 1382. - - Robert de Wasshyngton. William de Hornby, Enrolment of Grant of - Parson of St. Lands, etc., in Carleton - Michael-upon-Wyre, in Amounderness, for a Rose - and William le Rent per ann. 8 years, and - Ducton. increased rent £20 per ann. - -There is nothing of interest or importance to recount affecting the Fylde -from the death of Richard II. until the year 1455, when the battle of -St. Albans, resulting in the defeat of Henry VI. and the royal forces by -the Duke of York, initiated those lamentable struggles between the rival -houses of York and Lancaster; and the inhabitants of our section shared, -like the rest, in the ruin and bloodshed of civil war. Those contests, -which lasted no less than thirty years, and included thirteen pitched -battles, were finally terminated in 1485, by the union of Henry VII. with -Catherine of York, daughter of Edward IV. - -In 1485 a malady called the “Sweating Sickness” visited the different -districts of Lancashire, and so rapid and fatal were the effects, that -during the seven weeks it prevailed, large numbers of the populace -fell victims to its virulence. Lord Verulam, describing the disease, -says:—“The complaint was a pestilent fever, attended by a malign vapour, -which flew to the heart and seized the vital spirits; which stirred -nature to strive to send it forth by an extreme sweat.” - -In 1487 the impostor Lambert Simnel, who personated Edward, earl of -Warwick, the heir in rightful succession to Edward IV., landed at the -Pile of Fouldrey, (Peel harbour) in Morecambe Bay, with an army raised -chiefly by the aid of the Duchess of Burgundy, and marched into the -country. At Stoke, near Newark, he was defeated and taken prisoner, and -subsequently the adventurer was made a scullion in the king’s kitchen, -from which humble sphere he rose by good conduct to the position of -falconer. Henry VIII., soon after his accession in 1509, became embroiled -in war with France, and whilst he was engaged in hostilities on the -continent, James IV. of Scotland crossed the border, and invaded England -with a force of fifty thousand men. To resist this aggression large -levies were promptly raised in Lancashire and other northern counties, -and on the field of Flodden, in Northumberland, a decisive battle took -place in 1513, in which the Scottish monarch was slain, and his army -routed. The Lancashire troops were led by Sir Edward Stanley, and -their patriotism and valour are celebrated in an ancient song called -the “Famous Historie or Songe of Floodan Field.” In the following -extract certain localities in and near the Fylde are mentioned as having -furnished their contingents of willing soldiers:— - - “All Lancashire for the most parte - The lusty Standley stowte can lead, - A stock of striplings stronge of heart - Brought up from babes with beef and bread, - From Warton unto Warrington, - From Wiggen unto Wyresdale, - From Weddecon to Waddington, - From Ribchester to Rochdale, - From Poulton to Preston with pikes - They with ye Standley howte forthe went, - From Pemberton and Pilling Dikes - For Battell Billmen bould were bent - With fellowes fearce and fresh for feight - With Halton feilds did turne in foores, - With lusty ladds liver and light - From Blackborne and Bolton in ye moores.” - -The office of High Sheriff is one of considerable antiquity, and in -early times it was no uncommon thing for the elected person to retain -the position for several years together. Annexed is a list of gentlemen -connected with the Fylde who have been High Sheriffs of the county of -Lancaster at different times, with their years of office:— - - 1194 to 1199. Theobald Walter, of Amounderness. - 1278. Gilbert de Clifton, of Clifton and Westby. - 1287. Gilbert de Clifton, of Clifton and Westby. - 1289. Gilbert de Clifton, of Clifton and Westby. - 1393. Sir Johannes Butler, Knt., of Rawcliffe. - 1394. Sir Johannes Butler, Knt., of Rawcliffe. - 1395. Sir Johannes Butler, Knt., of Rawcliffe. - 1397. Sir Richard Molyneux, Knt., of Larbrick (for life). - 1566. Sir Richard Molyneux, Knt., of Larbrick. - 1606. Edmund Fleetwood, of Rossall. - 1677. Alexander Rigby, of Layton. - 1678. Alexander Rigby, of Layton. - 1691. Sir Alexander Rigby, Knt., of Layton. - 1740. Roger Hesketh, of Rossall. - 1797. Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, of Rossall. - 1820. Robert Hesketh, of Rossall. - 1830. Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, of Rossall. - 1835. Thomas Clifton, of Lytham. - 1842. Thomas Robert Wilson ffrance, of Rawcliffe. - 1853. John Talbot Clifton, of Lytham. - -It may be here noticed that Edmund Dudley, so notorious in English -history as the infamous agent of Henry VII. in the wholesale and -scandalous extortions that monarch practised upon his subjects, held -many and large territorial possessions in the county of Lancashire, the -reward in all probability of his unscrupulous services to the king. -After the death of his royal patron a loud outcry for the punishment of -Dudley was raised by the nation, and in the first year of Henry VIII. a -proclamation was issued inviting those subjects who had been injured by -Dudley and his fellow commissioner, Sir Richard Empson, to come forward -and state their complaints; the number of complainants who appeared was -so great that it was found impossible to examine all their claims, so -in order to pacify the universal indignation, the two obnoxious agents -were thrown into prison on a charge of treason. From the Inquisition for -the Escheat of the Duchy of Lancaster taken on the attainder of Edmund -Dudley, in 1509, it is discovered that amongst his numerous estates, were -lands in Elswick, Hambleton, Freckleton, Thornton, Little Singleton, -Wood Plumpton, Whittingham, Goosnargh, and Claughton. Stow, writing -about the circumstances alluded to, says:—“Thereupon was Sir Richard -Empson, Knight, and Edmund Dudley, Esquire, by a politicke mean brought -into the Tower, where they were accused of treason, and so remained -there prisoners, thereby to quiet men’s minds, that made such suit to -have their money restored. On the seventeenth of July Edmund Dudley -was arraigned in the Guildhall of London, where he was condemned, and -had judgement to be drawn, hanged, and quartered.... Henry VIII. sent -commandment to the Constable of the Tower, charging him that Empson and -Dudley should shortly after be put to execution. The Sheriffs of London -were commanded by a special writ to see the said execution performed and -done, whereupon they went to the Tower and received the prisoners on the -17th of August, 1510, and from thence brought them unto the scaffold on -Tower Hill, where their heads were stricken off.” - -The most conspicuous event which happened during the sovereignty of Henry -VIII. was the Protestant Reformation. Henry, having quarrelled with the -Supreme Head of the Church at Rome, determined to suppress all religious -houses in his kingdom whose incomes amounted to less than £200 per -annum. Doctors Thomas Leigh and Thomas Layton were appointed to inspect -and report on those in Lancashire; and amongst the number condemned on -their visit was a small Benedictine Cell at Lytham. This Cell owed its -origin to Richard Fitz Roger, who towards the latter part of the reign of -Richard I. granted lands at Lytham to the Durham Church, in order that a -prior and Benedictine monks might be established there to the honour of -St. Mary and St. Cuthbert. Its yearly revenue at the time of suppression -was only £55. A little later, in 1540, the larger monastic institutions -suffered the fate of the smaller ones; and amongst the chantries closed -were two at St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. All Catholic places of worship were -closed by a proclamation, bearing the date September 23rd, 1548, and -issued by the lord protector Somerset on behalf of the young king Edward -VI. On the death of that monarch in 1553 the crown descended to his -sister Mary, only daughter of Catherine of Arragon; and one of her first -acts was to re-establish the old faith and re-open the churches and -chantries which her predecessors had closed. Mass was again celebrated -in the churches of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, Kirkham, and Singleton, as in -former days, the officiating priests being:— - - Kirkham Thomas Primbet, annual fee £2 10s. 0d. - Singleton Richard Goodson, ” ” £2 9s. 0d. - St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, Thomas Cross ” ” £4 13s. 10d. - -In the early part of this reign a grand military muster was ordered to -be made in the county palatine of Lancaster, and towards the 300 men -raised in the Hundred of Amounderness the Fylde townships contributed as -follows:— - - Warton 4 men. - Carleton 8 ” - Hardhome with Newton 8 ” - Much Eccleston 5 ” - Clifton 6 ” - Bispham and Norbreke 5 ” - Freckleton 5 ” - Thilston 8 ” - Thornton 8 ” - Out Rawcliffe 4 ” - Upper Rawcliffe and Tornecard 1 ” - Pulton 3 ” - Weton 3 ” - Threleyle 6 ” - Little Eccleston and Larbreke 6 ” - Little Singleton and Grange 5 ” - Newton with Scales 3 ” - Layton with Warbrick 8 ” - Elliswicke 5 ” - Kelmyne and Brininge 5 ” - Kirkham 3 ” - Westbye and Plumpton 8 ” - Rigby with Wraye 8 ” - Lithum 5 ” - Much Singleton 7 ” - Plumpton 11 ” - -The commanders of the regiment were—Sir Thomas Hesketh, Sir Richard -Houghton, George Browne, John Kitchen, Richard Barton, William Westby (of -Mowbreck), and William Barton, Esquires. - -Dodsworth, who lived in the latter part of the sixteenth and early part -of the seventeenth centuries, informs us that sometime during the year -1555 “a sudden irruption of the sea” took place near Rossall grange, and -a whole village, called Singleton Thorp, was washed away by the fury of -the waves. “The inhabitants were driven out of their ancient home, and -erected their tents at a place called Singleton to this day.” It has been -surmised that Singleton Thorp was the residence of Thomas de Singleton, -who opposed Edward I. in a suit to recover from that king the manors of -Singleton, Thornton, and Brughton. The site formerly occupied by the -ancient village is now called Singleton Skeer. Dodsworth also declares -that the Horse-bank lying off the shores of Lytham was, in 1612, during -the reign of James I., a pasture for cattle, and that, in 1601, a village -called Waddum Thorp existed between it and the present main-land. - -In January, 1559, about two months after the accession of Elizabeth, -another muster took place throughout the several counties of the kingdom, -and subjoined are enumerated the bodies of soldiers furnished by the -different Hundreds of Lancashire:— - - BLACKEBURNE HUNDRED—407 harnessed men, 406 unharnessed men. - AMOUNDERNES HUNDRED—213 harnessed men, 369 unharnessed men. - LONDESDALL HUNDRED—356 harnessed men, 114 unharnessed men. - LEYLONDE HUNDRED—80 harnessed men, 22 unharnessed men. - SALEFORDE HUNDRED—394 harnessed men, 649 unharnessed men. - WEST DERBY HUNDRED—459 harnessed men, 413 unharnessed men. - Sum Total of harnessed men 1919. - Sum Total of unharnessed men 2073.[31] - -An epidemic, described by Hollinworth as a “sore sicknesse,” prevailed -in this county during some months of 1565, and carried off many of the -inhabitants. - -Queen Elizabeth on her accession wrought another change in the national -religion, but taking warning from the outcries and disturbances produced -by the sudden and sweeping policies of Henry VIII. and Mary, proceeded -to affect her purpose in a more deliberate manner. She retained some of -her Catholic ministers, taking care, however, to have sufficient of the -reformed faith to outvote them when occasion required, and appointed -a commission to inquire into the persecutions of the last reign, with -orders to liberate from prison all those who had been confined on account -of their attachment to Protestant principles. In her own chapel she -forbade several Popish practices, and commanded that certain portions of -the services should be read in the English tongue. Shortly afterwards a -proclamation was issued, ordering that all chantries should conduct their -services after the model of her own chapel. This comparative moderation -was succeeded at a later period of her sovereignty by sterner measures, -and many Catholic recusants were placed in confinement, being subjected -to heavy penalties and degradations. During the same reign the military -strength of the nation was again ascertained by a general muster. The -gathering took place in 1574, when six gentlemen of our neighbourhood -were thus rated:— - -Cuthbert Clifton, esq., to furnish:—Light horse 1, Plate-coate 1, Pyke 1, -Long bows 2, Sheaves of arrows 2, Steel caps 2, Caliver 1, Morion 1. - -James Massey, George Alane to furnish:—Plate-coat 1, Long bow 1, Sheaf of -arrows 1, Steel cap 1, Caliver 1, Morion 1, Bill 1. - -William Hesketh to furnish of good will:—Caliver 1, Morion 1. - -William Singleton, John Veale to furnish:—The same as William Hesketh -doth. - -The whole complement raised in the Hundred of Amounderness consisted of—5 -Light horse, 1 Demi-lance, 2 Corslets, 17 Plate-coats, 11 Pykes, 22 Long -bows, 22 Sheaves of arrows, 27 Steel caps, 15 Calivers, 20 Morions, and -10 Bills. - -Father Edmund Campion, the notorious Jesuit, was apprehended in 1581, -immediately after travelling through Lancashire endeavouring to spread -the doctrines of his faith, and imprisoned in the Tower. Under the cruel -influence of the rack he divulged the names of several persons by whom he -had been received and entertained whilst on his journey, and amongst them -were Mrs. Allen of Rossall Hall, the widow of Richard Allen, and John -Westby of Mowbreck and Burn Halls. Shortly before his execution Campion -deplored his compulsory confession in a letter to a friend in these -words:—“It grieved me much to have offended the Catholic cause so highly, -as to confess the names of some gentlemen and friends in whose houses I -have been entertained; yet in this I greatly cherish and comfort myself, -that I never discovered any secrets there declared, and that I will not, -come rack, come rope.” - -The following extracts are taken from some manuscripts in the Harleian -collection, and will explain themselves:— - - “Names of such as are detected for receiptinge of Priests, - Seminaries, etc., in the County of Lancashire. - - “This appeareth by the presentment One named little Richard receipted - of the Vicar of Garstang. at Mr. Rigmaden’s of Weddicar by - report. - - “This appeareth by the presentment Ricard Cadocke, a seminary priest, - of the Vicar of Kirkham. also Deiv. Tytmouse conversant in - the Company of two widows—viz. - Mistress Alice Clyfton and Mistress - Jane Clyfton, about the first of - October last, 1580, by the report - of James Burie. - - “This also appeareth by the Richard Brittain, a priest receipted - presentment of the Vicar of in the house of William Bennett of - Kirkham. Westby, about the beginning of June - last, from whence young Mr. Norrice - of Speke conveyed the said Brittain - to the Speke, as the said Bennett - hath reported. - - “The said Brittain remayneth now at the house of Mr. Norrice of - the Speke, as appeareth by the deposition of John Osbaldston. - - “Diocese of Chester - - “Amounderness Deanery - Cuthb. Clifton, Esq. Obstinate. - Will. Hesketh, gent. Obstinate. - John Singleton, gent. Obstinate.” - -At that period it was customary to levy a tax of live stock and different -articles of food on each county, for the supply of the royal larder, and -Sir Richard Sherburn, of Carleton and Hambleton, and Alexander Rigby, of -Middleton, near Preston,[32] ratified an agreement with the treasurer -and controller of Elizabeth’s household, that Lancashire should provide -annually forty great oxen, to be delivered alive at her majesty’s -pasture at Crestow. Afterwards the sums to be contributed by each Hundred -for the purchase of these animals was arranged, and Amounderness rated at -£16 10s. 0d. per year. The latter agreement was ratified by Sir Richard -Sherburne and Edward Tyldesley, of Myerscough, amongst others. Grievous -complaints were made in the Fylde and other parts of the county of the -desecration of the Sabbath by “Wakes, fayres, markettes, bayrebaytes, -bull baits, Ales, Maygames, Resortinge to Alehouses in tyme of devyne -service, pypinge and dauncinge, huntinge and all manner of unlawfull -gamynge.” A letter praying that these profanations might be reformed -was signed by the magistrates of the several districts, amongst whom -were Edmund Fleetwood of Rossall, and R. Sherburne of Carleton, etc., -and forwarded to London. A commission of inquiry was appointed, and -after an investigation, the commissioners charged all mayors, bailiffs, -and constables, as well as other civil officers, churchwardens, etc., -to suppress by all lawful means the said disorders of the Sabbath, -and to present the offenders at the quarter sessions, that they might -be dealt with for the same according to law. They also directed that -the minstrels, bearwards, and all such disorderly persons, should be -immediately apprehended and brought before the justices of the peace, and -punished at their discretion; that the churchwardens should be enjoined -to present at the sessions all those that neglected to attend divine -service upon the Sabbath day, that they might be indicted and fined -in the penalty of twelve pence for every offence; that the number of -alehouses should be abridged, that the ale-sellers should utter a full -quart of ale for one penny, and none of any less size, and that they -should sell no ale or other victuals in time of divine service; that -none should sell ale without a license; that the magistrates should be -enjoined not to grant any ale-licenses except in public sessions; that -they should examine the officers of the commonwealth to learn whether -they made due presentment at the quarter sessions of all bastards born -or remaining within their several precincts; and that thereupon a strict -course should be taken for the due punishment of the reputed parents -according to the statute, as also for the convenient keeping and relief -of the infants.[33] - -In 1588, the year following the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, Philip -of Spain, urged on by an ambition to conquer the kingdom of England and -re-establish the Romish religion, equipped an immense fleet, consisting -of seventy-two galliasses and galleons, forty-seven second-class ships of -war, and eleven pinnaces, to which he gave the name of the “Invincible -Armada.” The rumour of this invasion spread great alarm throughout the -country; and the magistrates, gentry, and freeholders of Lancashire -were summoned to meet Lord Strange at Preston, to consider what steps -should be taken for the defence of their coast, on which, at Peel in -Morecambe Bay, it was deemed probable the Spaniards would attempt a -landing. So doubtful does Elizabeth appear to have been of the loyalty -of her Lancashire subjects that Lord Strange was commanded to append -to his summonses the words,—“Fayle not at your uttermost peril.” Nor -were these suspicions on the part of the queen without good reason, for -the principal landed proprietors and gentry of the county were members -of the Romish Church, and it was to be feared that they would be only -lukewarm in repelling, if not, indeed, active in encouraging, an enemy -whose professed object was the restoration of their religion. Baines, -in reviewing the Reformation, says,—“In the county of Lancashire it was -retrograde. The Catholics multiplied, priests were harboured, the book -of common prayer and the service of the Church, established by law, were -laid aside; many of the churches were shut up, and the cures unsupplied, -unless by the ejected Catholics.” Numerous crosses on the highways, as -well as the names of several places, as Low-cross, High-cross, Norcross, -etc., also testify to the Romish tendency of the inhabitants. Cardinal -Allen, who had for many years been living on the continent at Douai and -elsewhere[34] was suspected of having, in conjunction with Parsons, the -Jesuit, instigated Philip to this invasion. The harbour of “Pille,” -(Peel) is described in the Lansdowne manuscripts as the “very best haven -for landings with great shyppes in all the west coast of England, called -St. George’s Channel,” and further in the same folio we read:—“What the -Spanyerd means to do the Lord knows, for all the countrie being known to -Doctor Allen, who was born harde by the pyle,” (Rossall Hall was the -birth-place of Allen,) “and the inhabytentes ther aboutes all ynfected -with the Romish poyson, it is not unlike that his directione will be used -for some landinge there.... One Thomas Prestone (a papyshe atheiste) is -deputye steward, and commandes the menrede, and lands ther, wch were -sometyme appertayning to the Abbeye of Fornes.” - -Whilst preparations for resisting the Spaniards were being pushed forward -with as much expedition as possible, the “Invincibles” appeared in the -English Channel, and arranged themselves for battle in the form of a -crescent. The British fleet, numbering only thirty-four ships of war, and -sundry private vessels equipped for the occasion, under the command of -Lord Howard, sailed out to engage them. A series of actions took place, -and although nothing decisive had been effected, the advantage seemed -to be leaning towards the English fleet, when eight fire-ships drifted -in amongst the Armada and threw them into utter confusion. This _coup -de maître_ took place on the 29th of July, 1588. The panic-stricken -Spaniards, fearing that the whole of their ships would be destroyed in -a general conflagration, severed their cables, and fled. A westerly -gale, however, sprang up, and wrecked many of the vessels on the coast -between Ostend and Calais; the shores of Scotland and Ireland were also -covered with fragments of their ships and bodies of their mariners, while -tradition asserts that one of the galleons was stranded on the Point of -Rossall, where it was attacked by the country people, either for the sake -of pillage or in the hope of capturing it. Whether one or both of these -desires actuated the rustics they were doomed to disappointment, for the -Spaniards successfully resisted their first attempt, and escaped on the -returning tide, before further efforts could be made by the little band -on shore. Two cannon balls were formerly to be seen at Rossall Hall, and -it was stated that they were the identical ones fired by this vessel, as -a parting salute, when she sailed away. They were found on removing some -of the walls belonging to the old mansion. - -The annexed is a list of free-tenants residing in the Fylde district -about the year 1585, the 27th of the reign of Queen Elizabeth:— - - Molyneux, Sir Richard, of Larbrick, knight. - Clifton, Thomas, of Westby, esq. - Rigby, Edward, of Layton and Burgh, esq. - Veale, John, of Mythorp, esq. - Butler, Henry, of Out-Rawcliffe, esq. - Parker, William, of Bradkirk, esq. - Westby, John, of Mowbreck, esq. - Kirkby, William, of Upper Rawcliffe, esq. - Singleton, George, of Staining, esq. - Hesketh, William, of Little Poulton, esq. - Stanley, Thomas, of Great Eccleston, esq. - Warren, ⸺, of Plumpton, esq. - White, Nicholas, of Great Eccleston, gent. - Rogerly, George, of Lytham, gent. - Banister, William, of Carleton, gent. - Sharples, John, of Freckleton, gent. - -The dress of the priests previous to the Protestant Reformation is -thus described by Harrison:—“They went either in divers colours like -plaiers, or in garments of light hew, as yellow, red, greene, etc., with -their shoes piked, their haire crisped, and their girdles armed with -silver; their shoes, spurs, bridles, etc., buckled with like mettall; -their apparell chiefly of silke, and richlie furred, their cappes laced -and buttoned with gold; so that to meet a priest in those days, was to -beholde a peacocke that spreadeth his taile when he danseth before the -henne.” “The manners and customs of the inhabitants of Lancashire,” -writes John de Brentford, “are similar to those of the neighbouring -counties except that the people eat with two pronged forks[35]; the men -are masculine, and in general well made, they ride and hunt the same -as in the most southern parts, but not with that grace, owing to the -whip being carried in the left hand; the women are most handsome, their -eyes brown, black, hazel, blue, or grey; their noses, if not inclined -to the aquiline, are mostly of the Grecian form, which gives a most -beautiful archness to the countenance, such indeed as is not easy to be -described, their fascinating manners have long procured them the name -of Lancashire witches.” Leyland in his “Itinerary” says:—“The dress -of the men chiefly consists of woollen garments, while the women wear -those of silk, linen, or stuff. Their usual colours are those of green, -blue, black, and sometimes brown. The military are dressed in red, which -is vulgarly called scarlet.” In the time of Henry VIII. the custom of -placing chimneys on the tops of the houses was first introduced amongst -the English; before that period the smoke usually found its way through -an opening in the roof or out of the doorway. The houses of the middle -classes were for the most part formed of wood, whilst those of the -peasantry were built of wattles plastered over with a thick coating of -clay. The few stone mansions existing in Lancashire were the residences -of the nobility or of the most opulent gentry. Harrison, referring to the -improvements in accommodation gradually gaining ground, remarks:—“There -was a great, although not general, amendment of lodging; for our fathers, -yea, and we ourselves also, have lien full oft upon straw pallets, on -rough mats, onelie covered with a sheet under coverlets made of dagswam -or hopparlots, and a good round log under the head instead of a bolster -or pillow, which was thought meet onelie for women in childbed; as for -servants, if they had anie sheets above them, it was well, for seldome -had they anie under their bodies to keep them from the prickly straws -that ran oft through the canvas of the pallet, and raised their hardened -hides.” Holinshed, also, notices the better style of entertainment at -the inns of Lancaster, Preston, etc.; at which he tells us the guests -were well provided with “napierie, bedding, and tapisserie,” and each was -sure of resting “in cleane sheets wherein no man had been lodged since -they came from the laundress.” Camden, writing of our more immediate -neighbourhood a little later than the period we are now discussing, -says:—“The goodly and fresh complexion of the natives does sufficiently -evince the goodness of the county; nay and the cattle too, if you will; -for in the oxen, which have huge horns and proportionate bodies, you will -find nothing of that perfection wanting that Mago, the Carthagenian, in -Columella required. This soil (Amounderness) bears oats pretty well, but -is not so good for barley; it makes excellent pasture especially towards -the sea, where it is partly Champain; whence a great part of it is called -the File, probably for the Field. But being in other places Fenny ’tis -reckoned less wholesome. In many places along the coast there are heaps -of sand, upon which the natives now and then pour water, till it grows -saltish, and then with turf boyl it into white salt.” Several of these -salt manufacturies were located near Lytham, and it is very likely that -the two brass pans and an ancient measure, discovered about forty years -since deeply imbedded in the peat not far from Fox Hall, were used in the -production of salt somewhere in that vicinity. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -JAMES THE FIRST TO QUEEN VICTORIA. - - -On the accession of James I., in 1603, the crowns of England and Scotland -became legally united, although it was not until a considerable time -afterwards that they could be regarded as practically so. This monarch -was the first to assume the title of King of Great Britain. - -A custom prevailed in former days of relieving the secular portion of -the community by imposing exclusive taxes on the clergy, and hence it -is seen, that in 1608 a rate was levied upon the latter by the Right -Reverend George Lloyd, D.D., the eighth bishop of Chester. The following -is a copy of the impost so far as the Hundred of Amounderness was -concerned:— - - “_Archid. Decanatus_ Cestrie _in Com._ Lancastrie - - A Rayte imposed by me George Bushoppe of Chestʳ upon the Clergie - within the Countye of Chesshyre and Lancashyre within the Dyoces - of Chest,ʳ By vertue of Ires from the lordes grace of Yorke - grounded upon + from the lordes and others of his maᵗᵉˢ most - honorable privye counsell for the fyndinge of horses, armes, and - other furniture, the XXVIIIth of October 1608. - - Amounderness Decanatus Archid. Richm. - - - Mr. Porter, vicar of Lancastʳ a corslet furnished. - Mr. Paler, vicar of Preston ⎱ a musket furnished - Mr. Norcrosse, vicar of Ribchestʳ ⎰ - Mr. Whyt, vicar of Poulton & ⎱ a musket furnished. - Mr. Greenacres, vicar of Kirkham ⎰ - Mr. Aynsworth, vicar of Garstange ⎱ a musket furnished. - Mr. Woolfenden, vicar of St. Michael’s upon Wyre ⎰ - Mr. Calver, vicar of Cockerham ⎱ a caliver furnished. - Mr. Parker, vicar of Chippin. ⎰ - - George Cestriensis.”[36] - -Here it may be mentioned that, although about 636, Honorus, archbishop -of Canterbury, attempted to divide the kingdom into parishes, it was not -until many years later, in the reign of Henry VIII., that the diocese -to which Lancashire belonged was clearly defined. At that date Chester -was created a distinct bishopric, and the southern part of our county -included in the archdeaconry of Chester, whilst the northern portion was -attached to the archdeaconry of Richmond. - -In 1617 James I., on his return journey from Scotland to London, was -entertained at Myerscough Lodge, near Garstang, by Edward Tyldesley, -the grandfather of the gentleman who erected Fox Hall, at Blackpool. -Thomas Tyldesley, a cousin of the owner of Myerscough Lodge, and -attorney-general of the county of Lancaster, had been knighted by the -monarch at Wimbleton in the previous year. From Myerscough the King -proceeded to Hoghton Tower, where a petition was presented to him by the -agricultural labourers, petty tradesmen, and ordinary servants in this -and other districts lying near Preston, praying that the edict of the -late queen, whereby sports and games had been prohibited on the Sabbath, -might be repealed. The prayer of the petitioners found favour with James, -and shortly afterwards he caused it to be proclaimed—“that his majesty’s -pleasure was, that the bishops of the diocese should take strict order -with all the puritans and precisians within the county of Lancaster, and -either constrain them to conform themselves, or to leave the countrie, -according to the laws of this kingdom and the canons of the church; and -for his good people’s recreation his pleasure was, that after the end -of divine service, they be not disturbed, letted, or discouraged from -any lawful recreation, such as dancing, either men or women; archery -for men, leaping, vaulting, or any such harmless recreation; nor having -of May-games, Whitson-ales, and Morice-dances, and the setting up of -May-poles, and other sports therewith used; so as the same be had in due -and convenient time, without impediment or neglect of divine service; -and that women should have leave to carry rushes to the church, for -decorating of it according to the old custom; but withal his majesty -did here account still as prohibited, all unlawful games to be used -on Sundays only, as bear and bull-baitings, interludes, and, at all -times, in the meaner sort of people, by law prohibited, bowling.” A few -months after this concession to the wishes of a portion of his subjects, -James issued a publication designated the “Book of Sports,” in which he -explained what were to be considered lawful sports to be indulged in on -“Sundays and Festivals.” - -The gentlemen enumerated below were free-tenants, residing in the Fylde, -during his reign:— - - Clifton, Sir Cuthbert, of Westby, knight. - Banister, Sir Robert, of Plumpton, knight. - Fleetwood, Edward, of Rossall, esq. - Westby, Thomas, of Mowbreck, esq. - Kirkby, William, of Upper Rawcliffe, esq. - Veale, Edward, of Whinney Heys, esq. - Burgh, Richard, of Larbrick, esq. - Leckonby, John, of Great Eccleston, esq. - Longworth, Richard, of St. Michael’s, esq. - Parker, John, of Bradkirk, esq. - Hesketh, William, of Mains, esq. - Singleton, Thomas, of Staining, esq. - Brown, James, of Singleton, gent. - Leigh, Robert, of Plumpton, gent. - Smith, John, of Kirkham, gent. - Sharples, Henry, of Kirkham, gent, - ffrance, John, of Eccleston, gent. - Thompson Wm., of Little Eccleston, gent. - Dobson, William, of Bispham, gent. - Hornby, Henry, of Bankfield, gent. - Bradley, James, of Bryning, gent. - Taylor, James, of Poulton, gent. - Bamber, Thomas, of Poulton, gent. - Bailey, Lawrence, of Layton, gent. - Bonny, Robert, of Kirkham, gent. - Whiteside, Robt., of Thornton, gent. - -In the Registers of Kirkham is the annexed statement, from which it -appears that a few years from the death of James I. the Fylde, or at -least a considerable tract of it, was visited by some fatal epidemic, -but its peculiar nature cannot be ascertained:—“A.D. 1630. This year -was a great plague in Kirkham, in which the more part of the people of -the town died thereof. It began about the 25th of July and continued -vehemently until Martinmas, but was not clear of it before Lent; and -divers towns of the parish was infected with it, and many died thereof -out of them, as Treales, Newton, Greenall, Estbrick, Thistleton. N.B.—The -great mortality was in the year 1631; 304 died that year, and were buried -at Kirkham, of whom 193 in the months of August and September”. Charles -I. soon after ascending the throne in 1626, provoked a breach with his -parliament by endeavouring to enforce subsidies, with which to carry on -his foreign wars, and further, he alienated the affections and respect of -the Puritan section of his subjects by confirming the regulations of the -“Book of Sports.” Dissatisfaction and murmurings were quickly fermented -into rebellion, and the closing of the gates of Hull against the king -in 1642 initiated those fearful wars, which desolated and disorganised -the country for so many years. In 1641, Alexander Rigby,[37] esq., of -Layton Hall, Sir Gilbert de Hoghton, with eight other gentlemen, were -removed from the commission of the peace, by order of parliament, on -suspicion of being favourably disposed towards the royal party. The -chief supporters of the king in the ensuing conflicts were the nobility, -in great numbers; the higher orders of the gentry, and a considerable -portion of their tenantry; all the High-churchmen; and a large majority -of the Catholics. The parliamentarian army, on the other hand, was mainly -composed of freeholders, traders, manufacturers, Puritans, Presbyterians, -and Independents. An engagement near Wigan roused up the people in our -vicinity to a sense of the dangers menacing them, and a public meeting -of royalists was called at Preston under the presidency of the earl of -Derby. Amongst other gentlemen who took a prominent part in the assembly -were Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, and Alexander Rigby, esq., of -Layton. Several resolutions were adopted, the most important being that -a sum of money, amounting to £8,700, should be raised and devoted to the -payment of a regiment, consisting of 2,000 foot and 400 horse, in the -following scale of remuneration:— - - DRAGOONERS. - - Captain 12s. 0d. per diem. - Lieutenant 6s. 0d. ” ” - Cornet 4s. 0d. ” ” - Sergeant 3s. 0d. ” ” - Corporal 2s. 0d. ” ” - Dragooner 1s. 6d. ” ” - Kettle-drum 2s. 0d. ” ” - - FOOT. - - Captain 10s. 0d. per diem. - Lieutenant 4s. 0d. ” ” - Sergeant 1s. 6d. ” ” - Drummer 1s. 3d. ” ” - Corporal 1s. 0d. ” ” - Private 0s. 9d. ” ” - - HORSE. - - Captain 16s. 0d. per diem. - Lieutenant 8s. 0d. ” ” - Cornet 6s. 0d. ” ” - Corporal 4s. 0d. ” ” - Trumpeter 5s. 0d. ” ” - Private 2s. 6d. ” ” - - And to every Commissary 5s. 0d. per diem. - -Parliamentary commissioners were sent this year, 1642, into all parts of -Lancashire to visit the churches and chapels and to remove therefrom all -images, superstitious pictures, and idolatrous relics, which any of them -might contain. - -Preston and Lancaster were amongst the earliest towns to fall into -the hands of the Roundheads, and about ten days after the surrender -of the former place, when the people of this district were labouring -under the excitement of war on their very frontier, Alexander Rigby, -of Layton Hall, accompanied by Captain Thomas Singleton, of Staining, -and other officers, appeared near Poulton at the head of a number of -horsemen, and threw the inhabitants into a state of great consternation -and alarm, fortunately proving unnecessary, for the cavalcade had other -designs than that of bringing devastation and bloodshed to their own -doors, and continued their journey peaceably northward. A few weeks -later a Spanish vessel was seen at the entrance of Morecambe Bay, off -Rossall Point, and as it evinced no signs of movement, either towards -the harbour of Lancaster or out to sea, the yeomen and farm servants of -that neighbourhood at once surmised that some sort of an invasive attack -was meditated on their coast, nor were these fears in any way allayed -by the constant firing of a piece of cannon from the deck of the ship, -and it was not until the discharges had been repeated through several -days that they realised that distress and not bombardment was intended -to be indicated. On boarding the vessel they found that she contained a -number of passengers, all of whom, together with the crew, were reduced -to a pitiable and enfeebled condition through exposure and scarcity -of provisions, for, having lost their way in the heavy weather which -prevailed, they had been detained much over the time expected for the -voyage, blindly cruising about in the hope of discovering some friendly -haven or guide. The craft was piloted round into the mouth of the river -Wyre, opposite the Warren, and relief afforded to the sufferers. Rumour -of the presence of the ship was not long in reaching the ears of the earl -of Derby, who, with promptitude determined to march down and seize it in -the king’s name. On the Saturday he arrived at Lytham Hall with a small -troop of cavalry, where he sojourned for the night, with the intention -of completing his journey and effecting his purpose the following day -before the parliamentarians had got word of the matter; but here his -calculations were at fault, for the parliamentary leader had already -dispatched four companies of infantry, under Major Sparrow, to take -possession of the prize, and on the same Saturday evening they took up -their quarters at Poulton and Singleton, having arrived by a different -route to the earl, who had forded the river at Hesketh Bank. On the -Sunday Major Sparrow, who throughout showed a lively horror of risking -an encounter with the renowned nobleman, posted scouts with orders to -watch the direction taken by the latter, and convey the information -without delay to the chief station at Poulton, where the soldiers were -in readiness, not for action, as it subsequently turned out, but to put -a safe barrier between themselves and the enemy, for no sooner was it -ascertained that the earl, “all his company having their swords drawn,” -was marching along Layton Hawes towards Rossall, than Sparrow conducted -his force across the Wyre, at the Shard, and followed the course of the -stream towards its outlet “until he came over against where the shipp -lay, being as feared of the earle as the earle was of him.”[38] The earl -of Derby advanced along the shore line and across the Warren to the mouth -of the river without the naked weapons of his followers being called into -service, but finding when he boarded the ship that two parliamentary -gentlemen had forestalled his intention by seizing her for the powers -they recognized, he unhesitatingly took them prisoners, and set fire -to the vessel, whilst Sparrow and his men stood helplessly by, on the -opposite side of the water, where the gallant major perhaps congratulated -himself on his caution in having avoided a collision with so prompt and -vigorous a foe. Some of the Spaniards attached themselves to the train of -the earl, whilst others were scattered over the neighbourhood, depending -for subsistence upon the charity of the cottagers and farmers, but their -final destiny is unknown. The noble general, enraged at the unlooked for -frustration of the main object of his journey, determined that it should -not be altogether fruitless, and on his return forced admittance into -the mansion of the Fleetwoods, at Rossall, and bore off all the arms he -could lay hands upon. Resuming his march he re-passed through Lytham, -forded the Ribble, and finally made his way to Lathom House, his famous -residence. - -Inactivity, however temporary, was ill suited to the temperament of the -earl, and on receiving the news that the solitary piece of artillery -belonging to the luckless Spanish vessel had been appropriated by -the parliamentary officials before he appeared upon the scene, and -transferred to their stronghold at Lancaster, he conceived the idea of -reducing the ancient castle on the Lune, and so taking vengeance on -those who had anticipated him in the Wyre affair, as well as removing a -formidable obstacle to the success of the royal arms. Before entering on -an undertaking of such importance it was necessary that his small body of -troops should be materially increased, and after exhausting the districts -south of the Ribble, he crossed it, in search of recruits amongst the -yeomanry and peasantry of the Fylde. The earl lodged his soldiers in -and about Kirkham, and fixed his own quarters at Lytham Hall. Dreadful -stories are related by the old historian, from whose work we have already -quoted, of the doings of the troops for the short time they remained -in the neighbourhood, but it is only fair to state that their rapacity -was directed exclusively against the property of those whose sympathies -were with their opponents, whose houses and farms they plundered most -mercilessly, driving off their horses, and carrying away ornaments, -bedding, and everything which could either be turned to immediate use -or offered a prospect of future gain. Warrants were issued on the first -day of their arrival, from the head quarters at Lytham, over the whole -of our section, calling upon every male above sixteen years of age and -under sixty, “upon payne of death to appear before his Honor at Kirkham -the next morning by eight of the clock, in their best weapons, to attend -the King’s service.”[39] The officers to whom fell the task of heralding -the mandate over the large area in the brief interval allowed, fulfilled -their duties with energy, and a goodly company responded to the arbitrary -summons of the commander. After having seen that the fresh levies were as -suitably equipped for warfare as means would permit, the earl appointed -John Hoole, of Singleton, and John Ambrose, of Wood Plumpton, as captains -over them, and gave the order to march. On reaching Lancaster Lord Derby -summoned the mayor and burgesses to surrender the town and castle into -his hands, to which the chief magistrate replied that the inhabitants -had already been deprived of their arms and were unresisting, but that -the fortress, now garrisoned by parliamentary troops, was out of his -keeping, an answer so far unsatisfactory to the besieger that he set fire -to the buildings, about one hundred and seventy of which were destroyed, -and inflicted other injury on the place. Colonel Ashton, of Middleton, -who had been sent to relieve the castle, arrived too late, when the earl -was some distance on his return towards Preston, from which town he -dislodged the enemy. A little later the tide of fortune turned against -the royalists, and the earl of Derby was one of the earliest to suffer -defeat. Colonel Thomas Tyldesley, a staunch partizan of the king, and -the father of Edward Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, Blackpool, retreated before -Colonel Ashton, from Wigan to Lathom, and afterwards to Liverpool, where -he was besieged and forced again to fly by his indefatigable opponent. -(Later he distinguished himself at Burton-on-Trent, by the desperate -heroism with which he led a cavalry charge over a bridge of thirty-six -arches, and for that display of valour as well as his faithful adherence -to Charles, he received the honour of knighthood.) Driven from Liverpool, -Tyldesley, in company with Lord Molyneux, withdrew the remnant of his -regiment towards the Ribble, crossed that stream, and quartered his men -in Kirkham, whilst Molyneux occupied the village of Clifton. In these -places they rested a night and a day, keeping a vigilant look out for -their pursuer, Ashton, from the old windmill, situated at the east end -of Kirkham. About one o’clock on the day succeeding the evening of their -arrival the soldiers, acting under orders, repaired to their several -lodgings to further refresh themselves after their prolonged fatigues, -but before four hours had elapsed, a report came from the outpost that -the enemy was approaching. An alarm spread through the camp, and with -difficulty Lord Molyneux and Colonel Tyldesley assembled their forces in -the town of Kirkham, where they elected once more to make a stand against -the victorious Ashton. Command was given that all the women and children -should confine themselves within doors, and preparations were hurried -forward to offer the parliamentarians a vigorous resistance; but as -daylight waned and the besiegers were momentarily expected, the courage -of the royal troops seems to have oozed away, and they precipitately -vacated the town, fording the Wyre, and flying towards Stalmine, whence -they continued their retreat to Cockerham, and so on northwards. -When Colonel Ashton entered Kirkham he found the enemy gone and the -inhabitants in a state of extreme trepidation, but their fears were soon -dismissed by the action of the gallant soldier who, on learning the -course taken by Tyldesley and Molyneux, pushed on without delay. Ashton -followed up the pursuit as far as the boundaries of Lancashire, without -overtaking any of the royalists, and then returned to Preston. The rear -of his troops diverged from the main road at Garstang, unknown to their -leader, and marched into the Fylde for plunder. They passed through St. -Michael’s, and visiting the residence and estate of Christopher Parker, -of Bradkirk, drove away many of his cattle, and stripped his house of -everything of value. In Kirkham they laid the people under heavy toll, -and even spared not those who were notoriously well affected towards -parliament. At Clifton they found more herds of cattle, which were joined -to those already with them; but at Preston they fell to quarrelling over -the booty, and it is questionable whether their ill-gotten stores did not -prove rather a curse than a blessing to them. - -Towards the end of 1643, the year in which the events just narrated -occurred, Thurland Castle, the seat of Sir John Girlington, was captured -by the parliamentary colonel, Alexander Rigby, of Middleton, near -Preston. In the engagement the Lancashire troops were under the command -of Alexander Rigby, of Layton, who allowed his small regiment to be -surprised and routed by his namesake. After his success at Thurland, -Colonel Rigby, of Middleton, proceeded to raise fresh levies in -Amounderness. Mr. Clayton, of Fulwood Moor, was appointed to superintend -the whole of the recruiting and directed to place himself at the head of -the new regiment. Mr. Patteson, of Ribby, and Mr. Wilding, of Kirkham, -were each apportioned half of the parish bearing the latter name, in -which they were respectively ordered to raise a company. In the parishes -of Poulton and Bispham, Mr. Robert Jolly, of Warbreck, Mr. William -Hull, of Bispham, Mr. Richard Davis, of Newton, and Mr. Rowland Amon, -of Thornton, were made captains, and had similar duties imposed upon -them. In Lytham parish, Mr. George Sharples, of Freckleton, received a -commission, but was unable to muster more than a very few followers, as -the people of that neighbourhood reflected the loyal sentiments of the -lord of the manor, and could neither be coerced nor seduced from their -allegiance to the king. Captains Richard Smith and George Carter, of -Hambleton, raised companies in Stalmine, Hambleton, and the adjacent -townships and villages. Mr. William Swarbrick recruited a company in his -native parish of St. Michael’s, and Mr. Duddell obtained another in Wood -Plumpton. - -At the siege of Bolton, in May, 1644, when the town was stormed and -surrendered after a valiant resistance, to Prince Rupert, with an army of -over nine thousand royalists, Duddell and Davis were amongst the officers -slain, whilst their companies were literally cut to pieces. Captain -George Sharples, of Freckleton, was taken prisoner, and dragged, almost -naked and barefooted, through the miry and blood-stained streets to the -spot where Cuthbert, the eldest son of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, was -standing after the carnage, in which he had led a party of the besiegers. -Captain Clifton and others near him were in a mood for a somewhat rude -and ungenerous entertainment, and placed the hapless Sharples, in his -dilapidated attire, in a prominent position and, thrusting a Psalter into -his hand, compelled him to sing a Psalm for their delectation. After -they had amused themselves in such fashion for some time the prisoner -was handed over to the guard, from whom he ultimately made his escape. -Captain Cuthbert Clifton was elevated to the rank of colonel as an -acknowledgment of his gallant services at Bolton, after which he returned -for a few days into the Fylde, where he engaged himself in procuring a -fresh detachment of soldiers, who readily flocked to his standard. For -their provision and comfort he did not hesitate or scruple to appropriate -a number of cattle on Layton Hawes, and to relieve some of the Puritans -of Kirkham, Bispham, and Poulton, of their bedding, etc. Having fully -supplied his commissariat department by these means, he marched to -Liverpool, and joining Prince Rupert, was present at the sacking of that -town. - -The Civil War had proved most disastrous to Lancashire, where the -constant movements and frequent collisions of the contending parties -had ruined the towns, destroyed almost all attempts at agriculture, -and reduced the inhabitants to a state of wretchedness and poverty, -in many instances to the verge of starvation; and notwithstanding the -fact that in not one single instance had the Fylde been the scene of an -encounter, the people of this section were in as lamentable a condition -of penury and suffering as those of the less fortunate districts, a -circumstance not to be wondered at when the incessant plunderings are -taken into consideration, and when it is remembered that the youth and -strength of the neighbourhood were serving as volunteers or recruits, -either under the banner of parliament or that of the king. The 12th of -September, 1644, was appointed by the Puritans as a day of solemn prayer -and fasting throughout the country, and parliament decreed that half of -the money collected “in all the churches within the cities of London and -Westminster and within the lines of communication,” should be devoted to -the relief of the distressed and impoverished in this county. - -Sir Thomas Tyldesley accompanied the army of Prince Rupert to York, near -to where the sanguinary and famous battle of Marston Moor, in which no -less than sixty thousand men were engaged on both sides, was fought on -the 2nd of July, 1644. Oliver Cromwell commanded the parliamentarians -in person, and after a fierce struggle discomfited the troops of Prince -Rupert and drove them in confusion from the field. Sir Thomas Tyldesley -retreated with his shattered regiment in hot haste towards Amounderness, -where he made diligent search for arms and ammunition, but hearing -that the enemy, under Sir John Meldrum, was marching in quest of him -he hurried to the banks of the Ribble, and crossed the ford into the -Fylde. This latter incident happened towards the end of the week, and -on Saturday he was joined in his ambush by the immense royalist force -of Colonel Goring, so great indeed that “before the last companies had -marched over the bridge at St. Michael’s Church the first company was -judged to be at Kirkham.”[40] There is probably some little exaggeration -in the quoted statement, but even allowing it to be verbally correct, -there can be no doubt that it is unintentionally misleading, as the -extreme length of road covered would be due more to the wide intervals -between the companies and the straggling manner in which they proceeded -than to their actual numerical strength. Nevertheless the detachment, -chiefly composed of cavalry, was enormous, and completely inundated the -towns and villages in the parishes of Poulton, Kirkham, and Lytham. -The men were lodged twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and even sixty in a -house, and on the Sunday morning they set out on an errand of pilfering -without respect to persons, pillaging those who were friendly with as -much eagerness and apparent satisfaction as others who were inimical to -their cause, an impartiality so little appreciated by the inhabitants -that they are said to have blessed the Roundheads by comparison with -these insatiate freebooters. Horses, money, clothes, sheets, everything -that was portable or could be driven, was greedily seized upon, and, in -spite of threats and entreaties, remorselessly borne away. Hundreds of -households were stripped not only of their ornaments, bedding, etc., but -even of the very implements on which the family depended for subsistence. -It is in truth no figure of speech to state that by far the larger share -of the people were reduced to utter and seemingly hopeless destitution, -and grateful indeed were they when their portion of the parliamentary -grant of collections in the metropolis, before mentioned, was distributed -amongst them, coming like manna from the heavens to comfort their -desolated homes. To add insult to injury the graceless troopers compelled -their entertainers to employ the Sabbath in winnowing corn in the fields -for their chargers, and even refused to allow them to erect the usual -curtains to protect the grain from being carried away by the high wind, -so that the loss and waste amounted to barely less than the quantity -utilised as fodder, and completely exhausted the fruits of their harvest. -Sir Thomas Tyldesley, Lord Molyneux, and others of the leaders, fixed -their lodgment near the residence of a gentleman named Richard Harrison, -and were supplied with necessaries from Mowbreck Hall. Freckleton marsh -was the rendezvous, and there the entire forces assembled on the morning -of Monday, but were compelled to remain until one o’clock at noon before -the Ribble was fordable, when they took their departure, to the intense -joy of all those who had trembled for their lives and suffered ruin in -their small properties during their brief sojourn. Sir John Meldrum -appeared in the district only a few hours after the royalists had left, -and thus the Fylde had again a narrow escape of adding one more to -the long list of unnatural battles, most truly described as suicidal -massacres of the nation, where men ignoring the ties of friendship or -kinship imbrued their swords in the blood of each other with a relentless -and inhuman savagery, reviving as it seemed the horrid butcheries of the -dark ages. Sir John Meldrum hastened in the direction of the retreating -foe, but failed to overtake them. - -“In 1645,” writes Rushworth, “there remained of unreduced garrisons -belonging to the king in Lancashire only Lathom House and Greenhalgh -Castle.”[41] This castle was erected about half a mile eastward of -Garstang, overlooking the Wyre, by Thomas, the first earl of Derby, in -1490, after the victory of Bosworth Field, as a protection from certain -of the outlawed nobles, whose estates in that vicinity had rewarded the -services of the earl to Henry VII. The castle was built in a rectangular -form almost approaching to a square, with a tower at each angle. The -edifice was surrounded and protected by a wide moat. The garrison -occupying the small fortress at the date under consideration held out -until the death of the governor, when a capitulation was made, and, -about 1649, the castle was dismantled. In 1772 Penant spoke of the “poor -remains of Greenhalgh Castle.”[42] - -The fall of Lathom House and other strongholds of the king and the -surrender of Charles himself to the Scotch army of Puritans, brought -the contests for a time to a close in 1647, and Sir Thomas Tyldesley, -with several more, received instructions to disband the troops under -his command. During the foregoing struggles parliament, in order to -provide the necessary funds for the increased expenditure, had allowed -“delinquents, papists, spies, and intelligencers” to compound for their -sequestered estates, and amongst those connected with this locality who -had taken advantage of the permission were:— - - Brown, Edward, of Plumpton, compounded for £127 8s. 0d. - Breres, Alexander, of Marton, gent., ” £82 4s. 5d. - Bate, John, of Warbreck, ” £11 0s. 0d. - Leckonby, Richard, of Elswick, esq., ” £58 6s. 0d. - Nicholson, Francis, of Poulton, yeoman ” £133 3s. 4d. - Rigby, Alexander, of Layton, esq., ” £381 3s. 4d. - Walker, William, of Kirkham, gent., ” £175 0s. 0d. - Westby, John, of Mowbreck, esq., ” £1,000 0s. 0d. - -Presbyterianism became the national, or at least, the state religion, and -for the regulation of ecclesiastical matters the Assembly of Divines, at -Westminster, suggested that the country should be divided into provinces, -whose representatives should hold annual conferences at the larger towns. -The county of Lancaster was divided into nine Classical Presbyteries, -and the seventh Classis, embracing the parishes of Preston, Kirkham, -Garstang, and Poulton, consisted of— - - Mr. Isaac Ambrose, of Preston, minister. - Mr. Robert Yates, of Preston, minister. - Mr. Ed. Fleetwood, of Kirkham, minister. - Mr. Thos. Cranage, of Goosnargh, minister. - Mr. Chr. Edmondson, of Garstang, minister. - Mr. John Sumner, of Poulton, minister. - -LAYMEN. - - Alexander Rigby, of Preston, Esq. - William Langton, Esq. - Alderman Matt. Addison, of Preston, gent. - Alderman Wm. Sudall, of Preston, gent. - Alderman Wm. Cottam, of Preston, gent. - Edward Downes, of Wesham, gent. - Edmund Turner, of Goosnargh, yeoman. - Thomas Nickson, of Plumpton, gent. - Robt. Crane, of Layton, gent. - Wm. Latewise, of Catterall, gent. - Wm. Whitehead, of Garstang, gent. - Edward Veale, of Layton, Esq. - Rd. Wilkins, of Kirkham, yeoman. - -One of the duties of these Classes was to examine, ordain, and appoint -ministers, or presbyters, as they were called, whenever vacancies -occurred in the district over which, respectively, they had jurisdiction; -subjoined is the certificate given in the case of Cuthbert Harrison, -B.A., when selected and appointed presbyter of Singleton chapel:— - - “Whereas Cuthbert Harrison, B.A., aged 30 years, hath addressed - himself to us, authorised by ordinance of parliament of 22 Aug. - 1646, for ordination of ministers, desiring to be ordained a - presbyter, being chosen by the inhabitants within the chapelry - of Singleton to officiate there; and having been examined by us - the ministers of the Seventh Classis, and found sufficiently - qualified for the ministerial functions, according to the rules - preserved in the said ordinance, and thereupon approved—we have - this day solemnly set him apart to the office of presbyter and - work of the ministry of the gospel, by laying on of hands by us - present, with fasting and prayer, by virtue whereof we declare - him to be a lawful and sufficiently authorised minister of Jesus - Christ. In testimony whereof we have hereunto put our hands the - 27th Nov., 1651.” - - (Here follow the signatures.) - -In 1648 General Langdale, a royalist officer, appealed to the loyalty -of the northern counties to attempt a rescue of the imprisoned monarch -from the hands of his enemies. Many rushed to his standard, and the -parliamentarians of the Fylde shared the general consternation which -pervaded Lancashire at the success of his effort to rekindle the still -smouldering embers of civil war. There is no necessity to trace the steps -of this ill-judged enterprise to its disastrous issue, but suffice it to -say that the defeat and routing of the little army was followed at a very -short interval by the execution of Charles I., after a formal trial in -which he disclaimed the jurisdiction of the court. - -On the 22nd of June, 1650, a meeting of Commissioners under the Great -Seal of England was held at Preston—“for inquiring into and certeifying -of the certeine numbers and true yearely value of all parsonages and -vicariges presentative, of all and every the sp’uall and eccli’call -benefices, livings, and donatives within the said countye”; and after -examining the good and lawful men of Kirkham and Lytham, it was -recommended by the assembly that Goosnargh and Whittingham should be -formed into a separate parish on account of their great distance from -the church at Kirkham. At this inquiry it was also stated that—“the -inhabitants of Newsham desired to be annexed to Woodplumpton; the -inhabitants of Clifton and Salwick, together with the inhabitants of -Newton-cum-Scales, and the upper end of Treales, desired to be united in -one parish. Singleton chappell, newly erected, desired that it might be -made a parish. The inhabitants of Weeton-cum-Preese desired that that -township might be made a parish, and the inhabitants of Rawcliffe desired -to be annexed to it. The townships of Rigby-cum-Wraye, and of Warton, and -of Kellamore-cum-Bryning, and Westbye-cum-Plumpton, all humbly desired to -be made a parish. The several townships of Eccleston Parva-cum-Labrecke, -and the inhabitants of Medlar and Thistleton, and the inhabitants of -Rossaker-cum-Wharles, desired to be annexed to Elswick, and that it -might be made a parish.” Although at that time these petitions failed -in obtaining their objects, much the same thing has been accomplished in -more recent years by Lord Blandford’s Act, by which separate parochial -districts, as far as ecclesiastical matters are concerned, have been -appropriated to each church, thus rendering it independent of the -mother-church of the ancient parish in which it might happen to be -situated. - -In 1651 the son of the unfortunate monarch, who had been proclaimed king -by the Scotch under the title of Charles II., crossed the frontier and -invaded England with a force of fourteen thousand men. That year the earl -of Derby, Sir Thomas Tyldesley, and several other officers, sailed from -the Isle of Man, whither they had retired, in obedience to the call of -the young prince, and landed either on the Warren, at the mouth of the -river Wyre, or at Skippool higher up the stream, with a regiment of two -hundred and fifty infantry and sixty cavalry. Two of the vessels grounded -during the operation of disembarking the horses, and in the heavy winds -that ensued were reduced to total wrecks. As soon as the news of the -earl of Derby’s arrival on the banks of the Wyre was rumoured abroad, -“all the ships,” says the _Perfect Diurnall_, “were wafted out of the -rivers of Liverpool, and set sail with a fair wind fore Wirewater, where -the Frigots rid that brought the Lord Derby over with his company, to -surprise them and prevent his Lordship escaping any way by water.” The -earl marched through the Fylde, but the martial ardour of the inhabitants -was not so readily excited as on former occasions, for the recollection -of their abusive and piratical treatment by the troopers of Colonel -Goring, in 1644, was still fresh in their minds, and effectually checked -any feelings of enthusiasm at seeing the royal banners once again -unfurled in their midst. A scattered few, however, there were who were -willing to forget the misdeeds of the agents in their eagerness for the -success of the cause, and with such meagre additions to his strength the -earl hastened on. At Preston he raised six hundred horse, and shortly -afterwards encountered the parliamentarians, under Colonel Lilburne, -at Wigan-lane, where the royalists were defeated with great slaughter. -Sir Thomas Tyldesley was slain, and the gallant earl escaped from the -field only to be taken prisoner in Cheshire and suffer the fate of his -late regal master, Charles I. Alexander Rigby, the grandson of the -Alexander Rigby, of Layton, before mentioned, and only seventeen years of -age, also took part in this eventful engagement, and twenty-eight years -subsequently, when High Sheriff of the county of Lancaster, erected a -monument to the memory of Major-General Sir Thomas Tyldesley near the -spot where he fell. So universally esteemed was the valiant knight for -his bravery and honourable conduct that the title of “Chevalier sans peur -et sans reproche” was conferred upon him alike by friends and enemies. -Charles II., after the overthrow of his army by Cromwell, adopted the -disguise of a peasant, and having narrowly escaped detection by hiding -himself amidst the foliage of an oak tree, fled at the first opportunity -over to France. Cromwell was now installed in the chief seat of authority -and held the reins of government under the style of Lord Protector. - -In 1660, two years after the death of Cromwell, Charles II. was recalled -and placed upon the throne; and in 1662 a law was passed by which it was -enacted that before St. Bartholomew’s Day of that year, all ministers -should arrange their services according to the rules contained in the new -book of Common Prayer, under pain of dismissal from their preferments. -The following letter was received by the churchwardens of Garstang, -ordering the ejectment of the Rev. Isaac Ambrose, who was a member of the -family of Ambrose of Ambrose Hall, in Wood Plumpton, from his benefice on -account of his refusal to conform to the arbitrary regulation:— - - “Whereas in a late act of Parliament for uniformitie, it is - enacted that every parson, vicar, curate, lecturer, or other - ecclesiasticall person, neglecting or refusing, before the Feast - Day of St. Bartholomew, 1662, to declare openly before their - respective congregations, his assent and consent to all things - contained in the book of common prayer established by the said - act, _ipso facto_, be deposed, and that every person not being in - holy orders by episcopall ordination, and every parson, vicar, - curate, lecturer, or other ecclesiasticall person, failing in - his subscription to a declaration mentioned in the said act to - be subscribed before the Feast Day of St. Bartholomew, 1662, - shall be utterly disabled, and _ipso facto_ deprived, and his - place be void, as if the person so failing be naturally dead. And - whereas Isaac Ambrose, late Vicar of Garstang, in the county of - Lancaster, hath neglected to declare and subscribe according to - the tenor of the said act, I doe therefore declare the church of - Garstang to be now void, and doe strictly charge the said Isaac - Ambrose, late vicar of the said church, to forbear preaching, - lecturing, or officiating in the said church, or elsewhere in - the diocese of Chester. And the churchwardens of the said parish - of Garstang are hereby required (as by duty they are bound) to - secure and preserve the said parish church of Garstang from any - invasion or intrusion of the said Isaac Ambrose, disabled and - deprived as above said by the said act, and the churchwardens are - also required upon sight hereof to show this order to the said - Isaac Ambrose, and cause the same to be published next Sunday - after in the Parish Church of Garstang, before the congregation, - as they will answer the contrary.—Given under my hand this 29th - day of August, 1662. - - “Geo. Cestriens. - - “To the Churchwardens of Garstang, in the County Palatine of - Lancaster.” - -In this county sixty-seven ministers refused to submit to the mandate, -and were removed from their churches by the authority of documents -similar to the above, and prohibited from officiating in their priestly -capacity anywhere within the diocese. Amongst the number, so interdicted, -were the Rev. W. Bullock, of Hambleton, the Rev. Joseph Harrison, of Lund -chapel, and the Rev. Nathaniel Baxter, M.A., of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. -The Nonconformists were subsequently subjected to even greater harshness -and injustice by an act which decreed that no clergyman, belonging to any -of their sects, should reside within five miles of the town or place at -which he had last preached, unless he took an oath as under:— - - “I do swear that it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, - to take arms against the king, and that I do abhor the traitorous - position of taking arms against his authority; against his - person; or against those that are commissioned by him, in - pursuance of such commissions; and that I will not at any time - endeavour any alteration of government either in church or state.” - -The sufferings experienced by those ministers who had been deprived -of their benefices are described as having been extreme, nay, almost -intolerable, and it was doubtless owing to the great severity practised -towards the body of Nonconformists that the old creed gained such little -popularity for some time after its re-establishment. - -Charles II., soon after the restoration of monarchy at his coronation, -determined to create a new order of knighthood, to be called the “Royal -Oak,” as a reward to some of the more distinguished of his faithful -adherents, and amongst the number selected for the honour were Col. -Kirkby, of Upper Rawcliffe, Richard Butler, of Out Rawcliffe, and Edward -Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, Blackpool.[43] The design was shortly abandoned -by the advice of the crown ministers, who foresaw that the necessarily -limited distribution of the distinction would give rise to jealousy and -animosity amongst those who had been active in the late wars. - -In 30 Charles II. a statute was passed entitled “An act for lessening the -importation of linen from beyond the seas, and the encouragement of the -woollen and paper manufactories of the kingdom”; and by it was provided, -under a penalty of £5, half of which was to be distributed to the poor of -the parish, that at every interment throughout the country a certificate -should be presented to the officiating minister stating that the winding -sheet of the deceased person was composed of woollen material and not of -linen, as heretofore. The certificate ordered to be used at every burial -ran thus:— - - “_A_, of the parish of _B_, in the county of _C_, maketh Oath - that _D_, of the parish of _B_, in the county of _C_, lately - deceased, was not put in, wrapt or wound up or Buried, in any - Shirt, Shift, Sheet, or Shroud, made or mingled with Flax, Hemp, - Silk, Hair, Gold, or Silver, or other than that which is made - of Sheep’s Wool only. Nor in any Coffin lined or faced with any - cloth, stuff, or anything whatsoever, made or mingled with Flax, - Hemp, Silk, Hair, Gold, or Silver, or any other material but - Sheep’s Wool only. - - “Dated the ... day of ... in the xxxth year of the reign of our - Sovereign Lord, Charles the second, king of England, Scotland, - France, and Ireland, etc. - - “Sealed and Subscribed by us, who were present and witnesses to - the Swearing of the above said affidavit - - (Signatures of two witnesses.) - - “I, ..., esq., one of the King’s Majesties Justices of the Peace - for the County above said, do hereby certify that the day and - year above said _A_ came before me and made such affidavit as is - above specified according to the late Act of Parliament, entitled - An Act for burying in Woollen. - - (Signature.)” - -The foregoing statute was amended two years later, and the modified -enactment continued in force for some time, when it was repealed. In the -registers of old churches, such as Bispham, Poulton, Kirkham, and St. -Michael’s-on-Wyre, where they have been preserved, notices of burials -according to this regulation during the two years it was in operation, -may be seen; and amongst the records of the Thirty-men, or governing body -of Kirkham, is an entry of expenses incurred when they went “to justice -Stanley” to obtain his authority to “demand 50s. for Tomlinson’s wife -buried in linen,” contrary to the law. - -Three years from the accession of James II., his repeated attempts to -curtail the civil and religious liberties of his subjects had so far -incensed them against him that William, Prince of Orange, was invited -over to free them from his rule. In 1688 James abdicated the throne, and -the following year William and Mary were crowned at Westminster. Annexed -is a list of the gentry residing in the Fylde from the reign of Henry -VIII., to their accession, as prepared from original records and private -manuscripts:— - - Allen of Rossall Hall. - Ambrose of Ambrose Hall. - Bradley of Bryning. - Bradshaw of Preese and Scales. - Butler of Rawcliffe Hall. - Butler of Layton and Hackensall. - Clifton of Westby. - Eccleston of Great Eccleston Hall. - Fleetwood of Plumpton. - Fleetwood of Rossall Hall. - Hesketh of Mains Hall. - Kirkby of Upper Rawcliffe. - Kirkby of Mowbreck. - Leigh of Singleton. - Longworth of St. Michael’s Hall. - Lowde of Kirkham. - Massey of Carleton. - Molyneux of Larbrick Hall. - Parker of Bradkirk Hall. - Rigby of Layton Hall. - Sharples of Freckleton. - Shuttleworth of Larbrick. - Singleton of Singleton. - Singleton of Staining Hall. - Stanley of Great Eccleston Hall. - Tyldesley of Fox Hall, Blackpool. - Veale of Whinney Heys. - Westby of Rawcliffe. - Westby of Mowbreack and Burn Halls. - -James II., when force of circumstances had driven him into exile, left -a considerable number of supporters behind him, chiefly amongst the -Roman Catholics, who were not dilatory in devising schemes for his -re-establishment. On the 16th of May, 1690, Robert Dodsworth deposed -upon oath, before Lord Chief Justice Holt, that the following Popish -gentry of the Fylde, amongst others, had entered into a conspiracy to -restore James, and that they had received commissions as indicated for -the purpose of raising troops to carry out the enterprise:—Colonel -Thomas Tyldesley, son of the late Sir Thomas; Captains Ralph Tyldesley, -son of the late Sir Thomas; Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, nephew to -the two preceding; Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, and Henry, his -eldest son; Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck Hall, and William, his third -son, who was designated a lieutenant; and Lieutenant Richard Stanley, -of Great Eccleston Hall. Nothing is recorded as to the result of the -above information, but in 1694 Sir Thomas Clifton, brother to Cuthbert -Clifton, of Lytham, was arraigned, with several more, on a charge of -treason in connection with a reported Jacobite plot, but was acquitted, -as also were those with him. During the course of the trial, Thomas -Patten, of Preston, as witness to the loyalty of Sir Thomas Clifton to -the existing government, stated that “in 1689 he received orders from -the Lord Lieutenant to secure several Popish gentlemen, and that amongst -them Sir Thomas Clifton was one who was taken and brought prisoner to -Preston upon the 16th day of June in that year; that Sir Thomas being a -very infirm man and unfit to be carried so far as Manchester, which was -the place where the rest of the Popish gentlemen then made prisoners were -secured, he undertook for Sir Thomas, and prevailed to have him kept -at his (Patten’s) own house in Preston, where he continued prisoner, -and was not discharged until the January following, at which time all -the gentlemen were set at liberty; that during Sir Thomas Clifton’s -confinement he expressed to him much zeal and affection to the present -government, saying how much the persons of his religion ought to be -satisfied with their usage, as putting no difference betwixt them and -other subjects save the public exercise of their religion, so long as -they themselves would be quiet, and protested for himself that he could -never endure to think of practising any change.” Further Mr. Patten -affirmed “that he knew Sir Thomas’s disposition to have always been -peaceful and quiet.” During the time that James II. was engaged in -inciting the Irish nation to espouse his cause and furnish him with an -army to invade England and regain his throne, Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox -Hall, prepared a secret chamber in that mansion for his reception. The -disastrous battle of the Boyne, however, in which James was vanquished -by William, Prince of Orange, and King of England, crushed all hope of -future success in the fallen monarch, and at the earliest opportunity he -escaped to France. In 1715, during the reign of George I., his son, the -Chevalier de St. George was proclaimed king in Scotland under the title -of James III. The earl of Mar and several other influential supporters -of the Stuarts assembled a large force and marched southwards; on -arriving at the border five hundred of the Highlanders refused to proceed -further, but the remainder passed through the northern counties as far -as Preston. Here they were besieged by the loyal troops under Generals -Carpenter and Wills, who stormed the town and forced the rebels to an -unconditional surrender. Many of the leaders were executed, whilst others -were incarcerated for various terms; the general treatment of their -unfortunate followers may be gleaned from the journal of William Stout, -of Lancaster, in which it is written:—“After the rebellion was suppressed -about 400 of the rebels were brought to Lancaster Castle, and a regiment -of Dragoons was quartered in the town to guard them. The king allowed -them each 4d. a day for maintenance, viz., 2d. in bread, 1d. in cheese, -and 1d. in small beer. And they laid on straw in stables most of them, -and in a month’s time about 100 of them were conveyed to Liverpool to be -tried, where they were convicted and near 40 of them hanged at Preston, -Garstang, Lancaster, etc.; and about 200 of them continued a year, and -about 50 of them died, and the rest were transported to America.” Thomas -Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, died in 1715, just before the outbreak of the -rebellion, but his son Edward, who succeeded him, joined the rebels. -For this act of treason he was put on his trial, but escaped conviction -and punishment through the favour of the jury, by whom he was acquitted -in spite of clear and reliable evidence that he had entered Preston at -the head of a company of insurgents with a drawn sword in his hand. -After the capitulation, when the king’s troops had entered the town and -were marching along the streets, many men from our district, who had -congregated on Spiral’s Moss, armed with fowling pieces and implements -of husbandry, joined their ranks, and a huge duck-gun belonging to a -yeoman named Jolly, from Mythorp, near Blackpool, was instrumental in -doing good service to the besiegers by slaying one Mayfield, of the -Ashes, Goosnargh. The rebel had secreted himself behind a chimney on one -of the houses, and was engaged in picking off the loyal soldiers as they -made their way along the thoroughfare below. His murderous fire was at -length put an end to by a charge from the famed gun of Jolly, whose keen -eye had detected the assassin in his hiding place. Jolly himself appears -to have had an aversion to causing the death of a fellow-creature in -cold blood, even though a rebel, and the credit of the shot is due to -a soldier, whose own weapon failed in reaching the object. The Rev. W. -Thornber tells us in his History of Blackpool, that the family of the -Jollys, for many years, treasured up the wonderful gun, and that the tale -of its exploit was circulated far and wide in the neighbourhood of their -home. From the remarks of the Rev.—Patten, who accompanied the army of -the Chevalier, as chaplain to General Forster, we learn that those who -joined the insurgents in Lancashire were chiefly Papists, and that the -members of the High-church party held aloof, much to the disappointment -and chagrin of General Forster, who, in his anger, declared “that for -the time to come he would never again believe a drunken tory.” Edward -Tyldesley, Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, and his son Richard Butler, -were the most distinguished personages amongst the small body of men -belonging to this section who openly espoused the cause of the Pretender. -The paucity of the recruits attracted by the insurgent standard from our -neighbourhood is easily to be accounted for, when it is remembered that -for many years the county of Lancashire had enjoyed an immunity from -strifes and disturbances, so that the inhabitants of the rural districts, -such as the Fylde, had settled down to the cultivation of the soil, and -would care little to assist in a work which as far as they were privately -concerned, could only terminate in the devastation of their fields, -and, probably, in the ruin of many of their households. Especially, -in 1715, would the people be disinclined to take part in or encourage -insurrectionary and warlike proceedings, for in that year extraordinarily -bountiful harvests had rewarded their labours, and general prosperity -had taught them the blessings of peace.[44] After the rebellion of 1715 -many Papists registered their estates and the respective yearly values -thereof, according to an Act of Parliament passed in the reign of George -I., and amongst the number may be observed the names of sundry local -personages as:— - - Annual Value. - - Sherburne, Sir Nicholas, of Carleton, Hambleton, and - Stonyhurst £1210 6s. 3½d. - - Butler, Mary, ⎱ wife and only child of Rich. Butler, 100 0 0 - Butler, Catherine,⎰ who died in gaol, 537 0 0 - Butler, Elizabeth, of Kirkland, afterwards the third - wife of Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe, 11 10 0 - Butler, Christopher, second son of H. Butler, of Rawcliffe, 10 19 6 - Brockholes, John, of Claughton, etc., 522 19 1 - Clifton, Thomas, of Lytham, Clifton, etc., 1548 16 10½ - Clifton, Bridget, 3 10 0 - Blackburne, Thomas, of Wood Plumpton, 1 6 0 - Blackburne, Richard, of Stockenbridge, near St. Michael’s, 21 2 0 - Hesketh, William, of Mains, 198 3 4½ - Hesketh, George, brother to W. Hesketh, 13 6 8 - Hesketh, Margaret, widow of Thos. Hesketh, of Mains, 57 0 0 - Singleton, Anne, of Staining and Bardsea, 76 15 10 - Stanley, Anne, widow of Richard Stanley of Great - Eccleston, 118 15 0 - Swartbreck, John, of Little Eccleston, 23 15 0 - Tyldesley, Edward, of Fox Hall, and Myerscough, 720 9 2 - Tyldesley, Agatha, half-sister of Edward Tyldesley, 52 10 0 - Threlfall, Cuthbert, of Wood Plumpton, 31 12 6 - Westby, John, of White Hall, St. Michael’s, 119 11 1 - Westby, John, of Mowbreck, 230 5 1½ - Westby, Thomas, ⎱ bros. of J. Westby, of Mowbreck, 20 0 0 - Westby, Cuthbert, ⎰ 20 0 0 - Leckonby, William, of Leckonby House, Elswick, etc., 79 11 6 - Walley, Thurstan, of Kirkham, 12 0 8 - Charnock, Anne, of Salwick, 1 4 0 - Knott, Thomas, of Thistleton, 20 0 0 - -Prince Charles Edward, the son of the former Pretender, landed in the -Hebrides, in 1745, with a well-officered force of two thousand men, and -after defeating Sir John Cope, seized the city of Edinburgh and commenced -his march southwards. Crossing the border, he passed through Lancashire, -and arrived at Preston with an army barely six thousand strong. At -Preston he met with an enthusiastic welcome, the church bells were rung, -and loud cheers greeted the proclamation of his father, the Chevalier, -as king of Great Britain and Ireland. His sojourn in the town was brief, -and on the 27th of November the rebel troops set out for Manchester, -inspirited by the lively strains of “The King shall have his own again.” -Arriving at that city, they continued their march towards Derby, where, -on receiving the news that the Duke of Cumberland was at Lichfield on his -way to intercept them, Prince Charles Edward hastened to beat a retreat, -and on the 12th of December re-passed through the streets of Preston, the -wearied feet of his followers keeping time to the doleful but appropriate -air of “Hie the Charlie home again.” - -The battle on the moor of Culloden, in which the rebel army was defeated -by the Duke of Cumberland, finally decided the fate of the House of -Stuart, and after experiencing many hardships, Prince Charles Edward -escaped across the channel into France. James, the son of Edward -Tyldesley who took part in the insurrection of 1715, served in the army -of the Young Pretender. During the excitement and alarm produced by these -rebellions, silver spoons, tankards, and other household treasures, -were deposited for safety in a farm house at Marton; cattle and other -farm-stock were driven to Boonley, near Blackpool, whilst money and -articles of jewelry were buried in the soil of Hound Hill in that town. -The Scots who accompanied Prince Charles were so renowned for their -voracious appetites that the householders of the Fylde prepared for their -expected visit by laying in an abundant supply of eatables, hoping that -a good repast, like a soft answer, would turn away wrath. Mr. Physic, of -Poulton, was an exception to the general rule, and having barricaded his -house, determined vigorously to resist any attack of the rebels either -on his larder or his purse. Hotly pursued by the Duke of Cumberland in -their retreat towards Scotland, the insurgents were quickly hurried -through the country, but some of the stragglers found their way to Mains -Hall, where they were liberally provided with food by Mrs. Hesketh. It -is probable that these rebels formed part of the number of Highlanders, -who were afterwards captured at Garstang, and that one of them was the -bare-footed Scot who seized the boots of John Miller, of Layton, dragging -them from his feet with the cool remark—“Hout mon, but I mon tak’ thy -brogues.” William Hesketh, of Mains, had considered it prudent to secrete -himself on the warren at Rossall until the excitement had subsided, as -in some way or other he had been mixed up with the former outbreak, and -wished to avoid any suspicion of having been implicated in this one -also. At the sanguinary and decisive battle of Culloden, two notorious -characters from Layton and Staining were present; one of them, named -Leonard Warbreck, served in the capacity of hangman at the executions -following the rebellion, whilst the other, James Kirkham, generally known -as Black Kirkham, was a gallant soldier, remarkable for his giant-like -size and immense strength. The country people near his home were wont -to declare that, for a small wager, this warrior carried his horse and -accoutrements round the cross at Wigan to the astonishment and admiration -of the by-standers. One incident of these times, reflecting little credit -on this neighbourhood, but which, as faithful recorders, we are bound -to relate, was the journey of Henry Hardicar, of Little Poulton, to -London, a distance of two hundred and thirty-three miles, all of which -he travelled on foot, solely to gratify a morbid taste by witnessing the -legal tragedies performed on Tower Hill. “I saw the lords heided” was his -invariable answer to all inquiries as to the wonders he had seen in the -metropolis. In this rising, as in the earlier one, the inhabitants of -the Fylde evinced their prudence and good sense by remaining as nearly -neutral as their allegiance to the reigning monarch would permit them. -Those insurgents who found their way into the district were treated -with kindness, but no encouragement was given them to prolong their -stay, either by professions of sympathy or offers of assistance in their -insurrectionary enterprise. - -We have at last come to the end of the long chain of wars and -disturbances which from the period of the struggles between the Houses -of York and Lancaster, had exercised their baneful influence on the -territory and population of the Fylde, and are now entering on an era of -peace and unbroken prosperity. The small water-side hamlets of Blackpool -and Lytham put forth their rival claims to the patronage of the inland -residents,— - - “And had their claims allow’d.” - -In 1788, Mr. Hutton described the former place as consisting of about -fifty houses and containing four hundred visitors in the height of -the season. This historian also informs us, that the inhabitants were -remarkable for their great longevity, and relates the anecdote of a woman -who, forming one of a group of sympathising friends around the couch -of a dying man, exclaimed—“Poor John! I knew him a clever young fellow -four score years ago.” Lytham, also, attracted a considerable number of -visitors during the summer, and for many years was a more popular resort -than Blackpool. In Mr. Baines’s account of Lytham, published in 1825, we -read as follows:—“This is one of the most popular sea-bathing places in -the county of Lancashire; and if the company is less fashionable than at -Blackpool, it is generally more numerous, and usually very respectable.” - -A list of the Catholic Chapels and Chaplains, together with the number of -their respective congregations, in the county of Lancaster, was collected -in 1819, and subjoined are enumerated those situated in the Hundred of -Amounderness:— - - Place. Chapels. Priest. No. of - Congregation. - Preston 2 Revd. ⸺ Dunn ⎫ - ” ” ⸺ Morris⎬ 6,000 - ” ” ⸺ Gore ⎪ - ” ” ⸺ Bird ⎭ - Alston Lane 1 ” ⸺ Cowburne 400 - Fernyhalgh 1 ” ⸺ Blakoe 500 - The Hill 1 ” ⸺ Martin 450 - Claughton 1 ” ⸺ Gradwell 800 - Scorton 1 ” ⸺ Lawrenson 350 - Garstang 1 ” ⸺ Storey 600 - New House 1 ” ⸺ Marsh 600 - Cottam 1 ” ⸺ Caton 300 - Lea 1 ” ⸺ Anderton 400 - Willows 1 ” ⸺ Sherburne 600 - Westby 1 ” ⸺ Butler 300 - Lytham 1 ” ⸺ Dawson 500 - Poulton 1 ” ⸺ Platt 400 - Great Eccleston 1 ” ⸺ Parkinson 450 - ---- ------ - Total 16 [45]12,650 - -In 1836 the first house of Fleetwood was erected, and in a few years the -desolate warren at the mouth of the Wyre was converted into a rising and -prosperous town. The rapidity of its early growth may be inferred from -the following paragraph, extracted from a volume on Lancashire, published -during the infancy of this new offspring of the Fylde:—“As a bathing -place, it possesses very superior attractions: hot water baths, inns, and -habitations of all kinds have sprung as if by magic on one of the most -agreeable sites it is possible to imagine, very superior to any other -in Lancashire, admitting, as from a central point, excursions by land -and water in all directions, amongst some of the most beautiful scenery -in the empire. A couple of hours steaming takes the tourist across -Morecambe Bay to the Furness capital, and into the heart of a district of -surpassing interest. Charming indeed is Fleetwood in the height of the -summer, with its cool sands, northern aspect, and delightful prospects. -First there is a noble bay in front, an ocean of itself when the tide is -in; and when it is out offering firm sands of vast extent, for riding -or walking.” Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., of Rossall Hall, lord -of the manor, and founder of the town to which he gave his name, was -returned on four occasions as one of the parliamentary representatives of -Preston:— - - MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FOR PRESTON. - - 1832.—Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and the Hon. Henry Thos. Stanley. - 1835.—Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and the Hon. Henry Thos. Stanley. - 1837.—Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and Robert Townley Parker. - 1841.—Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., and Sir Geo. Strickland, Bart. - -The year 1840 was an auspicious one in the history of the Fylde. On the -25th of July, the Preston and Wyre Railway, running through the heart of -this district, was completed and declared open for traffic. By its means -the farmer became enabled to convey his produce to the extensive market -of Preston; and Kirkham, Poulton, and Garstang were no longer the only -towns accessible to our agriculturists for the sale of their crops. The -early appreciation of the utility and benefit of the line is apparent -from the rapid increase of its traffic, as shown by the annexed tables, -in which the official returns of passengers and goods for the week ending -Dec. 14th, 1842, and the corresponding weeks of the four succeeding years -are stated:— - - Week ending Dec. 14th, 1842. 911 Passengers. £65 10s. 5d. - Goods. 62 8 1 - ----------- - 127 18 6 - ----------- - - Corresponding week in 1843. 1105 Passengers. 88 1 6 - Goods. 140 11 9 - ----------- - 228 13 3 - ----------- - - Corresponding week in 1844. 1601 Passengers. 139 4 6 - Goods. 163 18 11 - ----------- - 303 3 5 - ----------- - - Corresponding week in 1845. 1997 Passengers. 144 12 1 - Goods. 234 13 4 - ----------- - 379 5 5 - ----------- - - Corresponding week in 1846. 2820 Passengers. 243 19 0 - Goods. 308 18 5 - ----------- - 552 17 5 - ----------- - -At the present date, 1876, the average weekly traffic on this railway and -its branches to Lytham and Blackpool, amounts in round numbers to £1,200 -for passengers, and £800 for goods. - -The Preston and Wyre Railway was amongst the earliest formed, and the -impression made on the natives of this district, who had been accustomed -to the slow-going coaches, must have been one of no little amazement, -when, for the first time, they beheld the “iron horse” steaming along -the rails at a speed which their past experience of travelling would -make them regard as impossible. The following lines were written by a -gentleman named Henry Anderton, a resident in the Fylde, on the opening -of the railway: - - “Some fifty years since and a coach had no power, - To move faster forward than six miles an hour, - Till Sawney McAdam made highways as good, - As paving-stones crushed into little bits could. - The coachee quite proud of his horse-flesh and trip, - Cried, ‘Go it, ye cripples!’ and gave them the whip, - And ten miles an hour, by the help of the thong, - They put forth their mettle and scampered along. - The Present has taken great strides of the Past, - For carriages run without horses at last! - And what is more strange,—yet it’s truth I avow, - Hack-horses themselves have turned passengers now! - These coaches alive go in sixes and twelves, - And once set in motion they travel themselves! - They’ll run thirty miles while I’m cracking this joke, - And need no provisions but pump-milk and coke! - And with their long chimneys they skim o’er the rails, - With two thousand hundred-weight tied to their tails! - While Jarvey in stupid astonishment stands, - Upturning both eyes and uplifting both hands, - ‘My nags,’ he exclaims, betwixt laughing and crying, - ‘Are good ’uns to go, but yon devils are flying.’” - -The fares on the Preston and Wyre Railway at its commencement were:— - - 1st class. 2nd class. 3rd class. - - Preston to Fleetwood or Blackpool 4s. 6d. 3s. 0d. 2s. 0d. - Preston to Poulton 3s. 6d. 2s. 6d. 1s. 6d. - Preston to Kirkham 2s. 0d. 1s. 3d. 0s. 9d. - Preston to Lytham 3s. 0d. 2s. 6d. 1s. 6d. - -Until the opening of the branch lines to Lytham and Blackpool -respectively, in 1846, passengers completed their journies from Kirkham -and Poulton to those watering places by means of coaches. Three trains -ran from the terminus at Fleetwood to Preston on each week-day, and one -on Sunday, a similar number returning. - -In consequence of the severe distress prevailing throughout the country, -a proclamation was issued by Her Majesty for a General Fast to be held on -Wednesday, the 24th of March, 1847; and from the public prints of that -date it is evident that the occasion was observed with great solemnity -in our division—the shops of the different towns were closed during the -whole of the day, the streets were quiet, the hotels deserted, whilst -the churches were crowded even to overflowing. This distress was caused -by an almost complete failure in the potatoe harvests; and at that time -these necessary articles of diet were sold at 26s. per load in the local -markets, whilst meal, also scarce, rose to 52s. per load. - -In September of the same year, the Fylde was honoured by a passing visit -from Queen Victoria and the late Prince Consort, who arrived at Fleetwood -in the Royal Yacht on their return journey from Scotland to London. An -address was presented by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart., the Rev. St. Vincent -Beechey, Frederick Kemp, esq., James Crombleholme, esq., and Daniel -Elletson, esq., on behalf of the inhabitants of Fleetwood, and received -by Lord Palmerston, who promised that it should be laid before the -Queen. In the course of a few days an acknowledgment was received from -the metropolis. In Her Majesty’s book, published in 1868, and entitled -“Leaves from our Highland Journal,” these diarian entries relating to -the above event appear:— - - “Monday, September 20th, 1847. - - “We anchored at seven in Fleetwood Harbour; the entrance was - extremely narrow and difficult. We were lashed close to the pier, - to prevent our being turned by the tide; and when I went on - deck there was a great commotion, such running and calling, and - pulling of ropes, etc. It was a cheerless evening, blowing hard.” - - “Tuesday, September 21st, 1847. - - “At ten o’clock we landed, and proceeded by rail to London.” - -In 1860, a project was launched for a comprehensive scheme of water -supply for the towns of this district; a company was established, and, in -the session of 1861, an act of parliament was obtained “for incorporating -the Fylde Waterworks Company, and for authorising them to make and -maintain waterworks, and to supply water at Kirkham, Lytham, Blackpool, -Fleetwood, Poulton, Rossall, Garstang, South-shore, and Bispham, in the -county palatine of Lancaster, and to shipping at Fleetwood and Lytham.” -The act granted power to take the water from Grizedale Brook, a tributary -of the Wyre, which rises in Grizedale Fell, one of the Bleasdale range, -and, flowing through the gorge or pass, called Nickey Nook, divides -the township of Nether-Wyersdale and Barnacre-with-Bonds, and falls -into the Wyre a mile or so before that river reaches Garstang. A dam -or embankment, upwards of 20 feet high, 70 feet wide at the base, and -12 feet wide at the top, was raised across the valley, converting the -upper portion of it into a reservoir. At the west end of the reservoir, -below the embankment, is a culvert, through which the water passes to -a guage, where a stipulated quantity is turned into the brook, and the -rest enters the pipe for the Fylde. Twelve miles of twelve inch pipes -carry the water to the service reservoir at Weeton. The course is down -Grizedale, under the railway, through Greenhalgh Green, Bowgrave, leaving -Garstang to the right, then past Catterall Mill, through the grounds of -Catterall Hall, and onward to the east of St. Michael’s, through Elswick, -to Weeton. The service reservoir, situated on the most elevated ground, -called Whitprick Hill, in the township of Weeton, has a diameter at the -base of 400 feet, and at the top 468 feet. The embankment is at the base -70 feet in diameter, and 12 feet at the top, with a puddle trench in it, -varying from 8 feet 8 inches to 6 feet wide. To the south a 10 inch main -takes the supply of water for Kirkham and Lytham; and from the west -side a main of similar size takes the water for Fleetwood and Blackpool, -the supply for the former place branching off near Great Marton, and -going by Bispham and Rossall. The Weeton reservoir was formed capable -of containing fifteen million gallons of water. An additional pipe, -running from Weeton through Singleton, Skippool, and Thornton, to join -the Fleetwood main at Flakefleet, near Rossall, was laid in 1875; and a -new reservoir, to hold 190,000,000 gallons, is in course of formation at -Barnacre, above Grizedale. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -CONDITION, CUSTOMS, AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEOPLE. - - -There is little to be remarked, because little is known, respecting -the social and moral aspects of the untutored race which, in the -earliest historic age, sought a domicile or refuge amidst the forests -of the Fylde, or invaded its glades in search of prey. The habits of -the Setantii were simply those of other savage tribes who depended for -their daily sustenance upon their skill and prowess in the chase, and -whose intercommunion with the world beyond their own limited domains, -was confined to hostile or friendly meetings with equally barbarous -races whose frontiers adjoined their own. Certain disinterred roots were -necessary adjuncts to their repasts, and indeed, on many occasions, when -outwitted by the wild tenants of the woods, formed the sole item. Their -Druidical faith and the supreme power of the priesthood over their almost -every action, both secular and religious, have already been referred to -in an earlier page. The remorseless sacrifice of fellow beings on their -unhallowed altars, and the general spirit of cruelty and inhumanity -which pervaded all their rites, are not to be regarded as disclosing a -naturally callous and brutal disposition on the part of the Setantii, but -as indications of the deplorable ignorance in which they existed, and -the blind obedience which they yielded to the principles indoctrinated -by the Druids. That the Setantii, however submissive to the dictates -and requirements of their priests, were far from passively allowing the -encroachments of others on their liberties is shown by the promptitude -and fierceness with which they combatted the progress of the Roman -legions through their territory. No portion of the British conquest -cost the conquerors more trouble, time, and bloodshed, than did the land -peopled by the hardy and valorous Brigantes with their comparatively -small, but equally intrepid, neighbours and allies the Setantii. The two -most striking characteristics of the aboriginal Fylde inhabitants were -their ignorance and bravery, and whilst the former rivetted the chains -which held them in subjection to the priesthood, the latter incited them -to oppose to the death the usurpations of the stranger. There is nothing -of local interest to recount during the period the Romans held the -soil, but after their abdication, when the Anglo-Saxons violated their -faith and traitorously seized a land which they had come professedly -to protect, the Fylde began to evince symptoms of greater animation; -villages sprang up in different spots on the open grounds or clearings -in the woods; the solitary Roman settlement at Kirkham was appropriated -and renamed by the new arrivals, and, perhaps, for the first time a -population of numerical importance was established in the district. - -During the earlier part of this era the inhabitants were graziers rather -than agriculturists or ploughmen. Three quarters, even, of the entire -kingdom were devoted to rearing and feeding cattle, so that the grain -produce of the country must have been extremely small when compared -with the superabundance of live stock, and as a consequence of such a -condition of things, those animals which could forage for themselves -and exist upon the wild herbage of the waste lands or the fallen -fruits of the trees, as acorns and beech-mast, were to be purchased -at prices almost nominal, whilst others which required the cultivated -products of the fields, as corn and hay, for their sustenance, were -disproportionately dear; thus about the end of the tenth century the -values of the former were:— - - One Ox 7s. 0½d. - ” Cow 5s. 6d. - ” Pig 1s. 10½d. - ” Sheep 1s. 2d. - ” Goat 0s. 5½d. - -The latter commanded these comparatively high prices— - - One Horse £1 5s. 2d. - ” Mare, or Colt £1 3s. 5d. - ” Ass, or Mule £0 14s. 1d. - -Trees were valued not by the circumference or magnitude of their trunks, -but by the amount of shelter their branches would afford to the cattle, -which seem to have lived almost entirely in the open pastures; and -bearing that in mind we are not surprised to read in the Saxon Chronicle -of periodical plagues or murrains breaking out amongst them. “In 1054,” -says that journal, “there was so great loss of cattle as was not -remembered for many winters before.” This, however, is only one extract -from frequent entries referring to similar misfortunes in different -years, both before and after the date quoted. Swine were kept in immense -herds throughout the kingdom, and there is every probability that in a -locality like the Fylde, where trees would still abound and provender -be plentifully scattered from the oaks and beeches, hogs would be -extensively bred. Indeed immediately after the close of the Saxon empire, -Roger de Poictou conveyed his newly acquired right to pawnage (swine’s -food) in the woods of Poulton, amongst other things, to the monastery -of St. Mary, in Lancaster, a circumstance strongly favourable to the -existence of swine there in considerable numbers. Kine, also, are usually -reported to have been a favourite stock with the breeders of Lancashire, -whilst sheep were rare in proportion, although in other places they were -exceedingly popular and profitable, chiefly from the sale of their wool. - -The Saxon inhabitants of the small villages in the Fylde who were -engaged in agriculture had no knowledge of any manure beyond marl, which -they mixed with lighter and finer soils; nor were their farm-lands -cultivated all at one time, but a portion only of the estate was -subjected to the action of the plough, and when its fertility had been -thoroughly exhausted, the remainder was tilled and brought into service, -the first plot being allowed to lie fallow for a few years until its -productive powers had been renewed. Grain was not, as now, purchased -from the growers by dealers and stored up in warehouses, but each of -the neighbouring people, as soon as the crops had been gathered into -the barns, bought whatever quantity he thought would suffice for his -household wants until the ensuing harvest, and removed it to his own -residence. The universal waste and improvident consumption of grain -during this season of abundance, led frequently to famines in other -parts of the year, and many instances of that punishment following such -prodigality are related in the chronicle before named. One notice, -bearing the date 1044, says:—“This year there was very great hunger all -over England, and corn so dear as no man ever remembered before; so that -a sester of wheat rose to sixty pence and even further.” - -The ploughs of our forefathers were, as would naturally be supposed, -somewhat rude and clumsy in construction, differing considerably in -appearance, although not in their _modus operandi_, from those which -may be seen furrowing the same land in the present day. Each plough -was furnished with an iron share, in front of which, attached to the -extremity of a beam projecting anteriorly, was a wheel of moderate -diameter, its purpose being to relieve the labour of the oxen and to -facilitate the guiding of the instrument, especially in turning. The -oxen employed were ordinarily four, and yoked to the plough by means of -twisted willow bands. Horses were prohibited by law from being used on -the land, but there must have been little need, one would imagine, for a -legal prohibition in the matter when it is remembered that horses were -nearly four times as valuable as oxen, and that the latter were fully -efficient at the task. The month of January commenced their season for -preparing the ground, and during the period thus occupied the labours -of the ploughman began each morning at sunrise, when the oxen were -tethered and conducted to the fields, where the duty of the husbandman -was lightened by the assistance of a boy, who superintended the cattle, -driving or leading them whilst at work. In the inclement months of -winter these oxen were fed and tended in sheds under the special care -of the ploughman, but during summer they shared a common lot with -the other cattle and were turned out to pasture in the fields, being -transferred to the charge of the cowherd. Other implements of husbandry -in use, in addition to the plough, were scythes, sickles, axes, spades, -pruning-hooks, forks, and flails, besides which the farmers possessed -carts and waggons of rather a cumbersome pattern. It is doubtful whether -the harrow was known here so early, but opinion usually refers its -introduction to a later date. - -Of the moral tone of our Saxon settlers it is difficult to judge, -but that their business transactions were not always governed by a -very strict sense of honour is intimated by the following enactment, -apparently framed to check repudiations of bargains and, perhaps, to -insure fair dealing:—“No one shall buy either what is living or what -is dead to the value of four pennies without four witnesses either of -the borough or of the village.” William of Malmesbury, who wrote about -a century after the Norman Conquest, informs us that “excessive eating -and drinking were the common vices of the Saxons, in which they spent -whole nights and days without intermission.” It may, however, with much -probability be conjectured that not only is the statement in some degree -exaggerated, but that its application was designed more particularly for -the inhabitants of the larger towns than those of comparatively sparsely -populated districts like our own. Nevertheless it cannot be claimed, with -any show of reason, that the small section of the nation established -in the Fylde was entirely uninfected by the vices which enervated and -degraded the wealthier and more populous regions of the kingdom. The -evil of intemperance in both food and drink, especially the latter, -pervaded the whole community, but as its indulgence required both means -and opportunity, its loathsome features were less prominently visible in -localities where these were scarce than in others where they abounded. -The Church used every effort to awaken a better feeling in the minds -of her degenerate sons, and liberate them from the chains of a passion -which had so thoroughly enslaved them. Canons were directed against the -“sin of drunkenness,” and in order that no plea of ignorance could be -urged by any who had overstepped the bounds of sobriety, a curious and -minute description of the condition of body and brain which constituted -inebriation was appended to one of them, as here quoted:—“This is -drunkenness—when the state of the mind is changed, the tongue stammers, -the eyes are disturbed, the head is giddy, the belly is swelled, and pain -follows.” Ale and mead were the beverages on which these excesses were -committed, and cow-horns the drinking cups. It would seem that there was -yet another national blemish, that of gambling, which even invaded the -cloister and threw its veil of fascination over the clergy themselves, -for a canon of the reign of Edgar ordered—“That no priest be a hunter, or -fowler, or player at tables, but let him play upon his books, as becometh -his calling.” - -Water-mills, planted on the banks of streams and consisting of square -weather-boarded structures, usually open at the top, were the means -possessed during the Saxon era for grinding the cereal products of the -Fylde. The wheel which received the pressure of the current, and conveyed -its motive power to the simple machinery within the fabric, differed -little from those still in use in various parts of the country, one of -which until recently was connected with a small mill on the brink of -the brook which drains the mere at Marton into the river Wyre, and less -than a century ago another mill, situated in the township of Marton and -worked on a similar principle, was turned by a stream from the same -mere. A water-mill is at present in use near Great Eccleston. After the -grinding process had been completed the bran and flour were separated -by hand-sieves. About seventy or eighty years after the Normans had -settled in the district these primitive sheds were superseded by a fresh -species of mill, in which sails supplied the place of the wheel, and -another element was called into service. The new erections were of wood, -and separated from the ground by a pivot of slight altitude, on which -they turned bodily in order to be fixed in the most favourable position -for their sails to reap a full harvest of wind. Solitary specimens of -this early piece of mechanical ingenuity are still visible hereabouts, -but most of the old mills were pulled down about a hundred years ago, -or less, and rebuilt with more stable material, whilst the modern -improvement of a revolving top only, did away with the necessity for the -venerable pivot, and allowed the foundations of the edifices to be more -intimately associated with mother earth than formerly. - -Throughout the whole of the Saxon dynasty the mass of the inhabitants -would be what were termed the “villani,” that is, a class forming a -link between abject slavery and perfect independence. They were not -bound to any master but to the soil on which they happened to be -born, and on no plea were they permitted to leave such localities. To -the lord of the manor each of the “villani” gave annually a certain -portion of the produce of the ground he tilled, but beyond that they -acknowledged no claim to the proceeds of their thrift by the large -territorial proprietors. When a manor changed ownership the “villani” -were transferred with it in exactly the same condition as before, so that -really they seem to have occupied the position of small tenants paying -rent in kind, with the important addition that they were forced to pass -their lives in the district where they had first seen the light of day. -It should be noted that any “villani” not having domiciles of their own -were compelled to enter the service of others who were more fortunately -situated in that respect. - -During the twelfth century the house-wife’s plan of preparing bread -for the table, in the absence of public bakehouses, common in some -neighbourhoods, was to knead the dough into large flat cakes and lay them -on the hearth in full glare of the fire, where they were permitted to -remain until thoroughly baked. Bread from pure wheat of the best quality -was a luxury unattainable except by those of high station or wealth, -the bulk of the people having to content themselves with an inferior -quality, brownish in colour and made from rye, oats, and barley. The -amount of this indispensable commodity to be sold at a specified price -was regulated by law, and the punishments for not supplying the proper -measure, or for “lack of size” as it was termed, were—for the first -offence, loss of the bread; for the second, imprisonment; and for the -third, the pillory or tumbrel.[46] In 1185 the maximum charges to be made -for certain provisions were settled by an act which decreed that the -highest price for a hen should be ½d., a sheep 5½d., a ram 8d., a hog -1s., an ox 5s. 8d., and a cow 4s. 6d. - -In the ensuing century no restrictions were placed upon the tenants -of the Fylde as to the course of husbandry to be pursued, but each on -renting his farm or parcel of ground cultivated it according to the -dictates of his own inclination or experience, the only stipulation -being that the soil should suffer no deterioration from any ignorant or -imprudent action on the part of the holder. Oats and barley mixed, and -a light description of wheat, very inferior to the best grain, were the -favourite crops, the former being known as “draget,” and the latter as -“siligo.” Arable land was let at 4d. per acre, and the annual yield of -each acre sown with wheat, usually amounted to 12 bushels, the value of -the grain itself averaging about 4s. 6d. per quarter. Demand notices were -sent in two days after the rent had become due, and if not complied with -in two weeks the landlord distrained without further ceremony; after an -interval of another fortnight, if the money still remained unpaid, the -tenant was summarily ejected, and the owner seized both farm and stock. - -The meals consumed by the peasantry comprised only two during the -twenty-four hours, one, called dinner, being eaten at nine in the -morning, and the other, supper, at five in the afternoon. It is very -possible, however, that during the summer those farm servants whose -arduous duties were entered on at daybreak, partook of some slight repast -at an early hour of the morning, but the only meals for which regular -times were appointed were the two mentioned. During harvest the diet -of the labourers consisted for the most part of herrings, bread, and -an allowance of beer, whilst messes of pottage were far from uncommon -objects on the rustic boards. Between the year 1314 and 1326 the prices -of live stock were again arranged, as under:— - - The best grass fed ox 16s. 0d. - The best cow (fat) 12s. 0d. - The best short-horn sheep 1s. 2d. - The best goose 0s. 3d. - The best hen 0s. 1½d. - The best chickens, per couple 0s. 1½d. - Eggs, twenty for 0s. 1d. - -In 1338 no domestic or husbandry servant residing in the Hundred of -Amounderness was allowed to pass beyond the boundaries of the Wapentake -on profession of going to dwell or serve elsewhere, or of setting out -on a pilgrimage, without bearing with him a letter patent stating the -reason of his departure and the date of his return. This law, which -applied to all Hundreds alike, was intended to prevent the threatened -decay of agriculture from a dearth of labourers, who heretofore had been -in the habit of deserting their employment and wandering away into other -divisions of the country, where they supported an idle and frequently -vicious existence by soliciting alms and by petty thefts. - -It will scarcely surprise the reader to learn that superstition was rife -amongst the populace during the periods so far noticed, and that nothing -was too absurd to be accepted as an omen, either of good or evil, by our -credulous forefathers. A timid hare encountered in their walks abroad -announced the approach of some unforeseen calamity, as also did a blind -or lame man, a woman with dishevelled hair, or even a monk; whilst the -visions of a wolf crossing the path, St. Martin’s birds flying from -left to right, a humpbacked man, or the sound of distant thunder, were -welcomed as heralds of prosperity. All amusements were of an athletic -kind, and consisted of archery, casting heavy stones, spear darting, -wrestling, running, leaping, and sword and buckler playing. On festivals, -and occasionally at other seasons, the barbarous and cruel sports of bull -and bear-baiting were indulged in,[47] but cock-fighting was considered, -until a later epoch, an entertainment only suitable for children, and on -Shrove Tuesday each boy took his pet bird to the school-house, which was -for that day converted into a cock-pit, superintended by the master. - -In 1444, the wages received by different classes of agricultural servants -were:— - - A bailiff £1 3s. 4d. per year, and 5s. for clothing, with - board. - A chief hind ⎫ - ” carter ⎬ £1 0s. 0d. ” and 4s. for clothing, ” - ” shepherd ⎭ - A woman servant £0 10s. 0d. ” and 4s. for clothing, ” - A boy under 14 £0 6s. 0d. ” and 3s. for clothing, ” - A common husbandman £0 15s. 0d. ” and 40d. for clothing, ” - -At harvest time, when special labour was required, the scale of -remuneration was:— - - A mower 4d. per day, with board. - ” 6d. ” without ” - A reaper or carter 3d. ” with ” - ” 5d. ” without ” - A woman labourer, or other labourer 2½d. ” with ” - ” 4½d. ” without ” - -The statute which arranged the above rates of payment concluded by saying -that “such as deserve less shall take less, and also in places where less -is used to be given less shall be given from henceforth;” so that the -table just completed would seem to represent the maximum rather than the -ordinary scale of wages. This statute also enacted that farm servants who -purposed leaving their employers, must engage themselves to other masters -and give reasonable warning before leaving their present ones, by which -idleness and mendicancy were effectually guarded against. - -The common pastimes of the inhabitants during the fifteenth and sixteenth -centuries, in addition to some of those already enumerated which still -held their sway, were club, and trap-ball, bowling, prisoners’-bars, -hood-man blind, (a game similar to the modern blindman’s-buff, but -entered into by adults alone,) battledore and shuttlecock, and during -hard frosts skating, at first by means of the shank bone of a sheep -fastened on to the sole of the boot and afterwards with iron-shod -skates. Hawking and hunting were confined to the families of position -who resided at the ancient Halls of the Fylde and to others of similar -social standing, forming but a small proportion of the entire population. -At Christmas the largest log obtainable was lighted on the hearth and -denominated the yule log. If the mass burned throughout the night and -the whole of the next day, it was regarded as an omen of good fortune by -the members of the household, but if it were consumed or extinguished -before that time had expired, it was looked upon as auguring adversely -for their prosperity. The first Monday after Twelfth Day was called -Plough Monday, a name still familiar to many an old Fylde man, and was -observed as a general holiday by the men whose labours were associated -with that instrument, who on this day went about the villages from house -to house asking for plough-money to spend in ale. Their processions, -if such they could be called, consisted of a plough, which was dragged -along by a number of sword-dancers; a labourer, dressed to resemble an -old woman; and another, who was clothed in skins, and wore the tail of -some animal hanging down his back. These two oddly garbed individuals -solicited small contributions from the people whilst the remainder were -engaged in dancing, and if anyone refused to disburse some trifling sum -when requested, they turned up the ground fronting his doorway with -the plough. During Christmas week the country people blackened their -faces, and thus disguised committed all sorts of frolics and absurdities -amongst their neighbours. The chief rustic festival, however, was -appointed for the first of May, on which day the May-pole was drawn -to the village green by several oxen, whose horns were decorated with -bunches of flowers, and accompanied by a joyous band of revellers, who -after its erection on the accustomed site held their jubilee of feasting -and dancing around it. The pole itself was covered with floral garlands, -and streamed with flags and handkerchiefs from its summit. A Lord and -Lady, or Queen, of May were elected by a general vote, and to them -belonged the honour of presiding over the festivities. The costumes of -these pseudo-regal personages were liberally adorned with scarfs and -ribbons, so that their appearances should be in unison with the rest of -the gay preparations. The morris-dance formed an important feature of -the festival, and the performers in that somewhat vigorous exercise wore -richly decorated habits on to which small bells, varying in tone, had -been fastened. The new year was ushered in with feasting and joviality, -whilst friendly interchanges of presents took place amongst all classes. -In the evening, a huge wassail-bowl filled with spiced ale was carried -to the different houses of the villages, and all who quaffed its -exhilarating contents drank prosperity to the coming year, and rewarded -the cup-bearers, usually female farm-servants, with some small donation; -the following carol in a more antique form, or some similar one, was sung -on the occasion:— - - “Good Dame, here at your door, - Our Wassel we begin, - We are all maidens poor, - We pray now let us in, - With our Wassel. - - “Our Wassel we do fill, - With apples and with spice, - Then grant us your good will - To taste here once or twice - Of our Wassel. - - ... - - “Some bounty from your hands - Our Wassel to maintain. - We’ll buy no house nor lands - With that which we do gain, - With our Wassel.” - -On Shrove Tuesday a barbarous custom prevailed of tying cocks to a stake -driven into the ground, and throwing at them with sticks, until death -ensued from repeated blows. St. Valentine’s day received a merry welcome -from the country swains and maidens, who at that auspicious time made -choice of, or more properly speaking were mated to, their true loves for -the year. The all important selection was made by writing the names of an -equal number of each sex on separate slips of paper, and then dividing -them into two lots, one of which represented the males and the other the -females. The women drew from the male heap, and the men from that of the -females, so that each person became possessed of two sweethearts, and the -final pairing was really the only element of real choice in the matter; -in this the men usually claimed the girl whom each of them had drawn, -and thus an amicable settlement was soon arrived at. After the mirthful -ceremony had been completed and each happy couple duly united, the men -gave treats and dances to their sweethearts, and wore their billets for -several days pinned on to their breasts or coat sleeves. Another, and -much simpler, plan of choosing a valentine was to look out of the door or -window on the eventful morning, and the first person seen was regarded as -the special selection of the patron Saint, provided always the individual -was of the opposite sex, and unfettered by the silken bonds of Hymen. -Whitsun-ales and Easter-ales were assemblies held within, or in the -immediate neighbourhood of, the church-yards, at which the beverage, -giving the title to these festivities, was sold by the clergy or their -assistants, and consumed by the country people, the proceeds being -devoted to ecclesiastical purposes and the relief of the poor. Wakes -originated in an ancient custom of gathering together on the evening -before the birthday of a Saint or the day appointed for the dedication of -a church, and passing the night in devotion and prayer. These watches, -however, were soon altered in character, and instead of religious -exercises employing the period of vigil, feasting and debauchery became -the recognized occupations. - -The festival of Rush-bearing is of such antiquity that its origin has -become in a great measure obscured, but there is a strong probability -that the practice arose from a recommendation given by Pope Gregory IV. -to Mellitus, who was associated with St. Augustine in christianising -the inhabitants of England, to celebrate the anniversaries of the -dedications of those places of worship, which they had rescued from Pagan -influences, “by building themselves huts of the boughs of trees about -such churches, and celebrating the solemnities with religious feastings.” -The rush-cart, decorated with flowers and ribbons, was paraded through -the village streets, accompanied by morris-dancers and others bearing -flags or banners. One of the mummers, dressed in a motley suit, somewhat -resembling that of a circus jester, jingled a horse-collar hung with -bells, and kept up a constant succession of small jokes at the expense -of the bystanders as the procession advanced. In early days before -churches were flagged it was the annual custom to strew their floors with -rushes on the day of the dedication of the sacred edifice, and in the -parish register of Kirkham we find, as follows:—“1604. Rushes to strew -the church cost this year 9s. 6d.” From the register at Poulton church -we have also extracted an entry, at random, from similar ones occurring -each year:—“Aug. 6th, 1784. To Edward Whiteside for rushes, 6s. 8d.” The -practice appears to have arisen simply from a desire to promote warmth -and comfort within the churches by providing a covering for the bare -earth, and its connection with rush-bearing, when it existed, must be -regarded as having been purely accidental. Brand has discovered another -motive for rush-strewing, more especially in private houses, and one -not very flattering to our forefathers:—“As our ancestors,” writes he, -“rarely washed their floors, disguises of uncleanliness became very -necessary.” Erasmus, also, a Greek Professor at Oxford in the time of -Henry VIII., in describing the hovels in which the agricultural labourers -and others of the lower classes lived, says:—“The floors are commonly -of clay strewed with rushes; under which lies unmolested an ancient -collection of beer, grease, fragments, bones, spittle, and everything -that is nasty.” - -From 1589 to 1590 inclusive, the daily wages, without board, of a -ditcher were 4d., a thresher 6d., a hedger 4d., a gardener 10d., and a -master-mason 14d. In 1533 it was enacted that no tenant should hold more -than two farms at once; and fifty-five years later sundry penalties were -imposed upon any one erecting cottages for the agricultural population -without attaching four acres of land to each, also for allowing more than -one family to occupy a cottage at the same time.[48] A law was passed -in 1597, directing that all houses of husbandry which had fallen into -decay within a period of seven years should be rebuilt, and from twenty -to forty acres of ground apportioned to each.[49] The average yields of -grain per acre on well-cultivated soils during the latter half of the -sixteenth century were—wheat 20 bushels, barley 32 bushels, and oats 40 -bushels. The subjoined tables contain the average prices of some of the -common articles of consumption:— - - In 1500. In 1541. In 1590. In 1597. - 12 Pigeons 4d. 0s. 10d. 1s. 0d. 4s. 3d. - 100 Eggs 7d. 1s. 6d. 3s. 6d. - 1 Goose 4d. 0s. 8d. - 1 Chicken 1d. 0s. 8d. - 1 Lb. of Butter 0s. 3d. 0s. 4d. - -In 1581, the charge for shoeing a horse was 10d., and sometimes 12d. Here -it may be noticed, although perhaps rather digressive, that the herb -tobacco was introduced into this country sometime during the summer of -1586, by a party of Englishmen, who for a short time colonised the island -of Roanoak, near the coast of Virginia, but, having quarrelled with the -aborigines, were removed home in the ships of Sir Francis Drake. Camden, -writing of these men, says:—“They were the first that I know of that -brought into England that Indian plant which they called _tabacca_ and -_nicotia_, or _tobacco_, which they used against crudities, being taught -it by the Indians. Certainly, from that time forward, it began to grow -into great request, and to be sold at a high rate; whilst in a short time -many men, everywhere, some for wantonness, some for health sake, with -insatiable desires and greediness, sucked in the stinking smoke thereof -through an earthen pipe, which presently they blew out again at their -nostrils; insomuch that tobacco-shops are now as ordinary in most towns -as tap-houses and taverns.” - -The following rhymes, descriptive of the games and recreations common -in Lancashire amongst the youth of both sexes, were written in 1600, by -Samuel Rowland:— - - “Any they dare challenge for to throw the sledge, - To jump or leap over ditch or hedge; - To wrestle, play at stool-ball, or to run, - To pitch the bar or to shoot off a gun; - To play at loggats, nine-holes, or ten-pins, - To try it out at foot-ball by the shins; - At tick-tacke, seize-noddy, maw, and ruff; - At hot-cockles, leap-frog, or blindman’s buff; - To drink the halper-pots, or deal at the whole can; - To play at chess, or pue, and inkhorn; - To dance the morris, play at barley-brake; - At all exploits a man can think or speak: - At shove-groat, venter-point, or cross and pile; - At ‘beshrew him that’s last at any style’; - At leaping over a Christmas bonfire, - Or at ‘drawing the dame out of the mire’; - At shoot-cock, Gregory, stool-ball, and what-not; - Pick-point, top and scourge, to make him hot.” - -Many of these games have long since become obsolete. Tick-tacke resembled -backgammon, but was rather more complicated; seize-noddy, maw, and ruff -were games of cards, the first being somewhat similar to cribbage, while -the two latter have no modern representatives, although the expression -_to ruff_ is frequently used at the whist-table; ‘cross and pile’ is -merely an earlier name of ‘pitch and toss’; and shoot-cock has been -modernised into shuttlecock. - -During the seventeenth century occasional village fairs were held in the -Fylde, at which such uncouth games as “grinning through a horse-collar,” -as well as trials in whistling, etc., were common amusements, while -pedlars’ stalls, puppet shows, raffling tables, and drinking booths were -well attended by the holidaymakers. At that period any damsel, wishing to -learn something, be it ever so little, of her future mate, was directed -to run until out of breath on hearing the first notes of the cuckoo, -and on removing her shoe she would find a hair of the same colour as -that of the husband whom fate had selected for her. On May-day a snail -placed upon the ashes of the hearth would trace the initial letter, or -letters, of the lover’s name; or the rind, peeled from an apple and -thrown backwards over the head, would by its arrangement on falling to -the ground effect a similar purpose:— - - “Last May-day fair I search’d to find a snail - That might my secret lover’s name reveal: - Upon a gooseberry bush a snail I found, - For always snails near sweetest fruit abound. - I seiz’d the vermin; home I quickly sped, - And on the hearth the milk white embers spread, - Slow crawled the snail, and if I right can spell - In the soft ashes marked a curious L.”[50] - -This couplet was recited by young maidens after capturing an insect -called a Lady-bird, and on releasing it:— - - “Fly, Lady-bird, fly south, east, or west; - Fly where the man is that I love best.” - -The following extracts from an “inventarye of all the goods and chattels -of Peter Birket, late of Borrands,” taken after his decease in 1661, -will furnish a pretty accurate idea of the monetary worth of certain -articles of farming stock at that time:—“One outshoote of hay, £1 6s. -8d.; one stack of hay without dores, 10s.; one scaffold of hay, 10s.; -one mare and one colt, £3; five geese, 4s.; 13 sheepe, £3; one cock and -five hens, 2s.; one calfe, 10s.; two heiffers, £3; one heiffer, £2; one -cow, £2 10s.; another cow, £3 10s.” Whether this gentleman was a fair -representative of his class or not we are unable to say, but if so, the -small farmers of Lancashire, to whom he appears to have belonged, were -not over indulgent in articles of dress or comfort, for the whole of -his wearing apparel was valued at no more than £1, whilst his bedding -realised only 5s. - -In 1725 the Lancashire justices arranged and ordered that the rate of -wages in all parts of this county should be:— - - A bailiff in husbandry, - or chief hind £6 0s. 0d. per year, with board. - - A chief servant in husbandry, - able to mow or sow 5 0 0 ” ” - - A common servant in husbandry - of 24 years of age and upwards 4 0 0 ” ” - - A man servant from 20 - to 24 years of age 3 10 0 ” ” - - A man servant from 16 - to 20 years of age 2 10 0 ” ” - - The best woman servant, - able to cook 2 10 0 ” ” - - Dairy man, or lower servant 2 0 0 ” ” - - Woman servant under - 16 years of age 1 10 0 ” ” - - The best of millers 5 0 0 ” ” - -They also appointed the hours of labour for those hired by the day to be, -between the middle of March and the middle of September, from five in the -morning until half-past seven in the evening, and during the remainder of -the year from sunrise to sunset, resting half-an-hour at breakfast, an -hour at dinner, and half-an-hour at “drinking,” as the meal corresponding -to our “tea” was termed. “In the summer half,” added the magisterial -mandate, “the labourers may sleep each day half-an-hour; else for every -hour’s absence to defaulk a penny; and every Saturday afternoon or eve of -a holiday, that they cease to work, is to be accounted but half a day.” -The day wages, as fixed by the same authorities, were:— - - The best kind of husbandry labourer 12d. without, and 6d. with board. - An ordinary labourer 10d. ” and 5d. ” - A male haymaker 10d. ” and 6d. ” - A woman haymaker 7d. ” and 3d. ” - A mower 15d. ” and 9d. ” - A man shearer 12d. ” and 6d. ” - A woman shearer 10d. ” and 6d. ” - Hedgers, Ditchers, Threshers, and - persons employed in task work 10d. ” and 6d. ” - Masons, Joiners, Plumbers, Tilers, - Slaters, Coopers, and Turners 12d. ” and 6d. ” - Master workman, acting as foreman 14d. without board. - -From 1660 to 1690, the average price of mutton was 2d. per pound; from -1706 to 1730, 2½d.; and from 1730 to 1760, 3d. per pound. The prices of -beef, veal, and lamb in 1710, were respectively 1⅒d., 2⅗d., and 2⁹⁄₁₀d., -per pound. - -During the eighteenth and earlier part of the nineteenth centuries -there was perhaps no pastime more popular amongst the adult members of -all classes than the callous sport of cock-fighting; every village and -hamlet in the Fylde had its pit, where mains were held at all times and -seasons. The following were the rules pretty generally adopted in this -neighbourhood for the regulation of the contests:— - - “1.—To begin the main by fighting the lighter pair of cocks which - fall in match first, proceeding upwards towards the end, that - every lighter pair may fight earlier than those that are heavier. - - “2.—In matching, with relation to the battles, after the cocks of - the main are weighed, the match bills are to be compared. - - “3.—That every pair of equal weight are separated, and fight - against others; provided it appears that the main can be enlarged - by adding thereto.” - -Skippool was one of the favourite resorts for the gentry of our district -when wishful to indulge in their favourite amusement, and frequent -allusions to the cockpit there are to be found in the journal of Thomas -Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, as—“June 9, 1714, ... thence to Skipall, where -at a cockin I meet with a deal of gentlemen. Gave Ned M⸺y 1s. for his -expenses; spent 1s., and won 2s. 6d. of Dr. Hesketh’s cockes.” In 1790 a -notice appeared in Liverpool that “The great main of cocks between John -Clifton, Esq., of Lytham, and Thomas Townley Parker, Esq., of Cuerden, -would be fought on Easter Monday, the 5th of April, and the three -following days, at the new cockpit in Cockspur Street—to show forty-one -cocks each. Ten guineas each battle, and two hundred guineas the main.” -The great-grandfather of the present Lord Derby compelled each of his -tenants to maintain a game-cock for his benefit, and many were the birds -supplied from the Fylde to uphold his great reputation as a successful -cock-fighter. - -One of the most ancient punishments amongst our forefathers was that -of the Brank or Scolds’ Bridle, a specimen of which was possessed by -Kirkham, and doubtless many others existed in the Fylde. This instrument -was but little removed in severity from those implements of torture in -vogue at the time of the Inquisition, but differed from them in one -important particular—it was intended to control or silence, and not to -stimulate, the tongue of its victim. The Brank consisted of an iron -framework, which was fitted on to the head of the offender, usually some -woman whose intemperate language had incensed her husband; and a metal -spike, attached to the front of it, was so inserted into the mouth that -the slightest movement of the tongue brought that sensitive organ in -contact with its sharp edge or point. Doctor Plott, who appears to have -held the Brank in high estimation, and to have considered it greatly -superior to another mode of correction, much in fashion during his day, -says:—“This artifice is much to be preferred to the ducking-stool, which -not only endangers the health of the party, but gives liberty of tongue -betwixt every dip.” - -The Ducking-stool or Cuck-stool consisted of a substantial chair, -fastened to the extremity of a long pole, and suspended over a pool of -water. The middle of the pole rested on an upright post near the edge of -the pond, and was attached to it by means of a pivot-hinge, so that the -chair could be swung round to the side to receive its victim, and, after -being freighted and restored to its original position, plunged into the -water by raising the other end of the shaft as often as those on the -bank deemed it necessary to cool the anger of the unfortunate scold. -Several pools in different parts of the Fylde still retain their names -of Cucking-ponds, and the last person condemned to suffer the barbarous -punishment was a young woman at Poulton, but she was happily rescued by -the kindly intervention of Madam Hornby, who became surety for her good -conduct in future. - -In the belfry of Bispham church there formerly stood a plain-looking -wooden frame, which in earlier times had done duty as a pennance-stool, -but some years since the chair was removed, and probably destroyed, as no -trace of its existence has since been discovered. The last to perform -pennance in this church and sit upon the stool was a woman, who seems to -have been living as recently as 1836. A public pennance was exacted by -the Church from all frail maidens, who desired to obtain pardon for the -sins into which they had fallen. The ceremony consisted of parading the -aisles of the parish church with a candle in each hand, barefooted, and -clothed in white. Jane Breckal, of Poulton, was the last to undergo the -ceremony at that place, some time during the ministry of the Rev. Thos. -Turner, 1770 to 1810. The sobs and cries of the unfortunate girl aroused -the indignation of the inhabitants against the pennance, and the cruel -and degrading exhibition was never repeated. - -Riding Stang was another plan of punishment formerly inflicted on -quarrelsome or adulterous persons, and a woman named Idle, of Great -Layton, is mentioned as being the last of its victims in that locality, -and very likely in the whole of the Fylde. There seem to have been two -ways adopted of Riding Stang, one of which was to mount the offending -party or parties on a ladder, supported at each end on the shoulders of -one or sometimes two men, and carry them about the neighbourhood for -several hours, accompanied by a band of men and boys beating tin kettles, -frying-pans, etc.; the other mode, and perhaps the more antique one, was -to place a youth astride a ladder, borne as in the previous case, and -arm him with a hand-bell, so that he was fully equipped to undertake -the duties of town crier. A procession was then formed, and, amidst the -discordant sounds of the instruments just alluded to, paraded through -the streets of the village, whilst the crier, who usually did his part -with great gusto, shouted out the following doggrel rhymes, varying some -portions of them when occasion required:— - - “Ran a dan, ran a dan, dan, dan, - But for ... has been banging his good dame. - He banged her, he banged her, he banged her, indeed, - He banged her, poor woman, before she stood need; - For neither wasting his substance nor spending his brass, - But she was a woman, and he was an ass. - Now, all good people that live in this row, - I would have you take warning, for this is our law, - And if you do your good wives bang, - For you three nights we will ride this stang. - Hurrah! hurrah!” - -When the offender happened to be some woman, who had inflicted -chastisement on the person of her spouse, the rhyme was altered to suit -her sex, and asserted that “he was a coward, and she was an ass.” The -remains of stocks in various states of preservation, are still to be seen -in many old villages, and their use is of too recent a date to require -any elucidation in this volume. - -On the fifth Sunday in Lent, Carling Sunday, the villagers prepared a -feast, consisting chiefly of peas, first steeped in water, and afterwards -fried in butter, which were eaten on the afternoon of that day. Small -troops or companies of pace-egg mummers went from house to house in -Passion week enacting a short dramatic piece, and afterwards soliciting -money, or, in some cases, eggs, from their audience. The _dramatis -personæ_ usually represented St. George, the champion of England; a Turk, -dressed in national costume; the Doctor, of the quack fraternity; the -Fool; and one or two others. In the play, the Turk was wounded by St. -George, and being left for dead upon the field, guarded by the Fool, was -restored to health and strength by the Doctor, who opportunely arrived, -and concluded his self-laudatory harangue over the body of the apparently -defunct Turk, thus:— - - “Here, Jack, take a little out of my bottle, - And let it run down thy throttle; - If thou be not quite slain, - Rise, Jack, and fight again.” - -Easter mumming is now rapidly becoming obsolete, and at present amounts -to nothing more entertaining than the recital of a few weak, almost -meaningless, rhymes, by, usually, five young boys, decorated with ribbons -and coloured paper, and supposed to represent Lord Nelson, a Jack-Tar, a -Lovely Youth, Old Toss-pot, and Old Bessy Branbags. - -“Lifting at Easter” was an old-established practice, existing in the -villages, of hoisting individuals in the air, either in a chair or by any -other means that might be convenient, until they purchased their release -by payment of a forfeit, generally some small coin. On Ascension-day -the parochial schoolmaster conducted his pupils, armed with peeled -willow wands, round the limits of the parish, and each pupil struck the -various boundary marks with his stick as he passed them. All-Hallows’ -E’en was the time when the young people tested the durability of love or -friendship by burning nuts:— - - “Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame, - And to each nut I gave a sweetheart’s name: - This with the loudest bounce, me sore amazed, - That in a flame of brightest colour blazed; - As blazed the nut, so may thy passion grow, - For ’twas thy nut that did so brightly glow!”[51] - -Other pastimes contributed to the evening’s amusement, such as “ducking -for apples,” and “snatch apple”—a tub, in the former case, having been -nearly filled with water, and the fruit placed in it, each in turn, with -hands bound behind them, endeavoured to seize the prize with the teeth; -in the latter game, an apple was fastened to one extremity of a rod and a -lighted candle to the other, the whole being suspended by a string from -the ceiling, and the players, bound as before, snapped at the apple, and -avoided the flame as well as they were able. - -Until within the last fifty or sixty years, the mosses of Marton and -the hills in the vicinity of the Fylde were illuminated with bonfires -on All-Hallows’ Eve, or Teanlay-night, as it was called, kindled by -the country people with the avowed object of succouring their friends -who were lingering in the imaginary regions of a middle state. A field -near Poulton received the name of “Purgatory” from the mummery of the -“Teanlays” having, on one occasion at least, been celebrated there.[52] -This ceremony was simple in its performance, and consisted merely of a -circle of men raising masses of blazing straw on high with pitch-forks. -On All Souls’ Day our Catholic forefathers were accustomed to bake cakes -of oatmeal and aromatic seeds, named Soul-cakes, and these, together with -pasties and furmety, formed a feast invariably eaten at that season. -Remnants of this custom existed even in late years amongst the youths of -Marton and some other townships and villages, who on the day of ancient -festival solicited money, under the name of Soul-pence, from their -neighbours. - -We will now enumerate some of the superstitions and beliefs that have -prevailed in the Fylde more recently than those to which allusion has -been made in the earlier part of the chapter. - -The following adage, showing the signification of certain marks on the -nails, will probably be familiar to many of our readers, and it is -questionable whether, even yet, it is not regarded by a few of the less -enlightened of the peasantry as something more than a mere saying:— - - “Specks on the fingers, - Fortune often lingers; - Specks on the thumbs, - Fortune surely comes.” - -No sick person could die if the bed or pillow upon which he lay contained -a pigeon’s feather; and, at an earlier date, the dwellers near the -coast firmly believed that life could only depart with the ebbing tide. -A horse-shoe nailed against the stable or barn-door, or a broom-stick -placed across the threshold of the dwelling, prevented the entrance of -witches or evil persons; also a hot heater placed in the churn, and -the mark of a cross, protected respectively the cream and baking of -dough from their presence. The advent of guests was made known to the -family circle by certain conditions of the fire-grate; thus, a flake -of soot hanging from the topmost bar foretold a boy visitor, from the -second a man, from the third a woman, and from the fourth a girl. Cats -were popularly supposed to have the power of drawing the breath, and -as a natural consequence the life, out of children when asleep, and -for this reason great care was taken to exclude them from bedchambers. -Should a dark complexioned person be the first to enter a dwelling on -New Year’s morning, the household looked forward with confidence to a -prosperous year; but if the person happened to be light, more especially -if he had red hair, the omen was regarded as unpropitious. Moon-beams -shining through the windows of bedrooms were considered injurious to the -sleepers, and even capable of distorting their features, or rendering -them imbecile. Children were taught to recite these simple lines whenever -the moon shone into their chambers:— - - “I see the moon, - The moon sees me; - God bless the priest - That christened me.” - -A tooth, after extraction, was sprinkled with salt and thrown into the -fire in order to insure peace and comfort to the person from whose mouth -it had been removed. A pair of shoes placed under the bed so that the -tips of the toes alone were visible, formed a certain remedy for cramp. -Warts were removed by rubbing them with a piece of stolen beef, which was -afterwards carefully and secretly buried to render the charm complete; -a snail hung on to a thorn was equally efficacious in removing these -excrescences, which gradually faded away as the snail itself melted and -vanished. A bag, containing small stones of the same number as the warts, -thrown over the left shoulder, transmitted them to the person who had -the misfortune to pick up the pebbles. People labouring under attacks of -ague, jaundice, or other ailments, applied for relief to the wise-men -of the neighbourhood, who professed to cure them by incantations. The -two following receipts are taken from an old medical work, published as -early as 1612, and in its time a highly popular authority on matters of -“Phisicke and Chirurgerie” amongst our rural populations:— - - “A good Medicine to staunch the bleeding of the Nose, although it - bleed never so freely. - - “Take an egg and breake it on the top, in such sorte that all - the white and yolke may issue cleane forthe of it; then fill the - egg-shell with some of the bloud of the party which bleedeth, and - put it in the fire, and there let it remaine until it be harde, - and then burne it to ashes, and it will staunch the bleeding - immediately without all doubt.” - - “A very good Medicine to staunch bloud when nothing else will do - it, by reason the veine is cut, or that the wound is greate. - - “Take a Toade and dry him very well in the sunne, and then put - him in a linen Bagge, and hang him about the necke of him that - bleedeth with a stringe, and let it hange so low that it may - touch his breaste on the left side neere unto his hart, and - commonly this will stay all manner of bleeding at the mouth, - nose, wound, or otherwise whatever. Probatum est.” - -A woman named Bamber, living at Marton, attained to considerable -celebrity amongst the peasantry and others by her skill in checking -bleeding, which she is reported to have accomplished by the utterance of -some mystic words. - -The people of the Fylde were not exempt from the common belief in the -miraculous power of the Royal touch in that particular form of disease -known as king’s evil, for amongst the records of the Thirty-men of -Kirkham is a notice that in 1632 a sum of money was “given to Ricd. -Barnes’s child, that had the king’s evil, to help him up to London,” to -be touched by Charles I. - -The fairies of the Fylde were supposed, like those of other localities, -to reside in the earth; the vicinity of a cold spring, situated between -Hardhorn and Newton, was one of their legendary resorts, and from such -reputation acquired the name of “Fairies’ well.” Many stories are told -of the mischievous, or good-natured doings of these imaginary beings; -one or two of which we will here narrate:—A poor woman when filling her -pitcher at the above well, in order to bathe the weak eyes of her infant, -was gently addressed by a handsome man, who gave her a small box of -ointment, and told her at the same time that it would prove an infallible -remedy for the ailment of her child. The woman, although grateful for -the present, either overcome by that irresistible curiosity which is -commonly, but perhaps erroneously, supposed to attach itself to her sex, -or doubtful of the efficacy which the stranger had assigned to the drug, -applied it to one of her own eyes. A few days afterwards she had occasion -to go to Preston, and whilst there detected her benefactor in the act of -stealing corn from the open mouths of some sacks exposed for sale, and, -having accosted him, began to remonstrate with him on the wickedness of -his proceedings, when he inquired with evident surprise, how she became -enabled to observe him, as he was invisible to all else. She explained -the use that had been made of his ointment, and pointed to the powerful -eye; but hardly had the words been uttered and the organ of supernatural -vision indicated, before he raised his clenched hand, and with one blow -struck out the offending optic, or rather reduced it to a state of total -and irrecoverable blindness. Another anecdote refers to a milkmaid, who, -whilst engaged in her avocation, perceived a jug and sixpence placed -near to her by some invisible means; but no way disconcerted by the -singular event, and probably attributing it to the agency of one of the -elvan tribes, she filled the pitcher with milk, and, having watched its -mysterious disappearance and, with unerring commercial instinct, pocketed -the silver coin, took her departure. This episode was repeated for many -successive mornings, until the maiden, overjoyed at her good fortune, -revealed the curious adventures to her lover, and from that hour the -hobgoblins appear either to have grown less thirsty, or, annoyed at what -they might consider the betrayal of their secret, to have removed their -custom to some other dairy, for neither jug nor sixpence ever gladdened -the morning labours of the milkmaid again. A ploughman had his good -nature, in cheerfully repairing the broken “spittle” of a lady liberally -rewarded. The fairy, for such she proved to be, made known her presence -to the agriculturist by suddenly crying in a distressed tone—“I have -broken my speet,” and then held out in her hands the useless instrument -with a hammer and nails. No sooner had she received her property, -restored to a state of utility, than she vanished into the earth, but -not, however, without leaving a substantial acknowledgment of his skill -and kindness in the palm of the astonished husbandman. - -We can only discover a record of one witch in the Fylde; this person of -unenviable notoriety is stated to have had her abode in Singleton, and -to have been known to the villagers as Mag Shelton. Her food, according -to local tradition, was composed of boiled groats mixed with thyme or -parsley, and numerous are the anecdotes related of her evil machinations -and doings in the neighbourhood—the cows of the country people were -constantly milked by her, whilst the pitcher walked before her in the -form of a goose; lives were blighted and prosperity checked by the -influence of her evil eye. Once, however, she was foiled by a girl, who -fastened her to a chair by sticking a bodkin, crossed with two weavers’ -healds, about her dress when seated before a large fire. - -Some idea of the spiritual condition of the peasantry may be obtained -from the perusal of the following prayer, a common one amongst the -children of the Fylde about one hundred years ago:— - - “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, - Bless the bed that I lie on; - There are four corners to my bed, - And four angels overspread, - Two at the feet and two at the head. - If any ill thing me betide, - Beneath your wings my body hide. - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, - Bless the bed that I lie on.” - -Bacon was considered to prove the finest and best if the hogs were -slaughtered before the moon began to wane, and in some month whose name -contained the letter R:— - - “Unless your bacon you would mar - Kill not your pig without the R.” - -The dumb-cake was made by unmarried women who wished to divine the -selection of fate as to their future husbands. The cake was baked in -strict silence by two maidens on Midsummer’s eve, and afterwards broken -into three pieces by another, who placed one under each of their pillows; -during sleep the expectant fair ones were rewarded with a vision of their -lovers, but the charm was ruined if only a single word were spoken. -Hemp-seed, also, was sown by young maidens, who whilst scattering it -recited the words “Hemp-seed I sow, hemp-seed I hoe, and he that is my -true-love come after me and mow.” After repeating the rhyme three times -it was only necessary to look over the shoulder, and the apparition of -the destined swain would never fail to appear:— - - “At eve last Midsummer no sleep I sought, - But to the field a bag of hemp-seed brought; - I scattered round the seed on every side, - And three times, in a trembling accent cried: - ‘This hemp-seed with my virgin hand I sow, - Who shall my true love be the crop shall mow.’ - I straight looked back, and, if my eyes speak truth, - With his keen scythe behind me came a youth.”[53] - -A spinster who fasted on Midsummer’s eve, and at midnight laid a clean -cloth, with bread, cheese, and ale, and sat down to the table as though -about to eat, would be gratified with a sight of the person to whom -she would be married. This individual was supposed to pass through the -doorway, left open for the purpose, as the clock struck twelve, and, -approaching the table, to salute his future partner with a bow and a -pretence of drinking her health, after which he vanished, and the maid -retired to her couch to rejoice or mourn, according as she admired or -contemned the prospect in store for her. Cuttings or combings from the -hair were thrown into the fire, and upon their blazing brightly or -smouldering away depended the duration of life likely to be enjoyed -by the person from whose head they had been taken. Wishing-wells and -gates were visited by credulous rustics, who were anxious to make use -of their mysterious power in obtaining their desires in matters of love -or business. The forefinger was deemed venomous, and on that account -children were instructed not to spread salve or ointment with it. - -About a century ago oats formed the chief production, and nearly, if -indeed not quite, the only grain crop cultivated in the Fylde. When -reaped, in harvest time, this commodity was carried on the backs of -pack-horses to the markets of Poulton, Kirkham, Garstang, and Preston. -The “horse bridge” between Carleton and Poulton was originally a narrow -structure, capable only of affording passage to a single horse at once, -and it was from the practice of the farmers, with their laden cattle, -crossing the stream by its aid, when journeying to market, that the -bridge derived its name. These horses followed a leader ornamented -with a bell, and after they had arrived at their destination and been -relieved of their burdens, returned home in the same order without a -driver, leaving him to attend to his duties at the market. The old bridge -in use at the period to which we allude, still exists, but is built -over and hidden by the present erection. Later experience has taught -the agriculturist that the soil of the Fylde is capable of producing, -under proper tillage, other crops, equal in their abundance to the one -to which it appears formerly to have been mainly devoted, and it would -be difficult at the present day to enumerate with accuracy the many and -varied fruits of the earth that have found a home in the Corn-field of -Amounderness. - -We mentioned about the commencement of the chapter that marl was in -general use as a manure in the Anglo-Saxon era, and here it is perhaps -hardly necessary to state that this substance, so rich in lime and so -adapted for giving consistency to the sandy soils, is still occasionally -had recourse to by the husbandman. Guano was first introduced into this -country about the year 1842, but it is probable that it was not commonly -used in our district until the beginning of 1845, when a cargo was -imported from Ichaboe to Fleetwood by Messrs. Kemp and Co., and offered -for sale to the farmers of the neighbourhood. Other cargoes followed. -Subjoined are arranged some tables showing the average market values of -certain productions of the Fylde in the two years given:— - - 1847. 1867. - Inclusive. Inclusive. - Jan. to July to Jan. to July to - June. Dec. June. Dec. - Wheat, per windle 39s. 6d. 25s. 6d. 31s. 8d. 32s. 6d. - Meal, per load 52s. 6d. 41s. 6d. 37s. 0d. 37s. 6d. - Beans, per windle 25s. 6d. 22s. 6d. - Oats, per bushel 5s. 10½d. 4s. 8d. 4s. 5d. 4s. 6d. - Potatoes, per windle 21s. 6d.[54] 7s. 0d. 12s. 8d. 11s. 6d. - Butter, per pound 1s. 1d. 1s. 1½d. 1s. 5d. 1s. 3d. - Eggs, per dozen 0s. 10d. 0s. 10d. 0s. 11d. 1s. 0d. - Pork, per pound 0s. 6d. 0s. 6d. 0s. 5½d. 0s. 6d. - Beef ” 0s. 6½d. 0s. 7½d. 0s. 7¾d. 0s. 6¾d. - Mutton ” 0s. 6¾d. 0s. 8½d. 0s. 8d. 0s. 7d. - Geese ” 0s. 6¾d.[55] - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -COSTUMES, COUNTRY, RIVERS, AND SEA. - - -The history of the dresses and costumes of the inhabitants of the -Fylde is interesting not only on account of the multifarious changes -and peculiarities which it exhibits, but also as a sure indication of -the progress in civilisation, wealth, and taste, made in our section -at different eras. To Julius Cæsar we are indebted for our earliest -knowledge of the scanty dress worn by the aborigines of this district, -and from that warrior it is learnt that a slight covering of roughly -prepared skins, girded about the loins, and the liberal application of -a blue dye, called woad, to the rest of the body constituted the sole -requisites of their primitive toilets. Cæsar conjectures that the juice -or dye of woad was employed by the people to give them a terror-striking -aspect in battle, but here he seems to have fallen into error, for the -wars engaged in by the Setantii would be confined to hostilities with -neighbouring tribes, stained in a similar manner, and it is scarcely -reasonable to suppose that either side would hope to intimidate the other -by the use of a practice common to both. A more probable explanation -of the custom is, that it was instituted for the ornamental qualities -it possessed in the eyes of the natives. Such a view is supported -by the remarks of Solinus, a Roman author, who informs us that the -embellishments usually consisted of the figures of animals, “which grew -with the growth of the body”; and from this it is evident that before -the frame had arrived at maturity, in either youth or childhood, the -skin was subjected to the painful and laborious process of tattooing, -for such according to Isidore, appears to have been the nature of the -operation. The latter asserts that the staining was accomplished by -squeezing out the juice of the plant on to the skin, and puncturing it -in with sharp needles. When the Romans established a station at Kirkham, -and opened out the Fylde by means of a good road-way to the coast, the -Setantii modified their wild uncultivated habits, and, taking pattern -from the more civilised garb of their conquerors, adopted a covering -for the lower limbs, called _brachæ_, hence the modern breeches, whilst -many of the chiefs were not long before they strutted about in all the -pride of a _toga_, or gown. About four hundred years later, when the -Anglo-Saxons had taken possession of the soil of the Fylde, and had -either appropriated the deserted settlements and renamed them, or reared -small and scattered groups of dwellings of their own, a marked change -became visible in the nationality, character, and costumes of the people. -No longer the semi-civilised and half-clad Briton was lord of the domain, -but the more refined Saxon with his linen shirt, drawers, and stockings, -either of linen or woollen, and bandaged crosswise from the ankle to the -knee with strips of leather; over these a tunic of the same material as -the stockings was thrown, and reached as low as the knees, being plain or -ornamented according to the means or rank of the wearer. This garment was -open at the neck and for a short distance over the chest; the sleeves, -extending to the wrists, were generally tight, and a girdle frequently, -but not universally, confined the gown round the waist. In addition a -small cloak was worn for out-door purposes over the tunic, and fastened -on the breast or shoulder with brooches or clasps. The shoes of the Saxon -settlers were open down the instep, where they were laced or tied with -two thongs. Even the very lowest of the population, although poverty -might reduce them to miserable straits, seldom, if ever, went barefooted. -Caps, on the contrary, were not in great request, and rarely to be seen, -unless on the heads of some of the more affluent. Our female ancestors at -that era were habited in a close-fitting dress, falling to the feet and -furnished with tight sleeves, reaching as far as the wrists, over which -was placed a shorter gown with loose open sleeves. Their head-dress was -simply a strip of linen of sufficient length to wrap round the temples -and fall on the neck. Amongst the wealthiest of the nation a flowing -mantle, ornaments of precious metal, and sable, beaver, and fox furs -were common, but the inhabitants of the Fylde, being of less exalted -social standing, were obliged to content themselves with the skins of -lambs and cats by way of adornment. The inferior farm servants, called -serfs, amongst whom many of the vanquished Britons would be classed, -were seldom indulged by their masters with more than a coat, a pair of -drawers, and sandals, the shirt, we presume, being deemed ill suited to -their positions of servitude and dependence. - -The colonisation of the Danes, whatever effect it may have had upon the -habits and condition of the people, exercised no lasting influence upon -their dress, and it was not until half a century after the Norman baron, -Roger de Poictou, had parcelled out the land amongst his tenants, that -the bulk of the males were induced, by the example of the new-comers, to -display their taste in the choice of a head-covering. Many varieties were -daily open to their inspection on the brows of the Norman landholders -and servants, but the diffidence, let us hope, of the now humbled Saxons -suggested the adoption of an exceedingly plain flat species of bonnet, -which speedily became the common cap of the district. The ladies, -however, with a greater aptitude for rising superior to disappointment -and affliction, were not dilatory in benefitting by the superior style -of the fair partners of their conquerors, and soon, putting aside all -semblance of depression, appeared in long cuffs, hanging to the ground -from their upper dress sleeves and tied in a large knot; their kerchiefs, -also, whose modest proportions had formerly served only to encircle the -forehead, were now extravagantly lengthened and fastened in a similar -manner. As years rolled on and fashion began to assert her sway with -a greater show of authority, the shoes of the men underwent certain -changes, becoming more neat in workmanship and having the toes somewhat -elongated and pointed, whilst the richer of the gentry, chiefly Normans, -wore short boots reaching a little distance up the calf. In the early -part of the thirteenth century the female head-dresses consisted of -nets, made from various materials, in which the hair was confined; and -the trains of the gowns were lengthened. Later in the same era cowls -or hoods, twisted and pinned in fanciful shapes, adorned the heads of -the ladies, and formed the main feature of their walking costumes. -Aprons also came up at that period. The dress of the men underwent -no alteration of any moment until the first half of the fourteenth -century, when the manorial lords of the neighbourhood, and others of -the inhabitants, discarded the cloaks and tunics of their forefathers, -and substituted in their stead a close-fitting outer garment of costly -and handsome material, scarcely covering the hips, immediately above -which it was surrounded by a girdle. The sleeves usually terminated at -the elbows, and from there long white streamers depended, whilst the -sleeves of an under dress reached to the wrists, and were ornamented -with rows of buttons. A long cape and cowl was the general overcoat. -The most characteristic dress of the ladies was a habit cut away at the -sides so as to expose the under skirt, which was invariably of rich and -fine texture. The long white streamers, just alluded to, were part of -the female as well as the male attire, and the borders of the habit were -bound with fur or velvet. We may mention that an English beau of that -era wore long pointed shoes, the toes of which were connected with the -knees by gold or silver chains, a long stocking of different colour on -each leg, short trowsers, barely extending to the middle of the thigh, a -coat, half of which was white and the other blue or some equally bright -colour, and a silken hood or bonnet, fastened under the chin, embroidered -with grotesque figures of animals, and occasionally decked with gold and -precious stones. Lest, however, the reputations of our ancestors should -suffer in the eyes of the present generation from the existence in their -age of the absurdity here pictured, it is our duty and pleasure to assure -all readers that such parodies on manhood were strictly confined to the -populous cities, and that there is no probability of even a solitary -specimen ever having desecrated the modest soil of the Fylde. - -During the greater portion of the succeeding cycle of a hundred years -a species of cloth turban was much in favour amongst the male sex of -the middle and upper classes, from one side of which a length of the -same material hung down below the waist, and was either thrust between -the girdle and the coat, or wrapped round the neck as a protection from -cold. Faces were cleanly shaved, and hair cut as close to the scalp as -possible; hitherto, from about the date of the first arrival of the -Normans, the practice had been to allow the latter to grow long and to -wear the beard. The hose were long and tight. The boots were either -short, or reached half-way up the thighs, both kinds being long toed. -Occasionally a single feather relieved the plainness of the turban-shaped -cap. The ordinary dress of the gentlewomen was a full trained robe -or gown, made high in the neck, and sometimes, with a fur or velvet -turn-over collar, its folds at the short-waist being confined by means of -a simple band and buckle. Coiffures were mostly heart-shaped, but in some -rare instances horned. The sleeves of the above costume were, shortly -after its institution, lengthened and widened to a ridiculous extent. -Towards the end of the particular era of which we are writing trains -were discontinued, and broad borders of fur substituted, whilst round -tapering hats, two feet in height, with loose kerchiefs floating from the -apex, came much into favour. The last few years of the fifteenth and the -earliest ones of the sixteenth centuries were marked by great changes -in the male attire; the Butlers, Cliftons, Carletons, Westbys, Allens, -Molyneux, and many others of the gentry of the neighbourhood, figured -at that period in fine shirts of long lawn, embroidered with silk round -the collar and wristbands, a doublet with sleeves open at the elbows to -allow the shirt to protrude, a stomacher, over which the doublet was -laced; a long gown or cloak, with loose or hanging sleeves and broad -turn-over collar of fur or velvet; long hose or stockings; broad-toed -shoes for ordinary use, and high boots, reaching to the knees, for riding -purposes; and broad felt hats, or variously shaped caps of fur or velvet, -adorned with ostrich or other feathers. The hair was permitted to grow -enormously long and fall down the back and over the shoulders, but the -face was still cleanly shaved, with the exception of military and aged -persons, who wore mustaches or beards. The wives and daughters, belonging -to such families as those alluded to, were habited in upper garments, cut -square at the neck, and stomachers, belts, and buckles, or costly girdles -with long pendants in front. The sleeves were slit at the elbows in a -manner similar to those of the men. High head-dresses were abandoned, -and a cap or caul of gold net or embroidery, which allowed the hair to -flow beneath it half way to the ground, took their place. Turbans, also, -were fashionable for a brief season. The females of a humbler sphere -wore plain grey cloth gowns, ornamented with lambs’ skin or wool, and -cloaks of Lincoln green; the appearance of such an one upon a holiday is -described by Skelton, the laureate of Henry VII., as under:— - - “Her kirtle bristow red, - With cloths upon her head, - They weigh a ton of lead. - She hobbles as she goes, - With her blanket hose, - Her shoone smeared with tallow.” - -In the following reign, the commonalty, in imitation of the example set -by the resident squires in this and other parts of the kingdom, became -so extravagant in their ideas of suitable habiliments that Henry VIII. -issued an edict, prohibiting them from wearing ornaments of even the -most simple description, and confining them to the use of cloth at a -certain fixed price, and lambs’ fur only. At the same time, velvets of -any colour, furs of martens, chains, bracelets, and collars of gold -were allowed only to those who possessed an income of not less than two -hundred marks per annum; but the sons and heirs of such were permitted -to wear black velvet or damask, and tawny-coloured russet or camlet. -None but those in the yearly receipt of one hundred marks could venture -on satin or damask robes. The dress which may be taken as the most -characteristic garb under the sovereignty of the last Henry and of his -two immediate successors, comprised a doublet with long bases, or skirts, -and extensive sleeves, over which was thrown a short cloak, provided with -armholes for the passage of the doublet sleeves. The cloak had a wide -rolling collar, made of velvet, fur, or satin, according to taste. The -shirt was plaited, and embroidered with gold, silver, or silk. The hose -were closely fitted to the limb, being in some cases long and entire, -and in others divided, under the names of the upper and nether stocks. -Slashed shoes, or buskins of velvet and satin, with broad toes, and a cap -of one of sundry forms, either simply bordered, or laden with feathers, -completed the costume of every male member of the numerous families -inhabiting the ancient halls of this section. Sir Walter Scott, who is -generally allowed to have been pretty correct in the costumes of his -heroes and minor characters, has described the appearance of a yeoman of -our county about the middle of the sixteenth century as follows:— - - “He was an English yeoman good, - And born in Lancashire. - ... - His coal-black hair, shorn round and close, - Set off his sun-burnt face; - Old England’s sign, St. George’s cross, - His barret-cap did grace; - His bugle horn hung from his side, - All in a wolf-skin baldric tied; - And his short falchion, sharp and clear, - Had pierced the throat of many a deer. - His kirtle, made of forest green, - Reached scantly to his knee; - And at his belt, of arrows keen - A furbished sheaf bore he.” - -Shortly after the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1558, remarkable -alterations became evident in the fashions of the inhabitants. The skirts -of the doublet were reduced to much smaller dimensions, so as thoroughly -to expose the upper stocks, which, under the new title of trunk-hose, had -risen to a very important place in the toilet. French trunk-hose were the -first to render themselves conspicuous in our locality, and consisted of -two varieties, the former of which were short, round, and full, becoming, -in fact, in course of time, so swollen by padding that their use was -abandoned by universal consent; and the second variety, going to the -other extreme and fitting tightly to the limb, introduced. The next to -arrive were the Gallic hose, very large and wide, and extending to the -knee only; after which came the Venetian hose, reaching below the knee to -the garter, where they were secured with silken bands. The trunk-hose, -of every kind, were made of silk, velvet, satin, or damask. The nether -stocks, or stockings, were of jarnsey, thread, fine yarn, and later, of -silk, whilst the shoes partook more of the nature of slippers, and were -variously decorated. Ruffs encircled the necks of the males as well as -the females. Above the doublet was worn in the Spanish style a cloak of -silk, velvet, or taffeta, and of a red, black, green, yellow, tawny, -russet, or violet colour, many being bordered with long glass beads. -Hats were conical and high, flat and broad, and flat and round, but in -all cases were made of velvet or sarcenet, and ornamented with bunches -of feathers. The robes of the ladies, made of bright-coloured velvet, -silk, or fine cloth, had both tight and wide sleeves, and were branched -or opened at the front of the skirt to expose the handsome petticoat -beneath. The farthingale distended the dresses of our female ancestry -from just below the bodice or stomacher, in a manner that few, we opine, -of the fair sex would care to see revived at the present day. The ruff -was of cambric or lawn, and when first introduced, moderate in its -proportions, but like many other fashions of that epoch, became enlarged -into an absurdity as years passed on. The hair of the ladies was curled, -crisped, and arranged with most elaborate care; indeed, so curious and -changeable were the coiffures that it would be tedious to our readers -to offer more than this general description of them. Capes falling but -a short way beyond the shoulders, and faced with fringe or velvet, -were also worn. The costume of the gentlewomen during the seventeenth -century, if the sombre garbs of the Roundhead families be excepted, -consisted of an upper gown, which comprised a bodice and short skirt, -the former being open over a laced stomacher, and the latter divided -anteriorly, and its sides drawn back and looped up behind; a petticoat -or under-dress, of expensive material, reaching to the ground; a yellow -starched neckerchief, overspreading the shoulders and terminating on the -bosom in two pointed ends; and a high crowned hat, beneath which long -ringlets escaped and flowed down the back. The peasant girls or female -farm servants had plain dresses, falling to the ankles, and usually -tight sleeves and aprons. The bodices of some were open to the waist, -but the stomachers, although laced, were of a very inferior kind, and -the starched neckerchiefs were wanting. The gentlemen of the Fylde were -influenced in their choice of garments according as their sympathies -were with the King or Parliament, but there can be little question that -in a locality so staunchly loyal as our own, the picturesque garb of the -Cavaliers would predominate over the affectedly modest and plain attire -of the partizans of Cromwell. The existence on the soil of such men as -Sir Thomas Tyldesley, Thomas Singleton of Staining Hall, Thomas Hesketh -of Mains Hall, who laid down their lives in the service of the crown, -and numbers of others, who drew the sword in the cause of the throneless -monarch, are fair evidence that the above conjecture is not hazarded -without good reason. A doublet of silk, satin, or velvet, with large -wide sleeves slashed up the front; a collar covered by a band of rich -point lace, with Vandyke edging; a short cloak, thrown on one shoulder; -short trousers, fringed and reaching to the wide tops of the high boots; -a broad-leaved Flemish beaver hat, with a plume of feathers and band; -and a sword belt and rapier, constituted the full costume of a Cavalier. -Instead of the velvet doublet, a buff coat, richly laced, and encircled -by a broad silk or satin scarf, fastened in a bow, was substituted when -the inhabitants were under the excitement produced by actual war, in -which so many took part. The hair, it should be mentioned, was worn long -by the Cavaliers, and closely cropped by the Roundheads, whose dress -offers no special features to our notice. - -In the earlier part of last century the occupiers of Layton, Lytham, -Fox, Burn, Mains, Rawcliffe, Rossall, Larbrick, etc., Halls, and others -of equal social standing, who formed the gentry of the Fylde, and who -consequently must be taken as our mirror of fashion, were clothed in -straight square-cut waistcoats, extending to the knees, and of very -gorgeous patterns; velvet breeches fastened below the knees; long silk -stockings; buckled shoes, with high red heels; periwigs of monstrous -size; hats, cocked on three sides; long lace neckerchiefs; and lastly, -but far from the least important, a coat of rich material, having long -stiff skirts and wide cuffs, turned back and adorned with gold or silver -lace. The ladies had laced stomachers beneath a bodice with straight -sleeves, ending at the elbow in moderately wide cuffs. The skirt of the -dress was divided in front and looped up behind, disclosing a petticoat -equalling or surpassing the richness of the upper garment, and trimmed -with flounces and furbelows. The boots resembled those just described, -but were more delicate in workmanship. The head-dress was composed of a -species of cap, the lace material of which rose in three or four tiers, -placed one above another, almost to a point, whilst the hair was brushed -up and arranged in stiff curls, somewhat resembling a pyramid. This -coiffure had only a brief reign, and was superseded by one less exalted, -and of more elegant appearance. Hoops were introduced about 1720, and -thirty years later silk aprons and gipsy straw hats, or small bonnets, -were worn. In 1765 periwigs were discarded, and the natural hair was -allowed to grow, being profusely sprinkled with powder, both by males and -females. The country people were habited in long, double-breasted coats, -made from frieze or homespun, and of a dark brown, grey, or other quiet -shade; a light drugget waistcoat, red shag or plush breeches, and black -stockings. There is no necessity to trace the costumes of our ancestors -further than the point here reached, as their varieties present few -phases of special interest, and probably the most striking are already -sufficiently familiar to our readers. A sure, though somewhat unsteady, -decline was shortly inaugurated in the sumptuous and elaborate dresses -of the people, which continued its course of reform until the more -economical and unostentatious dress of modern days had usurped the place -of the showy habiliments of the eighteenth century. - -THE COUNTRY or district of the Fylde may be briefly described as broad -and flat, for although in many places it is raised in gentle undulations, -no hill of any altitude is to be seen upon its surface. The fertility of -its soil has long been acknowledged, and a visit to its fruitful fields -during the warm months of summer would disclose numbers of rich acres -yellow with the ripening grain, while potatoe and bean-fields, meadow -and pasture-lands, orchards and fruit gardens, are scattered over the -wide area. Our design in the present instance is not, however, to enlarge -upon these cultivated features, but to notice some of the more striking -natural peculiarities, and to arrange in a classified list sundry of the -rarer wild plants growing in the neighbourhood, enumerating also the -different birds and sea-fowl, which are either natives or frequenters of -the locality. - -The features most calculated by their singularity to attract the -attention of the stranger on surveying this division of the county are -the moss-lands, the sand-hills, the mere at Marton, and the stunted -appearance and inclination from the sea of those trees situated anywhere -in the vicinity of the coast. - -The great moss of the Fylde lies in the township of Marton, and extends -six miles from north to south, and about one mile from east to west. On -examining the structure of this moss, below the coarse herbage covering -its surface, is discovered a substance called peat, brown and distinctly -fibrous at its upper part, but becoming more and more compact as we -descend, until at the bottom is presented a firm, dark-coloured, or even -black mass, betraying less evidence, in some cases barely perceptible, -of its fibrous formation. Beneath the peaty layer is a thick bed of -clay, having imbedded in it, either partially or wholly, large trunks of -trees—oak, yew, fir, etc., which, by their frequency and arrangement, -show that at some period the extensive tract must have been a dense -woodland, but at what particular era it is impossible, with any degree -of exactness, to determine. The disinterment, however, of certain Celtic -relics from the substance of the peat, which may be supposed to have -belonged to the aboriginal Britons of the section, inclines us to the -opinion that the lower layers of the moss were formed, and consequently -the forest overthrown, anterior to the Roman occupation of our island, -but how long before that time it was standing, must remain purely a -matter of conjecture, unless some reliable proofs of its more precise -antiquity are disclosed during operations in the turf. The manner in -which the demolition of the forest was effected is also somewhat wrapt -in obscurity, although it is probable that the noble trees of which it -was composed were overturned and uprooted by the fury of some wide-spread -inundation or the violence of some terrific hurricane. The fearful -devastations, both or either of the elements here brought into action -can accomplish, are too well marked in the histories of other countries -for us to hesitate in ascribing to them the power of overthrowing, under -similar turbulent conditions, even so substantial an obstruction as the -forest must have been; but a careful study of the locality and of the -several sudden incursions of the tide which have occurred during recent -years, leads to the belief that the sea was the chief destructive agent, -and that the gale which hurled the raging volumes of water over the -low-lying lands at the south of Blackpool, and the then level wooded -tract beyond, assisted only in the ruinous work. In support of such -a hypothesis may be instanced the flood of 1833, when a tide, only -estimated to rise to a height of sixteen feet, but greatly swollen by -a furious storm from the south-west, burst over at that spot, swept -away several dwelling-houses in its course, battered down the hedges, -and laid waste the fields far into the surrounding country. Had this -inundation occurred during the high spring tides, it is impossible to -say to what extent its ravages might have been carried, but the incident -as it stands, being within the recollection of many still living, and -by no means a solitary example of the usual direction taken by the -storm-driven waves, furnishes an apt illustration of the most natural -way in which the downfall of the forest may have been accomplished. The -Rev. W. Thornber, who has bestowed much time and labour on the subject, -says:—“There are some facts that will go far to prove that these forests, -once standing on Marton Moss, were overthrown by an inundation of the -sea, viz., every tree on the Moss, as well as the Hawes, lies in a -south-eastern direction from the shore; and the bank, which appears -to have been the extent of this irruption, commencing at the Royal -Hotel, runs exactly in the same direction. The shells, similar to those -collected on the shore, intermixed with wrack of the sea, which are found -in abundance under the peat, also corroborate this supposition. Moreover -the tide is constantly depositing a marine silt similar to that which -lies beneath the peat, and in some instances upon it.” - -The wreck of such a vast number of trees would cause a great but gradual -alteration in the surface of the ground. The masses of fallen timber, -blocking up the streamlets and obstructing drainage, would create a more -or less complete stagnation of water upon the land; the bark, branches, -and leaves undergoing a process of decay would form the deepest layers -of the peat; rank herbage and aquatic plants springing up and dying in -endless succession, would form annual accumulations of matter, which in -course of time would also be assimilated into peat, and in this manner -the moss overlaying the original clayey surface and burying the ancient -forest, would grow step by step to its present dimensions. Again, each -layer of peat, as they were successively formed, would press upon those -beneath, so that the weight of its own increase would give firmness and -solidity to the substance of the moss. Thus we see that the whole secret -of the creation or formation of the moss is simply a process of growth, -decay, and accumulation of certain vegetable products annually repeated. -The huge moss of Pilling and Rawcliffe owes its existence to similar -phenomena. - -The large mounds, or star-hills as they are called, which undulate the -coast line from Lytham to South-Shore, are composed simply and purely -of sand, covered over with a coarse species of herb, bearing the name -of star-grass. Similar eminences at one time occupied the whole of the -marine border of the Fylde, but in many places the encroaching tide has -not only annihilated the hills themselves, but even usurped their sites. -The town of Fleetwood is erected on a foundation of sand, and several -extensive mounds of that nature exist in its vicinity. Below this light -superficial substance, in some places very deep and thrown into its -elevated forms by the long-continued action of the wind, is a subsoil -resembling that found in other parts of the Fylde, and consisting of -a clayey loam and alluvial matter. The diminutive size of those trees -growing near the coast is due both to the openness and bleakness of the -site, and the deleterious effects of the saline particles contained in -the air; whilst the peculiar leaning from the water of their branches, -and in many instances their trunks, is caused by the mechanical action -or pressure of the strong winds and sea breezes prevailing from the west -during three-fourths of the year. - -Marton Mere, situated in the township indicated by its name, was formerly -a lake of no inconsiderable extent, but drainage and the accumulation -within its basin of sediment have reduced it to its present comparatively -unimportant dimensions. Traces of the more extensive boundaries of the -sheet of water in former days are still discernible along its banks, -and at one time, it is stated, the wheel of a water-mill near to the -village of Great Marton, was turned by a stream from the mere. The right -of fishery in the lake, for such it was in the earlier periods, was the -subject of legal contest in the reign of Edward III., and in 1590 John -Singleton, of Staining Hall, held the privilege. - -There are few districts of similar area which can boast so many and -such interesting varieties of the feathered tribes, either natives or -visitants, as the Fylde. Some of the rarest sea-fowl are occasionally -seen along the coasts, while the fields and hedgerows abound with most -of the melodious songsters of our island. Amongst the number of both -land and sea birds which have been observed in the neighbourhood, either -during the whole year or only in certain parts of it, may be mentioned -the following:— - - ORDER—RAPTORES OR RAPACIOUS BIRDS. - - FALCONIDÆ OR FALCON FAMILY. - - Tinnunculus Alaudarus Kestrel Common - Accipiter Nisus Sparrow Hawk Common - Circus ceruginosus Moor Buzzard Very rare - Strix flammea Barn Owl Common - Otus vulgaris Long-eared Owl Common - Otus brachyotus Short-eared Owl Common - - ORDER—PASSERES OR PERCHERS. - - HIRUNDINIDÆ OR SWALLOW FAMILY. - - Hirundo rustica Common Swallow Common - Cotyle riparia Sand Martin Common - Chelidon urbica House Martin Common - - LUSCINIDÆ OR WARBLER FAMILY. - - Sylvia undata Whitethroat Common - Sylvia trochilus Willow Warbler Rare - Sylvia curruca Lesser Whitethroat Common - Sylvia sibilatrix Wood Warbler Rare - Calamodyta phragmitis Sedge Warbler Rare - Saxicola ænanthe Wheatear Common - Pratincola rubetra Whinchat Common - Pratincola rubicola Stonechat Rare - Ruticilla phœnicura Redstart Rare - Parus major Great Titmouse Common - Parus cæruleus Blue Titmouse Common - Parus caudatus Long-tailed Titmouse Rare - Parus ater Cole Titmouse Rare - Motacilla Yarrellii Pied Wagtail Common - Motacilla sulphurea Yellow Wagtail Common - Motacilla campestris Grey Wagtail Rather rare - Anthus pratensis Meadow Titlark Common - Anthus arboreus Tree Titlark Rare - Regulus cristatus Golden-crested Wren Rare - Regulus ignicapillus Fire-crested Wren Very rare - - TURDIDÆ OR THRUSH FAMILY. - - Turdus musicus Song Thrush Very common - Turdus viscivorus Missel Thrush Common - Turdus pilaris Fieldfare Common - Turdus iliacus Redwing Rather rare - Turdus merula Blackbird Common - Turdus torquatus Ring Ousel Rather rare - - LANIIDÆ OR SHRIEK FAMILY. - - Lanius collurio Red-backed Shriek Rare - - CORVIDÆ OR CROW FAMILY. - - Corvus Corone Carrion Crow Very common - Corvus cornix Hooded Crow Rare - Corvus frugilegus Rook Very common - Pica caudata Magpie Rather rare - - STURNIDÆ OR STARLING FAMILY. - - Sturnus vulgaris Common Starling Common - - FRINGILLIDÆ OR FINCH FAMILY. - - Fringilla carduelis Goldfinch Common - Fringilla cælebs Chaffinch Common - Fringilla spinus Siskin Rare - Fringilla chloris Greenfinch Common - Fringilla cannabina Linnet Common - Emberiza citrinella Yellow Bunting Common - Emberiza schæniculus Reed Bunting Common - Emberiza miliaris Common Bunting Common - Emberiza nivalis Snow Bunting Rare - Pyrrhula rubicilla Bullfinch Rare - Alauda arvensis Skylark Very common - Alauda arborea Woodlark Rare - - ORDER—SCANSORES OR CLIMBERS. - - CUCULIDÆ OR CUCKOO FAMILY. - - Cuculus canorus Cuckoo Common - - ORDER—COLUMBÆ OR DOVES. - - COLUMBIDÆ OR DOVE FAMILY. - - Columba palumbus Ring Dove Rare - Columba ænas Stock Dove Common - - ORDER—GALLINÆ OR FOWLS. - - PHASIANIDÆ OR PHEASANT FAMILY. - - Phasianus Colchicus Common Pheasant Common - - TETRAONIDÆ OR TETRAO FAMILY. - - Perdix cinereus Common Partridge Common - Coturnix communis Quail Common - - ORDER—GRALLATORES OR WADERS. - - CHARADRIADÆ OR PLOVER FAMILY. - - Charadrius pluvialis Golden Plover Common - Charadrius hiaticula Ringed Plover or Dotterel Common - Charadrius morinellus Common Dotterel Common - Vanellus griseus Grey Plover Common - Vanellus cristatus Common crested Lapwing Common - Hæmatopus ostralegus Oyster-catcher Very common - Cinclus interpres Turnstone Common - - ARDEIDÆ OR HERON FAMILY. - - Ardea cinerea Common Heron Common - Nycticorax Europæus Common Night Heron Rare - Botaurus stellaris Bittern Very rare indeed - - SCOLOPACIDÆ OR WOODCOCK FAMILY. - - Tringoides hypoleuca Common Sandpiper Common - Totanus ochropus Green Sandpiper Rare - Totanus Calidris Redshank Sandpiper Common - Numenius arquata Curlew or Whaup Common - Numenius phæopus Whimbrel Common - Limosa vulgaris Common Godwit Rare - Philomachus pugnax Ruff Rare - Tringa Canutus Knot Rare - Tringa Temminckii Temminck’s Stint Rare - Tringa minuta Little Stint Very rare - Tringa cinclus Dunlin Common - Phalaropus fulicarius Grey Phalarope Rare - Scolopax rusticola Woodcock Common - Gallinago media Common Snipe Common - Gallinago gallinula Jack Snipe Common - - RALLIDÆ OR RAIL FAMILY. - - Rallus aquaticus Water Rail Common - Ortygometra crex Land Rail Common - Gallinula chloropus Water Hen Common - Fulica atra Common Coot Common - - ORDER—NATORES OR SWIMMERS. - - ANATIDÆ OR DUCK FAMILY. - - Anser ferus Grey-lag Goose Rare - Anser segetum Bean Goose Common - Bernicla leucopsis Bernicle Goose Common - Cygnus ferus Whistling Swan Rare - Tadorna vulpanser Common Shieldrake Common - Mergus Castor Goosander Rare - Anas boschas Mallard Common - Querquedula Crecca Common Teal Common - Spatula clypeata Shoveller Duck Rare - Moreca Penelope Common Wigeon Common - Myroca Terina Common Pochard Rather rare - Margellus albellus Smew Occasional visitor - Fuligula cristata Tufted Duck or Pochard Rather common - Fuligula marila Scaup Duck or Pochard Rather rare - Oidemia fusca Velvet Scoter Rare - Oidemia nigra Black Scoter Very rare - Clangula vulgaris Golden-eye Duck or Garrot Rather common - Clangula albeola Buffel-headed Duck Common - - COLYMBIDÆ OR DIVER FAMILY. - - Colymbus glacialis Great Northern Diver Very rare - Colymbus arcticus Black-throated Diver Rare - Colymbus septentrionalis Red-throated Diver Rather common - Chaulelasmus strepera Gadwall Very rare - Podiceps minor Little Grebe Common - - ALCIDÆ OR AUK FAMILY. - - Fratercula artica Puffin Common - Alca torda Razor-bill Rare - Uria Troile Common Guillemot Rare - - PROCELLARIDÆ OR PETREL FAMILY. - - Thalassidroma pelagica Stormy Petrel Common - Thalassidroma Leachii Fork-tailed Petrel Rather rare - - LARIDÆ OR GULL FAMILY. - - Larus canus Common Gull Very common - Larus ribibundus Black-headed Gull Very common - Larus fuscus Little Black-headed Gull Common - Larus tridactylus Kittiwake Gull Very common - Larus Glaucus Glaucus Gull Rare - Larus argentatus Herring Gull Very common - Sterna hirundo Sea-swallow or Tern Common - Sterna fuliginosa Sooty Tern Rare - Sterna minuta Lesser Tern Common - - PELECANIDÆ OR PELICAN FAMILY. - - Graculus Carbo Common Cormorant Common - Graculus Cristata Crested Cormorant Rather rare - Sula Bassanea Gannet or Solan Goose Common - -The fertile fields and sunny lanes of the Fylde afford ample opportunity -for the botanist to indulge in his favourite pursuit, and a short ramble -over any portion of the pleasant country will unfold to his inquiring -gaze many of Nature’s most beautiful and interesting offsprings. -Specimens, especially of the maritime varieties of several of the floral -families, unobtainable in the inland districts, may here be found lightly -planted on the loose, sandy margins of the shore. In the context it is -not intended to enter into a description of the different plants or of -the localities in which they may most commonly be found, but merely to -enumerate some of the more important ones; and in the following list -all those inhabitants of the district, which are likely to interest the -student of Botany or lover of Nature, are arranged in their various -groups or orders:— - - RANUNCULACEÆ OR BUTTERCUP ORDER. - - Ranunculus aquatilis Water Crowcroft - ” Lingua Spearwort - ” acris Meadow Crowfoot - ” arvensis Corn ” - Thalictrum minus Lesser Meadow-rue - Delphinium consolida Field Larkspur - - NYMPHÆACEÆ OR LILY ORDER. - - Nymphæa Alba White Water-lily - - PAPAVERACEÆ OR POPPY ORDER. - - Papaver dubium Long Smooth-headed Poppy - ” Rhæas Corn Poppy - Chelidonium majus Common Celandine - - CRUCIFERÆ OR CABBAGE ORDER. - - Nasturtium officinale Common Water-cress - Hesperis matronalis Common Damewort - Cochlearia officinalis Common Scurvy-grass - ” Danica Danish ” - Cakile maritima Purple Sea Rocket - Crambe ” Sea Kale - Sisymbrium Irio Broad-leaved Hedge-mustard - ” Sophia Fine-leaved ” - - VIOLACEÆ OR VIOLET ORDER. - - Viola odorata Sweet Violet - ” tricolar Heartsease - - RESEDACEÆ OR MIGNONETTE ORDER. - - Reseda Luteola Yellow Weed - - DROSERACEÆ OR SUNDEW ORDER. - - Drosera rotundifolfa Sundew - Parnassia pallustris Grass of Parnassus - - CARYOPHYLLACEÆ OR CLOVEWORT ORDER. - - Saponaria officinalis Common Soapwort - Lychnis Diocia White Campion - ” Floscuculi Cuckoo-flower - Silene inflata Bladder Catchfly - ” maritima Sea ” - Arenaria marina Sea Sandwort - ” serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Sandwort - Adenaria peploides Sea Chickweed - - LINACEÆ OR FLAX ORDER. - - Linum usitatissimum Common Flax - ” catharticum Purging ” - - MALVACEÆ OR MALLOW ORDER. - - Malva rotundifolia Dwarf Mallow - Althæa officinalis Marsh Mallow - - GERANIACEÆ OR CRANESBILL ORDER. - - Geranium sanguimeum Bloody Crane’s-bill - Geranium pratense Meadow Crane’s-bill - Geranium purpurea Odoriferous Cranes-bill - Erodium cicutarium Hemlock Stork’s-bill - - LEGUMINOSÆ OR LEGUMINOUS ORDER. - - Anthyllis vulneraria Common Kidney-vetch - Vicia lathyroides Spring Vetch - Ononis procurrens Procurrent Restharrow - ” spinosa Spinous ” - Melilotus officinalis Common Melilot - Trifolium arvense Hare’s-foot Trefoil - - ROSACEÆ OR ROSE ORDER. - - Rosa canina Dog rose - ” spinosissima Burnet-leaved Rose - ” eglantaria Sweet Briar - Agrimonia Eupatoria Agrimony - Spiræa ulmaria Meadow Sweet - Rubus fruticosus Blackberry Brambles - - ONAGRACEÆ OR ŒNOTHERA FAMILY. - - Epilobium hirsutum Great Willow-herb - ” montanum Small ” - - LYTHRACEÆ OR LYTHRUM FAMILY. - - Lythrum salicaria Spiked purple Loosestrife - - HALORAGEACEÆ OR THE MARE’S TAIL ORDER. - - Hippuris vulgaris Common Mare’s-tail - - PORTULACACEÆ OR PURSLANE ORDER. - - Montia foutana Water Blinks - - CRASSULACEÆ OR THE CRASSULA ORDER. - - Sedum acre Biting Stonecrop - ” album White ” - Sempervivum tectorum Houseleek - - SAXIFRAGACEÆ OR SAXIFRAGE ORDER. - - Saxifraga granulata White Saxifrage - ” stellaris Starry ” - ” aizoides Yellow ” - - UMBELLIFERÆ OR UMBELLIFEROUS ORDER. - - Crithmum maritimum Samphire - Hydrocotyle vulgaris Marsh Pennywort - Conium maculatum Hemlock - Cicuta virosa Cowbane - Eryngium maritimum Sea-holly - Apium graveolens Wild Celery - Bupleurum tenuissimum Slender Hare’s-ear - Œnanthe Crocata Dead-tongue - Peucedanum ostruthium Master-wort - ” officinale Sea Sulphurwort - Daucus Carato Wild Carrot - Anthriscus sylvestris Wild beaked Parsley - Scandix Pecten-Veneris Venus’ Comb - - CAPRIFOLIACEÆ OR HONEYSUCKLE ORDER. - - Louicera Periclymenum Pretty piped Woodbine - ” Caprifolium Common Woodbine - Sambucus Nigra Elder - - RUBIACEÆ OR MADDER ORDER. - - Galium verum Yellow Bedstraw - ” mollugo Hedge ” - Sherardia arvensis Little Spurwort - - VALERIANACEÆ OR VALERIAN ORDER. - - Valeriana officinalis Common Valerian - Valerianella olitoria Lamb’s Lettuce - - DIPSACACEÆ OR TEAZEL ORDER. - - Dipsacus sylvestris Wild Teazel - - COMPOSITÆ OR COMPOSITE ORDER. - - Aster Tripolium Sea Starwort - Apargia hispida Rough Hawkbit - Hieracium pallidum Hawkweed - ” umbellatum Narrow-leaved Hawkweed - Carduus tenuiflorus Slender-flowered Thistle - ” palustris Marsh Thistle - Chrysanthemum maritimum Sea Feverfew - Tanacetum vulgare Common Tansey - Centaurea Cyanus Corn Bluebottle - Pryethrum parthenium Common Feverfew - ” inodorum Corn ” - Senecio vulgaris Common Groundsell - ” aquaticus Marsh Groundsell - Silybum Marianum Milk Thistle - Tragopogon pratense Yellow Goatsbeard - Helminthia echioides Bristly Oxtongue - - VACCINIACEÆ OR CRANBERRY ORDER. - - Oxycoccus palustris Cranberry - - CAMPANULACEÆ OR HAREBELL ORDER. - - Campanula rotundifolia Harebell - - PYROLACEÆ OR WINTERGREEN ORDER. - - Pyrola media Intermediate Wintergreen - - APOCYNACEÆ OR DOGBANE ORDER. - - Vinca major Greater Periwinkle - - GENTIANACEÆ OR GENTIAN ORDER. - - Gentiana Pneumonanthe Marsh Gentian - ” Campestris Field ” - Chironia Centaurium, var. White-flowered Centaury - ” latifolia Broad-leaved ” - ” pulchella Dwarf-branched ” - - CONVOLVULACEÆ OR CONVOLVULUS ORDER. - - Convolvulus Soldanella Sea Bindweed - ” Sepium, var. Great Ditto, Pink-flowered - ” arvensis Small Bindweed - - SCROPHULARIACEÆ OR FIGWORT ORDER. - - Veronica Anagallis Water Speedwell - ” arvensis Wall ” - ” Beccabunga Brooklime - ” Serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Speedwell - Digitalis purpurea Purple Foxglove - Linaria vulgaris Yellow toadflax - Antirrhinum Cymbalaria Ivy-leaved Snapdragon - Scrophularia vernalis ” figwort - - LABIATÆ THE DEAD-NETTLE ORDER. - - Thymus Serpyllum Wild Thyme - Marrubium vulgare White Horehound - Prunella vulgaris Selfheal - Mentha viridis Spearmint - ” arvensis Corn mint - Betonica officinalis Wood Betony - Lamum album White Dead-nettle - ” purpureum Red ” - Galeopsis ladanum Red Hemp-nettle - Scutellaria galericulata Skullcap - - PLUMBAGINACEÆ OR LEADWORT FAMILY. - - Armeria vagaris Common Thrift - Statice Limonium Lavender ” - - BORAGINACEÆ OR BORAGE ORDER. - - Myosotis palustris Forget-me-not - ” cæspitosa Water Scorpion-grass - ” arvensis Field ” - ” versicolor Yellow and Blue ” - - LENTIBULARIACEÆ OR BLADDERWORT ORDER. - - Utricularia vulgaris Greater Bladderwort - - PRIMULACEÆ OR PRIMROSE ORDER. - - Primula vulgaris Primrose - ” veris Cowslip - Glaux maritima Black Saltweed - Samolus Valerandi Brookweed - Anagallis cærula Blue Pimpernel - ” tenella Bog ” - Hottonia palustris Water Featherfoil - Lysimachia vulgaris Yellow Loosestrife - - PLANTAGINACEÆ OR RIBGRASS ORDER. - - Plantago major Plantain - ” media Hoary Plantain - ” maritima Sea-side Plantain - Littorella lacustris Plantain Shoreweed - - POLYGONACEÆ OR BUCKWHEAT ORDER. - - Rumex crispus Curled Dock - ” acetosa Common Sorrel - - EUPHORBIACEÆ OR SPURGEWORT ORDER. - - Euphorbia paralias Sea purge - - URTICACEÆ OR NETTLE ORDER. - - Humulus Lupulus Hop - Urtica pilulifera Roman nettle - Parietaria officinalis Common Wall-pellitory - - SALICACEÆ OR WILLOW ORDER. - - Salix argentea Silky Sand Willow - ” repens Dwarf Willow - Myrica Gale Sweet Gale - - IRIDACEÆ OR IRIS ORDER. - - Iris Pseudacorus Yellow water-iris - - AMARYLLIDACEÆ OR THE AMYRILLIS ORDER. - - Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus Common Daffodil - Galanthus nivalis Snowdrop - - ALISMACEÆ OR WATER-PLANTAIN ORDER. - - Butomus umbellatus Flowering-rush - Alisma ranunculoides Lesser Thrumwort - - POTAMOGETONACEÆ OR PONDWEED ORDER. - - Ruppia maritima Sea Tasselgrass - Zannichellia palustris Common Lakeweed - - ORCHIDACEÆ OR ORCHID ORDER. - - Orchis morio Green-winged Orchis - ” pyramidalis Pyramidal ” - Epipactis latifolia Broad-leaved Helleborine - ” palustris Marsh ” - - JUNCACEÆ OR RUSH ORDER. - - Juncus effesus Soft Rush - ” filiformis Threadrush - ” squarrosus Heathrush - Narthecium ossifragrum Bog Asphodel - - ARACEÆ OR ARUM ORDER. - - Lenna minor Lesser Duckweed - - CRONTIACEÆ OR SWEET-FLAG ORDER. - - Acorus Calamus Sweet-flag - - CYPERACEÆ OR SEDGE ORDER. - - Carex limosa Mud Sedge - ” flava Yellow ” - ” arenaria Sea ” - Eriophorum polystachyon Broad-leaved Cotton-grass - - EQUISETACEÆ OR HORSETAIL ORDER. - - Equisetum arvense Corn Horsetail - ” variegatum Variegated Horsetail - -THE RIVER WYRE rises in the hills of Wyersdale and Bleasdale; running in -a south-westerly direction and passing the towns of Garstang and Church -Town, it arrives at St. Michael’s, from which point its tortuous course -is continued almost due west as far as Skippool. Thence winding past -the ancient port of Wardleys, the stream, much widened, flows north -and a little inclined towards the west, until it reaches the harbour of -Fleetwood, situated at its mouth. From that seaport, the channel of the -river, unaltered in direction, lies for a distance of nearly two miles -between the sand-banks of North Wharf and Bernard’s Wharf, and finally -terminates in Morecambe Bay, meeting the well-defined bed of the Lune -at right angles. The origins of the Wyre in the hills consist of two -small rivulets, and the stream formed by their union is joined near -Scorton by the Grizedale Brook, whilst lower down, about two miles beyond -the town of Garstang, it receives the Calder, rising on the slopes of -Bleasdale. Before leaving the parish of Garstang, the Wyre is further -increased by the brook springing from Fairsnape and Parlick Pike, which -passes Claughton and Myerscough, not far from where it receives a small -tributary from the south. At Skippool also a brook, the Skipton, which -springs from the mere and marshy grounds of Marton Moss, pours its -contents into the river. - -The Wyre is crossed at Garstang by the aqueduct of the Preston, -Lancaster, and Kendal canal, and at St. Michael’s, near the Church, it is -spanned by a rather narrow but substantial stone bridge. For a distance -of about six miles in the neighbourhood of the latter place the stream -is enclosed within artificial banks, which in some parts have a descent -of thirty feet. In spite of these precautions, however, high floods -occasionally occur, when the swollen waters burst over the embankments -and inundate the adjoining country. At Cart Ford there is a wooden -structure of very limited width, connecting the opposing banks; and a few -miles further down is the Shard Bridge, built of iron, and presenting -a neat and elegant appearance. The river at that spot is 500 yards in -breadth, and until the erection of the bridge in 1864, was crossed by -means of a ferry-boat, or forded at low water by carts and conveyances. -The ancient name of this ford was Ald-wath, and we learn from the -following entry in the diary of Thomas Tyldesley, that in 1713 the charge -for crossing by boat was 6d. each journey:—“September 14, 1713.—Went -after dinr. to ffox Hall; pd. 6d. ffor boating att Sharde; saw ye ferry -man carry out of ye boat a Scot and his pack, a sight I never saw beffor, -beeing 56 years off age.” - -About three hundred years since the venerable Harrison described the -principal rivers of Lancashire, and from his writings at that time we -quote as under:— - - “The Wire ryseth eight or ten miles from Garstan, out of an hill - in Wiresdale, from whence it runneth by Shireshed chappell, and - then going by Wadland, Grenelaw Castle (which belongeth to the - erle of Darbie), Garstan and Kyrkeland hall, it first receiveth - the seconde Calder, that commeth down by Edmersey chappell, - then another chanel increased with sundrie waters, the first - water is called Plympton brooke. It riseth south of Gosner, and - commeth by Craweforde hall, and eare long receyving the Barton - becke, it proceedeth forward till it joyneth with the Brooke - rill that commeth from Bowland Forest by Claughton hall, where - M. Brokehales doth live, and so throw Mersco forest. After this - confluence the Plime or Plimton water meeteth with the Calder, - and then with the Wire, which passeth forth to Michael church and - the Rawcliffes, and above Thorneton crosseth the Skipton, that - goeth by Potton, then into the Wire rode, and finally into the - sea, according to his nature.” - -Drayton also has left the subjoined versified account of the Wyre, and -as in addition to its poetic merit, it possesses the virtue of being a -faithful description, we need not apologise for giving it unabridged:— - - “Arising but a rill at first from Wyersdale’s lap, - Yet still receiving all her strength from her full mother’s pap, - As downe to seaward she her serious course doth ply, - Takes Calder coming in, to beare her company, - From Woolscrag’s cliffy foot, a hill to her at hand, - By that fayre forest knowne, within her Verge to stand. - So Bowland from her breast sends Brock her to attend, - As she a Forest is, so likewise doth she send - Her child, on Wyresdale Flood, the dainty Wyre to wayte, - With her assisting Rills, when Wyre is once repleat; - She in her crooked course to Seaward softly glides, - Where Pellin’s mighty Mosse, and Merton’s on her sides - Their boggy breasts outlay, and Skipton down doth crawle - To entertain this Wyre, attained to her fall.”[56] - -White Hall, (formerly Upper Rawcliffe Hall,) Rawcliffe Hall, and Mains -Hall, each of which will claim our attention more particularly hereafter, -are seated on the banks of the Wyre, so also is the ancient house of -Preesall-with-Hackensall, and although not properly comprised within the -limits of this work, it has a right from its association with the river, -to some description—a right the more readily conceded when it is known -that in point of antiquity and interest, the hall and domain are well -deserving of our consideration. The site of the mansion is a little -removed from the brink of the stream, and almost directly opposite the -southern extremity of Fleetwood. The present building is of considerable -age, having been erected by Richard Fleetwood, of Rossall, in 1656, as -indicated by an inscription over the main entrance, but there can be -no question that the origin of its predecessor was co-eval, at least, -with the grant of the manor by King John, when earl of Moreton, to -Geoffrey, the Crossbowman, who, with his descendants, resided there. The -whole of the large estate remained in the family of Geoffrey until the -fifteenth century, when it was conveyed in marriage to James Pickering, -of Layton, by Agnes, the sole offspring and heiress of the last male -Hackensall, the title assumed, according to custom, by the Crossbowman. -James Pickering left at his decease four daughters, co-heiresses, and -married to Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe, Thomas Aglionby, Nicholas -Aglionby, and James Leybourne, each of whom inherited one-fourth of the -manor in right of his wife. In 1639 Sir Paul Fleetwood, of Rossall, -held three-fourths of Hackensall, whilst the remaining quarter had -descended to Henry Butler. Under the will of Richard Fleetwood, the -re-erector of the hall, at that time occupied by his brother Francis, -the three-fourths just named were sold by his trustees, being purchased, -in part, for the Hornbys, of Poulton. Geoffrey Hornby, vicar of Winwick, -and Robert Loxham, vicar of Poulton, held between them three-quarters of -the manor in 1729, and William Elletson, of Parrox Hall, had possession -of the other fourth, which is now the hereditary estate of Daniel Hope -Elletson, esq., justice of the peace, residing at the same seat. At the -end of the last century the Hornbys disposed of their share to John -Bourne, gentleman, of Stalmine, from whom it descended to his second -son, James Bourne, of Stalmine, and from him to his nephews, Thomas, -James, and Peter, successively. The other portion of the manorial rights -of the three-fourths was subsequently acquired by the last-surviving -nephew, Peter Bourne, of Heathfield and Liverpool. Peter Bourne, esq., -of Hackensall, married Margaret, the only daughter of James Drinkwater, -esq., of Bent, in Lancashire, and left issue James, who is the present -lord of three-quarters of the manor, and owner of the ancient Hall. James -Bourne, esq., M.P., of Hackensall, and of Heathfield, near Liverpool, -is Col.-Comdt. of the Royal Lancashire regiment of Militia Artillery, a -deputy-lieutenant, and a justice of the peace of this county. Colonel -Bourne has recently restored the old manor house, but in such a way -as to preserve, and not obliterate, its links with a bygone age. The -antique fire-places, one of which was protected by a massive arch of -stone sweeping across the whole width of the room, have been renewed as -before, and although the main doorway has been removed to another part -of the building, the stone with the initials F. R. A., being those of -Richard Fleetwood and Anne, his wife, has been reinstated in its original -position above the newly-constructed lintel. Rumour affirms that during -certain alterations two or three skeletons, supposed to be those of -females, were found bricked up in a narrow chamber in one of the walls, -and whilst confirming the discovery of a long secret recess, we dare not -venture, for the evidence is somewhat contradictory, to hold ourselves -responsible for the strict accuracy of the other part of the story, which -suggests the enactment of a scene of revolting cruelty, similar to that -introduced by Sir Walter Scott in the following lines:— - - “Yet well the luckless wretch might shriek, - Well might her paleness terror speak! - For there was seen in that dark wall, - Two niches, narrow, deep, and tall. - Who enters at such grisly door - Shall ne’er I wean find exit more. - In each a slender meal was laid - Of roots, of water, and of bread. - ... - Hewn stones and mortar were display’d, - And building tools in order laid.” - -The moat has now been nearly filled up, but its extent and direction -can still be pointed out. There are no indications of a chapel having -formerly constituted part of the residential building, but several years -since, when an outhouse was destroyed, at a short distance, about twenty -yards, two gravestones were discovered, and it is probable that they -were somewhere near, if not actually on the site of, the private chapel -or oratory. One of the stones was broken up immediately, and the other -is practically illegible, although three or four words, still preserved, -prove that the inscription has not been in raised characters. The rights -to wreckage, etc. on the foreshore of the manor have pertained to the -lords of Hackensall from time immemorial, and still continue to be held -and exercised as portion of the lordship. - -Anterior to the establishment of a port at Fleetwood, or more correctly -speaking, to the foundation of a town and the erection of wharfage, etc., -on the warren forming the western boundary of Wyre estuary, Wardleys -and Skippool, almost facing each other, were the harbours to which all -commercial traffic on the river was directed. Ships of considerable -size, freighted with cargoes of various sorts, found their way to -those secluded havens, and even within the last few years, during high -tides, vessels laden with grain have been berthed and unloaded in the -narrow creek leading from Skippool bay, while bags of guano have often -terminated their sea-voyages at Wardleys. A solitary warehouse, however, -undated, but bearing on its battered exterior and decaying timbers the -unmistakable stamp of time, is, at the present day, almost the only -remaining witness to the former pretentions of the first named place. At -Wardleys, three or four spacious warehouses, in a similarly dilapidated -condition and now partially converted into shippons, the remainder being -unused except as lumber-rooms or temporary storehouses for guano or some -local agricultural produce, together with a stone wharf, are evidences of -a fair amount of business having once been carried on at that little port. - -In 1825 Baines described Wardleys as “a small seaport on the river -Wyre, where vessels of 300 tons register may discharge their burdens, -situated in the township of Stalmine with Stainall, in the hundred of -Amounderness;” but in the year 1708 customs were established at Poulton -in connection with Wardleys and Skippool. Nor should we be justified -in limiting the antiquity of the ports to that date, for as early as -1590-1600, William and James Blackburne, of Thistleton, carried on an -extensive trade with Russia, and there can be no doubt that their cargoes -of merchandise, most likely flax and tallow, were landed on the banks of -the Wyre at those ancient harbours. The father of the above merchants was -the first of the family to take up his residence in this neighbourhood, -and appears to have settled at Garstang, about 1550, from Yorkshire. That -the commercial dealings of the partners were both large and successful is -shown in the property acquired by William Blackburne, the elder brother, -who purchased Newton, lands in Thistleton, and several other estates of -considerable magnitude in the Fylde, all of which he bequeathed to his -son and heir, Richard. Richard Blackburne married Jane, the daughter of -John Aynesworth, of Newton, and had issue John of Eccleston; Richard, of -Goosnargh; Thomas, of Orford and Newton; Edward, of Stockenbridge, near -St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; Robert, who was suspected of being implicated -in the Gunpowder Plot, but acquitted, the evidence being insufficient; -Annie, who married—Nickson; and Elizabeth, the wife of William Standish. -When the Singletons of Staining became extinct, the Hall and estate of -that name passed to a William Blackburne, as heir-at-law, and there is -great probability that he was a descendant of one of the sons of Richard -Blackburne of Thistleton, Newton, etc.—most likely of John Blackburn, of -Eccleston. - -During the years more immediately previous to the opening of the new port -at the mouth of the river, a great many large ships from America, laden -with timber, and brigs from Russia, with flax and tallow, were discharged -at Wardleys. A three masted vessel, for the foreign trade, was also -constructed in the ship-yard attached to that place, but as far as can -be learnt this was the only vessel of equal dimensions ever built there, -repairs being the chief occupation of the workpeople. - -Several of the officers connected with the Custom House at Poulton, were -stationed at Knot End, opposite the Warren, living in the small cottage -standing near the shore, in order to board the different craft as they -entered the river, and pilot them up the stream to Wardleys. A large -hotel is situated behind the site of the old ship-yard, and during the -summer months is generally well patronised by visitors, to whom, as -well as to the pleasure-parties arriving by water from Fleetwood, and -by road from Blackpool, the hamlet is now mainly indebted for support. -Some large mussels, the “Mytili angulosi,” but known amongst the natives -of those parts as “Hambleton hookings,” were found formerly in large -quantities a little lower down the river, but lately specimens of this -fine shell-fish have been growing much scarcer. Dr. Leigh, in his -Natural History of our county, informs us that pearls have frequently -been discovered enclosed within the shells of these molluscs, and also -that their popular name arises from the manner in which they are taken, -the feat being accomplished “by plucking them from their Skeers, or -Beds, with Hooks.” The tidal estuary of the Wyre embraces an area of -three miles by two, and it is near to its termination that the port and -town of Fleetwood are situated. Our purpose now is not to enter into a -description of the harbour, which will be found in the chapter specially -devoted to the seaport itself, but a few words as to the advantages -derived from the nature of the river’s current and its bed, will not be -out of place. Captain Denham, R.N., F.R.S., after inspecting the site -of the proposed port on behalf of the promoters, issued a report in the -month of January, 1840, and amongst other things, stated that during the -first half of the ebb-tide, a reflux of backwater was produced which -dipped with such a powerful under-scour as to preserve a natural basin, -capable of riding ships of eighteen or twenty feet draught, at low water, -spring tides; also that the anchorage ground, both within and without -the harbour, was excellent. These facts alone seemed sufficient to -warrant the gallant officer’s prediction that the undertaking would be -successful and remunerative, but when in addition it is called to mind, -that “as easy and safe as Wyre water” had for long been a proverb amongst -the mariners of our coast, and that the harbour was, and is, perfectly -sheltered from all winds, as well as connected with a railway terminus -which communicates with Preston, Manchester, etc., we are astonished that -comparatively so little encouragement has been given to it, and that now, -thirty-five years from the date of this survey, the first dock is only -approaching completion. - -The river Wyre is plentifully supplied with fish of various sorts; in -the higher parts of the stream trout and smelts may be found, whilst -the lower portion and estuary contain codling, flounders, sea-perch, -conger, sand eels, and occasionally salmon. The earliest enactments with -regard to the fisheries connected with the last-named fish related to the -Wyre, Ribble, and other rivers of Lancashire. In 1389, during the reign -of Richard II., a law, which arranged the times and seasons when the -fisheries in these rivers should be closed, and other matters affecting -them, was passed and brought into force, being the first regulation of -its kind. - -The Ribble is associated with the Fylde only in so much as its tidal -estuary is concerned, which forms the southern boundary of the district. -Since 1837 great alterations have been effected in the channel of the -river by the Ribble Navigation Improvement Company. The stream for the -larger portion of its extent from Preston to the Naze Point has been -confined within stone embankments, and its bed considerably deepened by -dredging. During the progress of these improvements wide tracts of land -have been reclaimed both north and south of the current. From Freckleton -the river rapidly widens as it approaches the sea, so that a direct -line drawn from Lytham to Southport across its mouth would pass over a -distance of seven or eight miles. The channel here is shallow, while the -sands on each side are flat and extensive, and midway in the estuary, at -its lowest part, lies the far-famed Horse-bank, which divides the stream -into a north and south current, scarcely discernible, however, after the -tide has risen above the level of the bank. About one mile from the town -of Lytham, in the direction of Preston, is a pool of moderate dimensions, -having an open communication with the river, and formed into a small -harbour or dock for yachts and vessels connected with the coasting trade. -In the bed of the river, a little higher up than that locality, trunks of -large trees are occasionally observed at low water, and many such remains -of a once noble forest, which is believed to have extended from near the -Welsh coast as far even as Morecambe, have been raised at different times -during the operation of dredging. - -The following descriptions of the Ribble, its source, course, and -tributaries, were written, respectively, by the ancient topographer -Harrison, and the poet Drayton, whose accounts of the Wyre have been -previously quoted:— - - “The Rybell, a river verie rich of Salmon and Lampreie, dooth - in manner inviron Preston in Andernesse, and it riseth neere to - Ribbesdale above Gisburne. It goeth from thence to Sawley or - Salley, Chatburne, Woodington, Clitherow Castell, and beneath - Mitton meeteth with the Odder, which ryseth not farre from the - Cross of Grete in Yorkshire, and going thence to Shilburne, - Newton, Radholme parke, and Stony hirst, it falleth ere long into - Ribble water. From thence the Ribble hath not gone farre, but it - meeteth with the Calder. Thys brooke ryseth above Holme Church, - goeth by Townley and Burneley (where it receiveth a trifeling - rill), thence to Higham, and ere long crossing one water that - cometh from Wicoler, by Colne, and another by and by named Pidle - brooke that runneth by Newechurch, in the Pidle: it meeteth with - ye Calder, which passeth forth to Padiam, and thence (receyving - a becke on the other side) it runneth on to Altham, and so to - Martholme, where the Henburne brooke doth joyn with all, that - goeth by Alkington chappell, Dunkinhalge, Rishton, and so into - ye Calder as I have sayde before. The Calder therefore being - thus inlarged, runneth forth to Reade (where M. Noell dwelleth), - to Whalley, and soon after into Ribell, that goeth from this - confluence to Salisbury hall, Ribchester, Osbaston, Sambury, - Keuerden, Law, Ribles bridge, and then taketh in the Darwent, - before it goeth by Pontwarth or Pentworth into the sea. The - Darwent devideth Leland shire from Andernesse,[57] and it ryseth - by east above Darwent Chappell, and soone after uniting it selfe - with the Blackeburne, and Rodlesworthe water it goeth thorowe - Howghton Parke, by Howghton towne, to Walton hall, and so into - the Ribell. As for the Sannocke brooke, it ryseth somewhat above - Longridge Chappell, goeth to Broughton towne, Cotham, Lee hall, - and so into Ribell.” - - “From Penigent’s proud foot as from my source I slide, - That mountain, my proud sire, in height of all his pride, - Takes pleasure in my course as in his first-born flood, - And Ingleborrough too, of that Olympian brood, - And Pendle, of the north, the highest hill that be, - Do wistly me behold, and are beheld of me. - These mountains make me proud, to gaze on me that stand, - So Longridge, once arrived on the Lancastrian strand, - Salutes me, and with smiles me to his soil invites, - So have I many a flood that forward me excites, - As Hodder that from Home attends me from my spring, - Then Calder, coming down from Blackstonedge doth bring - Me easily on my way to Preston, the greatest town - Wherewith my banks are blest, where, at my going down, - Clear Darwen on along me to the sea doth drive, - And in my spacious fall no sooner I arrive, - But Savock to the north from Longridge making way - To this my greatness adds, when in my ample bay, - Swart Dulas coming in from Wigan, with her aids, - Short Taud and Dartow small, two little country maids, - In these low watery lands and moory mosses bred, - Do see me safely laid in mighty Neptune’s bed, - And cutting in my course, even through the heart - Of this renowned shire, so equally it part, - As nature should have said, lo! thus I meant to do, - This flood divides this shire, thus equally in two.” - -The beautiful scenery and historical associations of the Ribble render -it the most interesting and charming of the several rivers which water -the county of Lancaster. The quietude of its fair valley has on more than -one occasion been rudely broken by the clash of arms, and students of our -country’s history will readily call to mind that calamitous day to the -Duke of Hamilton, when Cromwell routed the Highlanders under his command, -near Preston, - - “And Darwen stream with blood of Scots imbrued.” - -Other instances of war-like doings along the banks of this river might -be recounted, but as the neighbourhoods in which they occurred are -not enclosed within the Fylde boundaries, we are perforce obliged to -exclude them from this volume, and must refer those of our readers who -are anxious to learn more both of them and of the river itself to other -sources for the required information. The chief fish of the Ribble is -of course its salmon, but in addition the estuary contains numbers of -flounders and other varieties of the finny tribes similar to those found -in the tidal portion of the Wyre. During the sixteenth century sturgeons -seem to have been captured occasionally in the Ribble, and amongst the -records of the duchy in 1536, there is a complaint that when “one certain -sturgeon was found within the township of Warton and seized for the use -of the King (who held the right of fishery there), and laid up in a house -in Warton, one Christopher Bone, of Warton, and James Bradʳton, of the -ley, with divers riotous persons, about the 6th of May last, did then and -there take out of the said house the said sturgeon, and the said Bone -hath at divers times and in like manner taken sturgeons and porpoises to -his own use and the injury of his majesty.”[58] - -As such a small part, and that far from the most important, of Ribble -stream is really connected with the Fylde, and as it is not our intention -to trespass beyond the limits of that district,—at least not knowingly, -and the margin in the present instance is so clearly defined that no -excuse could be offered for overstepping it,—we are compelled to content -ourselves with this brief account, leaving much unsaid that is of -considerable historical and general interest. - -THE SEA which washes over the westerly shore of the Fylde forms part -of St. George’s Channel or the Irish Sea, whilst the narrow northern -boundary of the same district is limited by the waters of Morecambe Bay. -The main peculiarities to be noticed along the extensive line of this -coast swept over by the billows of the Irish Sea, are the almost entire -absence of seaweeds and the levelness of the sands; indeed, so gentle is -the slope of the latter that its average declivity has been estimated -at no more than one foot in every fifty yards, and to the flatness of -this surface it is due that the beach is in a very great measure freed -from putrifying heaps of fish and seaweed, for the rising tides glide -with such swiftness over the level sandy beds that most driftmatters -and impurities are left behind in the depths beyond low water mark. An -analysis, made by Dr. Schweitzer, of the waters of the English coast, -furnishes the following result:— - - No. of grains. - Water 964.74 - Chloride of Sodium (Table salt) 27.06 - Chloride of Magnesium 3.67 - Sulphate of Magnesia (Epsom Salts) 2.30 - Sulphate of Lime 1.40 - Carbonate of Lime 0.03 - Carbonate of Magnesia ⎫ - Carbonic Acid ⎪ - Potash ⎬ Traces - Iodine ⎪ - Extractive matter ⎪ - Bromide of Magnesium ⎭ - ---------- - 1,000 - -There are few, we imagine, who have not at one time or another admired -the luminous appearance of the sea on certain evenings. This astonishing -and beautiful phenomenon is brought about by the presence in the water -of myriads of tiny beings, called Noctilucæ, which possess the power of -emitting a phosphorescent light, and seemingly convert the bursting waves -into masses of liquid fire. The immense expanse of sea spreading out from -the westerly border of the Fylde has, independently of its association -with the Gulph Stream, a marked influence in equalising the climate and -averting those sudden and extreme degrees of heat and cold commonly -experienced inland. The atmosphere over water does not undergo such rapid -alterations in its temperature as that over land, and hence it happens -that localities situated near the coast are cooler in summer and warmer -in winter than others far removed from its vicinity. Most people will -have observed that after a calm sunny day at the seaside, a breeze from -the land invariably arises after sunset, due to the fact that the air -over the earth being cooled and condensed much sooner than that over the -sea, the heavier body of atmosphere endeavours to displace the warmer and -lighter one. A gentle evaporation is daily taking place from the surface -of the sea, by which the air becomes loaded with moisture, remaining -suspended until the coolness of evening sets in, when it is deposited -on the ground as dew. The water thus obtained from the deep is not pure -brine, as might at first sight appear, but is freed from its salts by -the process of natural distillation which has been undergone. Similar -evaporation also goes on from the surfaces of the Ribble and Wyre, and it -is doubtless chiefly owing to the Fylde being almost environed by water, -constantly disseminating dew, that its fecundity is not only so great, -but also so constant. The following is a list of the seaweeds to be found -on the coast:— - - MELANOSPERMEÆ OR OLIVE GREEN SEAWEEDS. - - TRIBE—FUCACEÆ. - - Fucus nodosus Knobbed Wrack - ” serratus Serrated ” - ” canaliculatus Channelled ” - ” vesiculosus Bladder ” - - TRIBE—SPOROCHNACEÆ. - - Desmarestia aculeata Spring Desmarestia - ” viridis Green ” - - TRIBE—LAMINARIEÆ. - - Alaria esculenta Edible Alaria - Laminaria digitata Tangle - ” saccharina Sweet Laminaria - ” bulbosa Sea-furbelows - Chorda filum Thread Ropeweed - - TRIBE—DICTYOTEÆ. - - Dictyosiphon fæniculaceus Tubular Netweed - Asperococcus echinatus Wooly Rough-weed - ” compressus Compressed ” - - TRIBE—CHORDARIEÆ. - - Chordaria flagelliformis Whiplash weed - Mesogloia virescens Verdant Viscid-weed - ” vermicularis Wormy ” - - TRIBE—ECTOCARPEÆ. - - Cladostephus verticillatus Whorled Cladostephus - ” spongiosus Spongy ” - Sphacellaria scoparia Brown-like Sphacellaria - ” plumosa Feathered ” - ” Cirrhosa Nodular ” - Ectocarpus litoralis Shore Ectocarpus - ” siliculosus Podded ” - ” tomentosus Feathered ” - - RHODOSPERMEÆ OR RED SEAWEEDS. - - TRIBE—RHODOMELEÆ. - - Polysiphonia fastigiata Tufted Polysiphonia - ” urceolata Hair-like ” - ” nigrescens Dark ” - - TRIBE—LAURENCIEÆ. - - Bonnemaisonia asparagoides Asparagus-like Bonnemaisonia - Laurentia pinnatifida Pinnatifid Pepper-dulse - ” cæspitosa Tufted ” - ” dasyphylla Sedum-leaved ” - - TRIBE—CORRALLINEÆ. - - Corallina officinalis Officinal Coralline - Jania Jania - Melobesia Melobesia - - TRIBE—DELESSERIEÆ. - - Delesseria alata Winged Delesseria - - TRIBE—RHODYMENIEÆ. - - Rhodymenia palmata Dulse - ” ciliata Ciliated Rhodymenia - Hypnea purpurescens Purple Hypnea - - TRIBE—CRYPTONEMIEÆ. - - Gelidium Jellyweed - Gigartina mamillosa Papillary Grape-stone - Chondrus crispus Irish moss - Polyides rotundus Round Polyides - Furcellaria fastigiata Slippery Forkweed - Halymenia rubens Red Sea-film - ” membranifolia Membranous Sea-film - ” edulis Edible ” - ” palmata Palmated ” - ” lacerata Lacerated ” - Catanella opuntia Catanella opuntia - - TRIBE—CERAMIEÆ. - - Ceramium rubrum Red Hornweed - ” diaphanum Diaphanous ” - ” ciliatum Hairy ” - ” echionotum Irregularly-spined Hornweed - ” acanthonotum Spined ” - ” nodosum Nodose ” - Callithamnion tetragonum Square-branched Callithamnion - ” plumula Feathery ” - ” polyspermum Many-spermed ” - - CHLOROSPERMEÆ OR GRASS GREEN SEAWEEDS. - - TRIBE—CONFERVEÆ. - - Couferva rupestris Rock Crowsilk - ” lanosa Woolly ” - ” fucicola Wrack ” - ” tortuosa Twisted ” - - TRIBE—ULVEÆ. - - Ulva latissima Oyster Green or Laver - ” Lactuca Lettuce Laver - Entermarpha intestinalis Intestinal Entermorpha - ” compressa Branched ” - -The subjoined table contains the names of some of the crustaceous animals -and molluscs commonly met with in the neighbourhood:— - - Arctopsis tetraodon Four-horned Spider-crab - Hyas araneus Great Spider-crab, or Sea-toad - Portunus puber Velvet Fiddler-crab - Corystes dentata Toothed Crab - Gonoplax angulata Angular Crab - Pinnotheres pisum Pea-crab - Porcellana platycheles Broad-claw porcelain Crab - Cancer pagurus Edible crab - Cancer mænas Common Crab - Pagurus Bernhardus Hermit-crab - Pilumnus hirtellus Hairy-crab - Palæmon serratus Common Prawn - Crangon vulgaris Common Shrimp - Corophium longicorne Long-horned Corophium - Orchestia littorea Shore-hopper - Talitrus saltator Sand-hopper - Sulcator arenarius Sand-screw - Mytilus edulis Edible Mussel - Cardium edule Cockle - Buccinum undatum Whelk - Litorina litorea Periwinkle - Calyptra vulgaris Common Limpet - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE PEDIGREES OF ANCIENT FAMILIES. - - -ALLEN OF ROSSALL HALL. - -The Allens who resided at Rossall Hall for a period of more than half -a century, and by intermarriage became connected with the Westbys of -Mowbreck, the Heskeths of Mains, and the Gillows of Bryning, sprang -from the county of Stafford. At the time of the Protestant Reformation, -George Allen, of Brookhouse, in the division just mentioned, held a long -lease of the Grange and Hall of Rossall from a kinsman of his family, -one of the abbots of Deulacres, a Staffordshire monastery, to which the -estate had been granted by King John. George Allen at his death left one -son, John, who resided at the Hall, and subsequently married Jane, the -sister of Thomas Lister, of Arnold Biggin, in Yorkshire. The offspring -of this marriage were Richard, William, Gabriel, George, who espoused -Elizabeth, the daughter of William Westby, of Mowbreck; Mary, afterwards -the wife of Thomas Worthington, of Blainscow; Elizabeth, subsequently -the wife of William Hesketh, of Mains Hall; and Anne, who married George -Gillow, of Bryning. Richard Allen, of Rossall Hall, the eldest son, left -at his demise a widow with three daughters, named respectively, Helen, -Catherine, and Mary, who were deprived of their possessions and rights -in the Grange in the year 1583 by Edmund Fleetwood, whose father had -purchased the reversion of the lease from Henry VIII., at the time when -the larger monastic institutions were dissolved in England. The widow -and her daughters fled to Rheims to escape further persecution, where -they were hospitably received by their near relative, Cardinal William -Allen, who interested the princely family of Guise in their behalf and so -obtained for them the means of subsistence. - -William Allen, the second son of John Allen, of Rossall Hall, was born -in 1532, and at the early age of fifteen entered Oriel College, Oxford, -under the tutorship of Morgan Philips, perhaps the most eminent logician -of his day. Three years later he was elected to a fellowship. Upon the -accession of Mary he entered the church, and in 1556 was made principal -of St. Mary’s Hall, acting as Proctor for the two succeeding years. In -1558 he was created canon of York, but on the accession of Elizabeth, he -refused the Protestant oaths, was deprived of his fellowship, and, in -1560, retired to Louvaine, where he wrote his first work, entitled “A -Defence of the Doctrine of Catholics, concerning Purgatory and Prayers -for the Dead,” in answer to an attack on those dogmas by Bishop Jewell. -In 1565, the year in which this publication appeared and fermented great -excitement both here and abroad, William Allen determined, in spite of -the extreme dangers of such an act, to visit his native country, more -especially the home of his fathers at Rossall. Religious zeal prevented -his active spirit from being long at rest; after residing in England -about three years and visiting different parts of Lancashire, seeking -converts to his creed, he was obliged to secrete himself from the eye of -the law amongst his friends, Layton Hall and Mains Hall being two of his -hiding places, until a suitable opportunity occurred for escaping over -to the continent. Flanders was his destination, and from there he went -to Mechlin, afterwards taking up his abode at Douai, where he obtained a -doctor’s degree, and established an English seminary. This college, we -learn from the “Mem: Miss: Priests: Ed. 1741,” was founded in 1568 “to -train up English scholars in virtue and learning, and to qualify them -to labour in the vineyard of the Lord, on their return to their native -country; it was the first college in the Christian world, instituted -according to the model given by the council of Trent.” - -Whilst engaged at the above scholastic institution, William Allen was -appointed canon of Cambray; subsequently when the English council -applied to the ruling powers of the Spanish Netherlands to suppress the -college of Douai, the Doctor and his assistants were received under the -protection of the house of Guise. Afterwards Doctor Allen, on being -appointed canon of Rheims, established another seminary in that city. At -that time perhaps no one was more admired and revered by the Catholic -party abroad, and detested by the Protestant subjects of England, than -William Allen. He was even accused by his countrymen at home of having -traitorously instigated Philip II. of Spain, to attempt the invasion and -conquest of England, and although he strenuously denied any agency in -that matter, it is certain that after the defeat of the Armada, he wrote -a defence of Sir William Stanley and Sir Rowland York, who had assisted -the enemy. In 1587, he was made cardinal of St. Martin in Montibus by -Pope Sectus V., and a little later was presented by the king of Spain -to a rich abbey in Naples with promises of still higher preferment. In -1588 he published the “Declaration of the Sentence of Sixtus the Fifth,” -which was directed against the government of the British queen, whom he -declared an usurper, obstinate and impenitent, and for these reasons to -be deprived. As an appendix to the work he issued shortly afterwards an -“Admonition to the Nobility and People of England and Ireland,” in which -he pronounced the queen an illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII. Although -the effect of these publications on the English nation was not, as he -hoped, to arouse the people to open rebellion, or in any way to advance -the Catholic cause, the efforts of the cardinal were so far appreciated -by the king of Spain that he promoted him to the archbishopric of -Mechlin. He lived at Rome during the remainder of his life in great -luxury and magnificence. On October 6th, 1594, this remarkable man -expired at his palace, in the 63rd year of his age, and was buried with -great pomp at the English church of the Holy Trinity in the ancient -imperial city. - - -BUTLER OF RAWCLIFFE HALL. - -The name of Butler, or as it was formerly written Botiler, belonged to an -office in existence in earlier times, and was first assumed by Theobald -Walter, who married Maud, the sister of Thomas à Becket, on being -appointed _Butler_ of Ireland. - -Theobald Walter-Botiler gave to his relative Richard Pincerna, or -Botiler, as the family was afterwards called, the whole of Out Rawcliffe -and one carucate of land in Staynole. This gentleman was the founder -of that branch of the Butlers which was established at Rawcliffe Hall -for so many generations. Sir Richard Botiler, of Rawcliffe, married -Alicia, in 1281, the daughter of William de Carleton, and thus obtained -the manor of Inskip. He had issue—William, Henry, Richard, Edmund, and -Galfrid. Richard Botiler, the third son, who had some possessions in -Marton, left at his death one son, also named Richard, who was living -in 1323, and became the progenitor of the Butlers of Kirkland. William, -the eldest son, espoused Johanna de Sifewast, a widow, by whom he had -Nicholas de Botiler, who was alive in 1322, and had issue by his wife -Olivia, one son, William Botiler, living in 1390. William Botiler had -three children—John, Richard, and Eleanor. John Botiler was created a -knight, and in 1393-4-5 was High Sheriff of the county of Lancaster. Sir -John Botiler left at his death, in 1404, three sons and one daughter, -the offspring of his marriage with Isabella, his second wife, who was -the widow of Sir John Butler, of Bewsey. Nicholas, the eldest son, -was also twice married, and had issue by his first wife, Margeria, -the daughter of Sir Richard Kirkeby,—John and Isabella Botiler. John -Botiler espoused, in 1448, Elizabeth, the daughter of William Botiler, -of Warrington, and had issue—Nicholas and Elizabeth Botiler. Nicholas -Botiler married Alice, the daughter of Sir Thomas Radcliffe, knt., and -was succeeded by his eldest son John Botiler, who subsequently espoused -Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of Sir John Lawrence, knt., and had -issue—William, James, Richard, and Robert Botiler. James Botiler, the -second son, inherited the estates, most probably owing to the death of -William, his elder brother, and married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir -Thomas Molyneux, knt., of Larbrick Hall. James Botiler, or Butler, was -living in 1500, but died shortly afterwards, leaving two sons and two -daughters—John, Nicholas, Isabella, and Elizabeth. John, the elder son, -had issue four daughters, whilst Nicholas, the second son, had issue by -his first wife, the daughter of Richard Bold, of Bold, two sons, Richard -and Henry, and by his second wife, Isabel, the daughter and co-heiress of -John Clayton, of Clayton, one daughter, who died in 1606. Richard Butler -married Agnes, the daughter of Sir Richard Houghton, knt., but having no -offspring, the estates of Rawcliffe passed to William Butler, the eldest -son of his younger brother, Henry Butler, somewhere about 1627. William -Butler espoused Elizabeth, the daughter of Cuthbert Clifton, of Westby, -by whom he had one son, Henry, who was thrice married, and had numerous -offspring. Richard, the eldest son of Henry Butler by his first wife, -Dorothy, the daughter of Henry Stanley, of Bickerstaffe, died before his -father, but left several sons, one of whom, also named Richard, succeeded -to the Rawcliffe property, and was thirty-two years of age in 1664; -another, Nicholas, was a colonel in the time of Charles I.; and another, -John, was a citizen of London. Richard Butler espoused Katherine, the -daughter of Thomas Carus, of Halton, by whom he had a large family, the -eldest of which, Henry, was six years of age in 1664. Henry Butler, of -Rawcliffe, espoused as his first wife, Katherine, the granddaughter, and -subsequently heiress, of Sir John Girlington, knt., of Thurland Castle, -and had issue—Richard, Christopher, Philip, Mary, and Katherine. Henry -Butler, and Richard, his eldest son, took part with the Pretender in -the rebellion of 1715, and for this piece of disaffection their estates -were confiscated by the crown, and afterwards sold. Henry Butler made -his escape over to France, but Richard was seized, tried, and condemned -to death. He died in prison, however, in 1716, before the time appointed -for his sentence to be carried out, leaving an only child, Catherine, by -his wife, Mary, the daughter of Henry Curwen, of Workington, who married -Edward Markham, of Ollarton, in the county of Nottingham, and died a -minor without issue. Henry Butler lived in the Isle of Man for several -years, and espoused Elizabeth Butler, of Kirkland, his third wife, but -had no further issue. - - -CLIFTON OF CLIFTON, WESTBY, AND LYTHAM. - -The family of the Cliftons, whose present seat is Lytham Hall, has been -associated with the Fylde for many centuries. The earliest ancestor of -whom there exists any authentic record, was Sir William de Clyfton, who -lived in the time of William II., surnamed Rufus, and during the last -year of that monarch’s reign, A.D. 1100, gave certain lands in Salwick -to his son William upon his marriage. In 1258 a namesake and descendant -of this William de Clyfton held ten carucates of land in Amounderness, -and was a collector of aids for the county of Lancaster. His son Gilbert -de Clyfton was lord of the manors of Clifton, Westby, Fylde-Plumpton, -etc., and High Sheriff of the county in the years 1278, 1287, and 1289. -He died in 1324, during the reign of Edward II., and was succeeded by -his eldest son, Sir William de Clifton, who was Knight of the Shire for -Lancaster 1302-1304. Sir William de Clifton,[59] knt., the son of the -latter gentleman, came into possession of the estates on the demise -of his father, and married in 1329, Margaret, the daughter of Sir R. -Shireburne, knt., of Stonyhurst, by whom he had issue one son, Nicholas, -afterwards knighted. He also entailed the manors of Clifton and Westby -on his male issue, and settled the manor of Goosnargh upon his son and -heir. He died in 1365. Sir Nicholas de Clifton, during one portion of -his life, held the post of Governor of the Castle of Ham, in Picardy. -He married Margaret, the daughter of Sir Thomas West, of Snitterfield, -in Warwickshire, and had issue two sons—Robert and Thomas. The former, -who succeeded him, was Knight of the Shire 1382-1383, and espoused -Eleyne, the daughter of Sir Robert Ursewyck, knt., by whom he had three -sons—Thomas, Roger, and James. In course of time, Thomas, the eldest, -became the representative of the family, and married Agnes, the daughter -of Sir Richard Molyneux, of Sefton. This gentleman (Thomas Clifton), -accompanied the army of Henry V., when that monarch invaded France in -1415. He settled Goosnargh and Wood-Plumpton upon his second son, James, -while the other portion of the estates passed, on his death in 1442, to -Richard, his heir. Richard Clifton formed a matrimonial alliance with -Alice, the daughter of John Butler, of Rawcliffe, from which sprang -one child, James Clifton, who afterwards espoused Alice, the daughter -of Robert Lawrence, of Ashton. The offspring of the latter union were -Robert and John Clifton. The former on inheriting the property married -Margaret, the daughter of Nicholas Butler, of Bewsey, in Lancashire. -His children were Cuthbert and William; and now, for a few generations, -we have two separate branches, the descendants of these gentlemen, -which afterwards became united in the persons of their respective -representatives:— - - SENIOR BRANCH. - - Cuthbert Clifton, = Alice, d. and co-heiress of - of Clifton, | Sir John Lawrence, of - died 1512. | Ashton-under-Lyne. - | - | - Sir R. Hesketh, = Elizabeth Clifton, = Sir W. Molyneux, - of Rufford, died 1548. | of Sefton & Larbreck, - 1st husband. | 2nd husband. - +------------------------------+ - | | | - | | William Molyneux, died young. - Thos. Molyneux, Ann Molyneux, = Hy. Halsall - unmarried heiress of | of Halsall. - or without issue. her brother. | - +----------------------+ - | - Richard Halsall, = Ann, d. of Alex. Barlow. - | - +---------+ - | - Sir Cuthbert Halsall, = ( ) - of Halsall and | - Clifton. | - +-------------+ - | - Ann Halsall, = Thomas Clifton, [Transcriber’s Note: refer to the - daughter | of Westby JUNIOR BRANCH (below) for the - and | and Lytham, descent of this Thomas Clifton.] - co-heiress. | died 1657. - +--------+-----+--------------+-----------------------+ - | | | | - Cuthbert Sir Thos. John Clifton. = Widow of Ten other - Clifton. Clifton. | Geo. Parkinson, children. - | of Fairsnape. - | - Thos. Clifton, - of Clifton, etc. - - JUNIOR BRANCH. - - William Clifton, = Isabel, d. of William - who inherited | Thornborough, of - Westby. | Hampsfield, in Furness. - +----------------------------+----+ - | | | - Thos. Clifton, = Elinor, d. of Wm. Ellen. - of Westby. | Sir A. Osbaldiston, - | of Osbaldiston, co. - | Lancashire, Knt. - +----------------------------------+ - | |-William - Cuthbert Clifton, = Catherine, d. of |-Ellen - of Westby. | Sir R. Houghton, |-Isabel - | of Houghton, Knt. - +------------------------+------------------+ - | | - Thos. Clifton, = Mary, d. of Sir Ed. Seven other - of Westby. | Norreys, of Speke, Knt. children. - +------------+ - | - Sir Cuthbert Clifton,[60] = Ann, d. of Sir Thos. Tyldesley, - of Westby & Lytham, | of Morley. - Knt. | - +--------------------------+-------------------------------+ - | | | - Thomas Clifton, of Cuthbert Elizabeth. - Westby and Lytham, Colonel in the army of Charles - died 1657. I., and slain at Manchester. - -This Thomas Clifton retained the Fairsnape estates, which he had -inherited from his mother, during his lifetime, but on his decease they -passed to his uncle. He married Eleanora Alathea, the daughter of Richard -Walmsley, of Dunkenhalgh, in Lancashire. At his death he left a family -of five daughters and two sons, the eldest of whom, Thomas Clifton, of -Clifton, Westby, and Lytham, subsequently espoused Mary, the daughter of -the fifth Viscount Molyneux. His heir, also Thomas, and born in 1728, -rebuilt Lytham Hall, and allied himself to the noble house of Abingdon by -marrying, as his third wife, Lady Jane Bertie, the daughter of the third -earl. The children of this union were seven, and John, the eldest, born -in 1764, inherited the estates, and married Elizabeth, the daughter of -Thomas Horsley Widdrington-Riddell, of Felton Park, Northumberland. John -Clifton was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas, who had four brothers -and three sisters—John, William, Charles, Mary, Harriet, and Elizabeth. -Thomas Clifton, of Clifton and Lytham, born in 1788, was a justice of -the peace, a deputy-lieutenant, and in 1835, High Sheriff of the county -of Lancaster. He married Hetty, the daughter of Pellegrine Trevis, an -Italian gentleman of ancient lineage, by whom he had issue John Talbot, -born in 1819; Thomas Henry, lieut.-colonel in the army, and knight of the -Legion of Honour and of the Mejidie; Edward Arthur, died abroad in 1850; -Charles Frederick, who espoused Lady Edith Maud, eldest daughter of the -second Marquis of Hastings, and assumed in 1859, by act of parliament, -the arms and surname of Abney Hasting; and Augustus Wykenham, late -captain in the Rifle Brigade, who married Lady Bertha Lelgarde Hastings, -second daughter of the second Marquis of Hastings. John Talbot Clifton, -esq., is still living, and is the present lord of Lytham, Clifton, etc. -He was for some years colonel of the 1st. Royal Lancashire Militia, and -sat in Parliament from 1844 to 1847 as Member for North Lancashire. In -1844 he married Eleanor Cicily, the daughter of the Hon. Colonel Lowther, -M.P., and has one son, Thomas Henry Clifton, esq., who was born in 1845, -and is now one of the Members of Parliament for North Lancashire. John -Talbot Clifton, esq., is a justice of the peace, and deputy-lieutenant -of this county. Thomas Henry Clifton, esq., M.P., espoused, in 1867, -Madeline Diana Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Sir Andrew Agnew, bart., -and has issue several children. - -In 1872 Henry Lowther succeeded his uncle as third earl of Lonsdale, -and at the same time his sisters Eleanor Cicily, the wife of John -Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, and Augusta Mary, the wife of the -Right Hon. Gerard James Noel, M.P., younger son of the first earl of -Gainsborough, were elevated to the rank of earl’s daughters. - - -FLEETWOOD OF ROSSALL HALL. - -This family sprang originally from Little Plumpton in the Fylde. Henry -Fleetwood being the first of whom there is any reliable record, and of -him nothing is known beyond the place of his residence, and the fact that -he had a son named Edmund. Edmund Fleetwood married Elizabeth Holland, -of Downholme, and was living about the middle and earlier portion of the -latter half of the fifteenth century. From that marriage there sprang one -son, William Fleetwood, who subsequently espoused Ellyn, the daughter of -Robert Standish, and had issue John, Thomas, and Robert Fleetwood. Of -these three sons, Thomas, the second, resided at Vach in the county of -Buckingham, and at the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII., -about 1536, purchased from that monarch the reversion of the lease of -Rossall Grange, then held by the Allens from the Abbot and convent of -Deulacres, in Staffordshire. Thomas Fleetwood married Barbara, the cousin -and heiress of Andrew Frances, of London, and had issue five sons, the -second and third of whom were knighted later in life, whilst the eldest, -Edmund, came into possession of Rossall Hall and estate in 1583, after -the demise of Richard Allen, whose widow and daughters were ejected. -Thus Edmund Fleetwood was the first of the name to reside at Rossall, -where he died about forty years later. This gentleman married Elizabeth, -the daughter of John Cheney, of Chesham Boys, in Buckinghamshire, and -had issue several sons and daughters. Paul, the eldest son and heir, -who succeeded him, was knighted by either James I. or Charles I., and -married Jane, the daughter of Richard Argall from the county of Kent, by -whom he had three sons and two daughters. Edmund, the eldest son, had no -male issue, and at his death, in 1644, Richard, his brother, succeeded -to the property and resided at Rossall Hall. Richard Fleetwood, who was -only fifteen years of age when the death of his predecessor occurred, -subsequently espoused a lady, named Anne Mayo, from the county of Herts, -by whom he had only two children, a son and a daughter, and as the former -died in youth, the estate passed to the next male heir on his demise. -The heir was found in the person of Francis, of Hackensall Hall, the -brother of Richard Fleetwood and the third son of Sir Paul Fleetwood. -Francis Fleetwood, of Rossall, married Mary, the daughter of C. Foster, -of Preesall, and had issue Richard Fleetwood, who succeeded him, and -a daughter. Richard Fleetwood resided at Rossall Hall, and married -Margaret, the daughter of Edwin Fleetwood, of Leyland, in 1674. The -offspring of that union were two sons, Edward and Paul, and a daughter -Margaret. Edward, the heir, was born in 1682, and practised for some -time as an attorney in Ireland. On the death of his father, however, he -inherited the property, and took up his abode at the ancestral Hall. -He espoused Sarah, the daughter of Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys. -Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, Blackpool, was on terms of friendship -and intimacy with the Fleetwoods of Rossall at that period, and on the -fourteenth of April, 1714, the following entry occurs in his diary, -referring to Edward Fleetwood, the lord of the manor, and his brother -Paul, also Edward Veale, the father of Mrs. Ed. Fleetwood, whom, for some -reason unknown, the diarist invariably designated Captain Veale:—“Went to -Rosshall. Dinᵈ with the trustys, yᵉ Lord & his lady, Mr. Paull, and Capᵗᵗ -Veal. Gave I. Gardiner 1s., and a boy 6d.; soe to ffox Hall.” - -Paul Fleetwood, the younger brother of the “Lord” died in 1727 and was -buried at Kirkham, where some of his descendants still exist in very -humble circumstances. - -The offspring of Edward Fleetwood consisted only of one child, a -daughter, named Margaret, who was born in 1715, and to whom the estates -appear to have descended on the decease of her father. On the sixteenth -of February, 1733, she married, at Bispham church, Roger Hesketh, of -North Meols and Tulketh. Roger Hesketh and his lady resided at Rossall -Hall until their respective demises, which happened, the latter in 1752, -and the former in 1791. Fleetwood and Sarah Hesketh were the children -of their union. On the decease of his father at the ripe age of 81 -years, the son and heir, Fleetwood, had already been dead 22 years, and -consequently his son, Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, the eldest offspring of his -marriage, in 1759, with Frances, the third daughter of Peter Bold, of -Bold Hall, in the county of Lancaster, succeeded his grandfather Roger -Hesketh. Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, who was born in 1762, died unmarried in -1819, and was buried at Poulton, his younger brother, Robert Hesketh, -inheriting the Hall and estates. Robert Hesketh was in his 55th year when -he became possessed of the property, and had already been married 29 -years to Maria, the daughter of Henry Rawlinson, of Lancaster, by whom he -had a numerous family. His four eldest sons died in youth and unmarried, -the oldest having only attained the age of twenty three, so that at -his decease in 1824 he was succeeded by his fifth son, Peter Hesketh. -This gentleman, who was born in 1801, espoused at Dover, in 1826, Eliza -Delamaire, the daughter of Sir Theophilus J. Metcalf, of Fern Hill, -Berkshire, by whom he had several children, who died in early youth. As -his second wife he married, in 1837, Verginie Marie, the daughter of -Senor Pedro Garcia, and had issue one son, Peter Louis Hesketh. In 1831, -Peter Hesketh obtained power by royal license to adopt the surname of -Fleetwood in addition to his own, and in 1838 he was created a baronet. -In 1844, Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood vacated Rossall Hall, and the site -is now occupied by a large public educational institution, denominated -the Northern Church of England School. Sir P. H. Fleetwood died, at -Brighton, in 1866, leaving one son and heir, the Rev. Sir Peter Louis -Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., M.A., of Sunbury on Thames, in the county of -Middlesex. The Rev. Charles Hesketh, M.A., rector of North Meols, is the -younger brother of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, and consequently uncle -to the present baronet. - - -FFRANCE OF LITTLE ECCLESTON HALL. - -William, the son of John ffrance, who married the younger daughter of -Richard Kerston, of Little Eccleston, was the first of this family to -reside at the Hall, and he was living there at the beginning of the -seventeenth century. William ffrance had two sons and a daughter—John, -born 1647; Henry, born 1649; and Alice, born 1653. John, the eldest -son, succeeded to the Hall and estates on the demise of his father, and -married Deborah Elston, of Brockholes, by whom he had issue—Robert, who -died in 1671; Anne, died 1672; Thomas, died 1672; Deborah, died 1673; -John, born 1675; William, died 1680; Henry, died 1676; Mary, died 1701; -and Edward, died 1703. John ffrance, senʳ., survived all his sons except -John and Edward, and on his death, in 1690, was succeeded by the former -and elder of the two brothers. John ffrance, like his father, resided -at the Hall, and espoused Joan, daughter of John Cross, of Cross Hall, -by whom he had issue—John, born 1699; Anne, died 1702; and Henry, died -1707. John ffrance died in 1762, and his eldest son, John, inherited the -estates. This John ffrance married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of -Thomas Roe, of Out Rawcliffe, and by that union became possessed, later, -of Rawcliffe manor and Hall, to which the family of ffrance removed. -John ffrance, of Rawcliffe Hall, the son and heir of John and Elizabeth -ffrance, of Little Eccleston Hall, and subsequently of Rawcliffe, died -childless in 1817, aged 91 years, and bequeathed his property to Thomas -Wilson, of Preston, who assumed the name of ffrance.[61] - - -HESKETH OF MAINS HALL. - -This family was descended from the Heskeths, of Rufford, through -William Hesketh, of Aughton, the sixth son of Thomas Hesketh, of -Rufford. Bartholomew, the son of William Hesketh, of Aughton, succeeded -to his father’s estates, and married Mary, the daughter of William -Norris, of Speke, by whom he had one son, George, residing at Little -Poulton Hall in 1570. George Hesketh married Dorothy, the daughter of -William Westby, of Mowbreck, and had issue a son, William, who, on his -father’s death, somewhere about 1571, inherited considerable property, -comprising possessions in no less than twenty-eight different townships -in Lancashire. William Hesketh, who was living in 1613, married -Elizabeth, the daughter of John Allen, of Rossall Hall, and sister to -Cardinal Allen. The children springing from that union were William and -Wilfrid. William, the elder son, is the first of the Heskeths mentioned -as inhabiting Mains Hall, and he appears to have been living there in -1613. We have no documents throwing any certain light upon the way in -which he gained possession of the seat, but it is most probable that he -purchased it. William Hesketh, of Mains Hall, espoused Anne, the daughter -of Hugh Anderton of Euxton, and had issue—Thomas, Roger, John, William, -Hugh, George, Anne, Alice, and Mary. Thomas, the eldest son, was nine -years old in 1613, hence it is extremely likely that he was the first -representative of the family born at Mains Hall. Thomas Hesketh was -twice married; the first time to Anne, the daughter of Simon Haydock, -of Hezantford, and after her decease, to Mary, the daughter of John -Westby, of Westby and Mowbreck. The children of his first marriage were -William; Thomas, an officer in the royalist army, and slain at Brindle -in 1651; Anne, who became the wife of Thomas Nelson, of Fairhurst; and -Margaret, afterwards the wife of Major George Westby, of Upper Rawcliffe. -William, the elder son, married Perpetua, the daughter of Thomas -Westby, of Mowbreck, and had issue—Thomas, born in 1659; William, who -died in infancy; John; Anne, married to Richard Leckonby, of Leckonby -House, Great Eccleston; Helen; Dorothy, married to Thomas Wilkinson, -of Claughton; Perpetua, died in infancy; and six other daughters, all -of whom died in youth. Thomas Hesketh, the eldest son, left four sons -and three daughters—William; Thomas, who was a priest; John; George; -Mary; Perpetua; and Anne. William Hesketh, the eldest of these sons, was -living at the same time as Thomas Tyldesley, who died in 1714, and was -a frequent visitor at Fox Hall. He married Mary, the daughter of John -Brockholes, of Claughton, and heiress to her brother William Brockholes, -of Claughton, and had issue—Thomas, Roger, William, Joseph, James, -Catherine (an abbess), Margaret, Anne, Mary (a nun), and Aloysia (a nun). -Thomas, the eldest son, inherited the property of his deceased uncle, -William Brockholes, and assumed the name and arms of Brockholes. He died -in 1766. Roger, the second son, also died in 1766. William, the third -son, was born in 1717, and in later years entered the “Society of Jesus,” -dying in 1741. Joseph succeeded to the Brockholes’ estates on the death -of his brother Thomas, and, like him, assumed the name of Brockholes. He -married Constantia, the daughter of Bazil Fitzherbert, of Swinnerton, and -dying in a few years without issue, was succeeded by his sole remaining -brother, James, who also assumed the name and arms of Brockholes, -and some years afterwards died unmarried. The Brockholes’ property -now passed, under the will of Joseph Hesketh-Brockholes, to William -Fitzherbert, the brother of his widow; and that gentleman, after the -manner of his predecessors, assumed the name of Brockholes. He espoused -Mary, the daughter and co-heiress of James Windsor Heneage, of Cadeby, -Lincolnshire, and had issue—Thomas Fitzherbert-Brockholes, of Claughton; -Catherine, abbess of the Benedictines at Ghent; Margaret; Ann; Mary, who -became a nun; and Frances. - - -HORNBY OF POULTON. - -The Hornbys, of Poulton, were descended from Hugh Hornby, of Singleton, -who died about 1638, after having so far impoverished himself during -the civil wars as to be obliged to dispose of his estate at Bankfield, -inherited from his sister, and purchased from him by the Harrisons. -Geoffrey Hornby, the son of this gentleman, practised very successfully -as a solicitor in Preston, and probably was the first to acquire property -in Poulton. Edmund Hornby, his eldest son, of Poulton, where he also -practised as a solicitor, and Scale Hall, married Dorothy, the daughter -of Geoffrey Rishton, of Antley, in Lancashire, Member of Parliament -for Preston, and had issue—Geoffrey, George, and Anne. George, the -second son, went into holy orders, became rector of Whittingham, and -subsequently died without surviving offspring. Anne Hornby married -Edmund Cole, of Beaumont Cote, near Lancaster; and Geoffrey Hornby, who -inherited the Poulton property, as well as Scale Hall, espoused Susannah, -the daughter and heiress of Edward Sherdley, of Kirkham, gentleman, by -whom he had issue—Edmund and Geoffrey, the latter dying unmarried in -1801. Geoffrey Hornby, who died in 1732, was buried in Poulton church, -being succeeded by his son Edmund, who came into the possessions at -Poulton and Scale. Edmund Hornby, born in 1728, married Margaret, -the daughter of John Winckley, of Brockholes, and had issue one son, -Geoffrey, and three daughters. At his decease, in 1766, the estates -descended to his only son and heir, Geoffrey, born at Layton Hall in -1750, who, after being High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1774, and for some -time colonel of a Lancashire regiment of militia, entered the church and -became rector of Winwick. The Rev. Geoffrey Hornby espoused the Hon. Lucy -Smith Stanley, daughter of Lord Strange, and sister of the twelfth earl -of Derby, and had issue; but the departure of this representative of the -family from the homes of his fathers severed the close connection between -the town of Poulton and the name of Hornby, after an existence of about a -century. - - -HORNBY OF RIBBY HALL. - -Richard Hornby, of Newton, who was born in 1613, married Elizabeth, -the daughter of Christopher Walmsley, of Elston, and had issue a son, -William Hornby, also of Newton. That gentleman had several children by -his wife Isabel, the eldest of whom, Robert Hornby, was born in 1690, -and espoused Elizabeth Sharrock, of Clifton, leaving issue by her at his -decease in 1768, three sons—Hugh, William, and Richard. Hugh Hornby took -up his abode at Kirkham, where he married Margaret, the daughter and -heiress of Joseph Hankinson, of the same place, and had issue—Joseph, -born in 1748; Robert, born in 1750, and died in 1776; Thomas, of -Kirkham, born in 1759, married Cicely, the daughter of Thomas Langton, -of that town, and died in 1824, having had a family of two sons and five -daughters; William, of Kirkham; John, of Blackburn and Raikes Hall, -Blackpool, born in 1763; Hugh, vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, born -in 1765; Alice, who became the wife of Richard Birley, of Blackburn; -and Elizabeth. Joseph Hornby was a deputy-lieutenant of the county of -Lancaster, and erected Ribby Hall. He married Margaret, the daughter of -Robert Wilson, of Preston, by whom he had Hugh; Margaret, who espoused -William Langton, of Manchester; and Alice, who died a spinster. Hugh -Hornby, the only son, born in 1799, succeeded to the Hall and lands on -the death of his father in 1832, and left issue at his own demise, in -1849, Hugh Hilton, Margaret Anne, and Mary Alice. Hugh Hilton Hornby, of -Ribby Hall, esq., who married his relative, Georgina, the daughter of the -Rev. Robert Hornby, M.A., J.P., in 1868, is the present representative of -the family, and was born in 1836. - -John Hornby, of Blackburn and Raikes Hall, married Alice Kendal, a widow, -and the daughter of Daniel Backhouse, of Liverpool, by whom he had -four sons—Daniel, born in 1800, who espoused Frances, daughter of John -Birley, of Manchester, and dying in 1863, left issue, Fanny Backhouse -and Margaret Alice Hornby; Robert, born in 1804, M.A., a clergyman and -justice of the peace, who married Maria Leyland, daughter of Sir William -Fielden, bart., and had issue, Robert Montagu, William St. John Sumner, -Leyland, Frederick Fielden, Henry Wallace, Hugh, and ten daughters, the -first and third sons being captains in the army, and the second in the -royal navy; William Henry, of Staining Hall, J.P. and D.L., born in -1805, and Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1857 to 1869, married -Susannah, only child of Edward Birley, of Kirkham, by whom he had John, -Edward Kenworthy, Henry Sudell, William Henry, Cecil Lumsden, Albert -Neilson, Charles Herbert, Elizabeth Henriana, Frances Mary, Augusta -Margaret, and Caroline Louisa, of whom Edward Kenworthy Hornby, esq., -has sat as M.P. for Blackburn; John, M.A., formerly M.P. for Blackburn, -and born 1810, married Margaret, daughter of the Rev. Christopher Bird, -having issue, John Frederick, Wilfrid Bird, Edith Diana, and Clara -Margaret. The Rev. Hugh Hornby, M.A., sixth son of Hugh Hornby, of -Kirkham, was vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, and espoused Ann, daughter -of Dr. Joshua Starky, a physician, of Redbales, having issue one son, -William, now the Venerable Archdeacon Hornby, M.A., and the present vicar -of St. Michael’s, born in 1810. Archdeacon Hornby married, firstly, -Ellen, daughter of William Cross, esq., of Red Scar, and four years after -her decease, in 1844, Susan Charlotte, daughter of Admiral Sir Phipps -Hornby, K.C.B. The offspring of the earlier union were two—William Hugh -and Joseph Starky, both of whom died young; whilst those of the second -marriage are—William, Hugh Phipps, Phipps John, James John, William -Starky, Susan, and Anne Lucy, the eldest of whom, William, died in 1858, -aged thirteen years. - - -LECKONBY OF LECKONBY HOUSE. - -John Leckonby, the earliest of the name we find mentioned as connected -with Great Eccleston, on the borders of which stood Leckonby House, -was living in 1621, and was twice married—first to Alice, the daughter -of Thomas Singleton, of Staining Hall, and subsequently, in 1625, to -Marie, the daughter of Henry Preston, of Preston. Richard Leckonby, -the eldest son and heir, was the offspring of his first marriage, and -like his father, became involved in the civil wars on the royal side. -Richard succeeded to the family estates sometime before 1646, for in -that year he compounded for them with Parliament. He left issue at his -death in 1669, by his wife, Isabel, a numerous family—John; Richard, -of Elswick; George; William, of Elswick; Sarah; Martha; and Mary, who -married Gilbert Whiteside, of Marton, gentleman. John Leckonby inherited -the estate, and resided at the ancestral mansion—Leckonby House. He -married Ann, the daughter of William Thompson, gent., of Little -Eccleston, but dying without offspring, was succeeded by his brother -Richard, who had espoused Ann, the daughter of William Hesketh, of -Mains Hall. The children of Richard Leckonby, of Leckonby House, were -William; Richard, who was born in 1696, and afterwards became a Romish -missionary; and Thomas, also a missionary, who died at Maryland in 1734. -William Leckonby, the eldest son, occupied Leckonby House, after the -decease of his father, as holder of the hereditary estates. He espoused -Anne, the daughter of Thomas Hothersall, of Hothersall Hall, and sister -and co-heiress of John Hothersall, and had issue—Richard; Thomas, born -in 1717, who entered the Order of Jesus; William, of Elswick, who died -in 1784; Anne, born in 1706; Bridget; and Mary, who became the wife of -Thomas Singleton, of Barnacre-with-Bonds, gent. Richard Leckonby, who -succeeded his father in 1728, inherited, in addition to the lands in -Great Eccleston and Elswick, the extensive manor of Hothersall, and by -his marriage with Mary, the daughter of William Hawthornthwaite, of -Catshaw, gent., came into possession, on the death of her brother John -Hawthornthwaite in 1760, of Catshaw, Lower Wyersdale, Hale, Luddocks, and -Stockenbridge. Notwithstanding these large accessions to the original -family domain, Richard Leckonby managed, by a long career of dissipation -and extravagance, to run through his resources, mortgaging his estates, -and bringing himself and his family to comparative poverty. He died in -1783, at about 68 years of age, having survived his wife many years, and -was buried at St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. His offspring were two sons, the -elder of whom was thrown from a pony and killed in early youth; whilst -the second, William, met with a fatal accident when hunting in Wyersdale -the year before the death of his father. William Leckonby, left, at his -untimely death, by his wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of James Taylor, of -Goosnargh, gent., two sons and a daughter. Of these children, Richard, -the eldest, died in 1795, when only sixteen years of age; James, the -second son, died in infancy; and Mary, their sister, married in 1799, at -the age of twenty-two years, Thomas Henry Hale Phipps, of Leighton House, -Wiltshire, a justice of the peace and deputy-lieutenant of his county, by -which union, Leckonby of Leckonby House, became a title of the past. - - -LEYLAND OF LEYLAND HOUSE AND KELLAMERGH. - -Leyland House was occupied during the latter half of the seventeenth and -part of the eighteenth centuries by a family of wealth and position, -named the Leylands of Kellamergh. Christopher Leyland, the first of the -line recorded, resided at Leyland House in 1660, and married in 1665, -Margaret Andrew, of Lea, by whom he had issue—John; Ralph, died in 1675; -Anne, born 1671; Ellen, born 1679; Susan, died 1670; another Ralph, born -1680 and died 1711; Francis, died 1674; Bridget, died 1687; Roger, died -1678; and Thomas, who died in 1682. - -John Leyland, who succeeded to the Kellamergh property and Leyland -House on the death of his father in 1716, married, in 1693, Elizabeth -Whitehead, and had offspring—Christopher, born 1694; Thomas, born 1699, -afterwards in holy orders; Joseph, died 1709; Ralph, born 1712; John, -died 1716; and William, who espoused Cicely, widow of Edward Rigby, of -Freckleton, and daughter of Thomas Shepherd Birley, by whom he had two -daughters, one of whom, Jane Leyland, subsequently married Thomas Langton. - -Christopher Leyland inherited Kellamergh and the mansion on the demise -of his father, John Leyland, in 1745, and at his own death, some years -later, left one child, Elizabeth, who married, as her second husband, the -Rev. Edward Whitehead, vicar of Bolton. - - -LONGWORTH OF ST. MICHAEL’S HALL. - -The family of Longworths, inhabiting St. Michael’s Hall until the early -part of the eighteenth century, was descended from the Longworths, -of Longworth, through Ralph, a younger son of Christopher Longworth, -of Longworth, by his wife Alice, the daughter of Thomas Standish, of -Duxbury. Ralph Longworth married Anne, the daughter of Thomas Kitchen, -and had issue two sons and one daughter. Robert, the younger son, -espoused Helen Hudson, whilst Elizabeth, his sister, married Richard -Blackburne, and afterwards Thomas Bell, of Kirkland. Richard, the elder -son and heir, is the first of the Longworths, described as of St. -Michael’s Hall, in Upper Rawcliffe. He married Margaret, the daughter -of George Cumming, of Upper Rawcliffe, and had issue—Ralph, Thomas, -Lawrence, Christopher, Anne, Elizabeth, and Katherine. Ralph, the -eldest son, espoused Jane, the daughter of Richard Cross, of Cross Hall, -in Chorley parish, but further than this fact, we have no information -concerning him. The family of the Crosses, into which he married, -belonged to Liverpool, and their old country seat, Cross Hall, is now -converted into cottages and workshops. Thomas Longworth, the second -son, born in 1622, resided at St. Michael’s Hall, and married Cicely, -the daughter of Nicholas Wilkinson, of Kirkland, by whom he had one -son—Richard Longworth. The latter representative, having succeeded in -course of time to the Hall and estates, was a justice of the peace for -the county of Lancaster, and on terms of intimacy with Thomas Tyldesley, -of Fox Hall, Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys, William Hesketh, of Mains -Hall, and a number of other leading gentry in the district. He married -Fleetwood, the daughter of Edward Shutteworth, of Larbrick, and Thornton -Hall, and left at his demise one son—Edward Longworth, who became a -doctor of medicine, and resided at St. Michael’s Hall until 1725, about -which time he removed to Penrith, in the county of Cumberland. - - -PARKER OF BRADKIRK HALL. - -The Parkers, who inhabited Bradkirk Hall for over a hundred years, were -relatives of the Derby family, and came originally from Breightmet Hall, -near Bolton, where they had lived for many centuries. William Parker, -of Bradkirk Hall, who died in 1609, and was buried at Kirkham, is the -first of whom we have any authentic account, and he is stated to have -married Margaret, the daughter of Robert Shaw, of Crompton. The children -springing from that union were—John, who inherited Bradkirk Hall; Thomas, -of Bidstone, in the county of Chester; and Henry, who espoused, in -1609, Alice Threlfall, and became the founder of the family of Parkers -of Whittingham. John Parker, of Bradkirk Hall, married Margaret, the -daughter and co-heiress of Anthony Parker, of Radham Park, Yorkshire; -and after her decease he espoused Alice, the daughter of Richard -Mason, of Up-Holland, near Wigan, by whom he had three sons and one -daughter—William, Richard, John, and Margaret. The offspring of his first -marriage were Anthony, Elizabeth, Jennet, Anne, Alice, and Christopher. -Anthony died unmarried, and Christopher, the second son, born in 1625, -succeeded to Bradkirk Hall on the demise of his father. He was a justice -of the peace for the county of Lancaster, and married Katherine, sister -to James Lowde, of Kirkham, and daughter of Ralph Lowde, of Norfolk. -His children were Anthony; Alexander, who married Dorothy, the daughter -of Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck; John, William, Gerrard, Christopher, -Margaret, Mary, and Jane, the last married John Westby, of Mowbreck, at -Poulton church, in 1688. Anthony Parker, the eldest son, born in 1657, -lived at Bradkirk Hall, and espoused Mary, the daughter of Sir Thomas -Stringer, sergeant-at-law, by whom he had issue—Christopher, Catherine, -and Rebecca, who died young. Christopher Parker inherited Bradkirk Hall, -and was Member of Parliament for Clitheroe in 1708. He died unmarried -about 1713, and the Hall and estates passed by will to his sister -Catherine, the wife of Thomas Stanley, of Cross Hall, in Ormskirk Parish, -conjointly with her uncle Alexander Parker. In 1723 the possessions of -the deceased Christopher Parker in Lancashire and Yorkshire were sold by -Catherine Stanley and Alexander Parker. The latter, however, resided at -Bradkirk Hall for some time after that date with his wife Dorothy, the -daughter, as before stated, of Thomas Westby of Mowbreck, by whom he had -nine sons and two daughters. The sons appear to have died without issue, -and one of the daughters, Dorothy, married ⸺ Cowburn, whilst the other -Katherine, became the wife of William Jump, of Hesketh Bank. - - -RIGBY OF LAYTON HALL. - -The Rigbys, of Layton, were descended from Adam Rigby, of Wigan, who -married Alice, the daughter of ⸺ Middleton, of Leighton, and had -issue—John, Alexander, and Ellen. John Rigby, of Wigan, married Joanna, -the daughter of Gilbert Molyneux, of Hawkley, and became the founder of -the family of Rigby of Middleton. Ellen became the wife of Hugh Forth; -and Alexander Rigby, of Burgh Hall, in the township of Duxbury, espoused -Joanna, the daughter of William Lathbroke, by whom he had three sons and -one daughter—Edward, Roger, Alexander, and Anne. Edward Rigby, of Burgh, -who purchased the estate of Woodenshaw from William, earl of Derby, in -1595, was the first of the family, as far as can be ascertained, who -held property in the Fylde, and from his _Inq. post mortem_, dated -1629-30, we find that he possessed Laiton, Great Laiton, Little Laiton, -Warbrecke, Blackepool, and Marton, besides other estates in Broughton -in Furness, Lancaster, Chorley, etc. This gentleman married Dorothy, -the daughter of Hugh Anderton, of Euxton, and had issue—Alexander, -Hugh, Alice, Jane, and Dorothy. Alexander Rigby, who was born in 1583, -succeeded to Layton Hall, and Burgh, on the death of his father, and -afterwards married Katherine, the daughter of Sir Edward Brabazon, of -Nether Whitacre, in the county of Warwick. In 1641, during the time of -Charles I., he was a colonel in the king’s forces, and was, somewhere -about that period, removed from the commission of the peace for this -county by command of Parliament on account of certain charges made -against him of favouring the royal party. In 1646 he compounded for -his sequestrated estates by paying £381 3s. 4d. His offspring were -Edward, of Burgh, and Layton Hall; Thomas, rector of St. Mary’s, Dublin; -William, a merchant; Mary, wife of John Moore, of Bank Hall; Elizabeth, -wife of Edward Chisenhall, of Chisenhall; Jane, the wife of the Rev. -Paul Lathome, rector of Standish; and Alexander, who died in infancy. -Edward, the eldest son, who died before his father, married Mary, the -daughter of Edward Hyde, of Norbury, and left issue—Alexander, William, -Hamlet, Robert, Richard, Mary, and Dorothy. Alexander Rigby, the heir, -who was born in 1634, was also an officer in the royalist army, and -erected a monument to Sir Thomas Tyldesley near the spot where he was -slain at Wigan-lane, at which battle “the grateful erector” fought as -cornet. He was High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1677 and 1678, and married -Alena, the daughter of George Birch, of Birch Hall, near Manchester. His -children were Edward, Alexander, Mary, Alice, Eleanor, and Elizabeth. -Of Edward we have no account beyond the fact that he was born in 1658, -and consequently must conclude that he died young. Alexander, the second -son, succeeded to the estates, and was knighted for some reason, which -cannot be discovered. He was High Sheriff of the county in 1691-2. -Mary, the eldest daughter, married Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, and -was co-heiress with Elizabeth, wife, and subsequently, in 1720, widow -of ⸺ Colley, to her brother, Sir Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall and -Burgh, who married Alice, the daughter of Thomas Clifton, of Clifton, -Westby, and Lytham, but left no surviving offspring. Sir Alexander Rigby -is reputed to have been a gambler, and to have so impoverished his -estates, already seriously injured by the attachment of his family to the -fortunes of Charles I. and II., that he was compelled to dispose of his -possessions in Poulton and Layton for the benefit of his creditors. He -also appears to have been imprisoned for debt until released by an act -of Parliament, passed in the first year of George I., and his property -vested in trustees. His estates in Layton and Poulton were sold for -£19,200. After his liberation he resided in Poulton at his house on the -south side of the Market-place, where the family arms, bearing the date -1693, may still be seen fixed on the outer wall. The pew of the Rigbys -is still in existence in the parish church of that town, and has carved -on its door the initials A. R., and the date 1636, separated by a goat’s -head, the crest of the family. - - -SINGLETON OF STAINING HALL. - -There is every reason to suppose that the Singletons who resided at -Staining Hall during the greater part of two centuries were a branch -of the family founded in the Fylde by Alan de Singleton, of Singleton. -George, the son of Robert Singleton by his wife Helen, the daughter of -John Westby, of Mowbreck, purchased the hamlet and manor of Staining from -Sir Thomas Holt, of Grislehurst, and was the first of the name to occupy -the Hall. He married Mary Osbaldeston, and left issue at his death, in -1552, William, the eldest; Hugh, who espoused Mary, sister of William -Carleton, of Carleton, and left a son, William, who died without issue; -Richard; Lawrence; and Margaret, the wife of Lawrence Carleton, heir -and subsequently successor to his brother William. William Singleton, -of Staining, became allied to Alice, the daughter and heiress of Thomas -ffarington, by whom he had Thomas, John, George, Richard, Helen, and -Margaret. On the demise of his father in 1556, Thomas, the heir, came -into possession of the estate; he married Alice, the daughter of James -Massey, and had one child, a daughter, Ellen, who espoused John Massey, -of Layton. Thomas Singleton died in 1563, and was succeeded by his -brother John, who had married Thomasine, the daughter of Robert Anderton, -and had issue two daughters, the elder of whom, Alice, became the wife -of Henry Huxley, of Birkenhead, and the younger, Elizabeth, of James -Massey, of Strangeways. John Singleton died in 1590, and was in his turn -succeeded by the next male representative, his brother George, who had -issue by his wife Mary, the daughter of John Houghton, of Penwortham or -Pendleton, two sons and a daughter—Thomas, George, and Anne, the wife -of Robert Parkinson, of Fairsnape. Thomas Singleton, the heir, became -lord of Staining in 1597, previously to which he had espoused Cicely, -the daughter of William Gerard, of Ince, and had issue Thomas, John, -Mary, Grace, Alice, the last of whom married John Leckonby, of Great -Eccleston, and Anne, the wife of Richard Bamber, of the Moor, near -Poulton. Thomas Singleton, the eldest son, succeeded to the lordship in -the natural course of events, and formed an alliance with Dorothy, the -daughter of James Anderton, of Clayton, who was left a widow in 1643, -when her husband was slain at Newbury Fight in command of a company of -royalists. The offspring of Thomas and Dorothy Singleton were John, born -in 1635 and died in 1668, who espoused Jane, the daughter of Edmund -Fleetwood, of Rossall; Thomas, who died childless; George; James; Anne, -of Bardsea, a spinster, living in 1690; Mary, the wife of John Mayfield; -and Dorothy, the wife of Alexander Butler, of Todderstaff Hall. John -Singleton, of Staining, whose widow married Thomas Cole, of Beaumont, -near Lancaster, justice of the peace, and deputy-lieutenant, had no -progeny, and the manor passed, either at once, or after the death of -the next brother, Thomas, to George Singleton, who had possession in -1679, but was dead in 1690, never having been married. He held Staining, -Hardhorne, Todderstaff, and Carleton manors or estates. The whole of -the property descended to John Mayfield, the son and heir of his sister -Mary, whose husband, John Mayfield, was dead. John Mayfield, of Staining, -etc., ultimately died without issue, and was succeeded by his nephew and -heir-at-law, William Blackburn, of Great Eccleston, whose offspring were -James, and Gabriel, under age in 1755. - - -STANLEY OF GREAT ECCLESTON HALL. - -The Stanleys, of Great Eccleston, were descended from Henry, the fourth -earl of Derby, who was born in 1531, through Thomas Stanley, one of his -illegitimate children by Jane Halsall, of Knowsley, the others being -Dorothy and Ursula. Thomas Stanley settled at Great Eccleston Hall, -probably acquired by purchase, and married Mary, the relict of Richard -Barton, of Barton, near Preston, and the daughter of Robert Hesketh, -of Rufford. The offspring of that union were—Richard Stanley; Fernando -Stanley, of Broughton, who died unmarried in 1664; and Jane Stanley, who -was married to Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall. Richard Stanley, the -eldest son, succeeded to Great Eccleston Hall and estate on the death of -his father, and espoused Mary, the daughter and sole heiress of Lambert -Tyldesley, of Garret, by whom he had one son, Thomas Stanley, who in -course of time inherited the Eccleston property, and married Frances, -the daughter of Major-General Sir Thomas Tyldesley, of Tyldesley and -Myerscough Lodge, the famous royalist officer slain at the battle of -Wigan-lane in 1651. Richard Stanley, the only child of this marriage, -resided at Great Eccleston Hall, and espoused Anne, the daughter and -eventually co-heiress of Thomas Culcheth, of Culcheth, by whom he had two -sons—Thomas and Henry Stanley. Richard Stanley, who died in 1714, was -buried at St. Michael’s church, and the following extract is taken from -the diary of Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, the grandson of Sir Thomas -Tyldesley, and consequently Richard Stanley’s cousin, who at that time -appears to have been in failing health, and whose death occurred on the -26th of January in the ensuing year:— - - “October 16, 1714.—Wentt in ye morning to the ffuneral off Dick - Stanley. Partᵈ with Mr. Brandon att Dick Jackson’s dor; but fell - at Staven’s Poole; and soe wentt home.” - -It may here be mentioned that for two years the cousins had not been -on very friendly terms, owing to Richard Stanley having at a meeting -of creditors, summoned by Thomas Tyldesley in 1712, when he had fallen -too deeply into debt, objected to an allowance being made to Winefride -and Agatha, daughters of Thomas Tyldesley by a second marriage. We -may form some idea of the strong feeling existing between them from -an entry made on the 7th of May, 1712, by Thomas Tyldesley in his -diary:—“Stanley—Dicke—very bitter against my two poor girlles, and -declared he would bee hanged beffor they had one penny allowed; yet my -honest and never-to-be-forgotten true friend Winckley, with much art -and sence, soe perswaded the otheʳ refferys that the slaving puppy was -compelled to consent to a small allowance to be sedulled—viz.: £100 -each.” After the decease of Richard Stanley, Great Eccleston Hall, for -some reason we are unable to explain, passed into the possession of -Thomas Westby, of Upper Rawcliffe. - - -TYLDESLEY OF FOX HALL. - -The family which inhabited the ancient mansion of Fox Hall in the time of -Charles II., and for many subsequent years, sprang originally from the -small village of Tyldesley, near Bolton-le-moors. When or how they first -became associated with the latter place is impossible to determine, as no -authentic documents bearing on the subject can be discovered; but that -they must have been established in or connected with the neighbourhood -at an early epoch is shown by the fact that Henry de Tyldesley held the -tenth part of a Knight’s fee in Tyldesley during the reign of Edward I., -1272-1307. A Richard de Tyldesley was lord of the manor of Tyldesley -towards the close of the sovereignty of this monarch, and there is -sufficient evidence to warrant the assumption that he was the son and -heir of Henry de Tyldesley. - -At a later period Thurstan de Tyldesley, a lineal descendant, who is -accredited with having done much to improve his native village, and -having built Wardley Hall, near Manchester, about 1547, was a justice of -the peace for the county of Lancaster, and Receiver-General for the Isle -of Man in 1532. He was on intimate and friendly terms with the earl of -Derby, and we may safely conjecture that the members of the two houses -had for long been familiarly known to each other, as we read that in -1405 Henry IV. granted a letter of protection to William de Stanley, -knt., John de Tyldesley, and several more, when they set out to take -possession of the Isle of Man and Peel Castle. In 1417, when Sir John -de Stanley, lord of the same island, was summoned to England, he left -Thurston de Tyldesley, a magistrate, to officiate as governor during -his absence. The Tyldesleys held extensive lands in Wardley, Morleys, -Myerscough, and Tyldesley, having seats at the three first-named manors. -Thurstan de Tyldesley, who erected Wardley Hall, was twice married and -had issue by each wife. To the offspring of the first, Parnell, daughter -of Geoffrey Shakerley, of Shakerley, he left Tyldesley and Wardley; and -to those of his second, Jane, daughter of Ralph Langton, baron of Newton, -he bequeathed Myerscough, and some minor property. There is nothing -calling for special notice concerning any, except two, of the descendants -from the first marriage—Sir Thomas Tyldesley, a great-grandson, -attorney-general for Lancashire in the reign of James I.; and his son, -who did not survive him many months, and terminated the elder branch. -In consequence of this failure of issue the Tyldesley estate, but not -Wardley, which had been sold, passed to the representatives of Thurstan’s -children by his second wife. The eldest son of the second alliance, -Edward, had espoused Anne, the daughter and heiress of Thomas Leyland, of -Morleys, and, subsequently, inherited the manor and Hall of Morleys. The -grandson and namesake of Edward Tyldesley, of Morleys and Tyldesley, who -was born in 1585, and died in 1618, entertained James I. for three days -at his seat, Myerscough Lodge, in 1617. Edward Tyldesley, of Myerscough, -was the father of Major-General Sir Thomas Tyldesley, knt., who so -greatly distinguished himself, by his fidelity and valour, in the wars -between King and Parliament. In those sanguinary and calamitous struggles -he served under the standard of royalty. He was slain at the battle of -Wigan-lane in 1651; and as a mark of esteem for his many virtues and -gallant deeds a monument was erected, near the spot where he fell, in -1679, by Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall, High Sheriff for the county of -Lancaster. The monument was inscribed as under:— - - “An high Act of Gratitude, which conveys the Memory of - SIR THOMAS TYLDESLEY - To posterity, - Who served King Charles the First as Lieutenant-Colonel - at Edge-Hill Battle, - After raising regiments of Horse, Foot, and Dragoons, - and for - The desperate storming of Burton on Trent, over a bridge of 36 arches, - RECEIVED THE HONOUR OF KNIGHTHOOD. - He afterwards served in all the wars in great command, - Was Governor of Litchfield, - And followed the fortune of the Crown through the Three Kingdoms, - And never compounded with the Rebels though strongly invested; - And on the 25th of August, A.D. 1651, was here slain, - Commanding as Major-General under the Earl of Derby, - To whom the grateful erector, Alexander Rigby, Esq., was Cornet; - And when he was High Sheriff of this county, A.D. 1679, - Placed the high obligation on the whole Family of the Tyldesleys, - To follow the noble example of their Loyal Ancestor.” - -Sir Thomas Tyldesley married Frances, daughter of Ralph Standish, of -Standish, and had issue—Edward, born in 1635; Thomas, born in 1642; -Ralph, born in 1644; Bridget, who became the wife of Henry Blundell, -of Ince Blundell; Elizabeth; Frances, wife of Thomas Stanley, of Great -Eccleston; Anne, who was abbess of the English nuns at Paris in 1721; -Dorothy; Mary, wife of Richard Crane; and Margaret. - -Edward Tyldesley, the eldest son and heir, followed in the footsteps of -his father, and was a staunch supporter of Charles II. When that monarch -had been restored to the throne of his ancestors he purposed creating -a fresh order of Knighthood, called the Royal Oak,[62] wherewith to -reward a number of his faithful adherents, whose social positions were -of sufficient standing to render them suitable recipients of the honour. -Edward Tyldesley was amongst those selected; but the design was abandoned -by the king under the advice of his ministers, who considered that it -was likely to produce jealousy and dissatisfaction in many quarters, and -might prove inimical to the peace of the nation. Under an impression, -which afterwards proved erroneous, that Charles II. intended to confer -upon him the lands of Layton Hawes, in recognition of the loyal services -of his father and himself, Edward Tyldesley erected a residence, called -Fox Hall, near its borders, where he lived during certain portions of -the year until his death, which occurred between 1685 and 1687. Edward -Tyldesley espoused Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Fleetwood, of Colwich, in -Staffordshire, and baron of Newton, in Lancashire; and after her decease, -Elizabeth, daughter of Adam Beaumont, of Whitley, by whom he had only -one child, Catherine Tyldesley, of Preston. The offspring of his union -with Anne Fleetwood were Thomas, Edward, Frances, and Maria. Thomas -Tyldesley succeeded to the estates, on the decease of his father, with -the exception of Tyldesley, which had been sold by Edward Tyldesley in -1685, and resided during a considerable part of his life at Fox Hall, -and occasionally at Myerscough Lodge. Thomas Tyldesley was born in 1657, -and at twenty-two years of age married Eleanor, daughter and co-heiress -of Thomas Holcroft, of Holcroft, by whom he had Edward, Dorothy, Frances, -Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Mary. After the death of his wife Eleanor, Thomas -Tyldesley espoused Mary, sister and co-heiress of Sir Alexander Rigby, -of Layton Hall, and had issue—Charles, Fleetwood, James, Agatha, and -Winefrid. Thomas Tyldesley, whilst living at Fox Hall, employed his time -chiefly in field sports, visits amongst the neighbouring gentry, and -frequent excursions to his more distant friends, as we learn from his -diary, a portion of which is still preserved. The following extracts from -it will illustrate what formed the favourite recreations of the numerous -well-to-do families peopling the Fylde at that era:— - - “May 16, 1712.—In the morning went round the commone a ffowling, - and Franke Malley, Jo. Hull, and Ned Malley, shoot 12 times for - one poor twewittee; came home; after dinner Cos. W: W: went with - me to Thornton Marsh, where we had but bad suckses; tho wee - killed ffive or six head of ffowle. - - “May 31, 1712.—Went to yᵉ Hays to see a race between Mr. Harper’s - mare and Sanderson’s; meet a greatt deal of good company, but - spent noe thing. - - “June 7, 1712.—Pd. Mrs. 2s. 6d., pd. pro ffish 1s., pro meat 3s.; - and affter dinʳ went with cos Walton to bowle with old Beamont. - I spent 10d. att bowling green house with 4 grubcatchers and Tom - Walton, and Jo. Styeth. - - “June 10, 1713.—Gave Joⁿ Malley and Jo. Parkinson 1s. to see yᵉ - cock ffeights. Gave Ned Malley 1s. for subsistence. Dinᵈ in the - cockpitt with Mr. Clifton and others. Spent in wine 6d., and pro - dinʳ 1s. Gave yᵉ fidler 6d. Spent in the pitt betwixt battles - 6d.; I won near 30s. - - “June 17, 1713.—Al day in yᵉ house and gardening; went to beed - about 7, and riss at 10, in ordʳ to goe a ffox hunting. - - “Augᵗ 29, 1713.—Paid 2s. pro servant, &c.; soe a otter hunting to - Wire, but killed none. - - “Septʳ 5, 1713.—In the morning Jos. Tounson and I went to - Staining; ... thence to Layton-heys to see a foot race, where I - won 6d. off Jos. Tounson—white against dun; soe home. Gave white - my winings. - - “Octʳ 6, 1713.—We hunted yᵗᵗ hare ffive hours; but yᵉ ground soe - thorrowly drughted by long continewance of ffine wether that we - could not kill her. - - “Decʳ 16, 1713.—In the morning went a coursing with Sʳ W: G:; - Lawʳ Rigby, &c. - - “March 16, 1714.—In the morning sent Dick Gorney and 6 more harty - lads a ffishing; I stopᵈ with a showʳ of raine. Two of Rob. - Rich his sons came in on my godson, to whom I gave 1s.; thence - followed the ffishʳˢ, where we had very good sport, and tuck 8 - brave large growen tenches, and 6 as noble carps as I have seen - tuke, severall pearch, some gudgeons, and a large eyell, and 6 - great chevens.” - -The diarist, Thomas Tyldesley, died in 1715, before the outbreak of -the rebellion, and was buried at Churchtown, near Garstang. Edward -Tyldesley, his eldest son, who succeeded him, had two children by his -wife Dorothy—James and Catherine. He was accused, tried, and acquitted -of taking part with the rebels of 1715, although the evidence clearly -convicted him of having led a body of men against the king’s forces. At -the death of Edward Tyldesley, in 1725, Myerscough no longer belonged to -the family, but Holcroft, acquired by marriage in 1679, passed to his son -James, who twenty years later served with the troops of Prince Charles, -the younger pretender, and died in 1765. The offspring of James Tyldesley -by Sarah, his wife, were Thomas, Charles, James, Henry, and Jane, all of -whom with their descendants seem to have sold or mortgaged the remnants -of the once large estates, and gradually drifted into poverty and -obscurity. - -It will not be out of place in concluding the notice of a family -connected with the earliest infancy of Blackpool, to state something of -the character and habits of Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, as disclosed -by, and deduced from, the entries in his diary, which unfortunately -comprises only the last three years of his life. At the present time -the appearance of a party of gentlemen in this neighbourhood decorated -with curled wigs, surmounted by three-cornered hats, and habited in -long-figured waistcoats, plush breeches, and red-heeled boots, would -excite no little astonishment, yet in the days of the diarist the sight -must have been one of usual occurrence, for such was the style of costume -worn by the wealthier classes. The lower classes were clothed in garments -made from the undyed wool of the sheep and called hodden gray. - -Thomas Tyldesley was a great equestrian, his journeys being so frequent -and rapid that it is difficult to be certain of his whereabouts when he -finished his day’s work and its minute record, with the final “soe to -beed.” He was on terms of intimacy and friendship with the Rigbys of -Layton, the Veales of Whinney Heys, the Westbys of Burn Hall, and all -the wealthy families in the neighbourhood. Fishing, hunting, coursing, -and shooting were his favourite recreations. Nor was he unmindful in -the midst of these amusements of the interests of his farm, as the -accompanying remarks amply testify:—“Very bussy all morning in my hay;” -and “Alday in the house and my garden, bussy transplanting colleflowʳ -and cabage plants;” whilst at other times we find him in communication -with various tenants relative to some portion or other of the Myerscough -property. Unless confined to bed by gout or rheumatism, and the -self-imposed, but fearful, “Phissickings” he underwent, swallowing -doses whose magnitude alone would appal most men of modern days, he -was ever actively engaged in either business or pleasure. Every item -of disbursement and every circumstance that occurred, even to the most -trivial, has found a place in his diary, and from it we learn that while -evidently anxious to avoid unnecessary expenditure, he was neither -parsimonious nor illiberal, always recompensing those who had been put -to any trouble on his account, and paying his share of each friendly -gathering with a scrupulous exactness. There is, however, a satisfaction -expressed in the words, “but spent noe thing,” after the brief notice -of the horse-race he had attended on the Hawes, which, when we call to -mind his natural generosity, showed that his income required care in its -expenditure, and was barely sufficient to support the position he held -by birth. Many other entries in his diary prove that he was frequently -short of money, and as his mode of living appears to have been far -from extravagant, it seems difficult at first sight to account for the -circumstance. But when we discover that he had for years been connected, -as one of the leading members and promoters, with a Catholic and Jacobite -Society at Walton-le-dale, having for its object the restoration of the -Stuarts, then in exile, and remember that a scheme of such magnitude and -importance could not possibly be matured or kept in activity without the -purses of its more earnest supporters suffering to a great extent, we -obtain in some measure an explanation of the matter. - -The character of Thomas Tyldesley, as gleaned from his diary, may be -summarised as follows:—He was in every sense a country gentleman, fond of -field sports, happy on his farm, thoughtful of the condition and comfort -of his cattle, although sometimes given to hard, or at least far, riding; -for the rest, he was active and intelligent, liberal to his dependants, -careful in his household, and strictly honourable in all his dealings, -but above all he had an earnest and deep reverence for his creed and -principles that spared no sacrifice. - - -VEALE OF WHINNEY HEYS. - -The Veales, of Whinney Heys, who during a time of considerable license -and extravagance, were renowned for their piety and frugality, were -descended from John Veale, of Mythorp. This gentleman was living during -the reign of Elizabeth, and furnished 1 caliver and 1 morion at the -military muster which took place in 1574. Francis Veale, the son of -John Veale, of Mythorp, is the first of the name we find described as -of Whinney Heys.[63] Francis Veale left a son, Edward, who resided -at Whinney Heys, and appeared amongst the list of Free-tenants of -Amounderness in 1621. According to Sir William Dugdale, he was a justice -of the peace for Lancashire in the reigns of James I. and Charles I. -Edward Veale married Ellen, the daughter and co-heiress, with her -younger sister Alice, of John Massey, of Layton and Carleton, and in -that way the Veales acquired much of their property in the neighbourhood -of Whinney Heys. The offspring of this union were—John, who was born -in 1605; Massey; Edward; Francis; Singleton; Ellen, who married Thomas -Heardson, of Cambridge; Juliana; Dorothy, who married George Sharples, -of Freckleton; Anne, who became the wife of John Austin, of London; -Alice; and Frances, the wife of William Wombwell, of London. The maiden -name of Mrs. Edward Veale’s mother was Singleton, she being the daughter -of Thomas Singleton, of Staining Hall, and for that reason we find -the name borne by one of the sons of Edward Veale. John Veale, the -eldest son, succeeded to the Hall and estate, and espoused Dorothy, the -daughter of Matthew Jepson, of Hawkswell, in Yorkshire. John Veale was -fifty-nine years of age in 1664, and at that date entered the names of -his ancestors, etc., before Sir William Dugdale at Preston, who was -on his heraldic visitation in Lancashire. The children of John Veale, -by Dorothy, his wife, were—John, Edward, Helen, Susan, and Jane. John -Veale, who was twenty years old in 1664, became the representative of the -family on the decease of his father, some time previous to which he had -married Susannah, the daughter of Geoffrey Rishton, of Antley, and by -her had issue—Edward, born in 1680; Ellen, the wife of Richard Sherdley, -of Kirkham, born in 1698; and Dorothy, who died unmarried in 1747, aged -76 years. John Veale was a justice of the peace for this county, and -died in 1704. After the death of John Veale, whose remains were interred -at Bispham church, Edward, his only son, inherited the lands and Hall -of Whinney Heys. Edward Veale was living at the same time as Thomas -Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, Blackpool, and between the two gentlemen a close -friendship seems to have existed, as we glean from the diary of the -latter, in which Edward Veale is frequently mentioned, being invariably, -for some reason, styled Captain,—perhaps he once held that rank in some -temporary or reserve force, for there is no record of his ever having -been connected with the regular troops. The following is a short extract -from the above diary in 1712:— - - “Aug. 2.—Att my returne I wentt to yᵉ King’s Arms, and got my - dinʳ with Broʳ. We spent 1s. a pice in whitte wine, and as wee - went through yᵉ hall met with Just. Longworth,[64] Capᵗᵗ Veale, - Just. Pearson, Franke Nickinson, and small Lᵈ of Roshall.[65] Wee - were very merry upon yᵉ small Lord, and spent 1s. a pice in sack - and white wine, wʰ elevated yᵉ petite Lᵈ that before he went to - bed he tucke yᵉ ffriedom of biting his man Sharocke’s thumb off - just beyond yᵉ nail. I found cos. W: W: att home.” - -Edward left issue at his death in 1723, at forty-three years of age—John, -Sarah, and Susannah. John Veale, the heir, entered into holy orders, and -subsequently died unmarried. Sarah and Susannah Veale, the co-heiresses -of their brother, married respectively Edward Fleetwood, of Rossall Hall -(the small lord), and John Fayle, of the Holmes, Thornton, who erected -Bridge House in Bispham, after the model of the original Hall of Whinney -Heys. The lands and residence of Whinney Heys eventually passed into the -possession of the Fleetwoods, of Rossall, through the wife of Edward -Fleetwood. The Veales were Puritans in religion, and one of the family, -named Edward Veale, whose father was the third son of Edward and Ellen -Veale mentioned above, and a lay member of the Presbyterian Classis for -this district in the time of the Commonwealth, attained considerable -eminence, first as a Puritan preacher and afterwards as a Nonconformist -minister. Calamy, in his _Nonconformist Memorial_, tells us that “Mr. -Edward Veale, of Christ Church, Oxford, afterwards of Trinity College, -Dublin, was ordained at Winwick in Lancashire, August 4th, 1657. When he -left Ireland he brought with him a testimonial of his being ‘a learned, -orthodox minister, of a sober, pious, and peaceable conversation, who -during his abode at the college was eminently useful for the instruction -of youth, and whose ministry had been often exercised in and about -the city of Dublin with great satisfaction to the godly, until he was -deprived of his fellowship for nonconformity to the ceremonies imposed -in the church, and for joining with other ministers in their endeavours -for a reformation;’ signed by Richard Charnock and six other respectable -ministers. He became chaplain to Sir William Waller, in Middlesex, and -afterwards settled as a Nonconformist pastor in Wapping, where he lived -to a good old age. He had several pupils, to whom he read university -learning, who were afterwards useful persons; one of whom was Mr. -Nathaniel Taylor. He died June 6th, 1708, aged 76. His funeral sermon was -preached by Mr. T. Symonds, who succeeded him.” - - -WESTBY OF MOWBRECK HALL AND BURN HALL.[66] - -The family of this name, so long associated with the township of -Medlar-with-Wesham, in the parish of Kirkham, is descended from the -Westbys of Westby, in the county of York. - -William Westby, who was under-sheriff of Lancashire in 1345, is the first -of the name, we can find, residing at Mowbreck; and a great-grandson of -his, named William Westby, is recorded as inheriting the Mowbreck and -Westby property in the reign of Henry VI., 1422-61. John Westby, the -son of the latter William, succeeded to the estates, residing, like his -ancestors, at Mowbreck Hall, and was twice married, the offspring of -the first union, with Mabill, daughter of Richard Botiler, being two -daughters; and of the second, with Eleanor Kirkby, of Rawcliffe, a son -and heir, named William, who succeeded him at his death in 1512. William -Westby, although the lawful holder of the estates, did not obtain control -over them until after 1517, being a minor at that date. He married -Elizabeth Rigmayden, of Wedacer, and had issue—John, Elizabeth, and -Helen. John Westby, the heir, had possession of Mowbreck, and Burn in -Thornton township, about the year 1556, after the decease of his father; -his places of residence were Mowbreck and Burn Halls. He was thrice -married, and by his last wife, Ann, daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, -of Sefton and Larbrick, and widow of Thomas Dalton, of Thurnham, had -issue—John, Thomas, William, Ellen, and Mary. John Westby succeeded his -father in 1591, and dying unmarried in 1604, was in his turn succeeded -by his brother, Thomas Westby, who was twice married, and purchased the -estate of Whitehall, where the children of his second union established -themselves. The offspring of his first wife, Perpetua, daughter of Edward -Norris, of Speke, were—John, Thomas, Edward, William, Francis, Margaret, -Perpetua, and Anne. John Westby, the heir, came into the Mowbreck estate -and Burn Hall some time after 1622, but dying without issue in 1661, was -succeeded by his nephew, Thomas, the eldest son of his fourth brother, -Francis Westby, Thomas Westby, M.D., slain in the civil wars, and his two -other brothers, Edward and William, having died childless. Thomas Westby, -the inheritor of Westby, Mowbreck, and Burn, was born in 1641, and -espoused Bridget, daughter of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham Hall, his issue -being John, Thomas, William, Cuthbert, Robert, Francis, Bridget, Anne, -and Dorothy. John Westby, the eldest son, inherited Westby, Mowbreck, and -Burn Hall, on the demise of his father in 1700. Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox -Hall, was intimate with this gentleman, as observed from the following -entry in his diary in the year 1715:— - - “June primo.—Went to Mains to prayers; thence with Jack Westby to - Burn to dinner; stayed till 4; thence to Whinneyheys; stayed till - 9; soe home.” - -John Westby married, in 1688, Jane, daughter of Christopher Parker, -of Bradkirk Hall, and had issue four daughters—Catherine, who married -Alexander Osbaldeston, of Sunderland; Bridget, the wife of William -Shuttleworth, of Turnover Hall; Mary, the wife of the Rev. Thomas -Alderson; and Anne, the wife of the Rev. J. Bennison, of London. At -the death of John Westby in 1722, Burn Hall and estate passed to the -Bennisons, whilst Mowbreck became the property of Thomas Westby, who died -childless six years later, and afterwards of Robert Westby, brothers of -the deceased John Westby. Margaret Shuttleworth, the daughter of William -and Bridget Shuttleworth, of Turnover, married her cousin, Thomas Westby, -of Whitehall, in 1744, and had numerous offspring, the eldest of whom, -John Westby, succeeded to Mowbreck, as heir-at-law, on the death of his -relative, Robert Westby, before mentioned, in 1762. This John Westby -died in 1811 unmarried, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother, -Thomas Westby. This gentleman also died unmarried, and was succeeded -in 1829 in the Turnover Hall estate, by his cousin, Thomas Westby, -heir-at-law, to whose eldest son, George Westby, he left Whitehall and -Mowbreck. George Westby espoused Mary Pauton, the eldest daughter of -Major John Tate, of the 6th West Indian Infantry, and had issue—Mary -Virginia Ann; Matilda Julia, wife of the Rev. Dr. Henry Hayman; Jocelyn -Tate; Ada Perpetua; Georgina Blanche; Ashley George, late captain in -the army; Cuthbert Menzies; Bernard Hægar, captain 16th regiment; Basil -Clifton, captain 16th regiment. George Westby died at Paris in 1842, and -was succeeded by his eldest son, Jocelyn Tate, the present holder, who -took by royal license the name and arms of Fazakerley on espousing, in -1862, Matilda Harriette Gillibrand-Fazakerley sister and co-heiress of -the late Henry Hawarden Gillibrand-Fazakerley, the son of Henry Hawarden -Fazakerley, of Gillibrand Hall, etc., and lord of the manor of Chorley. - -Jocelyn Tate Fazakerley-Westby, of Mowbreck Hall, esq., was formerly a -cornet in the Scotch Greys, and is now a captain of Lancashire hussars, -yeomanry cavalry. He is a justice of the peace and a deputy-lieutenant of -the county of Lancaster. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -PARISH OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE. - - -POULTON. The ancient town and port of Poulton occupies the summit of -a gentle ascent about one mile removed from the waters of Wyre at -Skippool, and three from the Irish Sea at Blackpool. Between 1080 and -’86, Poltun, as it was written in the Norman Survey, contained no more -than two carucates of land under tillage, or in an arable condition, -so that out of the 900 acres composing the township, only 200 were -cultivated by the inhabitants. A considerable proportion of the entire -area of the township, however, would be covered with lofty trees, and -provide excellent forage ground for large herds of swine, which formed -the chief live-stock dealt in by our Anglo-Saxon and early Norman -ancestors. Taking this into consideration, the comparatively small amount -of soil devoted to agriculture, may not, indeed, indicate so meagre -a population about the close of the eleventh century as otherwise it -would seem to do, but still the evidence adduced is barely sufficient -whereon to base the assumption that the antecedents of Poulton had been -less under the destructive influence of the Danes than those of its -neighbours. Regarding the locality more retrospectively, and turning -back, for a brief space, to the era of the Romans, it must be admitted -that nothing has as yet been discovered which could be construed into an -intimation that the followers of Agricola, or their descendants, ever had -a settlement or encampment on the site. It is true that the churchyard -has yielded up many specimens of their ancient coinage, whilst others -have been found at no great distance, but the character of the relics -is in no way suggestive of a sojournment, like that of the fragmentary -domestic utensils and urns of Kirkham; and when it is remembered that the -much-used Roman road (Dane’s Pad) leading to the most important harbour -of the west coast, passed through the vicinity on its way towards the -Warren of Rossall, the explanation of the presence of the coins, as -of other antiquities along its line, is obvious. The name of the town -and district now under examination is of pure Anglo-Saxon origin, and -acquired from its proximity to the pool of the Skipton, or Skippool, -the signification of the word being, it is scarcely necessary to add, -the enclosure or township of the pool. The date at which habitations -first became visible on the soil must remain in a great measure a matter -of conjecture, as the annals of history are silent respecting this and -most other towns of Amounderness, until the arrival of William the -Conqueror, but we may safely infer that it was not long after the advent -of the Saxons before a situation so convenient both to the stream of -Wyre and the frequented pathway just mentioned, attracted a small colony -of settlers. Whatever century gave birth to Poulton, it is certain -that from such epoch to 1066, the population would be constituted, -almost exclusively, of the class known as “Villani,” perhaps most -appropriately interpreted by our term villagers, and that the occupation -of these bondsmen of the soil would be the tillage of the land and the -superintendence of swine. Their huts were doubtless of very rude and -primitive construction, but somewhere within the boundaries of the -township there must have been a dwelling of more pretentious exterior, -the residence of the Town-Reve, who received the dues and tolls from -the “Villani,” on behalf of the large territorial lord, and exercised -a general supervision over them. Athelstan appears to have held the -lordship of the whole of Amounderness in 936, when he conveyed it to the -See of York, and possibly before he ascended the throne it was invested -successively in his regal predecessors. - -After the Conquest, Poulton passed into the possession of the Norman -nobleman, Roger de Poictou, by whom it was granted in 1094, to the -priory of St. Mary, at Lancaster. “He gave,” says the charter, “Poltun -in Agmundernesia, and whatsoever belonged to it, and the church with -one carucate of land, and all other things belonging to it; moreover -he gave the tithe of venison and of pawnage[67] in all the woods, and -the tithe of his fishery.”[68] This extract proves beyond question -the existence of a church at Poulton exactly eight years after the -completion of the Domesday record; and further, that it was endowed with -one carucate of land, or half the cultivated portion of the township. -At the first glance it seems more probable that the sacred edifice was -overlooked by the investigators in the course of the survey than that -it was erected so shortly afterwards, but a study of other pages of the -register betrays such evident care and minuteness on the part of those to -whom the work of compilation was entrusted, that it appears impossible -for an important building like the church to have escaped their notice. -Roger de Poictou was justly celebrated for zeal in the cause of his -faith; several monastic institutions owed their establishment to his -liberality, and amongst them was St. Mary’s of Lancaster. It will -therefore be but a reasonable conclusion to arrive at, that he built and -endowed the parish church of Poulton with the intention of presenting -it to the Priory of his own founding, in connection with the abbey of -Sees in Normandy. During the reign of Richard I. (1189-99), Theobald -Walter quitclaimed to the abbot of Sees all his right to the advowson of -Poulton and the church of Bispham, owing to a suit instituted against -him by that ecclesiastic;[69] and hence it must be inferred that the -donation of Roger de Poictou had through some cause reverted to him, -being subsequently conferred on Walter in company with other of the -confiscated estates of the rebellious baron. The abbot of Cockersand -also had some interest in the town about the time the last event took -place, and in about 1216 he compounded with the prior of Lancaster for -certain tithes held by him in the parish.[70] In 1246 the mediety of the -church of Poulton and the chapel of Bispham was granted by the archdeacon -of Richmond to the priory of St. Mary, and half a century later John -Romanus, archdeacon of Richmond, confirmed the gift, bestowing on it in -addition the remaining mediety, to be received when death had removed -the present holder. A clause in the document stipulated that immediately -the second mediety had been appropriated a vicar should be appointed at -a salary of twenty marks (£13 6s. 8d.) per annum.[71] Here again it is -clear that some time in the interval between 1199 and 1246 the lands and -living of Poulton had once more been forfeited or disposed of by the -Lancaster monastery, but in the absence of any records bearing on the -subject, the manner and reason of the relinquishment must still continue -enveloped in a veil of mystery. From 1246 the vicarage of Poulton -remained attached to the Lancaster foundation until the dissolution of -alien priories, when it was conveyed to the abbey of Sion, in Middlesex, -and retained by that convent up to the time of the Reformation in 1536. -Alien priories, it may be explained, were small monastic institutions -connected with the abbeys of Normandy, and established on lands which had -been granted or bequeathed to the parent houses by William the Conqueror -or one of his followers. They were occupied by only a very limited number -of brethren and members of the sisterhood. A prior was appointed over -each, his chief duty being to collect the rents and other monies due from -their estates, etc., and transmit them over to Normandy. Such immense -sums were in that way annually exported out of the country, that it was -ultimately deemed expedient by the king and his ministers to suppress all -priories of this description. - -The Banastres were a family long connected with the Fylde through landed -property which they held in the neighbourhood; originally they are -stated to have come over from Normandy with William the Conqueror, and -to have settled at Newton in the Willows. On their frequent journeys to -and from Thornton, Singleton, and Staining, the tenants of the priory of -St. Mary were in the habit of crossing over the lands of the Banastres, -by whom their intrusions were deeply resented, which led to constant -feuds between them and the head of the Lancaster monastery. In 1276, as -we learn from the “Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc.,” Sir Adam Banastre with -several of his friends and retainers, amongst whom were John Wenne, -Richard le Demande (the collector), William de Thorneton, Richard de -Brockholes, Geoffrey le Procuratoure (the proctor), and Adam le Reve (the -reeve), attacked the prior, Ralph de Truno, and his train of attendants, -when on their way to Poulton. They seized and carried off both him -and his retinue to Thornton, where, after treating them with great -indignity, they chastised and imprisoned them. Edward I., on hearing of -the disgraceful outrage, appointed John Travers, William de Tatham, and -John de Horneby to investigate the matter and ascertain the cause, if -possible; but no paper is now to be found revealing the result of the -examination or hinting at the provocation, although a surmise may be -hazarded that it was no new quarrel, but simply the old feud, which had -at last culminated in a cowardly assault on a defenseless ecclesiastic. - -In 1299, Poulton was held in trust by Thomas, earl of Lancaster, for -the prior of St. Mary; and eight years anterior to that date the abbot -of Deulacres, in Staffordshire, drew certain revenues from land in the -township, viz., £8 per annum from 16 carucates of land, about 13s. 4d. -each year from the sale of meadow land, 10s. from assessed rents, and -£5 from the profit of stock, making in all an annual total of £14 3s. -4d. The repeated disputes between Sir Adam Banastre and Adam Conrates, -prior of Lancaster, relative to the trespasses of the latter’s tenants -and the collection of tithes on the domains of the former were peaceably -settled in 1330, by an arrangement, in which Sir Adam pledged himself to -allow two good roads across his lands—one from Poulton and Thornton to -Skippool and thence across the ford of Aldwath, now called Shard, on to -Singleton, the other starting from the same localities and running to -the ford of Bulk higher up the river, probably the modern Cartford, or -in its vicinity; in addition the knight agreed to make good any damage -that the prior or his dependants might suffer over that portion of their -journeys.[72] Adam Conrates on his side promised to withdraw all actions -for trespass, etc., on the fulfilment of these conditions. In 1354 a -person named Robert de Pulton held some small possessions in Poulton, but -nothing further than that trifling fact is recorded about him, although -it is probable from the orthography of his name that his ancestors -were at some time closely and honourably associated with the town -from which their distinctive appellation appears to have been derived. -During the time of Elizabeth, James Massey, gentleman, of Carleton and -Layton, purchased from the governors of the Savoy Hospital, in London, -the tolls in the parish of Poulton, together with all the “chauntry and -appurtenances” founded in the parish church of Bricksworth, and all -messuages, lands, tenements, etc., situated in the town and parish of -Poulton; the tolls remained subject to an annual rent of £2, to be paid -on St. Michael’s day to the governors and chaplains of the hospital. -Later in the same reign James Massey sold to William Leigh, esq., of High -Leigh, in Cheshire, half of these tolls and some pasture fields, called -“Angell’s Holme,” adjoining the Horse-bridge, where in earlier days, -when the waters of Wyre made their way along a brook into the interior -of this neighbourhood, boats are said to have been built. The Rigbys, of -Layton Hall, subsequently became possessed of a great part of Poulton, -and at the present day a large number of houses are leased in their name -for the remainder of terms of 999 years; the Heskeths, of Mains, and -other leading families in the district were also considerable property -owners in the town. On one occasion the ruling powers of Kirkham made an -unsuccessful attempt to obtain the tolls arising from the cattle fairs -held in Poulton and Singleton, but on what plea such claims were urged -the record is silent. - -In an entry which occurs in the lists of the Norman Roll, an impost -consisting of the ninth of corn, fleeces, and lambs, and created in 9 -Edward III., 1336, it is stated that in 1291 the vicarage of Poulton -was taxed by Pope Nicholas at 10 marks, or £6 13s. 4d. modern coinage, -the prior of Norton taking £2 in garbs or wheat sheaves. Afterwards -the vicarage was freed from the payments of tenths on account of the -smallness of the living. Dr. Whittaker informs us that the priory of -Lancaster was granted by Henry V., in 1422, to the chancellor of England, -who in that year instituted a vicar to the living of Poulton, but eight -years previously, in the same reign, the priory was granted in trust -for the abbess and convent of Sion; from which seemingly contradictory -statements it may be gathered that the chancellor was the trustee for -the property, and in such capacity alone acted as patron of the church -of Poulton. In support of this supposition may be cited the fact -that the Lancaster house and its belongings were not received by the -convent in Middlesex until 1431, during the sovereignty of Henry VI., -when the vicarage was endowed by the abbess, and William de Croukeshagh -presented to the living. This pastor, the earliest personally mentioned, -was succeeded on his death, in 1442, by Richard Brown, appointed by -the same convent. “Among the records,” writes Baines in his history of -Lancashire, “in the Augmentation Office is in indenture tripartite in -English, bearing the date 11 Henry VIII., 1579, and purporting to be made -between the Abbess of Sion on the first part, Thomas Singleton and Henry -Singleton on the second part, and William Bretherton, vicar of Poulton, -on the third part, by which the tithe-sheaf of Pulton and a tenement are -leased to the vicar, that he may better keep and maintain his house in -Pulton; the term to continue during the existence of a lease granted to -the persons named Singleton by Sion abbey.” At the Reformation the manor -and advowson were claimed by the crown, and a few years later became the -property of the Fleetwoods. The last royal presentation to the living was -made by Edward VI. in 1552, just one year before his death, whilst the -first by this family was in 1565, by John Fleetwood, lord of the manor of -Penwortham. The Rev. Charles Hesketh, M.A., of North Meols, is now the -patron. - -The ancient church of Poulton stood on the site now occupied by the -existing edifice, and like it, was dedicated to the Saxon St. Chad -or Cheadda, bishop of Mercia, and seated at Chester in A.D. 669. The -original structure consisted of only a nave and north aisle, the outer -walls of which were composed of sandstone, whilst the double roof rested -on semicircular arches, extending from the chancel to the font, and -supported on four octagonal pillars. These semicircular arches belonged -to a very antique style of architecture, and have given rise to the -belief that the pillars were at first massive cylinders, being carved -into an angular form about the time of Henry VIII. The pulpit had its -place towards the south, and at the east end there appears to have been -a small gallery. A pipe clay monument _in memoriam_ of the Singletons, -of Staining, stood inside the church, but was, intentionally or -accidentally, destroyed when the building was pulled down. A rude brass -crucifix and a chalice, both of which belonged to the church previous to -the Reformation, are still preserved, one being in the possession of -a late priest at Breck chapel, and the other in the Catholic chapel at -Claughton. The upper halves of the windows, including the east one, were -semicircular in form. In 1622 the old chancel was repaired by the Rev. -Peter Whyte, the vicar, and a stone, two feet in length and one foot and -a half in depth, bearing the name “Peter Whyte,” and the date “1622,” in -raised letters about six inches long, was placed over the east window. -This piece of masonry now occupies a situation in the south-west corner -of the edifice. The churchyard, which is reported to have been usually -in a filthy and disgraceful state, was partly surrounded by a moderately -wide ditch, on the brink of which three or four fine sycamore trees -flourished, but were cut down when sundry alterations and improvements -were effected in the ground. In 1751, after the old church had been -standing six centuries and a half, it was determined to demolish it, -and erect a more commodious building on the site. The tower, however, -was retained, as, being of more recent date, it evinced none of those -symptoms of decay which had rendered the body of the edifice dangerous to -worshippers. An opinion prevails that the tower was built about the time -of Charles I., and such a view is upheld by the discovery on the removal -of the pulpit in 1836 of a square stone, having on its face the raised -letters TB. WG. in the first line, IH. TG. IH. in the second line, and -WG. 1638 in the last line. It is supposed that this stone, which is now -fixed in the wall at the south-west corner of the church, was carved in -commemoration of the erection of the tower, and the raised letters are -the initials of the churchwardens then in office, and the date when the -work was accomplished. Between this stone and the one previously referred -to, there is a stained-glass memorial window to “Robert Buck, born -1805, died 1862, presented by his sister, C. D. Foxton.” Mrs. Catherine -Dauntesy Foxton, the lady here indicated, is the representative of the -family of Bucks, of Agecroft Hall, Pendlebury, and inherited considerable -property in the neighbourhood of Poulton. During the time the new -church was in course of building, divine service was performed in the -tithe-barn, and the ceremony of baptism at the residences of the parents. -The funds required for carrying out the important undertaking were -doubtless chiefly supplied through the munificence of a comparatively -small circle of private individuals, whose contributions would probably -be in some measure supplemented by minor collections amongst the less -opulent agriculturists and peasantry. One person, named Welsh, who -resided at Marton, seems to have cherished a bitter antipathy to the -levelling of ancient structures in general, and embodied his refusal to -assist this particular work in the following rhymes:— - - “While here on earth I do abide, - I’ll keep up walls and pull down pride; - To build anew I’ll ne’er consent, - And make the needy poor lament.” - -It has usually been affirmed that the side galleries were not erected -until several years after the new church had been finished, but the -annexed extract from an old document discovered in 1875, shows that -authority to build them was obtained in 1751, whilst the church -was levelled with the ground; and as the parchment also discloses -that a number of seats in these galleries were allotted to certain -gentlemen of the parish in the ensuing year, there is ample evidence -that the rebuilding of the church and their erection were carried on -simultaneously:—“25 June, 1751. On the Certificate and request of Roger -Hesketh, Esq., Patron; the Rev. Robert Loxham, Clerk, Vicar; and the -Churchwardens of the Parish Church of Poulton; a Faculty was Granted to -John Bird, John Birley, and Richard Tennant, all of Poulton, Gentlemen -(for the better uniformity of the Parish Church of Poulton, which was -then taken down and rebuilding) to take down the Gallery over the -Chancel in the East of the said Church, which was then very irregular -and incommodious, and to rebuild the same with a convenient staircase, -stairs, and passage leading thereto, of their own expense, in the west -end thereof to adjoin to the north side of the gallery there then -standing, and to be made uniform therewith, and to make satisfaction -to the several owners of the seats in the said Gallery for the damage -sustained in removing the same and altering, and lessening the seats -therein; and to erect a Gallery on each side of the said Church, with -convenient staircases leading thereto at the north-east and south-east -ends of the said Church, if necessary, according to the form of the said -Certificate annexed, and also to remove the Pulpit and reading desk from -the place where the same then lately stood, near to the place where the -Churchwardens’ seat was then lately situate, as it would greatly tend to -the conformity of the said Church and to the benefit and advantage of the -Inhabitants of the said Parish, and also that they might have liberty to -sell and dispose of the seats to be contained in the said intended side -Galleries, to such persons within the said Parish as should stand most in -need thereof, to reimburse themselves the charges and expenses they would -be necessarily put to in building the said intended galleries and making -the alterations aforesaid.” - -The present edifice is of stone, plain but commodious, and comprises -a chancel, body, and embattled tower, with buttresses supporting each -corner. Formerly a small shed stood on one side of the tower, and was -used as a repository for the sculls and other osseous relics of humanity, -which were unearthed during the process of making fresh graves; this -house was pulled down some years ago, and its numerous treasures returned -to the ground at the south-east corner of the yard. The chancel now -standing was erected eight years since, mainly through the exertions -of the Rev. Thomas Clarke, M.A., the vicar, who died in 1869. On the -exterior of the building, over a door at the south-east corner of the -body is the inscription:—“Insignia Rici Fleetwood Ari Hujus Eccliæ -Patroni Ann Dni 1699”; above which is a circumscribed uneven space -formerly occupied by the arms of the Fleetwood family. Within the church -the quarterings of the Heskeths and Fleetwoods are hung against the walls -in frames. At the west end of the building there is a wooden panel into -which the following names have been cut:— - - Rich. Dickson. - Rich. Willson. - John Hull. - Rich. Willson. - John Woodhouse, churchwardens, 1730. - -From the way in which the holders of similar offices are arranged at -present it is surmised that these gentlemen respectively represented the -townships of - - Poulton. - Carleton. - Hardhorn. - Thornton. - Marton. - -On the south side of the church is a mural tablet to the memory of the -Rev. Richard Buck, M.A., of Agecroft Hall, Pendlebury, born 1761, died -1845, also Margaret, his wife, and Margaret, his daughter. Another -monument bears the names of Frances Hull, born 1794, died 1847; William -Wilson Hull, born 1822, died 1847, in the Queen’s service, at Bathurst, -St. Mary’s Island in the river Gambia; Henry Mitchell Hull, M.A., born -1827, died 1853; John Hull, M.D., born 1761, died 1843—“left the eldest -of the three children of John Hull, surgeon; an orphan at six years of -age, poor, friendless, by the best use of all means of education within -his power, by unwearied industry, by constant self-denial, he duly -qualified himself for the practice of his profession[73]”; Sarah Hull, -died 1842; William Winstanley Hull, M.A., Fellow of Brazenose College, -Oxford, and Barrister-at-Law, eldest son of John Hull, M.D., F.L.S., -born 1784, died 1873. Here also was the old churchwardens’ pew, removed -in 1876, having a brass plate inscribed thus:—“Thomas Whiteside, Jno -Wilkinson, Jno Whiteside, Thos. Cornwhite, Jno Hodgson, Churchwardens, -1737”; also the old pew formerly belonging to the Rigbys of Layton Hall, -on the door of which are carved the letters “A.R.,” a goats head, and -the date “1636,” being the initials and crest of Sir Alexander Rigby, of -Layton Hall. Until last year, when they were removed to afford space for -more modern seats, the two family pews of the Fleetwoods and Heskeths -stood on this side. The pews were walled in laterally and in front by -a high ornamental railing of oak, and in the larger of the two traces -of a crest were visible on the wall. Near this spot there are many very -ancient pews, one of which has the date and initials “17.TW.02” carved -upon it, whilst on the floor of the aisle close at hand is the gravestone -of “Edward Sherdley, gentleman, dyed 21st September, 1744, aged 71,” and -almost adjoining lies another stone, surmounting the remains of Geoffrey -Hornby, who died in 1732. On the day of the latter gentleman’s funeral -the west side of the market-place was destroyed by fire, and as the -procession passed the scarves of the mourners were scorched by sparks -driven by a high wind in showers from the conflagration. On the north -side of the church is a pew bearing the date ‘1662’; and near to are the -old pews of Burn Hall, Little Poulton Hall, Mains Hall, and Todderstaff -Hall, above which, fastened to the wall and marking the resting place -of several members of his family, are the arms of Thomas Fitzherbert -Brockholes, esq., of Claughton, the lord of Little Poulton, etc. - -The chancel contains a monument in memory of Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, died -1819, and his nephew, Edward Thomas Hesketh, died 1820; also of Fleetwood -Hesketh, of Rossall, who died in 1769, aged 30, and Frances Hesketh, who -died in 1809, aged 74, all of whom were interred beneath the Communion. -In addition there are two recent tablets, one being to the memory of -the late Thomas Clarke, vicar of the parish; and the other in memory of -Francis Wm. Conry, only child of F. A. Macfaddin, surgeon, 47th regt. -Within the Communion rails are two antique and elaborately carved oak -chairs. - -In the south gallery are mural tablets inscribed in remembrance of Edward -Hornby, died in 1766, and Margaret, his wife; Edward Sherdley, died 1744, -and Ellen, his wife; Giles Thornber, J.P., died 1860, and his wife; -Geoffrey Hornby, died in 1732, and Susannah, his wife; Richard Harrison, -vicar of Poulton, died in 1718, aged 65; and Christopher Albin, curate -of Bispham, died in 1753, aged 56, on a pew door opposite to which is a -brass plate engraved:—“Introite et orate, cælo supinas si tuleris manus -sacra feceris, malaque effugies.[74] Christopher and Margery Albin 1752.” - -At one time a sounding board was suspended over the pulpit. An ancient -font, formerly belonging to the church and now the property of the -vicar, the Rev. William Richardson, M.A., has carved upon its exterior -the date 1649, the letters M.H., a cross, and something, in its damaged -state difficult to trace but betraying some resemblance to a crown. The -successor to this font was removed several years since to make room -for a new one presented by the daughter of the Rev. Canon Hull, of -Eaglescliffe, in memory of her sister Frances Mary Hull, who died in -1866, aged 20 years. - -The old church books, extracts from which will be given subsequently, -contain many entries of sums paid for rushes to strew the pews and -aisles, a custom existing here as late as 1813. In the tower is a peal of -six bells, with the inscriptions:— - - 1st Bell.—“Prosperity to all our Benefactors. A. R. 1741. - 2nd. ” —“Peace and good Neighbourhood. A. R. 1741. - 3rd. ” —“Prosperity to this Parish. A. R. 1741. - 4th. ” —“When us you ring - We’ll sweetly sing. A. R. 1741. - 5th. ” —“Able Rudhall - Cast us all. M. T. Gloucester. 1741.”[75] - -The 6th bell was recast by G. Mears and Company, of London, in 1865, -at the sole expense of the Rev. T. Clarke, and is inscribed:—“T. -Clarke, M.A., vicar; W. Gaulter, J. T. Bailey, W. Jolly, J. Whiteside, -churchwardens.” The original inscription was—“Robert Fishwick, John -Wilkinson, William Cookson, James Hull, John Moore, churchwardens.” - -About thirty years since the roof of the church was altered and renewed. -Notwithstanding the fact that the churchyard has been in constant use -for so many centuries very few emblems of antiquity, beyond occasional -coins of the Roman era, have ever been discovered in it, and at present, -unlike most burial grounds of great age, no specimens of raised letters -are to be seen amongst the numerous gravestones, the oldest of which -still legible, intimates the resting place of Richard Elston, and has -the date 1719. At a short distance, and assisting to flag a side pathway -to the south of the church, is another stone, covering the grave of -“Richard Brown, of Great Marton, who died the third day of April, 1723”; -but neither this nor the foregoing one have any interest beyond their -antiquity. The ancient practice of tolling the Curfew-bell is still -continued in the winter evenings from the 29th of September to the 10th -of March, whilst a pancake bell is rung at 12 o’clock on each Shrove -Tuesday.[76] - - VICARS OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE. - - IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF LANCASTER. - - ------------+-------------------+---------------------+---------------- - Date of | VICARS. | On whose | Cause of - Institution.| | Presentation. | vacancy. - ------------+-------------------+---------------------+---------------- - In 1431 |Wm. de Croukeshagh |Abbot and Convent | - | | of Sion | - ” 1442 |Richard Brown |Ditto | - Before 1519 |William Bretherton |Ditto | - In 1552 |Ranulph Woodward |Edward VI. | - |Richard Cropper | | - ” 1565 |Wm. Wrightington |John Fleetwood, of |Death of Richard - | | Penwortham | Cropper - ” 1573 |Richard Grenhall |Bridget Fleetwood |Death of William - | | and William, her | Wrightington - | | son | - ” 1582 |Peter Whyte |Edward Fleetwood |Death of Richard - | | and William Purston| Grenhall - About 1650 |John Sumner | | - |George Shaw | | - In 1674 |Richard Harrison |Richard Fleetwood, |Death of George - | | of Rossall | Shaw - ” 1718 |Timothy Hall |Edward Fleetwood, |Death of Richard - | | of Rossall | Harrison - ” 1726 |Robert Loxham |Ditto[77] |Death of T. Hall - ” 1749 |Robert Loxham |Roger Hesketh, of |Resignation of - | | Rossall | R. Loxham - ” 1770 |Thomas Turner |Exors. of Fleetwood |Death of Robert - | | Hesketh, of | Loxham - | | Rossall, by consent| - | | of his widow | - ” 1810 |Nathaniel Hinde |Bold Fleetwood |Death of Thomas - | | Hesketh, of Rossall| Turner - ” 1820 |Chas. Hesketh, M.A.|Peter Hesketh, of |Cession of - | | Rossall | N. Hinde - ” 1835 |John Hull, M.A. |Rev. C. Hesketh, of |Resignation of - | | North Meols | C. Hesketh - ” 1864 |Thos. Clarke, M.A. |Ditto |Resignation of - | | | J. Hull - ” 1869 |William Richardson,|Ditto |Death of T. - | M.A. | | Clarke - ------------+-------------------+---------------------+---------------- - -Of the earlier vicars mentioned above, nothing is known until we come -to the Rev. Peter Whyte, of whose immediate descendants it is recorded -that, after his death, they rapidly drifted into poverty, and that one -of them, a granddaughter, regularly attended the fairs of Poulton as -the wife of a pedlar or hawker. The Rev. Richard Harrison was cousin to -Cuthbert Harrison, the Nonconformist divine who suffered ejection, and -belonged to the Bankfield family. Until instituted to Poulton, Richard -Harrison was curate at Goosnargh. His son Paul gained some celebrity as -a controversial writer on matters of ecclesiastical interest.[78] The -Loxhams settled at Dowbridge, near Kirkham, and that estate is still held -by the family. The Rev. Thomas Turner purchased the living in 1770, when -it was worth no more than £75 per annum, for £200, and held it until -his death forty years later. The Rev. C. Hesketh, M.A., brother to the -late Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., is rector of North Meols and -patron of the living. During a portion of the time when he was vicar of -Poulton, the Rev. R. Bowness was curate in charge. The Rev. John Hull, -M.A., is honorary canon of Manchester, and was examining chaplain to the -Right Rev. Prince Lee, D.D., the first bishop of this diocese, by whom -he was appointed to the rectory of Eaglescliffe, near Yarm, one of the -most valuable livings in his gift. The Rev. Thomas Clarke, M.A., was -originally curate at the Parish Church of Preston, and afterwards became -incumbent of Christ Church in the same town, which living he resigned on -being presented to the vicarage of Poulton. - -Subjoined are a number of extracts selected from the old account books -of the churchwardens, and in them will be found much that is both -interesting and curious:— - - “1764. - - “June 4.—To the Ringers, being his Majestie’s Birthday, 3s. 0d. - - July 8.—To a Bottle of Wine to a strange Parson, 2s. 0d.: To - ditto to a strange Parson, 2s. 0d. - - “1765. - - “June 6.”—To Mr. Lomas for mending clock, 2s. 2d. - - August 18.—To Thomas Parkinson for Rushes, 6s. 8d.: Spent when - Rush came, 1s. 7d. - - Oct. 20.—To Mr. Loxham for a Prayer, 2d. - - Dec. 25.—Spent Receiving Bassoon, 1s. 6d.: To Clark in full for - wages, £4 0s. 0d.: To Ringers Last half yʳ Sallary, 18s. 0d.: To - Singers in full, 12s. 6d. - - “1766. - - “Sept. 15.—Rushes for Church, 6s. 8d.: Candles, Beesoms, &c., - 12s. 6d. - - “1767. - - “May 13.—Court fees at Visitation, 7s. 10d.: Churchwardens’ - Expenses at Preston, £1 7s. 5d.: Curat’s horse hire to Dᵒ, 2s. 6d. - - July 20.—To Reed for Bassoon, 4s. 6d. - - Nov. 21.—To Hugh Seed for Flaggin, £6 18s. 8½d.: To Thos. Crook - for Church steps, 18s. 4d.: Ale at fixing dᵒ, 1s. 0d. - - “1768. - - “Sept. 1.—To Mr. Warbrick for Cloth for Surpᶜᵉ, 10½d.: To a - Sacrament day, 11s. 6d. - - “1769. - - “Feb. 1.—To A New Prayer Book, £1 1s. 3d. - - ” 6.—To Cleaning Candlesticks, 2s. 0d. - - Mar. 27.—To Cash wᵗʰ Marton Parson, 5s. 5d. Received By Miss - Hesketh’s Burial in the Church, 3s. 4d. - - “1770. - - “Mar. 13.—To Cash allowed Church Wardens for attending sacramᵉⁿᵗ, - 5s. 0d. - - “1771. - - “May 29.—To Ringers ale, 3s. 0d. - - Aug. 18.—Spent when Parson Hull preeched, 4s. 6d. - - “1772. - - Aug. 14.—To cleaning Windows, 7s.; and lowance of ale 2s. 6d. - - “1774. - - “July 4.—Spent on Parson Eckleston and another strange Parson, - one Red prayrs and the other preached, 3s. 6d. - - Dec. 21.—To Expense of a Meeting in sending for boys that had - done Mischief at Church, 1s. - - “1775. - - “May 3.—To 5 Church Wardens attending 7 Sacrament Days, £1 15s. - 0d. - - May 6.—To Horse Hire for 5 Church Wardens twice to the - Visitation, £1 5s.: To Wᵐ Brown for ale for Richᵈ Rossall whilst - he was altering Pulpit, and at settling his accᵗ, 3s. - - June 30.—Spent on Martin Singers, 10s. - - Oct. 4.—Spent on St. Lawrence’s Singers, 18s. 4d. - - “1781. - - “July 14.—It is agreed this Day among the Parishioners of the - several Townships of Poulton that all arrears belonging to the - said Parish unto the time of Visitation last past shall be - paid and discharged by a Tax regularly laid upon the Parish in - general, and that all charges of Organ and Organist for the - Parish Church of Poulton shall not be defrayed hereafter by any - Tax levied on the Parish in general but by voluntary subscription - only. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands the Day - and Year above written. - - THOMAS TURNER, Vicar of Poulton; EDWᵈ SMITH, JAMES BISBROWN, - PAUL HARRISON. - - “1782. - - “Feb. 6.—Recᵈ for Mr. Brockhole’s Burial in the Church, 3s. 4d. - - July 27.—Memorandum: It is agreed at this Vestry Meeting by all - the parishioners who have attended here that in future the public - ringing days in this parish shall be reduced to two, namely, the - King’s Birthday and Christmas Day,—the ringers to be allowed Six - Shillings on each day; and further, that the Church Wardens’ - Expenses on every Visitation shall on no pretence exceed forty - shillings.—JOSEPH HARRISON, WILLIAM DICKSON, JAMES STANDEN, EDW. - SMITH, THOS. TWISS, RICH. SINGLETON, THOMPSON NICKSON. - - “1788. - - “June 7.—Cartage of Rush and allowance, 9s. 0d.: Kirkham Singers, - 10s. 6d. - - “1793. - - “Pᵈ for ale for Ringers on 29 May, 6s. 0d. - ” ” do ” do on the 4 of June, 6s. 0d. - ” ” do ” do on the 25 Octobʳ, 6s. 0d. - ” ” do ” do on the 5 Novembʳ, 7s. 6d. - ” ” do ” do on the 25 Decembʳ, 6s. 0d. - ” ” do ” do on Easter Tuesday, 7s. 6d.[79] - - Dec. 8.—To Cash Recᵈ for digging a grave in the Church for Mrs. - Buck, 3s. 4d. - - Nov. 5.—Spent on Singers, 12s. 0d.: ditto on Ribbons for Girls, - 2s. 0d. - - “1798. - - “Oct. 4.—To Ringers on Nelson’s Victory, 2s. 6d.[80] - - “1805. - - “June 9.—To Expˢ to Church Town when John Sauter Clerk convicted - himself in getting drunk, and Timothy Swarbrick for making him - drunk (when they were each fined 5s.), 1s. 6d. - - Oct. 2.—To Rush, 14s. 3d. - - “1806. - - Nov. 9.—To Ringers at Lord Nelson’s victory of Trafalgar on the - 21st, 7s. 0d. - - N.B.: No money to be given to the Ringers on account of any - Victory in future on the Parish account; the Victory of Trafalgar - was so Extraordinary that 7s. was allowed to the Ringers on that - occasion. - - “1811. - - “Resolved that in compliance with the request of the inhabitants - of Marton one pound shall be allowed for an annual Dinner on - Easter Day in future. - - “1817. - - “Nov. 20.—To Expenses to Churchtown when Wᵐ Hodkinson, Wᵐ - Whiteside, and Wᵐ Butcher was convicted for getting drunk—Wᵐ - Hodkinson finde, and the other two acquitted upon the promise of - future good behaviour, 3s. 0d.” - -The following extracts from the parish registers show the numbers of -marriages, baptisms, and burials, which took place during the last and -first years of the specified centuries:— - - 1600-1601. 1700-1701. 1800-1801. - Marriages 16 15 22 21 13 13 - Baptisms 40 74 73 79 63 57 - Burials 52 41 56 57 67 48 - -Anterior to 1674 the old vicarage was a thatched building of two stories, -the upper one being open to the roof and supported on crooks, but about -that date the vicar, the Rev. Rich. Harrison, made an addition, abutting -the west end, and put the original portion in thorough repair. This -house, which was surrounded by venerable trees, was taken down in 1835, -and the present vicarage erected on the site. - -In 1830, a spacious building, capable of holding three hundred persons, -was erected in Sheaf Street by voluntary subscription for the purposes of -a Sunday School, previous to which a small cottage in the Green had been -used as a meeting place for the scholars connected with the church. - -About one hundred and fifty years ago the town of Poulton presented a -very different appearance to that it wears in our day. The market-place -was surrounded by a number of low thatched houses of very humble -exteriors, if we except a few private residences, as those of the -Walmsleys and Rigbys, which stood out conspicuously from the rest, not -only by their superiority in size, but also by the possession of slated -or flagged roofs. The house of the Rigbys was built in 1693 by Sir -Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall, who was High-sheriff of the county in -1691-2, and stands at the south end of the square, the family arms and -date of erection being still attached to the front wall. The building is -now used as a dwelling and retail shop combined, and contains little of -moment beyond the ancient oak balustrade and staircase. It is probable -that Sir Alexander Rigby built the house with the intention of using it -as a town residence for himself and family during the winter months, -for we must remember that Poulton contained several persons of note and -distinction at that time, and nothing is more natural than that the -knight should prefer the cheerful society to be found amongst them to the -long solitudes of the Hall during the dull, inclement season of the year, -when country roads were almost impassable. After Sir Alexander Rigby had -been released from prison, having satisfied the claims of his creditors, -he took up his abode permanently in Poulton until his death, Layton Hall -and other property having been sold, but whether his remains were laid in -the churchyard here, or removed elsewhere, cannot be ascertained. - -At the opposite end of the market-place was the Moot Hall, connected with -which were shambles and pent-houses, the latter being continued along the -fronts of the dwellings in the square. None of the streets could boast -a pavement, and as a consequence intercourse between the inhabitants in -rainy weather was a matter of considerable inconvenience and difficulty, -visiting under such unfavourable circumstances being usually performed -by means of stepping stones. Public lamps were unknown in the streets, -and any one whose business or pleasure took him abroad after night-fall -or dusk, would have to rely on the feeble glimmer of a horn lantern to -guide him along the proper track and protect him from floundering in the -mud. Looking on this picture of discomfort, it seems pretty certain to us -that our Poultonian forefathers at least, could they but enjoy one week -of our modern life and improvements, would be the very last to join in -the wish, so often enthusiastically, but rather thoughtlessly, expressed, -for a revival of the _good_ old times. The market-square still retains -its fishstones, cross, whipping post, and stocks; and although the wooden -portion of the last has been recently renewed, we are in a position to -inform the curious or alarmed reader that it has not been done with the -view of re-introducing the obsolete punishment, but merely to preserve a -link, be it ever so painful an one, with the past. The cross surmounts -a stone pillar placed on a circular base of similar material, formed in -steps and tapering towards the column. - -Although Poulton was never the scene of any military encounter during -the unsettled eras of our history, still there is ample proof that the -inhabitants were far from lethargic or indifferent to the course of -events during those times. During the reign of Henry VIII., when James -IV. of Scotland succumbed to the superiority of the English arms, and -yielded up his life on Flodden Field, the yeomanry and husbandmen of this -town were well represented; and the cheerful alacrity with which they -hastened to join the royal standard under Lord Stanley, in company with -others from the Fylde, between here and Preston, is lauded in an ancient -ballad, written to celebrate the victory, from which the following lines -are extracted:— - - “From Ribchester unto Rachdale, - From Poulton to Preston with pikes, - They with yᵉ Stanley howte forthe went.” - -There is no necessity to recapitulate the stirring incidents of the Civil -Wars, the bivouacking and plundering in the neighbourhood or the frequent -demands for recruits by the royal and parliamentary generals, but it -will be sufficiently convincing of the earnestness and loyalty of the -inhabitants to state, that most of the local families of influence risked -their lives and fortunes in the service of the king, leaving little doubt -that those of humbler sphere would be actuated by a like enthusiasm. - -About a century ago it was customary amongst the gentry and more wealthy -yeomanry to hold their interments at night by the light of lamps or -lanterns, and during the passage of the funeral procession through the -town, each householder illuminated his windows with burning candles. The -last person to be buried with this ceremony was the Rev. Thomas Turner, -the vicar, who died in 1810. - -Of the domestic habits of Poulton at that period, and rather earlier, -it need only be said that they presented little variation from those of -other towns or villages similarly situated; removed from the enervating -and seductive temptations of a city, and forced, for the most part, to -earn their bread under the broad canopy of heaven, it is not surprising -to find that the people were a long-lived and vigorous race. Their -feastings and merrymakings took place at fair-times, and at such other -seasons as were universally set apart in rural districts for rejoicings -and festivity, notably harvest gatherings and the first of May, the -latter being especially honoured. On that day the causeways were strewn -with flowers, and all things suitable for the festival were lavishly -provided; wine, ale, and sweetmeats being freely contributed by the -gentry and others. The peasantry were clothed in sober suits of hodden -grey, the productions of the “disty and wharl” or spinning wheel, without -which no household was considered complete, whilst their food was of the -plainest kind, consisting mostly of barley and rye bread, with boiled -parsnips and peas eaten in the pod, wheaten bread being reserved for -the consumption of the more wealthy classes. The present station at the -Breck, a name of Danish origin, and signifying an acclivity, stands -either on, or in close proximity to, the site of the old ducking-pond, -or rather brook, where the scolds of Poulton were wont in former days to -have the - - “Venom of their spleen” - -copiously diluted and cooled by frequent immersions. - -A native of Poulton thus wrote of the town more than fifty years since, -and if the present generation but emulates the virtues of its forefathers -as herein stated, there are many places which would form, notwithstanding -its protracted inertitia, less agreeable homes than the ancient -metropolis of the Fylde:— - - “Hail happy place, for health and peace renown’d, - Though not with riches, yet contentment crown’d. - Riches, the grand promoter of each strife, - Content, God’s first-best gift in human life. - Here hospitality has fixed her throne, - And discord’s jars by name alone are known; - The stranger here is always entertain’d - With welcome smile and courtesy unfeign’d. - Kind to each other, generous and free, - Plain, yet liberal friends to charity.” - -Sixty years since Poulton contained a manufactory for sacking, -sail-cloth, and sheeting, belonging to a Mr. Harrison, who lived in the -house now in the occupation of R. Dunderdale, esq., J.P., and had his -weaving shed at the rear of those premises. That gentleman employed -from thirty to forty hands regularly during the time he conducted the -business—a period of about fifteen years. An establishment connected -with flax dressing and twine spinning, and employing several hands, -was located in the house erected by Sir Alexander Rigby, of Layton; -and a currier and leather dresser had his works in Church Street. Of -other trades and professions in the town at that date, there were four -attorneys, two surgeons, seven butchers, nine bakers and flour dealers, -three wine and spirit merchants, two maltsters, ten boot and shoe -makers, five linen and woollen drapers, four tailors, three milliners, -four grocers, three ironmongers, three joiners, two wheelwrights, two -coopers, two painters, three plumbers and glaziers, and two corn-millers. -Subsequently Harrison’s residence was used for parochial purposes, and -formed the town’s workhouse until the bill of Sir Robert Peel brought -about the joint system of pauper relief and management under the name of -Unions; and at one time small looms were placed in the old shed behind -the workhouse, for the purpose of providing remunerative occupation -for some of the inmates. Three fairs are held annually for cattle and -cloth, and take place on the 3rd of February, the 13th of April, and the -3rd of November, whilst a general market, but very indifferently, if -at all, attended, is appointed to be held each Monday. About the year -1840, when the Preston and Wyre Railway was completed and the Poulton -Station erected, a dye-house of some considerable size, and one that had -done a large business in the Fylde for many years, was taken down, and -shortly afterwards the Royal Oak Hotel built on its site. About the same -time the old brook, over which the cuckstool hung in earlier days, and -whose waters had long been polluted by discharges from the dye-house, -was arched over with brick and earth, and included in the station -premises. The Railway Hotel was erected a little anterior to the inn just -mentioned. The other hotels of Poulton, situated in the town itself, -are ancient, and by their size and number, considering the smallness of -the present population, are indicative of the former importance of its -market and fairs, and intimate that its position as the centre of a wide -district was the means of exciting and maintaining a large amount of -commercial activity, such as would necessitate the frequent visits of -business agents and others. Several private houses can be pointed out -as having been in earlier days places of public entertainment, amongst -which may be named one now used as a bakery and bread shop in Queen’s -Square, and which formerly bore the name of the Spread Eagle Hotel; -in Sheaf Street, also, there existed about half a century ago a small -but respectable hotel, called the Wheat Sheaf Inn, with bowling green -attached, but like other more pretentious establishments, it has been -converted into a dwelling-house, whilst a handsome residence occupies the -old bowling green. - -The Independents were the first section of the Dissenting community to -erect a chapel for their members, which they accomplished in 1808. After -being in use twenty or thirty years, this place of worship was closed, -and not re-opened until about ten years since. In 1819 a chapel was -erected by the Wesleyans in Back Street, and in 1861 the building was -enlarged. At the Breck there is a Roman Catholic chapel, which stands -back some distance from the road leading to Skippool, and is approached -by a long avenue of trees. The chapel is a plain brick building, with -three unstained windows on each side; and above the entrance has been -placed a square stone inscribed with a verse from the Psalms—“I have -loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy House, and the place where thy Glory -dwelleth,”—and the date of erection, “A.D. 1813.” Within the edifice the -pews are open and arranged in three rows, one running down each side, -and a double set occupying the central portion of the body. The solitary -gallery at the end opposite the altar is lined with seats, and contains a -harmonium, whilst the altar itself is handsomely and suitably decorated. -The chapel is dedicated to St. John, and on the east and south sides -lies the burial ground, wherein may be seen a stone slab carved by an -eccentric character of Poulton, named James Bailey, whose remains are -now deposited beneath it. The upper surface of the stone is ornamented -with the outlines of two coffins, recording respectively the demises of -Margaret Bailey, in 1841, and James Bailey, her father, in 1853. Between -the coffins, and severing their upper portions, is a cross, with a few -words at the foot, on each side of which are the representations of a -scull and cross-bones. Other specimens of the sculptural genius of Bailey -are lavishly, if not tastefully, scattered over the remainder of the -slab. The residence of the priest is attached to the chapel, and in Breck -Road are the elegant Gothic schools connected with it. Until the opening, -in 1868, of these schools, which have since been extended by the erection -of a wing, a loft over an outbuilding facing the priests’ house, received -the Catholic children of the parish for educational purposes. - -We now come to speak of Poulton as a port, and in this respect our -information, it must be acknowledged, is very scanty; the harbours of -Poulton were situated at Skippool and Wardleys, on opposite banks of -the Wyre, and it was to the cargoes imported to those places that the -custom-house of the town owed its existence. At what date it was first -established cannot be discovered, but that it was in being nearly two -centuries ago is proved by a paper on “The comparative wages of public -servants in the customs,” in which the following occurs:— - - “We find that William Jennings, collector of the customs at - Poulton, in the Fylde, received in 1708, during the reign of - Queen Ann, for his yearly services thirty pounds per annum; and - five subordinate officers had seventy-five pounds equally divided - amongst them.” - -The chief traffic of the port was in timber, imported from the Baltic and -America; and flax and tallow, which arrived from Russia. In 1825 Poulton -was described by Mr. Baines, in his History of Lancashire, as a creek -under Preston, and it is probable that such had been its position for -a long time anterior to that date. In 1826 Poulton was made a sub-port -under Lancaster, and later, when the town of Fleetwood sprang up at the -mouth of the Wyre, the customs were removed from Poulton to that new port. - -Subjoined are the number of inhabitants of the township at intervals of -ten years from 1801, when the first official census was taken:— - - 1801 769 - 1811 926 - 1821 1,011 - 1831 1,025 - 1841 1,128 - 1851 1,120 - 1861 1,141 - 1871 1,161 - -In 1770, during the reign of George III., an act of parliament was -obtained by means of which a court was established in this town “for,” -according to the wording of the deed, “the more easy and speedy recovery -of small debts within the parishes of Poulton, Lytham, Kirkham, and -Bispham, and the townships of Preesall and Stalmine.” A number of -gentlemen engaged in commercial pursuits and residing in these several -districts were appointed commissioners, any three or more of whom -constituted a court of justice, by the name and style of The Court of -Requests; they were empowered to hear and determine all such matters of -debt as were under forty shillings, further they were authorised and -required, “to meet, assemble, and hold the said Court in each of the said -Parishes of Poulton and Kirkham, once in every week at least, to wit, on -every Monday at Poulton, and on every Thursday at Kirkham, and oftener -if there should be occasion, in a Court-house, or some convenient place -appointed in each of the said Parishes.” Each commissioner on being -elected took the following oath:— - - “I ... do swear That I will faithfully, impartially, and - honestly, according to the best of my Judgement, hear and - determine all such Matters and Causes as shall be brought before - me, by virtue of an Act of Parliament, for the more easy and - speedy Recovery of small Debts, within the Parishes etc.; without - Favour or Affection, Prejudice or Malice, to either Party. So - help me God.” - -Edward Whiteside and Simon Russell were elected, respectively, clerk and -sergeant of this court, and James Standen, of Poulton, in consideration -of having advanced money to pay the expenses of obtaining the act and -providing suitable accommodation for its administration, had authority -given to him and his heirs to appoint a person to be clerk or sergeant -as often as either of those offices should become vacant, until the -sum so advanced with lawful interest had been repaid; after which the -appointments were to be filled up by a majority of votes at a special -meeting of the commissioners, not less than eleven being present. For -the better regulation of the proceedings it was enacted that a majority, -amounting to five, of the commissioners assembled in court should have -full power and authority to make, as often as occasion required, such -rules and orders for the better management of the court as might seem -necessary and conducive to the purposes of the act, provided always such -rules or orders did not abridge or alter the scale of fees as at first -arranged, and were consistent with equity and the true intent of the act. -In the event of anyone neglecting to comply with an order from this court -for the payment of money owing an execution was awarded against the body -or goods of the debtor, if the former, the sergeant was, by a precept -under the hand and seal of the clerk, “empowered and required to take and -apprehend, or cause to be taken and apprehended, such party or parties, -being within any of the parishes or townships aforesaid, and convey him, -her, or them, to some common gaol, or house of correction, within the -county palatine of Lancaster, there to remain until he, she, or they, had -performed and obeyed such order, decree, or judgment, so as no person -should remain in confinement upon any such execution, for any longer -space of time than three months.” In the case of goods the sergeant was -similarly empowered “to levy by distress and sale of goods, of such -party, being within the parishes or townships aforesaid, such sum and -sums of money and costs as should be so ordered and decreed.” - -One clause of the act stated that if any person or persons affronted, -insulted, or abused, all or any of the commissioners, the clerk, or -officers of the court, either during the sitting or in going to or -returning from the same, or interrupted the proceedings, or obstructed -the clerk or sergeant in the lawful execution of their different offices, -he, she, or they should be brought before a justice of the peace, who -was hereby empowered to inflict on conviction a fine of not more than -40s., and not less than 5s. The jurisdiction of the court did not extend -to any debt or rent upon any lease or contract, where the title of any -lands, tenements, or hereditaments came in question; nor to any debt -arising from any last will or testament, or matrimony, or anything -properly belonging to the ecclesiastical courts; nor to any debt from any -horse-race, cock-match, wager, or any kind of gaming or play; nor from -any forfeiture upon any penal statute or bye-law; nor did it extend to -any debt whatsoever whereof there had not been contract, acknowledgment, -undertaking, or promise to pay within six years from the date of the -summons, although any of the above mentioned debts should not amount -to forty shillings. No attorney or solicitor was allowed to appear -before the commissioners as attorney or advocate on behalf of either -plaintiff or defendant, or to speak on any cause or matter before the -court in which he was not himself a party or witness, under a penalty -of five pounds for each offence. It was further enacted “that no action -or suit for any debt not amounting to the sum of forty shillings, and -recoverable by virtue of this act in the said Court of Requests, should -be brought against any person or persons, residing or inhabiting within -the jurisdiction thereof, in any of the king’s courts at Westminster, -or any other court whatsoever, or elsewhere, out of the said Court of -Requests, and no suit which had been commenced in the said Court of -Requests in pursuance of this act, nor any proceedings therein, should -or might be removed to any superior court, but the judgments, decrees, -and proceedings of the said court should be final and conclusive to all -intents and purposes; provided always, that nothing in this act should -extend, or be construed to extend, to prevent any person from suing -for small debts in any other court, where such suit might have been -instituted before the passing of this act.” The various fees to be paid -to the clerk of the court were—for entering every case, 6d.; for issuing -every summons, 6d.; for every subpœna, 6d.; for calling every plaintiff -or defendant before the court, 3d.; for every hearing or trial, 6d.; for -swearing every witness, plaintiff or defendant, 3d.; for every order, -judgment or decree, 6d.; for a non-suit, 6d.; for every search in the -books, 3d.; for paying money into court, 6d., if by instalments, 6d. in -the pound more; for every execution, 6d.; for every warrant of commitment -for misconduct in court, 1s. The fees to the sergeant were—for every -summons, order, or subpœna, and attending court with the return thereof, -6d.; for calling every plaintiff or defendant before the court, 1d.; for -executing every attachment, execution, or warrant, against the body or -goods, 1s.; for carrying every plaintiff, defendant, or delinquent to -prison, 6d. more for every mile. Although this was purely a lay-court -the commissioners possessed and exercised the power of placing the -witnesses on oath previous to receiving their evidence. In 1847 the Court -of Requests was superseded by a new court, for the recovery of debts -not amounting to twenty pounds, which held its first sitting on Monday, -the 23rd of April in that year, under the presidency of John Addison, -esq., a barrister and the appointed judge, in the room belonging to the -Sunday school. This gentleman wore a silk gown, as prescribed to the -judges of these courts, and Mr. Elletson, solicitor, the clerk, was also -robed. At the first assemblage the Rev. John Hull, M.A., the vicar, and -Giles Thornber, esq., J.P., were seated on each side of the judge. The -cases for trial or arbitration only numbered seventeen, and were of -little interest, so that the initiative sitting of the court was but of -short duration. The circuits apportioned to the judges had an average -population ranging from 202,713 to 312,220 persons, and the salary paid -to each of these officials was £1,200 per annum. In the schedule of fees -it was stated that for the recovery of debts not exceeding 20s. the cost -should be 3s.; under 40s., 5s.; under £5, 9s.; under £10, £1; under £20, -£1 10s.; and in jury cases 5s. would be charged for the jurymen, while -the other court charges would be a little increased. The powers of this -court, now designated the County Court, have been considerably enlarged -since its first establishment; the following gentlemen are the officers -at present connected with it:— - - Judge William A. Hulton, esq. - Registrar Mr. E. J. Patteson. - High Bailiff Mr. J. Whiteside. - -Little Poulton is the name given to a district and hamlet lying on the -east of Poulton township, and in it is situated the ancient manorial -residence called Little Poulton Hall, and now used as a farm-house. -The original mansion stood on the land immediately at the rear of the -existing edifice, which was erected about one hundred and ten or twenty -years ago. Until the occupation of the present tenant, Mr. Singleton, the -foundations of the old Hall remained in the ground, but the indications -afforded by them of its dimensions and appearance were not of any great -utility. In 1570 Little Poulton Hall was occupied by George, the son -of Bartholomew Hesketh, of Aughton, a grandson of Thomas Hesketh, of -Rufford, but only in one of the junior lines. George Hesketh married -Dorothy, the daughter of William Westby, of Mowbreck, and had issue one -son, William, who inherited the estate and resided at the Hall. William -Hesketh was living in 1613, about forty years after the decease of his -father, and had two children, William and Wilfrid, by his wife Elizabeth, -the daughter of John Allen, of Rossall Hall. William, the eldest son, -seems to have removed to Maynes, or Mains, Hall, and settled there during -the lifetime of his father; it is probable that his younger brother would -remain at Little Poulton Hall, but of this we have no positive proof, -and consequently can advance it merely as a conjecture. Little Poulton -descended in the Heskeths, of Mains, until about 1750, but the name of -that family was changed, after the marriage of William Hesketh, of Mains -Hall, (living in 1714), with Mary, the daughter of John Brockholes, of -Claughton, by Thomas Hesketh, the eldest son of that union, who inherited -the estates of his maternal uncle, and assumed the name of Brockholes. -Thomas Hesketh-Brockholes died without offspring, and the property -passed, successively, to his younger and only surviving brothers, Joseph -and James, both of whom adopted the name and arms of Brockholes, and -died childless; but by the will of Joseph, Little Poulton and the other -estates descended to William Fitzherbert, the brother of his widow -Constantia, the daughter of Bazil Fitzherbert, of Swinnerton. William -Fitzherbert also assumed the title of Brockholes, and his descendant is -the present proprietor. - -A family of the name of Barban preceded the Heskeths at the manor -house, and Gyles Curwen, a descendant of the Curwens, of Workington, in -Cumberland, espoused, about 1550, the daughter and co-heiress of—Barban, -of Little Poulton Hall, having issue—Thomas, Elizabeth, Grace, and -Winefrid. Thomas Curwen died unmarried; Elizabeth became the wife -of—Camden, by whom she had William Camden, Clarenceux king-at-arms; -Winefrid married and settled in London; and Grace espoused Gilbert -Nicholson, of Poulton, by whom she had issue—Francis, Grace, and Giles. -Francis Nicholson had six children—Humphrey, Grace, Bridget, Thomas, -Isabell, and Dorothy. Grace Nicholson married Thomas Braithwaite, of -Beaumont, and was the mother of nine children in 1613, the eldest, -Geoffrey, being fifteen years of age.[81] - -On the south side of the Hall is a wood, covering about two acres of -land, and freshly planted within the last half century. Until recent -years, numerous decaying tree stocks were turned up out of the soil, and -their size plainly evidenced the massive nature of the timber formerly -growing there. There is a rookery in the modern wood, and it is surmised -that there was one also amongst the branches of the ancient trees, and -that a large quantity of bullets discovered in a field on its outskirts -record the periodical onslaughts on the unfortunate rooks in days when -marksmen were not so unerring as long practice and improved firearms have -rendered them now. In the hamlet of Little Poulton there are, in addition -to the Hall, three antique houses of considerable pretensions, which -were erected and occupied by persons of good social standing. One of -them, on the opposite side of the road, and a little removed from the old -mansion, was built by a gentleman named Fayle, and on an oaken beam over -a doorway, now bricked up, in an extensive barn, is the inscription, EF: -IF: 1675, the initials of the erector and his wife, with the date when -the edifice was completed. This E. Fayle was probably a relative, perhaps -grandfather, of Edward Fayle, of the Holmes, Thornton, and afterwards of -Bridge House, Bispham, who married, about 1728, Susannah, the younger -daughter of Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys, and co-heiress, with her -sister, of the Rev. John Veale, of the same place, her only brother. -Another respectable dwelling, but like the few other buildings around, -becoming dilapidated through age, bears the initials of Henry Porter, -and the date 1723, over the entrance. From sundry documents which have -come to light, it seems that Henry Porter was a gentleman of influence -and position in the neighbourhood, but beyond that no information can -be gained concerning him or his descendants. The tenement he held was -purchased by the Brockholes, of Claughton, in 1846. Close by the side -of Porter’s residence is another of the same model and size, apparently -erected by A. Worswick in 1741, but of this person nothing is known. The -remainder of the hamlet is made up of a few old thatched cottages. - -A free school was established by James Baines, draper, of Poulton, in -1717, shortly before his death; and by his will, dated that year, he -bequeathed to Richard Wilson, Richard Whitehead, sen., Richard Johnson, -and Richard Thornton, of Hardhorn-with-Newton, yeomen, to Richard -Dickson, woollen draper, and Samuel Bird, yeoman, of Poulton, to Robert -Salthouse, of Staining, yeoman, and to their heirs “all that Schoolhouse -by me lately erected in Hardhorn-in-Newton, and the parcel of land -whereon the same is erected, which is enjoyed therewith, and which by -me was lately purchased from Thomas Ords, to remain, continue, and be a -Free School for ever for the persons and purposes hereinafter mentioned. -Item: I give and devise unto the seven said Trustees and their Heirs, -all that messuage and tenement, called Puddle House, with the lands -enjoyed therewith, about twenty-two acres, to the special end, intent, -and purpose, that the rents and profits over ten shillings a year, -(allowed for a dinner to the trustees, and their successors, on their -meeting about the affairs of this School on the second of February, on -which day they shall yearly meet for that purpose), and after all costs -for repairs at the said Schoolhouse and ground it stands on be paid, the -balance be given to such person as shall yearly and every year be named, -chosen, and appointed, by the said seven Trustees, and their successors, -or the major part of them, to act as Schoolmaster, to teach and instruct -in writing, reading, and other school learning, according to the best -of his capacity, all such children of the inhabitants of the townships -of Poulton and Hardhorn-in-Newton as shall be sent to the said School, -and behave themselves with care and good manners, without any other -payment or reward, except what the said children or their parents shall -voluntarily give.” The testament then proceeds to direct that when any -two of the seven trustees died, the five surviving should at the cost of -the estate appoint two other of the “most able, discreet, and sufficient -inhabitants in Poulton and Hardhorn within three months,” and that such -a practice should be observed as occasion required “to the end that the -said charity may continue for ever according to the true intent and -meaning of this Will.” The Trustees were invested with power to dismiss -any schoolmaster and appoint a successor, regarding whom there was the -following clause:—“All Schoolmasters on appointment shall give bond with -one or more sureties for good conduct, and be at duty from 7 a.m. to 11 -a.m., and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., except from the 1st November to 1st February, -in which quarter alone shall they attend on all school days from 8 a.m. -to 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; the afternoons of Thursday and Saturday -to be holiday.” - -The schoolhouse is a whitewashed building, a single story high, and has -four windows in front, with one at each end. It stands in the township -of Hardhorn-with-Newton, about half a mile from the town of Poulton, and -has the annexed inscription fixed on the wall facing the main road:—“This -Charity School was Founded and Endowed by Mr. James Baines, of Poolton, -who died the 9th January, 1717. Rebuilt 1818.” The lands bequeathed by -Mr. Baines have been exchanged for others of greater value across the -river Wyre. The attendance at present is small. - -Mr. Baines also left £800 to six trustees to be laid out in land, half -the annual income or interest from which he directed to be devoted to the -“maintenance, use, and best advantage of the poorest sort of inhabitants -of the township of Poulton, which receive no relief by the Poor-rate,” -and “for putting out poor children of the said township apprentices -yearly though their parents receive relief by the Poor-rate.” The other -moiety he directed to be devoted to similar purposes in the townships of -Marton, Hardhorn-with-Newton, Carleton, and Thornton. - -Jenkinson’s Gift or Charity consists of the rents of a small cottage with -garden behind, and two detached crofts at Forton, in Cockerham parish, -and amounts to about £5 10s. per annum, which is expended in the purchase -of books for the scholars of Baines’s school. - -Nicholas Nickson, of Compley, in Poulton, by will dated the 12th of -April, 1720, charged his estate with the payment, after the decease of -his widow, Alice Nickson, of £100 to the churchwardens and overseers of -Poulton, in trust, to invest the sum and give half the interest to the -vicar for the time being, distributing the remainder amongst the poor -house-keepers of the township not in receipt of parish relief. Until the -bequest was paid, the heirs of Nickson, after the death of the widow, -were ordered to disburse five per cent. interest on the money each year. -In 1754 the trustees of this charity released the estate from all charges -in consideration of £100, the legacy, paid to them; and on the 18th of -July, 1783, Joseph Harrison and the four other churchwardens of Poulton, -together with William Brown and Paul Harrison, the overseers, purchased -from James Standen, for £120, a close in Poulton, called Durham’s Croft, -to hold the same in trust and divide the rents into twelve parts, whereof -five were to be given to the vicar, five to indigent inhabitants not -receiving relief, and two in aid of the poor’s rates. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -FLEETWOOD-ON-WYRE. - - -The site of the present town of Fleetwood was at no very distant period, -less than half a century ago, a wild and desolate warren, forming part -of the Rossall estate, and belonging to the late Sir Peter Hesketh -Fleetwood, bart. At that date the northern side showed unmistakable -evidences of having at an earlier epoch been bounded by a broad wall -or rampart of star-hills, continuous with the range until recent -years visible near Rossall Point, or North Cape, as that portion of -the district was locally called, but which has now been destroyed and -levelled by the sea. Beyond the warrener’s cottage and a small farm-house -on the Poulton road, no habitations existed anywhere in the vicinity; -the whole tract of sandhills and sward had been usurped by myriads -of rabbits, which were some little time, even after the erection of -dwellings, before they entirely deserted the spot where for centuries -they had found a home. During the stormy months of winter, and in the -breeding season, immense flocks of sea-fowl made their way to these -shores, and like the rabbits, were allowed to remain in undisputed and -undisturbed possession of the domain they had appropriated. - -Whether this district or locality was populated in the earlier eras of -history by any of the aboriginal Britons, invading Romans, or piratical -Danes, is a question difficult to solve, but the existence of a paved -Roman road, discovered some depth beneath the sand when the trench for -the sea-wall was being excavated opposite the Mount Terrace, and traced -across the warren in the direction of Poulton, proves beyond a doubt that -there was traffic of some description, either peaceful or war-like, -over the ground at a very remote age. The road is commonly designated -the Danes’ Pad, from a tradition that these freebooters made use of it -during their incursive warfare in the Fylde.[82] Evidence in support -of the belief that this part of the coast was visited by the Danes or -Northmen, as the inhabitants of Scandinavia were called, is to be found -in “Knot End,” the name by which the projecting point of land on the -opposite side of Wyre has been known from time immemorial. In early days -there were both the “Great and Little Knots,” or heaps of stones, but -the works carried out for the improvement of the harbour involved the -destruction of the small, and mutilation of the big “Knot.” Now arises -the question, why were these round collections of boulder stones called -“Knots?” In answer to which it may be stated that the word “knot” is of -pure Scandinavian origin, and in that ancient Northern language always -marked a round heap, and we believe also a round heap of stones. This -interpretation would be characteristic of what these knots or mounds -of stones were before they were despoiled by the Wyre Harbour Company. -Such an application of the word to rounded hills of stone is common at -no great distance, and must have been applied by the same people to all -these rocky elevations, as instance Hard Knot, Arnside Knot, and Farlton -Knot, all of which indicate the name by the rotundity of their stony -summits, and seem to confirm the opinion that the early inhabitants -of Scandinavia visited the coast, suggesting also that they had some -settlement in its immediate vicinity. - -As regards the Romans, the only traces of their presence which have -been discovered in the neighbourhood of the town, consist of the road -above mentioned, and a number of ancient coins which were found near -Rossall, in 1840, by some labourers engaged in brick-making. These coins, -amounting in all to about three hundred, were principally of silver, -and bore the impresses of Severus, Sabina, Antonius, Nerva, etc. It is -quite possible, however, that other relics belonging to that nation or -the Danes, may still exist, hidden by the sand, and more deeply imbedded -than it is necessary to sink when preparing for the foundations of the -houses, whilst many also may have been submerged by the encroaching waves -as they have gradually inundated the north and west sides of the district. - -Doctor Leigh, in his Natural History of Lancashire, informs us that at -the mouth of the river Wyre there was in his time a purging water which -sprang up from out of the sand. “This, no doubt,” says the Doctor, “is -the sea-water which filters through the sand, but by reason of the -shortness of its filtration (the spring lying so near the river), or the -looseness of the sand, the marine water is not perfectly dulcified, but -retains a pleasing brackishness, not unlike that which is observable in -the milk of a farrow cow, or one that has conceived.” - -To the lord of the manor, Sir P. H. Fleetwood, is due the credit of -having first conceived the idea of converting the sterile warren into -a thriving seaport. Situated at the mouth of a river, the security of -whose stream had originated the proverb—“As safe and as easy as Wyre -water,” and by the side of a natural and commodious harbour, sheltered -from ever wind, the illustrious baronet foresaw a prosperous future -for the place, could he obtain permission from parliament to construct -a railway to its shores from the important town of Preston, thereby -creating a communication with the manufacturing and commercial centres of -Lancashire and Yorkshire. In 1835, a number of gentlemen, denominated the -Preston and Wyre Railway, Harbour, and Dock Company, having obtained the -requisite powers, deputed Frederick Kemp, esq., J.P., of Bispham Lodge, -then acting as agent to Sir P. H. Fleetwood, to purchase the land along -the proposed route. Operations were commenced with little delay, the work -progressed with fair rapidity, and on the 15th of July, 1840, the line -was declared open and ready for traffic. - -In the meantime dwelling-houses, hotels, and a spacious wharf had been -springing into existence. In 1836 the earliest foundation was laid at -the south-west corner of Preston Street by Robert Banton, of East Warren -Farm. This farm was for a short season a licensed house and brewery, -and is now, under the title of Warrenhurst, the private residence of J. -M. Jameson, esq., C.E. The new erection, which still bears its original -name of the Fleetwood Arms Hotel, made no further progress for about a -year, when it was completed by Thomas Parkinson, the head carpenter at -Rossall Hall. The first building finished and inhabited in Fleetwood was -a beer-house at the south-west corner of Church Street, which was erected -in 1836-7, and is now a shop, owned and occupied by Richard Warbrick, -outfitter. That small inn or licensed dwelling was in the occupation of a -person named Parker, a stonemason, who a little later built the Victoria -Hotel, in Dock-street, where he removed and resided for several months, -until a sale of the property had been effected. - -The streets were marked out by the plough according to the design of -Decimus Burton, esq., architect, of London, and so arranged that all the -principal thoroughfares, with the exception of the main road of entrance -to the town, converged towards the largest star-hill, now known as the -Mount, on the highest point of which was placed a small decagon Chinese -edifice, surrounded by a raised platform or terrace, whence an extensive -view of the broad bay of Morecambe, the lofty ranges of Lancashire, -Cumberland, and Westmoreland, and a wide circuit of the neighbouring -country could be obtained. The hollow on the south side of the mound -was fashioned into the form of a basin, and a semicircular gravelled -walk carried along the ridge of each side, leading with a gentle ascent -from the entrance gates on the warren at the end of London Street to -the summit, whilst the slopes were tastefully arranged and planted with -shrubs, to impart a pleasing and ornamental appearance to the otherwise -bare sward. These shrubs, as might have been foreseen, speedily withered -and perished, owing to the bleakness of the site, and a lack of that -indispensable moisture which the dry sandy soil could neither retain nor -supply. In earlier days the Mount was commonly known as Tup, or Top, -Hill, and formed a favourite resort for pic-nic parties from Blackpool, -or some of the surrounding villages, which visited the place during the -summer months, to admire the innumerable sea-fowl and their nests, the -latter being scattered over the shore in endless profusion. - -Building proceeded with rapid strides; house after house sprang up in the -lines of streets, which had only lately received their first coating of -shingle, and in 1841, one year after the opening of the railway, the town -had assumed considerable proportions. Near the entrance from Poulton road -were three or four double rows of cottages for the accommodation of the -workpeople, and a Roman Catholic chapel. Preston Street contained but -few houses in addition to the Fleetwood Arms Hotel; thence, travelling -eastward were Dock Street, with the Crown Hotel, as far as and including -the Victoria Hotel; the east side of Warren Street, the west side of St. -Peter’s Place, the church and Sunday school, both sides of Church Street, -Custom House Lane, the Lower Queen’s Terrace, the North Euston Hotel, and -the bath houses. The Upper Queen’s Terrace was in process of erection, -but was not completed until 1844, after having been allowed, for some -reason, to remain in a partially finished state for two years. - -The church, standing on a raised plot of ground in the centre of the town -and surrounded by an iron palisading, is dedicated to St. Peter, and -was first opened for divine service in 1841. It is a stone edifice with -a square tower and octagonal spire at the west end, and was erected by -voluntary contributions, the site being provided by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, -who retained the right of presentation to the living. The interior of the -building is neat, and contains sittings for about four hundred persons -in the body, with additional accommodation for two hundred more in the -gallery, at the end of which are the choir-pew and organ-loft, the -latter being occupied by an instrument constructed by Gray, of London. -Previous to the alterations, which were made seventeen years since, -and consisted of the erection of a gallery and the convertion of some -of the private pews into free seats, the family pew of the Fleetwoods -stood in front of the organ-loft, and was the only one raised out of the -body of the church. The chancel window is of stained glass, large and -handsome, representing a central figure of St. Peter bearing the Keys -of Heaven, below and on each side of which several scriptural subjects -are illustrated. This window, purchased by subscription amongst the -parishioners, was inserted in 1860; and in the previous year a handsome -font of Caen stone was presented by Mrs. G. Y. Osborne. Two upright -tablets, the gift of the late vicar, the Rev. G. Y. Osborne, illuminated -with the Ten Commandments, are placed, one on each side of the Communion -table. Four other tablets are fixed against the walls of the church, -the first of which was erected by a few friends as a tribute of respect -to the memory of Dobson Ward, died 1859, aged 43 years, a humble but -zealous worker in the Sunday school; another was placed by the Rev. G. Y. -Osborne, in loving memory of his deceased daughter; the third, a handsome -tablet, was erected at the entrance to the vestry, by parishioners and -friends, to the memory of the Rev. G. Y. Osborne, “for 19 years vicar -of this parish, who died 11 November, 1871, aged 53 years,”[83] and the -last is to the memory of Charles Stewart, esq., died 1873, aged 64 years, -late of High Leigh, Cheshire, and Fleetwood. The living, endowed with the -great tithes of Thornton and augmented by the pew rents, was originally a -perpetual curacy, but during the ministry of the late Rev. G. Y. Osborne, -a distinct district or parish for all ecclesiastical purposes was -assigned to the church, and the title of vicar accorded to the incumbent. - - PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF FLEETWOOD. - - IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF LANCASTER. - - ------------+--------------------+-------------------+------------------ - Date of | NAME. | On whose | Cause of vacancy. - Institution.| | Presentation. | - ------------+--------------------+-------------------+------------------ - 1841 |St. Vincent Beechey,|Sir P. H. Fleetwood| - | M.A. | | - | | | - 1849 |G. Yarnold Osborne, |Ditto |Resignation of St. - | M.A. | | Vincent Beechey - | | | - 1868 |Saml. Hastings, M.A.|Exrs. of the late |Resignation of - | |Sir P. H. Fleetwood| G. Y. Osborne - | | | - 1871 |James Pearson, M.A. |Ditto |Resignation of - | | | S. Hastings - ------------+--------------------+-------------------+------------------ - -The burial ground connected with the church is part of the general -cemetery, situated near the shore in the direction of the Landmark at -Rossall Point, and about one mile distant from the town. - -The small building opposite the Church, now used for infants only, was -for several years, until the erection of the Testimonial Schools, the -ordinary Sunday school under the superintendence of the incumbent of St. -Peter’s. - -The Market Place, opened on the 7th of November, 1840, is a spacious, -paved area, surrounded by a high wall of sandstone. - -The two entrances are closed by means of large wooden gates, and lead -respectively into Adelaide and Victoria Streets. The central portion of -the in-walled space is occupied by a square, wooden structure, covered -over with a slated roof, in the interior of which are stalls for the -goods of the different farmers and traders. Friday is the market day, and -the following list comprises the various commodities exposed for sale on -Friday, the 10th of July, 1846, the earliest recorded, with their prices:— - - Oats, per bushel 3s. 10d. - Meal, per load 36s. 0d. - Beans, per windle 16s. 0d. - Butter, per pound 1s. 1d. - Eggs, fresh 16 to 18 for 1s. 0d. - Peas, per strike 0s. 9d. - Potatoes (new), per score 1s. 10d. - ” (old), per windle 8s. 0d. - Beef, per pound 6d. to 7d. - Lamb ” 0s. 7d. - Mutton ” 0s. 6½d. - Salmon ” 0s. 10d. - Lobsters ” 1s. 0d. - -Since the date of the above quotations, Preston has gradually monopolised -the chief portion of the grain trade, and consequently transactions -in oats and other cereals are not of frequent occurrence at the local -markets of the Fylde. - -The Roman Catholic chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, was erected -at the north end of Walmsley Street, continuous with the line of houses -forming the east side of that street, and opened for divine worship on -the 15th of November, 1841. A few years since a more commodious edifice, -which will be described hereafter, was erected on another and better -site, whilst the old one was dismantled, and subsequently converted into -cottages. - -The Crown Hotel, a handsome and substantial stone structure facing the -Railway Station, was the third hotel erected in Fleetwood, the Fleetwood -Arms being the first, and the Victoria the second in point of completion. -The original dimensions of the Crown have been considerably increased -by the addition in recent years of ample stable accommodation, a large -billiard room, and several sleeping apartments. - -The North Euston Hotel, which was opened almost simultaneously with -the Crown Hotel, is a superb stone building in the form of a crescent, -with a frontage of nearly 300 feet. This edifice was sold to Government -in 1859, and subsequently opened as a School of Musketry. The noble -portico in front of the main entrance and the spacious hall within are -supported by massive stone pillars, whilst a handsome terrace, raised -a little above the level of the street, encircles the whole length of -the ground floor, and is protected by an ornamental iron railing. On -its transfer to Government, quarters were provided for sixty officers -and a staff of military instructors. There were three chief courses of -instruction held during each year, but in addition to these were two of -shorter duration, one being in the month of January for the adjutants of -volunteers, and another a little later for the volunteers themselves. The -curriculum was similar to that at Hythe. In 1867 the School of Musketry -was discontinued, and after a short interval, in which fresh buildings -were added, the whole structure was turned into barracks, and as such -continues to be occupied. In the early days of the hotel a T-shaped jetty -extended out from the steps on the shore opposite the principal entrance -to the distance of low-water mark, and was used by the visitors as a -short promenade and landing stage, but after standing a few years the -erection was removed, being found to interfere with the course of the -steamers and other vessels round that section of the channel. - -The bath-houses, each of which contained a spacious sea-water swimming -bath, were connected with the North Euston Hotel, and therefore became -the property of Government on the transfer of the main building itself. -Since that date their internal arrangements have undergone material -alterations and modifications to suit the requirements of the military, -but their handsome stone exteriors and massive porticoes are still intact. - -The custom-house on the Lower Queen’s Terrace is now a private residence -in the occupation of Alexander Carson, esq., who is also the owner, and -the offices have for many years been situated in a house of more modest -pretensions in the same row. - -The two lighthouses, one of which is placed in Pharos Street and the -other further north, on the margin of the beach, were also in existence -in 1841, having been erected a short time previously. The former is a -tall circular column of painted stone, having an altitude of about 90 -feet above high-water mark. The base of the column is square, each of -the sides being 12 feet high and 20 broad. The focus of the lantern is -104 feet above half-tide level, and outside the reflector is a narrow, -circular, stone gallery, guarded by an iron fencing. The cost of the -column was £1,480. The other lighthouse is much smaller, and stands on a -slightly elevated plot of ground. Each side of its base forms a recess, -furnished with seats, and supported above by round stone pillars. The -centre of the lantern is 44 feet above half-tide level. The whole fabric, -which is built throughout of finely cut stone, was erected at a cost of -£1,375. - -We have now reviewed the general appearance of the town in 1841, -including brief accounts of all the more important buildings, but -accidentally omitting to state that gas works were amongst the early -erections, and before proceeding with the history of its further progress -and increase, it will be convenient to revert for a moment to the railway -and matters connected with it, leaving, however, the harbour, wharf, -and shipping for separate examination towards the later pages of the -chapter. The railway, consisting of a single line throughout the whole -extent, was carried over a portion of the estuary of the Wyre, along an -embankment and viaduct of huge wooden piles, running from Burn Naze to -the west extremity of the wharf at Fleetwood, near to which the station -is situated. In 1846 the traffic, both in passengers and goods, had -increased so rapidly that the directors determined to have a double line -without delay. Instructions for that purpose were accordingly issued to -the engineer of the company, and at the same time he was directed that, -in order to afford space and facilities for the construction of the -proposed docks to the westward of the existing railway piling, the double -line should diverge at Burn Naze, run round the Cops, and terminate as -before. The programme here stated was not fully carried out, and the -double line extended only as far as Burn Naze, from which point a single -line ran along a semicircular embankment, lying west of the old one, to -the terminus at Fleetwood.[84] This embankment was the means of rescuing -from the incursions of the tide about 400 acres of marsh land, which has -since by drainage and cultivation been converted into excellent pastures -and productive fields. The entire line was leased, under acts of 1846, -to the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North Western Railway -companies, the former taking two thirds and the latter one third of the -profits or losses. The terms agreed upon were a rent of £7 1s. 6d. per -cent., and £1 15s. 4½d. per share on a total capital of £668,000, until -the close of 1854, when the payments were raised to £7 17s. 6d. per -cent., and £1 19s. 3½d. per share in perpetuity. In the month of July, -1846, the electric telegraph in connection with the Preston and Wyre -Railway was introduced into the town, and as its first public act was -the interception, at Kirkham, of a defaulting steamship passenger, who -had neglected to pay her fare, it may be concluded that the inhabitants -welcomed the ingenious invention as a valuable ally in the protection of -their commercial interests, as well as a rapid and convenient mode of -friendly intercommunion in cases of urgency. - -The Improvement Act, for “paving, lighting, cleansing, and otherwise -improving the town of Fleetwood and the neighbourhood thereof, and for -establishing a market therein,” came into operation on the 18th of June, -1842. Meetings were appointed to be held on the first Monday in every -month, at which any male person was empowered to sit as a commissioner -on producing evidence that he was either a resident within the limits -prescribed by the act, and rated to the poor-rates of the township of -Thornton for a local tenement of the annual value of £15, or possessed -as owner or lessee or in the enjoyment of the rents and profits of a -messuage, lands, or hereditaments, similarly situated and rated, for a -term of not less than fifty years. In 1869 authority was obtained to -repeal certain sections of the old act and adopt others from the Public -Health Act of 1848, and the Local Government Act of 1858, the most -important being that in future the Board of Commissioners should consist -of twelve members only, having personally the same qualifications as -before, but being elected by the ratepayers. The new regulations also -ordained that one third of the commissioners should retire each year, and -the vacancies be filled up by a general election. This act is still in -force. - -It was not possible that the claims of a place so happily situated -as Fleetwood for a summer residence could long remain unrecognised by -the inhabitants of the inland towns. No sooner was free access given -to its shores by the opening of the railway in 1840, than the hotels -and lodging-houses were inundated with visitors, whose annual return -testified to their high appreciation of its mild climate, firm sands, -excellent boating accommodation, and lastly, the diversified and -beautiful scenery of the broad bay of Morecambe. A number of bathing -vans were stationed on the shore opposite the Mount, but were little -patronised during the first two or three seasons owing to the proprietors -demanding 1s. from each person using them, a sum exactly double that -required at other watering-places. The injurious effects of this -exorbitant charge were speedily experienced, not only by the van owners, -whose receipts were reduced to a minimum, but generally throughout the -town, as visitors who greatly preferred Fleetwood were driven to other -places on that account, and each year many who came with the intention -of remaining during the summer left because their families were debarred -from bathing, except at an excessive cost. The error of so grasping a -policy being at last demonstrated to the proprietors by the small and -diminishing patronage extended to their vans, it was resolved, in 1844, -to reduce the charge to 6d. That year several newly-erected houses in -Kemp Street were furnished and tenanted, whilst the hitherto unoccupied -stone residences comprised in the Upper Queen’s Terrace were fitted up -with elegance and convenience for the wealthier class of sojourners, to -whom they were let for periods varying from a few weeks to three or four -months. The terrace of houses situated between the North Euston Hotel and -the Mount, and bearing the latter name, was also completed that year. The -prices at the North Euston Hotel were arranged as under:— - - Sitting-room 3s. 4d. per day. - Bed-room 2s. 3d. and 4s. 0d. per day. - Table d’Hote 4s. per head. - Breakfast or Tea 2s. 0d. and 2s. 6d. per head. - -During the Whit-week of 1844 the place was crowded with excursionists, -many of whom, amounting to 1,000 daily, were carried at half fare by -the Preston and Wyre Railway, and came from the neighbouring towns and -villages, whilst others arrived by sea in excursion boats from Dublin, -the Isle of Man, Ulverstone, Blackpool, and Southport. Festivities were -entered into on the warren and slopes of the Mount, lasting three days -and consisting of horse, pony, donkey, foot, sack, and wheelbarrow races, -a cricket match, foot steeplechases, wrestling, and gingling matches. - -In 1844 Fleetwood was reduced from a distinct port to a creek under -Preston, and during the month of July the mayor of the latter town paid a -state visit to the watering-place, arriving by sea in the small steamer -“Lily.” A series of misfortunes rather tended to upset the dignity and -imposing aspect of the official cortege. A somewhat rough sea retarded -their passage and rapidly converted the ship into a temporary hospital -for that, perhaps, most distressing of all sicknesses; nearing, at last, -the lighthouse at the foot of Wyre, a large portion of the larboard -gunwale was carried away by the bowsprit of the steamer “Express,” which -had been sent out to meet and tow them into harbour, if necessary; and -finally the unfortunate “Lily” stranded on a bank opposite the beach -at Fleetwood, and the mayoral party, now pallid and dejected, in their -gorgeous robes and liveries, were brought to land in small open boats, -and having formed the following order, marched to the North Euston Hotel, -where a banquet was prepared:— - - Three Policemen. - Two Sergeants-at-Mace. - Mace Bearer. - The Mayor in his Robes of Office. - The Corporation Steward. - Recorder of the Borough. - The Aldermen of the Borough. - The Members of the Common Council. - Military Officers and Private Gentlemen. - Town Crier and Beadle. - -This year the Preston and Wyre Railway Company, in conjunction with the -line from Manchester and Bolton, commenced to run Sunday excursion trains -to Fleetwood at reduced fares during the genial months of summer, and in -August upwards of ten thousand pleasure-seekers were estimated to have -been brought into the town by their means alone. These lines were amongst -the first to try the experiment of cheap trains, and the immense success -which attended their efforts on the above occasions soon induced them to -extend the privileges to other days besides the Sabbath. The promoters -of private excursions, also, were offered facilities to direct their -course to this watering-place. During the summer of 1844 no less than -60,000 people in all, that is including both day excursionists and those -who remained for longer periods, arrived, being considerably more than -in any previous season. In July, 1846, the whole of the workpeople of -Richard Cobden, esq., M.P., the great free-trade statesman, visited the -town to celebrate the triumph of free-trade principles in parliament, -the entire expense of the trip being defrayed by that gentleman. Each of -the operatives and others, numbering about 1,300, had a free-trade medal -suspended by a ribbon from the neck; and, having formed in procession, -the large assembly paraded through the streets of Fleetwood, carrying -banners adorned with such appropriate mottoes and inscriptions as “Free -Trade with all the World,” “Peel, Bright, and Cobden,” etc. In the same -year an immense Sunday school trip, bringing no less than 4,200 children -and adults, arrived; and after amusing themselves by rambling about the -shore for a time, the youthful multitude formed a huge pic-nic party on -the warren. This was without doubt the largest single excursion which -ever visited these shores, and on its return, the enormous train of -two engines and fifty-six carriages, many of which were cattle trucks -provided with forms and covered in with canvas, was divided, each engine -taking half, for fear of accidents and delays. In later times it was -no uncommon circumstance to see the spacious wharf opposite the Upper -and Lower Queen’s Terraces, crowded with cheap trains during Easter -and Whit-weeks. Hourly trips in the small steam tug-boats or pleasure -yachts, pony and donkey rides, bathing, and mussel gathering on the bank -opposite the Mount Terrace were the chief amusements of the day visitors, -and innumerable were the exclamations of wonder and delight uttered by -thousands, who for the first time beheld - - “The broad and bursting wave” - -at Fleetwood, for our readers may be reminded that at the date of which -we are writing, railway fares, except on special occasions, were beyond -the compass of the labouring populations of our manufacturing and -agricultural districts, and consequently a visit to the, in many cases -unknown, sea, was an event eagerly anticipated and long remembered. - -In January, 1845, a general meeting of those who were interested in -Fleetwood, or wished to testify their respect and admiration for the -noble efforts of the founder of the town, was held at the North Euston -Hotel, to determine upon the most suitable public testimonial to be -erected in honour of Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood. Doctor Ramsay proposed -that day schools for 200 children of the labouring classes, with a house -for a master and mistress, having the name of the “Fleetwood Testimonial -Schools,” open to all denominations of Christians and connected with the -National Society, should be erected. This resolution was carried without -a dissentient; subscription lists were opened; and on Wednesday, the 26th -of August, 1846, the foundation stone of the building was laid by Charles -Swainson, esq., of Preston. Large numbers arrived early in the morning to -be present at the ceremony. The town, shipping, and river craft, decked -out in bunting, presented quite a gala appearance as the officials and -guests proceeded to the site in West Street. The procession marched as -stated below:— - - The Beadle. - Band. - The Wesleyan Sunday School Children. - The Independent Sunday School Children. - The Church Sunday School Children. - The Architect holding the Mallet and Trowel. - The Contractors. - The Clergy. - Charles Swainson, esq. - The Treasurer and Mr. Swainson’s Friends. - Rossall School. - The Gentry and Visitors. - The Tradesmen. - Independent Order of Oddfellows. - The Rechabites. - -In the cavity beneath the foundation stone were enclosed a bottle -containing coins of the present reign, a copy of the _Fleetwood -Chronicle_ of that date, printed on parchment, and another sheet of -parchment inscribed thus:— - - “The first stone of these schools, which are to be erected as - the fittest Testimonial to the benevolent founder of this town, - Sir P. H. Fleetwood, Bart., M.P., was laid by Charles Swainson, - Esq., of Preston, this 26th day of August, 1846. - - THE REV. ST. VINCENT BEECHEY, M.A., Incumbent; - THE REV. W. LAIDLAY, B.A., Curate; - B. WALMSLEY, FREDERICK KEMP, Churchwardens; - THE REV. JOHN HULL, Vicar of Poulton, Chairman of the Committee. - JOHN LAIDLAY, Esq., Treasurer of the Committee; - R. B. RAMPLING, Esq., Architect; - H. B. JONES, Esq., Secretary. - - Non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam.” - -This scholastic institution is in the Gothic style of architecture, and -the principal front, facing into West Street, extends over a distance -of seventy-one feet. The interior of the building contains separate -school accommodation for boys and girls; and at the east end there is -a comfortable residence for the mistress. The school is surrounded by -an extensive play-ground, and enclosed by a brick wall, surmounted -anteriorly by ornamental iron railings. Since the building was completed -the provision for the reception of boys has been greatly increased by the -erection of a new wing, by private munificence, abutting at right angles -with the east end of the original structure. - -In the spring of 1845 a handsome promenade and carriage drive was -completed along the border of the shore from the North Euston Hotel to -the west extremity of the Mount Terrace. The pathway, which ran on the -inner side of the drive, was flagged throughout its entire length, whilst -the outer margin of the road was connected with a substantial sea-wall -of square-cut stone by a broad and well-kept grass plat. Subsequently -this elegant walk was extended round the south side of the Mount, along -Abbots’ Walk, and so on by the side of the shore to the Cemetery Road. -Very little of the portion first constructed is now to be seen, and that -remnant is in such a dilapidated condition as almost to be impassable. -Huge stones which formerly protected the green sward and road from the -waves are now lying scattered and buried about the beach; whilst the -westerly end of the promenade has not only suffered utter annihilation -itself, but serious inroads have been made by the water into the -ornamental gardens fronting the houses of the Mount Terrace. - -Strenuous efforts were put forth during the autumn of 1845 to prevent -the visitors forsaking the town immediately the long evenings had -commenced; pyrotechnic displays took place each week on the plot of land -lying to the north of the Upper Queen’s Terrace, and designated the -Archery Ground. Sea excursions to Blackpool, Southport, and Piel Harbour -were liberally provided for by the steamers of the port; a military -band was hired for several weeks, and played daily either on one of the -pleasure craft or near the new promenade; foot races, wrestling, and -cricket matches were arranged and contested at short intervals. But -all in vain, for towards the end of August the reflux of visitors had -thoroughly set in, and by the middle of September the shores were almost -deserted. During that brief period of excitement it was proposed amongst -the inhabitants to erect a large public building to be ready for the -ensuing season, which should combine all the advantages of a reading and -news room, public library, bazaar, ball room, and theatre; but either the -ardour of the people cooled during the winter months or they failed to -discern a fair prospect of dividends from the investment, for the summer -of 1846 discovered that the idea had vanished with the closing year, and - - “Like the baseless fabric of a vision, - Left not a wreck behind.” - -Perhaps, however, it is going too far to assert that no trace or vestige -of the comprehensive project remained after the first ebullition of -enthusiasm had passed from the popular mind, for we find that, although -no noble hall graced the town, a Mechanics’ Institution was modestly -established on the 18th of May, 1846, by the opening of a reading room -in one portion of the Estate Office. This office formerly occupied -the site of the present Whitworth Institute, and was a small, lightly -constructed, Gothic edifice. Subsequently a larger and more convenient -place for the purposes of the Institution was engaged in Dock Street; a -library was provided and arrangements made for lectures and classes to be -held on the premises. In the report of the establishment, issued twelve -months after its foundation, it was stated that the members at that date -amounted to 184, being 138 full members, 20 females, and 26 youths and -apprentices; and that since its organisation 213 persons had availed -themselves of the privileges offered by the society. A considerable -number of cottage houses were erected in different parts of the town, -and not only were these tenanted directly they were completed, but the -demand for further building was still on the increase. A public abattoir, -or slaughter-house, was constructed in 1846 on the outskirts of the town, -and a notice issued, prohibiting the slaying of any cattle, sheep, or -swine anywhere except within its walls, under a penalty of £5 for every -offence. A Wesleyan chapel was also in course of erection in North Church -Street, then open warren, and finished the following year, divine service -being first conducted in it on Monday, the 24th of May, by the Rev. -George Osborne, of Liverpool. As the town gradually developed in size and -population, the attendants at this place of worship outgrew the space -provided for them, and lately, in 1875, it became necessary to enlarge -the edifice. The west gable-end was taken out and the main building -extended in that direction. Galleries were placed along the two sides -and across the east wall; the old-fashioned pulpit was superseded by a -platform situated at the centre of the west end, and extending to within -six feet of the galleries at either side. The new sittings resemble the -old ones in being closed pews, and not open benches. The chapel is now -capable of containing double the congregation it could have held previous -to the recent alterations. - -In the month of February, 1847, an extraordinary high tide, rendered -more formidable by strong westerly winds, did great damage on the coast -from here to Rossall; the Landmark was so far undermined that its fall -was hourly expected; an embankment raised on the shore from that point -to Rossall suffered severely, large portions being completely washed -away; and the outbuildings of a farm called “Fenny” were overthrown -and destroyed, serious injury being done also to the land in the -neighbourhood. The more immediate vicinities of the town escaped with -comparatively little loss, the most important being that resulting -from the inundation of several fields and gardens near the Cops, and -the levelling of a few wooden sheds for labourers’ tools and other -outbuildings. - -A failure in the potatoe and grain harvests of 1846 spread fearful -distress and famine throughout the United Kingdom; bread riots and -disturbances amongst the starving poor of Ireland were of frequent -occurrence, and it was to assist in alleviating the sufferings of those -unfortunate people that a subscription was started in Fleetwood during -the latter months of that year. Donations purely from the inhabitants -of the town were collected, and in January, 1847, the sum of £105 was -forwarded to the sister country. In consequence of the severe national -affliction, Her Majesty ordained that Wednesday, the 24th of the -following March, should be observed as a general fast-day. On that date -all the shops in the watering place, with one or two exceptions, were -closed; the public-houses and streets were quiet; and stillness and -solemnity everywhere apparent. The church was crowded to overflowing; -every seat was packed, and forms were brought in from the Sunday school -and placed in the aisles to create extra accommodation, so excessive -was the congregation which assembled to join in the special service for -divine intervention. - -On Monday, the 20th of September, 1847, Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, -accompanied by their Royal Highnesses, the Prince Consort, the Prince -of Wales, and the Princess Royal, landed at Fleetwood _en route_ from -Scotland to London. The spot fixed for the debarkation of the royal party -was near the north end of the covered pier, upwards of 100 feet of which -were boarded off and converted into a saloon, a covered gallery being -erected leading from it to the railway, where the special train was -stationed. The floors of the saloon and gallery were covered with crimson -drugget and at the entrance to the former a beautiful triumphal arch was -formed of various coloured draperies, and adorned with the national flag -and other emblems of loyalty. The walls of the saloon were hung with -white and coloured draperies, festooned with evergreens, and British -ensigns were suspended from the roof. This elegant apartment contained a -gallery for ladies at the north end, and near to the entrance was a small -octagonal throne, having an ascent of three steps, upon which a handsome -gilded chair of state and a footstool were placed. Behind the two latter, -draperies of crimson cloth were suspended, surmounted by the Arms of Her -Majesty. On Sunday, the 19th of September, the High-sheriff of the county -of Lancaster, William Gale, esq., of Lightburne House, near Ulverston, -who had arrived in order to receive Her Majesty on the following day, -attended divine worship at St. Peter’s Church, being driven there -in his state carriage, drawn by four splendid greys and preceded by -his trumpeters and twenty-four javelin men with halberds. Monday was -ushered in with boisterous winds, a cloudy sky, and other indications of -unpropitious weather, which fortunately for the thousands who crowded -into the place from Yorkshire, Manchester, and intermediate localities, -considerably improved as the day advanced. The ships in the harbour were -draped with flags, and similar decorations floated from the windows of -almost every house. A little after three o’clock in the afternoon the -report of a signal gun announced that the royal squadron, consisting of -the Victoria and Albert, the Black Eagle, the Fairy, the Garland, and the -Undine, was in sight, and as the noble vessels steamed up the channel the -North Euston Hotel and the Pier burst out into brilliant illuminations. -As soon as the royal yacht, Victoria and Albert, had been safely moored -to the quay opposite the triumphal arch, and the gangways adjusted, the -High-sheriff, W. Gale, esq.; Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, K.C.B.; -Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart.; Major-General Sir William Warre; John Wilson -Patten, esq., M.P.; the Rev. St. Vincent Beechey, incumbent of Fleetwood; -Henry Houldsworth, esq., chairman of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway -Company; George Wilson, esq., deputy-chairman; and Thomas H. Higgin, -esq., managing director of the Preston and Wyre district; presented their -cards, and explained to Captain Beechey the several arrangements which -had been made for Her Majesty’s conveyance to London. Afterwards Sir P. -H. Fleetwood, the Rev. St. Vincent Beechey, Frederick Kemp, and James -Crombleholme, esqrs., of Fleetwood; and Daniel Elletson, esq., of Parrox -Hall, were admitted to an interview with Lord Palmerston, who, on behalf -of Her Majesty, received the subjoined address from the inhabitants of -Fleetwood, printed in gold on white satin, and promised that it should be -laid before the Queen:— - - “THE LOYAL AND DUTIFUL ADDRESS OF THE INHABITANTS OF FLEETWOOD, - TO HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN. - - “_May it Please your Majesty_, - - “We, the Inhabitants of the Town of Fleetwood, in the county of - Lancaster, desire to approach your Majesty on this auspicious - occasion, with the most sincere expression of our devoted - loyalty and attachment to your Majesty, of our deep respect and - esteem for your Majesty’s august Consort, for his Royal Highness - the Prince of Wales, and the other members of the Royal Family. - - “We beg to assure your Majesty that it is with feelings of the - liveliest gratitude that we hail this Royal visit to our humble - shores, now for the first time pressed by the foot of Sovereignty. - - “We rejoice to think that it has fallen to our happy lot to - be the first to welcome the Queen of England to her own Royal - Patrimony in the Duchy of Lancaster. - - “We hasten to lay at your Majesty’s feet the dutiful allegiance - of the inhabitants of the youngest Town and Port in all your - Majesty’s dominions, which dates its existence from the very year - in which your Majesty first ascended the Throne of these realms; - and which, from the barren and uninhabited sands of the Fylde of - Lancashire, has already obtained some importance for its town - of 3,000 inhabitants, its Watering-place, Harbour, and Railway, - together with its College for the sons of clergymen and other - gentlemen. - - “We sincerely trust, that the natural facilities and local - arrangements of this Port may be found such as shall conduce to - the safety, comfort, and convenience of your Majesty in your - royal progress. And we beseech your Majesty to receive our united - and solemn assurance, that whatever progress our Harbour and Town - may make in wealth and importance, it shall ever be our firmest - determination and most earnest prayer, that we may never cease - to boast of a loyal population, entertaining the same feeling of - devoted duty and attachment to your Majesty and the Royal Family, - which we experience at this moment, and which the grateful - remembrance of this Royal visit must ever tend to keep alive in - our bosoms. - - “Signed on behalf of the Inhabitants, - - “ST. VINCENT BEECHEY, M.A., Incumbent of Fleetwood.” - - -To the foregoing address the annexed reply was received from London in -the course of a few days:— - - “Whitehall, 25th September, 1847. - - “SIR,—I am directed by the Secretary, Sir George Grey, to inform - you, that the Loyal and Dutiful Address of the Inhabitants of - Fleetwood, on the occasion of Her Majesty’s late visit, has been - laid before the Queen, and that the same was very graciously - received by Her Majesty. - - “I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, - - (Signed) - - “DENNIS LE MERCHANT. - - “Rev. St. Vincent Beechey, Incumbent of Fleetwood.” - -Early next morning the handsome saloon was occupied by the High-sheriff, -the Under-sheriff, and a select number of gentlemen, and shortly after -ten o’clock Her Majesty and the royal party proceeded from the yacht to -the special train amid joyful acclamations which resounded from all parts -of the shore. The moment Her Majesty set foot, for the first time, on her -Duchy of Lancaster, the royal standard was lowered from the mast-head of -the yacht, and instantly raised on the flag-staff at the custom-house of -Fleetwood, where it received a salute of twenty-one guns. After another -salute of a similar number of guns, as Her Majesty reached the end of -the gallery, the royal party entered their saloon carriage, Mr., now -Sir John, Hawskshaw, engineer to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway -Company, took his station on the engine, and the train moved slowly off, -followed by the ringing cheers of at least ten thousand spectators. - -It should be mentioned that a loyal address, written in Latin, from the -students of the Northern Church of England School, at Rossall, arrived -too late for presentation, and was afterwards forwarded to London. - -In the month of July, 1847, Mr. Thomas Drummond, contractor, commenced -the erection of the present Independent Chapel in West Street, and -notwithstanding a serious delay through the destruction of the north -gable and roof-framing by a heavy gale in September, the building was -completed the same year. The edifice, which will contain about 600 -persons, is a neat brick structure with side buttresses, and adorned with -a castellated tower. Beneath the chapel are spacious school-rooms for -boys and girls. The site was granted by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, and conveyed -in trust for the use of the church and congregation. - -For two or three years little of special interest occurred in the -progress or condition of the town. Each summer brought its assembly of -regular visitors, upon whom many of the inhabitants depended for support, -whilst Whit-week annually inundated the warren, streets, and shores with -crowds of day-excursionists, for whose benefit sports, resembling those -to which allusion has already been made, were instituted. Regattas also -were added to the other attractions of the watering-place, but after -existing for some little time they gradually died out, either because -they failed to excite their former interest amongst the visitors, or -the public spirit of the inhabitants was tardy in providing the funds -necessary for their continuance. Houses in Albert Street, and in other -parts of the town, were slowly increasing in number, but no large demand -for dwellings bespoke a rapid rise in the prosperity or popularity of the -place, like that to which we referred a little earlier. Trade, although -comparatively steady, evinced no signs of enlargement at present, and -as a consequence fresh families hesitated to venture their fortunes in -the new land, until some more regular and reliable means of gaining a -livelihood were offered them than the precarious patronage of uncertain -visitors, many of whom, now that free access had been given to Blackpool -and Lytham through the opening of branch lines, were already being -seduced from their old allegiance to Fleetwood, and attracted to the -gayer promenades of those rival resorts. - -In the month of December, 1852, and just at the Christmas season, a -fearful hurricane swept over Fleetwood; slates, chimney tops, and -boardings were torn from their fastenings, and hurled about the streets; -indeed so terrific was the violence of this gale that at its height it -was difficult for the pedestrian to avoid being forced along by its -fury in whatsoever direction the huge gusts willed. During the storm -a singular accident occurred in the harbour. The barque “Hope,” which -had arrived shortly before from America with timber, was lying in the -river attached to one of the buoys, and by some carelessness the men -employed in unloading her had neglected, on leaving their work, to -close up the large square hole near the stem of the ship, through which -the baulks of wood were discharged. The hurricane came on fiercely and -suddenly from the west, and, to the dismay of the solitary watchman who -had been left in charge of the vessel, heeled over her lightened hull -so that the swollen and boisterous tide poured wave after wave through -the unprotected aperture at her bows; a few minutes only were needed -to complete the catastrophe, for as the vessel settled in the deep, no -longer waves but continuous volumes of water rushed into her, and with -a heavy lurch she rolled over on her side, the masts and more than half -her hull being submerged. Fortunately, however, the remnant of the cargo -was sufficiently buoyant to prevent her from vanishing bodily beneath -the surface. The luckless guardian, whose feelings must have been far -from enviable, was quickly rescued from the perilous position he occupied -on the floating portion of the ship; but it was not until some weeks -afterwards that they were able, in the words of the poet Cowper, - - “To weigh the vessel up.” - -The “Hope,” 415 tons register, was built up the river at the old port -of Wardleys, being the only vessel of such dimensions constructed in -the shipyard there. Ten years later, on the 27th of February, 1862, this -ill-fated barque was abandoned on the high seas in a sinking condition. - -In 1854 sundry improvements were effected in the extent and condition -of the place, and consisted in part of the erection of a row of model -cottages in Poulton Road, near the entrance to the town, as well as a -new police Station in West Street, comprising two dwellings for the -constables and cells for prisoners. The streets were also put in better -order, and efforts made to render the aspect of Fleetwood more finished -and pleasing than it had been during the two or three previous seasons. A -scheme for the partial drainage of the town was proposed at the assembly -of commissioners, and arrangements were entered into for the work to be -promptly carried out at an estimated cost of £1,200. Altogether a sudden -spirit of activity seemed to have superseded the lethargy or indifference -which lately had been too much visible amongst the inhabitants in all -matters of public interest, and which had already exercised a serious -and baneful influence upon the prospects of the place as a sea-side -resort. In the ensuing year the body of Primitive Methodists, which -had now become rather numerous, chiefly owing to the prosperity of the -fishing trade attracting many followers of that calling to the port, -most of whom were members of this sect, commenced and completed a chapel -in West Street. Recently it has been found necessary considerably to -enlarge the edifice, in order to furnish more accommodation for the -increasing congregation. Although the erection of this chapel and of -the other buildings mentioned above mark undoubtedly an era of progress -in the history of the town, still we are constrained to admit that the -wants they supplied were not brought about by the spread of Fleetwood’s -reputation as a watering-place. From the first little had been done to -supplement its natural attractions by laying out elegant promenades, or -improving the state of the Cops or Poulton Road, so as to render them -agreeable rural walks for many who, after a time, grew weary of watching -the eddies and dimples of the river’s current - - “Play round the bows of ships, - That steadily at anchor rode;” - -or of daily rambling where the receding waves left a broad floor of -firm, unbroken sands. True, a carriage-drive and foot-way of some -pretensions to beauty had been constructed along the north shore in 1845, -but the storms we have described, and other heavy seas, had torn breaches -in its wall, and made sad havoc amongst its light sandy material, -completely ruining the fair appearance of the shoreward grass-plat, and -threatening the road with that very destruction which has since overtaken -it through the continued negligence of the residents or governing -powers. There was no public hall, such as that once contemplated, where -a feeling of fellowship might be engendered amongst the visitors. The -regattas instituted for the interest and amusement it was hoped they -would excite amongst the spectators were, as previously stated, conducted -in a desultory manner for a few years, and then abandoned; whilst the -land sports during the week of high festival were discontinued as the -Whit-week excursion trains found other outlets more attractive than -Fleetwood for their pleasure-seeking thousands; but it was not until the -North Euston Hotel was opened for military purposes, that all hope of -reviving the fading reputation of the town as a summer resort was finally -relinquished. For some little time after the foregoing transfer, the -bathing vans, as if to keep up the fiction of the season, re-appeared -with uninterrupted regularity each year upon the beach, but even that -last connecting link between the deserted town, as far as visitors were -concerned, and its former popularity, was doomed shortly to be broken, -for the ancient machines, never renewed, and seldom repaired, were at -length unequal to the rough journey over the cobble stones, and crumbled -to pieces on the way, expiring miserably in the cause of duty, from old -age and unmerited neglect. - -In the early part of 1859, a lifeboat, thirty feet in length, was -stationed here by the National Lifeboat Institution, and in the month of -September in the same year, a neat and substantial house was built for it -on the beach opposite the North Euston Hotel. After doing good service -along the coast, in rescuing several crews whose vessels had stranded -amidst the breakers on the outlying sand-banks, this boat was superseded, -in 1862, by one of larger dimensions. In January, 1863, the erection -on the beach was swept away by the billows during a heavy gale, and in -the course of a few months the present structure in Pharos Street, far -removed from the reach of the destructive element, was raised, and the -lifeboat transferred to its safer keeping. - -The census of the residents taken in 1861 showed a total of 4,061 -persons, being an increase of 940 over the number in 1851, and of 1,228 -over that in 1841. Hence it is seen that during the long period of twenty -years, almost from its commencement to the date now under consideration, -through fluctuating seasons of prosperous and depressed trade, the town -had succeeded in adding no more than 1,228 individuals to the roll of -its inhabitants, many of whom would be the offspring of the original -settlers. Truly the foregoing picture is not a very satisfactory one to -review when we call to mind the bright auspices under which the place -was started,—the early and ample railway accommodation, the short and -well-beaconed channel, and the safe and spacious harbour; but could -we only add the extensive area of docks, the Fleetwood of 1871 would -doubtless have presented a widely different aspect to that we are here -called upon to portray. It is scarcely just, however, to lay all the -burden of this slow rate of progress on the want of suitable berth -provision for heavily-laden vessels coming to the harbour. Fleetwood had -other means of extending its circle besides those derived from its happy -situation for shipping trade. Its merits as a watering-place were allowed -on every hand; eulogistic versions of its special charms were circulated -through the public prints; strangers flocked each summer to its shores, -and were enchanted with their visits; but after a while the refreshing -novelty wore off, and the puny efforts made by those whose interests in -the prosperity of the town were greatest, failed to fill the inevitable -void the waning newness left in its train. In the meantime other season -places, urged on by emulation, enhanced the beauties of nature by works -of art; promenades, walks, drives, and, at no distant period, piers, -were constructed to meet the popular demands, and in that way the tide -of visitors was turned from the non-progressive and now over familiar -attractions of Fleetwood to swell the annually increasing streams which -overflowed the rising towns of Blackpool and Lytham. The year 1861 will -ever be remarkable in the history of Fleetwood as being the date at which -the town was for the first time practically diverted from that line of -progress which its founder, in too sanguine expectancy, had early marked -out for it. Its decadence as a summer resort had been too pronounced to -allow of any hope being entertained that a revulsion was probable, or -even possible, in the feelings and tastes of the multitude, which would -again people its shores, during the warm months, with a heterogeneous -crowd of valetudinarians and pleasure-seekers. The noble hotel which -had been erected by Sir P. H. Fleetwood on the northern margin of the -shore, in a style of architecture and at an expense which bore witness -to the firm confidence of the baronet in the brilliant future awaiting -the infant town, had been sold to Government, as previously stated, in -1859, but it was not until two years afterwards that the first detachment -of officers took up their quarters in the newly-established School of -Musketry, and Fleetwood awoke to the novel sound of martial music and -the reputation of being a military centre. Rumour, also, had for several -months been active in circulating a report that the sward lying between -the Landmark and the cemetery, and a field at the corner of Cemetery -Road, had attracted the eye of Government as a suitable locality whereon -to place barracks and lay out a rifle-practice ground; and in February, -1861, doubt on the subject was no longer admissible, for the contract to -carry out the fresh project was let during that month to the gentleman -who had been engaged in the necessary alterations at the North Euston -Hotel. The scheme involved the creation of residential accommodation in -the field just indicated for a small force of 220 men and 12 officers, -some of the quarters being specially designed for married soldiers, -in addition to which lavatories, a canteen, mess-room, magazine, and -guard-house, were to be erected. The work was entered on without delay, -and at no long interval, about ten months, or rather more, the whole -of the buildings were completed, and soon afterwards occupied. The -practice-ground was marked out for range firing, and butts provided, -where the targets were shortly stationed. A spacious hospital, it should -be mentioned, was constructed almost contemporaneously with the main -portion of the barrack buildings. - -On Monday, the 20th of May, 1861, a mass meeting was convened to -ascertain the opinion of the inhabitants with regard to a claim of -exclusive use of the road over the Mount-hill, which had recently been -set up by Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, who in order to establish his -right had caused a cobble wall to be erected round that portion of -the estate. The meeting, consisting of about three hundred persons, -was held on the pathway in dispute, which crosses the highest point of -the elevation. A platform was raised, and a chairman, elected by the -unanimous voice of the company, ascended the rostrum, being accompanied -by several of the more enthusiastic advocates of free-road, who in the -course of earnest addresses declared that for twenty years the Mount had -been dedicated to the public service, in consideration of certain sums -paid annually to the lord of the manor out of the town’s rates, and that -having been so long the property of the people, Sir P. H. Fleetwood had -now no moral or legal title to wrest it from them. The ardent language of -the speakers aroused a sympathetic feeling in the breasts of the small -multitude, and murmurs of discontent at the attempted deprivation of -their privileges had already assumed a threatening tone, when a gentleman -who happened to be visiting the neighbourhood, appeared upon the scene, -and in a few spirited words urged the excited listeners to some speedy -manifestation of their disapproval. Uttering a shout of indignation and -defiance the crowd rushed at the enclosure wall, tore down the masonry, -and quickly opened out a wide breach through the offending structure, -after which they filled the air with triumphant cheers and shortly -retired homewards in a comparatively orderly manner. In the course of a -few months the vexatious question was settled between the representatives -of the town and Sir P. H. Fleetwood, who on his part agreed only to -retain to himself a plot of land fifty yards square, lying on the west -side of the hill; another piece one hundred yards square, extending from -the base of the elevation to the sea; the wooden edifice on the summit -of the mound; six square yards whereon to erect a look-out house for the -Coastguards; and the gardens and cottage-lodges at the entrance. The -remainder of the Mount, amounting to about three-fourths, was given up to -the public, together with the right of footway through the cottages just -mentioned, and over the east and west plots; the commissioners engaging, -on their side, to erect and maintain a suitable fence round the Mount, -and to keep the hill itself in a proper manner for the benefit of the -inhabitants or visitors, as well as binding themselves upon no account to -raise any building on the site. The entire ground, with the buildings, -has since been given, on much the same conditions, to the town. - -During the year 1862 the town, which for some time had lain dormant in -a commercial point of view, evinced unmistakable signs of returning -animation; trade was more active, rumour once more hinted at the probable -commencement of docks at an early date, and ninety-five houses of -moderate size were erected. In the earlier half of the following twelve -months no less than thirty-seven more dwellings were added to the town, -the foundations of several others being in course of preparation. A -branch of the Preston Banking Company was also opened for a few hours -once in each week; and during later years has transacted business daily. - -On Tuesday, the 20th of January, 1863, a storm and flood, such as has -seldom been witnessed on this coast, arose suddenly and raged with fury -for about twenty hours. The whole of the wall under the Mount, which -had been brought to light by some gales in the previous November, after -having been buried in the sand for long, was utterly demolished, not -one stone being left upon another. In addition, the breakers penetrated -with destructive violence, several yards inland beyond the line of -that barrier throughout its whole length, from the west end of the -Euston Barracks to the further extremity of Abbot’s Walk. A wooden -battery of two 32-pound guns at the foot of the Mount, belonging to the -Coastguards,[85] and used for training the Naval Volunteer Reserve, -was undermined and so tilted that its removal became a necessity. The -marine fence, which had been constructed at an immense cost, between -the Landmark and Cleveleys, was almost entirely swept away, leaving -the adjacent country open to the inundations of the sea, which rushed -over and flooded all the land between the points just named, extending -eastward even to the embankment of the Preston and Wyre Railway. Several -of the streets at the west side of Fleetwood were under water, as also -were the fields about Poulton road and the highway itself. The proprietor -of the “Strawberry Garden,” off the same road, and his family, were -compelled to take refuge in an upper storey of their dwelling until -rescued in a boat, the following day, from their unpleasant, if not -perilous, position. It was in this hurricane that the house erected -on the shore for the reception of the lifeboat suffered annihilation, -and the boat itself narrowly escaped serious damage. Tuesday, the 10th -of March, in the same year was observed by the residents as a general -holiday and gala day, in honour of the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince -of Wales, with the Danish Princess, Alexandra. Flags and banners floated -from the windows of nearly every habitation, as well as from the roofs -of many, while the steamships and other vessels in the harbour were -gaily decorated with bunting, which waved in rich and varied tints from -their masts, spars, and rigging. Triumphal arches of the “colours of -all nations” were suspended across the streets at several points. A -large procession of schools and friendly societies in full regalia, with -their banners and devices, paraded the different thoroughfares, and were -afterwards sumptuously entertained, the latter at their various lodges, -and the former in the large area of a cotton warehouse, recently built on -the quay by Messrs. B. Whitworth and Bros., of Manchester. The military -stationed at the School of Musketry evinced their loyalty by discharging -a _feu de joie_ on the warren. In the following November a scheme was -proposed for the construction of a coast railway between Fleetwood and -Blackpool, to pass through Rossall and Bispham. A survey was made of -the route, and according to the plans drawn out, the projected line -was intended to have its Fleetwood terminus at the south extremity of -Poulton Terrace, opposite the end of West Street, whence it was to run -towards the new barracks, near the cemetery, then diverge to the south -in the direction of Rossall. From Rossall its course lay towards Bispham -and thence onwards to the Blackpool terminus, which would be located -in Queen’s street, adjoining the station already standing there. The -stations, besides those at the two termini, were to be placed at the -barracks, Rossall, and Bispham. At Fleetwood the promoters proposed to -form a junction with the Preston and Wyre Railway near the old timber -pond, for the purpose of passing carriages from one line to the other, -whilst at Blackpool a similar object would be effected with the Lytham -and Blackpool Railway by deviating eastward from Queen Street, so as -to avoid the town, and establishing a junction with the latter line -near Chapel Street. On an application being made to parliament for -powers to carry out the design, strenuous opposition was offered by the -representatives of the Preston and Wyre Railway, who pledged themselves -to erect additional stations along their track to accommodate the people -residing at Rossall, Cleveleys, and Bispham, in consequence of which the -bill for a coast-line was thrown out and the project abandoned. - -On the 4th of December, 1863, the Lancaster Banking Company established -a branch here; and on the 15th of that month the Whitworth Institute in -Dock Street was publicly opened. This handsome Hall was erected through -the munificence of Benjamin Whitworth, esq., M.P., of London, who for -long resided at Fleetwood, and during that period, and afterwards, was -instrumental in giving a marked stimulus to the foreign trade of the -port by shipping each year, on behalf of the large firm of which he is -the head at Manchester, numerous cargoes of cotton from America _viâ_ -Fleetwood. The building is in the Gothic style of architecture. The walls -are built of bricks with stone dressings, the principal features being -the ten arcaded windows, with the stone balcony beneath running across -the entire width of the front, and the elegant entrance. The interior -comprises a spacious reading room and library, a smoking and coffee room, -provided with chess and draughts, an assembly room, capable of containing -400 persons, and two billiard rooms. At the time of its presentation -to the inhabitants the donor generously provided tea urns and other -appliances necessary for holding soirees, in addition to having liberally -furnished the whole of the building, including the gift of a choice and -extensive selection of books, chess and draught-men, a bagatelle-board, -and a billiard-table. The second billiard-table was added out of the -surplus funds in 1875. The Institute is vested in trustees for the use of -the town, and governed by a committee chosen from amongst the subscribers. - -During 1864-5 building continued to progress, but not with that great -rapidity which had characterised its advance in 1862 and the earlier -months of the following year. An act of parliament was granted in 1864 -to certain gentlemen for the formation of a dock in connection with the -harbour, confirming the rumour which had now agitated the place for the -last two years, and bringing conviction to the hearts of many of the -older inhabitants, whose past experience had taught them to look with -eyes of distrust on all reports which pointed to such a happy realisation -of their youthful dreams. The inaugural ceremony of breaking the turf did -not, however, take place for some time, and will be noticed shortly. On -the 17th of May, 1866, the foundation stone of the present Roman Catholic -church in East Street was laid by Doctor Goss, bishop of Liverpool, -who performed the ceremony, attired in full ecclesiastical robes, and -attended by a numerous retinue of priests and choristers. The sacred -edifice was opened on Sunday, the 24th of November in the ensuing year. -Its general style is early English of the 13th century. The building -consists of a nave and two aisles, with an apsidal sanctuary at the east -end; it is about one hundred feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and fifty -feet in height. The exterior is built of stone, the body of the walls -being Yorkshire parpoints, whilst the dressings are of Longridge stone. -Mr. T. A. Drummond, of Fleetwood, was the builder, and the design was -drawn by E. Welby Pugin, esq., architect, the total cost being about -£4,000. - -For many years, in fact ever since steamship communication had been -established between this port and Belfast, large quantities of young -cattle from Ireland were landed each season at Fleetwood, and carried -forward by rail to the markets of Preston and elsewhere. For the benefit -of the dealers, who would thus escape the railway charges, as well as -for the convenience of the graziers and other purchasers residing in the -neighbourhood, it was determined to open a place for the public sale of -such live stock at Fleetwood; the necessary authority was obtained from -the Privy Council, and on the 2nd of April, 1868, the Cattle Market, -lying on the east side of that for general produce, and consisting of -sixteen large strong pens, arranged in two rows with a road between them, -was used for its earliest transactions and much appreciated by those who -were concerned in the traffic. - -Wednesday, the 2nd of June, 1869, will not readily be obliterated from -the memories of the people of Fleetwood. On that day the first sod of the -long expected dock was cut by H. S. Styan, esq., of London, the surviving -trustee of the estate under the will of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, -who died in 1866. The auspicious event was celebrated with universal -rejoicing, in which many-coloured bunting played its usual conspicuous -part. A large procession of the clergy, gentry, schools, and friendly -societies, enlivened by the band of the 80th regiment of Infantry from -the Euston Barracks, and gay with waving banners, accompanied Mr. Styan -to the site where the important ceremony was performed, and sent forth -hearty congratulatory cheers when the piece of turf had been duly -dissected from the ground. With all apparent earnestness and eagerness, -operations were at once commenced, and for two or three months the -undertaking, under the busy hands of the excavators, made satisfactory -progress, when suddenly several gangs of labourers were discharged, and -the works partially stopped— - - “While all the town wondered.” - -Wonderment, however, was turned to a feeling of disappointment and -chagrin, when it was discovered, a little later, that the closing year -would put a period to the labours at the dock as well as to its own -epoch of time, and that its last shadows would fall on deserted works -and idle machinery. For some reason, which may fairly be conjectured -to have been an incompleted list of shareholders, the Fleetwood Dock -Company determined to suspend all operations barely six months after -they had been begun, and it is scarcely necessary to inform our readers -that the work was never resumed under the same proprietorship. Two -years subsequently, in 1871, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway -Company obtained an act of parliament to carry out, on a larger scale, -the undertaking which their predecessors had abandoned almost in its -birth. The dock, which embraces an area of nearly ten acres, being one -thousand feet long, by four hundred feet wide, has already been in -course of formation for more than two years, and although the labour is -being pushed forward by the contractors, Messrs. John Aird and Sons, of -Lambeth, with as much expedition as is consistent with good workmanship, -the completion of this much-needed accommodation is not expected until -some time in 1877. The dock walls are built with square blocks of stone, -surmounted by a broad and massive coping of Cornish granite, and filled -in behind with concrete, the whole having an altitude of thirty-one -feet, and being placed on a solid concrete foundation fourteen feet -wide. The walls themselves vary in width as they approach the surface, -being in the lower half of their distance 12½ feet, then 10½ feet, and -in the highest section 8½ feet wide. The lock entrance communicates -with the north extremity of the dock, and is two hundred and fifty feet -long by fifty feet wide, being protected at each end by gates, opening, -respectively, into the dock and the channel now in process of excavation -to the bed of the river Wyre. Lying to the south of the dock is the -recently-constructed timber pond, covering an area of 14½ or 15 acres, -and having a depth of 15 feet. The pond is connected with the dock by -means of a gateway, so arranged in the southern wall of the latter that -two feet of water will always remain in the former after the tide has -ebbed below the level of its floor. The timber pond has no other entrance -beyond the one alluded to. Sir John Hawkshaw, previously mentioned in -connection with the visit of Queen Victoria to Fleetwood, is the eminent -engineer from whose designs the dock is being constructed. - -The prospect, or indeed certainty, of materially increased trade when the -dock is thrown open has not been without effect upon the town generally, -but its stimulating influence is most remarkable in the large number of -houses which, during the last few years, have sprung into being. Streets -have been lined with habitations where recently not a dwelling existed, -and others have had their vacant spaces filled in with buildings. -Handsome shops have been erected in Dock Street, East and West Streets, -and other localities, whilst many of the residences in Church Street -have been remodeled and converted into similar retail establishments. -Everywhere there is a spirit of activity visible, contrasting most -pleasingly and favourably with the passive inertitia which pervaded the -place for a considerable period previous to the commencement of the dock -operations. In 1875 the commissioners determined to do something towards -protecting the northern aspect of the Mount from the devastations of -the waves, whose boisterous familiarity had already inflicted serious -injury on its feeble sandy sides, and seemed disposed, if much longer -unchecked, to reduce the venerable pile to a mere matter of history. A -public promenade, fenced with a substantial wall of concrete, was laid -out at the base of the hill, extending from near the west extremity of -the Mount Terrace to the commencement of Abbot’s Walk. The damaged side -of the mound itself has been levelled and sown with grass-seed, so that -in course of time the marine walk will have a lofty sloping background of -green sward, and form the prettiest, as it was doubtless the most needed, -object in the neighbourhood. - -On the 1st of January, 1875, a number of gentlemen, denominated the -Fleetwood Estate Company, Limited, and consisting of Sir Jno. Hawkshaw, -knt., of Westminster; Thos. H. Carr, J. M. Jameson, C.E., and Philip -Turner, esqrs., of Fleetwood; Capt. Henry Turner and Sturges Meek, -esq., C.E., of Manchester; Thomas Barnes, esq., of Farnworth; James -Whitehead, esq., of Preston; Joshua Radcliffe, esq., of Rochdale; Samuel -Burgess, esq., of Altringham; William Barber Buddicom, esq., C.E., of -Penbedw, Mold; and Samuel Fielden, esq., of Todmorden; purchased the -lands, buildings, manorial rights and privileges (including wreckage, -market-tolls, and advowson of the church), of the late Sir P. H. -Fleetwood, in and near this town, from the trustees of his property, -for £120,000, subscribed in equal shares. Although negotiations were -satisfactorily concluded in 1874, it was not until the month just stated -that the actual transfer was effected, and the gentlemen enumerated -became lords of the soil. We must not omit to name that a portion of the -Fleetwood estate, amounting to about 600 acres, lying between the old and -present railway embankments, had been acquired in a similar manner, for -£25,000, in 1871, by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company. Under -the new proprietorship leases for building purposes are sold or let, as -formerly, for terms of 999 years. - -In closing this account of Fleetwood as a watering-place and town, and -before delineating its career as a seaport, it should be stated that the -census of the inhabitants taken in 1871 yielded a total of 4,428 persons, -of whom 2,310 were males, and 2,118 females; but in the limited period -which has elapsed since that result was obtained the population has grown -considerably, and the increase during a similar interval after any of the -previous official returns cannot be taken as a criterion of the present -numerical strength of the residents. - -Fleetwood was started in 1839 as a distinct port with customs established -by an order of the Treasury; subsequently in 1844 it was reduced to a -creek under Preston; then two years later elevated to a sub-port; and -finally in 1849 reinstated in its first position of independence. The -iron wharf was completed in 1841, and is constructed of iron piles, -each of which weighs two and three quarter tons, driven seventeen feet -below low water mark, and faced with plates of the same metal, seven or -eight inches thick, which are rivetted to the flanges of the piles, and -filled in at the back with concrete. The wooden pier, about 400 feet in -length, and abutting on the north extremity of this massive structure, -was finished in 1845, and roofed over shortly afterwards. On the 22nd of -July in the ensuing year, the last stone of the wharf wall, erected by -Mr. Julian A. Tarner, of Fleetwood, and extending fourteen hundred feet -from the south end of the iron wharf in the direction of the railway, was -laid; and at the same time the coal-shoots connected with the new portion -of the quay were approaching completion. - -The improvement of the harbour was entrusted to Captain Denham, R.N., -F.R.S., under whose superintendence the seaward channel of the river was -buoyed and beaconed, being rendered safe for night navigation by the -erection of a marine lighthouse, in 1840, at the foot of Wyre, nearly -two miles from the mouth of the river at Fleetwood. This lighthouse was -the first one erected on Mitchell’s screw-pile principle. The house in -which the lightkeepers lived was hexagonal in form, and measured 22 -feet in diameter, from angle to angle, and nine feet in height. It was -furnished with an outside door and three windows; and divided within -into two compartments, one of which was supplied with a fireplace and -other necessaries, whilst the second was used purely as a dormitory. The -lantern was twelve-sided, 10 feet in diameter and 8 feet in height to the -top of the window, the illumination it produced being raised about 31 -feet above the level of the highest spring-tide, and 44½ feet above that -of half-tide. A few years since, in 1870, this lighthouse was carried -away by a vessel, and for some time a light-ship occupied the station, -but subsequently another edifice, similar in appearance and construction -to the original one, was raised about two hundred yards south of the same -site. - -Captain Denham, having accomplished his survey of the river and harbour, -issued the following report in 1840:— - - “The river Wyre assumes a river character near Bleasdale Forest, - in Lancashire, and after crossing the line of road between - Preston and Lancaster, at Garstang, descends as a tortuous - stream for five miles westward; then, in another five mile - reach of one-third of a mile wide, north-westward, sweeping - the light of Skippool, near Poulton-le-Fylde, on its way, and - bursting forth from the narrows at Wardleys, upon a north trend, - into the tidal estuary which embraces an area of three miles - by two, producing a combined reflux of back-water, equal to - fifty million cubical yards, and dipping with such a powerful - _under-scour_ during the first half-ebb, as to preserve a natural - basin just within its coast-line orifice, capable of riding - ships of eighteen or twenty feet draft, at _low water spring - tides_; perfectly sheltered from all winds, and within a cable’s - length of the railway terminus, nineteen miles from Preston, - and in connection with Manchester, Lancaster, Liverpool, and - London. It is on the western margin of this natural dock that the - town, wharfs, and warehouses are rising into notice, under the - privilege of a distinct port, and abreast of which, the shores - aptly narrow the _back-water escape_ into a bottle-neck strait - of but one-sixth the width of the estuary, so impelling it down - a two-mile channel as scarcely to permit diminishment of its - three and four-mile velocity until actually blended with the - _cross-set_ of the Lune and Morecambe Bay ebb waters. Thus, the - original short course of Wyre to the open sea, is freed from the - usual river deposit, its silting matter being kept in suspension - until transferred and hurried forth at right angles by the ocean - stream. It is, therefore, the peculiar feature and fortune of - Wyre that, instead of a _bar_ intervening between its bed or exit - trough and the open sea, a precipitous river shelf, equal to a - fall of forty-seven feet in one-third of a mile, exists.” - -The first steam dredger, of 20 horse power, was launched on the 21st -of January, 1840, and the important work of deepening and clearing the -channel at once commenced. - -At a meeting of the Tidal Harbour Commissioners held at the port on the -21st October, 1845, it was stated that the harbour dues were—for coasting -vessels, 1d. per ton, and for foreign ships, 3d. per ton; whilst the -light charges were in all cases 3d. per ton. At the same time it was -observed that the whole of the dues amounted in 1835 to £36 2s. 0d., and -in 1845 to £528 9s. 5d. (In 1855 the dues on similar accounts reached -£1,520; and in 1875, £2,427.) The Walney light was reported to be a great -tax on vessels coming to Fleetwood, as they were charged 3d. a ton per -year, commencing on the 1st of January; so that if a vessel arrived at -the port on the 28th of December, a charge was made for the year just -closing, and a further sum demanded from the craft on going out in the -month of January. This was not the case with regard to similar taxes in -other localities, where one payment exempted a ship for twelve months; -and consequently the regulation acted in some degree as a deterrent to -traders, who might under a more liberal arrangement have been induced to -have availed themselves in larger numbers of the facilities offered by -the new haven. The total length of useful wharfage in 1845 extended over -1,000 feet, being well supplied with posts and rings, and possessing no -less than sixteen hand cranes, thirteen of which were for the purpose -of unloading vessels at the quay. There was a depth of five feet at -low-water spring tides from the marine lighthouse, at the foot of Wyre, -to the wharf, and it was proposed to dredge until ten feet had been -obtained. - -On examining the state of the shipping trade of the harbour during the -year 1845, it is discovered that the imports and exports of foreign -produce and home manufacture, respectively, far outstripped those of any -of the few preceding years. There had been vessels laden with guano from -Ichaboe, sugar from the West Indies, flax from Russia, and timber from -both the Baltic and Canada, making in all twenty-three ships of large -tonnage, only two of which returned with cargoes, in far from complete -stages of fulness, from the warehouses of Manchester, Preston, or other -adjacent commercial towns. The coasting trade had also given earnest of -its progressive tendencies by a remarkable increase in the number of -discharges and loadings over those of the previous twelve months, and -notwithstanding the four hundred feet of extra wharfage, forming the -wooden pier, just opened, the demands for quay berths could not always be -supplied. - -New bonding warehouses were erected towards the close of 1845 at the -corner of Adelaide and Dock Streets, the temporary ones previously in -use being abandoned, and comprised three stories capable of providing -accommodation for 400 hogsheads of sugar at one time, as well as spacious -vaults and other conveniences for duty-bearing articles. The goods -allowed to be warehoused were wine, spirits, tea, tobacco, East India -goods, and goods in general. - -In 1846 prosperity continued to reward the efforts put forth by the -authorities of the young haven. Twelve vessels arrived from America with -timber, and nine similarly laden from the Baltic; tobacco, sugar, and -other commodities were imported in two ships from the Indies; but the -event which kindled the brightest anticipations in the breasts of the -inhabitants and others interested in the success of the port was the -arrival of the barque “Diogenes,” chartered by Mr. Evans, of Chipping, -with the first cargo of cotton ever landed at Fleetwood. In it was -welcomed an introduction to the chief trade of the county, and a happy -augury of future activity in an import which would not only of itself -materially assist the financial condition of the harbour, but would also -be the means of spreading its reputation throughout the commercial world, -and extending its field of action to a degree which could scarcely be -foretold. How these pleasant visions have been fulfilled the reader is -perhaps aware, but if not a glance at the tables of coasting and foreign -trade, given a little later, will furnish the necessary information. On -the 12th of February, immediately the novel consignment just referred -to, which “afforded a suitable opportunity,” had come to hand, a public -dinner was given by their fellow-townsmen to Frederick Kemp and John -Laidlay, esqrs., as a mark of respect for their assiduous efforts to -develope the mercantile resources of the place. During the evening Mr. -Laidlay remarked that “within a short period the trading intercourse -of the port had extended to various and distant portions of the world, -the products of Africa, the West Indies, and North America having been -imported; and stretching our arm still further, a cargo from the East -Indies may be stated as almost within our grasp.” Mr. Evans, in alluding -to his transatlantic shipment, affirmed that in bringing it by way of -Fleetwood, he had effected a saving of at least a farthing per pound; and -continued,—“When the order was given, it could not have been imported -into Liverpool without loss.” - -In the latter part of the year a testimonial was presented by the -inhabitants of the town to Henry Smith, esq., of Fleetwood, manager -of the North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company, as a tribute to his -untiring and successful attempts to promote steamship traffic and advance -the interests of the place, and in the course of a speech made on the -occasion, Mr. Smith said:—“In 1842 I first visited Fleetwood at the -request of the London board of directors, it then presented a most gloomy -aspect—a splendid modern ruin, no shipping, no steamers, no passengers -for the trains, and yet it required no very keen discernment to learn -that all the facilities for trade and commerce existed here, but life was -wanting; here was one of the finest and safest harbours, certainly the -best lighted and marked port on the west coast, being as easily made by -night as by day, with that wonderful natural phenomenon, the Lune Deep, -making it a safety port to take in fog by sounding—a thing having no -parallel in England.... What changes have we witnessed here since 1842? -I have seen your population without employment, and now there is more -work than there are hands to perform—the wages from one shilling a day -have advanced to two shillings and sixpence and three shillings; then -indeed was your port without a ship, now there is a general demand for -more quay room, although since then upwards of 1,000 feet have been added -to the wharfage; then your railway receipts were £100, this year they -have attained £1,500 per week.” This unfortunate gentleman was killed in -the June following, through a collision on the London and North Western -Railway; and there can be no hesitation in affirming that, had his career -of usefulness and activity not been thus prematurely cut short, the trade -of Fleetwood would have developed, in the long period which has elapsed -since his death, into something more important than it presents to day. - -The following authentic returns of the whole business of the port in 1846 -forms a favourable comparison with those of 1840, the year in which the -railway was opened, when they amounted to 57,051 tons of imports, the -exports being proportionately small:— - - COASTING. - - IMPORTS. EXPORTS. - - 1846. January 59 ships 11,564 tons. 59 ships 11,875 tons. - ” February 60 ” 11,251 ” 62 ” 11,208 ” - ” March 72 ” 11,252 ” 70 ” 11,289 ” - ” April 63 ” 10,971 ” 66 ” 11,098 ” - ” May 61 ” 11,539 ” 121 ” 11,790 ” - ” June 61 ” 10,637 ” 97 ” 14,715 ” - ” July 81 ” 13,413 ” 94 ” 14,274 ” - ” August 80 ” 13,194 ” 93 ” 16,042 ” - ” September 94 ” 13,515 ” 65 ” 11,609 ” - ” October 64 ” 11,472 ” 71 ” 13,158 ” - ” November 63 ” 11,094 ” 51 ” 8,619 ” - ” December 41 ” 7,785 ” not obtained. - ----------------------- ----------------------- - 799 ships 137,687 tons. 849 ships 135,677 tons. - Foreign 24 ” 6,935 ” 13 ” 2,703 ” - ----------------------- ----------------------- - Total 823 ships 144,622 tons. 862 ships 138,380 tons. - -The animated appearance of the harbour was described in 1846 by a -gentleman connected with the town, as here quoted:—“With two Indiamen -at their berths, the splendid steamers alongside, schooners, small -craft innumerable dotting the river, wharfmen, porters, etc., removing -merchandise from vessel to wagon, and _vice versa_, the cranes in -constant operation, goods-trains arriving and preparing for departure, -give the pier-head and harbour an air of bustle and activity, and are -themselves a pleasing indication of what our commerce may become; of the -trade which vigilance, patience, and effort, may secure to the harbour -and railway.” - -The twelve months of 1847 proved anything but a re-assuring time. The -foreign imports suddenly fell off to six cargoes, four of which were -timber from America, the two remaining being guano and timber from -Hamburg. One left for Mexico and Hong Kong, laden with British goods, -silk, wine, and spirits from the bonding warehouses. The coasting returns -also showed a diminution of almost fifty discharges at the quay, as -compared with the previous year, and a corresponding decrease in the -exports; but in spite of the sudden dispiriting experience, we find -from the annexed extract out of the annual official report concerning -the harbour, that the future was regarded hopefully:—“There is every -probability of the business increasing at this Port, as an extensive -trade with the Baltic is expected, and most of the goods now in warehouse -under bond will no doubt be taken out for home consumption during the -present year.” 1848 was marked by an increase of nine in the number of -foreign importations; and of the fifteen large vessels which arrived, -one was from France with wines and spirits for re-exportation to Mexico, -two were from the Baltic and Hamburg with timber, eleven from Canada -with timber, and one from Russia with flax. The importers of timber -carried on, and used sedulous efforts to extend, a healthy retail trade -in the adjoining districts and in the west of Yorkshire. The export -trade was still inconsiderable, although gradually increasing, but -it was expected, from the convenient situation of the harbour to the -manufacturing towns, and the local dues upon vessels and goods being much -lower than at other ports, that both it and the imports would, before -many years had passed over, become very extensive, more especially as -the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company had recently acquired a -right to the line between Fleetwood and Preston, and were offering every -facility and inducement to shippers and manufacturers, with the view of -making this haven the inlet and outlet for goods to and from the towns -and villages on their several lines. During the twelve months eighteen -small importations of paper from the Isle of Man took place, and it was -necessary for the officers connected with the customs to keep a strict -guard upon the wharf to prevent the smuggling of that and other dutiable -articles by the numerous passenger and coasting vessels from the above -island, as well as from Scotland and Ireland. - -In 1849 the foreign imports were more than doubled, the excess being -chiefly due to the increase of timber-laden vessels. Six of the total -number sailed outwards with cargoes of warehoused goods, and nine with -coal and salt. The coasting trade underwent a most remarkable rise -of about four hundred cargoes inwards, and two hundred outwards, the -principal of the former being iron ore, pig iron, and, more occasionally, -grain; and of the latter, coal. The barque “Isabella” discharged 609 -bales of cotton at Fleetwood from America in July, 1850, being the -second cargo landed here, and later in the year another consignment of -400 bales was brought by the same vessel. In 1851 the only novel feature -was the arrival of a large shipload of currants; the value of British -goods exported amounted to £90,000, besides which there were considerable -quantities of merchandise sent outwards from bond. The main foreign -business in 1852 was in timber and dried fruits, but such importations -were seriously diminished during the ensuing year by the high price -of the latter and by a temporary misunderstanding between the railway -company and one of the chief timber merchants, through which several -consignments intended for the Wyre were diverted elsewhere; in addition -five large cargoes were lost at sea and not replaced. The coasting trade -continued to expand until 1856, when its zenith was reached, since when -it has been characterised by a gradual decline, and the last report, -that of 1875, is as little encouraging as any, with one exception, of -its degenerate predecessors. The fourth freight of cotton, consisting of -1,327 bales, made its appearance in the ship “Cleopatra,” in the spring -of 1857, and was consigned to Messrs. Benjamin Whitworth and Brothers, of -Manchester, etc. Shortly afterwards, barely two weeks, the “Favourite” -arrived with a further consignment for the same firm, and gave the signal -for the real commencement of a prosperous trade in that commodity with -America, which rapidly developed until the outbreak of civil war in the -transatlantic continent brought it somewhat abruptly to a close in 1862. -In a comparative statement of charges between Liverpool and Fleetwood, -issued during that flourishing time, it was demonstrated that on a vessel -of 500 tons, cotton in and coals out, the following saving in favour of -this port could be effected:— - - £ s. d. - Charges on Ship 66 0 0 - ” on Cargo inwards 96 8 4 - ” on Cargo outwards 8 6 8 - --------- - Total saving £170 15 0 - -Supposing the cargo to have been consigned to parties in Preston, a -further advantage, amounted to £230 0s. 0d. in carriage would be gained, -raising the entire saving to £400 15s. 0d. - -During late years, the business firm just alluded to, whose interests in, -and efforts for, the welfare of the port have so long been unflagging, -has made a vigorous attempt to revive the American cotton importations. -For the last few seasons several of their shipments, about ten, have -annually arrived, and there is every prospect that when the dock is -completed many more vessels will be chartered. A large shed for the -reception of cotton was erected in 1875, in Adelaide Street, by Messrs. -B. Whitworth and Bros., who have also established a permanent office in -the town. - -In 1859 the trade between Fleetwood and Belfast had developed to such -an extent that a larger covered area for the temporary warehousing, -loading, and discharging of goods was urgently called for, and towards -the close of that year a space of about 190 feet in length, by 30 feet -wide, was walled in and roofed over on the quay, adjoining the building -then in use for the same purposes. Four years later, in 1863, two -steam cranes were placed on the wharf by the North Lancashire Steam -Navigation Company. Subsequently other cranes, working on a similar -principle, have been added to those experimental ones, and gradually the -old system of hand-labour at the quay-side has been superseded by the -adoption of this more expeditious and economical plan. Shortly before -the last-named facilities had augmented the conveniences of the wharf, -a fresh description of mooring appliance was laid down in the harbour, -and consisted of two longitudinal ground chains of 1,000 feet each, -attached at intervals of 50 feet to two sets of Mitchell’s screws, which -were worked into the clay in the bed of the stream. The bridle chains, -shackled above to the mooring buoys, were secured below to the ground -links between the attachments of the screws, the buoys being so arranged -that each vessel was held stem and stern, instead of swinging round with -the tide, or stranding with one end on the large central sandbank, as -heretofore. - -From 1862 to the present date, the story of the haven, with the -exceptions of the trawling fleet and the Belfast line, which will be -treated of directly, is not one which will awaken envy in the breasts -of those whose interests are bound up in rival ports, nor indeed can it -be a source of congratulation to those whose interests might ordinarily -be supposed to be best promoted by its prosperity. It is true that the -foreign trade for seven years after 1862 was in a state of fluctuation -rather than actual decline, but the three succeeding years were -stationary at the low figure of 21 imports each, after which there was -a slight improvement, raising the annual numbers to 24, 32, and, in -1875, 33, due more to the staunch allegiance of Messrs. B. Whitworth and -Bros., whose cotton again appeared on the wharf, than to any inducements -offered to them or others by increased facilities or more appropriate -accommodation. The coasting trade has already been referred to, so that -there is no necessity to recapitulate facts but just laid before our -readers. It is proper, however, to mention a few statistics respecting -the trade in exports of coal, the chief business, and below are given -the numbers of tons shipped, mostly to Ireland, in each of the specified -years:— - - 1855 31,490 - 1860 23,652 - 1865 16,225 - 1866 12,315 - 1867 10,912 - 1868 6,809 - 1869 24,741 - 1870 43,653 - 1871 51,473 - 1872 54,794 - 1873 55,447 - 1874 56,939 - 1875 71,353 - -The large and sudden increase from 1869 is mainly owing to several screw -steamships having been extensively engaged in the traffic, and there is -every probability, from the addition within the last few months of a new -and handsome coal-screw, and other indications, that this branch of -commerce will continue to develope with equal, if not greater, rapidity. -Again, it should be remembered, when considering the falling off in the -numerical strength of the coasting vessels trading here, that those -now plying are of much greater carrying capacity than formerly, and -consequently the actual exports and imports have not suffered diminution -in anything like the same proportion as the ships themselves. A series -of tabular statements of all the most important and interesting matters -connected with the harbour from the earliest obtainable dates has been -prepared from the official returns made to the custom-house during -each twelve months, and subjoined will be found a list of the vessels -retained on the register as belonging to the port at the end of the years -indicated, with their tonnages and the number of hands forming the crews:— - - Steam Sailing - Year. Vessels. Tonnage. Hands. Vessels. Tonnage. Hands. - 1850 3 739 49 15 560 54 - 1851 3 739 49 21 856 77 - 1852 3 739 49 24 1495 104 - 1853 4 806 54 31 4002 196 - 1854 2 560 32 41 5337 261 - 1855 3 586 35 49 4933 267 - 1856 4 978 52 51 5458 280 - 1857 3 952 49 71 7839 391 - 1858 4 968 54 79 8168 427 - 1859 4 968 54 76 6930 392 - 1860 4 968 54 84 12075 570 - 1861 5 1508 74 93 14760 640 - 1862 4 1249 62 89 13957 602 - 1863 4 1249 62 85 12147 567 - 1864 5 1355 71 81 10338 513 - 1865 6 1372 74 83 9757 479 - 1866 6 1372 74 80 8831 454 - 1867 6 1779 90 77 9265 451 - 1868 6 1779 90 85 11226 515 - 1869 5 1239 70 99 12601 587 - 1870 7 1797 93 104 12546 609 - 1871 7 1571 81 115 13642 690 - 1872 7 1571 81 133 15161 789 - 1873 7 1994 92 150 19379 947 - 1874 7 1994 122 162 22598 1045 - 1875 9 2671 160 165 22655 1061 - -The foregoing tables, taken by themselves, would seem to imply that -from the year 1868, the business of the place had been characterised by -a rapid and most satisfactory increase, but unfortunately for such a -deduction, the ships registered as belonging to any port afford no clue -to the number actually engaged in traffic there, hence it happens that -many vessels hailing from Fleetwood, as their maternal port, are seldom -to be observed in its waters. - -The following are the annual records of the foreign and coasting trade of -the harbour, in which the Belfast and all other steamships are included -under the latter heading:— - - VESSELS WITH CARGOES. - - FOREIGN TRADE. COASTING TRADE. - Year. Inwards. Outwards. Inwards. Outwards. - 1844 8 1 436 327 - 1845 23 2 580 473 - 1846 24 13 799 927 - 1847 6 1 752 913 - 1848 15 5 873 857 - 1849 36 15 1247 1059 - 1850 38 14 986 1014 - 1851 35 13 943 932 - 1852 32 12 951 823 - 1853 22 7 1093 919 - 1854 23 6 1119 983 - 1855 21 4 1101 971 - 1856 10 4 1181 1120 - 1857 18 7 1130 1150 - 1858 26 13 1020 986 - 1859 38 20 1023 865 - 1860 71 30 1123 813 - 1861 68 28 953 713 - 1862 41 7 884 560 - 1863 27 10 795 615 - 1864 35 6 783 610 - 1865 29 2 868 623 - 1866 39 2 762 612 - 1867 37 4 737 573 - 1868 26 3 689 512 - 1869 28 3 730 512 - 1870 21 4 694 573 - 1871 20 6 545 526 - 1872 21 3 697 621 - 1873 24 3 696 670 - 1874 32 6 703 587 - 1875 33 2 659 589 - -The particulars given below, concerning the vessels belonging to -Fleetwood, will form an interesting and useful accompaniment to the -foregoing:— - - New Vessels[86] Broken-up Transferred to - Registered. Lost at Sea. (condemned). other Ports. - Year. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. - 1850 — — — — — — — — - 1851 — — 1 83 — — 1 27 - 1852 — — — — — — — — - 1853 3 199 2 62 — — 1 44 - 1854 1 128 — — — — 8 1003 - 1855 2 104 1 595 — — 5 562 - 1856 3 484 1 23 — — 4 294 - 1857 8 364 1 26 — — — — - 1858 5 239 4 1050 — — 1 54 - 1859 3 97 5 739 — — 3 726 - 1860 3 865 — — 1 29 2 74 - 1861 8 1012 — — — — 7 518 - 1862 5 534 1 416 — — 12 1844 - 1863 2 226 4 1308 — — 4 318 - 1864 2 201 9 3363 — — 3 666 - 1865 2 273 1 538 — — 2 517 - 1866 4 520 5 1449 1 16 2 64 - 1867 3 439 6 605 — — 2 214 - 1868 5 588 — — — — — — - 1869 6 512 1 518 — — — — - 1870 8 1610 2 683 2 65 1 424 - 1871 10 991 — — — — 2 339 - 1872 15 1588 3 427 — — 1 42 - 1873 19 2921 6 1966 — — 2 120 - 1874 15 2928 5 2304 1 32 — — - 1875 9 2410 4 2021 1 16 4 300 - -Now that the dock is no longer a mere word and promise, but has at -length a definite signification and a material existence, there is every -appearance that those into whose hands the fortunes of the port may be -said to have been entrusted have no intention of any dilatory action in -furthering the interests of their charge. Already, in 1875, a powerful -steam dredger has been purchased at a cost of £12,000 and set to its -labours in the channel and harbour. This dredger, which has superseded -the older and much smaller one, launched in 1840 and used until -recently, was built by Simonds and Company, of Renfrew, on the Clyde, -and is of 100-horse power, being capable of raising 250 tons of sand, -shingle, etc., in an hour. In addition it is able to work in twenty-six -feet of water, whereas the original one was obliged to wait until the -tide had ebbed to fourteen feet before operations could be commenced, so -that really the work which can be accomplished by the new machine is out -of all proportion to that which its predecessor could effect. Several -iron pontoons, or lighters, furnished with false bottoms to expedite -the business of discharging them, formerly performed by hand and spade, -have also been obtained; and the bed of the river seaward from Fleetwood -is rapidly being relieved of its superabundance of tidal deposits and -scourings, which is carried by the lighters beyond the marine lighthouse -at the foot of the Wyre and deposited in the Lune. - -Steamboat traffic was, and is, the most important branch of shipping -connected with the port, but notwithstanding the support and -encouragement which has been so freely extended to the Belfast line, -sundry attempts by the same company to establish sea-communications -between Fleetwood and other places have invariably ended in complete -failures. In the context we have endeavoured to trace a brief outline -of the steamship trade of the harbour from its earliest days up to our -time. The North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company was established in -1843, and commenced operations by running the “Prince of Wales” and the -“Princess Alice,” two large and fast iron steamships for that date, -between this port and Belfast on each Wednesday and Saturday evening, the -return trips being made on the Monday and Friday. In that year, however, -the number of trips was increased to three per week, the fares for the -single journey being, saloon, 15s.; and deck, 3s. Another steamship the -“Robert Napier,” of 220 horse-power, sailed also from Fleetwood in 1843, -every Friday morning, at 10 a.m. for Londonderry, calling at Portrush, -and returned on Tuesday, the fares being, cabin, 20s.; and deck, 5s. In -1844 we find that communications, through the exertion and enterprise of -the above company, were open between Fleetwood and Belfast, Londonderry, -Ardrossan, and Dublin, respectively. The Ardrossan line consisted of two -new iron steamboats, “Her Majesty,” and the “Royal Consort,” each of -which was 300 tons register, and 350 horse-power, the fares being, cabin, -17s.; and deck, 4s. The Dublin trip was performed once, and afterwards -twice, a week each way, by the iron steamship “Hibernia,” which called -off Douglas, Isle of Man, to land passengers, but after a year’s trial -this communication was closed. In the summer of 1845, an Isle of Man line -was opened by the steamship “Orion,” which ran daily, except Sundays; -and at the same season the Belfast boats commenced to make the double -journey four days a week, whilst the Londonderry route was abandoned. -As early as 1840, on the completion of the Preston and Wyre Railway, a -daily steam communication had been established to Bardsea, as the nearest -point to Ulverston and the Lakes; and in the month of September, 1846, -on the completion of Piel Pier, it was transferred to that harbour, and -continued by the steamship “Ayrshire Lassie,” of 100 horse-power, the -fares being, saloon, 2s.; and deck, 1s. In the following year this boat -was superseded by a new steamer, the “Helvellyn,” of 50 tons register and -75 horse-power, which continued to ply for many years, in fact, almost -until this summer line was closed, at a comparatively recent date, about -eight or ten years ago. The Fleetwood and Ardrossan steamers discontinued -running in 1847, and at the same time an extra boat, the “Fenella,” was -placed on the Isle of Man route, whilst the Belfast trips were reduced -to three double journeys per week. After a few years experience the Isle -of Man line, a season one only, was given up; but the Belfast trade, -continually growing, soon obliged the company to increase the number of -trips, and step by step to enlarge and improve the boat accommodation. We -need not trace through its different stages the gradual and satisfactory -progress of this line, but our object will be sufficiently attained -by stating that the two steamships were shortly increased to three. -Afterwards larger and finer boats, having greater power, took the places -of the original ones, and at the present day the fleet consists of four -fine steamers of fully double the capacity of the original ones, which -cross the channel from each port every evening except Sunday. - -In the year 1874 the whole of the interests of Frederick Kemp, esq., -J.P., of Bispham Lodge, in the Fleetwood and Belfast steam line were -acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North Western -Railway Companies, at that time owners of the larger share, and now -practically sole proprietors. Up to the date of this transaction the -vendor had been intimately and personally associated with the traffic as -managing-owner from its first institution, in addition to which he was -the chief promoter of the Ardrossan and Isle of Man routes. - -With the solitary exception of the service whose progress has just been -briefly traced out, there is perhaps no single branch of industry which -has assisted so ably in maintaining and stimulating such prosperity as -the town of Fleetwood has enjoyed, throughout its chequered career, -as the fishing traffic. In the earliest years of the seaport, shortly -before the Belfast steamer communication was established, a second pilot -boat, named the “Pursuit,” arrived in the river from Cowes, but finding -little occupation the crew provided themselves with a trawl-net and -turned their long periods of vigil to profitable account by its use. -This sensible plan of launching out into another field of labour when -opportunities of prosecuting their more legitimate avocation failed them -was not of long duration, probably no more than a few months, for on the -Irish line of steamships commencing to ply the pilots secured berths as -second officers, and their boat was laid up. The “Pursuit” soon became -a tender to a government ship engaged in surveying; and about ten or -twelve months later was purchased by some gentlemen, denominated the -Fleetwood Fishing Company, and, together with four more boats, hired -from North Meols, Southport, sent out on fishing excursions. At the end -of one year the hired sloops were discharged, and five similar craft -bought by the company, thus making a fleet of six smacks belonging to -the place, connected with the trawling trade. In the course of three -or four years the whole of the boats were sold, as the traffic had not -proved so remunerative a venture as at first anticipated; and one only -remained in the harbour, being purchased by Mr. Robert Roskell, of this -place. Shortly afterwards a Scotch smack arrived from Kirkcudbright, -and in about twelve months the two boats were joined by three or four -from North Meols, owned for the most part by a family named Leadbetter, -which settled here. Almost simultaneously another batch of fishing -craft made its appearance from the east coast and took up a permanent -station at Fleetwood. The success which attended the expeditions of the -deep-sea trawlers was not long in being rumoured abroad and attracting -others, who were anxious to participate in an undertaking capable of -producing such satisfactory results. Year by year the dimensions of the -originally small fleet were developed as new-comers appeared upon the -scene, and added their boats to those already actively prosecuting the -trade. To trace minutely each gradation in the prosperous progress of -this line of commerce would be wearisome to the reader, and is in no -way necessary to the object we have in view. It will be sufficient for -the purpose to state that in 1860 the number of fishing smacks on the -Fleetwood station amounted to thirty-two, varying in tonnage from 25 to -50 tons each and built at an average cost of £500 each, the lowest being -£400 and the highest £1,000. The following will illustrate the plan by -which men in the humble sphere of fishermen were enabled to become the -proprietors of their own craft: A shipmaster supplied the vessel on the -understanding that £100 was deposited at once, and the remainder paid -by quarterly instalments, no insurance being asked for or proffered -regarding risk. The arrangement entered into by the smack-owners for -the conveyance of fish to shore, when they were engaged out at sea in -their calling was most simple and business-like. The boats kept company -during fishing, and on a certain signal being given one of the number, -according to a previous agreement, received the whole of the fish so far -caught by her fellow craft and returned home, for which service her men -were paid 2s. each by the other crews, who continued their occupation -and arrived in harbour generally on Friday. For the next week another -smack was selected, and thus all in turn performed the mid-week journey. -At present there are no less than eighty-four sloops belonging to this -port, pursuing the business of fishing, and the arrangements both for -their purchase and the landing of the captured fish have undergone a -revolution. All boats are now paid for when they leave the shipbuilder’s -yard, and the former custom of a mid-week relief, has been relinquished, -each sloop returning and discharging as occasion requires. A fishing -boat’s crew usually consists of four men and a boy. In conclusion it -should be noticed that a special warehouse, about 90 feet long, was -erected in 1859, solely for the use of the fishermen and agents, or -dealers, connected with the trade. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THORNTON, CARLETON, MARTON, AND HARDON-WITH-NEWTON. - - -Torentum, or Thornton, was estimated in the time of William the Conqueror -to contain six carucates of land fit for the plough, but this computation -was exclusive of Rossall and Burn, which were valued at two carucates -respectively, so that the whole townships held ten carucates, about one -thousand acres of arable soil, or farming land, a large amount for those -days, but insignificant indeed when we recall the nine thousand seven -hundred and thirty acres embraced by the township at present, either in -use for grazing and agricultural purposes, or forming the sites of town -and village buildings. - -Thornton was held immediately after the Conquest by Roger de Poictou, and -subsequently by Theobald Walter, after whose death it passed to the crown. - -During the reign of King John, Margaret Wynewick held two of the six -carucates of Torentum, or Thornton, in chief from that monarch, and her -marriage was in his gift. In 1214-15 Baldewinus Blundus paid twenty -marks to John for permission to espouse the lady and gain possession -of her estate.[87] The request was granted conditionally on Blundus -obtaining the consent of her friends; and in this he appears to have -been successful, for we learn from a writ to the warden of the Honor of -Lancaster in 1221, that Michael de Carleton paid a fine of ten marks -to Henry III. at that date for having married Margaret, the daughter -and heiress of William de Winewick, without the royal assent, and for -marrying whom Baldewinus Blundus had formerly paid twenty marks to King -John.[88] - -In 1258, Margaret de Carleton still retained her lands in Thornton in her -maiden name of Winewick,[89] and it is probable from that circumstance -that her second husband was then dead, for the writ cited above expressly -commanded that her inheritance should be handed over to Michael de -Carleton, the penalty of ten marks for his disobedience having been -received. - -According to the _Testa de Nevil_, Matilda de Thorneton, a spinster, -whose marriage also lay in the king’s gift, held lands in Thornton, of -the annual value of twenty shillings; and later, about 1323, a moiety of -Thornton was held by Lawrence, the son of Robert de Thorneton, a member -of the same family. In 1346, John, son of Lawrence de Thorneton, held one -carucate of land in Thornton and Staynolfe, lately of Robert Windewike, -in thanage, paying yearly at four terms thirteen shillings relief, and -suit to the county and wapentake.[90] In 1421 John de Thornton died, -possessed of half the manor of Thornton and the Holmes, which descended -to his son, William de Thornton, who died in 1429, aged thirty years, -leaving four daughters—Agnes, afterwards the wife of William Wodey; -Katherine, who married William Carleton; Elizabeth, the wife of Robert -Adlington; and Johanna, who espoused Christopher Worthington.[91] Much as -it is to be regretted, no more than the scanty information here given can -be discovered concerning the Thorntons, of Thornton; even tradition is -silent on the matter of their residence or local associations, although -it is very likely they occupied Thornton Hall, a mansion long since -converted into a farm house, and consequently we are obliged to dismiss -with this brief notice what under more favourable auspices would probably -have proved one of the most interesting subjects in the township. In 1292 -the king’s attorney sued Thomas de Singleton for the manor of Thornton, -etc., but the defendant pleaded successfully, that he only held a portion -of the manor, Thomas de Clifton and Katherine, his wife, holding the -third of two parts of twelve bovates of the soil.[92] In the seventeenth -year of the reign of Edward II., William, father of Adam Banastre, who -granted certain concessions to the prior of Lancaster, held, half the -vill of Thornton, the other half being held, as before shown, by Lawrence -de Thorneton. - -In an ancient survey of the Hundred of Amounderness, completed in the -year 1346, it is stated that the following gentlemen had possessions -in the place called Stena, or Stainall, in Thornton, at the rentals -specified:—John de Staynolfe held four oxgangs of land, at four shillings -and sixpence;[93] Roger de Northcrope, one messuage and one oxgang, at -sevenpence halfpenny; Sir Adam Banastre, knt., five acres, at fourpence; -Thomas, the son of Robert Staynolfe, one messuage and one oxgang, at -sevenpence halfpenny; William Lawrence, a fourth part of an oxgang, at -sixteen pence; Thomas Travers, a fourth part of an oxgang, at sixteen -pence; John Botiler, a fourth part of an oxgang, at sixteen pence; and -Richard Doggeson, five acres, at sixpence. William de Heton held one -carucate of land at Burn, in Thornton township, for which he paid yearly -at two terms, Annunciation and Michaelmas, ten shillings relief, and suit -to the county and wapentake.[94] - -In 1521, during the sovereignty of Henry VIII., Thomas, earl of Derby, -was lord of the manor of Thornton, which subsequently passed into the -hands of the Fleetwoods, of Rossall, who retained it until the lifetime -of the late Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., when it was sold. -Thornton has for long been regarded only as a reputed manor. The largest -land proprietors at present are the Fleetwood Estate Company, Limited, -and the trustees of the late John Horrocks, esq., of Preston, but in -addition there is a number of smaller soil-owners and resident yeomen. -Burn Hall is a building of the fifteenth century, and was occupied in -1556 by John Westby, of Mowbreck, the owner.[95] In 1323 the land of Burn -was held by William Banastre at a rental of ten shillings per annum, and -about 1346 one carucate of the same land was held, as already stated, by -William de Heton for a similar yearly payment. Within the residence of -Burn was a domestic chapel, over the doorway of which stood a polished -oaken slab or board inscribed—“Elegi abjectus esse in domo Dei mei, magis -quam habitari in tabernaculis peccatorum.”[96] The walls were panelled -with oak and carved with shields and foliage, whilst the ceiling was -embellished with representations of vine leaves and clusters of grapes. -Modern alterations have destroyed most, if not all, interesting relics -of past ages. After the death of John Westby, of Burn Hall, a descendant -of the John Westby before mentioned, in 1722, Burn passed to the Rev. J. -Bennison, of London, who had married Anne, his fourth daughter. It is -said that Mr. Bennison utterly ruined his property, by attempting a style -of agriculture similar to that described by Virgil in his Georgics. Burn -Hall is now, and has been for many years a farm-house, and the estate -forms part of the large tract held by the representatives of the late -John Horrocks, esq. The land lying towards the coast was formerly subject -to occasional inundations of the sea, but an effectual barrier has been -put by raising a mound round such exposed localities. - -The extensive area known as Thornton Marsh, was a free open common, used -as a pasture by the poor cottagers of the township until 1800, when it -was enclosed, together with Carleton Marsh, and has since by cultivation -been converted into valuable and productive fields. - -A church and parsonage house were erected at Thornton in 1835, the -former being a neat whitewashed building in the early English style of -architecture, with a low square tower, but presenting externally no -special features of attraction beyond its profuse covering of ivy, which -renders it a most picturesque object in the surrounding landscape. The -churchyard also is well worthy of notice, if only for the luxuriance -of its foliage, the beauty of its flowers, and the taste and elegance -exhibited in several of the monuments. This, like the church and -parsonage, is embosomed in trees. The sacred edifice has been named -Christ Church, and a separate parochial district was assigned to it in -1862, the title of vicar being accorded to the incumbent. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF THORNTON. - - ------------+-------------------------+------------------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of vacancy. - Institution.| | - ------------+-------------------------+------------------------------- - 1835 |David H. Leighton | - 1837 |Edward Thurtell |Resignation of D. H. Leighton - 1841 |St. Vincent Beechey, M.A.| ” ” E. Thurtell - 1846 |Robert W. Russell | ” ” St. V. Beechey - 1853 |Isaac Durant, M.A. | ” ” W. Russell - 1869 |Samuel Clark | ” ” I. Durrant - 1870 |Thomas Meadows, M.A. | ” ” S. Clark - ------------+-------------------------+------------------------------- - -Within the building there is a small gallery at the west end, and the -private pews are arranged in two rows, one being placed along each side -of the body of the church, whilst the central portion is filled with -open benches, or forms, free to all worshippers. A marble tablet “To the -memory of Jacob Morris, a faithful warden for 20 years, who died Oct., -1871,” is fixed against the south wall, and over the mantel-piece in the -vestry is a white-lettered black board stating that—“This Church was -erected in the year 1835, containing 323 sittings; and, in consequence -of a grant from the Incorporated Society for promoting the enlargement, -building, and repairing of churches and chapels, 193 of that number are -hereby declared to be free and unappropriated for ever.—David Hilcock -Leighton, minister; James Smith and Richard Wright, churchwardens.” On -the font is the following inscription:—“Presented to Thornton Church by -Elizabeth Nutter, of Rough Hall, Accrington, July 13th, 1874.” - -Mr. James Baines, of Poulton, by will dated 6th of January, 1717, devised -to Peter Woodhouse, of Thornton, and six others, and their heirs, the -school-house lately erected by him on Thornton Marsh, and the land -whereon it stood, to be used for ever as a free school for the children -of the township; in addition he bequeathed to the same trustees several -closes in Carleton, called the Far Hall Field, the Middle Hall Field, -and the Vicar’s Hey, amounting to about twenty-one acres, to the intent, -that the annual revenue therefrom, less 10s. to be expended each year -in a dinner for the trustees, should be devoted to the payment of a -suitable master. In 1806, Richard Gaskell, the sole surviving trustee, -conveyed by indenture to John Silcock, John Hull, Thomas Barton, of -Thornton, Charles Woodhouse of Great Carleton, Bickerstaff Hull, and -Thomas Hull, and the said Richard Gaskell, their heirs and assigns, the -premises above-mentioned, for the purposes set forth in the will of the -founder.[97] A further endowment of £500 was left by Mr. Simpson, with a -portion of which farm buildings have been erected on the school estate. -The school-house is situated on the east side of Cleveleys Station, -and consists of a small single-storey building, having two windows and -a central doorway in front. To the west end is attached a two-storey -teacher’s residence. The double erection was built some years ago, by -subscription amongst the inhabitants, on the site of the original fabric -at a cost of rather more than £100. The master is elected and, when -necessary, dismissed by the trustees, who forego their claim on the -10s. left for an annual dinner. In 1867 the number of scholars amounted -to eighty-eight, fifty-nine of whom were boys, and twenty-nine girls, -presenting about an average attendance since that date. - -The small village of Thornton comprises only a limited cluster of -dwellings and the old windmill. The Wesleyan Methodists had established -a place of worship in the township as early as 1812, and about ten years -later the Society of Friends opened a meeting-house here. - -The arable land of Rossall, in Thornton township, or Rushale, as it was -written, is estimated in the Domesday volume at two carucates. At that -time Rossall was included amongst the princely possessions of the Norman -baron, Roger de Poictou, after whose banishment it passed, by gift of -Richard I., to Theobold Walter, and again reverted to the crown in 1206, -on his demise. King John, at the instigation of Ranulph de Blundeville, -earl of Chester and Lincoln, presented the grange of Rossall to the -Staffordshire convent of Deulacres, a monastic house founded by that -nobleman; and in 1220-1 Henry III. issued a writ to the sheriff of this -county, directing him to institute inquiries by discreet and lawful men, -into the extent of several specified places, one of which was the pasture -of Rossall, recently, “granted by my father, King John, to the abbot of -Deulacres.”[98] In 1227-8 a deed was drawn up between Henry III. and the -abbot whereby the grange was conveyed, or confirmed, to the latter[99]; -and twenty years subsequently a fresh charter appears to have been framed -and to have received the royal signature, for in the following reign of -Edward I., when that monarch laid claim to the land as a descendant of -King John, the head of the Staffordshire convent produced a document of -31 Henry III. (1247), at the trial, granting “to God, the church of St. -Mary, and the abbot of Deulacres and his successors for ever, the manor -of Rossall with its appurtenances and with the wreck of the sea.”[100] -Sir Robert de Lathum, Sir Robert de Holaund, Sir John de Burun, Sir -Roger de Burton, Sir John de Cornwall, Sir John de Elyas, and Sir Alan -de Penyngton, knights; Alan de Storeys, Robert de Eccleston, William du -Lee, Hugh de Clyderhou, and Roger de Middleton, esquires, who composed -the jury in the above suit, decided in favour of the abbot’s title, but -at the request of the king’s attorney, judgment was arrested, and it was -pleaded on behalf of the regal claimant that the abbot’s allegations -seemed to imply that the manor of Rossall was formerly held by the monks -of Deulacres in bailiwick of Kings, John and Henry; that thirty years -at least of the reign of Henry had elapsed before the predecessors of -the present abbot held any fee or free tenement in the manor, which was -worth 100 marks per annum; and that this rent had been in arrears during -the whole of the time; wherefore the king’s attorney demanded that the -accumulation of these arrears, amounting to 3,000 marks, or £2,000, -should be paid by the abbey to Edward I. The jury stated in their verdict -that the manor had been held by the abbot’s predecessors as pleaded by -the king’s attorney, but that during the last seven years of King John, -and the first twenty-four years of Henry III., the manor was only worth -30 marks per annum, and in the remaining six years before the date of the -charter put in as evidence by the abbot in the first trial, they valued -the manor at 40 marks per annum, on which scales the abbey of Deulacres -was condemned to pay the accumulated arrearages. In 1539, during the -reign of Henry VIII., the grange was valued in the Compotus of the king’s -ministers at £13 6s. 3d. per annum. - -The site of the original Hall has long since been washed away by the -waves, but in earlier years, before the sea had made such encroachments -on the land, the foundations of red sandstone and the remnant of an -old ivied wall were visible near the edge of the cliff, all being -sufficiently traceable to indicate that the mansion had been one of no -mean dimensions. A coat of arms of the Fleetwood family, rudely engraven -on a flat stone, some ornamental pinnacles, and other relics of the -ancient edifice, have also been discovered at different times. Numerous -foundations of large buildings were once scattered about the sandy soil -of the grange, but most of them were removed eighty years since as -impediments to the course of the plough. In a plot of ground, known by -the title of “Churchyard field,” remains of a structure, running east -and west, in length thirty and in breadth twelve yards, were taken up -about half a century or more ago by a farmer named John Ball, who whilst -removing them came upon some human bones. The fabric once standing there -was conjectured to have been a chapel or oratory, and the bones to have -been those of priests or others buried within its precincts. Harrison, -in describing the course of the Wyre, says “that at the Chapell of -Allhallowes tenne myles from Garstone it goeth into the sea,” and Mr. -Thornber suggests, in his History of Blackpool and Neighbourhood, that -the foundations disturbed by Mr. Ball may have been the remains of the -oratory alluded to by the ancient topographer; but whilst admitting that -the character of the relics discovered points to there having been at one -time a religious edifice on the site, we cannot think that its claims to -be the missing chapel are nearly so great as those of Bispham, which is -now known, by an inscription on an old communion goblet, to have been -actually dedicated to All-Hallows, or at least to have been commonly -designated by that name in the seventeenth century. - -The Allens appear to have held Rossall on lease from the abbot of -Deulacres about a century after the dispute between that monastery and -Edward I. had been decided, for in 1397, during the reign of Richard -II., the name of “Allen of Ross-hall” was entered in the list of donors -to the fraternities of the Preston Guild of that year. George Allen, -of Brookhouse, Staffordshire, who held Rossall at the date of the -Reformation, by virtue of a long lease granted to his ancestors by an -abbot of Deulacres, is the earliest of this family to whom these tenants -of the grange can be traced genealogically. The widow and daughters of -the grandson of George Allen were ejected from Rossall in 1583, before -the expiration of their lease, and despoiled of valuable documents and -property by Edmund Fleetwood, whose father had purchased the reversion -from Henry VIII., at the time of the dissolution of monasteries. On that -occasion a neighbour, Anion, seized and appropriated £500 belonging to -the Allens on pretence of remitting it to Dr. William Allen, at Rheims. -Mrs. Allen made an attempt to recover possession of the grange, and a -trial for that purpose took place at Manchester, but her case broke -down through inability to produce the original deeds and papers, all of -which had been either stolen or destroyed when the Hall was plundered -during the ejection.[101] The estate, or grange, of Rossall, remained in -the hands of the Fleetwoods until the death of Edward Fleetwood, when -it passed to Roger Hesketh, of North Meols, who married Margaret, the -only child and heiress of that gentleman in 1733.[102] The Heskeths, -of Rossall, were descended from the Heskeths of Rufford, through Hugh -Hesketh, an offspring of Sir Thomas Hesketh, of Rufford. Hugh Hesketh -married the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Barneby Kytichene, or -Kitchen, and thus acquired a moiety of the manor of North Meols. At the -decease of Hugh Hesketh, in 1625, the lands of North Meols descended to -his son, Thomas Hesketh, then 56 years of age, whose son and heir, Robert -Hesketh, was already married to the daughter of—Formby, of Formby. The -only child of Robert Hesketh was the Roger Hesketh, mentioned above, -who also held Tulketh Hall and estate. The Heskeths continued to reside -at Rossall until the lifetime of the late Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, -bart.; and under their proprietorship, at an early period, or in the -latest years of their predecessors, the ancient Hall was pulled or washed -down and another mansion erected more removed from the shore. - -In 1843 the design of establishing a school for the education of the -sons of clergymen and other gentlemen, under the direct superintendence -of the Church of England, but at a less cost than incurred at the public -schools then in existence, was first promulgated by the Rev. St. Vincent -Beechey, incumbent of Thornton and Fleetwood; and mainly through the -exertions of that gentleman a provisional committee for arranging details -and furthering the object in view, was formed in the first month of the -ensuing year. This committee consisted, amongst others, of the Rev. J. -Owen Parr, vicar of Preston, chairman; the Revs. Charles Hesketh, vicar -of North Meols; William Hornby, vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; John -Hull, vicar of Poulton; R. B. Robinson, incumbent of Lytham; St. Vincent -Beechey, incumbent of Thornton and Fleetwood, hon. sec. _pro. tem._; and -Messrs. Thomas Clifton, of Lytham Hall; Daniel Elletson, of Parrox Hall, -and T. R. Wilson-ffrance, of Rawcliffe Hall. At their first meeting it -was decided that the management of the school should be placed in the -hands of a committee of twenty-four of the principal clergy and laity in -the neighbourhood, of whom fourteen should be clergymen and ten laymen, -with power to fill up vacancies; that the bishop of the diocese should -always be the visitor; that the provisional committee should be the first -members of the council, with which should rest the appointment of the -principal, who must be in holy orders, at such a liberal salary as would -insure the services of one eminently qualified for so important a post; -that the council should have power to dismiss the principal; that the -internal management, subject to certain regulations, should be committed -to the principal, who should have the appointment and dismissal of all -the inferior or subordinate masters; and that the system of education -should resemble that in the school connected with King’s College, -London, and in Marlborough school, consisting of systematic religious -instruction, sacred literature, classics, mathematics, modern languages, -drawing, music, etc. - -With regard to the admission of pupils it was resolved that the school -should consist of not less than two hundred boys; that no child should -be admitted under eight years of age; that the mode of admission should -be by annual payment, nomination, or insurance; that any pupil should be -admitted on the payment, half-yearly in advance, of £50 per annum for -the sons of laymen, and £40 for the sons of clergymen; that nominations -might be procured, at the first opening of the school, in order to raise -the required capital, whereby pupils could be admitted on the yearly -payment of £40 for the sons of laymen, and £30 for the sons and wards -of clergymen; that a donation of £25, or the holding of two £25 shares, -fully paid up, should entitle the donor or holder, to one nomination, -and a donation of £50, or the holding of four shares of £25 each, should -constitute the donor, or holder, a life-governor, entitled to have always -one pupil in the school on his nomination; that the shares should be -limited to an annual interest of 5 per cent., and be paid off as soon -as possible, the return of such capital, however, not to destroy the -right of nomination during the life of a governor; that clergymen should -be able to provide for the admission of their children to the school -at a reduced charge of £25 per annum, by paying, on the principle of -life-insurance, small sums for several years previous to, or one large -sum at, the date of entry of each child into the establishment, such -payments to be regulated according to certain tables, and, of course, -forfeited in case the child died. - -The committee stated that the outlay of capital required to erect a -building expressly for the purposes of the school would be greater than -they were likely to be able to meet at the low rate of nomination which -it had been deemed expedient to adopt, and, therefore, it had been -determined to take advantage of the offer of Rossall Hall by Sir P. H. -Fleetwood, bart., the mansion being eminently adapted to the purpose, on -account of its size and situation. It contained many suites of rooms, -and an organ chamber, well suited for a chapel, and furnished with a -fine instrument; and surrounding the Hall were meadows convenient for -play-grounds, and very productive gardens. - -The title of the Northern Church of England School was given to the -institution, and on Thursday, the 22nd of August, 1844, it was formally -opened by the Head Master, Dr. Woolley, in the presence of the junior -masters and from forty to fifty pupils, with their parents. At that date -the school-buildings consisted of apartments in the old Hall for the -principal, junior masters, and lady superintendent; a dining room, 44 -feet long and 20 feet wide, fitted with a general and masters’ tables; -four dormitories, able to accommodate 100 boys; and a chapel, formerly -the organ-room above mentioned, having benches for the scholars and -stalls for the masters, the school-house itself consisting of four lofty -rooms, each about 34 feet long by 20 feet wide, being detached from the -Hall, and fitted up with handsome oak desks and benches, fixed upon -bronzed cast-iron standards. The play-ground comprised many acres, and in -addition there were convenient covered areas for the recreation of the -boys in wet weather. - -The school was opened with only 70 pupils, but at the beginning of the -second six months the number had increased to 115, and the establishment -was self-supporting. - -The rules of the school have undergone some slight modifications and -additions since they were first framed by the provisional committee, -and no pupils are now admitted under ten or over fifteen years of age, -whilst the annual payments of all pupils have been raised £20 in each -case. The insurance plan of entrance was never adopted. A donation of -50 guineas now entitles the donor to a single nomination, and one of -100 guineas constitutes him a life-governor, with power to vote at all -general meetings, and to have always one pupil in the school on his -nomination. Other rules for the internal management and government of the -school have been framed as the number of scholars has increased and their -requirements become greater. - -There are three exhibitions connected with this institution, of £50 -a year each, called respectively the Council, Beechey, and Osborne -exhibitions, (the last two being named after the late Honorary Secretary -and the late Head Master, through whose exertions the funds were mainly -contributed,) tenable for three years at any of the colleges of Oxford or -Cambridge; and one of £10 a year, in books, tenable for three years, and -founded by Lord Egerton, of Tatton. Besides these there are about eight -or ten entrance scholarships offered for competition every year, ranging -in value from £10 to £20 each. Of these seven were founded by George -Swainson, esq., and one by the Bishop of Rupertsland. A number of other -special prizes have been instituted by the present Head Master, the Rev. -H. A. James, B.D. - -In 1850 the estate was purchased, and since then fresh buildings have -been erected to provide accommodation for 400 boys. The old chapel, which -was built to supersede the one in the organ-room, has of late years -been converted into a library and class-room. A dining hall, schools, -class-rooms for different branches of study, spacious dormitories, and -a swimming bath have all been added; whilst extensive enlargements and -improvements have taken place in the sanatorium, kitchens, laundries, -etc. The old school has been arranged and fitted up as a lecture-room -and laboratory. The new chapel is a handsome edifice, containing stained -glass windows and a richly decorated chancel; it is dedicated to the Holy -Trinity. It should be added that the original name,—The Northern Church -of England School,—has been discontinued, and that of Rossall School, -substituted, as a more comprehensive title for a great public school. - - HEAD MASTERS OF ROSSALL SCHOOL. - - ------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of vacancy. - Appointment.| | - ------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------- - 1844 |Rev. John Woolley, D.C.L. | - 1849 |Rev. William A. Osborne, M.A.|Resignation of John Woolley - 1869 |Rev. Robert Henniker, M.A. | ” ” W. A. Osborne - 1875 |Rev. Herbert A. James, B.D. | ” ” R. Henniker - ------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------- - -A preparatory school in connection with this college was successfully -established during the reign of Mr. Osborne, about one mile distant along -the shore, in a southerly direction, to which pupils are admitted at -seven years of age, but not younger, and subsequently drafted into the -higher institution. - - POPULATION OF THORNTON TOWNSHIP, EXCLUSIVE OF FLEETWOOD. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 617 739 875 842 1,014 1,013 1,023 934 - -CARLETON, anciently written Carlentun, is named in the Domesday Book -as comprising four carucates of land; and in the Black Book of the -Exchequer, it is stated that during the reign of Henry II., 1154-89, -Gilbert Fitz Reinfred held four carucates in Carlinton and another -place. In 1254 the manor of Carleton in Lancashire belonged to Emma de -St. John, and at that date there appears to have been some litigation -concerning her right of proprietorship, but how settled we have no means -of discovering.[103] In the _Testa de Nevill_ it is recorded that Roger -Gernet had the 24th part, and Robert de Stokeport the 48th, of a knights’ -fee in Little Carleton of William de Lancaster’s fee. - -The earliest allusion to the local territorial family occurs in 1221, -when Michael de Carleton, as before stated under “Thornton,” paid a -fine to Henry III. for having espoused Margaret Wynewick, or Winwick, -a royal ward, without first obtaining permission from the king. It has -been conjectured that Much Carleton received its peculiar title from -this member of the family, and amongst the records of some ancient -pleadings is one of 1557 concerning certain lands in _Miche Carlton_, a -mode of writing the name which lends considerable support to the theory. -Alyce Hull, widow, was the plaintive in the dispute. The Carletons, of -Carleton, were connected with the neighbourhood for a very long period -as holders of the manor; Alicia, the daughter of William de Carleton -married Sir Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, in 1281, and received the -manor of Inskip as her dowry; and in 1346 H. de Carleton possessed four -carucates and a half in Carleton.[104] Thomas de Carleton held the manor -of Carleton up to the time of his death in 1500, when he was succeeded -by his son and heir George Carleton, aged 22,[105] who died in 1516, -leaving an only child, William, then eleven years of age.[106] William -de Carleton came into possession of the property on attaining his legal -majority,[107] and died in 1557, being succeeded by Lawrence Carleton, -probably his brother. Lawrence Carleton, who had married Margaret, the -daughter of George Singleton, of Staining, held the estate for barely -twelve months, as he died in 1558 without issue, leaving his lands and -tenements in Carleton, amounting to several extensive messuages and -Carleton Hall, to his only surviving sister, Margaret, the wife of Thomas -Almond.[108] Thus Lawrence Carleton was the last of the manorial family -of that name connected with the township. Of the ancient Hall of Carlton, -the seat of the Carletons for over three centuries, nothing can be learnt -beyond the fact that it stood opposite the Gezzerts farm, and that -almost, if not quite, within the recollection of the present generation -some ruins of the once noble mansion were visible on its former site, -long since enclosed and used for purposes of agriculture. In 1261 the -abbey of Cockersand held some property in Carleton, as appears from an -agreement entered into at that date between the abbot of Cockersand and -H. de Singleton Parva, by which the latter transferred a messuage in -Carleton, by the side of other messuages already belonging to the abbey, -to the abbot, in exchange for messuages and an acre of ground in the -vicinity of Stanlawe abbey in Cheshire.[109] Stanlawe abbey itself had -sundry possessions in Carleton shortly after its foundation in 1175,[110] -all of which were conveyed to the abbey of Whalley in 1296, when the two -monastic houses were united, and thus it happened that this township was -included amongst the localities in which Whalley abbey held lands at the -time of its dissolution. - -Sometime during the reign of Henry VIII. the Sherburnes, of Stonyhurst, -Hambledon, etc., became holders of soil in Carleton, and at a later -period had acquired the manorial rights and privileges. In 1717 Sir -Nicholas Sherburne, bart., bequeathed the manor of Carleton, amongst -numerous other estates, to his only child and heiress, Maria Winifreda -Francisca, the duchess of Norfolk, and two years later the duke of -Norfolk had obtained a settlement by which he held a life interest in -Carleton, Stonyhurst, and other places, the duchess, however, having -reserved to herself the power to dispose of the reversion or inheritance -by will or deed, executed in the duke’s lifetime. The duchess of -Norfolk bequeathed her real estate, including Carleton, on her death -in 1745, to her cousin Edward Weld, esq., grandson of Sir John Weld, -of Lulworth Castle, Dorsetshire, whose descendant Edward Joseph Weld, -esq., has disposed of most of his inheritance in the township to various -purchasers, chiefly amongst the local yeomanry and gentry. - -The Bambers, of the Moor, in Carleton, were people of position in the -township. Richard Bamber, during the latter half of the sixteenth -century, married Anne, the daughter of Thomas Singleton, of Staining -Hall, and consequently was the brother-in-law of John Leckonby, of -Leckonby House, Great Eccleston, who had espoused Alice, another daughter -of the same gentleman. It is impossible to affirm with certainty what -children sprang from the union of Richard Bamber and Ann Singleton, but -of one of them, Edward, who entered the Romish priesthood, we subjoin an -interesting and tragic account, extracted from the “Memoirs of Missionary -Priests, by the Right Rev. Richard Challoner, D.D.”:— - - “Edward Bamber, commonly known upon the commission by the name - of Reding, was the son of Mr. Richard Bamber, and born at a - place called the Moor, the ancient mansion-house of the family, - lying not far from Poulton, in that part of Lancashire called - the Fylde. Having made good progress with his grammar studies at - home, he was sent abroad into Spain, to the English college at - Valladolid, where he learnt his philosophy and divinity, and was - ordained priest. My short memoirs leave us much in the dark as to - many passages and particulars relating to the life and labours - of this good priest, as well as to the history of his trial; but - then short as they are they are very expressive of his zeal and - indefatigable labours, his unwearied diligence in instructing - the catholics under his charge, disputing with protestants, and - going about doing good everywhere, with a courage and firmness - of mind almost above the power and strength of man. When, how, - or where, he was apprehended, I have not found, but only this, - that he had lain three whole years a close prisoner at Lancaster - castle, before he was brought to the bar, where he stood with an - air of fortitude and resolution of suffering in defence of truth. - Two fallen catholics, Malden and Osbaldeston, made oath that - they had seen him administer baptism and perform the ceremonies - of marriage; and upon these slender proofs of his priesthood, - the jury, by the judge’s direction, found him guilty of the - indictment. Whereupon the judge sentenced him to be hanged, cut - down alive, drawn, quartered, etc., as in cases of high treason. - It was on the 7th of August, 1646, that he, with two fellow - priests, and a poor wretch, named Croft, condemned to death for - felony, were drawn upon sledges to the place of execution at - Lancaster. There Mr. Bamber exhorted Croft to repentance, and - besought him to declare himself a Catholic, confess some of his - more public sins, and be truly contrite and sorry for all—‘and - I, a priest and minister of Jesus Christ, will instantly in - his name, and by his authority, absolve thee.’ On hearing this - the officers of Justice began to storm but Mr. Bamber held his - ground, and finally absolved the man in sight and hearing of - the crowd. As Mr. Bamber mounted up the ladder, he paused after - ascending a few steps, and taking a handful of money from his - pocket, threw it amongst the people, saying, with a smiling - countenance, that ‘God loveth a cheerful giver.’ Mr. Bamber was - encouraging Mr. Whitaker, one of the other two priests about to - suffer, who appeared not a little terrified at the approach of - death, to be on his guard against the temptation to save his life - by renouncing his creed, when the sheriff called out hastily to - the executioner to dispatch him (Bamber); and so he was that - moment turned off the ladder, and permitted to hang but a very - short time, before the rope was cut, the confessor being still - alive; and thus he was butchered in a most cruel and savage - manner.” - -The two following verses, relating to his death, form part of a long ode -or sonnet written at the time:— - - “Few words he spoke—they stopp’d his mouth, - And chok’d him with a cord; - And lest he should be dead too soon, - No mercy they afford. - - “But quick and live they cut him down, - And butcher him full soon; - Behead, tear, and dismember straight, - And laugh when all was done.” - -The free school of Carleton was founded towards the close of the -seventeenth century. On the 17th of May, 1697, Richard Singleton, John -Wilson, John Davy, and six others recited in an indenture between them, -that Elizabeth Wilson, of Whiteholme, by her verbal will of the 22nd -of September, 1680, declared it to be her wish that the interest of a -fourth of her goods, which amounted to £59 2s. 0d., should be used by -the overseers of Carleton for the purpose of procuring instruction for -so many of the poorest children of the town of Carleton as they should -think proper; and that one-quarter of her estate had been invested -in land, and the annual revenue therefrom employed according to her -last directions and desire. William Bamber, by will dated 13th of -October, 1688, bequeathed £40 to his wife Margaret Bamber, and Richard -Harrison, vicar of Poulton, to the intent that they should lay out the -sum in land or other safe investment, not to yield less than 40s. per -annum, half of which was to be given, at their discretion, amongst the -most needful of the poor of Great Carleton, and the other moiety to -be expended in purchasing books, or obtaining tuition for such poor -children of the same place as they might select. After the deaths of -the two original trustees, the will directed that the bequest should -pass under the management of the vicar of Poulton, for the time being, -and the churchwarden of Carleton. The money was invested on the 11th of -May, 1689, in a messuage and appurtenances, a barn, and several closes, -called the Old Yard, the Great Field, the Croft, the New Hey, the Two -Carrs, and the third part of a meadow, named the Great Meadow, all being -situated in Blackpool, and containing by estimation six acres and a half. -The property was immediately leased to the vendor, John Gualter, at a -rental of 40s. a year. By an indenture, dated the 31st of December, 1706, -between Sir Nicholas Sherburne, of Carleton, Hambleton, and Stonyhurst, -and John Wilson, with three others, of Carleton, it appears that Sir -Nicholas leased to the latter, and their assigns, the school-house, newly -erected at a place called the Four Lane Ends, in Great Carleton, and the -site thereof, for a term of 500 years from the foregoing date, at the -nominal rent of 1s. per annum; and John Wilson, with his co-trustees, -covenanted that the same should be used for no other purpose but that of -a school, excepting that Sir Nicholas Sherburne and his heirs should -have free liberty to hold the courts for the manor of Carleton within -the building. Margaret Bickerstaffe, by her will of the 19th of April, -1716, left £20, the interest of which she directed to be employed by -her executors in educating some of the poor children of Carleton. On -the 2nd of February, 1737, Richard Butler and Richard Dickson, trustees -for the sale of certain estates for paying the debts of James Addinson, -conveyed to George Hull, John Sanderson, and others, and their heirs, in -consideration of £42, a close in Thornton, formerly called Rushey Full -Long Meadow, and now Wheatcake, comprising one acre, in trust, to hold -the same and pay the annual proceeds to the master of the Four Lane Ends -school “for his care and pains in teaching such poor children of Carleton -as should be appointed each year by the chief inhabitants or officers -of the township.” The money seems to have been given by some persons -not wishing to disclose their names, and who selected George Hull, John -Sanderson, and five more, as their agents in the matter, and as first -trustees of the charity. When five of the trustees had died, it was -ordained that seven fresh ones should be elected, and the two remaining -be relieved of their trust. John Addinson, in return for £20, given by -some person, to the inhabitants of Carleton, conveyed to the same parties -a close called the Rough Hey, in Thornton, containing half an acre, to be -dealt with and used as in the previous case. It is very likely that the -£20 here concerned was the sum before mentioned as the legacy of Margaret -Bickerstaffe. All the premises belonging to the school were vested in six -new trustees by a deed, dated 3rd of June, 1777; and at the visit of the -school commissioners in 1867, the attendance of boys was 50, and of girls -20, being somewhere about the usual average of later years. The trustees -manage the school property, and appoint or dismiss the master. - - POPULATION OF GREAT AND LITTLE CARLETON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 269 308 356 319 378 400 363 433 - -The area of the township embraces 1,979 statute acres. - -MERETUN, or the town of the Mere, was estimated by the surveyors of -William the Conqueror to comprise six carucates of arable land, and -shortly afterwards Sir Adam de Merton held half of it, on condition that -he performed military service when required.[111] Somewhere about 1200 -William de Merton, a descendant of Sir Adam, was one of the witnesses to -a charter, concerning a local marsh, between Cecilia de Laton and the -abbot of Stanlawe.[112] In 1207-8 the sheriff of Lancashire received -orders to give Matilda, widow of Theobald Walter, her third of the lands -at Mereton, which her late husband had held up to the time of his death -in 1206, at first for 12s. per annum, and subsequently for one hawk each -year.[113] According to the _Testa de Nevill_, Henry III. held three -carucates of the soil of Mereton for a few years, as guardian of the -heir of Theobald Walter, and in 1249, during the thirty-third year of -the reign of that monarch, Merton cum Linholme was in the possession of -Theobald Walter, or le Botiler as he was afterwards called, the heir -here mentioned.[114] Marton descended in the Botiler, or Butler, family -until the time of Henry VIII., when it was sold by Sir Thomas Butler to -John Brown, a merchant of London, in company with Great Layton, of which -manor it had for long been regarded as a parcel, although in 1323, Great -Marton was alluded to as a distinct and separate manor held by Richard le -Botiler.[115] Marton was purchased from John Brown by Thomas Fleetwood, -esq., of Vach, in the county of Buckingham, whose descendants and heirs -resided at Rossall Hall; and after remaining in the Fleetwood family for -many generations the manor of Layton, with its dependency Marton, was -again sold, and this time became the property of Thomas Clifton, esq., of -Lytham Hall, Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart., being the vendor. - -Little Marton was held in trust by William de Cokerham, in 1330, for the -abbot and convent of Furness,[116] but eight years afterwards, the manor -of Weeton and Little Marton, were held by James, the son of Edmund le -Botiler, earl of Ormond.[117] What claim James Botiler had to include -Little Marton amongst his possessions in 1338, cannot now be ascertained, -but it is certain that later, at the dissolution of monasteries, it -passed to the crown as part of the fortified lands of Furness Abbey. -Subsequently Little Marton passed to the Holcrofts, and from them, in -1505, to Sir Cuthbert Clifton, of Lytham Hall, by exchange. John Talbot -Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, a descendant of Sir Cuthbert, and the -son of the late Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, is the present owner -of Great and Little Marton. As the moss and mere of Marton, perhaps the -most interesting objects in the township, have been fully described in -an earlier chapter, devoted to the country, rivers, etc., of the Fylde, -we refer our readers to that portion of the volume for more detailed -information concerning them. In this place we must content ourselves -by stating that the mere was at one time a lake of no inconsiderable -dimensions, having a fishery of some value attached to it, and that from -the number of trunks of trees, discovered on the clayey soil beneath -the original moss, which extended six miles by one and a half, there is -conclusive evidence that in ancient times the whole of the wide tract was -covered by a dense forest, composed chiefly of oak, yew, and fir trees. -So enormous were some of the trunks discovered that it was impossible for -one labourer to grasp the hand of another over them. The hamlet of Peel, -situated within, but close to the Lytham border of the township, contains -in a field called Hall-stede, traces of the ancient turreted manorial -mansion of the Holcrofts, of Winwick and Marton,[118] and the remains -of a moat out of which about sixty years ago a drawbridge and two gold -rings were taken. The old lake of Curridmere, mentioned in the foundation -charter of Lytham priory in the reign of Richard I., was also located in -this neighbourhood, the site being indicated by the soil it once covered -bearing the name of the _tarns_. A little more than half a century since -the _tarns_ formed nothing but a trackless bog, and beneath its surface -a husbandman discovered the remains of a small open boat, which had -doubtless been used in earlier days on the waters of Curridmere. - -About 1625 the inhabitants of Marton petitioned, that in conjunction -with “Layton, Layton Rakes, and Blackpool,”[119] the township might be -constituted a separate parish, stating in support of their prayer that -the parish church of Poulton was five miles distant, and during the -winter they were debarred by inundations from attending that place -of worship. This reasonable request does not appear to have evoked a -favourable response from the parliamentary commissioners, and it was not -until more than a century and a half later that the district had its -claims to the privilege desired practically acknowledged. The church -of St. Paul, in Great Marton was erected by subscription in 1800, and -opened by license the same year, but was not consecrated until 1804. It -was a plain, unpretending structure with front and side galleries, but -having neither chancel nor tower, and capable of holding upwards of 400 -worshippers. In 1857 the increase of the population rendered it necessary -to lengthen the church at the east end, and at the same time a neat and -simple tower was added. Within the tower is the vestry, above which a -number of seats were raised for the Sunday school children, many of whom -had previously, for want of space, occupied forms in the aisles. A porch -was built over the entrance of the church about 1848, and in 1871 a -chancel was erected. Three bells were purchased by the parishioners, and -placed in the tower in 1868, whilst the present reading desk and pulpit, -were the gift of Miss Heywood, the daughter of Sir Benjamin Heywood, -bart., who formerly had a handsome marine residence at Blackpool. -Previous to 1845 the musical portion of the service was accompanied by -two bassoons and another wind instrument, but about that date they were -abolished, and a barrel organ substituted, which continued in force until -a few years ago, when it was succeeded by the more modern key organ at -present in use. The church of Marton has now an ecclesiastical district -of its own, but was originally a chapelry under Poulton. A little -anterior to the erection of the church divine service was conducted -in the school-house of Baines’s Charity, Mr. Sawyer being the first -appointed minister. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF MARTON. - - ------------+---------------------+-------------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | - ------------+---------------------+-------------------------- - About 1762 | ⸺ Sawyer | - ” 1772 | George Hall | - In 1814 | Thomas Bryer | Death of G. Hall - ” 1843 | James Cookson, M.A. | Resignation of T. Bryer - ------------+---------------------+-------------------------- - -The old parsonage stood on the same site as the present one, and -consisted simply of two cottages united to form one small residence. In -1846 this house was pulled down, and another, elegant and commodious, -erected in its place, being completed the following year. Attached to the -parsonage are eleven acres of glebe land. - -James Baines, of Poulton, by will dated 6th of January, 1717, devised -unto John Hull and six others, of Marton, their heirs and assigns, -the school-house lately erected by him in Marton, the land whereon it -stood, a messuage or tenement in Warbreck, containing about six acres, -a messuage or dwelling-house in Hardhorn-with-Newton, with the smithy -and two shippons thereto belonging, and several closes of land in the -same township, called the Sheep Field, the Croft, the Garden, being -about three acres; also the Many Pits, the Debdale, the Cross Butts, the -Wradle Meadow, and the field adjoining its north-west end, and the Carr, -containing twelve and a half acres, to the intent that the rents arising -from the foregoing should after the deduction of 10s. for an annual -dinner to the trustees, be directed to the maintenance of a master to -instruct the children of the township in the above-mentioned building. -The revenue of the school was greatly impoverished for many years by -the expenses of a chancery suit about 1850, which arose on the question -whether the school should be continued as formerly or be divided, and -part of its income be devoted to the establishment and support of a -similar institution in the adjoining district of Little Marton. The whole -of the funds were defrayed out of the funds of the charity. A scheme for -its regulation was framed in 1863 by the Master of the Rolls, providing -amongst other matters that the school should be open to Government -inspection, but in no way interfering with its gratuitous character. The -commissioner of 1869 reports:—“Sixty-three children were present on the -day of my visit, of whom fifty-two were girls, who are taught in the same -classes as the boys, and are with them in play hours. The school being -free, no register of attendance is kept. In arithmetic, six boys (average -age 11), and four girls (average age 10½), did fair papers; the questions -of course were simple ones. Grammar and geography, in which subjects I -examined the highest class, were tolerably good. The girls read well; the -boys (as usual) less so; spelling was up to the average. The girls are -taught to write a bad angular hand; the master says that it is to please -the parents. He has been in his present position five years, and receives -a salary of £50 a year.” The school property consists of forty acres of -land, producing a gross annual income of about £130. Both a playground -and gymnasium are attached to the school. There are now two masters. The -vicar of Poulton and the vicar of Marton, _ex officio_, and five other -trustees self-electing, residing within the township, appoint and dismiss -the masters, admit and expel scholars, appoint an examiner, and regulate -the studies. The chief master must be a member of the Church of England, -and is not permitted to take boarders. - -Margaret Whittam, widow, by will dated 26th of July, 1814, bequeathed to -Edward Hull, Richard Sherson, and John Fair, of Marton, and her brothers, -their executors and administrators, the sum of £40, duty free, in trust, -the interest to be applied to the benefit of the Sunday school in Marton -so long as it should continue to be taught, and in the event of its being -abolished, to use the same income for the relief of such necessitous -persons of the township as received no alms from the poor rate. The -Sunday school established in 1814 is still kept at Marton, and the master -paid, in part from the interest of the legacy, and the remainder from -subscriptions. About twenty years ago between £200 and £300 were obtained -by means of a bazaar, and expended in the erection of a school building -on a piece of waste land in Marton, for the purpose of providing for the -education of children, both male and female, under the superintendence -of a mistress. At Marton Moss there is another school, used also as a -church, being served from South Shore, which was built a few years since -through the munificence of Lady Eleanor Cicily Clifton, of Lytham Hall; -and at Moss Side, a small Wesleyan Chapel was erected by subscription -about 1871. - -Edward Whiteside, of Little Marton, sailor, bequeathed by will, dated -22nd December, 1721, as follows:—“It is my will, that my ground be kept -in lease, according as my executors shall see fit, and what spares it is -my will that they buy cloth and give it to poor people that has nothing -out of the town; it is my will that it be given in Little Marton, and if -there be a minister that preaches in Marton, that they give him something -what they shall see fit: It is my will, that if they can buy land, that -they sell my personal estate, and buy as much as it will purchase: It is -my will, that two acres, which my father hath now in possession, that -when it falls into my hands and possession, that it go the way above -named: It is my mind and will, that my executors give it when they shall -see fit, and I hope they will choose faithful men, who will act according -to themselves; and I make my well-beloved friends, Anthony Sherson and -Thomas Grimbalson, executors of my last will.” - -William Whiteside left by will, dated 1742, £100 to be invested, and the -annual proceeds to be spent in furnishing clothing to the poor of Marton, -not in receipt of parish relief. John Hull, Thomas Webster, and Robert -Bickerstaffe, were the original trustees of this charity. - -John Hodgson, by will dated 25th of September, 1761, devised his messuage -and lands in Marton, and his personal estate, to John Hull and Richard -Whittam, their heirs and assigns, in trust, to dispose of the same, and -after paying his debts and funeral expenses, to lay out at interest -the remainder of the money so acquired, and devote the yearly income -therefrom to the purchase of meal for poor housekeepers of Great Marton, -not relieved from the town’s rate. The meal to be distributed annually on -the 25th of December. The net amount of the legacy was £100. - -Edward Jolly, of Mythorp, by indenture, dated 13th of February, 1784, -conveyed to James Jolly, James Sherson, and Thomas Fair, their executors -and assigns, the sum of £60, to the intent that it should be placed on -good security, and one shilling of the yearly income derived be expended -weekly in bread, to be distributed each Sunday to those poor persons -who had attended divine service in the morning at the chapel of Great -Marton. The deed directed that the dole should be given at the door of -the chapel immediately after morning service, by the clerk or some other -authorised person, and that in the event of Marton Chapel, which was -then unconsecrated and supported by subscription, being closed for four -successive Sundays, or converted into a Dissenting place of worship, the -bread money should be transferred to the townships of Great and Little -Singleton, and Weeton-cum-Preese; and the weekly allowance of food -be distributed as above at the parochial chapel of Great and Little -Singleton. The dole, however, had to return to Marton chapel as soon as -service, according to the Church of England, was again conducted there. -The chapel alluded to was Baines’s school-house, where it had been the -custom of Edward Jolly to distribute bread each Sunday for several years -previously, and it was with the intention of rendering this practice -perpetual, that the indenture was made. No re-investment of the money can -be legally made without the approval of the minister of Marton church. - - POPULATION OF GREAT AND LITTLE MARTON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 972 1,093 1,397 1,487 1,562 1,650 1,691 1,982 - -The area of the township amounts to 5,452 statute acres, inclusive of the -sheet of water called Marton mere. - -HARDHORN-WITH-NEWTON contains within the limits of its township the -three hamlets or villages of Hardhorn, Newton, and Staining, of which -the last only is alluded to in the Domesday Survey, where Staininghe is -mentioned as comprising six carucates of land in service. The Coucher -Book of Whalley Abbey furnishes much valuable and interesting information -relating to the district of Staining, and from it we find that sometime -between 1175 and 1296 John de Lascy, constable of Chester, “gave and by -this charter confirms to God and the Blessed Mary, and to the abbot and -monks of the Benedictine Monastery (Locus) of Stanlawe the _vill_ of -Steyninges, with all things belonging to it, in the _vill_ itself, in -the field, in roads, in footpaths, in meadows, in pastures, in waters, -in mills, and in all other easements which are or can be there, for the -safety of my soul and those of my antecessors and successors. To be held -and possessed in pure and perpetual gift without any duty or exaction -pertaining to me or my heirs, the monks themselves performing the service -which the _vill_ owes to the lord King.” The monks of Stanlawe retained -possession until 1296, when their monastic institution, with all its -property, including Staining, was united to, or appropriated by, the -abbey of Whalley, shortly after which, in 1298, an agreement was arrived -at between the prior of Lancaster, who held Poulton church, and the abbot -of Whalley, concerning the tithes of Staining, Hardhorn, and Newton. -“At length,” says the record, “by the advice of common friends they -submitted the matter to the arbitration of Robert de Pikeringe, Elbor. -Official,” who decided that the abbot and convent of Whalley, formerly -of Stanlawe, should receive in perpetuity the major tithes of every and -all their lands within the boundaries of Staining, Hardhorn, and Newton, -whether the harvests were cultivated by the monks themselves or by their -tenants; but the minor tithes, personal and obligatory, whether of the -abbey tenants or of the secular servants, were adjudged to the vicar of -the church of Poulton and the prior and monks of Lancaster. The abbot of -Whalley was also directed to pay to the prior of Lancaster at the parish -church of Poulton an annual sum of eighteen marks, as an acknowledgment, -half at the festival of St. Martin and the remainder at Pentecost. The -Coucher Book contains several deeds of arrangement touching marsh-land -in the vicinity of Staining. Cecilia de Laton, widow, gave to the abbot -and convent of Stanlawe, all her marsh between certain land of Staining -and a long ditch, so that the latter might mark the division between -Staining and Little Layton, the witnesses to the transfer being William -de Carleton, William de Syngleton, and Alan, his son, William de Merton, -and Richard de Thornton; Cecilia de Laton also quitclaimed to the same -monastery all her right to the mediety of a marsh between “Mattainsmure” -and Little Carleton. William le Boteler exchanged with the Stanlawe -brotherhood all the marsh between the ditch above mentioned and the -land of Staining for a similar tract beyond the trench towards Great -Layton, stipulating that if at any time a fishery should be established -in the ditch, which was doubtless both wide and deep, the monks and he, -or his heirs, should participate equally in the benefits accruing from -it. Theobald Walter granted power to the abbot of Stanlawe to make use -of his mere of Marton for the purpose of conducting therefrom a stream -to turn the mill at Staining, belonging to the monastery, care being -taken that the fish in the said mere were not injured or diminished. -Within the grange of Staining a chantry was in existence, and its -services were presided over by two resident priests, whose duty it also -was to superintend the property held by the convent of Stanlawe, and -subsequently by the abbey of Whalley, in the neighbourhood. - -The following is a list of the conventual possessions and rentals in -Staining at the date of the Reformation:—The house of Staining 6s. -0d.; Scotfolde close, held by Lawrence Richardson, 5s. 0d., also Cach -Meadow, of one acre, 1s. 8d.; a messuage, 30 acres of land, held by -Lawrence Archer, £1 10s. 4d; a messuage, 16 acres, held by Thomas -Salthouse, 16s. 0d.; a messuage, 15 acres, held by John Johnson, 18s. -2d.; a fishery, held by Richard Whiteside, 18s. 4d.; a messuage, 15 -acres, held by Richard Harrison, 18s. 10d.; a messuage, 18 acres, held -by William Salfer, 18s. 2d.; a messuage, 8 acres, held by William Hall, -10s. 4d.; a house and a windmill, held by Lawrence Rigson, £2 0s. 0d.; -a messuage, 18 acres, held by Robert Gaster, 18s. 2d.; a messuage, 30 -acres, held by Constance Singleton, widow, £1 13s. 0d.; a messuage, 20 -acres, held by Thomas Wilkinson, £1 0s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, held -by John Pearson, 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, held by the wife of -William Pearson, 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 6 acres, held by Robert Walsh, -6s. 8d.; a messuage, 13 acres, held by Thomas Dickson, 13s. 4d., and 4 -hens; a messuage, 20 acres, held by John Sander, £1 0s. 0d. and 6 hens; a -messuage, 10 acres, held by William Hey, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, -6 acres, held by Ralph Dape, 7s. 6d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 8½ acres, -held by the wife of Richard Dane, 7s. 6d. and three hens. In Hardhorn the -abbey possessed a messuage, 10 acres, held by William Lethum, at 10s. -per annum; a messuage, 20 acres, held by Robert Lethum, £1 0s. 0d.; a -messuage, 10 acres, held by Henry ffisher, 10s.; a messuage, 10 acres, -held by William Pearson, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, -held by John ffisher, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens: a messuage, 10 acres, held -by William Silcocke, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held -by Richard Hardman until “ye time that Richard Hardman, son of William -Hardman, come to ye age of 21 yeares,” 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, -held by Richard Hardman, junior, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 -acres, held by Robert Silcocke, 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 12 acres, held by -Robert Whiteside, 12s. 6d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 12 acres, held by -Richard Bale, 12s. 6d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 7 acres, held by Henry -ffisher, junior, 7s. 6d. and 2 hens; a messuage, 2 acres, held by John -Allards, 2s. 0d. and 2 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by John Walch, -10s. 0d. and three hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by Robert Crow, -10s. 0d. and 2 hens; a messuage, 20 acres, held by Richard Garlick, £1 -0s. 0d. and 6 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by John Ralke, 10s. 0d. -and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by Edmund Holle, 10s. 0d. In -Carleton the abbey owned a close named Whitbent, which William Carleton -rented at 1s. 6d., a year; and in Elswick, a barn and 3 acres of land, -held by Christopher Hennett, for an annual payment of 3s. 4d. In the -Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey, from which the foregoing information has -been obtained there occurs the following notice, relating to the Hall, -apparently written when the above survey was made:—“The house of Stayning -is in length xxvii. yards, and lofted ou’r and slated; ye close called -ye little hey contains by estimation halfe an acre, and ye said house -payeth yearly, 6s.” Sir Thomas Holt, of Grizlehurst, appears to have -been the first proprietor of the conventual lands of Staining after they -had been confiscated to the crown at the dissolution of monasteries; -and from him they were purchased, either towards the end of the reign -of Henry VIII., or at the commencement of that of Edward VI., by George -the son of Robert Singleton, by his wife Helen, daughter of John Westby, -of Mowbreck. The Singletons, of Staining, resided at the Hall until the -close of the seventeenth century, and during that long period formed -alliances with several of the local families of gentry, as the Carletons -of Carleton, the Fleetwoods of Rossall, the Bambers of Carleton, and -the Masseys of Layton. On the death of George Singleton, the last of -the male representatives of the Singletons of Staining, somewhere about -1790, the estates descended to John Mayfield, the son of his sister -Mary, and subsequently, on his decease without issue, to his nephew and -heir-at-law, William Blackburne. Staining Hall, now the property of -W. H. Hornby, esq., of Blackburn, is a small and comparatively modern -residence, presenting in itself nothing calling for special notice or -comment from an antiquarian point of view. Remains of the old moat, -however, are still in existence round the building, but beyond this there -is no indication of the important station the Hall must have formerly -held in the surrounding country, both as the abode of some of its -priestly proprietors, of Stanlawe and Whalley, and the seat of a family -of wealth and position, like the Singletons would seem to have been. - -The township of Hardhorn-with-Newton contains the free school erected -and endowed by Mr. James Baines, which has already been fully noticed in -the chapter devoted to Poulton. In the hamlet of Staining a chapel and -school combined was erected by private munificence in 1865, the former -building used for such purposes being both inadequate and inappropriate. -The foundation stone was laid by Mrs. Clark, the wife of the late vicar -of Poulton, on a site given by W. H. Hornby, esq., of Blackburn and -Staining. The ceremony took place on the 26th of May, 1865, and on the -3rd of December in that year service was first performed in the edifice -by the Rev. Richard Tonge, of Manchester. The building is of brick, with -stone dressings, and comprises a nave, apsis, and tower of considerable -altitude, containing a fine toned bell. - -On the 1st of February, 1748, Thomas Riding re-leased to John Hornby and -Thomas Whiteside, a dwelling-house and certain premises for the remainder -of a term of 1,000 years, to be held in trust by them and their heirs -for the use and benefit of the poor housekeepers in Hardhorn-with-Newton -township, in such manner as directed by the will of Ellen Whitehead. The -property of this charity in 1817 consisted of half an acre of ground, -and three cottages and a weaving shed standing upon it, together with -£40 in money, out at interest. It cannot be ascertained either who Ellen -Whitehead was or when she died. - - POPULATION OF HARDHORN-WITH-NEWTON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 311 324 392 409 358 386 389 436 - -The area of the township extends over 2,605 statute acres. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE PARISH OF BISPHAM. - - -Biscopham was the appellation bestowed on the district now called -Bispham at and before the era of William the Conqueror, in whose survey -it appears as embracing within its boundaries eight carucates of arable -land. The original name is simply a compound of the two Anglo-Saxon -words _Biscop_, a bishop, and _Ham_, a habitation or settlement, the -signification of the whole being obviously the ‘Bishop’s town,’ or -‘residence.’ Hence it is clear that some episcopal source must be -looked to as having been the means of conferring the peculiar title -on the place, and fortunately for the investigator, the annals of -history furnish a ready clue to what otherwise might have proved a -question difficult, or perhaps impossible, of satisfactory solution. -In a previous chapter it has been noted that for long after the reign -of Athelstan Amounderness was held by the See of York, and nothing can -be more natural than to suppose, when regarding that circumstance in -conjunction with the significance of the name under discussion, that the -archbishops of the diocese had some residence on the soil of Bispham. It -is quite possible, however, that there may have been merely a station of -ecclesiastics who collected the rents and tithes of the Hundred on behalf -of the bishopric, acting in fact as stewards and representatives of the -archbishop for the time being, but in either case it is evident that -the name and, consequently, the town, are of diocesan origin, doubtless -associated with the proprietorship above mentioned. The presence of -priests in residence within the manor of Bispham would necessarily lead -to the establishment there of some chapel or oratory, and the absence -of any allusion to such a structure by the investigators of William I. -seems, at the first glance, a serious obstacle to the episcopal theory, -but Bispham was located between the two Danish colonies of Norbreck -and Warbreck, a people whose hostility to all religious houses was -almost proverbial, and hence it is scarcely likely that a church so -conveniently situated, as that of Bispham would be, could long escape -spoliation and destruction after the prelates of York had removed their -protection from the neighbourhood, at some date anterior to the arrival -of the Normans in England. The ravages of the Danes indeed, throughout -the Hundred of Amounderness are usually the reasons assigned why the -district was relinquished by the See of York, so that the non-existence -of a sacred pile of any description at the period of the Domesday Survey, -is in no way contradictory of such a building having been there, at an -earlier epoch. At the close of the Saxon dynasty the number of acres -in cultivation in the manor of Bispham exceeded those of the five next -largest manors in the Fylde by two hundred, thus Staining, Layton, -Singleton, Marton, and Thornton, each contained six hundred acres of -arable soil, whilst Bispham had eight hundred in a similar condition. -About thirty years after the Norman Survey, Geoffrey, the sheriff, -bestowed the tithes of Biscopham, upon the newly founded priory of St. -Mary, in Lancaster, being incited thereto by the munificent example of -Roger de Poictou. In this grant no allusion is made to any church, an -omission which we should barely be justified in considering accidental, -but which would rather seem to indicate that the edifice was not erected -until later. The earliest allusion to it is found in the reign of Richard -I., 1189—1199, when Theobald Walter quitclaimed to the abbot of Sees, -in Normandy, all his right in the advowson of Pulton and the church of -Biscopham, pledging himself to pay to the abbey ten marks a year during -the period that any minister presented by him or his heirs held the -living.[120] In 1246 the mediety of Pulton and Biscopham churches was -conveyed to the priory of St. Mary, in Lancaster, an offshoot from the -abbey of Sees, by the archdeacon of Richmond; and in 1296 the grant was -confirmed to the monastery by John Romanus, then archdeacon of Richmond, -who supplemented the donation of his predecessor with a gift of the -other mediety, to be appropriated after the decease of the person in -possession, stipulating only that when the proprietorship became complete -the conventual superiors should appoint a vicar at an annual salary -of twenty marks. At the suppression of alien priories the church of -Bispham was conveyed to the abbey of Syon, and remained attached to that -foundation until the Reformation of Henry VIII. - -The original church of Bispham, subsequently to the Norman invasion, -was built of red sandstone, and comprised a low tower, a nave, and one -aisle. A row of semicircular arches, resting on round, unornamented -pillars, supported the double-gabled roof, which was raised to no great -altitude from the ground; whilst the walls were penetrated by narrow -lancet windows, three of which were placed at the east end. The pews were -substantial benches of black oak. In 1773 this venerable structure was -deprived of its flag roof and a slate one substituted, the walls at the -same time being raised to their present height. During the alterations -the pillars were removed and the interior thoroughly renovated, more -modern windows being inserted a little later. There is a traditional -statement that the church was erected by the monks of Furness, but beyond -the sandstone of which it was built having in all probability come from -that locality, there appears to be nothing to uphold such an idea. Over -the main entrance may still be seen an unmistakable specimen of the -Norman arch, until recent years covered with plaster, and in that way -retained in a very fair state of preservation. - -In 1553 a commission, whose object was to investigate “whether ye belles -belongynge to certayne chapelles which be specified in a certayne shedule -be now remayning at ye said chapelles, or in whose hands or custodie -the same belles now be,” visited Bispham, and issued the following -report:—“William Thompson and Robert Anyan, of ye chapell of Byspham, -sworne and examyned, deposen that one belle mentioned in ye said shedule -was solde by Edwarde Parker, named in ye former commission, unto James -Massie, gent., for ye some of XXIIIˢ. IVᵈ.” Nothing is known respecting -the number or ultimate destination of the peal alluded to. The belfry can -now only boast a pair of bells. - -Formerly there were many and various opinions as to the dedication of -the church, Holy Trinity and All Saints having both been suggested, but -the question is finally set at rest by a part, in fact the sole remnant, -of the ancient communion service, the chalice, which is of silver gilt, -and bears the inscription:—“The gift of Ann, Daughter to John Bamber, to -ye Church of Allhallows, in Bispham; Delivered by John Corritt, 1704.” -Within the building, fastened to the east wall, and immediately to the -right of the pulpit, are four monumental brasses inscribed as under:— - - “Here lyes the body of John Veale, late of Whinney Heys, Esq., - who dyed the 20th Jan., 1704, aged sixty.” - - “Here lyes the body of Susannah, wife of the late John Veale, - Esq., of Whinney Heys, Esq., who departed this life the 20th of - May, 1718, aged 67 years.” - - “Here lyes the body of Edward Veale, late of Whinney Heys, Esq., - who departed this life the 11th of August, 1723, aged 43 years.” - - “Here lyes the body of Dorothy Veale, eldest daughter of John - Veale, late of Whinney Heys, Esq., who departed this life the 9th - day of January, in the year of our Lord, 1747, and in the 77th - year of her age.” - -Beneath these tablets, the only ones in the church, was the family vault -of the Veales, of Whinney Heys, now covered over by pews. During the -year 1875 the nave was re-seated, and at the time when the flooring was -taken up numerous skulls and bones were found in different parts of the -building, barely covered with earth, plainly indicating that interments -had once been very frequent within the walls, and causing us to wonder -that no mural or other monuments, beyond those just given, are now -visible, or, indeed, remembered by any of the old parishioners. None -of the stones in the graveyard are of great antiquity, and the most -interesting object on that score is a portion of an ancient stone cross, -having the letters I.H.S. carved upon it, on the broken summit of which -a sun-dial has been mounted. Tradition has long affirmed that Beatrice, -or Bridget, the daughter of Oliver Cromwell, who espoused General Ireton, -and after his death General Fleetwood, lies buried here, but this is -a mistake, probably arising from the proximity of the Rossall family, -having the same name as her second husband; the lady was interred at -Stoke Newington on the 5th of September, 1681. There are no stained glass -windows, and the walls of the church are whitewashed externally. - - PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF BISPHAM. - - ------------+--------------------+-------------------+------------------ - Date of | NAME. | On whose | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | Presentation. | - ------------+--------------------+-------------------+------------------ - Before 1559 |Jerome Allen |Abbey of Syon | - About 1649 |John Fisher | | - In 1650 |John Cavelay | |Resignation of J. - | | | Fisher - Before 1674 |Robert Brodbelt | |Death of J. - | | | Cavelay - ” 1689 |Robert Wayte | | - ” 1691 |Thomas Rikay | |Death of R. Wayte - In 1692 |Thomas Sellom |Richard Fleetwood |Death of T. Rikay - About 1715 |Jonathan Hayton | | - Before 1753 |Christopher Albin |Edward Fleetwood | - In 1753 |Roger Freckleton |Roger Hesketh |Death of C. Albin - ” 1760 |Ashton Werden |Roger Hesketh |Death of Roger - | | | Freckleton - ” 1767 |John Armetriding |Roger Hesketh |Death of A. Werden - ” 1791 |William Elston |Thomas Elston |Death of John - | | | Armetriding - ” 1831 |Charles Hesketh, |Sir P. H. Fleetwood|Death of W. Elston - | M.A. | | - ” 1837 |Bennett Williams, |Rev. C. Hesketh |Resignation of C. - | M.A. | | Hesketh - ” 1850 |Henry Powell, M.A. | Ditto |Resignation of B. - | | | Williams - ” 1857 |W. A. Mocatta, M.A. | Ditto |Resignation of H. - | | | Powell - ” 1861 |James Leighton, M.A.| Ditto |Resignation of - | | | W. A. Mocatta - ” 1874 |C. S. Hope, M.A. | Ditto |Resignation of J. - | | | Leighton - ” 1876 |Francis John Dickson| Ditto |Resignation of - | | | C. S. Hope - ------------+--------------------+-------------------+------------------ - -The living was a perpetual curacy until lately, when it was raised to the -rank of a vicarage. The Rev. Charles Hesketh, M.A., of North Meols, has -been the patron for almost half a century. Divine worship, according to -the ritual of the Roman Catholics, was last celebrated in Bispham church -during March, 1559, immediately after the death of Queen Mary, when -her protestant successor, Elizabeth, ascended the throne. The pastor, -Jerome Allen, a member of the Benedictine brotherhood, assembled his -flock at nine in the morning of the 25th of that month, and previous -to administering the holy sacrament, addressed a few words of farewell -and advice to his congregation. “Suffused in tears,” records the diary -of Rishton, “this holy and good man admonished his people to obey the -new queen, who had succeeded Mary, the late one, and besought them to -love God above all things, and their neighbours as themselves.” It is -said that after vacating his cure at Bispham, the Rev. Jerome Allen, -retired to Lambspring, in Germany, where he spent the remainder of his -life in the strictest religious observances enjoined by his creed. In -1650 the following remarks concerning Bispham were recorded by the -ecclesiastical commissioners of the Commonwealth:—“Bispham hath formerly -been a parish church, containing two townships, Bispham-cum-Norbreck -and Layton-cum-Warbreck, and consisting of three hundred families; the -inhabitants of the said towns desire that they may be made a parish.” In -the survey of the Right Rev. Francis Gastrell, D.D., bishop of Chester, -the annexed notice occurs:—“Bispham. Certif. £8 0s. 0d., viz., a parcell -of ground, given by Mr. R. Fleetwood, worth, taxes deducted, £5 per -year; Easter Reckonings, £3. Richard Fleetwood, esq., of Rossall Hall, -settled upon the church in 1687 a Rent Charge of £10 per ann. for ever. -Bispham-cum-Norbreck, and Layton-cum Warbreck, for which places serve -four Churchwardens, two chosen by the ministers and two by the parish.” -In 1725 Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys, gave £200 to augment the living, -and a similar amount was granted from Queen Anne’s Bounty for a like -purpose. Three years later £400 more were acquired, half from the fund -just named, and half from Mr. S. Walter. The parish registers commence in -1599. - -William le Botiler, or Butler, held the manors of Layton, Bispham, and -Warbreck, according to the Duchy Feordary, in the early part of the -fourteenth century, and in 1365 his son, Sir John Botiler, granted the -manors of Great and Little Layton and Bispham, to Henry de Bispham and -Richard de Carleton, chaplains. Great Bispham probably remained in the -possession of the church until the dissolution of the monasteries. -Norbreck and Little Bispham appear to have belonged to the convent of -Salop, and were leased by William, abbot of that house, together with -certain tithes in Layton, to the abbot and convent of Deulacres, by an -undated deed, for eight marks per annum, due at Martinmas.[121] In 1539 -the brotherhood of Deulacres paid rent for lands in Little Bispham and -Norbreck, and an additional sum of 2s. to Sir Thomas Butler, for lands in -Great Bispham.[122] After the Reformation, Bispham was granted by Edward -VI., in the sixth year of his reign, to Sir Ralph Bagnell, by whom it was -sold to John Fleetwood, of Rossall; and in 1571, Thomas Fleetwood, the -descendant of the last-named gentleman, held Great and Little Bispham and -Layton.[123] The manors remained invested in the Rossall family until the -lifetime of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, by whom they were sold to the -Cliftons, of Lytham, John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, being the -present lord. - -The subjoined account of a shipwreck on this coast is taken from the -journal of William Stout, of Lancaster, and illustrates the uses to which -the church was occasionally put in similar cases of emergency:— - - “Our ship, Employment, met with a French ship of some force, - bound to Newfoundland, who made a prize of her. The French - were determined to send her directly to St. Malo; when John - Gardner, the master, treated to ransome her, and agreed with the - captors for £1,000 sterling. The French did strip the sailors - of most of their clothes and provisions; and coming out of a - hot climate to cold, before they got home they were so weak - that they were scarce able to work the ship, and the mate being - not an experienced pilot, spent time in making the land, and - was embayed on the coast of Wales, but with difficulty got off, - and then made the Isle of Man, and stood for Peel Fouldrey, but - missed his course, so that he made Rossall Mill for Walna Mill, - and run in that mistake till he was embayed under the Red Banks, - behind Rossall, so as he could not get off; and it blowing hard, - and fearing she would beat, they endeavoured to launch their - boat; but were so weak that they could not do it, but came to an - anchor. She struck off her rudder, and at the high water mark - she slipped her cables and run on shore, in a very foul strong - place, where she beat till she was full of water, but the men - got well to land. But it was believed if they had been able to - launch the boat and attempted to land in her, the sea was so high - and the shore so foul, that they might have all perished. This - happened on the 8th month, 1702, and we had early notice of it to - Lancaster, and got horses and carts with empty casks to put the - damaged sugars in, and to get on shore what could be saved, which - was done with much expedition. We got the sugar into Esquire - Fleetwood’s barn, at Rossall, and the cotton wool into Bispham - chapel, and in the neap tides got the carpenters at work, but a - storm came with the rising tides and beat the ship to pieces. The - cotton wool was sent to Manchester and sold for £200.” - -In the early years of this century Bispham contained a manufactory for -the production of linsey-woolsey. The building was three stories in -height, and employed a considerable number of hands. Subsequently it -was converted into a ladies’ school, and afterwards pulled down. Two or -three residences in the township near the site of the old manufactory -still retain the names of ‘factory houses,’ from their association with -it. There is a small Nonconformist place of worship in the village, -surrounded by a wall, being partially covered with ivy and overshadowed -by trees. This edifice is called Bethel Chapel, and a date over the -doorway fixes its origin at 1834. In 1868 a Temperance Hall, comprising -a reading room, library, and spacious lecture and assembly room, was -erected here by subscription, and forms one of the most striking objects -in the village. The Sunday school connected with the parish church, and -situated by its side, was erected also by subscription, in 1840, and -rebuilt on a larger scale in 1873. - -The hamlet of Norbreck is situated on the edge of the cliffs overhanging -the shore of the Irish Sea, and consists of several elegant residences -tenanted by Messrs. Swain, Burton, Harrison, Wilson, and Richards. None -of the houses present any features calling for special comment, but -appear, like others at no great distance, as Bispham Lodge, the seat -of Frederick Kemp, esq., J.P., to have been built within comparatively -recent years as marine retreats for the gentry of neighbouring towns, or -others more intimately associated with the locality. - - POPULATION OF BISPHAM-WITH-NORBRECK. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 254 297 323 313 371 394 437 556 - -The area of the township includes 2,624 statute acres. - -The Free Grammar School was established in 1659, when Richard Higginson, -of St. Faith’s, London, bequeathed unto the parish of Bispham sundry -annual gifts in perpetuity, and especially the yearly payment of £30 for -and towards the support of a school-master and usher at the school of -Bispham, lately erected by him. From a subsequent deed it appears that -the annual sums were made chargeable on two messuages in Paternoster -Row, London, belonging to the dean and chapter of St. Pauls, but as the -interest Higginson possessed in such property was acquired at the sale -of the dean and chapter lands during the Commonwealth, it followed that -on the restoration of Charles II., the rentals forming his bequest were -not forthcoming. Further, the document recites that John Amburst, of -Gray’s-inn, esq., and Elizabeth, his wife, who was the widow and sole -executrix of Richard Higginson, being desirous that the object of the -founder should be carried out, paid to John Bonny and others in trust -£200, to be invested in land and the annual income thereof devoted to the -maintenance of an able and learned schoolmaster at the before-mentioned -school of Bispham. The costs of a chancery suit in 1686 reduced the -donation to £180, but the trustees made up the sum to the original -amount and reimbursed themselves by deducting £5 per annum from the -salary of the master for four years. In 1687, Henry Warbreck conveyed -in consideration of £200, to James Bailey and five other trustees of -the charity, elected by a majority of the inhabitants, the closes known -as the Two Tormer Carrs, the Two New Heys, the Great Hey, the Pasture, -the Boon Low Side, the Little Field, and 35 falls of ground on the west -of the Meadow Shoot close, amounting to about 14 acres, and situated in -Layton, “for the above-named pious use; and it was agreed, that when any -three of the five trustees, or six of any eight which should hereafter be -chosen, should happen to die, the survivors should convey the premises -to eight new trustees to be chosen, two out of each of the respective -townships of Layton, Warbreck, Bispham, and Norbreck, by the consent of -the major part of the inhabitants of those townships, and that the said -trustees should from time to time employ the rents for and towards the -maintenance and benefit of an able and learned schoolmaster, to teach -at the school at Bispham.”[124] In 1817, Thomas Elston, and George -Hodgson, of Layton, Robert Bonny, and William Bonny, of Warbreck, William -Butcher, junior, and James Tinkler, of Bispham, and Thomas Wilson, and -Joseph Hornby, of Norbreck, were appointed trustees at a public meeting -convened by William Bamber and William Butcher, the two surviving -trustees. The newly elected governors were directed “to permit the -dwelling-house and school to be used as a residence for the schoolmaster -and a public school for the instruction of the children of the parish of -Bispham-with-Norbreck, in reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, -and the principles of the English religion, gratuitously, as had been -heretofore done, and to hold the residue of the premises upon the trust -mentioned in the last deed.”[125] The commissioner who visited the -school in 1868 remarked:—“The building is an old house, through whose -thatched roof the rain penetrates in winter, dropping all over the desks, -and gathering in pools upon the floor; the room is very small, 30½ by -14½ feet and 7½ feet high to the spring of the roof, and the air being -so foul that I was obliged to keep the door open while examining the -children.” The use of the dilapidated structure here alluded to has been -discontinued, and the scholars assemble in a room in the Temperance Hall -until a fresh school-house has been erected. - -LAYTON-WITH-WARBRECK is the second of the two townships comprised in -the ancient parish of Biscopham or Bispham. The Butlers, barons of -Warrington, were the earliest lords of Layton. In 1251, Robert Botiler, -or Butler, obtained a charter for a market and fair to be held in “his -manor of Latton.” The estate descended in the same family with some -interruptions, until the reign of Henry VIII., when it was sold by Sir -Thomas Butler to John Brown, of London, who on his part disposed of it, -in 1553, to Thomas Fleetwood. The manor was retained by the Fleetwoods up -to the time of the late Sir. P. Hesketh Fleetwood, of Rossall, by whom it -was conveyed, through purchase, to the Cliftons, of Lytham. The following -abstract from the title deed touching the transfer of the property from -John Brown to Thomas Fleetwood will not be without interest to the -reader:— - - “By Letters Patent under the Great Seal of England, bearing date - the 19th day of March, in the first year of the reign of Queen - Mary. After reciting that Sir Thomas Butler, Knight, was seized - in fee of the Mannour of Layton, otherwise Great Layton, with the - Appurtenances, in the county of Lancaster, and that his estate, - title, and interest therein by due course of Law, came to King - Henry the Eighth, who entered thereon and was seized in fee - thereof, and being so seized did by his letters patents under - the seal of his Duchy at Lancaster, bearing date the 5th day of - April, in the thirty-fourth year of his Reign, (amongst other - things) give, grant, and restore unto the said Sir Thomas Butler, - his heirs, and Assigns, the said Mannour and its Appurtenances, - by virtue whereof the said Sir Thomas Butler entered and was - seized in fee thereof, and granted the same to John Brown, - Citizen and Mercer of London, his heirs and assigns, and that - Brown entered and was seized thereof in fee, and granted and sold - the same to Thomas Fleetwood, Esq., his heirs and Assigns, and - that the said Thomas Fleetwood entered thereon and was at that - time seized in fee thereof. And further reciting that the said - Sir Thomas Butler held and enjoyed the said Mannour, with its - Appurtenances, from the time of making said Grant until he sold - and conveyed the same to the said Brown without disturbance, and - that the said Brown held the same until he sold and conveyed to - the said Thomas Fleetwood without disturbance, and that the said - Thomas Fleetwood had held and enjoyed the same for near four - years without disturbance, and was then seized in fee thereof. - But because it had been doubted whether the said Letters Patent - and Grant made by King Henry the Eighth to Sir Thomas Butler - were good and valid in the Law, because they were under the - Seal of the Duchy of Lancaster, and not under the Great Seal, - and because it appeared unto her said Majesty, that the said - King Henry the Eighth, her Father, had promised that the said - Sir Thomas Butler, should have the said Grant either under the - Great Seal or the seal of the Duchy of Lancaster, She willing - to perform her Father’s promise and to remove all doubts, and - for greater security of the said Mannour, unto the said Thomas - Fleetwood and his heirs, and in consideration of the faithful - services done by the said Thomas Fleetwood to her said Father, - and to her Brother King Edward the Sixth, and to her, did give, - grant, and confirm unto the said Thomas Fleetwood, his heirs and - assigns, the Mannour of Layton, otherwise Great Layton, with - its rights, members, and Appurtenances, in the said county of - Lancaster, and all and singular the Messuages, Houses, Buildings, - Tofts, Cottages, Lands, Tenements, Meadows, Feedings, Pastures, - &c. &c. &c., Fishing, Wrecks of the Sea, Woods, Underwoods, &c. - &c. &c., commodities, emoluments and Hereditaments whatsoever, - with their Appurtenances, situate, lying, and being in the Vill, - Fields, or Hamlets of Layton, otherwise Great Layton, aforesaid, - which were of the said Thomas Butler, and which the said John - Brown afterwards sold to the said Thomas Fleetwood as aforesaid, - To hold the same unto the said Thomas Fleetwood his heirs and - assigns for ever.” - -Reverting to the market and fair above-mentioned we find that in 1292 Sir -William le Botiler was called upon to show upon what right he laid claim -to free warren in Layton, and two other places. In proving his case, the -knight stated that his privileges extended to markets, fairs, and assize -of bread and beer, in addition to which he affirmed that wreck of the -sea had been the hereditary rights of his ancestors from the accession -of William the Conqueror. The jury acknowledged the title of Sir William -in each instance, ordaining that the same markets, fairs, etc., should -continue to be held or exercised as aforetime. It would appear that -the market took place each week on Wednesday, the chief merchandise -offered for sale being most likely cattle and smallware. There are now -no remnants of the market, which must at one era have been an assembly -of no mean importance, beyond the names of the market-house and the -market-field. The cross and stocks have also succumbed to the lapse of -years, the latter being a matter of tradition only, with all, even to the -oldest inhabitant. - -In 1767 a petition was presented to the House of Parliament, setting -forth that within the manor of Layton and parishes of Poulton and -Bispham there was situated an extensive tract of land containing about -2,000 acres, called Layton Hawes, and begging on the part of those -concerned, for permission to enclose the whole of the common. The -document states “that Fleetwood Hesketh, Esquire, is Lord of the Manor -of Layton aforesaid; and Edmund Starkie, Esquire, is Impropriator of -the Great Tythes arising within that part of the Township of Marton -called Great Marton, within the said Manor of Layton and Parish of -Poulton, and of One Moiety of the Great Tythes arising in that part of -the Township of Bispham called Great Bispham, within the said Manor and -Parish of Bispham; and Thomas Cross, Esquire, and others, his partners, -are proprietors of the other Moiety of the Great Tythes arising within -Great Bispham aforesaid; and Ashton Werden, Clerk, present Incumbent -of the Parish Church of Bispham aforesaid, and his Successors for -the time being, of the Great Tythes, arising within the Township of -Layton-with-Warbreck, within the said Manor and Parish of Bispham. Also -that the said Fleetwood Hesketh, Thomas Clifton, and other Owners and -Proprietors of divers ancient Farms, situate within the Manor of Layton, -and the towns of Great Marton, Little Marton, Black Pool, and Bispham, -have an exclusive Right to turn and depasture their Beasts, Sheep, and -other Commovable Cattle, in and upon the said Waste or Common, called -Layton Hawes, at all Times of the Year; and the Parties interested are -willing and desirous that the said Waste or Common should be inclosed, -allotted and divided, and therefore pray that the said Waste or Common -called Layton Hawes, lying within the Manor of Layton, may be divided, -set out, and allotted by Commissioners, to be appointed for that purpose -and their Successors, in such manner, and subject to such rules, orders, -regulations, and directions, as may be thought necessary.” Leave to carry -out the object contained in the prayer was granted to the petitioners, -and within a comparatively short time the work of dividing and -apportioning the soil accomplished. - -The greater part of the township of Layton-with-Warbreck being now -absorbed in the borough of Blackpool, to which the ensuing chapter will -be devoted, there is little further to notice beyond the ancient seats of -the families of Rigby and Veale. Layton Hall was probably the residence -of the Butlers, of Layton, previous to the opening of the seventeenth -century, when it was sold to Edward Rigby, of Burgh; at least that -gentleman was the first of the Rigbys whose _Inq. post mortem_ disclosed -that he held possessions in Layton. The Hall remained in the ownership -and tenancy of the Rigbys until the lifetime of Sir Alexander Rigby, who -married Alice, the daughter of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, and died about -1700.[126] The original edifice, which was taken down and a farm-house -erected on the site about one century ago, was a massive gabled building. -At the bottom of the main staircase was a gate, or grating, of iron, the -whole of the interior of the Hall being fitted with oak panels, etc., in -a very antique style. - -Whinney Heys was held by the Veales from the time of Francis Veale, -living in 1570, until the death of John Veale, about two hundred years -later, when it passed to Edward Fleetwood, of Rossall Hall, who had -married the sister and heiress of John Veale.[127] The Hall of Whinney -Heys was embosomed in trees and presented nothing of special moment to -the eye, being simply a large rough-cast country building of an early -type. It was partially taken down many years since and converted to -farming uses. - -“The village affords,” says Mr. Thornber,[128] “an example of -covetousness seldom equalled. John Bailey, better known by the name of -the Layton miser, resided in a cottage near the market-house. His habits -were most frugal, enduring hunger and privation to hoard up his beloved -pelf. Once, during every summer, his store was exposed to the beams of -the sun, to undergo purification, and he might be seen, on that occasion, -with a loaded gun, seated in the midst of his treasure, guarding it with -the eyes of Argus, from the passing intruder. Notwithstanding all this -vigilance, upwards of £700 was stolen from his hoard; and this ignorant -old man journeyed to some distance to consult the wise man in order to -regain it; his manœuvre to avoid the income-tax also failed, for although -he converted his landed property into guineas, concealing them in his -house, and then pleaded that he possessed no _income_, but a _capital_ -only, the law compelled him to pay his due proportion. In the midst of -his savings, death smote this wretched being, and even then his ruling -passion was strong in the very agony of departing nature. His gold watch, -the only portion of his property which remained unbequeathed, hung within -his reach; his greedy eye was riveted upon it; no he could not part with -that dear treasure—and, with an expiring effort, he snatched it from -the head of his bed, and it remained clenched in his hand and convulsed -fingers long after warmth had forsaken his frame. Alas! His hidden store, -all in gold, weighing 65lb, was discovered at the close of a tedious -search, in a walled up window, to which the miser had had access from -without, and was carried home in a malt sack, a purse not often used for -such a purpose.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -BLACKPOOL. - - -Blackpool is situated in the township of Layton-with-Warbreck, and -occupies a station on the west coast, about midway between the estuaries -of the rivers Ribble and Wyre. The watering-place of to-day with its -noble promenade, elegant piers, handsome hotels, and princely terraces, -forms a wonderful and pleasing contrast to the meagre group of thatched -cabins which once reared their lowly heads near the peaty pool, whose -dark waters gave rise to the name of the town. This pool, which was -located at the south end of Blackpool, is stated to have been half a mile -in breadth, and was due to the accumulation of black, or more correctly -speaking, chocolate-coloured waters,[129] from Marton Mere and the turf -fields composing the swampy region usually designated the “Moss.” It -remained until the supplies were cut off by diverting their currents -towards other and more convenient outlets, when its contents gradually -decreased, finally leaving no trace of their former site beyond a small -streamlet, which now discharges itself with the flows of Spendike into -the sea, opposite the point where the Lytham Road branches from the -promenade. The principal portion of the town stands a little removed from -the edge of a long line of cliffs, whose altitude, trifling at first, -considerably increases as they travel northwards; and from that broad -range of frontage streets and houses in compact masses run backwards -towards the country, covering an annually extending area. - -One of the oldest and most interesting relics of antiquity is still -preserved in the Fox Hall Hotel, or Vaux Hall, as it is sometimes, but we -opine, for reasons stated hereafter, incorrectly written, although its -name, site, and long cobble wall are nearly the only mementoes that time -and change have failed to remove. It was here in the reign of Charles -II. that Edward, the son of the gallant and loyal Sir Thomas Tyldesley -who was slain at the battle of Wigan-lane in 1651, having been led to -expect a grant of the lands of Layton Hawes, or Heys Side, from the king, -after the restoration, in return for his own and his father’s staunch -adherence to the royal cause, built a small sequestered residence as a -summer retreat for his family. Modest and unpretending as the dimensions -appear to have been, no doubt at that time it was regarded as a stately -mansion, and looked upon with becoming respect and admiration by the -inhabitants of the few clay-built and rush-roofed huts which were -scattered around it. The house itself was a three gabled structure with -a species of tower, affording an extensive survey over the neighbouring -country; there were four or five rooms on each story, and one wing of -the building was fitted up and used as a chapel, the officiating priest -being most probably the Rev. W. Westby, the “W. W.” of the diary kept by -Thomas Tyldesley during the years he resided there. The chapel portion -of the old house was at a later period, when the remainder, after -experiencing various fortunes, had fallen into decay, converted into a -cottage. Over the chief entrance Edward had inscribed the words—“Seris -factura Nepotibus,” the motto of an order of Knighthood, called the Royal -Oak, which Charles II. contemplated establishing when first he regained -his throne, but afterwards for certain reasons[130] altered his mind, -as he also appears to have done in regard to the Hawes property, for it -never passed into the possession of the Tyldesleys by royal favour, or -in any other way. A fox secured by a chain was allowed to ramble for -a short distance in front of the doorway, and whether the presence of -that animal, together with the use of the Hall as a hunting seat, as -well as a summer retreat, originated its name, or its first title was -Vaux, and by an easy and simple process of change became altered to -Fox, the reader must decide for himself; but after he has perused the -following extract from the Tyldesley Diary, in which the priest already -mentioned is alluded to as “W. W.”, he will, we venture to think, have -little difficulty in concluding that the cognomen Vaux is merely a modern -adaptation when applied to this Hall:— - - “May 14, 1712.—Left Lanʳ about ffive; pᵈ 3d. ffor a shooe at - Thurnham Cocking, having lost one. Thence to Great Singleton - to prayers, and ffrom thence to Litham to dinʳ, ffound Mr. - Blackborne, of Orford; stayed there 11 at night. Soe to ffox - hall. Gave W: W: 1s.” - -Edward Tyldesley surrounded the Hall with a high and massive wall of -cobble stones, strongly cemented together, as a protection very needful -in those times of turmoil and persecution. A large portion of the wall -still exists in an almost perfect state of preservation, notwithstanding -the fierce gales and boisterous tides that have, at intervals, battered -against it for more than two centuries. This, with the additional -safeguards that nature had provided by means of the broad sea to the -front, a small stream running over swampy, almost impassable, ground to -the south, and a pool[131] under its east side, rendered the house a -secure asylum for those who were constrained to practise - - “The better part of valour,” - -and remove themselves for a season from the eyes of the world and their -enemies. Over the high gateway at the south end of the enclosure he -placed a stone carved with the crest of the Tyldesley family—a pelican -feeding its young—encircled by the loyal and patriotic motto—“Tantum -valet amor regis et patriæ”: for long the roughly finished piece of -carving was visible in the wall of an outbuilding, from which, however, -it has recently been removed. Fox Hall was not without its plot of garden -ground, a considerable space, being devoted to the useful products, was -known as the kitchen garden, whilst another space was devoted to an -apiary, and flowers must be supposed to have been an accompanyment of -bees. It also boasted a bowling green and an ancient fig tree. - -Thomas, the son of Edward Tyldesley, born in 1657, succeeded to the -family estates on the death of his father, and later married, as his -second wife, Mary, sister and co-heiress, with Elizabeth Colley, of Sir -Alexander Rigby, knt., of Layton Hall, High-sheriff of the county of -Lancashire in 1691, whose father had erected a monument to the memory of -Sir Thomas Tyldesley near the spot where he was slain. - -During the year 1690, when the dethroned monarch James II. invaded -Ireland in the hope of regaining his crown, Thomas Tyldesley prepared -a secret chamber for his reception in the interior of the Hall. The -closet or hiding-place was afterwards known as the King’s Cupboard. The -Pretender, also, was reported to have been concealed for some time within -Fox Hall, and although it is certain that this aspirant to the British -throne was never within its friendly walls, still the secret recesses, -called “priests’ holes,” with which it appears to have been liberally -provided, formed excellent refuges for the clergy and other members of -the Romish Church, who on the slightest alarm were enclosed therein, and -so secluded from the prying eyes of their hostile countrymen until the -danger had passed. These latter incidents did not take place until after -the decease of Thomas Tyldesley, who died in 1715, shortly before the -outbreak of the rebellion, and was buried at Churchtown, near Garstang. -His son Edward, who succeeded him, was arrested for taking part with -the rebels, and escaped conviction and punishment only by the mercy or -sympathy of the jury, who after returning their verdict of acquittal -were severely censured by the presiding judge for their incompetency and -disaffection. Edward Tyldesley died in 1725.[132] At what date Fox Hall -passed out of the hands of the Tyldesleys, it is impossible to trace, but -it is doubtful whether the Edward here named ever resided there, as he is -always described as of Myerscough Lodge, another seat of the family. Mary -Tyldesley, the widow of his father, whom it will be remembered he married -as his second wife, was living there as owner in 1720, and from that -circumstance we must infer that the Blackpool house was bequeathed to -her by her husband Thomas Tyldesley, and that the other portion only of -the estates fell to Edward, the son of his first marriage and his heir. -Poverty seems to have overtaken the family with rapid strides; their -different lands and residences were either mortgaged or sold, and whether -Fox Hall descended to the children of Mary Tyldesley, or returned again -into the more direct line, it is certain that not many years after the -death of Thomas Tyldesley it had ceased to be one of their possessions. - -Thus, the annals of the founders of this solitary mansion carry us back -to the period between 1660 and 1685, that is from the restoration to the -death of Charles II., but certain entries in the register of Bispham -church show that there must have been dwellings and a population, however -thinly scattered, on the soil anterior to that period, sometime during -the sixteenth century, and it was doubtless the descendants of these -people who inhabited the neighbourhood when Edward Tyldesley appeared -upon the scene and erected Fox Hall. The primitive structures forming the -habitations of these aborigines were built of clay, roughly plastered -on to wattles, and thatched with rushes more frequently than straw, the -whole fabric being supported on crooks driven into the ground. About the -epoch of Thomas Tyldesley drainage and cultivation began to render the -aspect of the country more inviting, and fresh families were tempted to -come down to the coast and rear their humble abodes under the wing of -the great mansion, so that after a while a small hamlet of clustering -huts was formed. It is more than probable that the morals and conduct -of the dwellers in these huts were influenced in some way or other by -the sojourners at the Hall, but whether for good or evil we are unable -to say, as the time is now so hopelessly remote and no records of their -habits and doings are extant, so that in the absence of any proof to the -contrary, it is only fair and charitable to surmise that their lives were -as simple as their surroundings. - -Whether the Tyldesleys were induced to locate themselves on this spot -solely by a prospect of possessing some of the territory around, or were -actuated also by a desire to have a retreat far removed from the scenes -of disturbance with which the different factions were constantly vexing -the land, is a matter of little importance, but to their presence it was -due that the natural beauties of Blackpool were brought before the people -at an early date. There can be no doubt that the priests and others, -who had fled to the Hall as a harbour of refuge, would, on returning -to their own districts, circulate glowing and eulogistic accounts of -the place they had been visiting—of the glorious beauty of the sea, the -endless stretch of level sands, and the bracing purity of the breeze. In -such manner a desire would readily be implanted in the bosoms of their -auditory to become personally acquainted with the new land, which had -created such a deep and favourable impression on the minds of men, whose -positions and education warranted the genuineness of their statements and -enhanced the value of their opinions. There is one other circumstance -worthy to be mentioned as having in all likelihood aided considerably in -bringing the place into notice, and that is an annual race meeting, held -for long on Layton Hawes. The proximity of the site to the residences of -so many families of wealth and distinction, as the Allens of Rossall, the -Westbys of Burn Hall, the Rigbys of Layton Hall, the Veales of Whinney -Heys, the Heskeths of Mains, the Cliftons of Lytham, and the Tyldesleys -of Blackpool, must have rendered the assembly one of no mean importance, -and we may picture in our minds the gay and brilliant scene presented -each year on the outskirts of the present town, when our ancestors in -their antique and many-hued costumes congregated to witness the contests -of their favourite steeds, and the level turf echoed to the fleet hoofs -of the horses as the varied colours of their riders flashed round the -course. - -Although these incidents must have greatly tended to give publicity to -Blackpool, its early advances towards popularity were dilatory, but this -is to be attributed rather to the unsettled state of the times than to -a tardy appreciation of its advantages by those who had enjoyed them or -heard them described. During the reign of George I., 1714-1727, a mere -sprinkling of visitors seems to have been attracted each summer to the -hamlet, but a few years later, about 1735, they had become sufficiently -numerous to induce one Ethart à Whiteside to prepare a cottage specially -for their reception and entertainment. Common report whispers that he was -further prompted to the venture by being the fortunate possessor of a -wife whose skill in cookery far excelled that of any of her neighbours, -but be that as it may, whether he espoused the Welsh maiden because her -culinary accomplishments were an additional recommendation to him in -the sphere in which he had embarked, or whether the lodging house was a -cherished dream only converted into a reality on their discovery after -marriage, one thing is certain, his speculation prospered, and at the end -of fifty years he retired on what at that era was considered a fortune. -The house in which he had laboured for half a century was situated in -the fields now occupied by General Street and the neighbouring houses, -on the site of what not long ago was a ladies’ school; in appearance, -it was a very ordinary cottage with the usual straw thatch, somewhat -oblong in form and possessing few attractions to tempt the stranger to -prolong his stay, but in spite of all its disadvantages, the fascination -of the sea and the novelty of the surroundings filled it with guests -summer after summer. This dwelling claims the honour of having been the -first ever fitted up and arranged as a lodging house in Blackpool. On -the retirement of Whiteside, who a few years afterwards died at Layton, -it passed into the hands of a noted aboriginal, called Tom the Cobbler, -who appears to have held more ambitious views than his predecessor, and -converted the cottage into an inn, or at least embellished its exterior -with a rude lettered sign, and procured a license to supply exciseable -commodities within. Those who had been accustomed to the scrupulous care -and cleanliness of Whiteside and his thrifty wife, must have experienced -a considerable shock from the eccentricities of the new proprietor; -each day at the dinner hour he entered in working costume amongst the -assembled guests, and with grimy fingers produced from the depths of -his well rosined apron the allotted portion of bread for each. How -this peculiarity was appreciated by his visitors there are no means of -ascertaining, but as his dwelling did not develope in the course of years -into a modern and commodious hotel like the other licensed houses which -sprang up about that time and a little later, we are inclined to fear -that some internal mismanagement caused its collapse. - -In 1769 the whole hamlet comprised no more than twenty-eight houses, or -more correctly speaking hovels, for, with the exception of four that had -been raised to the dignity of slate roofs and a small inn on the site of -the present Clifton Arms Hotel, they were little if any better. These -were scattered widely apart along the beach, and one of them standing on -the ground now occupied by the Lane Ends Hotel, and adjoining a small -blacksmith’s shed, was a favourite resort of visitors in search of -refreshment. Turf stacks fronted almost every door, and the refuse of -the household was either carelessly thrown forth or else accumulated -in putrifying heaps by the sides of the huts, so that nothing but their -isolated situations and the constant currents of pure air from the sea -sweeping over and around them could possibly have prevented the outbreak -of some infectious and fatal disorder. - -Bonny’s Hotel, then known as old Margery’s, and standing in the fields -to the south, some distance from the sea, sprang up a little anterior to -this time and received its share of patronage; later it was converted -into a boys’ school and during recent years has been divided into -cottages, etc. The Gynn House, erected northwards near the extremity or -apex of a deep and wide fissure in the cliffs, formed another popular -haunt during the season; the landlord at that hostel created much -amusement by his oddities, and especially by his quaint method of casting -up the reckoning on a horse-block in front of the door and speeding -the “parting guest” with—“and Sir, remember the servants.” A true and -remarkable anecdote is related about the old inn; sometime during the -summer of 1833 a sudden and terrific storm burst over the western coast -of this island, many vessels were lost and the shore off Blackpool was -strewn with the battered fragments of unfortunate ships, which had either -foundered in the deep or been dashed to pieces as they lay helplessly -stranded on the outlying sandbanks. In the night as the gale raged -with its utmost fury, a Scotch sloop was beating off the coast, vainly -endeavouring to battle with the hurricane, and driven by the force of -wind and wave nearer and nearer to the precipitous cliffs. When all hope -had been abandoned and destruction seemed inevitable, some thoughtful -person placed a lighted candle in the window of the Gynn House; guided -by this faint glimmer, the vessel passed safely up the creek, and the -exhausted sailors were rescued from a dreadful death. Next morning a sad -and harrowing scene presented itself along the coast; no less than eleven -vessels were lying within a short distance of each other, with their torn -rigging and shattered spars hanging from their sides; brigs, sloops, and -schooners, the short but fearful gale had left little of them beyond -their damaged hulls. Nor were these the only victims of the storm, for -as the tide receded to its lowest the masts of two others rose above the -surface of the water; and during the next few days three large ships -drifted past the town in an apparently waterlogged condition. - -About that date, 1769, several heaps of mortar and other building -materials, lying on the road which separated the front of the village -from the edge of the cliffs, showed that more were anxious to follow in -the footsteps of Whiteside and his earlier imitators. - -Some idea may be formed of the class of people who visited Blackpool at -that period from the charges made at Bonny’s Hotel and the Gynn, the two -principal inns, for board and lodging; at the latter eightpence per day -satisfied the modest demands of the host, while at the former the sum -of tenpence was exacted, with a view no doubt of upholding its superior -claims to respectability. In drawing our conclusions from these facts -we must bear in mind that a shilling in those days represented much -greater value than it does at present, so that the charges may not have -been really so inadequate as they now appear. The village contained -neither shop nor store where the necessaries or luxuries of life, if such -things were ever dreamt of by the people, could be purchased, and large -quantities of provisions had to be laid in at one time. Occasionally a -sudden and unexpected influx of visitors occurred inopportunely, when -the larder was low, and as a consequence the hungry guests were forced -to wait, temporising with their appetites as best they could, until a -journey had been made to Poulton and fresh supplies procured. - -Ten years later the hamlet had grown somewhat in size, and the annually -increasing numbers who flocked to its shores showed that its popularity -was steadily gaining ground. Intercourse with the world beyond their own -limited circle seems, however, to have had anything but an elevating or -civilising effect upon the inhabitants, for we find amongst them at that -time a band of professed atheists, whose blasphemous conduct called forth -no rebuke or opposition from the rest, but was quietly tolerated, if not -indeed approved. Each fortnight during the summer fairs were held on -the Sabbath to provide refreshment and amusement for the visitors, who -came in crowds to witness the magnificence of the highest spring tides. -These gatherings usually terminated in disgraceful scenes of revelry -and debauchery. Smuggling was carried on between the coast opposite the -Star-hills and the Isle of Man, but never to a great extent or for any -lengthened period. These huge mounds of sand, much more numerous than -in our day, formed excellent store-houses for the contraband goods, -generally spirits, which were packed in hampers, and so overlaid with -fish that their presence was never even suspected. The illicit cargoes -were brought across the channel in trading vessels, from which they -were landed by means of light open boats, and at once secreted in the -manner just indicated, until a suitable opportunity occurred for their -removal to one of the neighbouring towns. The success attending these -ventures induced the smugglers to construct a sloop of their own, with -the intention of prosecuting so profitable a trade on a larger scale, -but information of their proceedings having been conveyed by some one to -official quarters, a detachment of soldiers was promptly despatched to -put an end to the nefarious practices. So thoroughly did these men effect -their purpose, that, although no capture is recorded as having taken -place, the whole band was dispersed, and from that date no more offences -of this character have been known on the coast. - -In 1788 the houses of Blackpool had increased to about thirty-five, and -these were arranged in an irregular line along the edge of the cliffs; -the intervals between the habitations being with few exceptions so -wide that this small number stretched out from north to south, over a -distance of quite a mile. One group of six was especially remarkable as -presenting a more respectable and modern exterior than any of the others, -most of which still retained a great deal of their original defective -appearances, as though their owners were unwilling or unable to adapt -themselves and their abodes to the improved state of things springing up -around them. The company during the busiest part of the season amounted -to about four hundred persons, and a news-room had been established for -their use in the small cottage, before mentioned, on the site of the -Lane Ends Hotel, the smith’s shop adjoining having been converted into a -coffee-room and kitchen, at which a public dinner was prepared each day -during the summer, and served at a dining-room erected across the way. -There were now four additional inns in the village, named respectively, -Bailey’s, Forshaw’s, Hull’s, and the Yorkshire House. The first of -these had sprung up on the cliffs towards the north, and was kept by an -ancestor of its present proprietor; the second was the nucleus from -which has grown the Clifton Arms Hotel, whilst the third stood on the -site of the Royal Hotel. The roads leading to the hamlet were in such an -unfinished state that after heavy falls of rain they could be travelled -only with the greatest difficulty, and often with considerable danger -both to the vehicle and its occupants; so that under these circumstances -most people deemed it more prudent and expedient to perform the journey -on horseback, some of them in the pillion fashion usual at that era. In -an earlier part of this chapter we spoke of the troubled state of the -times and the unsettled and harassed condition of the people as being -the most probable causes why Blackpool was so long neglected by many -who must have been well cognisant of its beauties in the days of the -Tyldesleys, and with equal probability may we now conjecture that the -dilapidated and frequently unsafe state of the highways had a serious -effect in preventing numbers from visiting the place at this period. -Regarding the matter from another point of view, we are led to infer -that the four hundred composing the company of 1788, were people who, -either in search of health or recreation, had willingly undergone the -discomforts of a dreary and sometimes hazardous journey in order to -make but a brief sojourn by the shores of Blackpool. Here, then, there -is evidence of the great estimation in which the place was held at that -early date by the dwellers in the inland towns, and of the rapidity with -which its good fame was increasing and extending throughout a large -section of the county. As may be naturally supposed, the large influxes -of visitors and their turn-outs during the height of the season very much -overtaxed the accommodation provided for them by the inhabitants, but -that difficulty was easily surmounted by turning the horses loose into a -field until their services were again required, whilst the surplus health -or pleasure-seekers were lodged in barns or any outbuildings sufficiently -protected from the weather. The village possessed two bowling greens of -diminutive size, one of which occupied the land at the south-west corner -of Lytham Street, whilst the other was in connection with the Yorkshire -House, afterwards the York Hotel, and since purchased by a company of -gentlemen, who razed it to the ground in order to erect more suitable -buildings on the site. There was also a theatre, if that will bear the -name which during nine months of the year existed under the more modest -title of a barn; rows of benches were placed one behind another, and -separated into a front and back division, designated respectively pit and -gallery. This house is said to have been capable of holding six pounds, -the prices of admission being one and two shillings. At that period -bathing vans were scarce, the majority of bathers making use of boxes, -which were placed for their convenience along the shore, and as the mode -in which they secured privacy and a proper separation of the sexes during -indulgence in this pastime was both ingenious and entertaining, we will -give a brief sketch of their arrangements. At a certain hour each day, -varying according to the changes of the tide, a bell was rung when the -water had risen almost to its highest. On hearing the signal, the whole -of the gentlemen, however agreeably occupied, were compelled, under a -penalty of one bottle of wine for each offence, to vacate the shore and -betake themselves to their several hotels or apartments, whilst the -ladies, after sufficient time had elapsed for any stray member of the -sterner sex to get safely and securely housed, emerged singly or in small -groups from the different doorways, and, hurrying down to the edge of the -sea, quickly threw off their loose bathing robes, and in a moment were -sporting amid the waves like a colony of nereids or mermaids. When these -had finished their revels and duly retired to their homes, the bell rang -a second time, and the males, released from _durance vile_, made their -way to the beach, and were not long in following the example of their -fair predecessors. - -Mr. Hutton, in his small pamphlet descriptive of Blackpool in 1788, -says:—“The tables here are well supplied; if I say too well for the price -I may please the innkeepers, but not their guests. Shrimps are plentiful; -five or six people make it their business to catch them at low water, -and produce several gallons a day, which satisfy all but the catchers. -They excel in cooking, nor is it surprising, for forty pounds and her -maintenance is given to a cook for the season only. Though salt water -is brought in plenty to their very doors, yet this is not the case with -fresh. The place yields only one spring for family use; and the water is -carried by some half a mile, but is well worth carrying, for I thought it -the most pleasant I ever tasted.” - -The prices at the inns and boarding-houses had risen as the -accommodation they offered had improved in quality and increased in -extent, so that it was no longer possible to subsist on the daily -expenditure of a few pence as in former times. In hotels of the first -class 3s. 4d. per day, exclusive of liquors, was the charge for board and -lodging; dinner and supper being charged 1s. each to the casual visitor, -and tea or breakfast 8d. In those of the second-class and some of the -lodging-houses, 2s. 6d. per day covered everything with the exception -of tea, coffee, sugar, and liquors; whilst the smaller lodging-houses, -generally crowded with visitors who were either willing or compelled to -content themselves with the more frugal fare provided, charged only 1s. -6d. per day for each guest. - -A promenade, six yards wide, carpeted with grass and separated from -the road by white wooden railings, ran along the verge of the sea -bank for a distance of two hundred yards, and was ornamented at one -end with an alcove, whilst the other terminated abruptly at a rough -clayey excavation, afterwards used as a brick croft. “Here,” says the -topographer already quoted, “is a full display of beauty and of fashion. -Here the eye faithful to its trust, conveys intelligence from the heart -of one sex to that of the other; gentle tumults rise in the breast; -intercourse opens in tender language; the softer passions are called -into action; Hymen approaches, kindles his torch, and cements that union -which continues for life. Here may be seen folly flushed with money, -shoe-strings, and a phæton and four. Keen envy sparkles in the eye at the -display of a new bonnet. The heiress of eighteen trimmed in black, and a -hundred thousand pounds, plentifully squanders her looks of disdain, or -the stale _Belle_, who has outstood her market, offers her fading charms -upon easy terms.” - -This parade was extended some years later by means of a bridge thrown -from its south extremity over the road leading down to the shore, and -on to the cliffs of the opposite side. Riding or walking, for those who -were not fortunate enough to possess a horse or equipage, on the sands -or promenade, and excursions into the country as far as the “Number 3 -Hotel,” where many of the company amused themselves with drinking “fine -ale,” were the favourite pastimes during the day, varied, however, with -an occasional practice at the butts for bow and arrow shooting, the -diurnal bathe, and contests on the bowling greens, to which we have -already alluded; in the evening or during unfavourable weather cards -and backgammon, or the theatre, were the means with which the visitors -beguiled the wearisomeness of the quiet hours. The “Number 3 Hotel” -above-mentioned stood behind the present building bearing that name, at -the corner of the Layton and Marton roads. - -Mr. Hutton relates several somewhat startling instances of the curative -properties of the sea at Blackpool; amongst them that of a man, by trade -a shoemaker and a resident of Lancaster, who having become, through some -unexplained cause, totally blind, visited this watering-place for six -weeks, during which he drank large quantities of the marine element, -daily bathing his eyes in the same, and at the end of that time had so -far recovered his sight that he could readily distinguish objects at a -distance of two miles. Another case was that of a gentleman, who, having -been seized with a paralytic attack, which deprived him of the use of one -side, was ordered by his physician to Bath, but finding, after a fair -trial, that he derived no benefit from the combined action of its climate -and waters, he determined to travel northwards and make a short sojourn -at Blackpool. Whilst there the invalid was daily carried into and out of -the sea, and even after this process had been only twice repeated he had -lost the violent pains in his joints, recovered his sleep, and in some -considerable degree the muscular power of the affected side, but of his -further progress there is no account. - -The following lines, written by a visitor a few years after the incidents -we have just narrated, also show in what great estimation the climate and -sea of the village were held as remedial and invigorating agents:— - - “Of all the gay places of public resort, - At Chatham, or Scarbro’, at Bath, or at Court, - There’s none like sweet Blackpool, of which I can boast, - So charming the sands, so healthful the coast;— - Rheumatics, scorbutics, and scrofulous kind, - Hysterics and vapours, disorders of mind, - By drinking and bathing you’re made quite anew, - As thousands have proved and know to be true.” - -At this time Blackpool was not only without a church, but in the -whole place there was no room where the inhabitants or visitors were -accustomed to assemble together for divine worship, and it was not until -1821 that the sacred edifice of St. John was completed and opened. In -1789 a subscription was started for the purpose of erecting a church, but -was soon closed for want of support, barely one hundred pounds having -been promised. Some years later a large room at one of the hotels was -used as a meeting house on each Sabbath, the officiating ministers being -obtained alternately from Bispham and Poulton, and occasionally from -amongst the visitors themselves. - -In 1799, the poorer inhabitants of Blackpool and its neighbourhood -suffered severely, in common with others, from a failure in the grain -and potato harvests. They, like most members of the working classes -at that date, relied almost entirely upon good and plentiful crops of -these important articles of diet, to furnish them with the means of -sustenance throughout the year, so that a small yield, raising the prices -exorbitantly, became a matter of serious moment to them, and in most -instances, meant little less than ruin or starvation. After the cold and -inclement approach of winter had banished the last stranger from their -midst, the sums demanded for their accustomed provisions soon swallowed -up the little these people had saved during the summer, and such -occasional trifles as could be earned on the farm lands around whenever -extra services were required. Their condition, deplorable from the first, -gradually grew worse, until, reduced to the deepest distress, they became -dependent for the bare necessaries of existence upon the charity of -those whose positions, although seriously affected by the failure, were -not placed in such great jeopardy as their own. After this precarious -and pitiable state of things had lasted some time without any signs of -amelioration, and it seemed difficult, if not impossible, to conjecture -how the remaining months were to be provided for until the returning -season brought fresh assistance to their homes, an unexpected, and, to -them, providential occurrence relieved their sufferings. A large vessel -laden with peas was wrecked upon the coast, and the cargo, washing out -of the hold, was strewn upon the beach, supplying them with abundance of -food until better days shone upon the impoverished village once more. - -Reviewing the appearance of Blackpool at the opening of the nineteenth -century we find that the whole hamlet was comprised between the Gynn -to the north, and the ruins of the once aristocratic mansion of Fox -Hall to the south. The houses with the exception of Bonny’s Hotel and -a few scattered cottages, had all been erected along the sea bank, the -great bulk lying to the south of Forshaw’s Hotel, and amounting to about -thirty, whilst the space north of that spot as far as Bailey’s Hotel was -only occupied by one or two dwellings of very humble dimensions. These -with the Gynn and a few habitations standing south of it on Fumbler’s -Hill, made up the number of houses to about forty. A detailed description -of the different erections at that epoch is impossible, but we may state -generally that those of modern origin, especially the hotels, although -unpretending externally, were so arranged and provided that the comforts -of the guests were fully insured, and in every way the accommodation -they offered was immensely superior to any that could have been obtained -thirty years before. The few old buildings that still remained had for -the most part undergone considerable alterations, and been rendered more -suitable for the purposes to which they were now devoted. - -In 1801 the first official census of the inhabitants of the township -of Layton-cum-Warbreck, in which Blackpool is situated, was taken, and -furnished a total of 473 persons. - -At that period many people attracted by the rising reputation of the -watering-place were anxious to invest their capital in the purchase -of land by its shores, and in the erection of houses adapted for the -reception of visitors, but the proprietors of the hotels were the owners -of a large portion of the soil, and fearing that the introduction of -substantial and commodious apartments would interfere with the patronage -of their inns, refused to dispose of any part of their lands, or at least -placed such obstacles in the way of the would-be purchasers that bargains -were seldom concluded. Had it not been for the energy and foresight -displayed by one resident, Mr. H. Banks, who built several cottages and -fitted them up with every convenience and requisite for summer dwellings, -the prosperity of the village would have received a sudden check and -doubtless a serious injury, for the provision made would have fallen -far short of the requirements of an ever-increasing throng of visitors, -and thus repeated disappointments would in the end have led to disgust -and the absence of many when the following seasons rolled round. The -probability of such a disastrous result seems at length to have been -realised by the landlords themselves, who discovered that the plan to -enlarge their own business was not to drive visitors away from the place -by limiting the accommodation, but to offer them every inducement to -come, and to have a sufficiency of houses ready to receive them when -they had arrived. Under this new and more liberal impression greater -facilities were offered both to purchasers of land and builders, so that -the early error into which they had fallen was rectified before any great -amount of harm had been done. - -During the summer of 1808 the Preston volunteers were on duty at -Blackpool for two weeks, and on the 4th of June celebrated the seventieth -birthday of His Majesty George III. with many demonstrations of loyalty -and rejoicing. - -The small town now boasted five good class hotels, which, in their -order from north to south, were named Dickson’s, Forshaw’s, Bank’s, -Simpson’s, and the Yorkshire House. Simpson’s, formerly Hull’s, is now -the Royal Hotel; Bank’s the Land Ends Hotel, and Dickson’s was the -one already mentioned as Bailey’s Hotel. “Adjoining Forshaw’s Hotel,” -writes a gentleman who visited Blackpool about that date; “there are -two or three houses of genteel appearance, compared with the many small -cottages leading thence to the street, which is the principal entrance -from Preston. There is a promenade with an arbour at the end of it, and -beyond it nearer to Dixon’s Hotel stands a cottage used as a warm bath. -Beyond Dixon’s there is a public road where two four-wheeled vehicles can -pass each other.” At a later period both the road and cottage alluded to -had succumbed to the unchecked power of the advancing sea; and here it -will be convenient to mention other and much more serious encroachments -made by the same element in the course of years now long gone by. We -can scarcely conceive, when gazing on the indolent deep in its placid -mood, that at any time it could have been possessed with such a demon of -fury and destruction as to swallow up broad fields, acres upon acres, -of the foreland of the Fylde, and in its blind anger sweep away whole -villages, levelling the house walls and uprooting the very foundations, -so that no trace or vestige of their former existence should remain. -History, however, points to a hamlet called Waddum Thorp, which once -stood off the coast of Lytham, fenced from the sea by a broad area of -green pasture-land, now known as the Horse-bank; and in more recent years -a long range of star-hills ran southward from opposite the Royal Hotel, -protecting a highway, fields, and four or five cottages from the waves, -whilst a little further north a boat-house afterwards a shoemaker’s shop, -stood in the centre of a grassy plot, all of which have vanished, and -their sites are now covered and obliterated by the sand and pebbles of -the beach. The several roads, which had been formed at different seasons, -leading over the cliffs to Bispham, were sapped away and destroyed so -rapidly by the incursions of the tide that one more inland and circuitous -was obliged to be made. On the sands, about three miles to the north of -Blackpool, and so far distant from the shore that it is only visible when -the water has receded to its lowest ebb, stands the famous Penny-stone. -Near the spot marked by the huge boulder, tradition affirms that in days -of yore there existed a small road-side inn, celebrated far and wide for -its strong ale, which was retailed at one penny per pot, and that whilst -the thirsty traveller was refreshing himself within, and listening to the -gossip of “mine host,” his horse was tethered to an iron ring fixed in -this stone. It is stated that documents relating to the ancient hostelry -are still preserved, but as the assertion is unsupported by any evidence -of its veracity, we are prohibited from accepting it as conclusive proof -that the inn owes its reputed existence to something more substantial -than the lively imaginations of our ancestors. There is, certainly, one -thing which gives some colouring of possibility, or perhaps, out of -veneration for the antiquity of the tradition, we may advance a step and -say, reasonable probability, to the story, and that is the historic fact, -that at no very great distance from the locality there stood a village -called Singleton Thorp until 1555, when it was submerged and annihilated -by a sudden and fearful irruption of the sea. Several other boulders -of various sizes are lying about in the neighbourhood of Penny-stone, -bearing the names of Old Mother’s Head, Bear and Staff, Carlin and its -Colts, Higher and Lower Jingle, each of which is covered in a greater or -less degree with shells, corallines, anemonies, and other treasures of -the deep. - -In 1811 the census of the persons residing in the township before -specified, was again taken, and amounted to 580, showing an increase of -107 in the number of inhabitants during the preceding ten years. - -The year 1816 is remarkable as being the first in which public coaches -ran regularly between Preston and Blackpool. Previously the chief -communication between the village and outlying places had been by means -of pack-horses, carts, and private vehicles, with only occasional coaches. - -The following description of Blackpool about the year 1816 was furnished -by one of its oldest inhabitants, and, although unavoidably entailing -some repetition of what has been mentioned before, will, we trust, be -interesting in itself, as well as useful in confirming the earlier parts -of this history, which have necessarily been compiled from previous -writings on the subject, and not from the evidence of living witnesses. -The Gynn House formed the most northerly boundary of the village, and, -passing from that hostelry in a southerly direction, the next dwelling -arrived at was Hill-farm, which still exists, and is at present used as -a laundry for the Imperial Hotel. A few gabled cottages stood on the -eminence called Fumbler’s Hill, near the site of Carleton Terrace:— - - “Old Ned, and Old Nanny, at Fumbler’s hill, - Will board you and lodge you e’en just as you will.”[133] - -These cottages faced the south, as indeed did all the other dwellings at -that time, with the exception of two or three of the hotels and a few -of the more recent buildings. Bailey’s, or rather Dickson’s, Hotel was -built in blocks of two and three stories, and possessed one bay window. -It must be remembered that the stories of that day were much lower than -those with which modern improvements have made us familiar. The next -hotel was Forshaw’s, similar in its construction, but unadorned with even -one bay window; between these two large inns were two or three small -thatched cottages. Continuing our survey southwards were Dobson’s Row, -consisting of several slated cottages, with a circulating library and -billiard room; and the Lane Ends Hotel, containing three bay-windows, -built, like the others, in parts of two and three stories each. In -Lane Ends Street there was a general shop and lodging house combined, -tenanted by a person named Nickson. The Royal, then commonly called the -Houndhill Hotel, comes next in order, and a little distance behind it -on the rising ground was a small thatched cottage for the reception of -visitors. South Beach contained only a few thatched cottages, and on the -site of the present Wellington Hotel stood a circular pinfold, built of -cobble stone. Considerably west of the present line of frontage, and -south of the pinfold, stood two rows of cottages almost on the edge -of the shore; the last of these habitations was washed away or pulled -down in 1827. Beyond the Yorkshire House and its bowling green was the -dilapidated remains of Fox Hall, part of which had been converted into a -small farm-cottage, in the occupation of a person named Wignall. Between -Fox Hall and the Yorkshire House, but further removed from the beach, -was a thatched cottage adjoining a stable, in which Mr. Butcher, of -Raikes Hall, kept two or three racehorses, the field now occupied by the -Manchester Hotel being used as an exercise ground for them. Chapel Street -contained a small farm-house and several cottages, in addition to Bonny’s -Hotel, which was situated in a field at the lower end of this lane. In -Church Street there were only three or four cottages, two of which, -standing at the south-west corner, were slated and used as shops. A few -other cottages, whose exact sites could not be recalled with accuracy, -were scattered here and there, but the above will furnish the reader with -a fairly correct idea of the extent and appearance of Blackpool about the -year 1816. - -The National Schools, at Raikes Hill, were the first provision made for -the education of the young, and were built in 1817, chiefly through -the exertions of Mr. Gisborne, then a temporary resident. They consist -of two schools, for boys and girls respectively, with a teachers’ home -between. The accommodation has since been considerably enlarged and the -institution is now under government inspection. - -The parish church of St. John, in course of erection in 1820, was built -with bricks from a croft situated on the cliffs between Dickson’s Hotel -and the promenade. This place of worship, originally an episcopal chapel -under Bispham, with a perpetual curacy attached, was consecrated to St. -John on July 6th, 1821, by Doctor Law, bishop of Chester. In 1860 a -special district was assigned by order of Council to St. John’s, which -in that manner became, under Lord Blanford’s Act, the parish church -of Blackpool. The district thus cut off from the wide parochial area -of Bispham, and constituted a distinct parish for all ecclesiastical -purposes, was included between the Spen Dyke to the south and the central -line of Talbot road to the north. The cost of the sacred edifice, which -consisted, externally, of a plain brick structure, having a low embattled -tower with pinnacles at the angles, amounted to £1,072, the whole of -which was defrayed by voluntary subscriptions, the following individuals -being the principal contributors:— - - Mrs. Dickson £100 - Mr. Robert Banks 100 - ” H. Banks 100 - ” John Hornby 100 - A Friend 100 - Mr. John Forshaw 100 - ” Robert Hesketh 50 - ” Fielding 50 - ” Jonathan Peel 50 10s. - ” Bonny 50 - -The interior of the church, plain and neat, was lighted by small lamps -for evening service during the winter, and contained a font which had -once belonged to the old Roman Catholic chapel of Singleton; and, a few -years later, an organ built by Wren, of Manchester. In 1832 this building -was enlarged by drawing out the east end, into which a plain window was -inserted. The still increasing popularity of the watering place demanded -another enlargement, which took place in 1847; but it was not until 1851 -that the present chancel, containing a handsome stained glass memorial -window to H. Banks, esq., who died in 1847, was added. The window -embraces representations of Christ, the four evangelists, and the infant -Jesus, with Joseph and his mother, etc., below which is the following -inscription, surmounted by a coat of arms and motto:—“In memoriam Henrii -Banks de Blackpool patris, et unius ex hujus Ædis patronis, tres sui -liberi hanc fenestram fieri fecerunt.” In 1862 it was thought desirable -that further improvements should be made, and an open domed roof of -pitch-pine was substituted for the old ceiling; the floors of the pews, -previously covered with asphalt, were boarded; new windows of ground -glass, and a fresh pulpit and reading desk were added to the church; -whilst a substantial iron railing was erected round the yard in place of -the cobble wall, which had stood since the opening of the edifice, and -in the same year the burial space was increased by including the plot -of land lying to the west of the church, and now abutting on the houses -of Abingdon Street. Four years later, in 1866, a new and larger tower, -furnished with a clock and a peal of eight bells, was completed on the -site of the original one, which had been pulled down for this purpose. -The interior of the church contains, in addition to the memorial window -already alluded to, mural tablets _in memoriam_ of Robert Banks, gent., -died May 27th, 1838, aged 76 years,—“Ever mindful of the calls of general -duty, he was also a liberal promoter of the erection and endowment of -this church, and by will bequeathed the sum of £100, for the perpetual -support of the national school”; Edward, the son of Henry and Margaret -Banks, died August 8th, 1845, aged 35 years; the Rev. Thomas Banks, “who -was for thirty-five years incumbent of Singleton church, and an eminent -instructor of youth,” died 1842, aged 73 years. - - PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF ST. JOHN’S. - - ------------+-------------------+-------------+------------------- - Date of | NAME. |On whose |Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| |Presentation.| - ------------+-------------------+-------------+------------------- - | | | - 1821 |James Formby, B.A. |Trustees | - 1826 |G. L. Foxton, B.A. |Ditto |Resignation of J. - | | | Formby - 1829 |Wm. Thornber, B.A. |Ditto |Resignation of G. L. - | | | Foxton - 1846 |W. T. Preedy, B.A. |Ditto |Resignation of W. - | | | Thornber - 1853 |Alfred Jenour, M.A.|Ditto |Resignation of W. T. - | | | Preedy - 1869 |Norman S. Jeffreys,|Ditto | Death of A. Jenour - | M.A. | | - ------------+-------------------+-------------+--------------------- - -The present patrons of St. John’s church are the Rev. C. Hesketh, of -North Meols; the Vicar of Bispham; J. Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham -Hall; and the Raikes Hall Park, Gardens, and Aquarium Company. - -In 1821 the census returns of the population of Layton-with-Warbreck -showed a total of 749 persons. On the 19th of July in that year the -coronation of George IV. was celebrated by the inhabitants and visitors -of Blackpool “in a manner most grateful to every benevolent heart.” A -handsome subscription, we are told by the gentleman whose words have -just been quoted and who was present on the occasion, was expended in -procuring one day’s festivity for the poor and needy, the aged and the -young. About ten in the morning, the children of the township, amounting -to one hundred and thirty-nine, assembled at the national school, erected -near the church, where they were each presented with a coronation medal. -Afterwards they paraded the beach, headed by two musicians, and sang the -national anthem at all the principal houses, followed by ringing cheers; -returning to the school-house, each child was regaled with a large bun, -and spiced ale and coppers were distributed amongst them. When these -had been dismissed to their homes, upwards of thirty old people met in -the same room, where they sat down to an ample and excellent dinner, -at the conclusion of which they each drank the king’s health in a pint -of strong ale. The same kind-hearted ladies who had superintended the -children in the procession, waited on this venerable company, and had -their generosity rewarded by witnessing the amusing spectacle of three -old women, upwards of seventy, who had probably danced at the coronation -of George III., go through a Scotch reel, which they accomplished in -excellent style. - -On the 21st of March, 1825, the first stone of a small Independent -chapel, situated at the lower end of Chapel Street, and lying on the -south extremity of the village, was laid by the Rev. D. T. Carnson, and -on the 6th of the ensuing July it was opened for public worship by the -Rev. Dr. Raffles. - -The summer of 1827 is remarkable as having been an exceptionally -prosperous season for Blackpool; vast numbers of carts and other vehicles -laden with their living freights arrived from Blackburn, Burnley, Colne, -Padiham, and the borders of Yorkshire, and during the month of August -so crowded was the place that many were lodged in stables and barns, -whilst others sought refuge at Poulton. The following year a fine gravel -promenade was tastefully laid out on the sea bank to a considerable -distance, occupying a large portion of the site of the old road. A -beautiful green turf walk was constructed from the beach to the church, -leading through pleasant fields, and furnished at intervals with covered -seats. The Albion Hotel was also erected at the north-west corner of Lane -Ends Street. - -Mr. Whittle, in his publication descriptive, amongst other resorts, of -Blackpool in 1830, and entitled “Marina,” says:—“Blackpool is furnished -with excellent accommodation, although it is a pity but what there had -been some kind of uniformity observed, as all sea-bathing stations ought -to have their houses built upon a plan entirely unique. Four assemblies -have been known to take place in one week during the bathing season, -extending from July to October. In fact the rooms at the hotels are very -extensive. Bank’s is the most commodious. The inhabitants seem to have -no taste for ornamenting their doorways or windows with trellis work -or verandahs, or with jessamines, woodbines, or hollyhocks, similar to -those at Southport, and many of the sea-bathing situations in the south. -It is not to be wondered at that there are here frequently at the flux -of the season, from eight hundred to a thousand visitors. Blackpool has -most certainly been honoured since its commencement as a watering-place -by persons of distinction and fashion. The hotels and other houses of -reception are scattered along the beach with an aspect towards the Irish -Sea; and in the rear are the dwellings of the villagers. The cottages on -the beach have of late years considerably increased, and they serve, with -the hotels in the centre, to give the place, when viewed from the sea, a -large and imposing appearance.” - -The ball and dining-room at Nickson’s Hotel, (the Clifton Arms,) was of -large dimensions, and contained a neat orchestra at one end, whilst the -following notice was suspended in a prominent position against the inner -wall:— - - “The friends of Cuthbert Nickson will please to observe that the - senior person at the hotel is entitled to the president’s chair; - and the junior to the vice-president’s. Also the ladies to have - the preference of the bathing machines.” - -Placards, similar in their import to this one, were to be seen in both -Dickson’s and Bank’s Hotels. - -The new promenade was improved in 1830 by the addition of a wooden -hand-rail along its entire length, whilst comfortable seats were placed -opposite the hotels of Banks and Nickson. The fairs, to which we have -already alluded, continued to be held every second Sunday during the -season, but a few years later they were abolished by the action of the -more respectable portion of the residents. Letters arrived at half-past -eleven in the morning, and were despatched at noon, daily in the summer -months, but only three times a week during winter. Mr. Cook, an American, -was the originator of the post, which he commenced some time before by -having the letters carried to Kirkham three times a week during the -season. At that day the arrival of the letter-bag was made known to the -anxious public by exposing a board on which was written or painted, -“The post is arrived.” This ingenious device proclaimed, on reversing -the board, “The post is not yet arrived;” so that by a proper use of -the signal the postmaster was enabled to save himself much trouble in -answering the frequent inquiries of expectant visitors. Mr. Cook, who -is described as having been the “Beau Nash” of Blackpool, died in 1820, -and was buried at Bispham. The charges at the best hotels were 6s. per -day in private and 5s. in public, with an addition of 1s. each night for -a front, or 6d. for a back, bedroom. At Bonny’s the price was 4s. 6d. -per day; and at Nickson’s and the Yorkshire House 3s. 6d. per day at the -first table, and 2s. 6d. at the second, subject to an additional charge -for extra attendance if required. - -The census returns of 1831 showed that the population of the township had -increased to 943 persons since 1821, when, the reader may be reminded, -the total amounted to 749. - -In 1835, a Wesleyan chapel, calculated to hold between 250 and 300 -persons, was erected and opened in Bank Hey Street. This building, having -in the course of time become inadequate for the accommodation of its -increasing congregation, was pulled down, and the corner stone of the -present edifice laid by W. Heap, esq., of Halifax, on Friday, November -1st., 1861. The chapel, which occupies a site near the old one, was -opened for service on the 4th of July, 1862, and is capable of seating -760 persons. The total expenditure for the erection and other incidental -expenses connected with it, amounted to £3,500. An organ, built by Mr. E. -Wadsworth, of Manchester, at a cost of £320, was obtained in 1872. - -During 1836 great improvements were made in the appearance of the town; -shops were beautified and increased in number; many of the cottages -were rendered more ornamental, whilst others were constructed on modern -principles, and on a moderate calculation it may be estimated that two -hundred beds were added to the existing accommodation. Sir Benjamin -Heywood, bart., of Claremont, purchased an extensive plot of land, now -occupied by the Prince of Wales’s Market and Aquarium Buildings, on -which he shortly afterwards raised a handsome marine family residence, -called West Hey. Numerous and copious springs of fine fresh water were -found at a depth of fifteen yards from the surface; until which fortunate -discovery, water for drinking purposes had been collected in cisterns dug -out of the marl. Public Baths were also erected on the beach adjoining -the Lane Ends Hotel. - -The following year, 1837, the Victoria Terrace and Promenade, erected -at the north-west corner of Victoria Street, were completed. This block -of buildings was formed of seven shops, above them being the Promenade, -a room thirty-two yards long, which opened through folding windows upon -a balcony six feet wide; attached to it were a news-room, library, and -billiard table. The Promenade acquired its distinctive title from being -first used on the 24th of May, 1837, when the Princess Victoria, the -present Queen, attained her legal majority; on that day the principal -inhabitants of Blackpool assembled there to celebrate the important event -with a sumptuous dinner, and from the subjoined extract, taken from an -account of the gathering in a public print, we learn the great estimation -in which the saloon was then held:— - - “ ... dinner and excellent wine provided by Mr. C. Nickson, to - which fifty-two gentlemen sat down, in the splendid Promenade - Room newly erected by Doctor Cocker, who was highly extolled - for his taste in the architectural design and decorations of - the building, which is of the chaste Doric order, and for his - spirited liberality in providing the visitors of this celebrated - resort with so spacious and magnificent a saloon, where, as in - a common centre, they may meet each other and enjoy the social - pleasures of a _conversatione_ whenever they please; thus - evincing his wish to promote a more friendly intercourse amongst - the strangers collected here from all quarters of the kingdom - during the summer season—this has hitherto been a _desideratum_ - at Blackpool.” - -For long afterwards balls and all public meetings were held in this -assembly room, which still exists in its original condition, although -the other parts of the block, especially the shops, have recently been -improved and beautified. - -From 1837 to 1840 the progress of the place was steady, but not rapid, -as compared with more recent times. In the latter year the opening of -the Preston and Wyre Railway to Poulton, initiated a mode of travelling -until then unknown in the Fylde district, and by its means Blackpool -became nearer in point of time to Preston, Manchester, and many other -large towns already possessing railway accommodation, a great accession -of company being the immediate result. Omnibuses, coaches, and other -carriages met every train at Poulton station, and the four miles of -road were scampered over by splendid teams in less than half an hour. -Then it was that the jolting, homely vehicles, and the through coaches, -which had for long been the dashing wonders of the country roads, were -driven off, and a greatly multiplied number of visitors brought into -the town daily by the more expeditious route, at a less cost and with -greater personal convenience than had been possible in earlier days. More -accommodation was soon called for and as readily supplied by the spirited -inhabitants, who erected numerous houses at several points, which served, -at no distant period, as the nucleus for new streets and terraces. The -census of the township in 1841 had risen to 2,168. In 1844 the erection -and opening of a Market House, evinced the growing importance and -prosperity of the watering-place; this building has lately, since 1872, -been enlarged by lateral extension to quite double its original capacity, -whilst the extensive unprotected area opposite, used for similar trading -purposes and occupied by stalls, has been covered over with a transparent -roof. Talbot Road was opened out and the lower end formed into a spacious -square, (furnished with an elegant drinking fountain in 1870) by the -removal of a house from its centre. These improvements were effected at -the sole cost of John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham, the owner of the -soil. The Adelphi and Victoria Hotels, which had sprung into being, were -altered and enlarged; the former by raising it a story, and the latter by -the addition of a commodious dining room, two sitting rooms, and sundry -bedrooms. Several spacious residences were finished on South Beach, and -a handsome terrace of habitations stretching south from Dickson’s Hotel, -was also erected about that time. - -In 1845, several houses on a larger scale, including the Talbot Hotel, -were built, and great improvements and additions made to many former -establishments. - -The opening of the branch line from Blackpool to join the main railroad -at Poulton, on the 29th of April, 1846, gave another marked impetus to -the progress of the town; by its formation direct steam communication -was completed with the populous centres of Lancashire and Yorkshire, and -many, who had previously been deterred from visiting Blackpool by its -comparative inaccessibility, now flocked down to its shores in great -numbers; building increased, and dwellings arose, chiefly on the front, -and in Church and Victoria Streets. - -During the ensuing year the first meeting of the Blackpool Agricultural -Society was held on the grounds of a recently built inn, the Manchester -Hotel, at South Shore; the attendance was both numerous and respectable, -including many of the most influential gentlemen, yeomen, and farmers of -the neighbourhood, and several from the remoter localities of the Fylde. -Cows, horses, and pigs appear to have been the only stocks to which -prizes were awarded. The first Lodge of Freemasons held their initiatory -meeting in that year at the Beach Hotel, another house of entertainment -which had risen shortly before, on the site of some furnished cottage -facing the beach. - -A new Independent Chapel was commenced in Victoria Street, to supersede -the small one erected in Chapel Street in 1825; the edifice was finished -and used for divine service in 1849. Serious differences seem to have -arisen a few years later between the pastor of that date, the Rev. J. -Noall, and a limited section of his congregation, who were anxious to -deprive him of his charge, and even went so far, in 1860, as to publicly -read in the chapel, after morning service, a notice convening a meeting -for that purpose. This act, being repeated on the ensuing Sabbath, led to -retaliation on the part of the partizans of the minister, who, unknown to -that gentleman, paraded three figures, intended to represent the three -principal opponents to the continuance of his pastorate, suspended from -a gibbet, which had been erected in a cart, through the streets of the -town, and afterwards gave them up to the flames on the sands. The Rev. J. -Noall was shortly afterwards presented with a testimonial of esteem by -a number of sympathisers. Schools, in connection with the chapel, were -built in 1870. - -Two years subsequently, the watering-place had grown, without the -fostering care of a public governing body, into a large and prosperous -town, boasting a resident population of over two thousand persons, but -this very increase and popularity had rendered it impossible for private -enterprise to provide the requisite comforts and conveniences for such -a mixture of classes as visited it during the summer. Acting under this -necessity and for the welfare of the resort a Local Board was formed, -composed of gentlemen elected from amongst inhabitants, into whose hands -was entrusted the government and regulation of all matters connected with -the place. An accession of power was sought in 1853, and on Tuesday, the -14th of June, the Blackpool Improvement Act received the royal assent. -The Board originally consisted of nine members, but in 1871 the number -was increased to eighteen. - -One of the earliest acts of the new commissioners of 1853 was to provide -for the proper lighting of the town by the erection of Gas Works, which -they accomplished in their first year of office; for some time it had -been evident that the season was seriously curtailed by the absence of -any illumination along the promenade and thoroughfares during the autumn -evenings, but private speculation had for some reason held aloof from so -important an undertaking, although the question had been much discussed -amongst the inhabitants. Here it may be stated, in order to avoid -reverting to the subject again, that in 1863 there were 650 consumers of -gas; in 1869, 1270; and in 1875, no less than 2,000; the miles of mains -in those years being respectively 5, 7, and 12. - -In 1856, the promenade, which had suffered much injury from frequent -attacks of the sea, and perhaps from some amount of negligence in not -bestowing due attention to its proper maintenance, was put in better -order and extended from its northern extremity, opposite Talbot Square, -along the front of Albert Terrace as far as Rossall’s, formerly Dickson’s -Hotel. Four years later a portion of this walk opposite Central Beach -was asphalted and sprinkled over with fine white spar. The Infant -School-house in Bank Hey Street, was opened in 1856. - -The Roman Catholic Church, situated in Talbot Road, was erected in 1857, -from the design of Edwin W. Pugin, Esq., and at the sole expense of Miss -M. Tempest, sister to Sir Charles Tempest, Bart., of Broughton Hall, -Yorkshire. It is in the Gothic style, the exterior being built with -Yorkshire flag in narrow courses, hammer dressed and tuck pointed. The -church comprises a chancel, north and south transepts, two sacristies, -confessionals, nave, aisles, south porch, and central western tower. The -chancel, which is separated from the nave and transepts by a richly -decorated and moulded arch, contains four side windows in addition to a -large one at the east end. The nave is divided into five bays of fifteen -feet each, with massive arches ornamented with deeply cut mouldings. -The tower is of great solidity, and rises to a height of one hundred -and twenty-four feet. Almost the whole of the windows are filled with -richly stained glass; and the altar within the chancel is beautified -with elaborately carved groups, designed by J. H. Powell, of Birmingham, -of the “Agony in the Garden,” and the “Last Supper;” whilst that in -the lady chapel is adorned, from the pencil of the same artist, with -illustrations of the “Assumption of the Virgin,” and the “Annunciation,” -all of which are exquisitely carved by Lane. This church is dedicated -to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and was the first one ever -erected in Blackpool for members of the Roman Catholic Faith, service -having been previously celebrated in a room in Talbot Road. In 1866 an -excellent peal of cast steel bells was added to the tower; and ten years -afterwards a magnificent organ was opened in the main building. Attached -to the church, and within the same enclosure, were placed day and Sunday -schools, as well as a residence for the officiating priests. The cost -of this magnificent pile, without the internal decorations, amounted to -£5,500. - -The foundation stone of the Union Baptist Chapel, in Abingdon Street, -was laid on the 9th of April, 1860, and on Good Friday in the following -year it was opened for divine worship by the Rev. Dr. Raffles. The -main building, 80 feet long by 49 feet wide, is of brick, and finished -with moulded and polished stone dressings in the Grecian style of -architecture. The principal or west front is surmounted by a bold cornice -and pediment, and contains the two chief entrances, which are approached -by a long range of steps and a spacious landing. The interior is fitted -with substantial open pews of red pine in the body, and similar seats are -placed in the two end galleries, the whole being capable of providing -accommodation for about 650 persons. The communion floor, under a portion -of which is the Baptistry, is enclosed with an ornamental balustrade. -The edifice is well supplied with light through plain circular-headed -windows. A Sunday school was added in 1874, and an organ also purchased -during that year. From 1858 to the completion of the chapel the Baptists -worshipped in the room formerly used by the Roman Catholics in Talbot -Road. - -In 1861, the progress and improvement of the town was well shown by -three events which occurred at that date—the first sod of the Lytham and -Blackpool coast line was cut at Lytham Park, on the 4th of September; a -large Market Hall, raised on South Beach, by Mr. W. Read, for the sale of -useful and fancy articles was completed; and the original Christ Church -was opened on Sunday the 23rd of June, by the Rev. C. H. Wainwright, -M.A. This church, which stood until the erection of the present one, -was built of iron by Mr. Hemming, of London, at a cost of £1,000, which -was advanced by eight gentlemen, who were subsequently reimbursed by -contributions from the public and collections from the congregation at -various times. - -The population of Layton-with-Warbreck in 1861 amounted to 3,907 persons, -of which number Blackpool contributed 3,506. - -The passenger traffic on the Blackpool and Lytham Railway commenced -on the 6th of April, 1862, and between that date and the 30th of June -over 35,000 persons had taken advantage of the line and been conveyed -between the two watering-places. In 1862 a handsome Police Station and -Court-House sprang into being in Abingdon street, including residences, -lock-ups, offices, magistrates’ room, etc. - -The streets of Blackpool no longer presented the meagre and broken lines -of earlier days, but were in most instances well filled on each side with -compact blocks of houses. In December, 1861, a few of the townpeople -assembled at the Clifton Arms Hotel to consider the advisability of -erecting a pier, to extend westward from the promenade opposite Talbot -square; and on the 22nd of January, 1862, the memorandum of association -was signed with a capital of £12,000, being immediately registered. -Plans were examined on the 10th of February, and the design of E. Birch, -esq., C.E., selected, that gentleman being also appointed engineer. In -April, the tender of Messrs. Laidlaw, of Glasgow, to construct the pier -for £11,540 was accepted; and a grant of the foreshore required for the -undertaking having been obtained from the Duchy of Lancaster for £120, -and £7 paid to the Crown for the portion beyond low-water mark, the -first pile of the North Pier was screwed into the marl on the 27th of -June, 1862, by Captain Francis Preston, the chairman of the company. A -violent storm in the ensuing October damaged the works to some extent, -and induced the company to raise the deck of the pier three feet above -the altitude originally proposed, at an expense of £2,000. On the 21st -of May, 1863, the pier was formally opened by Captain Preston, the -auspicious event being celebrated by general rejoicings throughout the -town and a procession of the different schools and friendly societies. -The dimensions of the erection at that date were:—Approach, 80 feet -long; abutment, 120 feet long and 45 feet wide; main portion, 1,070 feet -long and 28 feet wide; and the head, 135 feet long and 55 feet wide, -giving a total length of 1,405 feet available as a promenade. The entire -superstructure was placed upon clusters of iron piles, fixed vertically -into the ground by means of screws, those at the abutment and main body -being wholly of cast, and those at the head partly of cast and partly of -wrought iron. The largest of the cast-iron columns measured 12 inches -in diameter, and 1⅓ inch in thickness, each column being filled in with -concrete. The piles were arranged in clusters at intervals of 60 feet, -and firmly secured together longitudinally, transversely, and diagonally, -by rods and braces. The main girders, of the sort known as plated, were -rivetted on the clusters in lengths of 70 feet, and formed parapets, -presenting a pleasing appearance and constituting a most efficient wind -guard to the pier. The tops of the girders were turned to useful account -by converting them into a continuous line of seats. Next to the chief -girders were fixed transverse wrought iron girders, upon the top of -which the planking of the deck was laid, being arranged in longitudinal -and transverse layers, so that no open spaces were left to admit the -passage of wind or spray. The head of the pier, rectangular in form, was -raised 50 feet above low-water mark, and leading from it to ample landing -stages below, was a flight of steps 10 feet wide. The limits of the pier -shore-wards were defined by ornamental iron gates with lamps, immediately -inside which were the toll houses. Upon the main portion of the pier -were erected several ornamental shelter and refreshment houses of an -octagonal shape, and standing on side projections. Another ornamental -shelter house of much larger dimensions was placed, within a few months, -on the head. Lamps were provided along the entire length of the pier. In -1867 the directors determined to erect an iron extension or jetty, and -in less than two years the work was accomplished at a cost of £6,000. -During the month of May, 1869, a tender for the formation of the present -entrance for £2,700 was accepted, and the agreement promptly carried out -by Messrs. Laidlaw, of Glasgow. In October, 1874, the company arranged -with the same contractors to enlarge the pierhead by putting out two -wings, from the designs of E. Birch, esq., C.E., at an expenditure of -£14,000. On the north wing it is intended to build a pavilion, 130 feet -long by 90 feet wide, in an eastern style of architecture, and estimated -to hold 1,200 persons seated. The edifice, around which there will be a -promenade, is to be supplied with an orchestra, refreshment rooms, etc., -and used as a concert room and fashionable marine lounge. The south wing, -which is about 130 feet long, contains a bandstand, capable of holding -30 performers, at the further end, and on the east and west side two -other buildings 62 feet by 27 feet each, the former being designed for -the purposes of a restaurant, and the latter for the sale of fancy goods -and other commodities. The unoccupied space, nearly 100 feet by 80 feet, -will be provided with seats in the centre, the remainder serving as a -promenade. The contract for the foregoing erections was let in 1875, -to Messrs. Robert Neill and Sons, of Manchester, for nearly £12,000. -In 1863, the capital of the company was raised to £15,000; in 1864, -to £20,000; in 1865, to £25,000; in 1874, to £40,000; and in 1875, to -£50,000. - -About the period when the North Pier was constructed, and for years -previously, the visitors to Blackpool could certainly complain of no lack -of ordinary amusements during their brief residence by the sea. Horses, -donkeys, and vehicles were ever in readiness to administer to their -entertainment, either by conveying them for short drives to explore such -objects of interest as the country afforded, or translating them for the -day to the seaport of Fleetwood, or the neighbouring resort of Lytham. -Bathing machines abounded on the sands, and during suitable states of the -tide were busily engaged in affording ready access to the briny element -to numbers, who were anxious to experience the invigorating effects of -a bath in Neptune’s domain. In the evenings theatrical representations -were frequently held, since 1861, in the spacious room of Read’s Market. -The Crystal Palace, formerly the Victoria Promenade, was also devoted -to similar purposes, having long been diverted from the use for which -it was first intended. The Number 3 Hotel, under its old name, but in a -more modern building than that described by Mr. Hutton at the close of -last century, still flourished, and proved equally attractive, not so -much, however, on account of its “fine ale” as the wealth of strawberries -and floral beauties adorning its gardens. Carleton Terrace was built in -1863; and on the 10th of March in that year the marriage of the Prince -of Wales and the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, was celebrated with -many manifestations of loyalty and joy. Flags, banners, and ensigns -were suspended from the windows of almost every house, whilst sports of -various kinds were held on the sands during the morning, after which -the school children, belonging to the different denominations, and a -body of Oddfellows, amounting in all to 900 persons, assembled in Talbot -Square, and sang the national anthem, previous to forming a procession -and parading the streets of the town. Subsequently the children were -regaled with tea, buns, etc. The Preston Banking Company established a -branch at Blackpool during 1863; and in the month of January a party -of gentlemen purchased the whole of the land lying between the site -of Carleton terrace and the Gynn, for the purpose of laying it out in -building plots and promenades, the main feature to be a large central -hotel standing in its own grounds. The contracts were let by the company -in October, 1863, for embanking, sewering, and forming the necessary -roads and promenades on their estate, and shortly afterwards an agreement -was entered into for preparing the foundation of the hotel, the work in -both instances being promptly commenced. The magnitude of the scheme -far exceeded that of any undertaking which had ever yet been attempted -in Blackpool, but undisturbed by the speculative character of their -venture the proprietors carried the enterprise through its various phases -with a liberal and vigorous hand, succeeding in the course of time in -creating an acquisition of incalculable beauty and benefit to the town. -The Imperial Hotel has its station on the highest point of the land, now -called Claremont Park, and is a palatial edifice, surrounded by elegant -lawns and walks, walled off from the park outside. In 1876 an extensive -enlargement, consisting of a south wing, containing 39 bedrooms and 6 -sitting-rooms, was made to the establishment. The cliffs fronting the -estate, formerly rugged and uneven, were sloped and pitched to form a -protection from the inroads of the tide, whilst a broad marine promenade -was made along the whole length of the park, about a mile, and fenced -with an iron railing on its open aspect. The main promenade of the town -was continued round the west side of the park as far as the Gynn, but on -a lower level than the walk just indicated. Shrubs were planted and toll -houses, with gates, fixed at the entrances to the estate, all of which -was enclosed with railings. The splendid residences denominated Stanley -Villas, Wilton Parade, Imperial Terrace, and Lansdowne Crescent were -not dilatory in rearing their several heads in a locality so congenial -to their aristocratic proclivities, the foundations of the last being -prepared in 1864. - -In 1864 the Lane Ends Hotel was levelled to the ground, and the present -handsome structure, in the Italian style of architecture, raised on the -site, being re-opened again two years later. The foundation stone of the -United Methodist Free Church was laid in Adelaide Street on the 30th of -March, in the year specified, by James Sidebottom, esq., of Manchester, -service being held in the building in the course of a few months; whilst -the newly-arrived lifeboat was launched, and the first supply of the -Fylde Waterworks Company passed through their pipes to Blackpool on the -20th of July. The station of the lifeboat, named the “Robert William,” is -situated near the beach at South Shore, close to the Manchester Hotel; -and here we may mention that this boat, under the skilful and intrepid -management of its crew and coxswain, has been instrumental on several -occasions in affording aid in time of shipwreck. Amongst these instances -may be noted the rescue of a crew of fourteen persons belonging to the -barque “Susan L. Campbell,” wrecked on Salthouse Bank on the 11th April, -1867, assistance being rendered also to the barque “A. L. Routh”; and the -rescue of the crew of the schooner “Glyde,” stranded on the South Beach -on the same eventful morning. The annual expense incurred in the support -of this valuable institution is defrayed by voluntary contributions. - -The unflagging efforts of the inhabitants to promote the comfort of -their visitors in matters of household convenience and accommodation, -and to render their sojourns by the shore productive of pleasurable, as -well as healthful, sensations, were manifestly well appreciated by those -for whose benefit they were intended. The daily crowds parading the -recently-erected pier were satisfactory evidence of the high estimation -in which that elegant addition to the attractions of the place was held, -whilst the thronged thoroughfares during the heat of summer bore witness -to the growing affection which Blackpool was gaining for itself in the -hearts of the million. Active exertions were necessary on the part of the -builders to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for more extended -residential provision, houses being scarcely completed before the eager -tenants had established themselves in their new domiciles. The greater -portion of the Clifton Arms Hotel was pulled down in the autumn of 1865, -and rebuilt on an enlarged and improved scale, being finished and ready -for occupation in the ensuing spring. On the 20th of June, 1865, the -first members of the Blackpool Volunteer Artillery Corps, amounting to -about 60 men, took the oath customary on enrolment, and at the same -meeting appointed their officers. Ten years later a commodious drill-shed -was erected for their use. - -In 1866 the temporary iron church, to which allusion has been made in -a late page, was superseded by the existing substantial one in Queen -Street, bearing the name of its predecessor. The edifice was opened for -divine service on Thursday, the 3rd of May, by the Rev. E. B. Chalmers, -M.A., of Salford, but was not consecrated until 1870. The architecture -is an early and simple style of decorated Gothic, with thick walls and -prominently projecting buttresses. The east and west ends are lighted -respectively by four and five-light traceried windows and lancets. The -steeple, which is well buttressed, has in its upper stage a belfry for -six bells, and is surmounted by a vane. Until recent additions were made, -the church contained sittings for 1,000 persons. The building originally -comprised a broad nave, with a central aisle and two side passages giving -access to the seats, all of which were open benches with sloping backs; -north and south transepts with galleries, lighted by bay windows; a -spacious chancel, with north and south aisles, the former being fitted up -as a vestry, and the latter used as the organ-chamber; a spacious porch -at the west end, with a wide double door; a west gallery extending over -the porch, and approached by a staircase along the basement of the tower; -and a baptistry covered with a separate hipped roof. The alterations -just alluded to were carried out in 1874, and consisted of the erection -of north and south aisles to the nave, providing accommodation for about -300 more worshippers. The district assigned to Christ Church in 1872 was -converted into a parish in 1874, and the title of vicar given to the -incumbent. The Rev. C. H. Wainwright, M.A., to whose exertions the new -structure mainly owes its existence, was the first incumbent, and is the -present vicar. The schools connected with the church are situated in -Queen Street, and were built in 1872. - -During the year 1866 the Lancaster Banking Company and the Manchester and -County Banking Company each opened a branch in Blackpool, and like the -Preston Bank, previously referred to, now transact business daily. - -In July, 1867, the Prince of Wales Arcade on Central Beach was finished -and opened, comprising a block of building, with extensive market -accommodation, assembly rooms, etc., erected on the site between -the Beach and Royal Hotels in an imposing and ornamental style of -architecture; and on the 19th of December, the corner stone of the -Temperance Hall in Coronation Street was laid by the Rev. R. Crook, -and in the following July the erection was completed and opened. The -temperance movement had been commenced in Blackpool four years anterior -to that date, when a Band of Hope in connection with the United Methodist -Free Church was formed, and the number of its members increased so -rapidly in the intervening time that it was considered advisable to build -the present Hall for their meetings, and for those of others who were -interested in the same cause. - -The marked success which had attended the construction of the North Pier -induced a company of gentlemen to erect a similar one, running seaward -from the margin of the promenade at the south of Blackpool. The first -pile was screwed in July, 1867, and on the 30th of May, 1868, the South -Pier and Jetty were thrown open to the public without any inaugural -ceremony. It is built of wrought iron and timber, and has the following -dimensions:—Total length 1,518 feet, the main promenade being 1,118 -feet, and the lower promenade or jetty 400 feet; the entrance is on an -abutment 60 feet wide, where there are gates, toll-houses, waiting and -retiring-rooms; the pier head is rectangular in form, and composed of -strong timber, containing an area of 8,120 superficial feet. The chief -promenade is furnished with seats on each side throughout its whole -length, together with twelve recesses, on which are shops for the sale -of fancy articles and refreshments. On the head of the pier are placed -two large waiting and refreshment rooms, as well as a commodious shelter -and wind guard. At the extremity of the jetty is a beacon and light as -required by the authorities at Trinity House. - -In 1868 a magnificent pile of buildings, erected in Talbot Square, and -called the Arcade and Assembly Rooms, was completed. This structure -contains a basement and arcade of very elegant shops, a restaurant, -refreshment and billiard rooms, together with a handsome and spacious -saloon, surrounded within by a gallery, and furnished with a neat stage -for theatrical representations and other entertainments. Several sleeping -apartments were added in 1874, and a certain section of the edifice -arranged as a private hotel. - -The promenade had always been esteemed so much the property of the house -and land owners on the front of the beach that to them was delegated -the onerous duty of maintaining in repair such portions of the hulking -as ran before each of their possessions, the walk itself being kept -in order and supported by subscriptions amongst the visitors and -residents generally. Under this arrangement although the embankment was -ensured from being carried away by the waves, there was no certainty -that its upper surface would invariably present that neat and finished -appearance so necessary to the success of a marine promenade. Voluntary -contributions are in most instances but a precarious support on which -to rely exclusively, and at Blackpool their unfortunate characteristic -was prominently exemplified, more particularly during the earlier years -of the watering-place, when visitors, whom the summer had drawn to the -coast, too frequently discovered their favourite lounge in a state far -from attractive to the pedestrian. Recently there had been comparatively -little cause for complaint as to the condition in which each opening -season found the promenade, but it was felt on all sides that the day had -arrived when a new and much more extensive walk should be laid out, and -that the responsibility of maintaining both it and the fence in proper -order should devolve upon the town, from the funds, or rather borrowing -powers, of which it was proposed to carry out the undertaking. In 1865 a -special act of parliament had been obtained with this object by the Local -Board of Health, at a cost of £2,159, by which permission to borrow up -to £30,000 was granted, but no active steps were then taken, and three -years later a supplemental act was procured to borrow up to an amount -which, when added to the amount already in hand under the former act, -would not exceed altogether two years’ assessable value, the whole to -be repaid within a period of fifty years from the date of receiving the -loan. There were other difficulties to encounter, notwithstanding that -the Board had the power of compulsory purchased granted, in the buying of -land to prosecute the purpose of the act. These were ultimately overcome -by arbitration in cases where disputes had arisen. A supplemental act -in 1867 allowed the board to amend and curtail several clauses in the -original act, the first of which was to abridge the dimensions of the -proposed work, the second to empower the levying of rates according to -the act of 1865 on the completion of each section of the undertaking, -and the third to extend the time for the compulsory purchase of land -from three to five years. According to the act the commissioners gained -a right to collect tolls for the usage of the promenade from all persons -not assessed or liable to be assessed by any rate leviable by the Local -Board of Health, with the exception of those crossing to the piers. This -power, it may be stated, was not intended to be, and never has been, put -in force. The promenade proposed to be made would reach from Carleton -Terrace to the further end of South Shore, a distance of about two miles; -and the work was divided into three sections, the first of which, begun -in 1868, was let to Mr. Robert Carlisle, contractor, for £16,043, and -extended from South Shore to the Fox Hall Hotel. The storm which occurred -on January 31st, 1869, washed away 350 yards of the newly-constructed sea -fence and carriage-drive, with about 16,000 cubic yards of embankment, -and about 6,000 square yards of pitching. Another storm which took place -on the 28th of February, added considerably to the damage just stated, -by tearing down a length of 250 yards, which was entirely completed, so -that the total injury inflicted by the waves during the gale represented -600 lineal yards of sea fence, carriage-drive, and promenade, comprising -21,000 cubic yards of embankment, all of which had to be replaced from -the shore at a considerable expense, in addition to 9,500 square yards -of pitching, etc., connected therewith. No. 2 section, running from -the Fox Hall Hotel to the New Inn, was contracted for by a Manchester -gentleman at £3,964, but in consequence of his not being able to carry -out the work, it was re-let, and Mr. Chatburn succeeded him on the -increased terms of £4,942. No. 3 section, stretching from the New Inn -to the southern extremity of Carleton Terrace, was also constructed by -Mr. Robert Carlisle, at a cost of £10,356. The whole of the ironwork was -supplied by Mr. Clayton, of Preston, and necessitated an expenditure of -£3,275. The sea fence consists of a sloping breastwork, pitched with -stones on a thick bed of clay puddle, the interstices between the stones -having been filled in with asphalt or cement concrete. The slope is -curvilinear, and one in four on an average. Next to the breast is the -promenade and carriage-drive. The promenade is seven yards wide, and has -an even surface of asphalting, being separated from the carriage-drive -by a line of side stones. In order to obtain space between the houses -and the sea for the promenade and carriage-drive, a part of the shore -was regained by an embankment along South Shore, and along the northern -district by an iron viaduct, which projects considerably over the sea -fence, and encircles the marine aspect of Bailey’s Hotel. The floor -of the viaduct is formed with patent buckled plates, filled in with -concrete, and finished with asphalt. The plates are fixed to rolled -joists, and supported on neat cast-iron columns, screwed down into the -solid. The west front of the promenade is guarded by an iron railing, and -furnished at intervals with seats of the same material, situated on the -embankment to the south, and on projecting ledges of the viaduct along -the northern length. The carriage-drive, twelve yards wide, runs parallel -with the promenade throughout the entire extent, and is formed of -shingle, clay, and macadam. It has a footway along the frontages of the -adjoining property, the whole being well drained and lighted with gas. -The complete structure was finished and formally opened to the public on -Easter Monday, 18th of April, 1870, by Colonel Wilson-Patten, M.P., the -present Lord Winmarleigh. The town was profusely decorated with bunting -of every hue; triumphal arches of evergreens and ensigns spanned many of -the thoroughfares, notably Talbot Road and along the front; whilst an -immense procession, consisting of the Artillery Volunteers, Yeomanry in -uniform, trades with their emblems, friendly societies, schools, etc., -headed by a band, and comprising in its ranks no less than twelve mayors -from important towns of Lancashire, conducted Colonel Wilson-Patten to -that portion of the promenade opposite Talbot Square, where the ceremony -of declaring the walk accessible for public traffic was gone through. -During the evening the watering-place was illuminated, and the eventful -day closed with a large ball, held in honour of the occasion. - -The wisdom of the authorities in having Blackpool provided with a marine -promenade and a frontage unrivalled by any on the coasts of England was -soon evinced by the increase in the stream of visitors poured into the -place during the summer months. Fresh houses for their accommodation -were being rapidly erected in many parts of the town, and everywhere -there were ample evidences that prosperity was dealing liberally with the -town. The wooden railings, which heretofore had been deemed sufficiently -ornamental fences for the residences facing the sea, were removed, and -elegant iron ones substituted, apportioning to each habitation its own -plot of sward or garden. The proprietor of Bailey’s Hotel hastened to -follow the example which had been set by those who were interested in the -Clifton Arms and Lane Ends Hotels, and commenced a series of levellings -and rebuildings, under the superintendence and according to the designs -of Messrs. Speakman and Charlesworth, architects, of Manchester, which -extended over several years, and have now rendered the hotel one of -the most imposing and handsome edifices in the watering-place. Further -alterations, consisting in the erection of shops on a vacant piece -of land lying on the north side of the hotel, in the same style of -architecture, and continuous with it, were carried out in 1876. - -In 1871 a project was launched for purchasing Raikes Hall with the -estate belonging thereto, situated on the east aspect of Blackpool, and -converting the latter into a park and pleasure gardens. In that year a -company was formed, entitled the Raikes Hall Park, Gardens, and Aquarium -Company, and the land obtained without delay. Vigorous operations were -at once commenced to render the grounds of the old mansion suitable for -the purposes held in view, whilst the building itself speedily underwent -sundry alterations and additions in its transformation into a refreshment -house on a large scale. A spacious terrace, walks, promenades, and flower -beds were laid out, and an extensive conservatory constructed with all -haste, and in the summer after gaining possession of the estate, the -works had so far progressed that the public were admitted at a small -charge per head. Since that date a dancing platform has been put down, -an immense pavillion erected, and many other changes effected in the -wide enclosure. Pyrotechnic displays, acrobatic performances, etc., are -held in the gardens, which comprise about 40 statute acres, during the -season, whilst agricultural shows and other meetings occasionally take -place within its boundaries. An extensive lake was formed in 1875, and -an excellent race-course marked out. Raikes Hall has a brief history of -its own, and was erected about the middle of the eighteenth century by -a Mr. Butcher, who resided there. Tradition affirms that this gentleman -sprang suddenly into an ample fortune from a station of obscurity and -poverty, giving rise to a supposition that he had appropriated to his own -uses a large mass of wealth asserted to have been lost at that time in a -vessel wrecked on the coast. It is probable, however, that the foregoing -is merely an idle tale, utterly unworthy of credence. Mr. Butcher, who -was succeeded by his son, died in 1769, at the ripe age of 80, and was -interred in Bispham churchyard, the following words being inscribed on -his tombstone:— - - “His pleasure was to give or lend, - He always stood a poor man’s friend.” - -The mansion and estate were purchased by William Hornby, esq., of -Kirkham, shortly before his death in 1824, and by him bequeathed to his -brother John Hornby, esq., of Blackburn, who married Alice Kendall, a -widow, and the daughter of Daniel Backhouse, esq., of Liverpool. Daniel -Hornby, esq., the eldest son of that union, inherited the property on the -decease of his father in 1841, and took up his abode at the Hall until -the early part of 1860, when he left the neighbourhood. Raikes Hall then -became the seat of a Roman Catholic Convent School, which continued in -possession for several years, until the new and handsome edifice standing -on a rising ground in Little Layton was erected and ready for its -reception. Shortly after the removal of the school the land and residence -were purchased by the company above named, and their aspects began to -undergo the changes already indicated. The census returns of the township -collected in 1871, furnished a total of 7,902 persons, all of whom, with -the exception of an insignificant proportion, were resident in Blackpool. - -In consequence of a letter from the Secretary of State, giving notice -that the burial ground in connection with St. John’s Church must be -closed after the 31st of December, 1871, the responsibility of providing -a suitable place for interments was thrown upon the authorities, and the -members of the Local Board of Health formed themselves into a Burial -Board, their first meeting being held on the 20th of June in the year -just specified. A committee was appointed, and in the ensuing August -purchased for £1,759 an eligible site of 8½ acres, lying by the side of -the New Road, into which the entrance gates of the cemetery now open. -The plans for the requisite erections were prepared by Messrs. Garlick, -Park, and Sykes, architects, of Preston, and the work of preparing the -ground commenced in October, the contract for the chapels and lodge being -let in December. As such a brief interval had to elapse before the order -for closing the churchyard would be put in force, the Board applied, -successfully, for permission to keep it open six months longer. The -cemetery, however, progressed so tardily that it was necessary to renew -the application on two future occasions, and the churchyard continued -in use until the 31st of May, 1873. Five acres of the land were laid -out from plans supplied by Mr. Gorst, surveyor to the board, and were -divided into nine sections, four of which were apportioned to the Church -of England, three to the Nonconformists, and two to the Roman Catholics. -The cemetery was enclosed from the highway by stone palisadings and -boundary walls, having massive iron railings. The approach to the grounds -is through a spacious entrance, with a double iron gate in the centre, -and a single gate on either side, hung to stone pillars. Inside the -gate is the lodge, built of stone and comprising a residence for the -keeper, offices, etc. The mortuary chapels, which are all of stone, have -an elegant appearance, that of the Church of England being stationed in -the middle, with the Nonconformists’ and Roman Catholics’ edifices lying -respectively west and east of it. The style of the buildings is Gothic -of the first pointed period. The roofs are open-timbered, high-pitched, -and covered with Welsh slates in bands of different colours, being -also crested with tiles. Entrance to the chapels is gained by a porch, -and there is a vestry attached to each. The floors are laid with plain -tiles of various tints. Evergreens, shrubs, and forest trees have been -planted on the borders of the grounds, whilst the walks are wide and -well cared for. The Nonconformists were the first to take possession of -their portion, which was dedicated to its solemn uses by a service held -on the 7th of February, 1873, exactly one week after which an interment -took place, being the earliest not only in their land but in the whole -ground. On the 2nd of August in the same year the Right Rev. Dr. Fraser, -bishop of Manchester, consecrated the division set apart for the Church -of England, which had been licensed for burials in the previous May. The -Roman Catholics deferred their ceremonial until the month of June, 1874, -acting under license during the interval. - -On the 26th of August, 1872, the Blackpool Sea Water Company was -registered under the limited liability act, with a capital of £10,000, -in shares of £10 each, for the purpose of supplying water from the deep, -together with the requisite appliances for conducting it to the houses -and elsewhere, to the inhabitants of Blackpool; and rather more than -two years later a main of pipes had been laid along the front from the -Merchants’ College in South Shore as far as their steam pumping works in -Upper Braithwaite Street. - -In 1874 the watering-place had developed so rapidly during past years -that the members of the Local Board of Health felt that the powers -appertaining to a body of that description were no longer adequate to -the proper government of the town, and a public meeting to ascertain the -opinion of the ratepayers on the subject of incorporation was called -on Tuesday, the 6th of November, 1874. After considerable discussion, -it was proposed by the Rev. N. S. Jeffreys: “That a petition be drawn -up and signed by the chairman on behalf of the meeting, praying that -a Charter of Incorporation be granted for the town of Blackpool, and -that the same be forwarded to the proper authorities; and that the -necessary steps be taken to obtain such Charter.” The proposition was -adopted without a dissentient; and at the ensuing assembly of the Local -Board of Health on Tuesday, the 10th of November, a similar motion was -brought forward by W. H. Cocker, esq., J.P., with an equally successful -result. The prayers were forwarded to the appropriate official quarters -in London, and on the 26th of May, 1875, Major Donnelly, R.E., the -commissioner appointed by Her Majesty’s Privy Council, attended at -the Board-room to hold an inquiry as to whether the importance and -necessities of the place warranted a favourable answer to the request. -In the course of the examination, it was stated, amongst other things, -that the rateable value of the proposed borough was in 1863, £17,489; -1866, £35,175; 1869, £45,755; 1872, £55,653; 1874, £63,848; and in 1875, -£73,035. Also that the town contained three churches, seven chapels, -three rooms used for religious services, two markets under the Local -Board, other markets owned by private individuals, four public sea-water -baths, three banks, an aquarium, public gardens, etc. On the 16th of the -following July information was officially conveyed to W. M. Charnley, -esq., the law-clerk of the board, that the lords of the Privy Council -had determined to accede to the prayer of the town, and that the borough -should consist of six wards, with one alderman and three councillors -for each. A draft of the scheme of incorporation was prepared by the -law-clerk, and forwarded to London. On the 22nd January, 1876, the -charter, having passed through the necessary forms, obtained the royal -assent, being received by W. M. Charnley, esq., two days later. The -document, after quoting several acts of parliament, proceeds to “grant -and declare that the inhabitants of the town of Blackpool and their -successors, shall be for ever hereafter one body politic and corporate in -deed, fact, and name, and that the said body corporate shall be called -the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough of Blackpool, who -shall have and exercise all the acts, powers, authorities, immunities, -and privileges which are now held and exercised by the bodies corporate -of the several boroughs” similarly created. Further, the deed “grants -and declares that the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses and their -successors shall and may for ever hereafter use a common seal to serve -them in transacting their business, and also have armorial bearings -and devices, which shall be duly entered and enrolled in the Herald’s -College;” also shall they have power “to purchase, take, and acquire -such lands, tenements, and heriditaments, whatsoever, situate, lying, -and being within the borough, as shall be necessary for the site of -the buildings and premises required for the official purposes of the -corporation.” The Council was ordained to consist of “a Mayor, six -Aldermen, and eighteen Councillors, to be respectively elected at such -times and places, and in such manner” as those of other boroughs existing -under the same acts, in common with which they “shall have, exercise, and -enjoy all the powers, immunities, and privileges, and be subject to the -same duties, penalties, liabilities, and disqualifications” appertaining -to such positions. The first election of councillors was directed to -be held on the eleventh day of April, 1876, followed by another on the -1st of November, at which latter date one-third part of the councillors -should go out of office each year, and the vacant seats be refilled as -specified; the councillors to retire in the November, 1876, being those -who had obtained the smallest number of votes, and in November, 1877, -those with the next smallest number of votes. The first aldermen of the -borough “shall be elected and assigned to their respective wards on the -19th day of April, 1876, and the councillors immediately afterwards shall -appoint who shall be the aldermen to go out of office upon the 9th day -of November ensuing,” and in subsequent years those so retiring to be -aldermen who have retained their seats for the longest period without -re-election. The first mayor of the borough “shall be elected from and -out of the aldermen and councillors of the said borough, on the 19th day -of April, 1876,” the earliest appointment of auditors and assessors being -made on the 19th day of the following month. The subjoined extent and -names of the wards are also taken from the charter:— - - CLAREMONT WARD. - - “Commencing at the Sea beyond the Gynn, at the junction of the - old existing township boundary, thence running inland along the - same boundary across the fields, across Knowle-road, behind - Warbrick and Mill Inn, across Poulton-road to the centre of the - Dyke at Little Layton, thence along the Dyke to the centre of - Little Layton Bridge, thence westward along and including the - north side of Little Layton-road, north side of New-road, north - side of Talbot-road, to Station-road, thence along and including - the east side of Station-road to Queen-street, thence along and - including the north side of Queen-street, Queen’s-square, across - the Promenade to the sea. - - TALBOT WARD. - - “Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of Queen’s-square, - thence along and including the south side of Queen’s-square, - south side of Queen-street to Station-road, thence running along - and including the west side of Station-road to Talbot-road, - thence along and including the south side of the upper portion - of Talbot-road, south side of New-road, the south side of Little - Layton-road to the centre of Little Layton Bridge, thence along - the Dyke to the old township boundary, thence south-east by the - township boundary to the centre of Dykes-lane, thence westward - along and including the north side of Dykes-lane, the north side - of Layton-road, the north side of Raikes-road, the north side of - Raikes Hill, the north side of Church-street to Abingdon-street, - thence along and including the east side of Abingdon-street - to Birley-street, thence along and including the north side - of Birley-street, the north side of West-street, across the - Promenade to the Sea. - - BANK HEY WARD. - - “Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of West-street, thence - along and including the south side of West-street, the south side - of Birley-street to Abingdon-street, thence along and including - the west side of Abingdon-street to Church-street, thence - along and including the south side of Church-street to Lower - King-street, thence along and including the west side of Lower - King-street to Adelaide-street, thence along and including the - north side of Adelaide-street, the north side of Adelaide-place, - across the Promenade to the Sea. - - BRUNSWICK WARD. - - “Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of Adelaide-place, - thence along and including the south side of Adelaide-place, - the south side of Adelaide-street to Lower King-street, thence - along and including the east side of Lower King-street to - Church-street, thence along and including the south side of - Church-street, the south side of Raikes Hill, the south side - of Raikes-road, the south side of Layton-road, the south side - of Dykes-lane to the existing township boundary, thence along - the same boundary beyond the Whinney Heys, around the Belle - Vue Gardens, southward of Raikes Hall Gardens to the centre - of Revoe-road, thence along and including the north side of - Revoe-road, the north side of Chapel-street, across the Promenade - to the Sea. - - FOXHALL WARD. - - “Commencing at the Sea opposite to the end of Chapel-street, - thence along and including the south side of Chapel-street, the - south side of Revoe-road to the existing township boundary, - thence south-westerly, and thence south-easterly along the - same boundary to the centre of Cow Gap-lane, thence west along - and including the north side of Cow Gap-lane to Lytham-road, - thence along and including the east side of Lytham-road to - Alexandra-road, thence along and including the north side of - Alexandra-road, across the Promenade to the Sea. - - WATERLOO WARD. - - “Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of Alexandra-road, - thence along and including the south side of Alexandra-road - to Lytham-road, thence along and including the west side of - Lytham-road to Cow Gap-lane, thence eastward, along and including - the south side of Cow Gap-lane to the existing township boundary, - thence south-easterly, along the same boundary on the easterly - side of Hawes Side-road, the north side of Layton-lane, across - the Blackpool and Lytham Railway to the Sea at Star Hills.” - -The election of councillors took place at the date specified in the -charter, under the superintendence of Mr. William Porter, of Fleetwood -and Blackpool, who had been nominated by the authorities of the town as -returning officer. On the 19th of April the gentlemen elected assembled -in the old board-room and appointed aldermen and a mayor from amongst -themselves, the vacancies thus created being supplied by another appeal -to the burgesses of those wards whose representatives had been elevated -to the aldermanic bench. The first completed town council of Blackpool -consisted of— - - Alderman William Henry Cocker (the mayor) Bank Hey Ward. - ” Thomas McNaughtan, M.D. Claremont ” - ” Thomas Lambert Masheter Talbot ” - ” John Hardman Foxhall ” - ” Francis Parnell Waterloo ” - ” J. E. B. Cocker Brunswick ” - Councillor John Braithwaite ⎫ - ” William Bailey ⎬ Claremont ” - ” Leslie Jones, M.D. ⎭ - ” T. Challinor ⎫ - ” R. Marshall ⎬ Talbot ” - ” John Fisher ⎭ - ” John Coulson ⎫ - ” George Ormrod ⎬ Bank Hey ” - ” Henry Fisher ⎭ - ” George Bonny ⎫ - ” Robert Mather ⎬ Brunswick ” - ” John William Mycock ⎭ - ” James Blundell Fisher ⎫ - ” Alfred Anderson ⎬ Foxhall ” - ” Robert Bickerstaffe, jun. ⎭ - ” Francis Parnell ⎫ - ” Richard Gorst ⎬ Waterloo ” - ” Lawrence Hall ⎭ - William Mawdsley Charnley, esq., solicitor, town-clerk. - -From the time when the subject of incorporation was first beginning to -dawn upon the inhabitants as something to which the rapid extension -and growing importance of their town was tending with no tardy pace, -up to the present year of 1876, buildings have increased at a rate -unparalleled in any former period of Blackpool’s history. No longer -solitary erections, or even small groups, but whole streets have been -added to the expanding area of the place, consisting of handsome and -spacious edifices, of, indeed, notwithstanding their being situated to -the rear, exteriors which would, not many years ago, have been deemed -highly ornamental to the beach itself. In 1874 the south section of the -noble market-hall, on Hygiene Terrace, was being arranged and fitted -up with roomy tanks to form an aquarium on a fairly large scale by W. -H. Cocker, Esq., J.P., who had recently acquired the proprietorship of -the entire pile. The open space in front of the building was fenced in, -and furnished with three tanks for seals, and other novel features to -render it attractive and pleasing. The walls of the interior were adorned -with landscapes in the spacious saloon, where the main tank, divided -into numerous compartments, each being supplied with a variety of fish -differing from its neighbours, occupies a central position. Subsidiary -tanks, filled with curious specimens of animated nature from the “vasty -deep,” stand in the entrance hall and recesses. The aquarium was opened -to the public on the 17th of May, in the ensuing year. - -On the 22nd of May, 1875, the foundation stone of a Primitive Methodist -chapel was laid in Chapel Street by Mr. J. Fairhurst, of Wigan. -Heretofore the members of that sect had met for religious purposes in a -mission room located in Foxhall Road. The earliest service in the new -chapel was conducted by the resident minister, the Rev. E. Newsome, on -Sunday, the 29th of the following August. The Unitarians have a chapel -in Bank Street, which was formally opened by the Rev. J. R. Smith, of -Hyde, also in August, 1875. During the same month a number of influential -gentlemen purchased the estate of Bank Hey from W. H. Cocker, esq., J.P., -for £23,000, with the intention of converting it into Winter Gardens. -Possession was gained, according to agreement, on the 1st of October. The -design of the company is to place on the land a concert room, promenades, -conservatories, and other accessories calculated to convert the estate -into a pleasant lounge, especially desirous during inclement days. - -Although South Shore is now intimately connected and associated with -Blackpool as one town, there was a period, and not a very remote one, -when it flourished as a separate and distinct hamlet, widely divided -from its more imposing neighbour. The first house of South Shore was -erected in 1819 by Mr. Thomas Moore, who speedily added about ten more -to the solitary edifice. The growth of the village in earlier years was -not characterised by any great rapidity, and in 1830 the whole of the -buildings comprised no more than a thin row of respectable cottages -overlooking the sea, with a lawn or promenade in front. In 1836 a church -was built, partly by subscription and partly from Queen Anne’s Bounty, -and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Twenty-two years afterwards, owing to -the development of South Shore through the number of regular visitants -who preferred the quietude of its beach to the greater animation which -prevailed at Blackpool, the building was enlarged by the erection of -transepts and a new chancel, alterations which supplied further sitting -room for about 380 worshippers. The church is of brick, and contains a -handsome stained-glass east window, representing the baptism of Christ -by St. John the Baptist, another ornamental window being inserted in -the south wall. The mural tablets are in memory of William Wilkinson, -“who for twenty-five years was an indefatigable teacher in the Sunday -Schools of Marton and South Shore,—he served his country in the battles -of Talavera, Busaco, Albuera, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nive, Nivelle, and -Toulouse,” died 11th September, 1853, aged 66 years; and of James -Metcalf, “curate of South Shore, who departed this life July 24th, 1875, -aged 42 years, and was interred at the Parish Church of Bolton-le-Sands.” -The font is of grey stone, massive and carved. The first organ obtained -by the congregation was purchased in 1847. In 1872 a tasteful lectern -was forwarded to the church by the Rev. J. B. Wakefield, to whom it had -been presented by his parishioners, as a token of esteem, about the close -of his ministry amongst them in 1870. The burial ground encircling the -church of Holy Trinity contains no monuments of special interest, if we -except a stone pedestal, surmounted by a broken column, erected by public -subscription to the memories of three fishermen, drowned off Cross-slack, -whilst following their avocation on the 11th of October, 1860. - - PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF HOLY TRINITY. - - ------------+------------------+------------------+----------------- - Date of | NAME. | On whose |Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | Presentation. | - ------------+------------------+------------------+----------------- - 1837 |G. F. Greene, M.A.|J. Talbot Clifton,| - | | esq. | - 1841 |John Edwards |Ditto |Resignation of - | | | G. F. Greene - 1845 |C. K. Dean |Ditto |Resignation of - | | | J. Edwards - 1848 |T. B. Banner, M.A.|Ditto |Resignation of - | | | C. K. Dean - 1853 |J. B. Wakefield |Ditto |Resignation of - | | | T. B. Banner - 1870 |J. Ford Simmons, |Ditto |Resignation of - | M.A. | | J. B. Wakefield - ------------+------------------+------------------+----------------- - -There is now an ecclesiastical parochial district attached to the church, -of which the incumbent is the vicar. - -On Thursday, the 24th of March, 1869, the corner stone of a Wesleyan -chapel in Rawcliffe Street, built at the sole expense of Francis Parnell, -esq., of South Shore, who subsequently added the schools, was laid by -Mrs. Parnell, wife of the donor. For four or five years the members -of this denomination had met on the Sabbath in a small room in Bolton -Street, originally designed for a coach-house, and the necessity for -more suitable and extended accommodation through growing numbers had of -late pressed urgently upon the limited and not over wealthy assembly, so -that the generous offer of their townsman was gratefully appreciated. -The structure is in the Gothic style of architecture, about fifty feet -in length and forty feet in width, with brick walls and stone facings, -and will contain upwards of three hundred persons. Service was first -held in the new place of worship, styled the Ebenezer Wesleyan Chapel, -on Thursday, the 2nd of September, 1869, the officiating minister being -the Rev. W. H. Taylor, of Manchester. The room in Bolton Street was -subsequently converted into a Temperance Hall, and remained in that -capacity until the 30th of March, 1873, when it was appropriated as a -meeting-house by the Baptist sect. The progress of South Shore has not -until the last two or three years been marked by that wonderful rapidity -which has already been noticed whilst delineating the prosperous career -of Blackpool. Nevertheless a steadily-increasing patronage was always -extended to the milder climate of the village under consideration, from -its earliest existence. Terraces of pretty and commodious residences -arose at intervals along the marine frontage, whilst elegant villas -have been erected both opposite the sea and nearer to the Lytham -Road. Building is at present (1876) being pushed forward with great -activity, houses springing up in endless succession along the sides of -thoroughfares but recently mapped out. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE PARISH OF KIRKHAM. - - -KIRKHAM. The township of Kirkham was probably the earliest inhabited -locality in the Fylde district; and although it is impossible to assert -that the very site of the present town was a spot fixed upon by the -Romans for erecting their habitations, still as the road formed by those -people passed over it, and many remnants of their domestic utensils, -funereal urns, and other relics have been discovered in the surrounding -soil, there is strong presumptive evidence that an ancient settlement -was at least close at hand. Amongst the traces of the old warriors -disinterred in this neighbourhood may be mentioned a large quantity of -stones prepared for building purposes, and numerous fragments of urns, -ploughed up about half a mile from Kirkham. The Mill Hill Field has -also disclosed frequent witnesses to the former presence of the Romans, -notably abundant specimens of their pottery and coinage, but perhaps the -greatest curiosity found in the vicinity is the boss or umbo of a shield, -wrought in brass, which was removed from a brook in the field specified -during the year 1792. In form the shield is somewhat oval, having its -central portion semi-globular, whilst the outer rim is flat. The entire -diameter is about eight inches, of which the embossment supplies five. -The horizontal and encircling part is perforated in four separate places, -apparently for the passage of thongs or rivets. The highest surface of -the boss holds the representation of a human figure seated, with an eagle -to the left, the sides being adorned with an athlete respectively. -Birds, swords, diminutive shields, etc., complete the decorations. - -From the year 418, when the Romans vacated the island, up to the -compilation of the Domesday Book by William the Conqueror in 1080-86, a -period of over six and a half centuries, history preserves no record of -any matter or event directly connected with the town, as distinct from -the Hundred in which it is situated. Nevertheless it is obvious that -Kirkham must have sprung into being some time during that protracted -era, insomuch as it appears amongst the places existing in Amounderness -in the Norman survey just indicated. The name is a compound derived from -the Anglo-Saxons and Danes, and although the syllable “Kirk,” coming from -the latter, and signifying a church, could not have been in use until -those pirates first invaded the land in 787, and probably was not applied -until the mistaken policy of Alfred the Great allowed them to colonise -this and other parts of Northumbria, one hundred years later, still it -would scarcely be justifiable to conclude that there was no dwelling or -village here, as the Anglo-Saxon “ham” implies, anterior to that date. -The location of the place on the margin of an open thoroughfare, and the -former establishment of the Romans within or near to its boundaries, -incline us rather to the opinion that from the earliest arrival of -the Anglo-Saxons they had selected this site for the foundation of a -small settlement, and that the “ham” or hamlet so created bore a purely -Saxon title until the advent of the Danes, under whose influence the -orthography became altered by the substitution from their vocabulary of -the word “kirk” for the one originally bestowed upon it. - -Some idea of the condition of Kirkham at the Norman Conquest may be -gleaned from the report concerning the Fylde in the Domesday Book, -in which it is stated that of the 840 statute acres comprised in the -township, only 400 (four carucates) were under cultivation, the rest -being waste, that is, untilled, but very possibly in service as forage -ground for swine. At that period the town undoubtedly possessed a church, -one of the three mentioned in the record above-named, as standing in -Amounderness, but the era of its erection is conjectural merely. The name -of Kirkham, however,—the church hamlet,—is manifestly of ecclesiastical -origin, and the Danish derivation of “kirk” implies that some religious -building existed there, very likely about the year 900, when that nation -colonised the district, but that a sacred edifice of some description -had been constructed long before may be deduced from the fact that -Christianity had been pretty generally embraced by the Anglo-Saxons -dwelling in this locality about the middle of the seventh century. - -From the commencement of the Norman dominion the history of Kirkham -rises out of the mist which has obscured its earlier ages, and we are -enabled from the disclosures of ancient documents, to follow out its -career in a more satisfactory manner. The church and tithes of Kirkham -were presented amongst other possessions, as a portion of the Hundred of -Amounderness, by William the Conqueror to the baron Roger de Poictou, and -were conferred by that nobleman about the year 1100, on the priory of St. -Mary’s, Lancaster,[134]—a monastic institution founded by him from the -Abbey of Sees in Normandy. This priory retained possession of the church -for only a few years, when it reverted to its former owner, and was -bestowed by him on the convent of Shrewsbury, as shown by the charter of -William, archbishop of York, as follows:— - - “The monks of Salop in the day of my ancestors were often making - complaints that their church was unjustly robbed of the church - of Kirckaham, because it had been legally bestowed upon it by - Roger, count of Poictou, and confirmed by Thomas, archbishop, by - authority of grants under seal. At length they have come before - us to state their complaints; and we, thus constrained and by the - command of lord Henry, legate of the apostolical see, committed - their cause to be laid before the synod of York.” - -The archbishop Thomas here mentioned died either in 1100 or 1113, whilst -William, the writer of the charter, died in 1154. The York tribunal -decided, after seeing the writings touching the confirmation of the grant -of the church of Kirkham to the Shrewsbury convent, which the monks of -Salop had sealed with the seal of Thomas, the archbishop, that “the -aforesaid church should be restored to the church of Peter of Salop.” - -In 1195 “a great controversy arose between Theobald Walter, on the one -part, and the abbot of Shrewsbury, on the other, concerning the right -of patronage of the church, which was thus settled: a certain fine was -levied in the king’s court that the abbot and his successors should -receive from the church of Kirkham a pension of twelve marks a year, -and Theobald himself should for ever remain the true Patron of the said -church.”[135] - -After the death of Theobald Walter, king John, who had the guardianship -of that nobleman’s heir, gave two parts of the church to Simon -Blund,[136] and later, in 1213, he bestowed the church upon W. Gray, -chancellor, for life.[137] Edward I. conferred the advowson of the church -of Kirkham upon the abbey of Vale Royal, a monastic house founded by him -in Cheshire; but the grant was not made without strenuous opposition on -the part of Sir Theobald Walter or le Botiler,[138] a descendant of the -Theobald specified above, who maintained that the king had no legal right -to the advowson, which belonged to him as heir-at-law and descendant -of Theobald Walter, the first. A council assembled to investigate the -rival claims, and Edward, having asserted that his father, Henry III., -had granted the advowson to his clerk by right of his crown, and not -through any temporary power he had as guardian of Theobald Walter’s heir, -a statement which Le Botiler’s attorney either could not or would not -gainsay, the advowson was adjudged to him, and Sir Theobald lay under -mercy.[139] This dispute probably occurred in the 8th year of Edward’s -sovereignty, 1280, for we find from the Rot. Chart. that at that date the -advowson was granted by the monarch to the abbey of Vale Royal. - -In 1286 Sir Otto de Grandison, who was ambassador at the apostolic see, -obtained a bull from the pope, Honorius IV., by which the advowson of -Kirkham was conferred upon the abbey of Vale Royal for ever,[140] and on -the 27th of January in the ensuing year, Edward I. confirmed his former -grant.[141] - -In the fifty-fourth year of the reign of Henry III., 1269, power was -granted by royal charter to the manorial lord of Kirkham to hold a -market and fair,[142] and as such privileges were allowed at that time -to only a few other towns in the whole county of Lancashire, we must -conclude that even at such an early date Kirkham possessed some special -advantages or interest to be able so successfully to press its claims -to this signal favour. That such important powers as the holding of -markets and fairs were not allowed to be exercised without due and proper -authority is proved by a warrant which was issued twenty-three years -later, in the reign of Edward I., against the abbot of Vale Royal, to -which convent the manor of Kirkham belonged, to appear before a judicial -court to show by what authority he held those periodical assemblies of -the inhabitants. He pleaded that the right had been first conceded to -his predecessors by Henry III., and that subsequently the grant had been -confirmed by the present monarch, Edward I., in the fifteenth year of his -dominion. These assertions having been verified, the abbot was exculpated -from all blame, and orders were issued to the justices itinerant in this -county to the effect that they were in no way to interfere with the -exercise of those privileges, which were to be continued exactly as they -had been heretofore.[143] From a copy of a document[144] framed four -years later, in 1296, in which the whole of these rights are embodied -amongst other interesting matters, we learn that the manor of Kirkham -was granted to the abbot and convent of Vale Royal in _frank-al-moigne_, -that is, a tenure by which a religious corporation holds lands for -themselves and their successors for ever, on condition of praying for -the soul of the donor; that power was given or confirmed to hold a fair -of five days duration at the Nativity of St. John the Baptist; that -the borough of Kirkham, which had been incorporated by the name of the -burgesses of Kirkham in the year 1282, the tenth of the reign of Edward -I., was to be a free borough; that the burgesses and their heirs were -to have a free guild, with all the liberties which belonged to a free -borough; that there was to be in the borough a pillory, a prison, and a -ducking stool, and other instruments for the punishment of evil doers; -and that there were to be assizes of bread and ale, and weights and -measures. Continuing the perusal of this document we find that the abbot -of Vale Royal consented that the burgesses should elect two bailiffs -from amongst themselves annually, and that these should be presented and -sworn; on the other hand, however, the convent reserved to itself the -perquisites arising from the courts, stallage, assizes of bread and ale, -etc., and annual rents due at the period of festival legally appointed as -above. The names of the following gentlemen are appended to the deed as -witnesses:—Radulphus de Mouroyd, William le Botyler, Robert de Holonde, -Henry de Kytheleye, John Venyal, William de Clifton, Thomas Travers, and -others. - -In 1327 an edict was published by the dean of Amounderness in the church -of Kirkham on behalf of the archbishop of York, which commanded that -the abbot or some one connected with the convent of Vale Royal, should -appear before that prelate at the cathedral of his see on “the third -lawful day after the Sunday on which is sung _Quasi modo genite vira -et munimenta_,”[145] to show by what right and authority the Cheshire -convent held the church just mentioned. In answer to this summons a monk, -named Walter Wallensis, from Vale Royal, appeared before the archbishop -on the day named, in 1328, and produced in proof of the title of his -monastery to the church, the charter of Edward I., the bull of the pope, -and letters from several archdeacons, recognising the proprietorship -of the convent. In addition he brought four witnesses, viz., William -de Cotton, advocate in the court of York, who stated that for eighteen -years the abbot and convent of Vale Royal had supplied the rectors to -the church of Kirkham; John de Bradkirk, who said that he had known the -church for forty years as a parishioner, and had on many occasions seen -the charter confirming the grant of the advowson, etc., to Vale Royal, -as for fifteen years he had been in the service of that monastery, and -at the time when the present archbishop of York farmed the church of -Kirkham, twelve years ago, from the convent of Vale Royal, had been the -bearer of the money raised from this church to that dignitary at York; -Robert de Staneford, of Kirkham, who gave similar evidence, and bore -witness to the existence of the charter of Edward I., which he had seen; -and Robert de Blundeston, of Vale Royal, who gave evidence as to the -genuineness of the documents produced having been admitted by Roger de -Nasynton, public notary, etc. The result of these attestations was that -the case was dismissed against the abbot of Vale Royal, and his right to -the church of Kirkham, with all its chapels, fruits, rents, etc, allowed -to have been fully proved.[146] - -In 1334 a mandamus was issued by Edward III., at York, to Robert Foucher, -the sheriff of Lancashire, stating that, contrary to a charter of Edward -I., which prohibited the sheriffs from making distraints on the rectors -of churches or on estates with which the churches had been endowed, -he had “under pretext of his office lately entered into the lands and -tenements near Kirkham, which are of the endowment of that church, -and had heavily distrained the abbot of Vale Royal, parson of that -church”; and ordering the said sheriff to abandon the claim, and to make -restitution of anything he might thus have illegally obtained, and “by no -means to attempt to make any distraint in the lands and tenements which -are of the endowment of the aforesaid church,” at any future time.[147] - -Somewhere about the year 1332 a monk, named Adam de Clebury, who held the -temporalities of Shrewsbury Abbey, sued Peter, the abbot of Vale Royal, -for five hundred marks, which he declared were the accumulated arrears -of twelve marks, ordered to be paid annually by Theobald Walter, to the -former monastery, out of the funds of the church of Kirkham, according -to the issue of a trial in the king’s court, between Theobald and the -convent of Shrewsbury, respecting the advowson, etc., of that church in -1195. Peter is said, in the Harleian manuscript, from which this account -is taken, to have “redeemed that writ and many others from the sheriff -of Lancashire,” from which it may be understood that he had paid the -sum demanded, or in some conciliatory way settled the case during his -lifetime, for we hear no more of the matter until shortly after his death -in 1342, when an action to enforce a similar payment was brought against -his successor, Robert de Cheyneston. This ecclesiastic, however, is said -to “have manfully opposed the abbot of Shrewsbury,” and to have journied -up to London to hold an interview with him on the subject, at which, -after “many allegations on each side, he gave to the abbot of Shrewsbury -£100 to pay his labours and expenses,” and in that manner the dispute -was brought to a termination about the year 1343. - -In 1337 Sir William de Clifton, of Westby, made an offer to the abbot of -Vale Royal to purchase certain tithes from him for twenty marks, and on -the ecclesiastic refusing to entertain this proposition, the indignant -knight became most unruly and outrageous in his conduct, as shown by the -following charge which was that year preferred against him by the abbot, -who stated:— - - “That he had thrust with a lance at a brother of the monastery - in the presence of the abbot and convent; that he had retained - twenty marks which he was pledged and bound to pay to the abbot, - in order to weary him with expenses and labours; that it was the - custom, from time immemorial, for the parishioners of Kirkham to - convey their tithe-corn to their barns, and there keep it until - the ministers of the rector came for it; but that he (Sir William - Clifton), in contempt of the church, had allowed his tithes and - those of his tenants to waste and rot in the fields, and very - often by force and arms had driven away the tithe-collectors; - he also had compelled a cart of the rector, laden with hay, - to remain on his land for upwards of a month, and in derision - had made the rector’s mare into a hunting palfrey; he also had - neglected to keep the tithes of his calves, pigeons, orchards, - huntings, and hawkings, and would not allow the procurator, under - threat of death, to enter his estate, but he and his satellites - had irreverently burst into the sanctuary of God, where they - had assailed the priests and clerks, and impeded them in the - discharge of their duties. Moreover the aforesaid knight would - not permit any of his tenants who were living in flagrant sin, to - be corrected or punished by the ordinaries.”[148] - -In concluding the above list of misdemeanours, the abbot complained that -Sir William had ordered a severe flagellation “even to the effusion of -blood,” to be inflicted on Thomas, the clerk, in the town of Preston, and -that this scourging had taken place as directed, in the presence of the -under-mentioned gentlemen, who seemed to have been well pleased with the -vigorous measures adopted by the knight, and to have rendered him willing -assistance when called upon:— - - Richard de Plumpton, - Nicholas Catford, - William the provost, - William Jordan, junr., - John Dence, - Robert Carter, - John Garleigh, - Richard de Tresale, - Henry de Tresale, - William Sictore, - William Sictore, junr., - Adam de Scales, - Richard Walker, - John Mydelar, - Henry Thillon, - William Randell, - John de Reste, - William de Morhouse, - Thomas Adekoe, - Adam del Wodes, - William de Mydelar, - Thomas de Wytacres, - And several others, including Adam, the harper. - -This charge was laid before the lord abbot of Westminster by the abbot -of Vale Royal, and the former, after hearing the statement of offences, -commanded that Sir William de Clifton and others enumerated therein, -should appear before him to answer for their misdeeds; but as neither -Sir William nor any of his friends and abettors took the least notice -of the summons, it was decided that an endeavour should be made to -arrange the quarrel by arbitration. To this the knight seems to have been -favourable, and nominated William Laurence, John de Crofton, and Robert -Mareys to act as his arbitrators; whilst those of the abbot were William -Baldreston, rector of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; Robert Baldreston, his -brother, and a rector also; and Richard de Ewyas, a monk of Deulacres. -The decision of the court thus constituted was that Sir William de -Clifton should acknowledge his guilt, and ask pardon and absolution for -the same from the abbot, unto whose will and grace he should submit -himself; in addition the knight was ordered to pay a fine of twenty -marks, and make good to the abbot the tithes which he had destroyed or -refused to pay. Sir William accepted the verdict, and bound himself to -fulfil its conditions by oath; the rest were required to enter into a -promise to abstain in future from making any attempt to injure the church -of Kirkham, or anything connected with it, and to provide a large wax -candle, which was paraded round that church on the feast of palms, and -afterwards presented as a peace-offering to St. Michael.[149] - -In 1357 Cardinal John Thoresby, archbishop of York, made a new ordination -of the vicarage of Kirkham, by which it was decreed that, instead of -the secular vicar appointed aforetime, the abbot and convent of Vale -Royal should select some one from their own monastery to fill the -office whenever a vacancy occurred. By this fresh regulation the abbot -and convent of Vale Royal were bound to pay to the vicar forty marks -per annum, and he on his part was pledged to keep the parsonage house -in proper repair and perform all ecclesiastical duties. Three years -afterwards a vicar of Kirkham was charged and convicted of having been -guilty of maladministration in his position as dean of Amounderness, but -subsequently he received a full pardon from King Edward III. - -In the year 1401, during the reign of Henry IV., the right to hold a -market and fair was again confirmed to the abbot and convent of Vale -Royal; subjoined is a translated copy of the grant, which bore the date -of the 2nd of July:— - - “The king to all men greeting: We have inspected a charter made - by our progenitor, Lord Edward, formerly king of England, in - these words:—‘Edward, by the grace of God king of England, lord - of Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine, to the archbishops, bishops, - abbots, priors, earls, barons, justices, sheriffs, provosts, - ministers, and to all his bailiffs and subjects, health. Know - that we have granted and by this our present charter confirm - to our beloved in Christ the Abbot and Convent of Vale Royal, - that they and their successors for ever shall have a market in - each week on Thursday at their manor at Kirkham in the county - of Lancaster, and also in each year a fair at the same town of - five days duration, that is on the vigil, on the Day, and on the - morrow of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, and on the two - days succeeding; unless the market and fair be found injurious to - neighbouring markets and fairs. Therefore we desire and firmly - enjoin, both for ourselves and our heirs, that the aforesaid - Abbot and Convent and their successors for ever shall have the - aforesaid market and fair at the aforesaid manor with all the - liberties and free customs appertaining to similar institutions, - unless such market and fair be detrimental to neighbouring - interests as aforesaid. - - “‘These being witnesses:—The venerable fathers Robert Bath and - Wells, John Winchester, and Anthony Durham, bishops; William - de Valence, our uncle; Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln; master - Henry de Newark, archdeacon of Richmond; master William de - Luda, archdeacon of Durham; master William de Cornere, dean of - Wymburne; John de St. John; William de Latymer; and others. - - “‘Given under our hand at Bourdeaux on the 21st of January, in - the 15th year of our reign.’ - - “Holding the aforesaid charter and all matters contained in it - as authentic and acceptable both for ourselves and our heirs, - as far as our power extends, we accept, approve, grant, and - confirm to our beloved in Christ, the present Abbot and Convent - of the aforesaid place and their successors that the aforesaid - charter be considered just, also we affirm that the same Abbot - and Convent and their predecessors legally had and held the said - market and fair before this date. - - “In testimony thereof, etc. Witness the king at Westminster on - the 2nd of July.”[150] - -At the dissolution of monasteries the manor of Kirkham, together with -the advowson of the church, was transferred by Henry VIII. from the -abbot and convent of Vale Royal to the dean and chapter of Christ Church, -Oxford. - -In 1560 Queen Elizabeth ratified and confirmed by letters patent all -former charters concerning Kirkham by a deed bearing the date of July -2nd; and later, in 1619, the 17th year of the reign of James I., a record -of the Duchy Court of Lancaster states that the bailiffs and burgesses -of Kirkham presented a petition praying that they might elect into their -government some men of account dwelling near the town, and that it might -be declared that the bailiffs had lawful power and authority to correct -all malefactors and offenders according to the laws and liberties of -the town, and to do and perform all other duties appertaining to their -office. They prefaced their prayer by asserting that “the town of Kirkham -had been used as an ancient market town and that the inhabitants thereof -had time out of mind been accounted a Corporation, incorporated by the -name of Bailiffs and Burgesses, and that of late owing to some of the -bailiffs being but simple and weak men, and the inhabitants but poor -and numerous, it had been found impossible to govern in a proper and -satisfactory manner the large confluences of people at fair and market -seasons,” for which reason they were desirous of gaining an extension -of their existing powers as set forth in the plea. The court decreed -that “the then Bailiffs of Kirkham and the Burgesses of the same, and -their successors, for ever, should and might from thenceforth have and -enjoy their ancient usages and liberties by the name of the Bailiffs and -Burgesses of the Town of Kirkham, and that the Bailiffs should yearly -be chosen out of the Burgesses according to the said usages, or as they -in their discretion should think meet, for the better government of the -said Town and the people thereunto resorting, also that the Bailiffs, -Burgesses, and Inhabitants should be guildable, and have in the said Town -a prison, etc., as had been heretofore, and that the Dean and Chapter and -their successors, farmers, and tenants, should and might from henceforth -have all their fairs, markets, liberties, privileges, jurisdictions, -Court Leets, Court Barons, Courts of Pleas, and the Fair Court, as -heretofore had been.” The foregoing was ordered to be read in the parish -church on the ensuing sabbath, and also in the market place. - -From the following ancient and somewhat lengthy document or lease, much -interesting matter may be gleaned, and for that reason it was deemed -better to give it unabridged:— - - “To all Christian people to whom this present writing shall - come the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Christ of - King Henry the eighth’s foundation do send greeting in our Lord - God everlasting: Whereas we the said Dean and Chapter by our - Indenture of Lease, sealed with our common Seal, bearing date - the sixteenth day of July, in the three and fortieth year of - the reign of our sovereign lady Elizabeth (1601), late Queen of - England, &c., did, as much as in us was, demise, grant, and to - farm, lett unto Thomas ffleetwood, of Caldwich, in the County of - Stafford, esquire, all our Court Leets and view of franchpledge - within our parsonage and manor of Kirkham, in the County of - Lancaster, or in either of them, or to, or with them, or either - of them used, occupied, incident, or belonging appertaining, - with all and every thing (singular) there appertaining, - also the keeping of the Court Barons there, and all waifs, - strays, treasure trove, deodands, felons’ and outlaws’ goods, - forfeitures, fines, amercements, serving and executing of writs - and processes, and all royalties, liberties, perquisites and - profits of Court Leets, all commodities and advantages whatsoever - to the same Court Leets incident, due, or in any wise belonging, - or which heretofore have been, or of right ought to have been, - had and enjoyed by us, the said Dean and Chapter, or any of our - predecessors, or any other person or persons by or by means of - our estate, right, or title to the same or any part thereof, in - as large and ample manner as we, the said Dean and Chapter, or - our successors, may or ought to have or enjoy, together also with - the Stewardship, office of Steward, or authority for appointing - the Steward for the keeping of the said Courts; And also the - profits of all and each of our fairs and markets to be kept at - or within the said manor and parsonage of Kirkham; The Courts of - Pipowder; And all manner of Toll and Stallage—That is to say, - Turne-toll, Traverse-Toll, and Through-Toll, and all manner of - payments, fines, forfeitures, fees, sums of money, with all - other kind of profits and commodities whatsoever, which do or - may lawfully accrue, arise, come, or be due, unto us, the said - Dean and Chapter, our successors, or assignees, by reason of - any fair or market, or fairs or markets, which hereafter shall - be kept within the manor or parish of Kirkham aforesaid; And - half an Oxgang of Land, called by the name of the old Eworth, - with so much of the late improved Common in Kirkham aforesaid as - was allotted, used, or occupied, or ought to be used, allotted, - or occupied to or with the said half Oxgang; One Burgage house - with the appurtenances in Kirkham aforesaid, now in the tenure, - holding, or occupation of one Thomas Singleton and William - Kitchen, or the one of them; One Croft called the hemp garden, - certain grounds, called the Vicar’s Carrs, set, lying, and being - in Kirkham aforesaid; One house built upon the waste in Kirkham - aforesaid, commonly called or known by the name of the moote - hall, with all shops underneath the said moote hall, and all the - tythes of the new improvements not formerly demised within the - said manor or parish of Kirkham, or within the liberties thereof; - And all encroachments within the same manor—That is to say, all - such arable lands, meadow, pasture, woodlands, furzeland, heath, - and marshland, and all other such vacant and waste land, as - is or hath been heretofore by any man encroached or taken to - his own use by the making of any hedge, pale, wall, ditch, or - other mound, out of the lands belonging to the manor of Kirkham - aforesaid, without the special license of the said Dean and - Chapter, with all and every ways, booth-places, stall-places, - liberties, easements, profits, commodities, and advantages to the - said messuages, lands, tenements, houses, grounds, encroachments, - tythes, hereditaments, and also the premises or any of them - belonging or in any wise appertaining (except as in our said - Indenture of Lease is excepted and reserved). To have and to - hold the said Court Leets and the keeping of the Court Barons, - profits of fairs and markets, messuages, lands, tythes, and all - and every other the before-recited premises by that our said - recited Indenture of Lease demised, or mentioned, or intended - to be demised, with their and every of their appurtenances - (except as is aforesaid) from the feast day of the Annunciation - of the Blessed Virgin Mary last past before the date thereof, - for and during the tenure and unto the end and term of one and - twenty years then next following, fully to be completed and - ended. In our said Indenture of Lease (amongst other things - therein contained) it is provided always that it shall not be - lawful to nor for the said Thomas ffleetwood, his executors, - administrators, or assignees, to lett, set, or assign over to - any person or persons the demised premises herein contained and - specified, or any part or parcel of them without the special - license of us, the said Dean and Chapter, or our Successors, in - writing under our common Seal thereunto first had and obtained. - The estate, right, tythe, interest, and term of years yet in - being of the said Thomas ffleetwood, are now lawfully come unto - the hands and possession of Sʳ Richard ffleetwood, of Caldwich, - knight baronet, and baron of Newton, within the said County of - Lancaster, son and heir, and also executor of the last will and - testament of the said Thomas ffleetwood, lately deceased. Know - ye now that we, the said Dean and Chapter, of our common assent - and consent have licensed and granted, and by these presents for - us and our Successors do license and grant that from henceforth - it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Sʳ Richard - ffleetwood, knight baronet, his executors, administrators, or - assignees, or any of them, to lett, set, or assign over the said - demised premises and every one of them and any or every part or - parcel of them with the appurtenances unto John Clayton, James - Parker, and John Wilding, of Kirkham, in the County of Lancaster, - yeomen, their executors, administrators, or assignees for and - during all the residue of the said term of years yet in being, to - come, and unexpired, the said proviso, or anything else, in our - recited Indenture of Lease contained to the contrary, Provided - always that all and every other covenant, clause, article, - exception, reservation of rent, payment, condition, and proviso, - in that our recited Indenture of Lease comprised shall stand, - remain, continue, and be in its, and their, full power, force, - and effect, as if this our present license or deed in writing had - never been, had, nor made. In Witness whereof we, the said Dean - and Chapter, have hereunto put our common Seal. Proven in our - Chapter house at Oxford the fourth day of December in the years - of the reign of our sovereign lord James, by the Grace of God - king of England, Scotland, ffrance, and Ireland, Defender of the - Faith, &c.—That is to say, of England, ffrance, and Ireland the - eleventh, and of Scotland the seven and fortieth.”[151] - -There is an old deed in the bailiffs’ chest, bearing the date 1725, and -evidently a summary of charters, powers, etc., drawn up in order to be -submitted to the inspection of some legal authority, whose opinions -on different points are appended, from which it appears that from -the earliest incorporation of the town it had been governed by two -bailiffs and twelve burgesses in common council assembled, who were -annually chosen within the borough, and that they “usually assessed -such persons, not being free burgesses in the same borough, as had come -into and exercised trades within the borough (whether they had served -apprenticeships to such trades or not), in and with such reasonable -annual payments to the Corporation as the bailiffs and burgesses thought -fit”; persons born in the borough were treated in a similar manner. The -bailiffs inflicted penalties on all breakers of the peace, the amount of -fine imposed being regulated according to the condition of the offender, -thus an esquire was mulcted in 40s., a gentleman 10s., and anyone of an -inferior grade 5s. Profane cursing and swearing also came under their -jurisdiction. The collection of freedom money from traders commencing -business in Kirkham was a somewhat questionable act on the part of the -local rulers, and indeed they themselves were evidently troubled with -doubts as to their right to levy the tax, for the muniment chest contains -several opinions of eminent counsel as to the validity of such a course. -In 1738 a person named William Marsden started as a tanner in Kirkham, -and obstinately refused to purchase his freedom or close his premises, -but, at the end of twelve months, the assembled bailiffs and burgesses -instructed and authorised the town or borough serjeant to collect and -levy the sum of two shillings and sixpence upon the goods and chattels of -William Marsden, by distress and sale. This impost was abolished during -the latter half of the eighteenth century. The bailiffs formed part of -the Court Leet held annually in the seventeenth century and were elected -from amongst the jurors. Subjoined are a few extracts from the minute -book of the “Court leet of frank pledge of yᵉ foundation of Henry VIII.,” -as it is styled in one place:— - - “Oct. 1681. - - The court leet houlden at Kirkham yᵉ day above written by Tho. - Hodgkinson Stuart. - - “Juriars - - James Smith, junior. - John Hanson. - Geffery Wood. - James Lawson. - Tho. Tomlinson. - Alex. Lawder. - John Dickson. - Henry Smith. - Charles Fale. - Will. Butler. - James Hull. - Will. Hornby. - James Clayton. - George Whiteside. - Tho. Shardley. - - “Bayliffes - - Geffrey Wood. - Tho. Tomlinson. - John Colly, serjeant. - James Hull, constable. - - (Here follow the ‘Gauldlayers,’ ‘Barleymen,’ ‘Prizards,’ ‘Leather - searchards,’ and ‘Flesh and Fish viewards’) - - “Wᵐ Hunt fined 1s. for keeping his geese in the loanes” - - “John Wilding for keeping a greyhound not being qualified” - (Punishment?) - - 1682. - - “Presented that the earl of Derby, Mr. Westby, of Mowbrick, Mr. - Hesketh, of Mains, were constantly called at the court leet for - the borough of Kirkham and anciently did either appear or some - assign for them, but now of late they do not appear nor any - assign for them.” - - “4 May. 1683. - - “Recᵈ of Richard Riley for his fredom within the borow of Kirkham - 16s. - - “May the 4th day Recᵈ of Rodger Taylor for his freedom in Kirkham - £1. - - “Oct. 19th. Recᵈ of Thomas Sherdley for his freedom 2s. - - “Ordered that no person shall set or let any house or shop to - Richarde Blackburne or his wife that stands within the liberties - in Kirkham in pain of £2 0s. 0d.” - - 1685. - - “Ralph Rishton paid to John Wilding and Thomas Hankinson, the - bailiffs, for his freedom to trade in Kirkham £4.” - - 12 Oct. 1686. - - “Prudence Cardwell, presented for not making her bread sufficient - in goodness and weight, and fined in 12d.” - - Nov. 17. “It is ordered that Nicholas Wilkinson shall pay unto - the bailiffs 13s. 4d. for one year’s trading in the town.” - - 30 April 1692. - - “Ordered that if any hereafter suffer their swine to ly out in - the night time they shall forfeit for every night 3s. 4d.” - - 26 April 1699. - - “Ordered that neither Wᵐ Boone nor Rowland Roberts maltmakers nor - any as they employ shall dry any malt or weete upon the Sabbath - day for the time to come in the pain of 20s.” - - 13 Oct. “We present these persons for want of their appearance at - court & so fine every one of them 12d. - - “Will. George Ric. Earl of Derby. - Tho. Westby, esq. - Thos. Hesketh, esq. - John Walker, esq. - Jennet Thompson, widow, - and Thomas Dickson.” - - 22 Aprill 1707. - - “Every person that shall carry away any fire thro’ the street to - cover the same close on penalty of 10s. - - April 1713. - - “No person to water any sort of cattle at the bucket belonging to - the town well nor wash any skins at the trough.” - - 10 May 1715. - - “We find Charles Hardy for harbouring and lodging of vagrants and - beggars in this town in 13s. 4d.” - - 22 May 1726. - - “Mem. That the town of Kirkham was summonsed from house to house - and the inhabitants unanimously agreed to the setting up of a - workhouse.” - - 30 Nov. 1728. - - “Ordered that a lamp should be fixed up in the middle of the - borough of Kirkham in some convenient place, and that the charge - of it together with oyl necessary for it be paid out of the - town’s stock.” - - “All persons refusing to clean or cow (rake) the streets opposite - their respective houses to be fined 6d. after notice from the - serjeant with his bell.” - -The official notice concerning the last resolution is still preserved, -and ran as under:— - - “To the Inhabitants of the Burrough of Kirkham. - - “You are hereby required forthwith to cleanse the Streets over - against your Dwelling Houses, Outhouses, and all other Buildings, - together with all Frontsteads whatsoever, on Penalty of Sixpence - for each default. - - “You have also hereby notice to remove all the Dung-hills out of - the Streets in a month’s time or otherwise they will be removed - for the use of the Burrough. - - “Likewise all the Rubbish out of the Streets on such Penalties as - the Bayliffs and Common Council shall think fit to inflict. Given - under our Common Seal of the Towne this first Day of December, - 1728.” - -At a later period the burgesses neglected to choose and appoint bailiffs -for many years, or to use their privileges; and apprehensive at length -that such remissions were tantamount to a forfeiture of their charter -by their own act, they determined to take legal advice as to the most -expeditious way to resume their powers. It was given as follows:— - - “If any of those acting Burgesses are alive I would advise them - to assemble at their former Gild or usual Place of meeting, and - then and there choose other Burgesses, after which they may elect - from among them Two Bailiffs and make an entry of such choice - in one of the Old Books, and then proceed as formerly to act - in their corporate capacity; and let their first Punishment be - inflicted on some person unlikely to dispute their authority, for - instance a woman drunkard may be set in the stocks. - - “Having done as above directed they may for the better Government - of the town make some Byelaws, and enter them ffair into a Book - to be kept for that purpose, but let none of these new Laws be - put in Execution till they are confirmed by the Chancelour, and - that will be some foundation ffor a petition to that Court. - - “But if all the Burgesses are dead I can see no Remedy whatsoever - but by obtaining a new Charter, which will be very Difficult if - not Impracticable.” - -A statement as to manorial extent of Kirkham at the latter part of the -seventeenth century is preserved amongst the records of a court, further -reference to which will be made anon, and reads as here given:—“The lands -lying within the manor of Kirkham, belonging to the Dean and Chapter -of Christ Church, in Oxford, and to the burgesses inhabitants of the -borough of Kirkham, are bounded east by the lands of Edward Robinson and -George Brown, lying within Newton and Scales; westward by the lands of -Sir Thomas Clifton, within Westby, and the lands of Christopher Parker, -esq., lying in Ribby with Wrea; northwards by the lands of Mrs. Dorʸ. -Westby, of Mowbreck, and the lands of Mr. Edward Fleetwood, of Wesham; -and southwards by the lands of Mr. George Sharples, of Freckleton.” - -It has already been shown that the manor was conveyed by the authorities -at Oxford to Thomas Fleetwood as fee-farmer in 1601, and that the lease -was subsequently renewed or confirmed to his son and heir Sir Richard -Fleetwood. Before 1700, however, probably about 1650, from the contents -of a petition presented by the inhabitants to the dean and chapter in -1705, the Cliftons, of Lytham, had the manor in a tenure similar to -that of their predecessors, and held each year, in the month of June, -a court leet, at which the two bailiffs were elected. The late Thomas -Langton Birley, esq., of Carr Hill, Kirkham, acquired the lordship by -purchase a short time previous to his death in 1874, when it descended -to his son and heir, Henry Langton Birley, esq. Bailiffs still continue -to be annually appointed, and have in their hands several charitable -bequests, the interest arising therefrom being devoted to the service of -the poor of the township, either in the form of alms, or in maintaining -some useful convenience, as the parish pump, for their benefit. The -property at present belonging to the bailiffs consists of one meadow, -situated behind the Roman Catholic church; a garden in front of the same -edifice; a plot in the field called the “Iron Latch”; and a pew in the -parish church of Kirkham. In 1676 the bishop of Chester acceded to a -petition from the minister and churchwardens that a wainscot might be -placed so as to enclose the bailiffs’ pew, “which seat, for want thereof, -was pressed into and thronged by others to the disturbance of the said -officers.”[152] - -The Moot Hall, in which all business relating to the town was transacted, -stood in the Market-place until about the year 1790, when it was -accidentally burnt down. This building was erected in two stories, the -upper of which was divided into a small room, used for flax dressing -at the time the Hall was destroyed, and a larger one, devoted to court -meetings and other public matters, which was separated from the remainder -of the edifice insomuch as it could only be entered from the outside by -means of a flight of stone steps. The ground floor or lower story was -converted into shops in the occupation of tradesmen of the town. The -original borough seal, which still exists, although somewhat defective, -represents a dove bearing an olive branch in its beak. Notwithstanding -that Kirkham was made a borough, during the last years of the thirteenth -century, it never appears upon any occasion to have returned a Member -of Parliament, and it may safely be conjectured that no writ for that -purpose was ever issued to the burgesses, as the sheriffs exercised -a discretionary power in such matters, and consequently only those -boroughs, whose inhabitants seemed affluent enough to support the -expenses of an election, were selected for the honour, amongst which it -is scarcely likely Kirkham would be classed. - -A market cross stood in the centre of the town, near to the ancient Moot -Hall, about the beginning of this century, but has now, like the stocks, -which originally had their place in the churchyard and afterwards were -removed to a more public site, been long numbered amongst the memories -of a past and less refined age. There is no allusion to a whipping post -in any of the old documents, but we have the authority of a gentleman -who witnessed the spectacle, that a man was publicly whipped in the -Market-place fifty years ago. - -The “Thirty Sworn men of Kirkham” was the name given to a council which -took cognizance of parochial affairs, and of certain matters connected -with the church, amongst other things appointing the churchwardens. This -assembly was composed of representatives from the different sections of -the parish, two persons being elected from each of the fifteen townships -as under:— - -“Thirty Sworn Men in 1570. - - Kirkham: - James Baine. - James Clayton. - - Clifton: - William Porter. - Tho. Cardwell. - - Freckleton: - Henʳʸ Colbron. - Rich. Browne. - - Singletons: - James Davy. - Wᵐ Smith - - Larbrick: - Robt. Johnson. - Will. Fletcher. - - Thistleton: - Joh. Smith. - Robt. Cornay. - - Warton: - Wm. Platon. - Robt. Fletcher. - - Bryning: - Robt. Croke. - John Croke. - - Ribby: - ⸺ Benson. - Henry Shaw. - - Wesham: - Robt. Hornby. - Henry Johnson. - - Treales: - Wᵐ Swarbrick. - Tho. Porter. - - Hambleton: - Robt. Bradshaw. - Wᵐ Bamber.” - -The oath taken by the “Sworn men” was administered by the civil -authorities, and their tenure of office was for life, or until they -thought proper to resign. The origin of “Sworn men,” or at least of the -name, dates from the fourteenth century, and the institution itself seems -to have been common in this part of Lancashire; Preston, Lancaster, -Garstang, and Goosnargh, having had assemblies bearing similar titles and -performing similar duties, but consisting only of twenty-four men each. - -In 1636 a serious dispute arose between the Thirty-men and the vicar, -the Rev. Edward Fleetwood, owing to the latter requiring the council to -subscribe to the following conditions:— - - “1st. They shall lay no gauld themselves without the consent of - the vicar. - - 2nd. That the vicar shall have a negative voice in all their - proceedings, and that they shall determine nothing without the - consent of the said vicar. - - 3rd. They shall not put or elect any new 30-men without the - vicar’s consent. - - 4th. They shall not meet in the church upon any business - whatever, unless they acquaint the vicar before. - - 5th. If there be any turbulent or factious person, that the rest - of the company shall join with the vicar and turn him out.”[153] - -On the Thirty-men refusing to comply with his request, the vicar excluded -them “by violence” from their usual meeting-place in the church, -and on the 5th of November, 1638, when they were called upon by the -churchwardens to attend there in order to lay the necessary taxes for the -repair of the sacred edifice, then much decayed, Mr. Fleetwood “locked -himself in the church, as before he had many times done,” and compelled -them to conduct their business without the building. - -Incensed at the persistent hostility of the vicar an appeal against his -conduct was made by the “men” to the archbishop of York, and by him -referred to the bishop of Chester, who replied:—“That the corporation or -company of 30-men, not having any warranty from the king, was nothing -in law; but if the parish or township did delegate the power to the -30-men as to church matters, then their acts relating thereunto were as -effectual and binding as if they had the king’s sanction; and wishing to -know the affection of the parishioners on this head, he issued an order -on 22 Nov. 1638, that public notice shᵈ be given in the church for all -the parishioners to meet and give their voices whether they chose that -the custom of the 30-men representing the whole parish two for every -township, should continue, or they should be dissolved.”[154] - -Mr. Fleetwood having ignored this order, the churchwardens took upon -themselves the duty of calling a general conference of the parishioners; -a great multitude assembled in the churchyard, where the meeting was -held, the vicar having locked the church door, and declared in favour of -their ancient custom being continued and preserved to their posterity as -it had come down to them, freely giving “their power and strength to the -said 30-men, to confer and determine all church matters.” - -To this resolution were appended the signatures of four hundred and -ninety-four persons, amongst whom were Thomas Clifton of Westby and -Clifton, John Westby of Mowbreck, Thomas Hesketh of Mains, Edward Veale -of Whinney Heys, John Parker of Bradkirk, and Edward Bradley of Bryning. - -The bishop of Chester, having received an official report of the result -of the meeting, communicated with the archbishop of York, as below -stated:— - - “Chester palace, 14 Dec. 1638. - - “Seeing the vicar (whom I have used with all gentleness and - lenity), continues still in his contempt, and addeth daily more - forwardness thereunto, I must return the petitioners to my lord’s - grace of York, to be ordered by the high commissioner according - to his grace’s intimation signified in his.... I wish well to the - sillie wilful man, but he makes himself incapable thereof. - - “John Cestriensis.”[155] - -This effort to obtain redress for their grievances does not appear to -have been attended with a success equal to the expectations of the -“thirty,” for a little later they instituted a suit in the consistory -court at Chester against the vicar, “and, having proved their practice -good, had sentence against him and £20 7s. 6d. allowed towards their -expenses.”[156] The “Thirty-men” were admitted into the church on Easter -Tuesday, 1639. - -During the period that Edward Fleetwood was vicar of Kirkham an event -occurred in the parish which furnishes a forcible example of the -superstitious feeling in religious matters existing amongst all ranks of -the people at that time. The whole of the details of the circumstance -are embodied in a pamphlet entitled “Strange Signs from Heaven,” and by -way of an introduction, the tract contains this certificate, “under the -hand of Mr. Edward Fleetwood, minister of Kirkham parish in Lancashire, -concerning the monster brought forth by Mrs. Haughton, a papist, living -in that parish:— - - “As we must tell no lie, so we should conceal no truth; - especially when it tends to God’s glory: There was a great - papist, and of great parentage, within the parish of Kirkham, - and his wife’s mother, being of the same religion, did usually - scoff and mock the Roundheads, and, in derision of Mr. Prinne - and others, cut off the cat’s ears, and called it by his name: - But behold an example of the justice and equity of God in his - judgements; as Adonibezec was repaid in his own kind; Haman - hanged upon the same gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai; - and Pharoah and all his host drowned in the sea, into which he - had thought to have driven the Israelites. And likewise one of - the popish prelates, who said he would not dine till Ridley and - Latimer were burnt, was burnt in his own entrails. So it fell out - with this man’s wife, a popish creature, who being great with - child, when the time of her delivery came, she brought forth - a monstrous child without a head, ugly and deformed, myself - eyewitness thereof. - - Edward Fleetwood, pastor. - W. Greenacres, midwife.” - -The tract itself informs us that in the course of a conversation with -some gentlemen, Mrs. Haughton observed with great warmth that “the -Puritans and Independents deserved all to be hanged,” and concluded her -uncharitable remarks by uttering a fervent wish that neither she nor any -one belonging to her might ever become Roundheads; upon which “answer was -made to her, that her children, if she had any, might (if God so pleased) -have their eyes opened, and see that good which she was ignorant of. Mrs. -Haughton retorted in these words: _I pray God that rather than I shall -be a Roundhead, or bear a Roundhead, I may bring forth a child without -a head._” In course of time, as we learn from the pamphlet, she was -delivered of a monster child, being attended in her confinement by “widow -Greenacres, the midwife, formerly wife to Mr. Greenacres, some time vicar -of this parish,” who, “being a godly woman, could not be eased in her -mind until she had discharged her conscience in making it known to Mr. -Fleetwood.” “For better satisfaction Mr. Fleetwood caused the grave to be -opened, and the child to be taken out and laid to view, and found there a -body without a head, as the midwife had said, only the child had a face -on the breast of it, two eyes near unto the place where the paps usually -are, and a nose upon the chest, and a mouth a little above the navel, and -two ears, upon each shoulder one.” - -The certificate of the vicar relating to this discovery, together with a -manuscript account of the circumstances connected with it, were “brought -up to London by Colonel Moore (of Liverpool) a member of the House of -Commons, and shewed to divers of the House; who commanded the tract to be -printed so that all the kingdom might see the hand of God therein; to the -comfort of his people, and the terror of the wicked that deride and scorn -them.”[157] - -In the context are enumerated a few records of the “Thirty men,” in -order that the reader may have a clearer conception of their duties, -and gain some information, not devoid of interest, respecting the more -common-place matters associated with the history and regulation of -parochial and church affairs in the town:— - - “1571. - - “Nov. 2. Recᵈ for burial of a child of Mr. Veale (of Whinney - Heys) in the church XIId. - - “Paid for a scholar verifying the ch’wardens’ acct.ˢ - - “The great bell taken down this year and a new one put up.” - - “1577. - - “The churchwardens were ordered by the vicar and 30-men to - continue in office another year, by way of punishment, because - they had not repaired the bells or levied the gauld of xˢ per - township.” - - “1586. - - “Charge of the churchwardens for making the vicar a seat xiiᵈ. - - “An order that each householder having a youth with a plough - having 4 beasts shall pay ivᵈ. - - “Every one that married with another iiᵈ, and every cottage iᵈ.” - - “1595. - - “The churchwardens charged xiiᵈ for tarrying with Mr. vicar when - he gave warning to all housekeepers not to sell ale during the - time of service.” - - “1603. - - “Rushes to strew the church cost ixˢ viᵈ. The churchwardens went - through the parish to warn the people to come to church.” - - “1618. - - “Pᵈ to Isabel Birley 3 weeks diet for 3 slaters at iiiˢ ivᵈ per - week, xxxˢ.” - - “1634. - - “The church was flagged this year.” - - “1643. - - “Pᵈ for slating Mʳ Clifton’s quire £1 5s. 3d., and for organ - pipes which had been pulled assunder by the souldiers, 3s. - 4d.[158] The churchwardens were demanded to attend the prime - sessions at Weeton. 12 June they were ordered by the captains - and other officers to make presentment of all recusants in the - parish. In August they were employed several days at the parish - cost about the covenant, and giving notice through the parish for - them to take the covenant.” - - “1666. - - “Spent on going perambulations on Ascension day, 1s. 6d.” - - “1679. - - “The bishop ordered a bone-house to be built.” - - “1683. - - “Spent upon the ringers upon the 9th of Sept., being thanksgiving - day for his majesty’s deliverance from the fanatick plot 2s. - 6d.[159] - - “Paid for whip to whip dogs out of church, 2s. 0½d. - - “Paid for magpies and sparrow heads £10 12s. 4d.” - - “1746. - - “28 March. Paid for hiding registers, vestments, plates, etc., - at the rebels coming 2s. 6d.; same day paid for ringing when the - Duke of Cumberland came to Preston, and when he retook Carlisle, - 6s.” - - “1797. - - “Apr. 18. Ordered that the curates of Lund, Warton, Ribby, - and Singleton shall not exceed 2 qts. of wine each day they - administer the sacrament until further orders.” - -The first church of Kirkham is commonly said to have been erected by -the Saxons on Mill Hill, and subsequently rebuilt on its present site, -but as this statement is unsupported by any more reliable evidence than -tradition, we give it simply for what it is worth. The earliest authentic -word of Kirkham church is in 1512, when the edifice was in part rebuilt; -and at that time, and doubtless for centuries before, it occupied the -same situation as to-day. After the alterations and renewals had been -completed, the building comprised a nave, chancel, and side aisles, -separated by stone pillars, on which rested pointed arches. At the west -end of the church, throughout its entire width, was erected a gallery, -another of less extent being placed at the east end for the accommodation -of the organ. The north aisle contained a small gallery belonging to the -ffrance family, the private chapel of the Westbys of Mowbreck, and a -spacious room or vestry, in which the “Thirty-men” held their meetings. -In the south aisle was located the private oratory of the Cliftons, -of Westby and Clifton. The chancel extended the width of the nave and -south aisle, and in 1780 the Clifton chapel was, with the consent of its -proprietor, enclosed within the communion rails. The reading desk stood -against the central pillar of the north side of the nave, and immediately -above it was placed the pulpit. The north wall was low, and contained -several large windows. The whole of the building, with the exception of -the chancel, which possessed a double-gabled roof, was covered in by a -single roof, which slanted from the south to the north wall, and was -pierced at each end with dormer windows. The main entrance was protected -by a massive porch. - -The tower was probably erected but little later, if not, indeed, at the -time the church was rebuilding, as appears from the will here quoted, -bearing the date 29th of July, 1512:—“I, Cuthbert Clifton, Squyer, desire -to be buryed at Kirkham in the tombe where Rychard Clifton, my great -grandfather was buryed; I bequeath £6 13s. 4d. towards buyldyng of the -steple of the saide churche.” - -This tower was embattled with a short pinnacle at each corner, and stood -about sixty feet high; on a stone in one of the buttresses were carved -the arms and name of Cuthbert Clifton. In the inside wall of the present -tower there is fixed a stone bearing traces of an inscription, and it is -probable, from the remnant of a name still discernible upon it, that this -is the stone here referred to. - -From the records of the “Thirty-men” are learnt several things of -interest with regard to the church, and amongst them, that during the -seventeenth century the edifice was used occasionally for scholastic -purposes, thus:— - - “1653-54. - - “6 Jan. It was agreed (by the “Thirty-men”) that no scriffener - be suffered to teach in the church, unless he procure some - honest townsmen of Kirkham to pass their word that whatsoever - his scholars do, either in breaking glass or in abusing men’s - seats—and that they meddle not with the bells—he shall make good - what they abuse.” - -In 1662 a font was erected at a cost of £2 5s. 4d., and most likely is -the one now stationed in the tower entrance to the church. A bone house -was built in 1679 in the recess or corner formed by the west wall of the -north aisle and the north side of the tower, in obedience to the order of -the bishop of the diocese. In 1724 gates were placed at the entrance to -the churchyard, and in 1799 the old tithe barn which formed the westerly -boundary of this plot of ground was blown down and destroyed; the stone -for the gate pillars was obtained from Ribchester. The following lists of -persons buried in the Clifton and Westby chapels, or quyres, as they were -called, were given in an old document which was copied in 1790 by Mr. W. -Langton, who described it as “much defaced and torn:”— - - “In the Clifton Quire. - - “1597, sir Geo Cowbrone and Mr. Cuthbert Clifton; 1598, Henry - Colbron of Frekleton; 1601, Mr. Skillicorne; 1604, ould Dorothie - Skillicorne, Mr. Skillicorne’s daughter; 1602, Mr. Skillicorne, - his wiff, Mr. Skillicorne, his son, and Henry Brown of Scales; - 1604, Lawrence Cowbrone, eldest son of above; 1616, Henry Porter - of Treales; 1621, Mrs. Jane Anderton, died at Westby; 1625, Mr. - John Sharples, of Frekleton; 1630, uxor Arthur Sharples, and - Matthew Colbron of Frekleton.” - - “In the Westby Quyre. - - “1605, Mr. Westby and Mr. John Westby (Mr. Thos. eldest brother); - 1622, ould Mr. Hesketh; 1623, Mr. Hesketh of Maines.” - -In a note we are told that when Mr. Skillicorne died in 1601, “and was -to be buried, Seth Woods of Kirkham and another with him stood at Mr. -Clifton’s quyre dore to keep them from making a grave, and William Hull -of Singleton did run at the door with wood and break it open—how it ended -is forgotten, but he was buried there.” - -In 1822 the nave of the church was pulled down and rebuilt by aid of a -rate imposed on all the townships; an inscription commemorating this -event was placed over the arch of the old chancel. The tower and spire -as they now exist were erected in 1844, whilst the present chancel -was built in 1853. The spire and tower together have an altitude of -one hundred and fifty feet, and the foundation stone of the latter -was laid by Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, on the 21st of November, -1843. The tower contains a peal of eight bells, but none of them are -of ancient date, those alluded to in the records of the “Thirty-men” -having been sold and replaced by fresh ones. The modern church of -Kirkham, which, like its predecessor, is dedicated to St. Michael, is a -large and handsome structure, built of Longridge stone, and capable of -holding about eighteen hundred persons; the chancel is ornamented with -a castellated parapet and fluted cornice. A stone coffin, which may be -seen outside the church at the east, was taken out of the ground when -the chancel was rebuilt. In 1725 the sum of £500 was left in trust by -William Grimbaldson, M.D., to be expended in the purchase of land and -other property, the income from which had to be devoted to providing a -suitable person or persons to read prayers twice every day of the week -except Sunday, in the parish church of Kirkham; in the event of this -condition of the bequest not being fulfilled, it was decreed by the will -that the annual interest of the money should be distributed amongst the -poor housekeepers of Treales; so far, however, the requirement of the -trust has been conformed to, and prayers are still read twice daily in -the church. - -Within the ancient church of Kirkham, doubtless in the Clifton chapel, -was a chantry founded during the fifteenth century by Richard Clifton, -of Clifton, who married Alice, the daughter of John Butler, of Rawcliffe -Hall; and called the chantry of the “Holy Crucifix,” as well as that -of “Our Blessed Laydy.” The commissioners of Henry VIII. issued the -following report concerning it:— - - “The Chauntrie in the paroche Church of Kirkeham. - - “Thomas Prymbet preyst Incumbent there of the foundation of the - antecessors of Sʳ Thomas Clifton, knight, to celebrate there for - their sowles and all crysten sowles. - - “The same is at the altar of our lady wᵗhin the paroche church - of Kirkham, and the said Incumbent doth celebrate there - accordinglie.” - - Sum totall of the rentall £6 0s. 11d. - - “Whereof— - - “Payde to Sir Henry ffarington, knight, as farmour to - the kynge, our Sovereigne lord, of Penwarden fee, for - chief rente goynge forthe of the lands in ffryklyngton, - by yere 4d. - - “Payde to the Kinges Majestie, to the handes of the - receyvour of his late Monasteyre of Vale Royall, goynge - forthe of the burgages in Kirkeham, by yere, in - Christenmes and Mydsomur, 7s. 6d. - - “Sum of the reprises 7s. 10d. - - “And so remayneth £5 13s. 1d.” - -This chantry was in existence in 1452, for in that year, when the abbot -and convent of Vale Royal presented Dom. Edmund Layche to the vicarage, -the archdeacon instructed John Clarke, the chaplain of the chantry, to -induct him.[160] Thomas Prymbett, the officiating priest, was sixty years -of age in 1548, and at that date the town and parish of Kirkham contained -1700 “houselinge people.” Five years later Thomas Prymbett received a -pension of £5.[161] His death occurred in 1564. - -At the dissolution of monasteries, the chantry of Kirkham church was -mulcted in an annual rent of 6s. 2d., which was ordered to be paid to the -receiver of the Duchy. A lease of the lands appertaining to the chantry -was granted to Lawrence Pembroke for a term of sixteen years. - -In 1291 the living of Kirkham church was estimated in the _Valor_ of -Pope Nicholas at £160 per annum, but at the dissolution aforesaid it was -valued at no more than £21 1s. 0½d. per annum. - -In 1586 the advowson of the church was leased to James Smith, yeoman, -of Kirkham; and in 1591 it was granted for a period of twenty-one years -by the authorities of Christ Church, Oxford, to John Sharpies, of -Freckleton.[162] - -Within the church are several inscriptions, the oldest and most curious -of which is to be seen on a stone forming part of the floor of the -vestry, and covering the grave of vicar Clegg:— - - “Rᵈ: Clegg came: V: M.: J666. - Began pooʳ loaves: E: J670. - Uxʳ Jennet nupᵗ E: j672. - Mary nᵗ 9ʳ: J673: nupᵗ, FEB: 96. - Doro nᵗ. M. j675: ob. j677. - Abraham. nᵗ: J: j677: ob. j677. - Doro: nᵗ: S: j678. - Henerey nᵗ: J: j680. ob. 1683. - Eliz: nᵗ: M: j685. nupᵗ Feb. 1713. - Rᵈ Clegg Vʳ. ob j720. Æt. 85. - W: Jennet ob: j7... Æt...” - -Others are in memoriam of Thomas, the son of Sir Thomas Clifton, of -Lytham, died 1688, aged 20 years; the Rev. John Threlfall, B.A., for -“56 years head-master of Kirkham School,” died 1801, aged 84 years; the -Rev. Phipps Gerard Slatter, M.A., “head-master of the Free School,” died -1815, aged 25 years; the Rev. Charles Buck, M.A., for 27 years vicar of -the parish, died 1717; the Rev. Humphrey Shuttleworth, vicar of Kirkham, -died 1812, aged 76 years; Richard Bradkirk, esq., of Bryning Hall, died -1813, aged 60 years; Henry Rishton Buck, B.A., “lieutenant 33rd Regiment, -who fell in battle at Waterloo, June 18, 1815,” aged 27 years; and James -Buck, lieutenant 21st Light Dragoons, died January 7, 1815, aged 19 years. - -In the church yard there are sundry inscribed stones, which, although -little interesting on the score of antiquity, are worthy of mention -as marking the burial places of persons of note in the parish at one -time; as—James Thistleton of Wrea, the founder of Wrea school, who was -interred on the 27th of February, 1693; William Harrison of Kirkham, -gent., interred January 12th, 1767, aged 60, who “left an ample fortune -to poor relations, and £140 to be vested in land, the yearly income to -be distributed in pious books to the poor of Kirkham, Little Eccleston, -and Larbrick: may the trustees dispense with integrity and effect the -sacred dole”; Edward King, esq., fourth son of the Very Rev. James King, -D.D., dean of Raphoe, “formerly bencher of the honourable society of -Gray’s inn, and for above twenty years vice-chancellor of the Duchy of -Lancaster”; the “Rev. Charles Buck of Kirkham, A.M., died 4 Jan. 1808. -Aged 54,” also his two sons; the Rev. Robert Loxham, vicar of Poulton, -died in 1770, aged 80 years; and John Langton of Kirkham, died in 1762, -aged 71 years; also many other members of the same family. - - VICARS OF KIRKHAM. - - IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF RICHMOND. - - ------------+----------------------+-----------------+------------------ - Date of | NAME. | On whose | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | Presentation. | - ------------+----------------------+-----------------+------------------ - 1239 |Dn’s Will de Ebor |Duke of Cornwall | - Between 1272|Simon Alley |Convent of Vale | - and 1307 | | Royal | - 1354 |William de Slayteburn | | - 1361 |William Boulton | | - 1362 |Phil de Grenhal | | - |Dn’s Roger Dyryng | | - About 1377 |Robert de Horneby | | - 1418 |Dn’s Will Torfet | | - 1420 |Dn’s John Cotun | | - 1450 |John Hardie | | - 1452 |Edmund Layche |Convent of Vale | - | | Royal | - 1512 |Thomas Smith | | - 1558 |James Smith | | - 1586 |James Smith |James Smith | - 1591 |James Sharples, B.A. |Christ Church, | - | | Oxford | - 1594 |Nicholas Helme, M.A. |John Sharples |Death of J. - 1598 |Arthur Greenacres, |Cuthbert Sharple | Sharples - | M.A. | | - 1627 |John Gerrard, M.A. |Christ Church, | - | | Oxford | - 1629 |Edward Fleetwood, |Exchange with |John Gerrard - | M.A. | | - 1650 |John Fisher | | - 1660 |Richard Clegg, M.A. |Christ Church, |Death of J. Fisher - | | Oxford | - 1720 |William Dickson, B.A. | Ditto |Death of R. Clegg - 1744 |Charles Buck, M.A. | Ditto |Death of W. Dickson - 1771 |Humphrey Shuttleworth,| Ditto |Death of C. Buck - | M.A. | | - 1813 |James Webber, D.D. | Ditto |Death of H. - | M.A. | | Shuttleworth - 1847 |George Lodowick | Ditto |Death of J. Webber - |Parsons, M.A. | | - 1852 |Will. Law Hussey, | Ditto |Death of G. L. - | M.A. | | Parsons - 1862 |George Rich. Brown, | Ditto |Death of W. L. - | M.A. | | Hussey - 1875 |Hen. William Mason, | Ditto |Death of G. R. - | M.A. | | Brown - ------------+----------------------+-----------------+------------------- - -The parish registers furnish us with the subjoined information, which has -been arranged in a tabular form:— - - 1600-1601 1700-1701 1800-1801 - - Baptisms 91 103 106 100 149 139 - Marriages 20 19 15 25 40 45 - Burials 69 44 103 86 157 112 - -Respecting Kirkham’s less antiquated days it may be stated that -Messrs. Thomas Shepherd, John Birley, and John Langton were the -earliest to commence manufacturing on any large scale there, which -they accomplished during the first half of the eighteenth century by -establishing conjointly the flax spinning mill still existing, but with -many additions, as the firm of John Birley and Sons. John Langton was -descended from John Langton, of Broughton Tower, through his fourth -son, John, who resided at Preston, and of whom Cornelius Langton, of -Kirkham, was the third son. On the 31st of March, 1696, Cornelius Langton -paid 30s. for his trade freedom in Kirkham, where he married Elizabeth, -daughter of Zachary Taylor, M.A., head-master of the Grammar School, by -whom he had issue John, Abigail, Zachary, and Roger. Abigail died in -1776; Zachary entered the church, and espoused the daughter of Alexander -Butler, of Kirkland; Roger died in 1727; and John, the eldest, opened, -in conjunction with the two gentlemen just named, a mercantile house -in Kirkham, and left issue by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas -Brown, of Ashtree Hall, Kirkham,—Anne, Sarah, Cornelius, Thomas, of -Kirkham, and five other children. The children of Thomas Langton, by -his wife Jane, the eldest daughter of William Leyland, of Blackburn, -were Elizabeth, Leyland, Cornelius, Zachary, Cicely, and William, of -Kirkham, born 1758, died 1814. John Birley was the son of John Birley of -Skippool, and the ancestor of the large families of Birley, at Kirkham, -Manchester, etc. The mills at present standing in the neighbourhood of -Kirkham are the flax mill of Messrs. John Birley and Sons, employing -about 1,600 hands; the weaving shed of Messrs. Walker and Barrett, 400 -hands; the cotton mill of Messrs. Harrison and Company, 150 hands; the -cotton mill of Messrs. Richards and Parker, 180 hands; the weaving shed -of Messrs. Richards Brothers, 84 hands; and the Fylde Manufacturing -Company in Orders Lane, a newly-established concern. John Langton, who -started in business at Kirkham as a flax spinner, purchased, in company -with Ann Hankinson, in 1760, two years before his death, two closes of -land, with their appurtenances, in Freckleton, called Bannister Flatt and -Freckleton Croft, containing by estimate 1½ acres, and 12 beast-gates -upon Freckleton Marsh, all of which they conveyed by indenture in four -months to John Dannet, Thomas Langton, and William Shepherd, in trust -for the educating, teaching, and instructing, free from all charge, -of such young girls within the township of Kirkham, as they in their -discretion should make choice of, to read, knit, and sew; and that they -should for that purpose meet twice a year, on the 25th of December and -the 24th of June, at Kirkham, to make choice of proper subjects, and -keep a book, wherein should be entered the accounts of the receipts and -disbursements. During the ten years which elapsed after 1760 additional -benefactions were received amounting to £440. By indenture, dated 2nd -of March, 1772, Joseph Brockholes and Constantia, his wife, conveyed to -William Shepherd and Thomas Langton, trustees of the school, their heirs -and assigns, for the sum of £425, two cottages, with appurtenances, in -Freckleton, with a garden containing 36 perches; a parcel of ground in -a meadow in Freckleton, called Birl Brick Meadow, embracing 30 perches; -one cowgate in Freckleton Marsh; five closes in Freckleton, named the Two -Baker Meadows, the Two Lamma Leaches, and the Bank, holding six acres -of customary measurement. From 1772 to 1813 further donations (£130) -were received. The trusteeship of the school appears to have descended -in the Langton family, and was held by the late Thomas Langton Birley, -esq., whose father, Thomas Birley, had married Anne, the daughter and -co-heiress of John Langton, of Kirkham. Clothing, as well as education, -is supplied gratuitously to the scholars, who usually amount to 40, or -thereabouts. A new building for the purposes of the school was erected on -a fresh site a few years ago, in place of the former one, which had stood -since 1761. - -The Roman Catholics, through the munificence of the Rev. Thomas -Sherburne, built a magnificent church at the Willows in 1844-5. The -edifice comprises a nave, side aisles, chancel, south porch, and an -elegant spire, having an altitude of 110 feet. On the south side of the -chancel is the lady chapel, and opposite to it that of the holy cross. -The high altar is beautifully sculptured in Caen stone, and the reredos -and tabernacle are covered with rich guilding. The walls contain -several noble windows of stained glass. This church superseded one which -had been erected in the same locality in 1809, anterior to which the -chapel attached to Mowbreck Hall had been used by the Romanists of the -neighbourhood for their celebrations and services. The Independents and -Wesleyans also have places of worship in the town, situated respectively -in Marsden and Freckleton Streets. The chapel of the Independents was -constructed about 1793, and rebuilt in 1818, but that of the Wesleyans is -of more recent origin. At the Willows, it should be mentioned, there is a -school, open to all denominations, but under Roman Catholic supervision, -which was established about 1828. Kirkham was first illuminated with gas -in 1839. It contains a County Court House[163] and the Workhouse of the -Fylde Union,[164] in addition to several other public buildings, as a -Police Station, Waterworks’ Office, National and Infant Schools, etc. The -town is governed by a Local Board of Health. - -No papers have so far been discovered throwing any light upon the origin -of the Free Grammar School, and the earliest intimation of its existence -is in 1551, when Thomas Clifton, of Westby, bequeathed “towards the -grammar scole xxˢ.” Thirty-four years later it was arranged amongst the -“Thirty-men” that “40s. taken out of the clerk’s wages should be paid to -the schoolmaster, and that 4 of the 30-men in the name of the rest should -take possession of the school-house in right of the whole parish, to be -kept in repair by it and used as a school-house;” also that “Richard -Wilkins, now schoolmaster,” should be retained in his office for a year -or longer. In 1589 the above assembly “agreed that the 10s. a year pᵈ by -Goosnargh to the church shᵈ in future be paid to the schoolmaster, and -for every burial (except one dying in childbed) he shᵈ have such sum as -was agreed by the 30-men, and also such sum as hath heretofore been paid -for the holy loaf, which is of every house 3d., every Sunday successively -towards repairs of the schoolhouse and help of his wages.” In 1592 this -order, as far as regards the holy-loaf contributions, was rescinded, the -money as in former times going to the vicar. - -The following is from the copy of an ancient manuscript account of the -school, from 1621 to 1663, formerly in the possession of Thomas Martin, -esq., of Lincoln’s Inn:— - - “Isabell Birly, wife of Thomas Birly, born in Kirkham, daughter - of John Coulbron, an alehouse keeper all her life, and through - that employment attayned to a good personall estait above most - in that towne of that calling, being moved with a naturall - compassion to pore children shee saw often in that towne, was - heard to say dyvers tymes she would doe something for their good, - and in the yeare 1621, having gotten a good stock of money in her - hands, was moved to put her sayings into action. The 30-men of - the parish being assembled at the church, she, with £30 in her - apron, came to them, telling them she had brought that money to - give it towards the erecting of a free schole for pore children - to be taught gratis, whose parents were not able to lay out money - for their teaching, wishing them to take it and consider of - it. They were the men especially trusted by the parish for the - common benefits of the church, and therefore were the most like - persons to move their severall townships to contribute every one - something towards the accomplishment of so charitable a work, - and not doubting that their good examples in their contributions - would be a strong motive to excite others. This gift was - thankfully accepted, and wrought so with them that every one was - forward to promote it, especially Mr. Jno. Parker of Bredkirk, an - eminent man in the parish and one of that companie, being at that - tyme one of the earl of Derbie’s gentlemen and somewhat allied - to the said Isabell; he forwarded it very much, sparing neither - his paynes of his bodie nor his purse; for that end he travelled - all the parish over to every particular towne and house earnestly - persuading them to contribute to so good an use. Sir Cuthbert - Clifton gave £20, Maister Westby of Moulbreck £10, Mr. Parker - £5, Mr. Langtree of Swarbreck £5, Mr. Hesketh of Maines 40s., - Mr. Greenacres, vicar of Kirkham, £4, and the several townships - in the parish gave as followeth:—Kirkham near £30, but not out; - Ribby and Wray £3 8s. 6d.; Westby and Plumpton 16s. 4d.; Weeton - £7 2s.; Singleton £1 13s. 6d.; Little Eccleston and Larbrick 4s. - 4d.; Greenall and Thistleton £4 16s.; Roseacre £7 2s.; Wharles - £1 13s.; Treales £8 4s.; Medlar and Wesham £1 5s.; Hambleton 4s. - 6d.; Salwick £3 5s.; Clifton £3 7s.; Newton and Scales £3 5s.; - Freckleton £8; Warton £1 8s.; Bryning and Kellamer £4 13s.—in the - whole £170 14s.” - -When the time came for the selection of a suitable person to undertake -the charge and education of the pupils, it so happened “that at that -instant a young man, an honest, able scholar of good gifts and parts, -having a lingering sickness upon him, was come over to Kirkham to Mr. -William Armesteed (the curate of Kirkham), his cozen, for change of air, -his name being Thomas Armesteed, and he was moved by some of the towne -whether he would accept to be schole master if suit were made to the -30-men to elect him; he, in regard to the weakness of his bodie then -yielded to the motion, otherwise he was a man well qualified for the -ministery and a moving preacher.”[165] - -At the meeting of the “Thirty-men” to fill up the appointment there -were two candidates, Mr. Armesteed and Mr. Sokell, but the former was -elected. About the year 1628, when this gentleman resigned, Mr. Sokell -was elected to the vacancy after a contest. Until 1628 the management of -all matters connected with the school had rested with the “Thirty-men,” -but at that date the Roman Catholic gentlemen, who had been most liberal -in their contributions, came to the conclusion that “it was not for their -reputation altogether to leave the care of it to others and they to have -no hand in it, therefore they took upon them to have a hand about it, and -upon their doing so the 30 men, being tenants most of them to some of -them, or dependant someway upon them, left it to them; only Mr. Parker -was not bound to the _gentlemen_, and he joined in with them.”[166] - -Isabell Birley and others had brought out a candidate, named Dugdall, at -the recent election of schoolmaster, and were so incensed at his defeat -by Mr. Sokell, a Romanist, that they drew up a petition to the bishop of -Chester, complaining that “the gentlemen of the parish, being recusants -all saving Mr. Parker, had intruded themselves to order all things” -about the free school, and begging his lordship to issue an order how -the future election of feofees for the school should be made, which he -accordingly did, as follows:— - - “Apud, Wigan, 31 July, 1628. - - “At which day and place diverse of the Town and Parish of Kirkham - appeared about the ordering of a schole master thereof for the - time to come. At their request it is therefore ordered that the - whole parish, or as many as shall appear at some day prefixed, - after public notice given the Sunday before, shall elect six or - nine lawful and honest men feofees for that purpose, whereof a - third part to be chosen by the towne of Kirkham, and the two - other parts by the parishioners generally, of which feofees - Isabell Wilding’s (late Birley) husband and her heirs, because - she gave £30 to the schole maister, shall be one. - - “Johannes Cestrensis. Edwᵈ Russell.” - -The command of the bishop to call a public meeting was carried out, and -in answer to the summons, read in church as directed, only seven persons -presented themselves in “the parlour of Mr. Brown the curate,” viz., -Sir Cuthbert Clifton, knt., Mr. Thomas Westby, Mr. Thomas Hesketh, Mr. -Langtree, Mr. John Parker, gentleman, and of the parishioners, “not one -man saving Richard Harrison of Freckleton, and John Wilding of Kirkham; -and then and there the gentlemen elected themselves feofees, as also they -elected Mr. Edward Fleetwood, the vicar.”[167] - -After the death of John Wilding in 1634, as his widow, Isabell, found -herself growing more infirm, she waited on the feofees with the intention -of supplementing her original donation of £30 with an additional one of -equal value, if she found them “favourable to her in something she willed -of them, whereas Mr. Clifton gave her harsh words and such as sent her -home with much discontent and passion.” When she died in 1637, it was -discovered, as the manuscript from which we have been quoting informs us, -that she had “left the £30 by will to buy land with, and the yearly rent -to be divided to the poor of the town and parish of Kirkham.” - -During the struggles between king and parliament, the school was closed -for several years, and re-opened with fresh governors or feofees. At -that epoch the inhabitants were kept in a state of constant excitement -and alarm by visits from either the royal or parliamentary forces, but -fortunately no collision ever took place in the neighbourhood.[168] - -By the will, dated 1655, of Henry Colborne, of London, a native of -Kirkham, his trustees were requested to purchase the lease of the rectory -of this town, and invest the profits, with the exception of £100 per -annum, for sixteen years, in lands for the benefit of schools; the -purchases were to be settled on the Drapers’ Company of London. In 1673, -£69 10s. was obtained for the school, being the rent of lands bought in -the metropolis by the Colborne trustees, £45 of which sum had to be paid -to the head master, who was required to be “a university man, and obliged -to preach once a month at least in the parish church or in some of the -chapels;” £16 16s. of the remainder was apportioned to the second master; -and £8 to provide an usher.[169] - -In 1673 it was decreed by the Court of Chancery that the expense and -duty of preserving the school-house in proper repair should devolve upon -the township of Kirkham, whilst the election of masters should rest -exclusively with the Drapers’ Company.[170] - -In that year also lands, etc., at Nether Methop in Westmoreland to the -value of £530 were purchased, according to the directions of the will of -the Rev. James Barker, rector of Thrandeston, Suffolk, which required -his executors to buy lands sufficient to yield an annual rent of £30, -and to settle such property on ten trustees, elected by the bailiffs and -principal burgesses of Kirkham; the trustees were ordered to apply the -rental to the following uses:—£10 yearly to the schoolmaster; £12 yearly -in half-yearly instalments, as an “exhibition or allowance to such poor -scholer of the towne as shall then be admitted to the university,” such -exhibition to be open to any pupil born in Kirkham and educated at the -school, and in case no scholar was ready and fitted to take advantage -of it the sum was to be used in binding out poor apprentices; £5 for -the purpose of binding apprentices; and the remainder to be expended in -defraying the cost of an annual dinner for the trustees when they met to -“enquire concerning the demeanure of the scholler at the univerty,” in -whose case it was appointed that if they should find him “to be riotously -given, or disordered and debauched, they should withdraw the exhibition.” - -In 1701, the Drapers’ Company issued the following order touching the -admission of girls to the benefits of the charity:— “From henceforth no -female sex shall have any conversation, or be taught, or partake of any -manner of learning whatsoever in the free school at Kirkham, any former -custom to the contrary notwithstanding.” - -In 1725 £400 was bequeathed to the trustees of the school by William -Grimbaldson, M.D., to be invested in lands, and the rental to be added -to the stipend of the head-master, if “he should be a scholar bred at -Westminster, Winchester, or Eton, and a master of arts,” but if not the -rental to be devoted to binding apprentices, for which purpose it is used -at present. In addition this physician left £50 to be similarly invested, -and the income to be spent in buying classical books for the school. The -management of the school has been in the hands of trustees from the time -of Barker’s bequest. - -Since the establishment of the exhibition under Barker’s trust -twenty-eight youths have been assisted in their university careers by its -means. - - HEAD MASTERS OF GRAMMAR SCHOOL SINCE 1800. - - -------------+----------------------------+------------+----------- - Date of | | |By whom - Appointment. | NAME. | |appointed. - -------------+----------------------------+------------+----------- - 1801 to 1806 |Rev. Thos. Stevenson |_pro. temp._|Company of - | | | Drapers - In 1806 |Jas. Thos. Halloway, D.D. | | ” - ” 1808 |Rev. Henry Dannett, B.A. | | ” - ” 1814 |Rev. Phipps Gerard Slatter, | | - | M.A. | | ” - ” 1815 |Rev. Jas. Ratcliffe, M.A. | | ” - Before 1837 |Rev. Richᵈ Martindell Lamb, | | - | M.A. |_pro. temp._| ” - In 1837 |Rev. Geo. Thistlethwaite, | | ” - | M.A. | | - ” 1845 |Rev. S. E. Wentworth, M.A. | | ” - ” 1866 |Rev. Jno. Burrough, M.A. | | ” - ” 1874 |Rev. J. Young, M.A. | | ” - -------------+----------------------------+------------+----------- - -From the vestry book of Kirkham, we learn that the charity known as -“Bread Money” originated from the vicar and “Thirty-men,” who, on the -5th of April, 1670, “with the consent and countenance of some of the -gentlemen and of the present churchwardens, with some neighbours of -repute in the respective townships,” held a meeting, at which it was -unanimously decided to raise £80, such sum to be laid out on good -security, and the interest to be expended in providing “a dozen penny -loaves for every Sunday in the year, Christmas and the king’s birthday, -and for every other holiday, to be given to so many of such poor as -shall use to frequent the church and to those of distant townships.” -The resolution continued:—“These loaves shall not be given to strangers -or vagabonds, nor to children that shall but play about the church till -sermon be passed, and then come in for a loaf, nor to any of the town -of Kirkham in summer, but only in winter.” In order to raise the fund -agreed upon, it was resolved that “what could be got by contribution of -the communicants at Easter should be thus employed;” vicar Richard Clegg -promised £5, and stated that if he remained at Kirkham during the rest -of his life, and had the means, he would at some future time give £15 -more for the same object, an intention which appears subsequently to have -been carried out by his daughter, Mrs. Mary Nightingale, who some years -after his decease, contributed £20 towards the fund. £5 given for the -use of the poor by Jane, wife of John Clifton; arrears of rent due from -Goosnargh; and funeral doles were all devoted to this purpose. In 1867 -the fund amounted to £102 2s., yielding an annual income of £5 13s. 3d. - -A sum of £12 was given by vicar Clegg, the interest to be paid to the -clergyman preaching a sermon in Kirkham church on Easter Tuesday. - -Richard Brown, by indenture dated 1639, conveyed for a term of 999 years -a close called New Moor Hey with appurtenances, in Kirkham, to James -Smith, upon condition that he, his heirs and executors, should pay -the yearly rent of 20s. at Martinmas. “It is witnessed, that the said -Richard Brown, in consideration of the good will he bore to the town of -Kirkham, and the inhabitants thereof, and out of his zeal to God, and the -charitable relief of the poor, needful and impotent people within the -said town, granted to William Robinson and three others, their heirs and -assigns, the said yearly rent of 20s., to hold the same upon trust, and -to dispose of it amongst so many of the people of the said town, as the -bailiffs thereof for the time being should, in their discretion, think -most needful, on St. Thomas’s day.”[171] - -By indenture, dated 1734, Joseph Hankinson, of Kirkham, in consideration -of £45 released and conveyed to Robert Hankinson, and four others a close -in Kirkham, called Swarbreck’s Old Earth, containing, by estimate, 1½ -acres, to hold the same to themselves and their heirs for ever; and in -the deed it was declared that the consideration money belonged to the -poor of the township, and that the grantees were only trustees of the -same, and had laid it out by direction of the inhabitants for the benefit -of the poor according to the wish of the benefactors. The indenture is -endorsed:—“Conveyance of Swarbreck’s Old Earth, for the use of the poor -of Kirkham, purchased by monies given by Mrs. Clegg, widow of the Rev. -Richard Clegg, vicar, and Mrs. Phœbe Sayle, wife of Mr. Charles Sayle, to -wit £20 by the former, and £20 by the latter.” - -Thomas Brockholes, by an indenture of 1755, conveyed for £50 to John -Langton and William Shepherd, their heirs and assigns, a close called -Moor Hey, with appurtenances; and subsequently in 1768 William Shepherd -conveyed the close then denominated the Bailiffs’ Moor Hey to Henry -Lawson, yeoman, of Kirkham, who in the following year being moved by -“divers good causes and considerations” sold to the Rev. Charles Buck, -vicar of Kirkham, and twelve others, all of Kirkham, gentlemen, for -the sum of five shillings, two plots of land in Kirkham township, one -of which, called Moorcroft, contained a rood and four perches, and -the other, Swarbreck’s Old Earth, comprised an acre and an half. The -conditions were that all profits or income accruing from the lands should -be used for the relief of the poor of the aforesaid township.[172] - -On the 1st of December, 1739, a legacy of £40 was bequeathed to trustees -by Elizabeth Brown, to be invested, and the interest applied to the -relief of the poor and necessitous widows of Kirkham, or the neighbouring -townships, at Michaelmas. - -The sum of £140 was received under the will, dated 1767, of William -Harrison of Kirkham, to be invested, and the interest to be expended -in Common Prayer books, Bibles, etc., two-thirds of which were to be -given to the poor of this town, and the remainder to the poor of Little -Eccleston and Larbrick.[173] - -In 1816 Mrs. Mary Bradkirk placed £320 in the navy, five per cents. in -her own name and that of Zachary Langton, esq., of Bedford Row, London; -and subsequently trustees of this fund were appointed, whose duty it was -to distribute the interest as follows:— - -That of £100 amongst five necessitous persons in the township of Kirkham -for life, and each vacancy to be filled up immediately after the death of -the former recipient. - -That of £20 to Joseph Brewer, then parish clerk of Kirkham, for life, and -after his demise to the person filling the office of sexton at the same -place. - -That of £100 to five poor persons of Ribby-with-Wrea, and that of the -last £100 to five poor persons of Bryning-with-Kellamergh, the vacancies -to be treated as in those of Kirkham. - -The only requirement on the part of the pensioners being that they should -be members of the Church of England. The income of this charity, which -amounts to more than £10 a year, like those of the five preceding it, -forms part of the bailiffs’ fund. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -PARISH OF KIRKHAM. - - -FRECKLETON. In the Domesday Book Freckeltun is stated to contain four -carucates of arable soil. During the reign of Henry III. Richard de -Freckleton, Allan de Singleton, and Iwan de Freckleton, with three -others, held land in Freckleton from the earl of Lincoln. In 1311 the -heirs of Adam de Freckleton held Freckleton from Alice, the daughter and -heiress of the earl of Lincoln, shortly after which Ralph de Freckleton -was lord of the manor. Gilbert de Singleton had a house with 12 acres of -land and a mill there in 1325. In 1349 the manor was held under the earl -of Lancaster as follows:—Robert de Freckleton, 1 messuage and 3 bovates; -Nicholas le Botiler, 1 messuage and 11 bovates; the heirs of Robert -Sherburne, 2 bovates; the heirs of Sir Adam de Banastre, 2 bovates; and -Thomas de Singleton, 1 bovate. During the first half of the 16th century -the Botilers or Butlers retained property in Freckleton, whilst the -Sherburnes held estates there until the early part of the 17th century. -Hugh Hilton Hornby, esq., of Ribby Hall, is the largest territorial -proprietor at present, but there are several resident yeomen. - -In 1834 a temporary episcopal chapel was erected, and 5 years later the -existing church was built, being a neat brick edifice, with a spire at -the west end, and containing an ancient pulpit from Kirkham church. The -Rev. G. H. Waterfall, M.A., was the earliest incumbent, and the Rev. -Walter Scott, appointed in 1861, is now in charge. In 1718 a Quakers’ -burial ground was opened, but was closed in 1811. A meeting house was -also established by the same sect in 1720, and pulled down after standing -nearly a century. A Wesleyan chapel was erected in 1814; and in 1862 the -Primitive Methodists opened another. A National school was built in 1839, -and is supported mainly by subscriptions. - -The village is long and irregular, but contains sundry better class -houses, and a cotton manufactory, belonging to Mr. Sowerbutts, holding -320 looms. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in making sacking, -sailcloth, ropes, etc. There is also a shipbuilding yard, of which Mr. -Rawstorne is the proprietor, where vessels, mostly for the coasting -trade, are constructed. - - POPULATION OF FRECKLETON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 561 701 875 909 995 968 879 930 - -The township comprises 2,659 statute acres. - -Andrew Freckleton and two more gave, about 1734, certain sums of money -for the poor of Freckleton, the interest from which, together with 10s. -per annum left by Lawrence Webster for the same object, amounts to £2 -5s. a year. The township shares in a bequest of £5, with Clifton and -Newton-with-Scales, from Elizabeth Clitherall, of Clifton, for the use of -the poor. - -WARTON. Wartun is entered in the survey of William the Conqueror as -comprising four carucates, and later, when in the fee of the earl of -Lincoln, the township was held by the manorial lord of Wood Plumpton. -During the reign of King John, Thomas de Betham had the third of a -knight’s fee in Warton. Sir Ralph de Betham held Warton in the time of -Edward III., and in 1296 Edmund Crouchback, earl of Lancaster, had a rent -charge of 3s. 4d. there. Gilbert de Singleton was possessed of a messuage -with six bovates of land in the township about 1325. The manor was held -by Johanna Standish and Richard Singleton in 1515. John Talbot Clifton, -esq., of Lytham Hall, is now the most extensive owner of the soil. - -The church of Warton, dedicated to St. Paul, was completed in 1722, but -not consecrated until 1725. Within recent years it has been apportioned a -distinct parochial district under Lord Blandford’s act. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF WARTON. - - ------------+------------------------+------------------------ - Date of | | - Institution.| NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - ------------+------------------------+------------------------ - Before 1773 |Wilfred Burton | - In 1789 |Charles Buck, M.A. | - ” 1790 |James Fox |Resignation of C. Buck - ” 1823 |James Fox, B.A. | ” J. Fox - ” 1840 |George Wylie, M.A. | ” J. Fox - ” 1844 |Thos. Henry Dundas, B.A.| ” G. Wylie - ------------+------------------------+------------------------ - -Warton school was built many years ago at the cost of the township, and -in 1810 the sum of £277 was raised by subscription as an endowment. In -1809, William Dobson, of Liverpool, bequeathed £500 to the trustees, and -another sum of £500 was also bequeathed by Mrs. Francis Hickson. In 1821 -a new school-house was built. - - POPULATION OF WARTON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 376 445 468 531 522 473 446 444 - -The area of the township contains 3,939 statute acres. - -BRYNING-WITH-KELLAMERGH. The earliest allusion to this township occurs in -1200-1, when Matilda Stockhord and others held two carucates in Briscath -Brunn and one carucate in Kelgmersberg. A few years later Robert de -Stockhord had the fourth of a knight’s fee there. In 1253 Ralph Betham -held Brininge, Kelgermsarche, etc.; and during the reign of Edward III. -Sir Ralph de Betham possessed the fourth of a knight’s fee in the same -places, at which time John de Damport also held an eighth of a carucate. -In 1311 John Baskerville had 3½ bovates, and Thurstan de Norley 4 -bovates, in the hamlet of Kilgremargh. - -In 1479 Sir Edward and William Betham had land in Bryning and Kellamergh; -and two years afterwards half of the manor was granted by Edward IV. to -Thomas Molyneux and his heirs. Thomas Middleton held both Bryning and -Kellamergh in 1641. The Birley, Langton, Cross, and Smith families are -now the chief landowners in the township. - -Bryning Hall and Leyland House are the only places of interest amongst -the scattered habitations. The Hall, now a farm-house, was formerly the -seat of the Bradkirks, whilst Leyland House, also converted to farm -uses, was the residence of the Leylands, of Kellamergh, during the 17th -and part of the 18th centuries.[174] - - POPULATION OF BRYNING-WITH-KELLAMERGH. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 105 131 145 164 152 126 116 115 - -The area of the township in statute acres is 1,043. - -RIBBY-WITH-WREA. In Domesday Book _Rigbi_, for Ribby, is entered as -comprising six carucates. Roger de Poictou gave the tithes of “colts, -calves, lambs, kids, pigs, wheat, cheese, and butter of Ribbi and -Singletone” to the priory of Lancaster to serve as food to the monks who -celebrated mass in that monastery. This grant was afterwards confirmed by -John, earl of Moreton.[175] In 1201 Adam and Gerard de Wra paid two marks -to King John in order to gain protection from the sheriff, who, it seems, -was in the habit of unjustly molesting them in their tenements.[176] The -manors of Preston, Riggeby, and Singleton were presented by Henry III. to -Edmund, earl of Lancaster, who in 1286 became engaged in a dispute with -the abbot of Vale Royal, which ultimately led to a mandate being issued -by Edward I., at Westminster, to the sheriff of Lancaster, commanding -him to draw a proper and just boundary line between the lands of the -disputants, because the abbot complained that the earl had taken more -territory than he was legally entitled to by his fee, thereby encroaching -on the conventual possessions in Kirkham parish.[177] In 1297 earl -Edmund’s rents from Ribby-with-Wrea amounted in all to £19 19s.[178] per -annum. - -During the life of the first duke of Lancaster, Ribby contained twenty -houses, and twenty-one and three-fourths bovates of land held by bondsmen -at a rental of £19 16s. 4d.; and at that time there were the following -tenants in Ribby and Wrea:—Adam, the son of Richard the clerk, who held -five acres, and paid 4d. per annum; Adam, the son of Jordani, one acre -for 12d.; Roger Culbray, three acres for 9d.; Richard de Wra, half a -bovate for 5d.; Adam de Kelyrumshagh, half a bovate for 4d.; William de -Wogher, six acres for 2d.; John de Bredkyrke, half a bovate for 9d.; -William le Harpour, one bovate for 15d.; Giles, two acres for 10d.; John -de Bonk, one bovate and one acre for 10d.; John le Wise, eleven acres for -7d.; and Adam de Parys, two bovates, which were those of John le Harpour, -for 3s., of free farm and two marks. After the demise of a tenant it was -the recognised custom for his successor to pay double rent.[179] The rent -days were the feasts of the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary and of St. -Michael. H. H. Hornby, esq., of Ribby Hall, is the present lord of the -manor. - -The remains of the ancient manor house on Wrea Green are now used as -a cottage; Ribby Hall, the seat of the Hornbys, is a modern mansion, -and was erected rather more than half a century ago. The church of -Ribby-with-Wrea owes its origin to the trustees of Nicholas Sharples’s -charity, who purchased a piece of ground on Wrea Green in 1721, and, -having subscribed sufficient funds amongst themselves, erected a small -chapel upon it. The following year they obtained a license to hold -divine service in the building, and on the 20th of June, 1755, it was -consecrated by the bishop of Chester. At that date the church was endowed -with £400, half of which came from Queen Anne’s bounty, and the other in -equal portions from the charities of Thistleton and Sharples. In 1762 -the whole of this fund was invested in land in Warton, and other sums -amounting to £600, including a legacy of £100 under the will of Thomas -Benson in 1761, and further donations from the Royal bounty before -mentioned, were expended in the purchase of land at Thistleton.[180] - -In 1846 the township of Westby, with the exception of Great and Little -Plumptons, was joined, by order of Council, to that of Ribby-with-Wrea, -and the whole converted into an ecclesiastical district. In 1869 the -title of the incumbent was changed from that of perpetual curate to vicar. - -The old church was pulled down and the foundation stone of the existing -structure laid in 1848, by the Rev. G. L. Parsons, vicar of Kirkham. On -the 23rd of September in the ensuing year, it was opened for worship, -but remained unconsecrated until the 4th of May, 1855. The church is -dedicated to St. Nicholas. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF RIBBY-WITH-WREA. - - ------------+-----------------------------+------------------------- - Date of | | - Institution.| NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - ------------+-----------------------------+------------------------- - Before 1733 | Robert Willacy | - ” 1756 | Samuel Smith | - ” 1762 | James Anyon | - In 1770 | ⸺ Watts | - ” 1791 | John Thompson | - About 1823 | James Fox | - In 1845 | George Thistlethwaite, M.A. | Resignation of J. Fox - ” 1846 | Stephⁿ Exuperius Wentworth, | - | M.A. | Death of G. Thistlethwaite - ” 1866 | Ralph Sadleir Stoney, M.A. | ” S. E. Wentworth - ------------+-----------------------------+---------------------------- - -The Rev. George Thistlethwaite was the son of the Rev. T. Thistlethwaite, -incumbent of St. George’s, Bolton-le-Moors, and in 1837 officiated _pro. -temp._ as head master of Kirkham Grammar School. The Rev. S. E. Wentworth -held the headmastership of the same school from 1845 to 1860, as well as -his curacy. - -The free school of Ribby-with-Wrea owes its existence to the frugality -and benevolence of a tailor, named James Thistleton, of Wrea, who, -although his daily wages averaged no more than 4d. and his food, managed, -by great care and self-denial, to accumulate a sufficient fund to -establish a school at his native place, an object to which he had in a -great measure devoted his life. At his death in 1693, it was found that, -after a few small legacies, one being “10s. to Mr. Clegg, vicar, to -preach at my funeral,” and another 6s. 8d. to each of the townships of -Kirkham, Bryning, and Westby, for the use of the poor, he had bequeathed -the remainder of his property “towards the making and maintaining of a -free school in the township of Ribby-cum-Wrea for ever,” stipulating only -that his surviving sister should receive annually from the profits of his -estate a sum of money sufficient for her support during the rest of her -life. The executors appointed were Thomas Benson, Richard Shepherd, and -Cuthbert Bradkirk, whilst the money designed for the foundation of the -school amounted to £180. - -The work thus commenced by Thistleton received, a few years later, -substantial assistance under the will, dated 10th September, 1716, -of Nicholas Sharples, who is described as a “citizen and innholder -of London.” The bequest in this instance amounted to £850, and the -two executors, Richard Wilson and Robert Pigot, were directed, “with -all convenient speed to apply such sum of money towards the building -or finishing of a school-house for educating of boys and girls in -Ribby-cum-Wrea,” and in the purchase of land for the benefit of such -establishment, and the remuneration of the master, “for educating such a -number of boys and girls as nine of the most substantial men, chosen and -elected out of Ribby-cum-Wrea for governors or elders, or the major part -of them, shall think fit;” also that his name should be inscribed in some -prominent place on one of the school walls.[181] - -In 1780 a girls’ school was established in a building separate from -that of the boys, but in 1847 the trustees of the foundation gave the -“materials of the boys’ school” and the plot of land as a site for the -new church, and in return the ecclesiastical party erected, according to -agreement, another school-house on a piece of ground adjoining the girls’ -school.[182] - - POPULATION OF RIBBY-WITH-WREA. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 307 398 500 482 442 406 444 446 - -The area of the township amounts to 1,366 statute acres. - -WESTBY, WITH GREAT AND LITTLE PLUMPTONS. Gilbert de Clifton held the -manor about 1280, and subsequently his son William de Clifton was in -possession about 1292. During the reign of Edward III. John Fleetwood -was lord of Little Plumpton, and in 1394 his descendant, John Fleetwood, -resided there. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, whose ancestor -was the Gilbert de Clifton just mentioned, holds the manor of Westby with -Plumpton, by right of inheritance. - -Bowen, the geographer, who wrote in 1717, alludes to a spa in Plumpton, -and states that it was impregnated with sulphur, vitriol, ochre, iron, -and a marine salt, united with a bitter purging salt. The site of the spa -has been lost in the lapse of time. - -Westby Hall, the seat of the Cliftons, has been supplanted by a -farm-house. The old chapel connected with it was opened in 1742 to -the Romanists of the district, but closed about a century later. The -present Catholic chapel was built in 1861. In 1849 a school, free to -all denominations, was established by Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, -but there seems to have been such an institution existing before, as Ann -Moor, of Westby, bequeathed, in 1805, £40 to Plumpton school, and the -interest of £20 to the poor of Great Plumpton. - - POPULATION OF WESTBY-WITH-PLUMPTONS. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 623 692 771 686 643 707 601 535 - -The area of the township is 3,426 statute acres. - -WEETON-WITH-PREESE. On the arrival of the Normans Weeton contained 300 -acres of arable land. In the 9th year of King John, Matilda, wife of -Theobald Walter, obtained certain inheritances in Weeton, Treales, and -Rawcliffe. Theobald le Botiler, or Butler, held Weeton in 1249; and in -1339, James, son of Edmund le Botiler, earl of Ormond, had possession of -it, together with Treales, Little Marton, and Out Rawcliffe. The manor -descended in the same family until 1673, when it passed to the 9th earl -of Derby on his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Butler, the -Lord Ossory. The present earl of Derby is now the lord of the soil, and -holds a court baron by deputy. There is a fair for cattle and small wares -on the first Tuesday after Trinity Sunday. - -Preese is the Pres of Domesday Book, and comprised at that time two -carucates. Henry, duke of Lancaster, held Preese at his death in 1361. In -the reign of Henry VIII. the manor was in the hands of the Skilicornes, -who for many generations were the coroners of Amounderness. Preese Hall, -the ancient seat of this family, was much damaged by a fire in 1732, -which destroyed the private chapel. In 1864 that portion of the mansion, -which had survived the conflagration and been repaired, was pulled down. -The site is now occupied by a farm-house, belonging to T. H. Miller, -esq., of Singleton, who owns a large amount of the land. - -The church of Weeton is dedicated to St. Michael, and was built in -1843 by subscription, to which the late earl of Derby contributed -generously. In 1852 the edifice was enlarged, and in 1861 the township -of Weeton-with-Preese was united with the Plumptons and Greenhalgh, to -form an ecclesiastical parish. The Rev. William Sutcliffe, when curate -at Kirkham, performed the duties at Weeton church, and was appointed -incumbent there in 1861. In 1862 he was succeeded by the present vicar, -the Rev. William Thorold. A National school was erected by subscription -and a grant from the National Society of £30, in 1845. A Wesleyan chapel -was built about 1827. - - POPULATION OF WEETON-WITH-PREESE. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 384 508 473 477 545 465 465 433 - -The area of the township is 2,876 statute acres. - -MEDLAR-WITH-WESHAM. The abbot and brethren of Cockersand Abbey became -possessed of this township at an early date, and retained it until the -dissolution of monasteries, when the manor of Medlar passed, by gift or -purchase, to the Westbys, of Mowbreck Hall. The estates of the Westbys -were confiscated by the Commonwealth, and only redeemed on the payment -of £1,000. The estate and Hall of Mowbreck are still held by the same -family.[183] The mansion preserves many evidences of its great antiquity, -including the old chapel and priests’ room. - -Bradkirk, in Medlar, belonged to Theobald Walter in 1249, but in the -reign of Edward III. it was held by a family bearing the name of -Bradkirk, a title acquired from the estate. The Bradkirks resided there -as proprietors until somewhere about the opening of the 17th century, -when the earl of Derby had obtained the soil. In 1723 Bradkirk was bought -by John Richardson, of Preston, from Thomas Stanley, of Cross Hall, in -Ormskirk parish, who held the manor by right of his wife Catherine, -sister and heiress of Christopher Parker, of Bradkirk, deceased, -unmarried, a few years before.[184] From John Richardson the manor passed -successively by will to William Richardson, Edward Hurst, of Preston, and -James Kearsley, of Over Hulton, by the last of whom it was sold in 1797 -to Joseph Hornby, esq., of Ribby, and his descendant, H. H. Hornby, esq., -of Ribby Hall, is the present holder. The original Bradkirk Hall, the -seat of the Bradkirks and Parkers, has long since disappeared, and the -edifice now bearing the name was erected or rebuilt by Edward Hurst in -1764. - -In 1864 an Independent Day and Sunday school was built by Benjamin -Whitworth, esq., M.P., of London, on land given by R. C. Richards, esq., -J.P., of Kirkham, and presented to the trustees of the chapel belonging -to that sect at Kirkham. The railway station and several weaving sheds -and cotton mills are situated in this township. - - POPULATION OF MEDLAR-WITH-WESHAM. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 216 230 215 242 209 170 563 860 - -GREENHALGH-WITH-THISTLETON. Greenhalgh is stated in the Domesday Book to -contain three carucates of soil. The township was held by the Butlers -of the Fylde at an early epoch, and retained until 1626 at least, when -Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe, was lord of Greenhalgh and Thistleton. During -the sovereignty of Edward I. the abbot of Cockersand had certain rights -there, including assize of bread and beer. - -Henry Colbourne, of London, bequeathed, in 1655, £5 10s. to establish -a school at Esprick in this township, but his wishes were not properly -carried out before 1679, at which date his legacy was supplemented by -gifts from 41 yeomen in the neighbourhood, and a school erected to -provide free education to the children of Greenhalgh and Thistleton. -Further endowments of £60 in 1766 from John Cooper, and £80 a little -later by subscription, were given to the institution; and in 1805 Mary -Hankinson left £200, and Richard Burch, of Greenhalgh, £200, to the same -object. The original school-house, formed of clay and thatched with -straw, has been pulled down, and a fresh one built. Subsequent donations -have been received under the wills of the Misses Ellen and Hannah -Dewhirst, the former of whom left £200, in addition to a gift of £100 -during her lifetime, and the latter the residue of her estate. - -The interest of £20, bequeathed for that purpose by a person named -Lawrenson, is distributed annually to the poor of Greenhalgh. - - POPULATION OF GREENHALGH-WITH-THISTLETON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 378 403 409 408 371 362 383 365 - -The township embraces 1,821 statute acres. - -GREAT AND LITTLE SINGLETONS. At the Domesday Survey, Singletun contained -six carucates of arable land, the lord of the manor being Roger de -Poictou, who gave the tithes at the close of the eleventh century to the -priory of St. Mary’s, Lancaster; this grant was subsequently confirmed -by John, earl of Moreton.[185] During the reigns of kings John and Henry -III., Alan de Singleton held a carucate of land in the township by -serjeanty of the wapentake of Amounderness.[186] In 20 Edward I. (1292) -Thomas de Singleton, a descendant of Alan, proved to the satisfaction -of a jury, when his right to certain offices was called in question, -that the manor of Little Singleton had belonged to his family from time -immemorial, and that the serjeanty of Amounderness with its privileges -and duties, was annexed and appurtenant to that manor. Thomas de -Singleton admitted, however, when called upon by the king’s attorney -to show by what title he held the manors of Singleton, Thornton, and -Brughton, the same having been amongst the possessions of Richard I. at -his death, that he did not hold the whole of Singleton, as Thomas de -Clifton and Caterina his wife had one third of two bovates there; and -urged this fact as a plea why he could not be summoned to answer the -demand as made on behalf of Edward I. His objection was allowed.[187] -In 1297 Edmund, earl of Lancaster received annually £21 from Singleton -and 20s. from Singleton Grange. At the opening of the fourteenth century -Little Singleton had passed into the hands of the Banastres, for the -“hamlet of Singleton Parva” was one of the estates of William Banastre at -his death in 17 Edward II. (1323-24).[188] Towards the end of the reign -of Edward II. Thomas, the son of the notorious Sir Adam Banastre, held -little Singleton and the serjeanty of Amounderness, and by the latter -of these had a right to the services of two bailiffs and a boy to levy -executions within the wapentake.[189] - -The following notice of Singleton in the time of Henry, duke of -Lancaster, who died in 1361, occurs amongst the Lansdowne manuscripts:— - - “In Syngleton there are 21 messuages and 26 bovates of land - held by bondsmen, who pay annually at the feasts of Easter and - St. Michael £21 9s. 3d. And there are 11 cottages with so many - inclosures, and one croft, and one piece of land in the hands - of tenants-at-will, paying annually 21s. 6d. All the aforesaid - bondsmen owe talliage, and give marchet and heriot,[190] and - on the death of her husband a widow gives one third part of - his property to the lord of the manor, but more is claimed in - cases where the deceased happen to be widowers. And if any one - possesses a male fowl it is forbidden to him to sell it without a - license. The duke of Lancaster owns the aforesaid tenements with - right to hold a court. It is to be noted that each of the above - mentioned bovates of land is to pay at first 2s. 7d. per annum, - with work at the plough and harrow, mowing meadows in Ryggeby, - and carrying elsewhere the lord’s provisions at Richmond, York, - Doncaster, Pontefract, and Newcastle, with 12 horses in Summer - and Winter. But afterwards the land was freed from this bondage, - and paid per bovate 14s. 3d. ob.” - -The lands of Thomas Banastre, before named, in “Syngleton Parva, -Ethelswyk, Frekulton, Hamylton, Stalmyn,” etc., were escheated to John of -Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, in 1385, after the death of Banastre.[191] - -Edmund Dudley, who was attainted in 1509 and afterwards executed, held -Little Singleton, as well as lands in Elswick, Thornton, Wood Plumpton, -Freckleton, etc.;[192] and in 1521 Thomas, earl of Derby, held the manor -of Syngleton of Henry VIII.[193] - -In the reign of James I. Great Singleton appears to have belonged to -the crown, for amongst a number of estates purchased from the crown by -Edward Badbie and William Weldon, of London, for the sum of £2,000, is -the “manor or lordship of Singleton, alias Singleton Magna,” the annual -rent of which is stated to have been £16 17s. 0d. Subsequently the manor -passed to the Fanshaws, and from them to the Shaws; William Cunliffe -Shaw, of Preston, esq., sold it to Joseph Hornby, of Ribby Hall, esq., -and afterwards it was purchased by Thomas Miller, esq., of Preston, who -greatly improved the property by draining the low lying lands known as -Singleton Carrs, which in former days were frequently in a state of -partial or complete inundation. Thomas H. Miller, esq., the present owner -and eldest son of the late Thos. Miller, esq., has recently erected a -noble mansion on the estate, where he resides during most of the year. - -The earliest notice to be discovered of Singleton Grange is in an old -schedule of deeds, in which the land is mentioned as having been granted -by King John in 1215. In 1297, during the reign of Edward I., Edmund -Crouchback, earl of Lancaster, received yearly the sum of 20s. from the -estate. Subsequently the Grange passed into the possession of the abbot -and convent of Cockersand;[194] and at the dissolution of monasteries -it became the property of Henry VIII., who in 1543 granted it to William -Eccleston, of Eccleston, gentleman.[195] The Grange descended to Thomas, -the son, and afterwards to Adam, the grandson, of William Eccleston. -Adam Eccleston died sometime a little later than 1597. The estate after -his decease passed through several hands in rapid succession, and in -1614 was sold by William Ireland, gent., to William Leigh, B.D., clerk -in holy orders and rector of Standish. Theophilus Leigh, the eldest -son of that gentleman, resided at Singleton Grange, and married Clare, -daughter of Thomas Brooke, of Norton, Cheshire, by whom he had one son, -named William. William Leigh succeeded to the Grange on the death of his -father in 1658, and espoused Margaret, daughter of Edward Chisenhall, of -Chisenhall, Lancashire, and had issue, Charles and Edward. - -Charles Leigh, the elder of the two sons, became celebrated as a -physician and student of natural history and antiquities. He was born -at the Grange in 1662, and at the age of 21 graduated as B.A. at the -University of Oxford; afterwards he removed to Cambridge to study -medicine, and in 1690 obtained the degree of M.D. In 1685 he was elected -a Fellow of the Royal Society. He married Dorothy, daughter of Edward -Shuttleworth, of Larbrick, and practised as a physician both in London -and in the neighbourhood of his birthplace, on one occasion, according -to his own version, performing a wonderful cure on Alexander Rigby, of -Layton Hall. His published works were—_Physiologia Lancastriensis_, in -1691, and the _Natural History of Lancashire, Cheshire, and the Peak -of Derbyshire, with an account of the British, Phœnician, Armenian, -Greek, and Roman Antiquities in those parts_, in 1700, of which latter -Dr. Whittaker remarks:—“Had this doctor filled his whole book, as he -has done nearly one-half of it, with medical cases, it might have been -of some use; but how, with all possible allowances for the blindness -and self-partiality of human nature, a man should have thought himself -qualified to write and to publish critical remarks on a subject of which -he understood not the elementary principles, it is really difficult to -conceive.”[196] - -Somewhere before the commencement of the eighteenth century, the estate -of Bankfield was separated from the Grange, which, during the latter -portion, at least, of the lifetime of Dr. Leigh, who died shortly after -the publication of his “Natural History,” was held by a person named -Joseph Green. In 1701 the executors of Joseph Green sold a portion -of Singleton Grange to Richard Harrison, of Bankfield, yeoman. The -remainder of the Grange land was held by widow Green until her death, -when it passed by her will, dated 1716, to her two sons, Richard and Paul -Green.[197] - -Richard Harrison, of Bankfield, obtained the whole of Singleton Grange -in 1738, and left it on his decease to his son Richard, from whom it -descended about 1836 to his only surviving child, Agnes Elizabeth, the -wife of Edwards Atkinson, of Fleetwood, justice of the peace for the -county of Lancaster. Mrs. Atkinson died childless in 1850, and bequeathed -Singleton Grange to her husband, who in his turn entailed the estate -upon his eldest son, Charles Edward Dyson Atkinson, still a minor, the -offspring of a second marriage, with Anne, daughter of Christopher -Thornton Clark, of Cross Hall, Lancashire, by whom he had issue two sons -and a daughter,—Ann Elizabeth Ynocensia, John Henry Gladstone, and the -present heir. The old Hall of Singleton Grange has been modernised and -converted into a farm-house. - -It is very probable that there was a chapel in Singleton during the -earlier years of the fourteenth century, for in 1358-59, Henry, duke -of Lancaster, granted to John de Estwitton, hermit, the custody of the -chapel of St. Mary, in Singleton; and in 1440 a license was granted to -celebrate mass to the inhabitants of Singleton in the chapel at the -same place for one year. Twelve years afterwards another license was -granted by the archdeacon of Richmond for an oratory to be established -in the chapel for the use of the people of the township; and in 1456 the -license was renewed by archdeacon Laurence Bothe to John Skilicorne, of -Kirkham. The chapel, with all its appurtenances, passed to the Crown -at the Reformation; and in the report of the Commissioners of Edward -VI., it is stated that “A Stipendarye is founded in the Chapelle of -Syngleton, in Kirkeham, by vertue of a lease made out of the Duchie to -Sʳ Richarde Houghton, knight, the 26th day of Februarie, in the ffirst -yere of the raigne of our soveraign lorde the kinge, that nowe is -(1547), unto the ende of 21 yeres the next following; wherein the said -Sʳ Richarde covenanteth to pay yerely duringe the said time to a Pryest -celebrating in the said Chapelle the sum of 49s. The said Chapelle is -distant from the parishe Church of Kirkeham 4 myles; Richarde Godson, -the Incumbent, of the age of 38 yeres, hath the said yerely salarie of -49s.” Thomas Houghton, of Lea, the son of the knight, appears to have had -some difficulty in inducing sundry of the Singleton tenants to recognise -his right of proprietorship after the death of his father, for we find -him pleading in the duchy court in 1560-61 that he held the “lands of -the late kynge in Singleton, also a house called the chapell house, with -three acres of land in the tenure of Wᵐ Yede, a chapell called Singleton -chapell, in Singleton aforesaid, with the chapell yarde thereunto -belonging, one house or cottage called Corner-rawe, and a windmill; and -that the tenants thereof, Robert Carter and James Hall, had never paid -any rent, and refused to do so.”[198] - -In 1562 the Charity Commissioners of Edward VI. founded a “stipendarye in -the Chapelle of Syngleton in Kyrkeham.” - -At the archiepiscopal visitation of the diocese of Chester in 1578, -the following list of charges was brought against the curate of -Singleton:—“There is not servyse done in due tyme—He kepeth no hous nor -releveth the poore—He is not dyligent in visitinge the sycke—He doth -not teach the catechisme—There is no sermons—He churcheth fornycatours -without doinge any penaunce—He maketh a donge hill of the chapel yeard, -and he hath lately kepte a typlinge hous and a nowty woman in it.”[199] - -From that time we hear no more of the old chapel of Singleton, but the -chapel-house, alluded to above, was at a later period flourishing as -an inn, and bearing the same name; at the Oliverian survey, in 1650, -it was stated that there was a newly erected chapel at Singleton, but -that it had no endowment or maintenance belonging to it, and that the -inhabitants prayed that it might be constituted a parish church with a -“minister and competent mayntenance allowed.”[200] It is probable that -after the decline of the Commonwealth this chapel fell into the hands -of the Catholics, for Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, a Romanist, in -his diary of 1712, 13 and 14, speaks several times of going “to Great -Singleton to prayers”; and doubtless it is the one alluded to in the -following indenture, bearing the date 29th August, 1749:—“William Shaw, -esq., lord of the manor of Shingleton in yᵉ parish of Kirkham, gave a -chapel belonging to him at Shingleton aforesaid, then used as a popish -chapel, to be used for yᵉ future as a chapel of ease to yᵉ mother church -of Kirkham, for yᵉ benefit of yᵉ inhabitants of Shingleton and of the -adjacent townships; and that the said Wᵐ. Shaw proposed to give £200, to -be added to a similar sum from Queen Anne’s bounty, for yᵉ endowment of -yᵉ said chapel, in consideration whereof Samuel, lord bishop of Chester -as ordinary, the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford, as patrons, -and Chas. Buck as incumbent, by virtue of an act of George I., grant and -decree that yᵉ said William Shaw and his heirs and assigns for ever shall -have yᵉ nomination to and patronage of yᵉ said chapel, as often as it is -vacant.” - -This chapel was dedicated to St. Anne, and in 1756 it was agreed “by all -parties that the chapel of Singleton should be always considered a place -of public worship according to the liturgy of the Church of England, -and the chapel yard always appropriated to the burying of the dead and -the support of the minister”; further, the chapel living was declared -a perpetual curacy, separate and independent of the mother church of -Kirkham, “save and except that the curate must assist the vicar of the -latter place on Christmas day, Easter day, Whitsunday, Good Friday, and -each sabbath when it is customary to administer the sacrament; also the -tythes, Easter dues, funeral sermons, and all other parochial rights and -duties belonged to the vicarage of Kirkham.”[201] - -The above is an authentic record of the way in which the chapel of -Singleton passed out of the hands of the Romanists into those of -the Protestants, but the Rev. W. Thornber, to whom this document -was evidently unknown, has given in his _History of Blackpool and -its neighbourhood_, a different version of the matter. He states, -with apparently no greater authority than tradition, that after the -suppression of the rebellion of 1745, the protestants of the village -celebrated the 5th of November more zealously than usual, raising -contributions of peat at every house, and amongst the rest had even -the presumption to call at that of the priest. The refusal of the -ecclesiastic to provide his share of fuel so incensed the villagers that -they ejected him both from his house and the church; and the lord of the -manor seized this opportunity to convert the chapel into a protestant -place of worship. - -Singleton chapel was a low building with a thatched roof, the eaves of -which came within a short distance of the ground; the priest’s house -was attached to the chapel and communicated with it by a door into the -sacristy. In 1806 this ancient building, having become much dilapidated, -was pulled down and replaced, through the liberality of Joseph Hornby, -of Ribby, esq., by a neat gothic structure, having a square tower at one -end, in which was placed a peal of six bells; in 1859 the latter edifice -was levelled to the ground, and the present handsome and commodious -church erected on the site, chiefly through the munificence of the -late Thomas Miller, esq. The few mural monuments within the church are -not of any great antiquity, and are _in memoriam_ of the Harrisons and -Atkinsons, of Bankfield. There are no inscriptions of interest in the -churchyard, beyond those on the stones surmounting the vault belonging -to the Bankfield families just named. In 1869 a separate district or -parish was assigned to this cure, and the present incumbent of the church -acquired the title of vicar. - - THE CURATES AND VICARS OF SINGLETON. - - ------------+-----------------------+-------------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | - ------------+-----------------------+-------------------------- - About 1545 |Richard Godson | - ” 1562 |Thomas Fieldhouse | - In 1651 |Cuthbert Harrison, B.A.| - ” 1749 |John Threlfall, B.A. | - About 1809 |Thomas Banks | - Before 1843 |William Birley, M.A. | - In 1843 |Leonard C. Wood, B.A. | Resignation of W. Birley - ------------+-----------------------+-------------------------- - -The Rev. Cuthbert Harrison was the son of Richard Harrison, of Newton, -in Kirkham parish, and appears to have been the progenitor of the -Harrisons, of Bankfield, being the first of the name on record as holder -of that property. It is doubtful whether this minister was ejected from -Singleton, as generally believed, or not, for in 1662, the date of the -Act of Uniformity which drove so many of the clergy from their cures, he -was in Ireland, holding the office of minister at Shankel, near Lurgan; -so that if his ejection ever did take place from Singleton it must have -been anterior to, and consequently unconnected with, the obnoxious -Act. According to a letter from his son, however, he was ejected from -Shankel, and it is probably that circumstance which has given rise to the -supposition and assertion that he was one of those who suffered in the -Fylde for conscience’s sake in 1662. After leaving Ireland he opened a -meeting-house at Elswick in 1672 by royal license, for the use “of such -as do not conform to the Church of England and are of the persuasion -commonly called Congregational.” This place of worship was closed shortly -afterwards by a decree of parliament, and Cuthbert Harrison, to escape -persecution, was compelled to hold his services “very privately in the -night” in his own house, or in one belonging to some member of his -congregation. “He practysed physic,” says his son, “with good success, -and by it supported his family and gained the favour of the neighbouring -gentry. He baptized his own children, with many others.” - -Vicar Clegg, of Kirkham, seems to have grown very wrathful at what he -doubtless regarded as the presumption of Cuthbert Harrison, in taking -upon himself the right to baptize children and solemnize matrimony, and -presented him before the ecclesiastical court on a charge of “marrying -one James Benson, of Warles, and baptizing a child of his.” The inquiry -resulted in both Harrison and Benson being excommunicated; but the -former was not deterred by this ban from repairing to the church of -Kirkham, much to the indignation of Mr. Clegg, who on one occasion was -so much disturbed on seeing the irrepressible excommunicant in the -chancel, whilst he engaged with the sermon, that he lost the thread of -his discourse, and being unable to find the place amongst his notes, -“was silent for some time.” Smarting under the additional annoyance -the vicar ordered the churchwardens to eject Mr. Harrison from the -building at once, but that gentleman refused to leave unless Mr. Clegg -in person performed the duty of turning him out; incensed at his show of -obstinacy, the vicar appealed to Christopher Parker, esq., of Bradkirk -Hall, a justice of the peace, who was seated within six feet of Mr. -Harrison, to remove him, but the magistrate refused to act in the matter, -and Mr. Clegg was obliged to descend from the pulpit and undertake the -unpleasant task himself. He walked up to the offender, and, taking him -by the sleeve, desired him to go out from the church; Mr. Harrison went -peaceably with the vicar, but had no sooner passed out through the -chancel door than he exclaimed in a loud voice “It is time to go when the -devil drives.” - -Shortly after this episode Mr. Clegg sued Cuthbert Harrison for the sum -of 120s., being a fine of 20s. per month extending over six months, for -non-attendance at the parish church. The defendant pleaded that when he -had attempted to attend the service at Kirkham he had been ejected from -the church by the plaintiff himself, and the judge who summed up the -evidence in favour of the defendant, remarked—“There is fiddle to be -hanged and fiddle not to be hanged.” The verdict went against Mr. Clegg, -who reaped only the payment of his own and defendant’s costs from this -piece of persecution. - -Cuthbert Harrison died in 1681, and “a great entreaty,” writes his son, -“was made to Mr. Clegg to suffer his body to be buried in the church; -he-was prevailed with, and Mr. Harrison was interred a little within the -great door, which has since been the burial place of the family.” The -first epitaph below is said, by his son, to have been fixed upon “Cuth. -Harrison’s grave by Mr. Clegg”; the second one is a retaliation, reported -to have been substituted by some local rhymester, after effacing the -original one:— - - 1 - - “Here lies Cud, - Who never did good, - But always was in strife; - Oh! let the Knave - Lie in his grave, - And ne’er return to life.” - - 2 - - “Here lies Cud, - Who still did good, - And never was in strife, - But with Dick Clegg, - Who furiously opposed - His holy life.” - -In 1768 another chapel was erected by the Romanists at Singleton by -subscription, and almost immediately the officiating priest, the Rev. -Father Watts, renounced his creed, publicly recanting at Kirkham; he died -in 1773, when minister at the episcopal chapel of Wrea-green. According -to Mr. Thornber, the priests of Singleton could seldom assign a better -reason for desiring a removal to another sphere of labour, than that -they were surfeited with wild ducks from the “carrs.” The chapel was -rebuilt subsequently, but closed when the present one at Poulton had been -completed and opened a few years. - -Mains or Maynes Hall is situated in the manor of Little Singleton, and -appears on ancient maps as Monk’s Hall. The original Hall was built in -the form of a quadrangle, the chapel being on the right and the kitchen -on the left; the latter, taken down rather more than half a century ago, -was roofed with tiles, about six inches square, piled thickly upon one -another, and contained several secret recesses or hiding places, one of -which was situated near the mantel-piece, and another, entered from the -floor above by means of a ladder, showed manifest evidences of having -been occupied. The present Hall is less antique in its construction and -arrangements than its predecessor. In 1745 a party of Scotch rebels -feasted there; and George IV., when Prince of Wales, is said to have -been an occasional visitor at the mansion. The mantel-piece of the -drawing-room was formerly adorned with a family painting of the Howards, -dukes of Norfolk; and adjoining that spacious apartment is a small room, -which appears to have been an oratory, containing relics of distinguished -saints. The outside wall of the old chapel bears the date 1686, and -within are a gilded altar in a state of dilapidation, a large picture of -the ‘Virgin and Infant,’ a coat of arms, and various scraps of scriptural -texts and ordinances of the church of Rome.[202] - -Cardinal Allen, of Rossall Hall, the brother-in-law of William Hesketh, -who was living at Mains Hall at the opening of the seventeenth century, -is said to have frequently secreted himself in the hiding places there, -during the time he was engaged in endeavouring to alienate the loyalty of -the catholics of this district, and induce them to assist the invasion of -Philip of Spain, whose forces were expected to land at Peel in Morecambe -Bay. - -The Heskeths were the first tenants of Mains Hall of whom we have any -notice, and the above William was the first of the family to reside -there; a full account of the descent and intermarriages of the Heskeths -of Mains will be found in the chapter on ancient families of the Fylde. - -The Hall and estate are now the property of Thomas Fitzherbert -Brockholes, of Claughton, esq. - - POPULATION OF GREAT AND LITTLE SINGLETON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 325 396 501 499 391 293 338 317 - -The area of the township comprises 2,860 statute acres. - -LITTLE ECCLESTON-WITH-LARBRICK. The _Testa de Nevill_ records that Adam -de Eccleston and William de Molines, with three others, had part of a -knight’s fee in Eccleston and Larbrick, about 1300. In 1500 Richard -Kerston had 60 acres in Little Eccleston, a portion of which passed on -his death in 1546 to John ffrance, who had married one of his daughters. -The ffrances retained their possessions until 1817, when they were -bequeathed by the last of the line to Thomas Wilson, of Preston, who -adopted their surname.[203] Larbrick was held in 1336 by William de -Coucy, of Gynes, but in 1358 it belonged to Sir William Molyneux, of -Sefton, in whose family it remained until about 1601, at which date -William Burgh, of Burgh, near Chorley, died, holding it. Subsequently -the manor passed, through the daughter of William Burgh, to Edward -Shuttleworth, of Thornton Hall, who had espoused her grand-daughter. The -last proprietor here named died in 1673, and the estate was divided, -a moiety going to Dr. Charles Leigh, who had married one of his two -daughters and co-heiresses, and the second mediety to Richard Longworth, -who was the husband of the other. Dr. Leigh mortgaged his share, which -eventually was obtained by Richard Harrison, of Bankfield; whilst that -of Richard Longworth, passed, about 1700, to the Hornbys, of Poulton, -and afterwards to the Pedders, of Preston, who held it for more than -a century. Mr. Whiteside, who purchased it from the Rev. Jno. Pedder, -is now owner. Larbrick Hall, for long a seat of the noble house of -Molyneux, is at present represented by a farm-house. Dr. Leigh mentions -an extremely cold well in Larbrick, in which fish were unable to survive -beyond a few seconds. - -In 1697, William Gillow left 10s. a year, the rental of some land, to be -given to two or more poor persons of the township at Christmas, and in -1720, a further annual sum of 20s. was left for the same object by George -Gillow. - - POPULATION OF LITTLE ECCLESTON-WITH-LARBRICK. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 178 192 224 230 199 215 209 192 - -The area of the township is 1,198 statute acres. - -CLIFTON-WITH-SALWICK. As early as 1100 William de Clifton had lands -in Clifton and Salwick, and from that date to the present time, with -one short interval, the manors have descended in the same family, of -which Jno. Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham, is the head.[204] Clifton -and Salwick Halls, the ancient residences of the Cliftons, are now -comparatively modern buildings. The church of Lund is situated in -Salwick, and possessed a chantry so far back as 1516. The first notice -of any connection between Kirkham church and Lund chapel occurs amongst -the records of the “Thirty-men” in 1701, thus:—“Matt. Hall, ch warden, of -Kirkham, in 1688, set up a scandalous trough for a font in Lund chapel; -and 4 sackfuls of moss he then carried from the church to repair the said -chapel, and so it first began to be repaired at the parish charge.” The -old chapel was pulled down in 1824, and a stone church erected. In 1852 a -chancel was added, and more recently a tower. Lund and Newton-with-Scales -were constituted an ecclesiastical parish in 1840. The church is -dedicated to St. John, and the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford, -are the patrons. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF LUND. - - ------------+-------------------+-------------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | - ------------+-------------------+-------------------------- - Before 1648 |Joseph Harrison | - ” 1732 |Thomas Cockin | - ” 1769 |Benj. Wright | - In 1790 |Charles Buck, B.A. | - Before 1818 |Thos. Stephenson | - In 1820 |Richard Moore, M.A.| Death of T. Stephenson - ------------+-------------------+-------------------------- - -The Rev. Jos. Harrison, brother to Cuthbert Harrison, was ejected in the -year 1662, for refusing to comply with the Act of Uniformity. - -Alice Hankinson, left in 1680, £5 for the use of the minister, and Alice -Clitherall a like sum for the same purpose. Thomas Smith bequeathed, -in 1685, the annual interest of £20 to Lund chapel. The sum of £10 is -received yearly under a trust of 1668, 50s. being for the vicar, and the -surplus for the poor. The school was established about 1682, by a legacy -of £60 left by John Dickson, half the interest to go to the minister of -Lund chapel, providing he belonged to the Church of England, and the -other moiety to the master of the school. The interest of £10, origin -unknown, is paid each year to the trustees of the school. - - POPULATION OF CLIFTON-WITH-SALWICK. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 552 575 608 508 538 471 447 447 - -The township contains 3,776 statute acres. - -TREALES, ROSEACRE, AND WHARLES. The ancient manor of Treales embraced the -three estates of Treales, Roseacre, and Wharles, being computed in the -Domesday Book to contain two carucates of arable soil. In 1207 Treales -was granted to Robert de Vavassour, the father-in-law of Theobald Walter, -and subsequently it descended in the Butler family until 1673, when the -9th earl of Derby acquired it with his wife, the daughter of Thomas -Butler, the lord Ossory. The present earl of Derby is lord of the manor, -and holds a court annually. - -The church, a plain stone building with nave and chancel only, was -erected in 1853, and endowed five years later by the dean and chapter of -Christ Church, Oxford. The Rev. J. Hodgkin is the incumbent. - -William Grimbaldson, M.D., left £300 in 1725, the interest to be used -for binding out poor apprentices in Treales, whose parents received no -parish relief. Boulton’s and Porter’s charities are rentals amounting to -about £12 a-year, to be given to poor persons of the township. Bridgett’s -charity is the interest of £15 for the poor of Wharles. - - POPULATION OF TREALES, ROSEACRE, AND WHARLES. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 675 671 760 756 709 696 632 625 - -The township has an area of 4,015 statute acres. - -NEWTON-WITH-SCALES. Newton appears in the Domesday Book as containing two -carucates. In 1324 William de Clifton had 60 acres in Scales; and in 1354 -Adam de Bradkirk held land in Newton. John Hornby, of Newton-with-Scales, -left in 1707, the residue of his estate, after certain bequests, to six -trustees to found and endow the present Blue Coat School; and in 1809 the -funds of the institution were increased by a legacy of £800, under the -will of James Boys, of London, an old pupil. The principal soil owners -are the Rev. R. Moore, and the Westby, Swainson, Bryning, Hornby, and -Loxham families. - - POPULATION OF NEWTON-WITH-SCALES. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 269 336 380 381 324 299 286 292 - -The area of the township is 1,525 statute acres. - -HAMBLETON. Hambleton was held during the reign of King John by Geoffrey, -the Crossbowman, or de Hackensall, from whom it descended to his -son-in-law Richard de Sherburne, and afterwards to Robert de Sherburne, -the son of the latter. The manor was held successively by different -members of the Sherburne family until 1363, when it passed to Richard -de Bailey, who had married the daughter and heiress of the last male -Sherburne, and adopted the maiden surname of his wife. Hence the title -of the manorial lords remained unchanged up to 1717, when the property -became the possession of the Duchess of Ormond, the sole child of Sir -Nicholas Sherburne, who died at that date. After the decease of the -Duchess of Ormond, without issue, Hambleton passed to Edward, the son -of William Weld, of Lulworth Castle, by his marriage with the sister -of Sir Nicholas Sherburne. The descendants of Edward Weld still retain -some portion of the soil, but a considerable proportion has been sold in -recent years. - -Bishop Gastrell affirms that the episcopal chapel of Hambleton -was consecrated in 1567. In 1650 the Parliamentary Commissioners -reported:—“There is no allowance to the minister, but only £5 per an. -payd by Richard Sherburne, esq., lord of the manor, and £40 per an. by -order from the committee for plundered ministers. The inhabitants desire -it may be made a parish, and the township of Rawcliffe, lying within a -myle of it and four miles from their parish church, may be annexed to -it.” - -The present church was erected in 1749, and is a plain whitewashed -building, without a tower or any attempt at architectural display. -Attached to the south wall within are three tablets inscribed thus:— - - “Beneath this marble are deposited the remains of Mary Ramsden, - daughter and heiress of the rev. Christʳ. Westby Alderston, - late vicar of St. Michael’s in this county, and wife of Rowland - Ramsden of Halifax. She was born Aug. 17ᵗʰ, 1768 and died Nov. - 6ᵗʰ, 1764.” - - “Sacred to the memory of George Bickerstaffe of Hambleton, - gent., died May 3ʳᵈ, 1766; Jenny Alderston, his granddaughter, - died May 16ᵗʰ, 1770; and Agnes, wife of the rev. Christʳ. Westby - Alderston, widow of Richᵈ. Harrison of Bankfield, and daughter of - George Bickerstaffe, died March 14ᵗʰ, 1820.” - - “Sacred to the memory of the rev. Thomas Butcher, B.A., for 39 - years the respected incumbent of this chapel. Erected by the - voluntary contributions of his parishioners.” - -On the aisles of the church are three gravestones, bearing the following -inscriptions:— - - “In this aisle lie the remains of the rev. John Field, B.A. and - minister of this place, who died 21st April, 1765; also his wife - and children.” - - “Here lies the body of Dorothy, wife of Richard Carter of - Hambleton, who died 14th May, 1807.” - - “William, son of James Norris of Liverpool, buried the 29th of - June 1692—Though Boreas’ Blast and Neptune’s Waves have tost me - to and fro, yet a spite on both by God’s decree I harbour here - below: Here at anchor I doe ride with many of our fleet, yet once - again I must set sail my Generall Christ to meet.”[205] - -In earlier days, when the church was held by the Roman Catholics, the -burial ground was evidently of much greater extent than at present, and -surrounded by an immense moat, between six and seven yards wide, and of -a considerable depth. In a field lying to the east of the church can -now be seen the ancient limits of the ground in that direction, bounded -by a long stretch of the old moat in a very fair state of preservation, -but of course somewhat contracted by accumulations of vegetation; and in -another plot of ground to the west, may be traced by a slight depression -the course of the same trench, marking the westerly extent of the yard. -The northerly length of the moat passed behind the present churchyard, -and a portion of it, about two yards wide, is still to be seen there, the -remainder of its breadth being filled in and included in the cemetery. -The southerly stretch of this ancient ditch or fosse ran just within -the railings, protecting the burial ground in front. When the existing -walls were built round the yard great difficulty was met with in forming -a good foundation over the site of the moat at different points, as it -was found to be filled in with fragments of bricks, mortar, and general -rubbish, which seems to indicate that it was abolished when the church -itself was in course of reconstruction, and that the old building -materials and _debris_ were used for the purpose of raising it to the -common level, indicating that the work must have been accomplished -either at the rebuilding of 1749, or at some previous and unrecorded -one. The moat would be crossed by a bridge of fair dimensions, which was -probably situated on the west side, as the sexton lately discovered the -well-preserved remains of a straight footpath, paved with long tiles, and -running from the church for some distance towards the site of the moat in -that direction; the path was between two and three feet below the surface -of the ground. - -The church was separated from the mother edifice of Kirkham, and had an -independent district assigned to it in 1846. The incumbent has the title -of vicar. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF HAMBLETON. - - ------------+-----------------------+----------------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | - ------------+-----------------------+----------------------------- - About 1648 |Robert Cunningham | - Before 1662 |William Bullock | - About 1725 |William Whitehead, B.A.| - In 1735 |John Field, B.A. | Resignation of W. Whitehead - ” 1765-86 |Mr. Parkinson | - ” 1796 |Thomas Butcher, B.A. | - ” 1835 |Mr. Howard | Death of T. Butcher - ” 1836 |William Hough | Resignation of ⸺ Howard - ------------+-----------------------+----------------------------- - -An Independent chapel was erected by subscription a few years since, and -schools subsequently added. - -From the report of the Charity Commissioners, we learn that long before -the commencement of the nineteenth century there was a school at -Hambleton, but no attempt to elucidate more particularly its origin or -date of erection can be hazarded. In 1797 the only endowment it can boast -of was left by Matthew Lewtas, a native of Hambleton, and consisted of -£200, the interest of which had to be given to John, the son of George -Hall, of Hambleton, until he reached the age of twenty-one; and if before -or at that time he was appointed master of the school he had to continue -to receive the whole of the income whilst he held such mastership, but -if, although he was willing to accept the post, some other person should -be selected for it, then when he came of age, half of the income passed -from him to the school, and he retained the other moiety until his death, -when it also went to increase the stipend of the master. The other -condition of the will applied to the master, and obliged him in return -for the interest or income of the £200, to teach as many poor children -of Hambleton as the money would pay for. John Hall never obtained the -appointment, so that the present master receives the full interest of the -bequest, which is invested on mortgage. - -The poor of Hambleton have £2 annually distributed amongst them through -the generosity of Sir Nicholas Sherburne, of Stonyhurst, who in 1706, -when lord of the manor of Hambleton, charged his estate of Lentworth Hall -with this charity. - -The yearly interest of £10 was given for the benefit of poor housekeepers -in Hambleton by Mary, the daughter of vicar Clegg, of Kirkham, and the -wife of Emanuel Nightingale, of York, gent., who was born in 1673. - - POPULATION OF HAMBLETON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 252 273 338 334 349 346 366 351 - -The statute acres of the township amount to 1,603. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -PARISH OF LYTHAM. - - -LYTHAM. At the commencement of the Norman dynasty, when William I. -instituted a survey of his newly-conquered territory, the name of the -town and parish which will occupy our attention throughout the present -chapter was written _Lidun_, and was estimated to contain two carucates -of arable land. How long this orthography continued in use is difficult -to say, but it could not have been for much more than a century, as -amongst certain legal documents in the reign of King John, the locality -is referred to under the style of _Lethum_, an appellation which seems -to have adhered to it until comparatively recent years. The derivation -of the latter title is apparently from the Anglo-Saxon word _lethe_, -signifying a barn, and points obviously to an agricultural origin, -whilst the more antique name of _Lidun_ is possibly a corruption of the -Anglo-Saxon _lade_, implying a river discharging itself into the sea, -that is, its mouth or estuary, and _tun_, a town. - -Shortly before the termination of the reign of Richard I. in 1199, -Richard Fitz Roger, who is supposed to have belonged to the Banastre -family, gave all his lands in Lethum, with the church of the same vill, -and all things belonging to the church, to God, and the monks of Durham, -that they might establish a Benedictine cell there to the honour of St. -Mary and St. Cuthbert.[206] The following is a copy of the document by -which the transfer was effected:—“Richard Fitz Roger, to all men, both -French and English, who may see this letter, greeting: Let all and each -of you know, that I, with the consent and wish of my wife, Margaret, and -my heirs, for the Salvation of my lord, Earl John, and for the souls of -my Father and Mother, and mine and my heirs, have given and granted, and -with these presents confirm as a pure and perpetual offering to God and -the Blessed Mary and St. Cuthbert, and the monks of Durham, all my estate -of Lethum, with the church at the same vill, with all things appertaining -to it, in order to build a house of their own order; namely, within -these divisions—From the ditch on the western side of the cemetery of -Kilgrimol (Lytham Common) over which I have erected a Cross, and from the -same ditch and Cross eastward, going along the Curridmere (Wild Moss or -Tarns) beyond the Great Moss, and the brook, as far as Balholme (Ballam), -which brook runs towards Snincbrigg (Sluice Bridge). Likewise from -Balholme directly across the moss, which my lord John, earl of Moreton, -divided between himself and me, as far as the northern part of Estholmker -(Estham), going eastward as far as the division of the water which comes -from Birckholme (Birks), and divides Etholmker and Brimaker (Bryning), -following this division of water southward as far as the middle point -between Etholme and Coulurugh (Kellamergh), and thus returning towards -the west and going southward across the Moss as far as la Pull from the -other side of Snartsalte (Saltcoats), as it falls upon the sand of the -sea, and thus going southward across to Ribril to the waterside, and -thus following the line of the water to the sea on the west, and so to -the ditch and across aforementioned,” etc., etc. In a charter dated -1200-1, it is specified that the whole of the lands of Lytham, amounting -to two carucates, had been presented by King John when earl of Moreton, -to Richard Fitz Roger, by whom, as just shown, they were immediately -conveyed to the monks of Durham. - -There are unfortunately no means of ascertaining the extent or appearance -of the Benedictine cell established at Lytham, but its site would seem to -have been that now occupied by Lytham Hall, in the walls of some of the -offices attached to which remains of the ancient monastic edifice have -been incorporated. Dr. Kuerden alludes, in a manuscript preserved in the -Chetham library, to an undated claim of feudal privileges in Lytham, by -which the prior of Durham asserted his right to have view of frankpledge -in his manor of Lytham, with waif, stray, and infangthefe[207]; -emendations of the assize of bread and beer; wrecks of the sea; exemption -for himself and tenants in Lytham from suit to the county and wapentake, -and from fines and penalties; to have soc, sac, and theam;[208] and -finally, to have free warren over all his lands in Lytham, and all royal -fish taken there. During the reign of Edward I. the legality of the -ecclesiastic’s assumption of the sole right to wreckage was called in -question, ultimately ending in litigation, and at Trinity Term, York, -the verdict of the jury was given against him. In the twenty-third year -of his sovereignty, Edward I. granted the wreck, waif, and stray of -Lytham to his brother Edmund, the earl of Lancaster. Amongst the Rolls of -the Duchy is the record of an agreement, entered into in 1271, between -Ranulphus de Daker, sheriff of Lancaster, Richard le Botiler, and others, -for arranging and fixing, with the consent and approval of Stephen, the -prior of Lytham, the boundaries between the land of Lytham and Kilgrimol, -and that of Layton. The priors of Lytham were entirely dependent on the -parent house until 1443, when they solicited and induced Pope Eugenius -to issue an edict declaring the prior of that date and his successors -perpetual in their office and no longer removable at the will and -dictation of the monks of Durham. Afterwards, in the same year, letters -patent were received at the Lytham cell, pardoning the application to the -papal See and granting the request;[209] but the union between the two -houses was not absolutely dissolved, for we find that, in addition to the -various properties at Lytham and Durham continuing to be valued together, -the cell and domain of the former place were granted in 2 Mary, 1554, to -Sir Thomas Holcroft as part of the possessions of the Durham convent. -In 1606 the knight transferred his rights and lands in Lytham to Sir -Cuthbert Clifton, in exchange for certain estates on the opposite side of -the river Ribble. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, a descendant -of the latter gentleman, is the present lord of the manor. Reverting to -the Benedictine cell it is seen from an ecclesiastical valuation, taken -in the reign of Henry VIII., probably about the time of the Reformation, -that the annual income of the institution was derived from the following -sources:— - - “Cella de Lethum in com’ Lancastr’ - Rad’us Blaxton prior Ibd’m - - £ s. d. - Situ celle pdce cum pt’ pastur’ & terr’ arabilib 3 p annu 8 8 0 - - Redd’ & firmis in divs’ villis viz—villa de Lethum, - £21 11s. 0d.; Esthowme, £3 7s. 0d.; Medholm, £7 2s. 8d.; - Pilhowes cum Bankehousse, 12s. 11d.; Frekkylton cum - Ranklysse, 7s. 3d.; Bylsborrow cum Carleton, 13s. 0d.; - Warton, Goosenargh & Kyllermargh, £1 1s. 8d. 34 15 6 - ------- - Total £43 3 6” - -It is evident from the wording of the foundation-charter of the cell of -Lytham that a church existed there at that date, and Reginald of Durham -affirms that the grand-father of Richard Fitz Roger pulled down the -original church of Lytham, which had been built of shingle, and erected -another of stone, dedicating it to St. Cuthbert.[210] This event must -have taken place anterior to the establishment of the Benedictines in -the locality, and is possibly related by the Durham ecclesiastic as a -brief account of the stone church standing there when the grant of lands, -etc., was made to his monastery by Fitz Roger. Amongst the number of -historical fragments collected by Gregson is a notice to the effect that -Thomas de Thweng was rector of the church of Lytham in 22 Edward III. -(1349), and founded a chantry of twelve in the parish church “to pray for -the good estate of himself and Henry, Lord Perci, and for the souls of -their ancestors.” Thomas de Thweng was descended from Lucy, granddaughter -of Helewise, the eldest sister of William de Lancaster, and in 1374, -very likely the year of his death, held the manor of Garstang.[211] The -edifice existing until 1770, when another church, also dedicated to -St. Cuthbert, was erected on its site, was a low building, constructed -of cobble stones, the walls being more than a yard in thickness and -penetrated by five windows, one of which was situated at the east end, -and the others at the sides. The main entrance was protected by a porch. -From the scanty description preserved of the general features of this -antique specimen of ecclesiastical architecture, it has been conjectured -that its origin might be traced back to the time of Henry VIII. Within -the erection the seats, which were of black oak, ornamented with scrolls, -were arranged in four rows, two running down the centre and one down each -side, whilst the north side of a small chancel was set apart for the -choristers. The pulpit was fixed against the south wall; and the Cliftons -possessed an old canopied seat, the precise station of which cannot be -ascertained. - -On the demolition of this church in 1770, its successor arose with a -somewhat more pretentious exterior, having a low tower abutting the west -extremity. The interior of the latter structure contained several objects -of interest, amongst which may be noticed two tables fastened to the wall -and inscribed as under:— - -FIRST TABLE. - - “Charities to Lytham church. - - “1765. - - “The honourable Countess Dowager Gower, one hundred and fifty - pounds. Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty, two hundred pounds. - - “1768. - - “Ryheads in Goosnargh, purchased with the above four hundred - pounds. Thomas Clifton, Esq., added seven pounds per annum, to be - paid of Bamber’s estate in Layton, to the old stipend of twenty - pounds per annum. Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty purchased - six acres and three perches of land with the above two hundred - pounds, from Barker’s estate; it adjoins Ryheads. - - “1770. - - “This church was rebuilded. John Gibson, minister. William - Silcock and William Gaulter, churchwardens.” - -SECOND TABLE. - - “1801. - - “Subscriptions in the parish, two hundred pounds. Governors of - Queen Anne’s Bounty laid out the above two hundred pounds in the - purchase of a rent charge of five per cent. per annum, payable - off Bamber’s estate in Layton. - - “1814. - - “John Clifton, Esq., one hundred and thirty-one pounds. William - Hornby, Esq., sixty-five pounds eight shillings. Joseph, Thomas, - and John Hornby, Esqs., ten pounds each, making thirty pounds. - Rev. Robert Lister, fifty pounds. L. Webbe, Esq., ten pounds. - Joseph Benbow, five pounds. Captain Thomas Cookson, ten pounds. - Richard Cookson, ten pounds. Cornelius Crookall, ten pounds. John - Cardwell, ten pounds. - - “Smaller subscriptions in the parish, sixty-eight pounds twelve - shillings. Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty, six hundred pounds. - - “Total amount, one thousand pounds. - - “Purchased five acres, one rood, and two perches of land, of - eight yards to the perch, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, with the above - one thousand pounds. - - “Rev. Robert Lister, B.A., minister. Thomas Cookson and John - Cookson, churchwardens.” - -On each side of the altar, at the east end of the church, were several -mural marble monuments erected in memory of certain members of the -Clifton family, whose remains had been interred within the walls of the -sacred edifice. Thomas Clifton was the first of this family buried at -Lytham, and on his tomb was inscribed:—“Here lie interred the mortal -remains of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, esquire; who died on the 16th of -Dec., 1784, in the 38th year of his age. Requiescat in pace.” - -Another monument, near to the former one, bore the following -inscription:—“D.O.M. Here lies dead the body of Ann Clifton, wife of -Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, esq.; daughter of Sir Carnaby Haggerstone, -Baronet: but her name will live to future ages. Wonder not, reader; in -her was seen whatever is amiable in a daughter, wife, mother, friend, -and Christian. Admire her, man; a pattern to her sex. O! woman, imitate. -She died in the 37th year of her age, on the 22nd day of February, 1760. -Requiescat in pace.” - -The memorial writing over a third tomb ran thus:—“Here lies the body -of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, esq.; who departed this life in the 56th -year of his age, on the 11th day of May, 1783. R.I.P.;” whilst a fourth -monument had these lines upon it:—“Here lies the body of Jane Clifton, -wife of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, Esq.; daughter of the Right Hon. the -Earl of Abingdon, who departed this life in the 61st year of her age, on -the 14th day of Feb., 1791. R.I.P.” - -A white marble tablet fixed against the south wall, contained the annexed -notice:—“In memory of Elizabeth Clifton, wife of John Clifton, of Lytham, -Esq.; and daughter of Thomas Horsley Widdrington Riddell, of Swinburne -Castle, in the county of Northumberland, esq.; who departed this life in -the 63rd year of her age, on the 19th day of November, 1825. Requiescat -in pace.” - -Sixty-four years from the date of its erection this church was also -pulled down, having become unable to accommodate the increasing influxes -of visitors during the summer; and on the 20th of March, 1834, the -foundation stone of the existing pile was laid by the late Thomas -Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, who contributed £500 towards the cost of -the building. Mrs. Fisher, the widow of a local physician, contributed -£300, and the subscriptions for the necessary work were further augmented -by a grant from the Church Building and Extension Society. The church, -which comprises nave, side aisles, chancel, and embattled tower, contains -the monuments of the Cliftons already enumerated, and three additional -marbles, one of which, at the entrance to the chancel, records that “in -the family vault near this place lies the body of Hetty, daughter of -Pelegrine Treves, esq., and widow of the late Thomas Clifton, esq., of -Clifton and Lytham; she died on the 4th of June, 1864, aged 68 years.” -The other attached to the opposite side of the entrance is _in memoriam_ -of “Thomas Clifton (eldest son of John Clifton, esq., by Elizabeth, -his wife) of Clifton and Lytham, who died 17th February, 1851, aged 63 -years”; whilst the third, in the chancel itself, is to the memory of -“John Clifton, of Lytham, esq., who departed this life on the 25th of -March, 1832, aged 68 years. Requiescat in Pace.” Against the wall of -the south side aisle is a tablet surmounted by a cross and inscribed -thus:—“In memory of Richard Barton Robinson, born July 28: A: D: 1804, -died August 9: A: D: 1872, vicar of Lytham for 36 years. This cross is -gratefully erected by his parishioners, A.D. 1875.” A similar tablet -in the north aisle is erected to the “memory of Edward and Sarah Jane -Houghton, by their only surviving son. E. H. born April 23: 1807: died -December 15: 1869. S. J. H. born September 26: 1803: died April 21: -1872.” The east window, beautifully emblazoned, “is dedicated by her -friends and neighbours, to the memory of Ellen Fisher,” born 1759, died -1837. Similar windows, north and south, in the chancel, were given by -Thomas Clifton, esq., in 1845, also a second, on the south side, by -Lady Eleanor Cecily Clifton, in 1871. The north side aisle contains six -handsome windows inserted respectively to the memories of Anne Shepherd -Birley, died 1872; James Fair, died 1871, by J. T. Clifton, esq.; Sarah -Agnes, wife of W. C. Dowding, clerk, M.A., died 1869, by her maternal -aunt, Agnes Newsham; her mother and sisters, by Anne Wilson, 1871; -Margaret Hornby, died 1866; William and Agnes Birdsworth and of their -father and mother, by their surviving relatives. In the south side aisle -are two memorial windows, one being to Henry Miller, died 1859, aged 46 -years, and his infant son, died 1852, by his wife Caroline A. Miller; and -the other to John Stevenson, died 1872, aged 78 years; Jane Stevenson, -died 1872, aged 64 years; William Elsworth Stevenson, died 1869, aged -31 years; and Jane Stevenson, died 1872, aged 25 years. The clerestory -of the church is lighted by twelve single windows, each bearing the -representation of a saint, all of which were presented by private -individuals. - - PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF ST. CUTHBERT’S. - - ------------+------------------+----------------------+----------------- - Date of | NAME. | On whose |Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | Presentation. | - ------------+------------------+----------------------+----------------- - 1379 |William de Aslaby,|Prior and Chapter of | - | monk | Durham | - | | | - 1413 |William Patrick, | Ditto | - | monk | | - | | | - 1678 |James Threlfall | | - | | | - 1701 |Josiah Birchall | | - | | | - 1717 |Timothy Pollard |Chancellors, Masters, |Death of Josiah - | | and Scholars of | Birchall - | | Cambridge | - | | | - 1741 |Ashton Werden |Alexander Osbaldeston,| - | | of Preston, esq. | - | | | - 1743 |Robert Willasey | Ditto | - |Thomas Place | | - | | | - 1760 |John Gibson |Abigail Clayton, of | - | | Larkhill, Blackburn,| - | | relict and executor | - | | of Thomas Clayton, | - | | who was surviving | - | | executor of | - | | Alexander | - | | Osbaldeston, of | - | | Preston, esq. | - | | | - 1800 |Robert Lister, |John Clayton, of |Resignation of - | B.A. | Little Harwood, esq.| John Gibson - | | | - 1834 |Richard Barton |Thomas Clifton, esq. |Resignation of - | Robinson, M.A. | | Robt. Lister - | | | - 1870 |Henry Beauchamp |John T. Clifton, esq. | - | Hawkins, M.A. | |Resignation of - | | | R. B. Robinson - ------------+------------------+----------------------+----------------- - -In 1872 the chancel was enlarged and a new vestry erected, whilst the -solitary gallery at the west end, formerly used for the choir, was -converted into commodious sitting accommodation for the congregation. -During the same year half an acre was added to the north of the burial -ground, and a fresh boundary wall, facing Church Road completed, the iron -work being given by the late John Stevenson, J.P., of West Beach, and -the stone work by the late John Knowles, proprietor of the Clifton Arms -Hotel. The tower contains a peal of eight bells. John Talbot Clifton, -esq., of Lytham Hall, is the patron of the living. The parish register -begins in 1679. - -The churchyard, which is encircled by a thick plantation of trees, -possesses many very handsome monuments, but none of historical -importance. The oldest gravestone still legible lies in close proximity -to the ancient sun-dial, and bears the date 1672. The parish schools, -erected in 1853, stand in Church Road. - -Dodsworth informs us that in the neighbourhood of Lytham there existed, -in 1601, a village called Waddum Thorp, and that eleven years previously -the Horsebank was a green pasture for cattle. Dr. Leigh affirms that the -hamlet in question was peopled by some Saxon fishermen. The locality -alluded to in the foundation document as Snartsalte is now denominated -Saltcoats, and was, like several neighbouring places, the site of a -salt manufactory in remote days. Geoffrey Gillet worked the Saltcoats -manufactory. Cambden in describing the extractive process says:—“They -pour water from time to time upon heaps of sand till it grows brackish, -and then with a turf fire they boil it into a white salt.” Bowden wrote, -in 1722, concerning the same subject:—“On many places on the coast the -inhabitants gather heaps of sand together which, having lain some time, -they put into troughs full of holes at the bottom, pour water upon them, -and boil the lees into white salt.” - -About 1800 the hamlet comprised several mud and thatch cottages, -interspersed here and there with a fair number of habitations of -recent origin, built with bricks and slated. There were also two inns -in existence, the Wheat Sheaf and the Clifton Arms, besides two small -licensed houses. The Wheat Sheaf was erected in Clifton Street during the -year 1794, and almost simultaneously, but a little later, the Clifton -Arms arose on the opposite side of the thoroughfare, facing the sea. -There were several shops in the village, and in Douglas Street a house of -confinement, containing separate cells, for the detention and punishment -of any offenders against the law. The most pretentious dwellings stood -upon the northern portion of the tract known as the Marsh, and all -of them were newly constructed. One near the western extremity was a -substantial house with gardens and plantation, inhabited by the clergyman -of the parish, the Rev. Robt. Lister. In close proximity was a marine -villa with a Chinese porch, belonging to William Hornby, esq., of -Kirkham; and a row of white cottages, called Lizmahago, after a race -horse of John Clifton, esq., who had erected them for the accommodation -of visitors. A pretty white villa was placed more to the rear, and -several well-constructed lodging-houses studded the ground between those -just mentioned and the old village, where clay and straw had been the -time-honoured building materials. The beach afforded no more than three -bathing machines, but sundry improvements, both in multiplying the vans -and in the establishment of a warm sea-water bath, were in contemplation. -No elegant promenade with its expansive sward, as at present, defined the -landward margin of the beach, but the whole space, at one end of which -Mr. Cookson had erected a windmill, was covered with miniature sand-hills -and star-grass, unfolding a most uninviting and deterring aspect to the -pedestrian. The church of St. Cuthbert’s was built of rubble, rough cast -and whitened, and certainly possessed, both externally and internally, no -very extensive claims to architectural beauty. The instrumental part of -the service was accomplished by means of a clarionet and a bass fiddle. -The religious edifice stood in the midst of fields, and was approached -by a footpath, sufficiently wide to admit the passage of bathing vans, -which were occasionally had recourse to by visitors on wet Sundays, in -order to attend the service with dry garments, being then, and for some -time afterwards, the only covered vehicles in the place. Lytham Hall, -embosomed in lofty trees and plantations, formed an imposing object, -being situated half a mile inland, between the village and the church. -This noble mansion, comprising three fronts, of which the east is the -principal, was commenced in 1757 and completed in 1764, by Thomas -Clifton, esq., and superseded the original Hall, erected about 1606, by -Sir Cuthbert Clifton. At the date now under examination, its possessor, -John Clifton, esq., had laid out a race-course for training purposes, -of three miles and a quarter in circumference, in the fields to the -north-west of the church; and close at hand were excellent paddocks -and stables, filled with a considerable stud of fine blood horses. -The residence of the trainer was an elegant villa near the stables, -surrounded with a shrubbery. Two steamers plied daily in the season -between Preston and Lytham, but the larger share of the company arrived -by the road, the journey having a few years previously been rendered more -direct by the opening of a route across the marshes, past Freckleton, -instead of the former circuitous one through Kirkham. In 1801 the -population amounted to 920 persons. - -During the ensuing twenty years Lytham made steady, if not rapid, -progress. Buildings of modern and pretty designs sprang up along the -beach, whilst others of substantial workmanship were visible in the lines -of various thoroughfares, especially in Clifton Street. The two hotels -already specified, underwent enlargements, owing to the growing pressure -on their accommodation, and a fresh inn, the Commercial, was erected on -the land behind the present Market Hotel, the front and main entrance -of the house having an easterly aspect, overshadowed by several lofty -trees. A little beyond the north gable end of the inn, in a westerly -direction, were the old gates of the park attached to Lytham Hall, near -to which, on the road side, was stationed the pinfold, constructed of -cobble stones, in a quadrangular form, with an embattled tower rising -about eight feet above the height of the walls. A small Baptist chapel, -having a school-room connected with it, also existed, standing on part -of the ground now occupied by the premises of Mr. Edmondson, draper, -the remaining portion being covered by the residence and shop of that -gentleman’s father, who owned the chapel, and acted as its minister. The -chapel would hold about thirty worshippers, and contained three or four -rows of forms and a pulpit; whilst the school-room, of equal dimensions, -was let to a person for a private day seminary. - -During the summer months, hundreds of day visitors, in addition to -the more permanent ones who constituted the company, found their way -in carts, waggons, or lighter vehicles, to the coast at Lytham, from -Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, and other inland towns, for the pleasure -of enjoying once, at least, a year, an invigorating bath in the sea. -The fortnightly spring tides were the signals which foretold the advent -of these huge pic-nic parties, for such it seems appropriate to style -them, who flocked down to the shore, generally bringing their own -provisions with them, and after disporting themselves amidst the waves, -and procuring amusement in various ways during the day, returned quietly -or hilariously home to their several destinations, in the evening or -following morning, in the manner they had arrived. Some from the more -remote places prolonged their sojourn for three days. Races for the -better class of farmers’ horses were held annually on Wit-Monday, over -the sward which runs from the windmill to the site of an old lime kiln -about one mile distant, in the direction of Saltcoats, the course being -round that spot to the starting point. These races, which are described -as having been very fair contests, were kept up for many years. The -prizes competed for were saddles, bridles, whips, etc. The bowling greens -of Lytham amounted to two, which were attached to the Clifton Arms and -Commercial Hotels, and were well patronised. - -The following description of the attractions of Lytham, published in -1821, furnishes a pretty correct idea of the recreations afforded by the -watering-place about that date:—“Lytham is a very salubrious place; its -walks are pleasant and diversified. You may walk for miles on the sand -westward. You may trip to the Hey-houses and get bad ale. Common-side -offers a journey, which, if you please, ends at Blackpool. The walks are -many and various for those who love exercise; the lazy will soon tire -here, but the active will never be at a loss. The sands are fine—the sea -breeze pleasant—the air is impregnated with health. Sailing may be had -at tide time; boats are occasionally going to Preston and over the water -to Southport. There are baths, shower, cold, and warm for invalides. Old -Hugh Holmes, the shaver, doctor, and shopkeeper, is an old man, thin and -meagre, conceited to a tittle, and remarkably fond of chit-chat. The -people here bathe not at all, whilst those from a distance think it a -blessing. Holmes, the barber, said he had never bathed in his life, nor -could I persuade him to do so. He said that he was sound in body, and if -so, why dip in the briny sea at all.” - -In 1821 the population of Lytham amounted to 1,292 persons, consisting -of 258 families; and in 1825 the parish contained 258 houses, the -occupants of 75 of which were employed chiefly in agriculture, and of -55 in trade, fishing, or handicraft, those of the remaining 128 being -unclassified. Three years later the Wheat Sheaf Inn and a wide range -of thatched buildings adjoining were demolished, and after leaving the -spacious opening, called Dicconson Terrace, leading down to the beach, -several improved dwellings and a billiard-room were placed on the -remainder of the ground. The greater part of the marine frontage had -been levelled, and efforts commenced to lay out a species of walk or -promenade. The houses standing along the shore line were usually hired -furnished by families for varying periods, at prices from one and a half -to three guineas per week, their value being estimated by the number of -bed-rooms, each of which represented ten shillings and sixpence a week. -Other villas in the watering-place were similarly let, but lodgings could -be procured amongst the humble cottages on a weekly payment of four -shillings and sixpence by each individual. The prices at the hotels for -board and lodging, exclusive of wine and liquors, were—at the Clifton -Arms, seven shillings a day in private, and six shillings in public; the -Commercial, five shillings and sixpence; and the Ship, a new inn erected -since 1820, three shillings and sixpence. Of trades and professions in -the village there were three milliners, six drapers, three boot and shoe -makers, five joiners and cabinet makers, one druggist, two blacksmiths, -one ship carpenter, one custom-house officer, one tide-waiter, one corn -miller, three butchers, five grocers, two coal dealers, one confectioner, -one surgeon, one attorney, and one clergyman. In addition it should be -mentioned that a solitary ladies’ seminary had been established within -the previous twelve months. “I recollect,” says Mr. Whittle, in his -_Marina_, “visiting Lytham during July, 1824, when Mr. Lardner’s troop of -comedians were performing in what was termed the ‘New Theatre, Lytham,’ -Cibber’s admired comedy of a ‘Journey to London, or a Bold Push for a -Fortune,’ and the laughable farce of the ‘Irish Tutor, or New Lights.’ -The chief of the stage business was done by the Lardners, consisting -of father, mother, son, and daughter. Likenesses were also taken in -miniature by Mr. Lardner, senior, at from two to five guineas each! and -the polite art of dancing taught by Lardner, junior. We saw in succession -performed Morton’s comedy of ‘Speed the Plough, or the Farmer’s Glory;’ -‘Lovers’ Vows, or the Child of Love’; and Coleman’s admired and excellent -comedy of the ‘Poor Gentleman’; all of which were tolerably got up, but -the scenery was not of that kind which befitted a place of dramatic -exhibition.” During the season three coaches ran regularly from Preston -to Lytham and returned, their times of departure being—from Preston, at -12 noon, 5 in the evening, and 7 in the evening; and from Lytham, at -6 in the morning, 9 in the morning, and half-past 4 in the afternoon. -In addition to these coaches, occasional public conveyances and many -private vehicles brought their loads of pleasure-seekers to the village, -especially during Easter and Whit-tides. Letters arrived at half-past -9 in the morning and were despatched at 4 in the afternoon. In 1828 -the buildings situated in the vicinity of the beach were, commencing -at the eastern extremity of the line and travelling westward, a house, -occupied by Miss Dennett, Rimmer’s and Butcher’s cottages, the Baths -with a house adjoining, two newly erected dwellings, Cookson’s cottages, -Rawstorne’s Marine Cottage, Craven’s and Hampson’s cottages, Clifton -Place, Buck’s cottages, Silcock’s and Miller’s cottages, Townend’s and -Captain Cookson’s residences, Mr. Barton’s house, Captain Fell’s and Mrs. -Birdworth’s residences, Mr. Fisher’s house, Lizmahago houses, Hornby’s -Chinese villa, the Parsonage, in the occupation of the Rev. Robert -Lister; the Parish Church, situated more inland, and Church-house, a -rural place. Mr. Corry, in his History of Lancashire, published about -that time, states:—“That the increase of Lytham has not been so rapid -as in many villages, where the people are engaged in manufacture; but a -considerable part of the visitors and settlers within the last twenty -years have been opulent individuals, who were induced by the beauty of -the spot and the benefit derived from bathing in the sea water, to resort -to this pleasing village.” The houses were unnumbered and recognised -by the titles bestowed upon them, or the names of their owners. Lamps -for the autumn and winter evenings were unknown in the streets, whilst -libraries, news-rooms, and livery stables were things of the future. -The Clifton Arms Hotel had recently been overlaid with a thick coating -of cement resembling stone, and the Commercial Inn had undergone sundry -enlargements. An ornamental enclosure or garden had been formed on the -land of the present Market-house, surrounded by a palisading and planted -with flowers and shrubs. A carriage road also had been lately made from -the village to the church of St. Cuthbert. - -In 1831 the census of Lytham showed a total of 1,523 residents, being an -increase of 231 over the population ten years before; and three years -subsequently the ancient church of the parish was levelled to the ground -and the erection of the present edifice commenced. The early growth of -the summer resort was much retarded by the exceedingly short terms upon -which building leases were granted. Previous to 1820 all land reverted to -the lord of the manor forty years after its provisional purchase had been -effected, so that there was little inducement for either the speculative -or private individual to upraise habitations where the tenure was so -unsatisfactory. About that date the duration of leases was extended to -sixty years, and even this slight advance in a more liberal direction was -not without influence in promoting the development of the place, but no -great rapidity characterised the multiplication of houses until a later -epoch, when periods of 99 and 999 years were offered to purchasers. In -1839 the Roman Catholics erected a chapel, dedicated to St. Peter, at -the east corner of Clifton Street. Previously the members of this sect -had worshipped in a small chapel belonging to Lytham Hall, which had -superseded the domestic oratory of the Cliftons, in the days when they -professed the Romish creed. The edifice in Clifton Street is of brick and -has a priests’ residence and schools attached, the whole being prettily -encircled by willow trees and a low wall. - -The returning seasons brought increasing streams of visitors to the -shores of Lytham, and practically proved that the delightful and -invigorating influences of the climate and sea were well and widely -appreciated by the populace of the large inland towns. The marine -esplanade and the firm sands left by the receding tide were ever -alive with crowds of people, who either for health or pleasure, or a -combination of the two, had arrived in the watering-place. The bathing -vans were still unequal to the demands on their accommodation, and many -were compelled to dispense with their decorous shelter, and unrobe -themselves on the more secluded parts of the beach. To have returned -home again without immersing their body in the buoyant sea would to -most of them have been to omit the chief object of their journey, -many, indeed, having such an exalted idea of the remedial and hygienic -properties of the water that they imbibed huge draughts, and even filled -bottles with it, for future use, or for friends who had been unable to -come themselves. There were few amusements for the visitors beyond those -enumerated earlier, but had there been none other, the exhilarating -breeze and bath, coupled with the novel surroundings, would have -possessed sufficient charm to insure a thronged season year after year. - -In 1841 the population numbered 2,047 persons, being a rise of no less -than 524 in the inhabitants during the preceding ten years, more than -double the excess observed in the census of 1831 over its antecessor. -During the previous twelve months the Clifton Arms Hotel, in Clifton -Street, had been abolished and a stately building, bearing the same name, -erected on the front, where it now stands, very considerable enlarged -and beautified under the proprietorship of the late Mr. John Knowles, -who purchased it on lease from the lord of the manor, and by whose -representatives the Hotel and appurtenances were sold to a company of -gentlemen in 1875. - -The 16th of February, 1846, initiated a new era in the history and -progress of Lytham, for on that day the branch line connecting this -popular resort with the Preston and Wyre Railway was formally opened. -At an early hour the town evinced manifest signs that the inhabitants -were bent on doing full honour to the introduction of their invaluable -ally; flags and banners floated from the church and the residences of -many of the inhabitants, and later in the day the streets were thronged -with processions and spectators of all grades. The directors and a large -party of the neighbouring gentry assembled by invitation at Lytham Hall, -and after partaking of luncheon proceeded to the newly erected station, -where the “opening train,” consisting of an engine, gaily decorated, -and fourteen carriages, awaited their arrival. Amongst the gentlemen -who accompanied Thomas Clifton, esq., and Mrs. Clifton, on the formal -trip to Kirkham and back, were John Laidlay, W. Taylor, J. Dewhurst, -T. W. Nelson, Frederick Kemp, C. Swainson, James Fair, E. Houghton, W. -H. Hornby, T. R. W. ffrance, P. Rycroft, W. Royds, and William Birley, -esquires, the Revs. R. Moore and W. Birley, and Colonel Rawstorne. -The train departed amid a volley of cheers and discharge of cannon, -and proceeded to Kirkham; the return journey was performed in fifteen -minutes. The carriage station was 140 feet long by 53 feet wide, and -covered by a somewhat unique roof of twelve wooden arches, put together -in segments and secured by nuts and screws, all the timber ends butting -upon each other like the stones of an arch, but as solid, from their -peculiar construction, as if the whole had been cut out of a single block -of timber. The Lytham line diverged from the main railway at a point -about a mile to the north-west of Kirkham, and was nearly five miles in -length. It passed within a short distance of the village of Wrea, where a -station was built, and terminated in the immediate vicinity of the Roman -Catholic chapel in this town. - -The impetus given to the building trade of Lytham by the opening of the -railway and the almost simultaneous extension of ground leases was soon -visible in the erection of numerous houses. A Wesleyan chapel, capable -of holding 200 hearers, was built, before the close of the year, in Bath -Street; but this structure having, as time progressed, become inadequate -to the wants of the congregation, the foundation stone of a new one was -laid on the 12th of September, 1867, by T. C. Hincksman, esq., of Lytham, -at the corner of Park and Westby Streets, service being first conducted -there on the 23rd of September in the ensuing year, by the Rev. John -Bedford, of Manchester. The chapel is faced with Longridge stone and -white brick. In front are stone columns and pilasters nearly thirty feet -high, surmounted by Corinthian caps, massive cornice, parapet, pediment, -etc. It contains seats for about 500 persons. The old Wesleyan chapel is -now used as a literary and social Institute, established in 1872. In 1847 -the growth and prosperity of Lytham rendered it necessary that some form -of local government should be adopted, and the inhabitants applied for -and obtained an Improvement Act, by which the regulation of all public -matters was placed in the hands of a board of commissioners elected from -amongst the ratepayers. On the 13th of May in that year, the corner stone -of a substantial lighthouse was laid on the “Double Stanner” bank, by -Peter Haydock, esq., chairman of the Ribble Navigation Company, at whose -expense the work was accomplished; but on the 20th of January, 1863, a -heavy storm swept over the coast, and amongst other damages effected -by its fury was the overthrow of this pile, which was subsequently -re-erected on the Star Hills, far removed from the destructive influence -of the waves, and perhaps more efficacious, from its greater elevation, -as a beacon. During the year 1848 a Market Hall was built on an open -space, formerly the ornamental garden referred to in a late page. In -the month of June the edifice was completed and ready for use, being -constructed of brick and supplied with stalls for various articles, such -as fish, vegetables, toys, etc. The tower was elevated in 1872 to receive -a large clock, the gift of Lady Eleanor Cecily Clifton, and during the -following twelve months additional dials and illuminative power were -added. The Hall is prettily situated in an enclosure of elm trees. - -Another church, dedicated to St. John, was erected on the east beach in -1848-9, and consecrated on the 11th September, 1850. The site was granted -by John Talbot Clifton, esq., who retains the patronage of the living, -and the expense of construction defrayed by subscription. The edifice is -of stone, and includes a nave, side aisles, transepts, chancel, porch, -and tower, surmounted by a lofty spire. The side aisles are separated -from the nave by pointed arches on circular columns. The chancel has -since been enlarged. Within the church are several memorial windows, one -of which, in the west end, is in memory of “James and Elizabeth Fair, who -died August 16, 1871, and July 27, 1867,” inserted by their children. -By the side of this is a smaller stained window to Mr. Bannerman by his -widow. The east window of the chancel is magnificently illuminated, and -another, lighting the scholars’ chapel on the south of that part, was -placed by the Rev. W. H. Self “to his wife, Mary, ob. 1859.” The windows -in the north and south transepts are, respectively, to “Thomas Miller, -ob. 1865,” and “Thomas Clifton, ob. 1851.” There are no mural tablets. -The organ was presented by William Bradshaw Swainson, esq., of Cooper -Hill, near Preston, “as a tribute of affection, in memory of his mother, -Catherine Swainson, who died at Lytham on the 1st of February, 1848.” The -instrument was enlarged by the aid of public contributions in 1874. The -lectern was presented by Margaret Ellen Clifford, the second wife of the -Rev. W. H. Self, _in memoriam_ of her mother, Mrs. Hannah Biddell, in -1867. The tower contains a peal of six bells. An ecclesiastical parish -was apportioned to the church of St. John in 1870. The Rev. William Henry -Self, M.A., was the earliest incumbent and subsequently became the first -vicar. The Rev. Gregory Smart, M.A., is the present vicar. The graveyard -is a spacious area defined by a neat stone wall, and contains numerous -elegant monuments. The vicarage house stands a very little distance to -the east side of the church, and is a handsome villa residence. To the -rear of the burial ground, and separated therefrom by a narrow street, -are the parish schools erected in 1851 by subscription, and grants from -the Council of Education and the National Society. - -The want of proper illumination along the thoroughfares of Lytham during -the long evenings of the autumn months, was a source of considerable -inconvenience to the visitors, and induced many to vacate the place -earlier than otherwise they would have done, so that the commissioners -determined to erect gas works by loans on the security of the rates, -and remedy the evil as soon as possible. On the 28th of October, 1850, -the streets were lighted for the first time with gas. In 1851 the -residents of Lytham amounted to 2,695, showing an increase of 648 persons -since 1841. It was about this time that a lifeboat was stationed at -Lytham, purchased by subscription, and named the “Eleanor Cecily,” out -of compliment to the lady of the manor. The boat-house stands on the -promenade to the east, in close proximity to the old windmill, and is now -occupied by a new and larger craft, presented by Thomas Clayton, esq., of -Wakefield, in 1863. - -Throughout the succeeding ten years the area of the town continued to -expand with fair rapidity. Many graceful villas were added to those -already existing on the front, whilst fresh shops and lodging houses -arose along the different thoroughfares, plainly evincing a determination -on the part of the inhabitants to keep pace with the spreading popularity -of the place by creating ample accommodation for the crowds of visitors. -A corps of Volunteer Riflemen was enrolled under Captain Lennox in 1860, -during the month of January. The census of 1861 furnished a total of -3,189 residents. - -The advisability of connecting the two watering-places of Blackpool and -Lytham by a coast railway was now freely discussed, and the scheme -having been favourably entertained by a number of affluent gentlemen, -the requisite powers were sought from Parliament for its formation. In -May, 1861, the desired act received the royal assent, and on the ensuing -4th of September the first sod of the new line was cut by T. H. Clifton, -esq., M.P., the son and heir of the lord of the manor, in Lytham Park. -The directors of the company were E. C. Milne, esq., (chairman), of -Warton Lodge; John Talbot Clifton, T. Langton Birley, Charles Birley, -James Fair, Robert Rawcliffe, and Thomas Fair, esqrs. The distance, -about 7½ miles, was spanned by a single line, stations being placed at -the two termini and at South Shore, in addition to which there was a -gate-house at Andsell’s road, near the town, where it was proposed to -have a booking office. The railway was virtually finished in the autumn -of 1862, but the formal opening was postponed until the 4th of April, -1863. At that date, which occurred on Saturday, flags and banners floated -from many of the windows, whilst the bells of St. Cuthbert’s church rang -out merry peals at intervals throughout the day. No further ceremony, -however, was observed on the occasion, than the running of a train to -Blackpool and back with a select party of invited guests. Regular public -traffic commenced on Monday. During 1871 this line was amalgamated with -the Preston and Wyre, of which the Lancashire and Yorkshire, and the -London and North Western Railway Companies are the lessees. The track was -doubled in 1874, by laying down another length of metals, and connected -with the Kirkham and Lytham branch. In the same year on the 1st of -July, a spacious and handsome station which had been erected according -to the design of C. Axon, esq., of Poulton, was brought into service, -and the use of the original one belonging to the branch just specified -discontinued for passenger traffic, the whole of which, both from Kirkham -and Blackpool, is now directed to the recently built central edifice. It -is expected that in course of time the coast line thus established from -Preston through Kirkham, Lytham, St. Anne’s, South Shore, to Blackpool -will supersede the old route through Poulton to the last named resort -for the conveyance of passengers. Important alterations, it should be -noted, were effected in the course of the branch from Kirkham to Lytham -immediately preceding its junction with the Blackpool and Lytham line, -by which the corner lying north of and between Kirkham and Wrea was cut -off. The rails were also doubled. - -Reverting to the town itself, we find that the day which gave the small -coast communication between Blackpool and Lytham to the public use, also -witnessed another event—the opening of the Baths and Assembly Rooms, -situated on the beach, about midway between the Clifton Arms and the -Neptune Hotels. The building is of brick, with stone dressings, and -presents an elegant and rather imposing appearance. It comprises private -and swimming baths for both sexes; dressing-rooms, retiring-rooms, news -and general reading-room, and a capacious saloon, able to contain 350 -persons, used for concerts, balls, and other entertainments. Early in -the same year a Congregational Church was completed in Bannister Street, -the corner stone of which had been laid on the 17th of October, 1861, -by Sir James Watts, of Manchester. The edifice is formed of Longridge -stone, in the ornamental Gothic style of architecture, with a spire, and -will hold about 500 worshippers. Within the enclosure wall surrounding -the church are the Sunday schools connected with it. The first pile -of the marine pier, extending into the estuary of the Ribble from the -promenade, was screwed into the ground on the 8th of June, 1864. The -structure was designed by E. Birch, esq., C.E., and is supported on -hollow cylindrical columns, arranged in clusters. The length of the deck -is 914 feet, the whole of which is encircled by a continuous line of -side seats, whilst a lounging or waiting-room is stationed on the head. -The entrance is protected by gates and toll-houses. Easter Monday, the -17th of April, 1865, was the day set apart for the ceremonious opening -of the new erection. The town was gaily decorated with the bunting, -and no efforts were spared to do full justice to the importance of so -auspicious an event. Immense confluences of people arrived in excursion -trains, running at greatly reduced fares, from the business centres of -Lancashire and Yorkshire, and the streets and esplanade were literally -inundated with spectators from all grades of society. To Lady Eleanor -Cecily Clifton was delegated the honourable duty of declaring the -pier accessible to promenaders, and at the selected time, that lady, -accompanied by her son, T. H. Clifton, esq., proceeded to the spot, where -the necessary form was gone through; a large procession, headed by a -marshall, and consisting of the mayor and corporation of Preston, the -directors of the Ribble Navigation Company, naval and military officers, -clergy, the several directors of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, -the Lytham and Blackpool Railway, the Blackpool and the Southport Pier -Companies, and numerous gentry. Unabated prosperity continued to shine -on the watering-place, whose limits were annually extended by additional -buildings, and in all parts there was to be observed that aspect of -recent improvements and embellishments which is ever indicative of a -propitious fortune. - -The population in 1871 had reached the high figure of 7,902, having more -than doubled during the previous ten years, and if further evidence -were required of the development of Lytham, none more irrefutable and -convincing could be given than this wonderful multiplication of the -inhabitants. On the 3rd of August, 1871, a neat Gothic cottage hospital, -erected at the east end of the resort, in Preston Road, at the sole -expense of the lord of the manor, was pronounced open for the reception -of patients, and transferred to a committee of management. The building -stands in three acres of land tastefully laid out, and comprises a -central portion of two stories, with a wing on either side, containing -two large wards (each with four beds), two sitting-rooms, surgery, -bath-rooms, and laundry, on the ground floor; upstairs are four beds -for invalids and a sleeping apartment for the matron. The hospital is -intended for the poor labouring under disease or accidents. Luke Fisher, -esq., M.D., is the physician in charge. From 1871 up to the present -date (1876), there is nothing calling for separate comment beyond those -matters in connection with the railway and station already noticed, -with the exception of the beautiful park-garden, occupying the land -formerly known as Hungry Moor, and instituted through the liberality of -J. T. Clifton, esq., who bestowed the name of the Lowther Gardens on -the enclosure so gracefully designed and planted, and gave free access -to the public on its completion, about three years ago. The progress of -the town within the short interval at present under consideration, has -been marked by even greater rapidity than that which shed such a halo of -prosperity around the period more immediately preceding; and there is no -apparent prospect that the powerful impetus which has thus far exerted -its beneficial influence on the place is likely to experience any -diminution. Indeed it may with reason be anticipated that when passenger -traffic is more thoroughly established along the coast line from Preston -to Blackpool, the demand for residential accommodation will be still -greater than that which supplies abundant occupation to the builders -to-day. - -The original endowment of Lytham Free School was derived from the -following sources:—In 1702, the Rev. James Threlfall, of St. Cuthbert’s -church, gave £5; and somewhere about the same time, William Elston, -who died in 1704, presented £3 3s. 0d., for the use of the parish. -Subsequently these sums of money were supplemented by a grant of £10 from -John Shepherd, of Mythorp, and the whole invested, the interest being -applied to local charitable purposes. The benefaction of John Shepherd -was bestowed in trust upon Thomas Shepherd and his heirs, to the intent -that the interest should be applied to the “use of such poor children’s -schooling, as they, with two or three of the most substantial men of -the parish, whom they chose to consult, should think fit;”[212] but it -is doubtful how it was disposed of until 1720, when the three separate -sums mentioned were incorporated, for a motive stated directly, with a -collection made in aid of those who had suffered damage from a serious -inundation in that year. The inhabitants were unable to agree upon an -equable distribution of the collection specified, and decided, by way -of settling the affair, to “make a free school,”[213] with it and the -other sums. The total capital thus acquired amounted to more than £100. -In 1728 £60 was derived from the residue of John Harrison’s estate, by -the direction of his will. William Gaulter gave to Lytham school in 1745 -several securities for money, amounting in all to £99, and three years -later bequeathed the residue of his personal estate, except 20s., to -the same object, making a total benefaction of £335. The whole of the -endowment fund has been invested in land, and the school has always been -in the hands of trustees, who have control over the teachers and all -matters affecting its interest and government. - -Cookson’s Charity is the interest of £10 bequeathed by Thomas Cookson at -an unknown date before 1776, to purchase books for the poor children of -the parish. - -Leyland’s Charity represents the sum of £60 left by Elizabeth Leyland to -trustees, in 1734, in order that it might be laid out, and the annual -revenue therefrom devoted to the assistance of the poor, either in -relieving the elderly, or providing instruction for the young. - -ST. ANNES-ON-THE-SEA. The locality in which the new watering-place is -rapidly developing was indicated in the foundation charter of the Lytham -Benedictine Cell as Kilgrimol. It has been suggested that the peculiar -orthography of the word Kilgrimol points to there having been at some -era a religious settlement, presided over by Culdees, the priests of -Columba,[214] but it is more probable that the name is derived from the -two British words _kilgury_, a corner, and _mul_ or _meol_, a sand-hill. -At a later epoch the district was known as Cross or Churchyard Slack, -and tradition records that an oratory existed there until such time as -it was swallowed up by an earthquake, long years ago. Mr. Thornber, in -discussing the statement, advances the following fact as some evidence in -favour of its veracity:—“Churchyard Slack is situated in a hollow, having -on the north side a rising ground called Stony-hill, and at the distance -of three-quarters of a mile a similar elevation, though not so marked. On -these ridges are found innumerable small boulders of grey granite, having -apparently been acted upon by fire; but it is particularly remarkable -that not one can be found amongst them entirely whole. Similar stones in -less quantities are discovered in the intervening space, all more or less -broken.” - -On the immediate outskirts of the embryo town is the small hamlet of -Heyhouses, at which a school was established in 1821, and enlarged in -1853; and it was there that Lady Eleanor Cecily Clifton erected a church, -in memory of the late James Fair, esq., of Lytham, on a site presented -by her husband, the lord of the manor. The foundation stone of the -edifice was laid in June, 1872, and on Wednesday, the 6th of August, in -the ensuing year, the church and burial ground, occupying jointly 2½ -acres, were consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Manchester. The interior -contains accommodation for 300 persons, 145 seats being appropriated, -and 155 free. The roof is of red tiles instead of slates. The building -is at present a chapel of ease to St. Cuthbert’s, Lytham, but will, when -occasion requires, have a separate ecclesiastical parish of its own. - -The whole of the land of St. Annes-on-the-Sea was leased to a company of -gentlemen for a term of 1,100 years by John Talbot Clifton, esq., and on -the 31st of March, 1875, the formality of laying the first stone of the -future watering-place was gone through by Master John T. Clifton, the -eldest son of T. H. Clifton, esq., M.P. The ceremony was accomplished -amidst a large concourse of people, and was in fact the commencement of -the handsome and commodious hotel near to the railway station, which has -since been completed. The estate has been judiciously and tastefully -arranged by Messrs. Maxwell and Tuke, architects, of Bury, and is -intersected by broad streets with gentle curves. The houses are intended -to be built either singly or in pairs with few exceptions, but in no -case will any group comprise more than six; gardens in each instance -are to front the dwellings. A promenade, 3,000 feet in length and 180 -feet in width, has been formed with asphalt along the marine aspect, and -already between twenty and thirty villas have been raised on the sides -of the recently made thoroughfares. A public garden with conservatories -is also in course of formation, as well as efficient gas-works and other -requisites. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL’S-ON-WYRE. - - -UPPER RAWCLIFFE-WITH-TARNACRE. In the Domesday Book no less than three -Rawcliffes are mentioned, and have been identified, respectively, with -Upper, Middle, and Out Rawcliffes, the last being stated to contain -three carucates, and the others two carucates each. In the _Testa de -Nevill_ it is entered that the grandfather of Theobald Walter gave four -carucates of land in (Upper) Rawcliffe, Thistleton, and Greenhalgh, -to his daughter Alice, on her marriage with Orm Magnus. William de -Lancaster held Upper Rawcliffe at the time of his death in 1240; and -in 1248 Theobald Walter, or le Botiler, had lands in Upper Rawcliffe -and Mid Rawcliffe, as well as the manor of Out Rawcliffe, the principal -portion of which had doubtless descended to him from his ancestor -alluded to above.[215] An inquiry was instituted in 1322, during the -reign of Edward II., concerning the possessions in land and mills of -John de Rigmayden in Upper Rawcliffe, Wyresdale, and Garstang; and a -similar inquisition, with the exception of Garstang, was made, three -years later, in the case of widow Christiana de Coucy de Guynes.[216] -In the succeeding few years Joan, the daughter and heiress of John de -Rigmayden, and John de Coupland held Upper Rawcliffe between them. John -de Coupland had married the widow of Sir William de Goucy, and was the -gallant soldier who captured David II., king of Scotland, on the battle -field at Durham, and was rewarded for his bravery by Edward III., with -the rank of knight-banneret and a grant of land. Joan de Rigmayden, the -heiress, probably married William Southworth, as he is described as lord -of Upper Rawcliffe a little later; Ellen, the sole child and heiress of -William Southworth, became the wife of Robert Urswick, of Urswick, and -their second son, Thomas, who succeeded to the estates of Rawcliffe, -etc., and was knighted, left at his decease a daughter, who espoused, -about 1430, John, the third son of Sir Richard Kirkby, of Kirkby. John -Kirkby resided at Upper Rawcliffe Hall,[217] or White Hall, as it was -subsequently designated, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William, -who in his turn left the lands and mansion to his heir and offspring -John Kirkby. The eldest son of the last gentleman, by his wife, the -daughter of—Broughton, was William Kirkby; and he, in course of time, -inherited the property, and married, in 1507, Elizabeth, the daughter of -William Thornborough, of Hampsfield, by whom he had issue John, George, -William, Richard, Henry, Anne, Elizabeth, and Jane. John Kirkby, the -heir, was living in 1567, but died without offspring, as also did his -brother George, so that Upper Rawcliffe Hall and estate passed to the -third son, William Kirkby, who married Isabell, the daughter of John -Butler, of Kirkland.[218] The Kirkbys continued in sole possession of -the township until 1631, when Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck, purchased from -them Upper Rawcliffe Hall and the estate attached, both of which he -settled upon Major George Westby, the eldest son of his second marriage -with Elizabeth, the daughter of Thomas Preston, of Holkar, and widow of -Thomas Lathom, of Parbold. George Westby resided at White Hall, as the -manor house was now called, and was twice married, being succeeded by -John, the only child by his first wife, Margaret, the daughter of Thomas -Hesketh, of Mains. Both George Westby and his third brother, Bernard, -were royalist officers. John Westby, of Upper Rawcliffe, espoused, in -1684, Jane, the daughter of Thomas Bleasdale, of Alston, and had issue -John, Joseph, James, and Alice, who became the wife of Thomas Gilibrand, -of Dunken Hall, near Chorley. John Westby the eldest son, inherited the -mansion and land on the death of his father in 1708, and married, in the -following year, Mary, the daughter of Thomas Hawett, of Ormskirk, by whom -he had Thomas; George, who died in 1776, leaving several children by his -wife Mary, the daughter of ⸺ Field; John, died unmarried; Cuthbert, died -childless; and Jane. Thomas Westby came into the estate in 1745, when -his father was accidentally killed, and espoused Margaret, the daughter -and heiress of William Shuttleworth, of Turnover Hall, and Bridget, -his wife, who was one of four daughters, the sole offspring of John -Westby, of Mowbreck. The children of Thomas Westby, of White Hall, and, -ultimately, of one fourth of Mowbreck, were John, who died unmarried in -1811; William, died unmarried in 1811, just before his brother; Joseph, -died young; Robert, died childless in 1800; Thomas; Bridget, an abbess -at Liege; and two Marys, one of whom died in infancy. Thomas, the fifth -son, held Mowbreck, White, and Turnover Halls and estates, on the decease -of his eldest brother, and at his own death in 1829, without issue, -was succeeded, in Turnover, by Thomas the only surviving son of his -uncle, George Westby, whose death occurred in 1776; whilst he bequeathed -Mowbreck and White Hall to George, the eldest son of this Thomas Westby, -by his wife Anne, the daughter of John Ashley, of London. The Westbys, -of White Hall and Mowbreck, sold their property at the former place in -recent years to the late John Stevenson, esq., of Preston and Lytham. -Reverting to the earlier Westbys, we find that the active parts played by -George and Bernard Westby in the Civil Wars resulted in the confiscation -of the White Hall estate by Parliament; and in 1653 it was sold by the -Commissioners of State, being purchased for the Westbys again by, and in -the names of, some of their Protestant friends. - -Upper Rawcliffe Hall was rebuilt about the time of its purchase by the -Westbys, who conferred upon it the new title of White Hall. This mansion -stood by the side of the river Wyre, and was approached through a noble -gateway. The windows were mullioned, and two bays projected from the -north-west front; within were secret chambers and a private chapel. -The Hall is now a farm house. Turnover Hall, the ancient seat of the -Shuttleworths, and afterwards one of the mansions of the Westbys, as -already shown, presents nothing of special interest to our notice. -St. Michael’s Hall, the residence of the Longworths[219] during the -seventeenth century, and probably of the Kirkbys before them, has since -been rebuilt in an antique style, and converted into a farm house. - -Tarnacre was claimed, amongst other places, by the abbot of Cockersand in -1292, during the reign of Edward I., and was, with Upper Rawcliffe, in -early days, a feudal appendage of Garstang. - -The township of Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre contains the ancient -parish church of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, which occupies a prominent and -picturesque station on the banks of the narrowed Bleasdale stream, in -the midst of the rural village, to which its title has been extended. -St. Michael’s church, or _Michelescherche_, as it appears in the Survey -of William the Conqueror, was obviously standing on the arrival of that -warrior in 1066, being, with the exception of a similar structure at -Kirkham, the only edifice of its kind existing in the Fylde at that time. -There are no records amongst the meagre annals of Amounderness during the -Saxon era, to assist us in establishing beyond question the antiquity -of this church, but it may reasonably be supposed that its erection -took place at no long interval after the year 627, when Paulinus was -appointed bishop of the province of Northumbria, in which St. Michael’s -was situated. The zeal and piety displayed by Paulinus are said to have -exercised an important influence in overcoming the pagan tendencies of -the inhabitants of Lancashire, and although it is far from probable -that the whole of the people of the Fylde at once became converts to -Christianity, and renounced their heathenish and superstitious ritual, -still it would be idle to deny that the ministrations of so earnest -a prelate as Paulinus were fruitful to a considerable degree in our -district, more especially when history proclaims the success of his -efforts in other portions of his diocese. The small band of professed -Christians would gradually extend their circle, and at no remote date a -building would become necessary where divine worship could be conducted -in a decent and orderly manner, according to the direction of the -newly-adopted creed; and it was, we opine, at such an epoch that the -church of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre was first called into being. After the -Norman Conquest the church formed an item of the princely estate of Roger -de Poictou, acquired through the partial munificence of William I.; and -possibly in 1094, or thereabouts, was conferred by him upon the priory -of St. Mary’s, at Lancaster, in like manner to similar ecclesiastical -possessions which he held in Kirkham and Poulton. However that may be, -it is learnt from the _Testa de Nevill_ that rather more than a century -after the foundation of the monastic house in the year just named, the -advowson of St. Michael’s was vested in King John, who presented Master -Macy to the living,[220] then valued at £66 13s. 4d. per annum. In 1326, -William de Walderston, rector of the church of St. Michael’s, and the -prior of Lancaster, were engaged in a controversy before the authorities -of Richmond, respecting the forest and other tithes of Myerscough, and -those of a place called Migchalgh, the suit being decided at Lancaster on -the 13th of October against the rector.[221] Nineteen years later, Henry, -earl of Lancaster, was patron of the living, and in 1411 Henry IV., duke -of Lancaster, who had claimed and obtained the crown resigned by Richard -II., conveyed St. Michael’s church to the Master and Brethren of the -College or Chantry of the Blessed Mary Magdalen, at Battlefield, near -Shrewsbury, nominally established by himself.[222] The letters-patent by -which the transfer was effected, bore the Duchy seal, and stipulated that -Roger Yve, of Leeton, Keeper and Master of the College concerned (really -its founder), and his successors, should, in return for the grant, make -the following provision for the maintenance of a vicar at the church of -St. Michael’s:— - - “The Vicar and his Successors to receive, have, and possess, - the offerings and revenues which are and belong to the church - of Michaelskirk, together with the fruits and offerings arising - from Hay and Revenues; the Tenth of Gardens dug with the foot, - of Lambs, Calves, Young Foals, Poultry, Young Pigs, Geese, Eggs, - Milk, Wool, Flax, Hemp, Mills, Apples, Garlick, Onions, Fishes, - and Pigeons; the first fruits of the Dead, otherwise called - Mortuaries, whether they consist of Animals, Clothes, or any - other thing whatsoever, together with our Pool and Mill, and also - the Pool upon Wyre near the Rectory of Michaelskirk; and further, - the same Vicar and his Successors to have for their Dwelling the - straw-thatched Porch below the Rectory, and the Door and House - adjoining, with the Dovecote and Orchard near the Porch, and the - Fishponds and Moats.” - -The vicar on his part was required to pledge himself to pay all ordinary -taxes and expenses incumbent upon the church, excepting “the covering -of the chancel of the church, the payment of 40s. to the Archdeacon of -Richmond, and the Tenths payable to the King for ever,” for which the -Master of the College agreed on behalf of himself and his successors to -be answerable.[223] The foregoing grant and regulations were confirmed -in 1425 and 1485 by Henry VI. and Henry VII. respectively. After the -Dissolution the right of presentation was exercised by King Charles -in 1629, who appointed Nicholas Bray to the vicarage. Subsequently -the patronage of the living has descended through several private -individuals, and is now centred in the present vicar, the Venerable -Archdeacon Hornby. - -The parish church of St. Michael’s contained two chantries, one of which, -dedicated to St. Katherine, occupied the chapel still existing in the -north aisle. This chantry was founded some time about the middle of the -fifteenth century by John Botiler, or Butler, lord of the manor of Out -Rawcliffe. Canon Raines says that a portion of the body armour either of -him or one of his immediate descendants remained suspended in the chapel -until long after 1700. - -Alice Butler, the daughter of Sir Thomas Radcliffe, and widow of Nicholas -Butler, the eldest son of the founder, bequeathed by will, dated the -20th of November, 1504, “her sowll to God and hys Blessyd Mother and -all the holye Cumpanie of heven, and her bodye to be beryd in Christian -wyse in Saynt Katrine’s chapel, where her husband laye;” also “to the -lyght brenning there 20d; to Thomas Walton, or some wel dysposed priest -to synge for my sowll for one yeare £1 13s. 4d., solemn mass of requiem, -and other obsequies to be done as becometh one of my degree, but not too -moche expendsive so that my executors let not (hinder not) my dowters -advancement in marryage; and to Sʳ John Butler, Clerk, 40s. a yeare -togider with meate and drynke whiles he is on lyfe.”[224] In the reign -of Henry VIII., William Harrison was the officiating priest of this -chantry, and at that time its tenants, possessions, and annual rentals -were, one tenement lying in Esprick, held by Thomas Dawson at 20s. per -annum; another tenement in the same place held by William Hall at 19s.; a -windmill in Stainall at 26s. 8d., and several parcels of ground amounting -to about an acre at 2s., held by Ralph Hull; one tenement in Stainall -with appurtenances held by Ralph Hodgeson at 12s.; an acre of ground -lying in a field at Stainall held by William Hull at 2s. 8d.; two roods -of land in Stainall held by the wife of Christopher Hull at 12d.; divers -plots of ground estimated to comprise four acres in the same township -held by William Hull, the elder, at 19s.; one tenement with appurtenances -in Great Eccleston held by the wife of William Stiholme at 13s. 4d.; and -one tenement in Little Eccleston held by Henry Wilkinson, at 20s. Hence -it seems that the gross rentals amounted to £5 15s. 8d., out of which -5s. per annum was paid to the wife of Robert Stannall for her jointure, -leaving £5 10s. 8d. the actual yearly revenue of the chantry from its -endowment.[225] At the accession of Edward VI., Henry Harrison was the -“Priest Incumbent at St. Katherine’s Altar, being 54 years old, and he -taught a Grammar School according to his foundation.” When chantries -were suppressed the educational institution here alluded to was probably -abandoned for want of funds and a master; in any case it ceased to exist -about that time. On the 29th of November, 1606, James I. granted to Henry -Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, “all that Late Chantrie of the ffoundation of -John Butler, at the Aulter of the Blessed Katherine within the Parishe -Churche of St. Michaell-upon-Wyre, in the Countye of Lancaster, lately -dissolved, and all the lands appertaining thereto.” - -The second chantry in St. Michael’s church was founded sometime during -the fifteenth century by one of the earlier Kirkbys, of Upper Rawcliffe, -and in the reign of Edward VI. its annual income from endowment property -was £4 13s. 10d., Thomas Crosse, of the age of 40 years, being the priest -who celebrated there and “assisted the Curate.” Nothing more precise -concerning the origin of this chantry can be ascertained, and even the -situation it occupied in the church is unknown. In 1553 Thomas Crosse -received a pension of £4 13s. 10d. a year.[226] - - VICARS OF ST. MICHAEL’S-ON-WYRE. - - IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF LANCASTER. - - ------------+--------------------+--------------------+----------------- - Date of | NAME. | By whom Presented. |Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | | - ------------+--------------------+--------------------+----------------- - About 1200 |Master Macy |King John | - ” 1377 |William de Horneby |Duke of Lancaster(?)| - In 1411 |Johannes de Daleby |College of | - | | Battlefield | - Before 1549 |Michael Thorneborrow| | - In 1549 |Thomas Crosse |G. Kirkby and Nich. | - | | Lawrenson, gents.,| - | | patrons on this | - | | occasion only, by | - | | consent of John | - | | Hussey, master, | - | | and the Fellows | - | | of Battlefield | - | | College |Death of M. - | | | Thorneborrow - In 1628 |Robert Carr | | - ” 1629 |Nicholas Bray |King Charles I. |Resignation of - | | | R. Carr - Before 1650 |William Bray |King Charles I. | - About 1653 |Nathaniel Baxter | | - Before 1715 |Thomas Robinson | | - In 1715 |Richard Crombleholme|Thomas Clitherall |Death of T. - | | | Robinson - ” 1729 |William Crombleholme|Edward Crombleholme |Death of R. - | | | Crombleholme - ” 1765 |Robert Oliver |Richard Whitehead |Death of W. - | | | Crombleholme - ” 1768 |Anthony Swainson, |Richard Whitehead |Cession of R. - | M.A. | | Oliver - ” 1784 |Charles Buck, M.A. |John Swainson |Death of A. - | | | Swainson - ” 1789 |Hugh Hornby, M.A. |Joseph Hornby |Resignation of - | | | C. Buck - ” 1847 |William Hornby, M.A.|Himself |Death of H. - | | | Hornby - ------------+--------------------+--------------------+----------------- - -The Rev. Hugh de Horneby was the brother of Robert de Horneby, vicar of -Kirkham, and it may fairly be inferred that they belonged to the family -of Hornbys, whose descendants are now settled at St. Michael’s, Ribby, -and Winwick, but lapse of time has obliterated the connecting links. -The Rev. Nathaniel Baxter was ejected in 1662, for refusing to take the -oath required by the Act of Uniformity. Little only can be ascertained -concerning the Crombleholmes, but it is conjectured that they were -associated with the branch of that name seated at Goosnargh. The Rev. -Richard Crombleholme had two sons—Edward and William, by the latter of -whom he was succeeded in the vicarage, whilst to the former seems to -have descended the patronage, acquired by purchase. The Rev. William -Crombleholme married the daughter of Alexander Butler, of Kirkland, and -possibly had no offspring beyond the Elizabeth Crombleholme, to whose -memory the mural monument shortly to be noticed, was erected. The Rev. -Anthony Swainson was the son of the Rev. Christopher Swainson, B.A., -incumbent of Copp, and Elizabeth, his wife; he was a Fellow of Worcester -College, Oxford. The Rev. Charles Buck was the son of the Rev. Charles -Buck, M.A., vicar of Kirkham; he was afterwards curate of Warton and -Lund. The Rev. Hugh Hornby was the sixth son of Hugh Hornby, esq., of -Kirkham, whose eldest son was Joseph Hornby, esq., D.L., of Ribby Hall. -He married Ann, daughter and co-heiress of Joseph Starky, M.D., of -Redvales, and had issue, one son, William, now the Venerable Archdeacon -Hornby, who succeeded him in the living, and is the present vicar and -patron. The Ven. Archdeacon Hornby is an honorary canon of Manchester, -and has been twice married, but further information respecting the family -will be found in the pedigree of “Hornby of Ribby Hall.” - -The present church is a broad low building of rough stone, with a tower -of similar character at the west end. Both the tower and church are -surmounted and surrounded by a castellated stone parapet and ornamental -pinnacles of the same material. The porch and the tower bear the date -1611 and initial letters H:B. upon their exteriors, but it is evident -that much of the edifice can boast a considerably greater antiquity than -that indicated by the corresponding inscriptions. It is also obvious -from the varieties displayed in the architecture of different portions, -more especially the windows, that the rebuilding of the church has not -been accomplished all at once, but carried on at pretty long intervals, -extending back certainly to the time of Henry VIII., and perhaps further. -Within, the south side aisle is separated from the nave by a succession -of stone arches running from east to west, whilst the north side aisle -contains the chapel in which was placed the altar of St. Katherine, and -where now is the following inscription:—“This Oratory, known before -the Dissolution to have been a Chantry dedicated to Saint Katherine, -and competently endowed with lands in the neighbouring townships, was -repaired by John ffrance, esq., of Rawcliffe Hall, A.D. 1797, being an -appendage to that ancient manor house.” The tower opens directly into -the nave without even the semblance of a partition, and on one wall is -fixed a brass plate intimating that the large clock, whose huge pendulum -vibrates opposite, and whose dials are visible without, was presented, -in 1850, to the Ven. Archdeacon Hornby by his parishioners, as a mark of -esteem. The mural tables occupying stations within the aisles and nave -are erected to the memories of Edward Greenhalgh, of Myerscough Hall, -died in 1823, aged 53, and Margaret, his widow, died in 1853, aged 92, -also Mary, died in infancy, and Charlotte, died in 1823, aged 29, their -daughters; Thomas Westby, of White Hall, died in 1762, aged 47, and -Margaret, his widow, died in 1802, aged 82, also their children—Mary, -died in infancy, Joseph, in 1769, aged 16, Bridget, in 1786, aged 37, -Robert, in 1800, aged 45, Mary, in 1805, aged 45, William, in 1811, -aged 60, and John, in 1811, aged 65—Thomas, the only surviving child -being the erector of the monument in 1812; Hugh Hornby, M.A., 56 years -vicar of the parish, died in 1847, aged 81, and Anne, his widow, died in -1850, aged 81 years, also Joseph Starkey Hornby, born in 1839, died in -1858, and William Hornby, born in 1845, died in 1858—“They were lovely -and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided”; -Henry Hornby, late Captain in the East India Service, died in 1794, aged -54, “also near this place were interred the remains of his late father, -Thomas Hornby, of St. Michael’s, who died Mar. 8, 1785, aged 76, likewise -Elizabeth, wife and mother to the above, who died May 14th, 1798, aged -84”; Elizabeth Crombleholme, daughter of the Rev. William Crombleholme, -formerly vicar of the parish, “whose mortal remains were deposited in the -graveyard of this church near those of her beloved parents on the 21st -of May, 1817—Erected as a tribute of esteem by her affectionate relative -Thomas Butler Cole, of Kirkland Hall.” The Baptistry was restored in 1852 -by the surviving children of John and Susannah Swainson, of Preston, -and contains several tablets affixed to the north wall in memory of -numerous members of that family, amongst whom may be mentioned the Revs. -Christopher Swainson, B.A., incumbent of Copp, died in 1775; Anthony -Swainson, M.A., vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, died 1784, aged 42; and -Christopher Swainson, M.A., prebendary of Hereford, and vicar of Clun, -Salop, died in 1854. The burial ground surrounding the church presents -nothing of much interest to the antiquarian beyond an old sun-dial, and -the Crombleholme grave lying under the shadow of the east wall. The -living is a discharged vicarage. - -The following extracts from the ancient vestry books will doubtless be -interesting to our readers, although not of much importance as parish -records:— - - “April, 1683: To Ann Raby for washing surplice, 4s.; to John - Fisher for work for clock and bells, 8s. 6d. - - “Ordered this 21st of June, 1683, that no person or persons for - the future be admitted to bury any dead corpse in the church - unless he or they, at whose instance such corpse shall be buried, - do in hand pay to the sexton of the parish for the same, being 12 - pence for the use of the parish, or sufficiently secure the same - to him, the corpses of women dying in childbed only excepted, - which are hereby intended to be free, as is usual in other - parishes.—Thos. Robinson, vicar; Rich. Longworth, Thos. White, - gents.; Jas. Raby, Rich. B. Hornby, Rich. Wilding, George Bennet, - churchwardens.” - - “May 18, 1688: It is ordered that the two former orders made, the - one ffor destroying Magpie and Sparrow heads, and the other for - allowing the churchwardens to pay ... out of the parish money, be - for the future suspended.” - - “July 4, 1729: To ring one Bell at 7.0; to ring 2 Bells at 8.0; - to ring and chime for Service in summer from half an hour past 10 - o’clock, and in winter from Ten till half an hour after.” - - “Aug. 25, 1736: It was ordered by ye Vicar and gentlemen of ye - parish that another church lay after ye rate of 12d. in £1, - besides ye 3 church lays before mentioned, be forthwith collected - and gathered for repairing ye church. N.B.: This church lay is - collected for laying a new beam and erecting a new pair of - principals between ye church and ye chancel at the joint charges - of ye parish and Allen Johnson, esq., owner of ye chancel.” - - May 5, 1745: Be it known that John Lewtas has cleared up ye - difficulties about ye quakers’ taxes for Rawcliffe. - - “1746: Ringers’ salary, 15s.; for 5th of November, 6s.; for - sanding churchyard, 1s. - - “November 6, 1780: Agreed by the Vicar and gentlemen of the - Vestry of St. Michael’s, that each Ringer attending the church - shall be allowed two tankards of ale, and each singer one - tankard, together with each one their dinner.” - - “November 6, 1792: It was determined by a majority of the - gentlemen of the Vestry to raise the dues for opening a grave in - the inside of the church to 6s. 8d. - - “1796: At a meeting of the Vestry of this church it was - unanimously resolved that the remainder of the profits arising - from the estate called Terleways and the garden in Upper - Rawcliffe, after defraying the expenses of a dinner and a quart - of ale to each vestryman, churchwarden, the curate of Copp, and - clerk of St. Michael’s, at the respective days of Easter Tuesday - and the 5th of November for 7 years ensuing, commencing with the - present day (March 29, 1796), shall be suffered to accumulate - during the above period towards purchasing an Organ for the - Church of St. Michael’s; and that every Stranger introduced on - the forementioned days at dinner, except it be on business of the - parish, shall be paid for by the person introducing him.” - - “July 15, 1799: To a Finger and Barrel Organ with the following - stops—Open, Diapason, Stop do., Principal, Twelfth, Fifteenth, - Sesqualtra, and Mixture,—£183 15s. 0d.” - -In 1708 Richard Cornall gave £40 to be invested, and the interest -applied towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster for Upper -Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre, and in 1808 Joseph Fielding, of Catterall, -was the sole remaining trustee of a sum of money, amounting to £60, -of which the £40 doubtless formed part, for educational purposes. At -that date Joseph Fielding induced the Rev. Hugh Hornby, vicar of St. -Michael’s-on-Wyre, and William Harrison, of Upper Rawcliffe, to undertake -the trust with him on a fresh deed, the old one having been lost. A new -schoolhouse was shortly erected on the site of the former building, and -is now governed by the representatives of the trustees named. In 1813 -Mrs. Elizabeth Crombleholme left £200 in trust to be invested, and the -annual income therefrom paid to the master of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre -school for teaching three poor children of the parish to read, write, and -cast accounts. - -Bread-money was probably established during the lifetime of John ffrance, -of Rawcliffe Hall, and arises from “two-sevenths of the clear rent of a -close of ground lying in Kirkham, purchased with £20, to be distributed -to the poor attending divine service in the parish church of St. -Michael’s, at the direction of John ffrance, esq., and his heirs; Thomas -Langton, gent., and his heirs; and the vicar of St. Michael’s for the -time being.”[227] - -Ralph Longworth, esq., of St. Michael’s Hall, left £5 per annum to the -vicar, and £2 10s. to the poor of Upper Rawcliffe. - -Thomas Knowles, gent., left £2 10s., and John Hudson, gent., £2 a-year to -the poor of the same township. - -The Terleway’s Lands were given by some one unknown at a very early -date “for the use of the parish, as the vicar and vestry shall -direct,” and consist of lands in Claughton and a garden in Upper -Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre.[228] - - POPULATION OF UPPER RAWCLIFFE-WITH-TARNACRE. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 494 617 643 665 671 697 682 700 - -The area of the township embraces 3,743 statute acres. - -GREAT ECCLESTON. Great Eccleston was anciently held by William de -Lancaster as an appendage of the fee of Wyresdale. William de Lancaster -died without issue, and Wyresdale, with its dependency Great Eccleston, -passed to Walter de Lindsay, the eldest son of his second sister, Alice. -The Lindsay line terminated in the heiress Christiana de Lindsay, living -in 1300, who married Ingelram de Guynes, Lord of Coucy, in France, -whose eldest son was created earl of Bedford in 1336, and whose second -and third sons, Sir William de Coucy and Robert de Coucy, held Great -Eccleston as part of Wyresdale, their inheritance, in 1346. The widow of -Sir William de Coucy conveyed her portion of Great Eccleston in marriage -to Sir John de Coupland, and the remainder was then held by Baldwin de -Guynes and Joan, the heiress of John de Rigmayden. The whole of the -township, with the exception of certain lands rented by the convent of -Deulacres,[229] descended in the manner above described from William -de Lancaster, through the Lindsays and Guynes or Coucys, to Coupland, -Baldwin de Guynes, and Joan Rigmayden, and subsequently to their -heirs. Amongst the _Familiæ Lancastrienses_ there are two families of -Ecclestons, one of which is described as of Eccleston, near Preston, and -the other of Eccleston simply, the latter doubtless being the Ecclestons -who were seated at Great Eccleston Hall anterior to the Stanleys, the -occupants in the seventeenth century, whose pedigree will be found, with -others, in a former chapter of this volume. The Ecclestons, of Eccleston, -near Preston, would belong to the place of that name in the Hundred of -Leyland. Thomas Stanley, an illegitimate son of the fourth earl of Derby, -settled, about 1600, at Great Eccleston Hall, which, together with the -estate, was probably purchased; his descendants remained there until -the death of Richard Stanley, in 1714, when Thomas Westby, of Upper -Rawcliffe, obtained possession of the land and mansion, both of which -have since descended in his line. - -An Episcopal chapel was erected, in 1723, on the summit of a hill at -Copp, almost a mile from the village of Great Eccleston, and near to -Elswick chapel, “which,” says Bishop Gastrell, “being never consecrated -and in the possession of the Dissenters, it was thought more proper to -build a new one there than to seize upon that.” Subjoined is a letter -from John ffrance, of Little Eccleston Hall, to William Stafford, -Commissary of Richmond, and Secretary to Bishop Gastrell, called forth by -sundry matters in connection with the newly completed place of worship:— - - “Eccleston parva, Aug. 3, 1724. - - “Upon some discourse with Mr. Dixon (vicar of Kirkham) about Cop - Chapell I will give you the trouble of this. When Subscriptions - were desired towards building the said Chapell it was proposed - and intended to be not only for the use of the Inhabitants of - St. Michael’s, but likewise for the use of several townships, - which lye in the Parish of Kirkham, remote from their - Parish Church; and the Inhabitants of this township (Little - Eccleston-with-Larbrick) have contributed more towards the - Building than those of St. Michael’s, and would have erected it - within Kirkham Parish, if the situation had been thought equally - convenient. And likewise the person, who promised to pay the - hundred pounds towards the Queen’s Bounty, gave a note touching - the same, with conditions in favour of Kirkham Parish. - - “Before the Chapell was erected the two Vicars of the Parishes - aforesaid were together, seemed to encourage our proceedings, - and talked amicably and agreeably about Nomination, etc.; but - since the Chapell was built several proposals have been made - to which the Vicar of Kirkham has consented, but the Vicar of - St. Michael’s seems to dislike them. One of the proposals was - that the determination of the affair might be referred to the - Bishop of Chester, whose generous offer to procure £100 towards - the Endowment of this Chapell gave great encouragement to our - undertaking the building thereof. Some people have refused - to pay their Subscriptions on pretence that the Vicar of St. - Michael’s has departed from former proposals; but we hope (if - these differences could be amicably settled to the satisfaction - of the neighbourhood) that not only the old, but likewise several - new Subscriptions might be procured, especially if our grateful - behaviour for by-past favours may continue his Lordship’s - Countenance and Encouragement; and we desire you to represent the - matter to him as favourably as you think it will bear.” - - (Signed) John ffrance. - -The chapel was a small plain brick building, dedicated to St. Anne, but -in 1841 a tower was added, and at the same time a burial ground was -enclosed and licensed in connection with it. Great Eccleston, Elswick, -and Little Eccleston-with-Larbrick townships were, in 1849, constituted a -separate ecclesiastical district, known as the parish of Copp, of which -this chapel is the parochial church. There is a vicarage house. - - CURATES AND VICARS OF COPP. - - ------------+-----------------------+--------------------- - Date of | NAME. | Cause of Vacancy. - Institution.| | - ------------+-----------------------+--------------------- - Before 1775 |Christopher Swainson, | - | B.A. | - | | - ” 1841 |Reginald Sharpe | - | | - In 1841 |Thomas Hathornthwaite, | Resignation of - | L.L.D. | R. Sharpe - | | - ” 1864 |William C. Dowding, | Resignation of - | M.A. | T. Hathornthwaite - | | - ” 1870 |William Bateson, M.A. | Resignation of - | | William C. Dowding - ------------+-----------------------+---------------------- - -A new Catholic chapel was completed in 1835, and superseded one of -considerable age. Three fairs are held each year on March 14th, April -14th, and November 4th, for cattle. - -The origin of the free school at Copp has not been discovered, but the -earliest endowment to be found dates from 1719, when William Fyld, -yeoman, of Great Eccleston, left the remainder of his personal estate, -amounting to about £250, to be invested in trustees, and the interest -to be paid yearly “for a Master to teach Poor Children here, or in some -other part of the township.” By his will, dated 1st of April, 1748, -William Gaulter bequeathed £242 14s. to certain trustees to augment the -stipend of the master of this school, and directed that in case the -educational establishment should ever be abandoned, or the terms of -the will not be observed, the annual income derived from his bequest -should be distributed amongst the poor inhabitants of the neighbourhood. -In 1866 the school was temporarily closed, whilst the charity was -under the revision of the Charity Commissioners; and in 1871 a new and -more commodious building was erected. There is also another school in -this township, called Lane Head school, held in a building erected by -subscription on the site of the original one, which had collapsed through -age. The only endowment is a rent charge of £5 supposed to have been left -by Thomas Clitherall. - -William Fyld, of Great Eccleston, bequeathed £2 annually to the poor of -that township. - -Ellen Longworth left the interest of £20 to be distributed in bread to -the poor people attending divine service at Copp church. - - POPULATION OF GREAT ECCLESTON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 455 540 648 624 661 631 641 565 - -The area of the township in statute acres is 1,412 - -OUT RAWCLIFFE. The manor of Out Rawcliffe was presented to Theobald -Walter by Richard I., and from that time to 1715 remained in the hands of -the same family. Theobald Walter, the son of the above-named gentleman, -and _Butler_ of Ireland, a title which, as elsewhere stated, he adopted -as a surname, gave the whole of Out Rawcliffe, and one carucate of land -in Stainall, to his relative, perhaps son, Sir Richard Butler, and from -him sprang the long line of Butlers of Rawcliffe.[230] In 1627 the -inquisition _post mortem_ of Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, revealed -that his possessions consisted of the two manors of Out and Middle -Rawcliffes, and of lands in Upper Rawcliffe.[231] Henry and Richard -Butler of Rawcliffe, father and eldest son, joined the ranks of the -insurgents in 1715, and after the suppression of the rebellion, their -estates were confiscated; Henry escaped, but Richard was seized, and died -in prison at London in 1716, before the day appointed for his execution. -The sale of Out Rawcliffe by Government was enrolled on the 19th of -September, 1723, the purchasers being the Rev. Richard Crombleholme, -(vicar of St. Michael’s), John Leyland, Cornelius Fox, and James Poole; -and in the diary of the Rev. Thos. Parkinson, curate of Garstang, -reference is made to the completion and terms of the transfer as follows:— - - “April 1723.— ... At night I preached for T. Raby, of Tarnacre, - at St. Michael’s. His son paid me 10s. Mr. Crombleholm, the vicar - there, came from London, whilst I was there, who, in conjunction - with three more, had bought Rawcliffe demain and tenants, paying - to the board £11,260. It cost them near £1,000 more in hush - money, as they call it.” - -In 1729 the Rev. Richard Crombleholme, who seems to have bought up the -shares of his co-investors, died, and five years later his heir, Edward -Crombleholme, disposed of the lordship of Out Rawcliffe, with its -courts, fishing in the Wyre, rents, etc., to Thomas Roe, whose only child -and heiress married John ffrance, of Little Eccleston Hall. The only son -and heir of John ffrance, of Rawcliffe and Little Eccleston, also called -John, became lord of the manor on the decease of his father in 1774. He -espoused Margaret, the daughter and heiress of ⸺ Rigg, of Lancaster, -and, dying without issue, devised his property, after the death of his -widow, to Thomas Wilson, of Preston, whose wife, the daughter of ⸺ Cross, -of Shaw Hall, Chorley, was his nearest relative. Thomas Wilson assumed -the surname of ffrance in addition to his own, and was succeeded, under -the will of John ffrance, by his son, Thomas Robert Wilson-ffrance, who -effected great improvements on the land by draining and re-covering the -mosses, thereby increasing the value of the estate considerably. T. R. -Wilson-ffrance died in 1853, and Rawcliffe descended to his only son, -Robert Wilson-ffrance, who lived but six years afterwards, and bequeathed -his estates to his sole offspring, Robert John Barton Wilson-ffrance, -esq., at that time an infant, and now in possession. Rawcliffe Hall -lies on the south of the township, in a park-like enclosure, leading to -the banks of the river Wyre. The present mansion was built in the 17th -century, but during more recent years has undergone material alterations. -The remains of the Catholic chapel attached to it are situated at the -rear. - -The church of Out Rawcliffe was consecrated in 1837, and was erected by -subscription and a donation from the late T. R. Wilson-ffrance, esq., who -also gave the site, and retained the patronage. The style of architecture -is said to resemble some portions of the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, -with a fine Norman arch over the west end. There are 250 sittings, of -which 150 are free. The first incumbent was the Rev. W. Chadwick, who was -succeeded by the Rev. Joshua Waltham. The Rev. James C. Home, M.A., is -the third and present holder of the living. - -There is a good day-school supported out of the Rawcliffe estate. - - POPULATION OF OUT RAWCLIFFE. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 413 484 598 575 728 791 771 832 - -The area in statute acres of Out Rawcliffe is 4,340. - -ELSWICK. From the _Testa de Nevill_ it appears that about 1400 Warin -de Wytingham and Alin de Singilton held respectively the eighth and -sixteenth parts of a knight’s fee in Elswick from the Earl of Lincoln. -Edmund Dudley had the manor until his attainder at the beginning of the -reign of Henry VIII.; and in 1521, Thomas, earl of Derby, held it of that -monarch. The soil is now in the possession of several landowners. - -In 1650 the Parliamentary Commissioners of the Commonwealth reported -that the inhabitants, “being fifty families, and five miles from their -parish church, had lately, with the voluntary and free assistance of -some neighbouring towns, erected a chapel.” The Rev. Cuthbert Harrison, -who had been ejected from his benefice in Ireland for refusing the oath -of Uniformity, procured a license from Charles II. in 1672 for the same -chapel, “for the use of such as did not conform to the Church of England, -commonly called Congregational.” Parliament, however, decreed that the -King’s authority was insufficient, and forbade divine service to be held -there a short time later. In 1702 the chapel seems to have been again -opened, and continued in use amongst the Independents until 1753, when -it was superseded by a new one, enlarged in 1838. The memorial stone -of the present chapel, erected to commemorate the persecutions under -the Five Mile Act of two centuries ago, was laid by Sir James Watts, of -Manchester, on the 30th of July, 1873, and the building completed with -all expedition. The chapel stands on a plot of ground presented by Mrs. -Harrison, of Bankfield, adjoining the site of the former edifice, and is -a handsome stone Gothic structure. The mortuary, with tower and spire, -was given by R. C. Richards, esq., J.P., of Clifton Lodge, in memory of -certain members of his family. - -Elizabeth Hoole, by will dated 26th of April, 1727, charged a meadow in -Elswick, which she gave to the Roman Catholic chapel of Great Eccleston, -with the annual payment of £3 to the poor of Elswick. - - POPULATION OF ELSWICK. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 232 256 290 327 303 307 290 254 - -The area of the township includes 1,009 statute acres. - -WOOD PLUMPTON. In the Domesday Book Pluntun is entered as comprising -two carucates of arable land. Robert de Stokeport died possessed of -the manor in 1248, and his daughter and heiress married Nicholas de -Eton as her first husband, and John de Arderne as her second. Robert -de Eton, a descendant of her first marriage, obtained Wood Plumpton in -1340. Cecily de Stokeport, heiress of the Etons, conveyed the manor -to Sir Edward Warren, of Poynton, in which family it remained until -transferred, in 1777, to Viscount Thomas James Bulkeley on his marriage -with Elizabeth Harriet, only child of Sir George Warren. The Bulkeley -property ultimately passed to the Fleming-Leycesters, whence Lord de -Tabley obtained the lordship. Charles Birley, esq., of Bartle Hall, is -the present possessor of the manor. Wood Plumpton Hall was anciently the -seat of the Warrens, whilst Ambrose Hall was occupied by a family of the -same name, from which descended the Rev. Isaac Ambrose, who was ejected -from Garstang by the Act of Uniformity. Richard Ambrose, of Ambrose Hall, -left a son and heir, William, who married the daughter of ⸺ Curwen of -Lancaster, and had issue a son, Nicholas. Nicholas Ambrose espoused Jane, -daughter of John Singleton, of Gingle Hall, Lancashire, and left six sons -and a daughter, the eldest of whom, William, resided at Ambrose Hall in -1567, and was twice married, first to Anne, widow of Lawrence Cotham, of -St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, and after her decease to Margaret, widow of Sir -Richard Houghton. Flower’s heraldic visitation, from which the foregoing -is extracted, was made in 1567, and consequently the pedigree cannot be -traced further. - -The church of Wood Plumpton is very ancient, being probably in existence -during the earlier years of the 14th century. It was rebuilt in 1630, and -has subsequently undergone numerous alterations, consisting now of nave, -chancel, and two aisles. The communion table has the date and initials -“W. A. 1635” upon it, and a beam in the roof is carved with the year -“1639.” An organ was obtained in 1849. The principal window, the gift of -R. Waterworth, esq., of Preston, is beautifully emblazoned, in addition -to which there are several other richly stained windows. A handsome -monument of marble, representing a sailor mourning, is situated in the -north aisle, and was erected in memory of Henry Foster, R.N., F.R.S., son -of a former incumbent who was drowned in 1831, in the river Chagres, -Gulf of Mexico. The church is dedicated to St. Anne, and the Rev. Isaac -Mossop is the present vicar. - -There is a Roman Catholic chapel at Cottam, erected in 1793. The date -of the original one is unknown, but in 1768 it was almost completely -destroyed by an election mob. A Wesleyan chapel was built in 1815, and -another for the Primitive Methodists about 1819. - -The township contains an auxiliary workhouse, connected with the Preston -Union, which was erected in 1823. Annual courts are held for the manor of -Wood Plumpton, which includes the hamlets of Catforth, Eaves, Bartle, and -Wood Plumpton. - -The school at Catforth was established by Alice Nicholson, of Bartle, -who gave in 1661 the sum of £100 in trust for the maintenance of a free -school within the manor of Wood Plumpton. Subsequent benefactions have -been received as follows:—The same Alice Nicholson £10 by will, in 1664; -John Hudson, of Lea, £20 by will, in 1676; John Hall, of Catforth, £20 -by deed, in 1732; James Hall, of Catforth, £10 by will, in 1741; Richard -Eccles, £100 by will, in 1762; Elizabeth Bell, £100 by deed, in 1813; -Richard Threlfall, £20 by deed in 1813; and Ann Robinson, £90 by will in -1817. The total endowment up to 1813, amounting to £380, was invested on -the 21st of April in that year, in the navy five per cents., in the name -of the trustees. The further bequest of £90 was placed out at interest. - -In 1817, Ann Robinson, the benefactress just mentioned, also left £90 in -trust, the interest to be given to the master teaching the Sunday school -at Wood Plumpton church. - -Thomas Houghton gave, in 1649, the fourth part of the rental of an estate -in Wood Plumpton to the poor of that township. - -It is recited in an indenture, dated 9th January, 1709, that George -Nicholson bequeathed the rents of several closes of land, which he stood -possessed of for a certain term of years, in trust, for the poor of Wood -Plumpton, and also left for the same charitable object, the sum of £200, -to be retained by his executors, and the interest only distributed, -until the expiration of the above term, when the sum should be paid to -the churchwardens and overseers, and used as heretofore. The indenture -further recites that on the death of George Nicholson in 1672, a Chancery -suit arose out of the will, the result being that the poor were awarded -£210 as a settlement of their legal claims upon the property of the -deceased. The money was ordered to be invested, and the annual income -bestowed as directed by the testator. - - POPULATION OF WOOD PLUMPTON. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 1,197 1,397 1,635 1,719 1,688 1,574 1,462 1,290 - -The township comprises 4,722 statute acres. - -INSKIP-WITH-SOWERBY. In the Domesday volume this township appears as -containing three carucates of arable soil. Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe -Hall, obtained the manor of Inskip in 1281 as the dowry of his bride -Alicia, daughter of William de Carleton. Inskip was held by Cuthbert -Clifton, of Clifton, in 1512, from whom it descended to Sir W. Molyneux, -of Larbrick and Sefton, who had espoused his sole child and heiress. -In 1554-68 it was in the possession of Henry Kighley, and afterwards -passed to William Cavendish, earl of Devonshire, on his marriage with the -daughter and co-heiress of that gentleman. - -The fishery of “Saureby Mere” belonged to William Hoghton in 1519, at -which epoch Thomas Rigmayden and the earl of Derby had lands in Sowerby. -The Stanleys have for long been lords of Sowerby and continue to hold a -court-baron there. In Inskip also a court-baron takes place each year in -June. - -A church, dedicated to St. Peter, was erected in 1848 at the joint -expense of the earl of Derby and the Ven. Archdeacon Hornby, vicar of -St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. The living, now a vicarage, is endowed with £100 -per annum out of the corn rents. The Rev. A. Sharples, B.A., appointed -shortly after the church was built, is the present vicar. - -One-fourth of the rentals from certain lands in Goosnargh and Chipping -was given by Thomas Knowles in 1686 to the poor of Inskip. - -In 1750 John Jolly bequeathed the residue of his estate in trust, for -the use of such poor housekeepers of Inskip-with-Sowerby as received no -parochial relief. - - POPULATION OF INSKIP-WITH-SOWERBY. - - 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. - 635 647 739 798 735 680 663 593 - -The area of the township in statute acres amounts to 2,888. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -PAUPERISM AND THE FYLDE UNION. - - -In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it was not customary to -recognise the pauper as a person whose misfortunes, however brought -about, called for charitable aid, but all legislature was directed -against his class under the common title of vagabonds. A statute of -1384 decreed that all vagrants should be arrested and either placed in -the stocks, or imprisoned until the visit of the justices, who would do -with them whatever seemed best by law; and in 1496 the punishment of -incarceration was abolished, but the stocks were retained. The sixteenth -century initiated a little more considerate state of things, and justices -of the peace were authorised in 1531 to grant begging licenses to any -necessitous persons in their districts unable to work for a livelihood. -An act of 1547 ordained that any vagabond, not incapacitated by old age -or illness, loitering and not seeking work for three days should be -brought before a magistrate, who was directed to adjudge such vagrant -to be, for two years, the slave of the person by whom he had been -apprehended, in addition to which he had to be branded with the letter -V on the breast. In case he ran away the law ordered that a further -branding of the sign S should be inflicted, this time on his forehead -or the ball of his cheek, and that slavery should be his perpetual -portion. A third escape entailed death when re-captured. This enactment -was never really enforced as popular indignation at its extreme severity -was aroused at once, and after lingering two years it was repealed in -favour of the stocks-legislature. In 1551 it was decreed that a register -of destitute persons should be kept in each parish, and that alms should -be collected in Whit-week, whilst on the Sunday following, during divine -service at church, “the collectors should gently ask and demand of every -man and woman what they of their charity would give weekly towards -the relief of the poor.” The funds so obtained were to be distributed -amongst the poor “after such sort that the more impotent might have the -more help, and such as could get part of their living the less.” Eleven -years later a statute ordained that if any person refused to contribute -alms when called upon he should be summoned before a justice, who would -determine the amount he had to pay, and commit him to gaol in case of -further refusal. The legislative body of Queen Elizabeth passed “An Act -for the punishment of vagabonds and the relief of the poor and impotent,” -by which justices of the peace were instructed to register the names of -all the impotent poor who had been born within their several districts, -or been existing there on alms within the three preceding years; to -assign to them convenient places for dwellings or lodgings, in case the -parish had not already undertaken that duty of its own free will; to -assess the inhabitants to a weekly charge; and to appoint overseers of -the poor, having authority to exact a certain amount of work from those -candidates for relief who were not entirely disabled from labour by age, -sickness, or deformity. In 1575-6 it was ordered that a stock of wool -or hemp should be provided in the different parishes for the purpose -of “setting the poor at work,” and that “Houses of Correction” should -be established, in which vagrants or tramps were to be detained, the -able-bodied being furnished with employment until a service was found for -them, and the infirm transferred to an alms-house as soon as practicable. -The “Houses of Correction,” the origin of our workhouses, were directed -to be built in large cities, or in the central towns of wide districts, -thus the one for the Fylde was situated at Preston, an old college of -Grey Friars lying to the south of Marsh Lane being converted to that -use. Dr. Kuerden described this building more than two centuries ago -as the “old Friary, now only reserved for the reforming of vagabonds, -sturdy beggars, and petty larcenary thieves, and other people wanting -good behaviour; it is the country prison to entertain such persons -with hard work, spare diet, and whipping, and it is called the House of -Correction.” The present gaol of Preston was not completed until 1789, -and by force of habit the expressive title of its predecessor has clung -to it. - -In 39 Elizabeth, 1597, an act came into force by which all previous -legislation on the subject under consideration was repealed, and which -decreed that overseers of the poor should be appointed in every parish, -whose duty it should be to levy a rate upon the inhabitants for the -support of the indigent, under the direction and with the approval of the -local magistrates; in addition there were special regulations for the -treatment of rogues, vagrants, and able beggars, for whom whipping and -the stocks were ordered, after undergoing which punishments these idlers -were to be returned at once to their native parishes and placed under the -guardianship of the local authorities there. - -Four years later certain modifications were made in the early part of the -last statute, but the main principle of individual taxation by overseers, -under the superintendence of justices of the peace, was retained -unaltered. The chief objects of the law as it stood at the end of 1601 -were—to relieve the lame, sick, aged, impotent, and blind; to compel -others of the poor to work, and to put out their children as apprentices. - -At that time any one leaving his employment and wandering beyond the -boundaries of his parish without any ostensible means of gaining a -livelihood was liable to be arrested and punished as a vagabond, in -addition he was compelled to return to his own district in disgrace; -so that whether a law confining labourers to their own neighbourhoods -existed then or not, it is certain that they had little inducement to -venture forth amongst strangers. - -In 1662, during the reign of Charles II., the Law of Settlement was -passed, by which all members of such classes as were likely to become -at some period or other chargeable to the parish rates, were compelled -to settle themselves on the parochial district to which they were -connected by birth, marriage, apprenticeship, or similar ties; and upon -which parish alone they would subsequently have any claim. In this way -the unfortunate peasantry and labouring population were more securely -than ever imprisoned within their parishes, for if they escaped the -fate of the rogue and vagabond, and obtained work in another part of -the country, they were generally hunted out and driven home for fear -they should become burdens on rates to which they had no title. Such a -condition of things went on with little change for nearly two centuries, -but the causes which finally brought about a material alteration in the -arrangement of pauper relief will be noticed in the context. The erection -of workhouses for the different parishes of the kingdom was sanctioned -in 1723 by the legislature, and three years later, as learnt from the -following extract out of the minute book of the bailiffs of Kirkham, the -inhabitants of that town determined to establish one:— - - “22 May, 1726:—Mem. That the town of Kirkham was summonsed from - house to house, and the inhabitants unanimously agreed to the - setting up of a workhouse.” - -The act which decreed the building of workhouses for the employment -of the poor, stated that if any one refused to enter those houses, or -objected to perform his share of labour, no relief should be apportioned -to him. There can be little doubt that workhouses sprang up at Poulton -and in the other parishes of the Fylde about that date, as well as at -Kirkham, but in their cases there are no bailiffs’ registers, or similar -records, to fall back upon for proof as to the accuracy of the surmise, -and consequently we are unable to speak with absolute certainty. In the -twenty-second year of the reign of George III. (1782), it was enacted -that the guardians of the poor should employ the paupers of their -separate parishes in labour on the land at small remuneration, and that -the poor rate should be used only to increase the payment to a sum -large enough for the subsistence of each pauper thus employed. Country -justices, desirous of standing well in the opinion of the peasantry, were -not over scrupulous in the discharge of their supervisionary functions, -and granted or sanctioned the granting of relief orders without any -minute inquiry into the merits of the cases. Immorality was encouraged -by an allowance from the poor-rate to the mother for each illegitimate -child. Practical responsibility for the proper administration of the -fund rested on no one, and about 1830 “the poor-rate had become public -spoil, the ignorant believed it an inexhaustible source of wealth, which -belonged to them; the brutal bullied the administrators to obtain their -share; the profligate exhibited their bastards, which must be fed; the -idle folded their arms and waited till they got it; ignorant boys and -girls married upon it; country justices lavished it for popularity, and -guardians for convenience.”[232] - -In 1832 a Royal Commission was appointed to visit the different parishes, -and investigate the abuses which were being universally carried on; and -in 1834 a bill was brought in to amend the laws relative to the Relief -of the Poor in England and Wales, and passed that year, some of the main -clauses being—an acknowledgment of the claims to the relief of the really -necessitous, the abolition of settlement by hiring and service, and of -all out-door relief to the able-bodied. The enactment provided for the -union of small and neighbouring parishes, the rating and expenditure of -the rates remaining a distinct and separate matter; each union was to -have a common workhouse for all its parishes, in which the men, women, -children, able-bodied, and infirm must be separated, and where the -able-bodied inmates should do a certain amount of work for each meal. The -distribution of relief was left to the guardians and select vestries, -and to the overseers in their absence. The whole system of unions and -parish relief was placed under the control of a Central Board, by whom -everything was arranged and settled, and to whom any appeals were to be -directed. - -Shortly after the passing of this act, the following twenty-three -townships of the Fylde were banded together for parochial -purposes, and denominated the Fylde Union:—Bispham-with-Norbreck, -Bryning-with-Kellamergh, Carleton, Clifton-with-Salwick, Little -Eccleston-with-Larbrick, Elswick, Freckleton, Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton, -Hardhorn-with-Newton, Kirkham, Layton-with-Warbreck, Lytham, Marton, -Medlam-with-Wesham, Newton-with-Scales, Poulton, Ribby-with-Wrea, -Singleton, Thornton, Treales, Roseacre, Wharles, Warton, -Weeton-with-Preese, and Westby-with-Plumptons. In 1844 the guardians -erected the Union Workhouse at Kirkham, at a cost of about £5,400, and -in 1864 the building was enlarged so as to be able to accommodate 250 -paupers. All small, local workhouses in the districts comprised in the -union were of course closed on the opening of the central one. The -guardians of the different townships constitute a board, in whose hands -rests the regulation of all matters concerning the union. - -By a subsequent act, the original Central Board of Poor Law Commissioners -was superseded by a controlling board composed of four members of the -government, _ex officio_, and certain other commissioners appointed -by Her Majesty in council, the inspectors, whom, it should have been -mentioned, were provided under the previous act, were now invested with -more extended powers; workhouse visitors were appointed; annual reports -were ordered to be issued; and a clause forbidding the cohabitation of -man and wife in the workhouses was dispensed with after the parties had -arrived at sixty years of age. - -[Illustration] - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] William Camden was born in London in 1551. His most celebrated -publication is entitled “Britannia,” and consists of a survey of the -British isles, written in elegant Latin. He died in 1623, at Chiselhurst, -in Kent. - -[2] The reader must not confound these canoes with some others found in -Martin Meer, North Meols. - -[3] Cæsar’s Bell. Gall., v. 14. - -[4] Ptolemy was a native of Egypt, and lived at Alexandria during the -first half of the second century. He was an astronomer, chronologer, and -geographer. His geographical work was in use in all schools until the -15th century, when it was supplanted by another treatise containing the -more recent discoveries of Venetian and other navigators. - -[5] Mr. Thornber mentions this path in his History of Blackpool. - -[6] “In the memory of man large portions of Kate’s Pad existed with -various, but irregular interruptions: these, however, the moss cutter -yearly removes, and shortly no remains of it will be found.”—Rev. W. -Thornber, Blackpool, 1837. - -[7] Gildas, the wise, as he was styled, was the son of Caw, Prince of -Strathclyde, and was born at Dumbarton. - -[8] Bede died in A.D. 734. His chief work was an Ecclesiastical History. - -[9] History of Blackpool and Neighbourhood. - -[10] Alfred’s Preface, p. 33. - -[11] History of the Anglo-Saxons. - -[12] Saxon Chronicle. - -[13] Ptolemy gives the longitude as ten minutes, but at such a height a -minute would scarcely represent a mile. - -[14] The Welsh language is the oldest of all living languages, and is of -Celtic origin, being in fact the tongue spoken by the ancient Britons but -little altered by modern innovations. - -[15] An Honor has a castle or mansion, and consists of demesnes and -services, to which a number of manors and lordships, with all their -appurtenances and other regalities, are annexed. In an Honor an -Honourable Court is held once every year at least. - -[16] A Manor is composed of demesne and services, to which belong a -three weeks Court, where the freeholders, being tenants of the manor, -sit covered, and give judgement in all suits that are pleading. To every -manor a Court Baron is attached. - -[17] A _carucate_ was generally about one hundred acres of arable soil, -or land in cultivation; this word superseded the Saxon _hyde_, which -signified the same thing. - -[18] The whole of the _vills_ of Amounderness, here signified, amounted -to sixty-one. - -[19] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. - -[20] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. - -[21] Held in the reign of Henry I., 1100-1135. - -[22] Held in the reigns of Stephen and Henry II., 1135-1189. - -[23] Duchy Rolls, Rot. f. 12. - -[24] To rise at five, to dine at nine, to sup at five, to bed at nine, -makes a man live to ninety-nine. - -[25] Although England had been divided into counties the different -districts were for long classified under the names of the old provinces -or petty kingdoms of the Heptarchy. - -[26] Vale Royal, Cheshire, obtained a grant of the manor, etc., of -Kirkham in 1296. - -[27] £13 6s. 3d. - -[28] £20 0s. 0d. - -[29] £53 6s. 8d. - -[30] Knights banneret were so called from a privilege they possessed -of carrying a small banner. This privilege and the title of “Sir” were -conferred as a reward for distinguished military service, and were -usually accompanied by a pecuniary provision. - -[31] Harl. MSS. cod. 1926, fol. 4 b. - -[32] Alexander Rigby was related to the branch of that family residing at -Layton Hall. - -[33] Harl. MSS. cod. 1926, fol. 80. - -[34] See “Allen of Rossall,” in Chapter VI. - -[35] Table forks were introduced into England from Italy at the close of -the Tudor dynasty; previously the people of all ranks used their fingers -for the purposes to which we now apply a fork. A kind of fork was used as -far back as the Anglo-Saxon times, but only to serve articles from the -dish. - -[36] Harl. MSS. - -[37] This Alex. Rigby must not be confounded with the gentleman of that -name mentioned in the former chapter, and who in the civil contests was a -parliamentary general. A. Rigby here denoted, was a royalist officer. - -[38] A Discourse of the Warr in Lancashire, edited by William Beamont -(Cheetham Society.) - -[39] A Discourse of the Warr in Lancashire, edited by William Beamont. - -[40] A discourse of the Warr in Lancashire, edited by William Beamont. - -[41] Hist. Collect. P. 4, vol. I, p. 22. - -[42] Tour, p. 20. - -[43] From a M.S. of Peter Le Neve., Norroy, among the collection of -Mr. Joseph Ames. The knights of this order were to wear a silver medal -ornamented with a device of the King in the Oak, suspended by a ribbon -from their necks. The following is a list of persons in the county of -Lancashire who were considered fit and qualified to be made Knights of -this Order with the value of their estates:— - - Thomas Holt per annum £1000 - Thomas Greenhalgh ” 1000 - Colonel Kirkby ” 1500 - Robert Holt ” 1000 - Edmund Asheton ” 1000 - Christopher Banister ” 1000 - Francis Anderton ” 1000 - Col. James Anderton ” 1500 - Robert Nowell ” 1000 - Henry Norris ” 1200 - John Girlington ” 1000 - Thomas Preston ” 2000 - Thomas Farrington of Worden ” 1000 - Thomas Fleetwood of Penwortham ” 1000 - William Stanley ” 1000 - Edward Tyldesley ” 1000 - Thomas Stanley ” 1000 - Richard Boteler (Butler) ” 1000 - John Ingleton, senior ” 1000 - ⸺ Walmsley of Dunkenhalgh ” 2000 - -[44] “This year (1715) provisions were plentiful and cheap, as also corn -and hay”—the Journal of W. Stout of Lancaster. - -[45] A tract in the library of the British Museum, entitled “Catholic -Chapels, Chaplains.” etc., and bearing the date 1819. - -[46] A kind of Ducking Stool. - -[47] A bear was baited at Weeton fair less than a century ago. - -[48] 25 Henry VIII. c. 13, and 31 Elizabeth, c. 7. - -[49] 39 Elizabeth, c. 1. - -[50] Gay. - -[51] Gay. The Spell. - -[52] Hist. of Blackpool and Neighbourhood, by W. Thornber, B.A. - -[53] Gay. - -[54] This high price was owing to an almost complete failure in the -potatoe crops. - -[55] Obtained by striking an average of the weekly market quotations in -the local periodicals, published weekly during the respective years. - -[56] Faerie Land, Song, edit. A.D. 1622. - -[57] This is incorrect, as the Ribble and not the Darwent separates the -Hundreds of Leyland and Amounderness. - -[58] Record Office, 28 Henry VIII., V. S., c. 6. - -[59] This Sir William de Clifton was accused in the year 1337 of having -taken possession of twenty marks belonging to the Abbot of Vale Royal, -and of having forcibly obstructed the rector in the collecting of tithes -within the manors of Clifton and Westby; also with having inflicted -certain injuries upon the hunting palfrey of the latter gentleman. - -[60] Sir Cuthbert Clifton espoused as his second wife, Dorothy, daughter -of Sir Thomas Smyth, of Wotton Walwyns, in Warwickshire, and had three -sons, Lawrence, Francis, and John, captains in the royal army, and slain -in the civil war, besides seven other children. Sir Cuthbert purchased -Little Marton and the monastic portion of Lytham from Sir John Holcroft -in 1606. He was knighted by James I. at Lathom House. - -[61] See Out Rawcliffe in the chapter on St. Michaels’ parish for the -Wilson-ffrance descent. - -[62] See page 72. - -[63] Dugdale’s Visitation. - -[64] Richard Longworth, of St. Michael’s Hall, a justice of the peace. - -[65] The small Lᵈ of Roshall was Edward Fleetwood, of Rossall Hall, who -at this time was thirty years of age. - -[66] John Westby, of Mowbreck, was probably the builder or purchaser of -Burn Hall about the middle of the sixteenth century. See pedigree above -at that date. - -[67] Pawnage, or Pannage, signified the food of swine to be found in -woods, such as acorns and beech-mast, etc. - -[68] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. MS. fol. 1. - -[69] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. fol. 77. - -[70] Regist. of Cockersand Abbey, and S. Mariæ de Lanc. - -[71] Baines’s Hist. of Lanc. - -[72] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. - -[73] John Hull, M.D., F.L.S., commenced his professional education at -Blackburn in 1777; and in 1791, after graduating in medicine, settled -at Manchester, where he attained to considerable eminence both as a -physician and writer on botanical and medical subjects. He retired from -practice to his native town of Poulton in 1836, and remained there until -his demise. - -[74] “Enter and pray, if you have raised to heaven your open palms you -will have performed sacred duties, and will fly from evil things.” - -[75] Mr. Rudhall, as we learn from the following entry in the registers -of the 30 men of Kirkham, was in business at Gloucester:—“1749, April -14. Paid old Mr. Rudhall for coming from Gloucester to take notes of the -bells when the 2nd. was recast, £3 3s. 0d.” - -[76] The Pancake Bell is usually rung by an apprentice of the town as a -signal for his _confreres_ to discontinue work for that day, but strange -to say on a late occasion not one apprentice could be found in the whole -of Poulton, and consequently the duty was performed by the ordinary -bell-ringer. - -[77] In all previously issued lists of vicars, Richard Fleetwood has -erroneously been named as patron in this instance. There was no Rich. -Fleetwood of Rossall at that time, and Edward, who had been patron at the -former institution, was probably still alive as he had no son and but one -daughter, who married Roger Hesketh, the next patron in right of his wife. - -[78] In 1876 a brass plate was found in Poulton church, near the site of -the old communion table, inscribed:—“Here lies the body of Anne, wife of -Richard Harrison, vicar of Poolton, who dyed the 24th of December, 1679, -aged 55 years.” - -[79] From these entries it would seem that the regulation of 1782 soon -became a dead letter, if indeed it were ever carried into practice. - -[80] The Battle and Victory of the Nile. - -[81] Visitation of St. George. - -[82] For a full description of the direction taken by this road, see page -7. - -[83] The Rev. G. Y. Osborne resigned the living of Fleetwood on being -appointed vicar of St. Thomas’s, Dudley, which cure he held up to the -date of his decease. - -[84] A second line was laid on this length in 1875 for the first time. - -[85] Coastguards were first located at Fleetwood in 1858, and consisted -of six men and an officer. Their present station in Abbot’s Walk was -erected in 1864, and comprises cottage accommodation for six men, and -another residence for the officer in command. - -[86] Newly-built vessels registered for the first time, the other -vessels belonging to the harbour being transferred from other parts and -re-registered here. - -[87] Rot. Lit. Claus. 16 John, m. 7. - -[88] Rot. Finium 5 Henry III. m. 8. - -[89] Escaet. 42 Henry III. m. 11. - -[90] Survey of Lancashire ending in 1346. - -[91] Visitation of St. George. - -[92] Placit de Quo Warr. 20 Edw. I. Lanc. Rot. 13d. - -[93] An oxgang is as much land as an ox can plough in a year, something -considerably less than a carucate, which is estimated at one hundred -acres. - -[94] Chethem Soc. Series, No. lxxiv. p. 57. - -[95] For “Westby of Burn Hall” see Chapter VI. - -[96] “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell -in the tents of wickedness.” - -[97] Charity Commissioners’ Report. - -[98] Rot. Lit. Clause 5 Henry III., p. 474. - -[99] Rot. Chart. 12 Henry III., m. 3. - -[100] Placit de Quo. Warr. 20 Edward I. - -[101] See “Allen of Rossall” in Chapter VI. - -[102] See “Fleetwood of Rossall” in ditto. - -[103] Placit. coram Consil. in Octab. S. Hyll. 38 Hen. III. Lanc. Ror. 5, -in dorso. - -[104] Duc. Lanc. vol. iii. n. 49. - -[105] Dr. Kuerden’s MSS. vol. iv. c. 1 b. - -[106] Duc. Lanc. vol. iv. n. 71. - -[107] Harl. MSS. cod 607, fol. 101 b. - -[108] Dr. Kuerden’s MSS. ibid. - -[109] Dr. Kuerden’s MSS. - -[110] Whittaker’s History of Whalley. - -[111] Testa de Nevill, fol. 403. - -[112] Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey. - -[113] Rot. Lit. Clause 9 John, m. 16. - -[114] Escaet. 33 Henry III., n. 49. - -[115] Escaet. 16 Edward II., n. 59. - -[116] Escaet. 4 Edward III., n. 100. - -[117] Lansd. MSS. 559, fol. 36. - -[118] Dodsworth’s MSS., c. xiii., p. 161. These traces which were fairly -evident forty years ago, have been in a great measure obliterated in more -recent days. - -[119] Parl. Ing. Lamb. Libr. vol. ii. - -[120] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. MSS. fol. 77. - -[121] Dugd. Monast. vol. v. p. 630. - -[122] Monast. Anglic. vol. v. p. 530. - -[123] Duc. Lanc. vol. xii., Inq. n. 2. - -[124] Charity Commissioners’ Report. - -[125] Charity Commissioners’ Report. - -[126] See ‘Rigby of Layton Hall,’ in Chapter VI. - -[127] See ‘Veale of Whinney Heys,’ in Chapter VI. - -[128] History of Blackpool and Neighbourhood. - -[129] The following is extracted from a paper, written by Mr. Henry Moon, -of Kirkham, about 1783, and refers to this pool:—“The liquid is of a -chocolate or liver colour, as all water must be which passes through a -peaty soil, so that the place might, with as much propriety, bear the -name of Liver-pool, as Black-pool.” - -[130] For a list of the Knights of the Royal Oak, and other matters -concerning that Order see page 72. - -[131] Black-pool. - -[132] See ‘Tyldesley of Fox Hall’ in Chapter VI. - -[133] A couplet extracted from some lines descriptive of Blackpool and -its accommodation, etc., in 1790, written by a visitor about that date. - -[134] Regist. S. Mariæ Lanc. MS. - -[135] Harl. MSS., No. 2064, f. 27. - -[136] Testa de Nevill, fol. 371. - -[137] Rot. Chart. 15 John. m. 3, n. 15. - -[138] Theobald Walter, the 2nd, adopted the surname of Botiler, or -Butler, on being appointed chief Butler of Ireland; this titular surname -was retained by his descendants. - -[139] This account occurs in the Register of Vale Royal, and is -endorsed—“Of the church of Kyrkham, how the king had conferred it upon -this monasterie,” etc. - -[140] Monast. Anglic. vol. II. p. 925. Ellis’ edit. Harl. MSS. No. 2064. -f. 27. - -[141] Rot. Chart., 15 Edw. I., No. 8, m. 3. - -[142] Placito de Quo Warranto, Lane. Rot., 10d. - -[143] Ibid. - -[144] Discovered in the old chest at Kirkham amongst the archives of the -bailiffs. - -[145] That is, the Sunday after Easter. - -[146] Harl. MSS., No. 2064, f. 25 and 25b. - -[147] Harl. MSS., No. 2064, f. 27. - -[148] Fishwick’s History of Kirkham—from the Harl. MSS. - -[149] Vale Royal ledger. - -[150] Pat. Rolls. 2. Hen. iv., p. 3, m. 5 n. (Duchy Office.) - -[151] Original lease in Bailiffs’ Chest. - -[152] Paper in Bailiffs’ Chest, dated 23rd October, 1676, and signed John -Cestriens. - -[153] Records of the “Thirty-Men.” - -[154] Records of the “Thirty-Men.” - -[155] Records of the Thirty-Men. - -[156] Ibid. - -[157] According to the _Parliamentarie Chronicle_, “Mistress Haughton was -the wife of Master William Haughton of Prickmarsh in Kirkham, the Fylde,” -and the child was born on the 20th of June, 1643. - -[158] During the war between King and Parliament. - -[159] The Rye-house Plot. - -[160] Canon Raine’s Hist. of Lanc. Chantries. - -[161] Willis’s Hist. Mitr. Abb. vol. ii., p. 108. - -[162] Records of the Dean and Chapter, Christ Church, Oxford. - -[163] See Court of Requests page 209. - -[164] See Chapter XVI. - -[165] Ancient Manuscript. - -[166] Ancient Manuscript. - -[167] Ancient Manuscript. - -[168] See pages 61, 63, and 66. - -[169] Charity Commissioners’ Report. - -[170] Ibid. - -[171] Indenture in Bailiffs’ Chest. - -[172] Deed in Bailiff’s Chest. - -[173] Report of Charity Commissioners, 1824. - -[174] For “Leyland of Leyland House” see Chapter VI. - -[175] Regist. S. Mariæ Lanc. MS. fol. 1 and 4. - -[176] Rot. Cancell. 3 John. m. 5. - -[177] Harl. MSS. No. 2064. - -[178] Escaet. 25 Edw. I. n. 51. - -[179] Lansd. MSS. No. 539. f. 15. - -[180] MS. Church Records. - -[181] Vestry Book. - -[182] Ibid. - -[183] For “Westby of Mowbreck” see Chapter VI. - -[184] For “Parker of Bradkirk” see Chapter VI. - -[185] Regist. S. Mariæ, Lanc. MS. fol. 1-4. - -[186] Testa de Nevill. fol. 372. - -[187] Placita de Quo Warr. 20 Edw. I. Lanc. Rot., 13a. - -[188] Escaet. 17 Edw. II. n. 45. - -[189] The Birch Feodary. - -[190] Ancient feudal taxes. - -[191] Duchy Rolls. - -[192] Duc. Lanc. vol. iv. Inq. n. 13. - -[193] Ibid, vol. v. n. 68. - -[194] Baines’s Hist. of Lancashire. - -[195] Duchy Records. - -[196] History of Whalley. - -[197] Title Deeds. - -[198] Record Office. Pleadings, 3 Eliz. - -[199] Church Presentments at York. - -[200] MSS. Lamb library. - -[201] Records of the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford. - -[202] This description is of Mains Hall forty years ago, as seen by Mr. -Thornber. - -[203] For “ffrance of Little Eccleston” see Chapter VI. - -[204] For “Clifton of Lytham” see Chapter VI. - -[205] This stone was in the yard until the rebuilding of the church, when -it was enclosed within the new and more extensive edifice; it is supposed -to mark the grave of a sailor washed up on the banks of the river Wyre. - -[206] Richmondshire, vol. ii. p. 440. - -[207] Infangthefe.—The power of judging of theft committed within the -manor of Lytham. - -[208] Soccum.—The power and authority of administering justice. - -Saccum.—The power of imposing fines upon tenants and vassals within the -lordship. - -Theam.—A royalty granted for trying bondmen and villeins, with a -sovereign power over their villein tenants, their wives, children and -goods, to dispose of them at pleasure. This badge of feudal slavery was -abolished in England during the reign of Charles II. - -[209] Rot. Lit. Pat. 22 Hen. vi. p 1, m. 6. - -[210] Chet. Soc. Series, No. xxx. Penwortham. - -[211] Escaet. 49 Edw. III. n. 28. - -[212] Charity Commissioners Report. - -[213] Ibid. - -[214] See pages 15 and 16. - -[215] Escaet. 33 Hen. III. n. 49. - -[216] Inq. ad Quod. Damnum, 16 & 19 Edward II. - -[217] St. Michael’s Hall also belonged to the Kirkbys, and it is probable -that one of the junior branches resided there before the Longworths of -St. Michael’s. - -[218] Flower’s Visitation. - -[219] See “Longworth of St. Michael’s Hall” in Chapter VI. - -[220] Fol. 401. - -[221] Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. M.S. fol. 68. - -[222] Rot. Pat. 4 Hen. VI. m. 10 per Inspec. Linc. Hen. IV. - -[223] A copy of “The appropriation of the Vicarage of Michaelskirk,” -dated 1411, and now in the possession of the Ven. Archdeacon Hornby. - -[224] E. Reg. Richmond. - -[225] Commissioners’ Report before the Dissolution of Monasteries. - -[226] Willis’s Hist. Mitr. Abb. vol. ii p. 108. - -[227] List of Benefactions within the Church of St. Michael’s. - -[228] List of Benefactions within the Church of St. Michael’s. - -[229] Dugdale’s Monasticon, vol. v., p. 630. - -[230] For “Butlers of Rawcliffe” see Chapter VI. - -[231] Duc. Lanc. vol. xxvi. n. 36. - -[232] History of England, by H. Martineau. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -INDEX. - - - Agricola, 5, 9 - - Agriculture, 89 - - Allen, cardinal, 50, 152 - - “Allen of Rossall Hall,” 151 - - Alfred the Great, 18 - - All-Hallows’ Eve, 107 - - All-Souls’ Day, 107 - - Ambroses, of Ambrose Hall, 472 - - Ambrose, Rev. Isaac, 71 - - Ambrose, John, 62 - - Amounderness, derivation, 1; - forests, 2, 10; - Ripon grant, 15; - See of York, 16, 21; - Wapentake, 16; - Earl Tosti, 21; - Roger de Poictou, 30; - Theobald Walter, 33; - Edmund Crouchback, 36; - John of Gaunt, 38; - military musters, 45, 46, 47; - tax of provisions, 48; - Cambden’s description, 53 - - Anglo-Saxons, 12, 90 - - Anlaf, 19 - - Armada, Spanish, 50 - - Ashton, Col., 62 - - Athelstan, 16, 19 - - - Bankfield, 415 - - Baxter, Rev. Nathaniel, 72 - - Bailiffs of Kirkham, 376 - - Banastre, Sir Adam, 37, 189 - - Bede, the venerable, 14 - - Belisama Æstuarium, 6, 25 - - Bispham-with-Norbreck, 297 - - Bispham church, 33, 299 - - Birds, 127 - - Blackpool, 80, 311 - - Blackburne, family of, 141 - - Bolton, siege of, 64 - - Botany, 131 - - Brunandune, battle of, 19 - - Brigantes, 3, 13 - - Bradkirk, 410 - - Brank or Scolds’ Bridle, 104 - - Bryning-with-Kellamergh, 404 - - Bryning Hall, 404 - - Bullock, Rev. W., 72 - - Bull and Bear-baiting, 95 - - Burn, 19, 270 - - Burn Hall, 183, 270 - - “Butler of Rawcliffe Hall,” 153 - - - Camden, 3, 14, 40, 53 - - Cairn near Weeton, 8 - - Catholic chapels, 81 - - Carling Sunday, 106 - - Cart-Ford, 137 - - Carleton, Great and Little, 280 - - Carleton Hall, 281 - - Carletons, family of, 280 - - Campion, Father Edm., 47 - - Christianity introduced, 15 - - Charles II., 70 - - Christmas customs, 96 - - Chantries, closure of, 45 - - Civil wars, 42, 58 - - “Clifton of Clifton, Lytham, etc.,” 155 - - Clifton, Sir Willm. de, 37, 370 - - Clifton, Sir Thomas, 75 - - Clifton, Capt., 64 - - Clifton-with-Salwick, 423 - - Classis, Presbyterian, 68 - - Cock-fighting, 103 - - Columba, 15 - - Commissions of Inquiry, 49, 69 - - Coins, near Rossall, 10 - - Condition, customs, etc., 87 - - Copp church, 467 - - Costumes, 115 - - Country of the Fylde, 124 - - Court of Requests, 209 - - County Court, 212 - - Coupland, Sir Jno. de, 39 - - Cromwell, Oliver, 65, 71 - - Crouchback, Edmund, 36 - - Crustaceæ, 150 - - Culdees, 15 - - Cuck-stool, 104 - - - Danish settlements, 27 - - Danish invasions, 17 - - Danish insurrections, 18 - - Danes, massacre of, 21 - - Danes’ Pad, 7, 20 - - David II. of Scotland, 39 - - Derby, earl of, 58, 60, 70 - - Dock, Lytham, 144 - - Dock, Fleetwood, 248 - - Domesday Book, 31 - - Drayton, the poet, 138, 144 - - Druids, 4, 87 - - Druids’-eggs, 5, 8 - - Ducking-stool, 104 - - Dudley, Edmund, 44 - - - Eccleston, Great, 466 - - Eccleston, Little, 422 - - Elswick, 471 - - Estates, compounders for, 68 - - Esprick school, 411 - - Ethelwerd’s Chronicle, 10, 19 - - - Fairies, 110 - - Fast, a general, 84 - - Fenny-farm, 25 - - “ffrance of Little Eccleston Hall,” 161 - - Fleetwood, town of, 7, 81, 84, 218 - - Fleetwood, church of, 222 - - Fleetwood, harbour of, 251 - - “Fleetwood of Rossall Hall,” 158 - - Fleetwood, Sir P. H., 82, 161 - - Fleetwoods, of Little Plumpton, 158 - - Flodden Field, 42 - - Fox Hall, 312 - - Freckleton marsh, 66, 67 - - Freckleton, 402 - - Free-tenants, 51, 57 - - Fylde, present extent, 1; - original extent, 23; - definition, 2, 3; - aborigines, 3; - Celtic relics, 3; - Roman road or Dane’s Pad, 7; - Roman relics, 8, 10, 22; - Kate’s Pad, 9; - Christianity, 15; - churches built, 16; - the Danes, 17; - Roman station, 6, 22; - Anglo-Saxon towns, 13, 27; - dialect, 28, 35; - wild animals, 29; - Domesday survey, 31; - churches in A.D. 1080, 32; - members of parliament, 39; - extracts from Duchy Rolls, 41; - High-sheriffs, 43; - poverty, 40; - complaints and petitions, 49, 56; - plague, 57; - recruiting, 61, 63, 64 - - Fylde Union, 475 - - - Gaunt, John of, 38 - - Gentry, list of, 74 - - Geoffrey, the crossbowman, 34, 139 - - Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton, 411 - - Greenhalgh Castle, 67 - - Gregory the Great, 15 - - Gynn-house, 318 - - - Hackensall Hall, 138 - - Hambleton, 425 - - Hardhorn-with-Newton, 292 - - Harleian Collection, extracts from, 48 - - Harrison, the topographer, 52, 138, 144 - - Harrison, Rev. Cuthbert, 419 - - Harrison, Rev. Joseph, 72 - - Heptarchy, 17 - - Heskeths of Little Poulton Hall, 213 - - “Hesketh of Mains Hall,” 162 - - High Sheriffs, 43 - - Holinshed, 10, 53 - - “Hornby of Poulton,” 164 - - “Hornby of Ribby Hall,” 164 - - Horse-bridge, 113 - - Hundreds, 18 - - - Incorporation of Kirkham, 367 - - Incorporation of Blackpool, 354 - - Inskip-with-Sowerby, 474 - - - Jacobite plot, 74 - - James I., 55 - - James II., 74 - - John, King, 34 - - - Kate’s Pad, 9 - - King John, 34 - - Kirkham, 37, 57, 61, 63, 66, 363 - - Kirkham church, 16, 32, 39, 386 - - Kirkham grammar school, 394 - - Knots, Great and Little, 17, 219 - - - Lambert Simnel, 42 - - Lancashire, inhabitants, 52; - houses and inns, 53; - regiment, 58 - - Lancaster, honor, 30, 34, 36; - bay, 24; - earl, 36; - duke, 38; - town, 59, 62 - - Landowners, Catholic, 77, 78 - - Larbrick Hall, 422 - - Layton-with-Warbreck, 306 - - Layton Hall, 308 - - Layton Hawes, 60, 64, 308, 316 - - Layton miser, 309 - - Leigh, Dr. Charles, 414 - - “Leckonby of Leckonby House,” 166 - - “Leyland of Leyland House,” 168 - - Leyland, the antiquary, 2, 37, 52 - - Leyland House, 404 - - Lifting at Easter, 106 - - Linen burial act, 73 - - Little Poulton Hall, 213 - - “Longworth of St. Michael’s Hall,” 168 - - Lune, river, 26 - - “Lune Deep,” 23 - - Lund, 27 - - Lund church, 423 - - Lytham, 81, 429 - - Lytham churches, 432, 446 - - Lytham Dock, 144 - - Lytham Hall, 60, 438 - - - Mains Hall, 79, 421 - - May Day, 96, 101 - - Marton, Great and Little, 285 - - Marton church, 288 - - Marton Mere, 127, 287 - - Marton Moss, 124 - - Medlar-with-Wesham, 410 - - Military musters, 45, 46, 47 - - Midsummer’s Eve, 112 - - Ministers ejected, 72 - - Molluscs, 150 - - Monasteries, suppression of, 45 - - Moot Hall of Kirkham, 380 - - Moot Hall of Poulton, 204 - - Morecambe Bay, 3, 24, 59 - - Moricambe Æstuarium, 6, 25 - - Moreton, earl of, 34 - - Mowbreck Hall, 410 - - Myerscough Lodge, 56 - - - National language, 35 - - Newton-with-Scales, 425 - - Newton, Hardhorn-with, 292 - - New Year’s Day, 97 - - Norman Conquest, 30 - - Northumbria, 13, 18, 19, 30 - - - Out-Rawcliffe, 469 - - - Pace-egg mummers, 106 - - “Parker of Bradkirk Hall,” 169 - - Parrox Hall, 139 - - Parliament, members of, 39 - - Parliamentary army, 58 - - Pastimes, 95 - - Paulinus, 13, 15 - - Peel, hamlet of, 287 - - Peel, in Morecambe Bay, 42, 50 - - Pedigrees of ancient families, 151 - - Penny Stone, 328 - - Petitions and prayers, 11, 40, 49, 56 - - Picts and Scots, 11 - - Plague at Kirkham, 57 - - Plough Monday, 96 - - Plunderings, 61, 63, 66 - - Portus Setantiorum, 7, 25 - - Poulton, town of, 60, 66, 185 - - Poulton church, 32, 188, 192 - - Poulton free school, 215 - - Poulton, assault near, 37, 190 - - Poulton, port of, 208 - - Preese Hall, 409 - - Preston, 36, 62, 76 - - Priests, dress of, 52 - - Pretender, the first, 76 - - Pretender, the young, 78 - - Provisions, prices of, 88, 93, 94, 100, 113 - - Ptolemy, 6 - - - Raikes Hall, 351 - - Railway, Preston and Wyre, 82, 226 - - Railway, Lytham and Blackpool, 448 - - Rawcliffe, Out, 469 - - Rawcliffe, Upper, 454 - - Rawcliffe Hall, 470 - - Recruiting, 61, 63, 64 - - Rebellion of 1715, 76 - - Rebellion of 1745, 78 - - Relics and traces, Celtic, 3, 8, 26; - Roman, 8, 10, 22, 27; - Danish, 17, 27; - Anglo-Saxon, 27 - - Reformation, 45 - - Ribble, river, 7, 15, 143 - - Ribby-with-Wrea, 405 - - Ribby Hall, 406 - - Rigodunum or Ribchester, 26 - - “Rigby of Layton Hall,” 170 - - Ripon, monastery of, 15 - - Roger de Poictou, 30, 32 - - Royal Army, 58 - - Royal Oak, order of the, 72 - - Romans, 5, 10 - - Roman stations, 6, 22 - - Roman roads, 7 - - Roseacre, 424 - - Rossall, 51, 273 - - Rossall Hall, 61, 274 - - Rossall School, 276 - - - Salmon fishery act, 41 - - Salt manufactories, 53, 437 - - Saxon Chronicle, 10, 15, 19 - - Saxon deities, 14 - - Saxons, arrival of, 12 - - Seaweeds, 148 - - Sea, the Irish, 146 - - Sea, encroachments of, 24, 327 - - Seteia Æstuarium, 6, 25 - - Setantii, 3, 87 - - Severus, 9 - - Shard, 60, 137 - - Shrove Tuesday, 97 - - Singleton Thorp, 25, 328 - - Singletons, Great and Little, 411 - - Singleton church, 415 - - Singleton grange, 413 - - “Singleton of Staining Hall,” 172 - - Simnel, Lambert, 42 - - Skippool, 141, 208 - - South Shore, 360 - - Staining, 292 - - Staining Hall, 34, 295 - - “Stanley of Great Eccleston Hall,” 173 - - Stang, riding, 105 - - St. Annes-on-the-Sea, 452 - - St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, 63, 457 - - St. Michael’s-on-Wyre church, 16, 32, 39, 42, 457 - - St. Mary’s of Lancaster, 32 - - St. Wilfred, 16 - - St. Valentine’s Day, 97 - - Superstitions, 94, 107 - - - Tarnacre, 457 - - Taxes, 40, 48, 55 - - Testa de Nevill, extracts from, 38 - - Thurland Castle, 63 - - Thornton, 268 - - Thornton Church, 271 - - Thornton Hall, 269 - - Theobald Walter, 33 - - Thirty-men of Kirkham, 380, 384 - - Tithings, 18 - - Tosti, earl, 21 - - Treales, Roseacre, and Wharles, 424 - - “Tyldesley of Fox Hall,” 175 - - Tyldesley, Sir Thos., 62, 65, 70, 176 - - Tyldesley, Edward, 76, 312, 314 - - Tyldesley, James, 79 - - Tyldesley, Thomas, 179, 313 - - - Uniformity, act of, 71 - - Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre, 454 - - - “Veale of Whinney Heys,” 181 - - Victoria, Queen, 84, 235 - - - Waddum Thorp, 327, 437 - - Wages, 95, 99, 102 - - Walter, Theobald, 33 - - Wapentake, 16 - - Warbreck, Layton-with, 306 - - Wardleys, 141, 208 - - Wars, civil, 42, 58 - - Warton, 403 - - Water and wind-mills, 92 - - Waterworks, the Fylde, 85 - - Weeton-with-Preese, 409 - - Westby-with-Plumptons, 408 - - “Westby of Mowbreck Hall,” 183 - - “Westby of Burn Hall,” 183 - - Westbys, of White Hall, 455 - - Wharles, 424 - - Whinney Heys, 309 - - Wigan-lane, 70 - - Wild animals, 29 - - Wood Plumpton, 472 - - Wyre, river, 3, 24, 60, 70, 136 - - -[Illustration] - -FLEETWOOD AND BLACKPOOL; PRINTED BY W. PORTER AND SONS. - - - - -[Illustration] - -LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - -LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. - -[Illustration] - - - Abbott, Christopher Blackpool - Abbott, John ” - Abbott, Chris., jun. South Shore - Ackroyd, Miss Annie Blackpool - Adams, John ” - Adamson, William Liverpool - Adcock, John Blackpool - Addey, Jacob Chorlton-cum-Hardy - Akroyd, James Preston - Allmark, Blackpool - Anderson, Councillor South Shore - Anderton, Robert Kirkham - Anderton, William South Shore - Andrews, John Blackpool - Archer, Henry ” - Archer, William Bispham - Armstrong, John Claughton - Armytage, Rev. J. Elswick - Arthur, Christopher Kirkham - Ascroft, Alfred Preston - Ashforth, George South Shore - Ashworth, John J. Pendleton - Ashworth, J. W. ” - Ashworth, William Blackpool - Ashton, J. F. ” - Ashurst, William ” - Aspden, Henry ” - Aspden, Thomas ” - Atherton, Charles ” - Atherton, Daniel ” - Atkinson, James Preesall - Atkinson, John ” - Atkinson, Thomas Blackpool - Atkinson, William Lytham - Axon, Charles H. Blackburn - - Bailey, Councillor Blackpool - Balderson, J. Poulton - Ball, James Blackpool - Ball, John Fleetwood - Ball, William Westby - Bamber, William Blackpool - Bamber, William ” - Bamber, George Kirkham - Bamber, James A. Layton - Bamber, Joseph Thistleton - Bamber, Nicholas Greenhalgh - Bamber, Lawrence Lytham - Bamber, W. F. Stoke-u-Trent - Bainbridge, John Preesall - Banks, Henry Little Carleton - Banks, John Blackpool - Banks, W. B. Thornton - Bannerman, Charles A. Lytham - Barber, Thomas Blackpool - Baron, Henry South Shore - Baron, J. Lytham - Baron, Robert Blackpool - Baron, Mrs. E. ” - Barrow, William ” - Barrett, G. C. ” - Barton, Grimshaw ” - Barton, Henry ” - Barton, Thomas ” - Barton, Henry T. Stalmine - Barton, Benjamin G. Skippool - Bates, William Lytham - Bates, William Blackpool - Bees, Enock ” - Bell, John ” - Bell, Matthew ” - Bennett, James Fleetwood - Bennett, Miss B. Rock Ferry - Bennett, Miss E. ” - Bennett, William Treales - Bennett, James Kirkham - Benson, William Catterall - Berry, Charles J. Blackpool - Best, Thomas ” - Bickerstaffe, Thomas ” - Bickerstaffe, John ” - Bickerstaffe, Robert ” - Bickerstaffe, Councillor ” - Billington, William Lytham - Billington, Thomas Wrea Green - Bilsbury, Miss Poulton - Birch, Miss Blackpool - Birch, Henry ” - Bird, Henry Fleetwood - Bird, P. H., F.R.C.S., F.L.S. Lytham - Birley, A. Leyland Kirkham - Blackurst, William ” - Blackburn, Agnes Blackpool - Blackburn, Edward Out Rawcliffe - Blackburn, Mrs. ” - Bleasdell, Rev. Canon W. M.A. Kingston, Ontario - Blundell, W. B. Out Rawcliffe - Boardman, George Blackpool - Boardman, James ” - Boardman, William Great Marton - Bolton, George Blackpool - Bond, Miss A. Fleetwood - Bond, John ” - Bond, Charles Preston - Bond, Whittaker Blackpool - Bone, John W. Crombleholme, B.A., F.S.A. London - Bonny, James Fleetwood - Bonny, Councillor Blackpool - Bonny, John ” - Bonny, Thomas ” - Bottomley, Wm. H. ” - Bourne, Col. James M.P., J.P., D.L. Heathfield (3) - Bourne, Capt. J. Dyson 5th Dragoon Guards London - Bourne, Lady Marion ” - Bourne, Thomas R. Bristol - Butler-Bowden, Lieut.-Col. Pleasington Hall - Bowers, Thomas Blackpool - Bowdler, Wm. H. Kirkham - Bowker, George Blackpool - Bowman, James ” - Bowman, Richard Hambleton - Bowness, R. H., M.D. Poulton - Boys, William Catterall - Brade, John Thornton - Bradley, Robert Pilling - Bradley, James Weeton - Bradley, John Kirkham - Bradley, Miss Out Rawcliffe - Bradshaw, William Blackpool - Bradshaw, Alice ” - Bradshaw, Matthew Elswick - Braithwaite, Councillor Blackpool - Braithwaite, Ralph W. ” - Brandon, Edward J. Fleetwood - Brearley, Martha Ann Blackpool - Breckell, Edmund ” - Brenerd, James Fleetwood - Brewer, Miss Lytham - Brewster, Charles ” - Bridge, James Cheetham Hill - Brooks, A. Mrs. Bournemouth - Brooks, John Blackpool - Brook, John ” - Brown, William J. ” - Brown, Jonathan ” - Bryne, John ” - Bryning, John Wesham - Bryning, Edward Bispham - Bryning, John, J.P. Newton - Burdekin, Elizabeth Lytham - Burns, Rev. William South Shore - Burridge, Stephen Ardwick - Burton, Edward Norbreck - Butcher, Paul Blackpool - Butcher, R. ” - Butcher, James ” - Butcher, Thomas ” - Butcher, Robert ” - Butcher, William South Shore - Butcher, Thomas Great Marton - Butler, William Fleetwood - Butler, James Thistleton - Butler, James S. Poulton (2) - Butler, Richard St. Michael’s - - Callund, Alfred, J. Fleetwood - Camotta, Josephine Blackpool - Cannon, Joseph Lee Lytham - Cardwell, Edward Singleton - Cardwell, Gilbert Blackpool - Cardwell, Thomas ” - Cardwell, W. and Bros., ” - Cardwell, E. Lytham - Cardwell, William Revoe - Cardwell, Robert Little Marton - Carr, Thomas H. Fleetwood - Carson, Alexander ” - Carson, Samuel ” - Carter, John ” - Carter, John Wesham - Carter, T. South Shore - Carter, Thomas Larbrick - Carter, Miss A. Blackpool - Carter, Mrs. E. Lytham - Carter, Miss ” - Cartmell, N. Westby - Cartmell, Richard Little Carleton - Cartmell, George Fleetwood - Cartmell, James Freckleton - Cardwell, Elizabeth Blackpool - Catlow, Mrs. Sarah A. Lytham - Caton, Richard Blackpool - Catterall, James Larbrick - Catterall, Sarah A. Kirkham - Catterall, Robert ” - Catterall, James ” - Catterall, William Poulton - Causton, H. K. Brigton - Charlton, Robert Kirkham - Charnley, William M. Blackpool - Chew, John ” - Clarke, John Little Eccleston - Clarke, D. Singleton - Clarke, Robert Lytham - Clarke, Thomas R. Blackpool - Clarkson, John Kirkham - Clarkson, Thomas Blackpool - Clarkson, James Carleton - Clarkson, Mrs. Mary ” - Clarkson, Robert Out Rawcliffe - Clarkson, Henry Wesham - Clegg, Matthew Kirkham - Clegg, Miss Blackpool - Clifton, John Talbot Lytham Hall (3) - Cook, George Blackpool - Cookson, Richard Wrea Green - Cookson, Mrs. R. Lytham - Cookson, Thomas South Shore - Cookson, Helen Blackpool - Cookson, Miss ” - Cookson, William Freckleton - Cooksley, Mrs. South Shore - Crabtree, John Blackpool - Cragg, William ” - Crestadoro, A., P.H.D. Manchester - Crippin, William Old Trafford - Critchley, P. Singleton - Crombleholme, R. A. Halifax - Cross, James Fleetwood - Crossley, Thomas Blackpool - Crossfield, W. P. Freckleton - Croxall, Joseph Blackpool - Crozier, Robert Lytham - Crookall, Elizabeth Fleetwood - Crookall, John Springfield - Coop, William Blackpool - Coop, John ” - Cooper, Henry ” - Cooper, Jane Miss Kirkham - Cocker, Ald. Wm. H., J.P., Mayor of Blackpool - Cockhill, Tom ” - Collins, George Fleetwood - Collinson, Joseph Lytham - Collinson, Elizabeth Barrow - Cornall, Cuthbert Blackpool - Cornall, Richard ” - Cornall, Robert South Shore - Corless, Thomas Pilling - Coulston, William Blackpool - Coulston, Councillor ” - Cowl, George ” - Cowell, Joshua Thornton - Cowell, David Fleetwood - Crompton, Robert Blackpool - Croft, John Fleetwood - Croft, Thomas Blackpool - Croft, Mary Ann ” - Crook, George ” - Crook, Robert A. ” - Crook, H. M. ” - Crook, H. Newton - Crook, Thomas Out Rawcliffe - Crook, Thomas Inskip - Crookshank, Joseph Blackpool - Cumming, W. C. South Shore - Cunningham, J., J.P., Lytham - Cunliffe, Ellis, J.P. ” - Cunliffe, Mary Blackpool - Curtiss, Lawrence ” - Currie, Thomas ” - Curwen, John ” - Curwen, John ” - Curwen, Ann Miss Lytham - Curwen, Robert Birkenhead - Curwen, Henry Liverpool - - Dagger, William Lytham - Dagger, William Blackpool - Dagger, Richard ” - Dakin, John ” - Dalby, George B. Preston - Daniels, John Blackpool - Darlow, Henry ” - Davenport, Mrs ” - Davies, T. R. Kirkham - Davies, Alexander Fleetwood - Davies, James N. Poulton - Davies, William Out Rawcliffe - Danson, William ” - Deakin, William Blackpool - Dean, C.A. Glasgow - Derby, the Right Hon. Earl of Knowsley Hall - Desquesnes, B. Blackpool - Devonshire, His Grace the Duke of London - Dewhurst, Edward Blackpool - Dewhurst, William ” - Dewhurst, John ” - Dewhurst, William Great Marton - Dickinson, Mrs Rock Ferry - Dickinson, Robert Blackpool - Dickson, W. J. Kirkham - Dickson, William Preston - Dickson, J.B. ” - Dickson, William Bryning - Dixon, Mrs Wesham - Dixon, Thomas Blackpool - Dixon, William ” - Dobson, John Preesall - Dobson, Miss Poulton - Dodgson, William Westby - Dodgson, Brian Catterall - Douglas, Robert Fleetwood - Drewry, William ” - Drewry, Thomas ” - Drummond, Thomas A. ” - Dudley, Mrs E. Kingswinford - Dugdale, Richard Blackpool - Dunderdale, R., J.P. Poulton - Dunkerley, John W. South Shore - - Eastham, Henry Blackpool - Eaton, Ellen ” - Eaves, Robert ” - Eaves, William Blackpool - Eaves, Edward South Shore - Eaves, Henry Poulton - Eaves, Thomas Hambleton - Edmondson, Oswald R. Lytham - Edmondson, Thomas ” - Edmondson, Margaret Blackpool - Edmondson, James ” - Entwistle, James South Shore - - Fagg, L. Davyhulme - Fair, Thomas Blackpool - Fair, Thomas, J.P. Lytham - Fairclough, William Fleetwood - Fairclough, Richard Blackpool - Fairclough, James Out Rawcliffe - Fairhurst, Thomas Blackpool - Fairhurst, John ” - Fairweather, Wm. Ardwick - Fallows, Margaret Blackpool - Farrar, William Withington - Farrington, James Fleetwood - Faulkner, Elizabeth Blackpool - Featherstonhaugh, H. ” - Featherstonhaugh, Mrs. Poulton - Fenton, Mrs. Warton - Fenton, Richard Out Rawcliffe - Field, William Fleetwood - Fielden, Joseph Blackpool - Fish, John Fleetwood - Fish, B. Barrow - Fish, Joseph Blackpool - Fish, Edward ” - Fish, Jane ” - Fish, John ” - Fisher, Councillor J. B. ” - Fisher, H. Mus. B., Can. ” - Fisher, Councillor J. Layton Hall - Fisher, Mrs. Layton Lodge - Fisher, Edward ” - Fisher, Joseph Lytham - Fisher, Luke, M.D. ” - Fisher, S. Kirkham - Fitton, John ” - Fleetwood, Baron Axel Sweden - Fleming, Hugh Blackpool - Fletcher, M. ” - Fletcher, James Southport - Ford, Isaac Blackpool - Foster, George Fleetwood - Fox, Henry Kirkham - Fox, Miss Janet Upper Rawcliffe - Fox, J. S. Rawcliffe - Fox, Matthew Westby - Fox, Thomas Avenham Hall - Freeman, William Blackpool - Furness, John Fulwood - - Garlick, Edward, J.P. Greenhalgh - Garlick, Ambrose ” - Garlick, Robert ” - Garlick, George Bispham - Garnett, James Lytham - Gardner, C. Kirkham - Gardner, Thomas ” - Gardner, R. C., J.P. Lune Bank - Gardner, Henry Blackpool - Gardner, John Layton - Gartside, Edward Blackpool - Gartside, J. S. ” - Garstang, James Lytham - Gaskell, T. J. Stalmine - Gaskell, Mrs. Blackpool - Gaskell, David ” - Gaskell, George Stockport - Gaulter, John South Shore - Gaulter, Cuthbert Fleetwood - Gill, John Blackpool - Gillett, Agnes ” - Gibson, John Fleetwood - Gibson, Anne Kirkham - Gleave, Mary Blackpool - Gorst, Richard Blackpool - Gore, John Weeton - Gornall, Thomas Blackpool - Gornall, James Kirkham - Gornall, James Barrow - Green, Henry J. Blackpool - Green, James ” - Green, James Barrow - Gratrix, Samuel Manchester - Greenwood, J. B. Lytham - Greenwood, John Eccles - Greenwood, Edward Blackpool - Gregson, W. ” - Gregson, E. ” - Gregson, John Out Rawcliffe - Gregson, Thomas Thornton - Gregson, Richard ” - Gregson, Mrs. Hambleton - Greenhalgh, John Blackpool - Greenhalgh, Richard Lytham - Gregory, William Blackpool - Gregory, I., F.R.G.S. South Shore - - Harper, Elizabeth Blackpool - Haigh, George ” - Harcourt and Foden ” - Hall, James South Shore - Hall, Henry ” - Hall, Richard Freckleton - Hall, Councillor L. South Shore - Hall, Lawrence Great Eccleston - Hall, Thomas Fleetwood - Hargreaves, Josiah Blackpool - Hargreaves, Robert Lytham - Hargreaves, Edward H. Kirkham - Hargreaves, John Warton - Hargreaves, William ” - Hammond, Mr. Poulton - Hardhern, Mrs. ” - Hardman, James Thornton - Hardman, Ald., J.P. South Shore (2) - Hardman, William Blackpool - Hardman, John Little Marton - Harrison, J. St. Michaels - Harrison, Thomas Blackpool - Harrison, Robert ” - Harrison, John ” - Harrison, Ainsworth Fleetwood - Harrison, Edward Norbreck - Harrison, William F.S.A., D.L., J.P. Preston - Harrison, R. B. South Shore - Harrison, Matthew Catterall - Harrison, William Freckleton - Harrop, Miss A. Manchester - Halstead, Robert Lytham - Hanby, Richard Manchester - Hawkins, Rev. H. B. Lytham - Harris, Henry Blackpool - Handley, Joseph Bury - Handley, Richard Blackpool - Hayhurst, John Preston - Hayhurst, Thomas Pilling - Haslem, D. Singleton - Hatton, G. jun. Blackpool - Hankinson, John Lytham - Hayworth, L. Blackpool - Hayes, Mr. ” - Heap, Thomas H. ” - Heath, Edward South Shore - Hemmingway, Edward ” - Hesketh, William Fleetwood - Hesketh, R. Treales - Hesketh, James Lytham - Hedges, David Lytham - Heaton, T. W. Blackpool - Hermon, Edward, M.P. Preston - Higginson, John Out Rawcliffe - Higginson, Thomas ” - Hill, Henry Blackpool - Hill, Samuel ” - Hines, William ” - Hines, Rev. Frederick Kirkham - Hopwood, W. B. Blackpool - Holt, Alfred ” - Hooton, William A. ” - Holmes, George ” - Hogarth, Thomas Revoe - Hogarth, James South Shore - Holgate, William Blackpool - Holmes, John ” - Home, Rev. J. C. Out Rawcliffe - Hodgson, James South Shore - Hodgson, W. S. Freckleton - Hodgkinson, T. Great Eccleston - Hodgkinson Thomas Out Rawcliffe - Hough, Rev. William Hambleton - Holden, James Manchester - Holden, George ” - Holden, John ” - Holden, Thomas Pilling - Hosker, William Lytham - Horsfall, John Lytham - Holt, Richard Roa Island - Holt, James Fleetwood - Holt, John W. Blackpool - Howson, William Blackpool - Howson, Thomas ” - Howson, Thomas ” - Hornby, Archdeacon St. Michael’s - Hornby, Mr. Kirkham - Hornby, William St. Michael’s - Hornby, John Thornton - Hope, Rev. S. Southport - Hope, Miss Blackpool - Houghton, William Kirkham - Houghton, Thomas Stalmine - Houghton, Adam Pilling - Hoyles, Thomas Blackpool - Howard, Thomas Fleetwood - Hutchinson, William Great Eccleston - Hull, William Blackpool - Hull, Richard Thornton - Hull, Thomas Poulton - Hull, Mrs. Higher Lickow - Hull, John Blackpool - Hull, Rev. John, hon. canon of Manchester Yarm - Hull, Henry Blackpool - Humphrys, G. M. Fleetwood - Hunt, John Cleveleys - Hughes, Rev. R. J. Rossall - Hughes, W. H. Blackpool - - Ibbison, Edward Blackpool - Ingham, Robert ” - Ireland, Thomas Westby - - Jackson, John Preston - Jackson, William Singleton - Jackson, Joseph Garstang - Jackson, Thomas Kirkham - Jackson, Mrs. Blackpool - Jackson, Robert Hambleton - Jackson, James Stalmine - Jackson, Joseph Blackpool - Jackson, Richard Newton - Jackson, James Out Rawcliffe - Jackson, Richard ” - Jackson, Jonathan ” - Jackson, James Garstang - Jacson, C. R., J.P. Barton Hall - Jameson, J. M. Fleetwood - Jenkinson, William Pilling - Jenkinson, Miss Blackpool - Jenson, Evan Pilling - Jeffrey, Rev. N. S. Blackpool - Jeffery, Ann ” - Johnson, Richard Fleetwood - Johnson, John Out Rawcliffe - Johnstone, Margaret Fleetwood - Johns, Henry Blackpool - Jolly, John Wrea Green - Jolly, John Singleton - Jolly, Miss Poulton - Jolly, George ” - Jolly, John South Shore - Jolly, Thomas Blackpool - Jolly, Elizabeth ” - Jolly, Margaret E. ” - Jolly, Edward G. ” - Jolly, William Elswick - Jolly, James Staining - - Kay, Henry Thornton - Kay, Joseph Blackpool (3) - Kay, William South Shore - Kay, Andrew Pilling - Kenworthy, E. E. Great Eccleston - Kenyon, Betsy Blackpool - Keighley, Benjamin South Shore - Kettlewell, William Blackpool - Kemp, Frederick, J.P. Bispham Lodge - Kemp, B. Working - Kendal. Rev. James Warton - Kerr, J. Lytham - King, Elizabeth Elswick - King, James Rochdale - Kirkham, Robert Great Eccleston - Kirkham, Thomas Clifton - Kirkham, Edward Blackpool - Kirtland, James Lytham - Knight, Robert Fleetwood - Knowles, John Heaton Grange - Knowles, James Blackpool - Knowles, Mrs. Richard Lytham - Knowles, Mrs. ” - Knipe, Miss Kirkham - - Lane, Edwin Fleetwood - Lazonby, R. E. Didsbury - Lawrenson, Wm. Preesall - Lawrenson, John Bispham - Lawrenson, Peter Out Rawcliffe - Lawson, John Little Singleton - Lennard, James Blackpool - Lewtas, Robert ” - Lewtas, Thomas C. ” - Lewtas, Henry ” - Lewtas, Misses J. & C. Out Rawcliffe - Lee, Thomas Packington - Lees, Joseph Oldham - Leech, William Fleetwood - Leadbetter, Robert ” - Leadbetter, Richard ” - Leadbetter, Thomas ” - Leake, Robert Whitefield - Lindley, Joseph Blackpool - Lister, William Blackpool - Livesey, Howard Lancaster - Linaker, Peter Blackpool - Longworth, David Preston - Loxham, J. Walton Lytham - Lord, Mrs. Catherine Hgr Broughton - Lodge, Matthew Prestwich - Lowe, George Blackpool - Lund, Richard Kirkham - Lund, Mary ” - - Mather, R. B. Blackpool - Mather, Councillor ” - Maybury, John ” - Masheter, Alderman ” - Markland, James ” - Macfadin, F. H. Surgeon-Major 47th Regiment - Marquiss, John Wesham - Marquiss, Thomas ” - Marquiss, James Kirkham - Marsden, James Lytham - Martin, Jonathan Lytham - Mason, Thomas Fleetwood - Mason, Richard Freckleton - Mason, Thomas Blackpool - Mason, John Layton Hawes - Mayor, Charles Freckleton - McNaughtan, Ald., M.D. Blackpool - McNeal, Miss ” - McMurtrie, William Lwr Broughton - Melling, Mrs. Preesall - Memory, William Blackpool - Meredith, Charles ” - Meadows, Rev. T. Thornton - Miller, Mr. Great Eccleston - Miller, William P. Singleton - Miller, John Blackpool - Miller, Mary South Shore - Miller, T. H. Singleton Park - Miller, Mrs. Fleetwood - Milner, Thomas Inskip - Milner, James Blackpool - Mitchell, Rev. W. W. ” - Mitchell, Mrs. S. ” - Moss, Thomas ” - Moore, Thomas ” - Moore, Alfred ” - Moore, Alexander ” - Moore, C. E. ” - Moore, Robert ” - Morris, Miss Louisa ” - Morris, C. H., M.D. ” - Morris, Edward ” - Morris, Joshua ” - Monk, Josiah Padiham - Monk, Esau C. Fleetwood - Moon, Robert Freckleton - Moon, Robert South Shore - Moon, Thomas Blackpool - Morrison, William ” - Morgan, A. F. ” - Mossop, Rev. Isaac Woodplumpton - Munn, John Blackpool - Murdock, James D. ” - Mycock, Councillor ” - Myres, J. J. junr. Preston - Myres, J. J. Freckleton - - Newsham, Joseph F. Great Eccleston - Newby, James Blackpool - Newall, J. H. ” - Nickson, Mary Salwick - Nickson, Joseph Ballam - Nickson, Squires Blackpool - Nickson, William ” - Nickson, James ” - Nickson, John ” - Nickson, Richard ” - Nicholson, Thomas Pilling - Nicholl, William Blackpool - Noblett, Miss Dorothy ” - Noblett, John Thornton - Nutter, Mrs. Elizabeth Accrington - Nutter, Wm. H. St. Annes-on-the-Sea - Nuttall, Ann Blackpool - Nuttall, John Lees - Nuttall, Richard Warton - - O’Donnell, Michael Blackpool - Ormerod, Councillor Newton Hall - Orr, J. A., M.D. Fleetwood - Oswin, Miss Blackpool - - Pakes, Rev. C. Blackpool - Parsons, Mrs. Nantwich - Parnell, Alderman South Shore - Parker, William Lytham - Parker, William Blackpool - Parker, Peter ” - Parker, John ” - Parker, Thomas ” - Parker, Adam ” - Parker, Michael ” - Parkinson, John ” - Parkinson, Thomas ” - Parkinson, James ” - Parkinson, Nicholas Fleetwood - Parkinson, Robert Poulton - Parkinson, Robert ” - Parkinson, Robert ” - Parkinson, Richard ” - Parkinson, William ” - Parkinson, Richard Wesham - Parkinson, James Marton - Parkinson, James Lytham - Parkinson, James Layton - Parkinson, Robert Hambleton - Parkinson, Miss Preesall - Parr, Thomas E. Thornton - Pearson, Rev. James Fleetwood - Pearson, J. E. H. Blackpool - Pearson, John St. Michael’s - Phipps, Emma M. Great Eccleston (2) - Phillips, Charles Blackpool - Phillips, Rev. S. J. Rossall - Pickup, Miss E. Fleetwood - Pickup, John Blackpool - Pickup, Henry ” - Pickop, John ” - Pilling, Rev. W. Lytham - Pilling, Thomas Blackpool (2) - Poole, W. H. Fleetwood - Poole, John Bispham - Poole A. M. Out Rawcliffe - Porter, Robert Blackpool - Porter, J. E. ” - Porter, John ” - Porter, William St. Michael’s - Porter, Edward Kirkham - Porter, Ralph Dowbridge - Porter, James Wigton - Porter, Edmund Fleetwood - Porter, Robert ” - Porter, Miss ” - Porter, William Rossall - Pollitt, J. B. Blackpool - Pountney, W. E., M.B.M.C. Lytham - Pollard, Miss Poulton - Pratt, James Fleetwood - Preston, Emma Blackpool - Preston, Richard ” - Preston, George ” - Preston, Daniel ” - Preston, Mrs ” - Prince, Daniel ” - Price, John ” - Preston, George Out Rawcliffe - Preston, Joseph Fleetwood - Preston, Henry Thornton - Preston, James Elswick - Proctor, Miss Blackpool - Pye, Edward Out Rawcliffe - - Rawcliffe, Alexander Fleetwood - Ray, John Bispham - Ramsbottom, James Castle Hill - Raby, Benjamin Freckleton - Radford, William Blackpool - Redman, John Fleetwood - Reynolds, Thomas ” - Reynolds, W. H. Grappenhall - Read, William Blackpool - Read, John ” - Read, William ” - Rennison, Sarah ” - Reason, William ” - Ripus, D. ” - Rigby, James ” - Rigby, John Freckleton - Ridgway, Squire Blackpool - Riley, Thomas Singleton - Riley, P. D. Blackpool - Riley, Mr. ” - Riley, John, J.P. Oldham - Rimmer, John, jun. Blackpool - Rimmer, William ” - Rimmer, Samuel Blackpool - Richards, R. C., J. P. Clifton Lodge - Richardson. Rev. W. Poulton - Richardson, John Warton - Richardson, Edward ” - Richardson, Robert Freckleton - Richmond, Edward Blackpool - Roskell, Robert Hambleton - Roskell, Robert Out Rawcliffe - Roskell, John ” - Rossall, Richard Fleetwood - Rossall, Robert St. Michael’s - Rossall, William Little Bispham - Rossall, Thomas Blackpool - Robinson, Roger ” - Robinson, J. H. ” - Robinson, T. G. South Shore - Rowley, William Blackpool - Rowcroft, William Kirkham - Royles. Thomas ” - Roe, Miss Hambleton - Ross, Thomas Out Rawcliffe - Rossall, Richard Little Marton - Rushton, Theodica Blackpool - Rushton, R. ” - Rymer, Thomas ” - Rymer, Thomas Lytham - - Sanderson, William Carleton - Sanderson, William Bispham - Sanderson, Peter Carleton - Sanderson, Robert ” - Salthouse, Thomas Lytham - Salthouse, Ezekiel Blackpool - Sandham, William Fleetwood - Scott, Thomas Lytham - Scott, John Clifton - Scott, Rev. Walter Freckleton - Seed, Mrs. James Lytham - Seed, James Freckleton - Seed, G. L. Poulton - Seed, William Fleetwood - Seed, Thomas Liverpool - Seddon, Mrs Lytham - Sedgwick, Elizabeth Blackpool - Shepherd, William Singleton - Shepherd, James Blackpool - Sharples, George ” - Sharples, John Lytham - Sharples, Councillor South Shore - Shaw, William Blackpool - Sharp, Henry ” - Shee, Michael ” - Shaw, Robert, J. P. Colne Hall - Sharp, John Lancaster - Shorrocks, James Out Rawcliffe - Shawcross, James ” - Shorrocks, Miss E. S. St. Michael’s - Sheffington, Edward ” - Singleton, William Kirkham - Singleton, Richard Out Rawcliffe - Singleton, George St. Michaels - Singleton, Joseph Layton - Singleton, James Poulton - Singleton, Richard Wardleys - Singleton, John Lytham - Singleton, John Lytham - Singleton, John Heyhouses - Singleton, John Stalmine - Singleton, Richard L. Poulton Hall - Simpson, John Blackpool - Simpson, W. E. ” - Simpson, John Fleetwood - Silcock, Richard Thornton Hall - Simmons, Rev. J. F. South Shore - Silverwood, Thomas Blackpool - Skelton, James ” - Slater, John ” - Slater, James Kirkham - Smith, Mrs. Lytham - Smith, Robert Blackpool - Smith, T. H. ” - Smith, Christopher Bispham - Smith, Robert ” - Smith, John L ” - Smelt, Thomas Old Trafford - Snalam, George Thistleton - Sowerbutts, H. E. Preston - Southward, Ambrose Rawcliffe - Southward, John Preesall - Speakman, Thomas Higher Broughton - Speak, W. Blackpool - Speak, William Lytham - Spencer, James Freckleton - Stanton, Thomas Blackpool - Stanley, Isaac Fleetwood - Stephenson, Mrs Lytham - Stead, Edward George Blackpool - Stirzaker, Matthew Little Eccleston - Strickland, Thomas ” - Strickland, Henry Blackpool - Strickland, John Marton - St Clair, J., M. B., C. M. Blackpool - Stott, Samuel Lytham - Standish, Mrs Kirkham - Standish, John Lytham - Stoba, William Fleetwood - Stafford, Thomas Out Rawcliffe - Stewart, Thomas St Michael’s - Sumner, John Poulton - Sumner, Joseph Preston - Sunderland. T. Blackpool - Sutcliffe, Gill ” - Swarbrick, George South Shore - Swarbrick, James Blackpool - Swarbrick, Edward Great Eccleston - Swarbrick, John Poulton - Swarbrick, James G. Out Rawcliffe - Swallow, George Cheetham - Swann, Robert Wesham - Swan, John Kirkham - Swain, James Fleetwood - Swift, James Warbreck - Sykes, James, jun. Liverpool - Sykes, Isaac Blackpool - Sykes, Robert South Shore - Sykes, B. Corless Seaforth - Sykes, James Albert Liverpool - Sykes, Thomas B. ” - Sykes, James Breck House - Sykes, Benjamin Preston - - Taylor, Miss N. Out Rawcliffe - Taylor, Mr Southport (2) - Taylor, William Poulton - Taylor, Rev. Roger Lytham - Taylor, Miss E. Fleetwood - Taylor, Robert ” - Taylor, A. Blackpool - Taylor, Richard ” - Taylor, James ” - Talbot, William ” - Terry, W. H. ” - Thompson, William Kirkham - Thompson, Joseph Elswick - Thompson, Christopher Blackpool - Thompson, Wm. C. Fleetwood - Thompson, James Kirkham - Thompson, James Hambleton - Thompson, Stephen Out Rawcliffe - Thornton, Mrs Preesall - Thornber, P. Harrison Poulton - Threlfall, Thomas Blackpool - Threlfall, Richard South Shore - Threlfall, George ” - Threlfall, Richard Rossall - Topping, Edward Blackpool - Townson, Richard ” - Todd, Eave ” - Towers, John Fleetwood - Topham, John Kirkham - Tomlinson, Richard Warton - Turner, Philip Fleetwood - Turner, James ” - Turner, Mrs. Poulton - Turner, Capt. Henry Stockport - Turnbull, Joseph Blackpool - Tunstall, James St. Michael’s - Twigg, J. B. Blackpool - Tyler, Robert Thornton - - Ulyeat, William Blackpool - Underwood, Thomas H. ” - Upton, Joseph Blackpool - - Valiant, Robert Fleetwood - Valiant, James Skippool - - Ward, Robert Blackpool - Ward, John Kirkham - Ward, William Fleetwood - Ward, John Fleetwood - Walsh, Richard Wardleys - Walsh, John Upper Rawcliffe - Wade, Mrs. I. Hambleton - Wade, Elizabeth M. Blackpool - Wade, Thomas ” - Wade, Thomas ” - Waring, Thomas ” - Waring, Robert Lytham - Ware, Titus Nibbert Bowden - Watts, Edward Longsight - Warbrick, Richard Fleetwood - Warbrick, John Lytham - Warbrick, Richard ” - Walmsley, Fred ” - Walmsley, Thomas ” - Walmsley, Joseph Carleton - Walmsley, Joseph Fleetwood - Waddington, Miss M Kirkham - Walker, Dr. J. D. ” - Walker, Thomas Blackpool - Walker, William Arbroath - Walker, Joseph Eccles - Walker, Miss Alice ” - Wainwright, Rev. C. H. Blackpool - Waite, John ” - Wayman, Rev. James ” - Whatmough and Wilkinson ” - Weston, D. ” - Wartenberg, Siegfried Lytham - Westhead, Mrs. Lytham - Whiteside, John Bispham - Whiteside, John, jun. ” - Whiteside, John Larbreck - Whiteside, John Freckleton - Whiteside, Robert Kirkham - Whiteside, George Lytham - Whiteside, Jane Blackpool - Whiteside, Ann ” - Whiteside, Charlotte ” - Whiteside, Robert ” - Whiteside, Robert ” - Whiteside, Robert Ballam - Whiteside, Robert Marton - Whiteside, Thomas South Shore - Whiteside, William Westby - Whiteside, Thomas Ballam - Whiteside, George Larbrick - Whiteside, Thomas Little Eccleston - Whiteside, John Fleetwood - Whiteside, John J. ” - White, Ann Blackpool - White, Evan ” - Whittington, Mr. ” - Whittaker, James ” - Whittaker, John ” - Whittaker, John ” - Whittaker, Henry Lytham - Whitworth, John Alderley Edge - Whitworth, Robert Manchester - Whitworth, Alfred Rusholme - Whitworth, B., M.P. London (3) - Whitworth, Thomas Withington (3) - Whalley, John Blackpool - Whalley, Henry South Shore - Whalley, Charles Kirkham - Whitehead, Edward Bolton - Wild, James Blackpool - Wilson, Henry T. Blackpool - Wilson, William R. Lytham - Wilson, George Blackpool - Wilson, Thomas ” - Wilson, Thomas Fleetwood - Wilson, Edward Norbreck - Wilton, John Freckleton - Wiggins, W. Blackpool - Williamson, Robert Out Rawcliffe - Williamson, Thomas ” - Williamson, Thomas ” - Wilkinson, Miss Ellen ” - Wilkinson, Thomas ” - Wilkinson, Joseph Blackpool - Wilkinson, Robert ” - Wildman, William ” - Wilde, Isaac ” - Wilding, Richard ” - Wilkinson, George Bispham - Wilkinson, John Blackpool - Wilks, Christopher Lytham - Winterbottam, Dr. Manchester - Wignall, John, J.P. Fleetwood - Worthington, George Lytham - Worthington, John Blackpool - Worthington, William ” - Worthington, W. H. South Shore - Worthington, Thomas Poulton - Worthington, John Warton - Worthington, Thomas Trenton, Ontario - Worthington, James Stockport - Worthington, Henry South Shore - Wood, Rev. L. C. Singleton - Woods, Richard Kirkham - Woods, George Butler Fleetwood - Wood, Robert ” - Woodcock, Miss Blackpool - Woodcock, Elizabeth ” - Woodcock, J. & M. ” - Wolstenholme Bros. ” - Woodley, Mrs. Jane ” - Woodhead, Miss M. A. ” - Woodhall, John ” - Woodhouse, John Stalmine - Woodhouse, Charles ” - Wright, John Thornton - Wright, Joseph Blackpool - Wright, William Fleetwood - Wright, Sarah ” - Wright, G. ” - Wright, Rev. Adam Gilsland - Wright, Miss Jane Kirkham - Wray, John Blackpool - Wray, John ” - Wylie, Robert ” - Wylie, Jonathan ” - - Young, John Kirkham - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE FYLDE OF LANCASHIRE*** - - -******* This file should be named 65919-0.txt or 65919-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/5/9/1/65919 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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- clear: both; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1 class="pgx" title="">The Project Gutenberg eBook, History of the Fylde of Lancashire, by John -Porter</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: History of the Fylde of Lancashire</p> -<p>Author: John Porter</p> -<p>Release Date: July 25, 2021 [eBook #65919]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE FYLDE OF LANCASHIRE***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by<br /> - the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (https://www.pgdp.net)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (https://archive.org)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff; max-width: 80%; margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/historyoffyldeof00portiala - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p class="titlepage larger">HISTORY OF THE FYLDE<br /> -OF LANCASHIRE,</p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -JOHN PORTER, M.R.C.S., L.S.A.</p> - -<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer1.jpg" width="400" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">FLEETWOOD AND BLACKPOOL:<br /> -W. PORTER AND SONS, PUBLISHERS.<br /> -1876.</p> - -<p class="center smaller">[<i>All rights reserved.</i>]</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">FLEETWOOD AND BLACKPOOL:<br /> -PRINTED BY W. PORTER AND SONS.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p class="dedication">TO<br /> -<span class="larger">BENJAMIN WHITWORTH, ESQUIRE, M.P.,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">In admiration of his Enterprise, Generosity, and Philanthropy,<br /> -displayed in the Fylde, and elsewhere,<br /> -and as<br /> -a tribute of personal regard and esteem</span>,<br /> -<span class="larger">THIS VOLUME</span><br /> -IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, BY<br /> -<span class="larger">THE AUTHOR.</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">PREFACE.</h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-a.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">A few, and only a few, words are needed to introduce -the History of the Fylde to the public. In its -preparation my aim has been to make the work -as comprehensive in description and detail as the prescribed -limits would allow, and I have endeavoured to write in a style free -from any tendency to pedantry, and I hope, also, from dulness. -How far these conditions have been fulfilled I must now leave -to the judgment of the reader, doing so with some degree of -confidence that at any rate the attempt will be generally -appreciated, if the success be not universally acknowledged. -In the course of my labours I have availed myself of the -works of various authors, and desire to acknowledge my -indebtedness, especially to Baines’s Lancashire, Fishwick’s -Kirkham, Thornber’s Blackpool, and many volumes of the -Cheetham and other historical societies. My thanks for -valuable aid are also due to the following gentlemen, amongst -others, the Ven. Archdeacon Hornby, of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; -the Rev. W. Richardson, of Poulton-le-Fylde; Col. Bourne, M.P., -of Hackensall and Heathfield; John Furness, esq., of Fulwood; -W. H. Poole, esq., of Fleetwood; and the Bailiffs of Kirkham.</p> - -<p class="right"><i>JOHN PORTER.</i></p> - -<p><i>Fleetwood, August, 1876.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">ERRATA.</h2> - -</div> - -<p><a href="#Page_7">Page 7</a>, line 15, after the word <i>crossing</i>, -insert <i>the Main Dyke from</i>. This Dyke is crossed after leaving, -and not before reaching, Staining, as stated.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_147">Page 147</a>, line 9 from the bottom, for -<i>Gulph</i>, read <i>Gulf</i>.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_183">Page 183</a>, line 2, for 1857, read 1657.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_256">Page 256</a>, dele the heading <i>Coasting</i>.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_286">Page 286</a>, line 2 from the bottom, for -<i>fortified</i>, read <i>forfeited</i>.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_289">Page 289</a>, line 13 from the bottom, for -the first <i>funds</i>, read <i>expenses</i>.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS.</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="Contents" class="contents"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER I.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Ancient Britons, Romans, Anglo-Saxons - and Danes</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1-29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER II.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Norman Conquest to James the First</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">30-54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER III.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">James the First to Queen Victoria</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">55-86</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER IV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Conditions, Customs, and Superstitions - of the People</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">87-114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER V.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Costumes, Country, Rivers and Sea</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">115-150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VI.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Pedigrees of Ancient Families</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">151-185</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Parish of Poulton-le-Fylde. Poulton</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">186-217</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VIII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fleetwood-on-Wyre</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">218-267</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER IX.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Thornton, Carleton, Marton, and - Hardhorn-with-Newton</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">268-296</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER X.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Parish of Bispham. Bispham-with-Norbreck. - Layton-with-Warbreck</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">297-310</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XI.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Blackpool</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">311-362</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Parish of Kirkham. Kirkham</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">363-401</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Freckleton. Warton. Ribby-with-Wrea. - Weeton-with-Preese. Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton. Great and - Little Singleton. Clifton-with-Salwick. Newton-with-Scales. - Hambleton, &c.</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">402-428</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Parish of Lytham. Lytham. St. - Annes-on-the-Sea</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">429-453</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Parish of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. - Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre. Great Eccleston. Out - Rawcliffe. Elswick. Wood Plumpton. Inskip-with-Sowerby</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">454-474</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Pauperism and the Fylde Union</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">475-480</a></td> - </tr> - </table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header1.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h1>HISTORY OF THE FYLDE.</h1> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE ANCIENT BRITONS, ROMANS, ANGLO-SAXONS, AND DANES.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“See! in what crowds the uncouth forms advance:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Each would outstrip the other, each prevent</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Our careful search, and offer to your gaze,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Unask’d, his motley features. Wait awhile,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">My curious friends! and let us first arrange</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In proper order your promiscuous throng.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The large district of western Lancashire, denominated -from time immemorial the Fylde, embraces one third -at least of the Hundred of Amounderness, and a line -drawn from Ashton, on the Ribble, to Churchtown, -on the Wyre, forms the nearest approach to an eastern boundary -attainable, for although the section cut off by its means includes -more land and villages than properly appertain to the Fylde, a -more westerly division would exclude others which form part of it. -The whole of the parishes of Bispham, Lytham, Poulton, and -St. Michael’s; and the parish of Kirkham, exclusive of Goosnargh-with-Newsham -and Whittingham, are comprised in the Fylde -country.</p> - -<p>The word Amounderness was formerly considered to signify -the “Promontory of Agmund,” or “Edmund,” and this origin is -alluded to in a treatise written some years since by Mr. Thomas<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span> -Baines on the “Valley of the Mersey,” in which the following -remarks occur:—“In the year 911 the Northumbrians themselves -began the war, for they despised the peace which King Edward -and his ‘Witan’ offered them, and overran the land of Mercia. -After collecting great booty they were overtaken on their march -home by the forces of the West Saxons and the Mercians, who -put them to flight and slew many thousands of them. Two -Danish Kings and five Earls were slain in this battle. Amongst -the Earls slain was Agmund, the governor, from whom the -Hundred of Agmunderness (Amounderness) was probably named.” -In order that the reader may properly comprehend why Mr. -Baines should surmise that Amounderness received its title from -the Danish Earl, Agmund, it may be stated that the extensive -province of Northumbria, then colonised by the Northmen or -Danes, embraced, amongst other territory, the district afterwards -called Lancashire, and, consequently, the Hundred of Amounderness -would be in a great measure under Danish governance. -When, however, we call to mind that the Danes did not invade -England until A.D. 787, and learn that this Hundred was entered -in the Ripon grant in A.D. 705, as Hacmunderness, it becomes -obvious that the name cannot have been conferred upon it by that -nation, and some other source must be looked to for its origin. -In Gibsons’ Etymological Geography there is “Anderness” (for -Ackmunderness) described as a “promontory sheltered by oaks, -(ac, oak; and mund, protection).” As many large trunks of -trees have been discovered beneath the layers of peat in the -extensive local mosses, whilst others have been laid bare along -the shore by the action of the tides, it can be readily believed -that at one time the greater share of the district was clothed -with forests. Leyland, who was antiquary to Henry VIII., and -surveyed the Hundred during the reign of that monarch, 1509-47, -says:—“Al Aundernesse for the most parte in time paste hathe -been full of woods, and many of the moores replenished with hy -fyrre trees; but now such part of Aundernesse as is towarde the -se is sore destitute of woodde.” With such irrefutable evidences -of the early woodland condition of Amounderness, there need be -no hesitation in accepting the signification which Messrs. Gibson -have given to the name—the Ness or Promontory protected by -oaks. The word Fylde is regarded simply as a corruption of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span> -“Field.” Camden in his “Britannia” of 1590, writes:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Tota est campestris, unde Fild pro Field appellatur.”<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>(The whole is champaign, whence it is called Fild for Field.)</p> - -</div> - -<p>In a subsequent edition of the same work Fild is spelt File, and -the latter orthography was used in Fileplumpton, in the Duchy -records, afterwards called Fylde Plumpton, and now Wood -Plumpton. The Fylde section of this Hundred is a level -well-watered country, highly cultivated and richly productive, -especially of grain, from which circumstance it was formerly -designated the corn-field of Amounderness.</p> - -<p>Anterior to the third invasion of the Romans in A.D. 43, the -inhabitants of the Fylde and other portions of Lancashire lying -between the range of mountains which separates this county -from Yorkshire, and the coast about the Bay of Morecambe, -were called the Setantii or Segantii, “the dwellers in the country -of water,” but at that date the whole tract populated by these -people was included in the more extensive province of the -Brigantes, comprehending what are now known as the six -counties of York, Durham, Northumberland, Westmoreland, -Cumberland, and Lancaster. The Fylde at that epoch would be -composed chiefly of morasses and forests, interspersed with limited -areas and narrow paths of more stable land, and there can be -little doubt that the dwellers on such an uninviting spot must -have been very few, but that it was traversed and, as far as -practicable, inhabited by the ancient Setantii is evident from -the several relics of them which have been discovered amongst -the peat in modern days. Two or three canoes, consisting of -light wooden frameworks, covered with hides, were found by a -man named Jolly, about half a century ago, when cutting the -“Main Dyke” of Marton Mere;<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> Celtic hammers, axes, and spears -have also been taken out of the mosses in the district, all of -which were doubtless originally the property of the aboriginal -Britons. The bay of Morecambe and the river Wyre acquired -their distinctive appellations from the Setantii, the one being<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span> -derived from the Celtic <i>gwyr</i>, pure or fresh, and the other from -<i>mawr</i>, great, and <i>cam</i>, winding or bent.</p> - -<p>The hardihood of the native Britons of these parts is attested by -Dion Cassius, who informs us that they lived on prey, hunting, -and the fruits of trees, and were accustomed to brave hunger, -cold, and all kinds of toil, for they would “continue several days -up to their chins in water, and bear hunger many days.” In the -woods their habitations were wicker shelters, formed of the -branches of trees interwoven together, and, in the open grounds, -clay or mud huts. They were indebted to the skins of -animals slain in the chase for such scanty covering as they -cared to wear, and according to Cæsar and other writers, dyed -their bodies with woad, which produced a blue colour, and had -long flowing hair, being cleanly shaved except the head and -upper lip. That the power of endurance possessed by the -Setantii, and the neighbouring Brigantes is not to be understood -literally as expressed by Cassius may, we venture to think, be -taken for granted. It can scarcely be credited that the human -frame could ever be reduced or exalted to such an amphibious -condition as to be indifferent whether it passed a number of days -on dry land or under water; it seems more probable that in his -description Cassius referred to the hunting and other expeditions -of the inhabitants into the forests and morasses of the Fylde and -similarly wooded and marshy tracts, where there is no question -the followers of the chase would be more or less in a state of -immersion during the whole time they were so engaged.</p> - -<p>The religion of the Setantii was Druidical, and their deities -resembled those of other heathen nations, such as the Romans -and Greeks of that era, but differed in their names. Cæsar tells -us that this order of priesthood was presided over by a superior, -who was known as the chief Druid, and had almost unlimited -authority over all the rest. The Druids were settled at various -points of the island, where they erected their temples, but in -addition to these principle stations, many of their order were -scattered amongst the native tribes of Britain, over which they -appear to have exercised the functions and power of judges, -arranging both public and private disputes, and deciding all -criminal cases. It was part of the creed professed by the Setantii, -to vow, when they were engaged in warfare, that they would,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span> -through the agency of the Druids, immolate human victims as -an atonement for slaughtered enemies, believing that unless -man’s life were given for man’s life, the divine anger of the -immortal Gods could not be appeased. There were other -sacrifices of the same kind instituted at regularly appointed -seasons and on special occasions. The Setantii also believed in -an immortal soul, but seem to have had no idea of a higher -state, as their priests inculcated the doctrine that after death the -soul was transported to another body, “imagining that by this -the men were more effectually roused to valour, the fear of death -being taken away.”<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> Ornaments called “Druids’ eggs,” and -worn only by these priests, have been found in the Fylde.</p> - -<p>How Cæsar, in B.C. 54 and 55, invaded Britain a first and a -second time, achieving at best an empty conquest, and how, -after his death, the emperor Claudius sent over an army with a -determination to exterminate the Druids, and after thirty pitched -battles, subdued province after province, is beyond the limits of -this work to state, but as a connecting link of the history of the -country with that of our own county, and that portion of it -especially under examination, it may be stated that Britain was -finally conquered by the Romans under Julius Agricola, and that -the best investigation of the subject leads to the opinion that the -district which we call Lancashire, was brought into subjection -to the Roman conqueror in A.D. 79. A vigorous resistance was -for long offered to the army of invaders in the territory of the -Setantii by the natives under the Brigantine chief Venutius, but -the well drilled legions of the Romans, when commanded by -Agricola, proved too formidable to be checked or broken by the -wild, undisciplined valour of the Setantii. Tacitus, the son-in-law -of the general, informs us that early in the summer of A.D. 79, -Agricola personally inspected his soldiers, and marked out many -of the stations, one of which, either made at that time or later -by the same people, was situated at Kirkham, on the line of the -Roman road running from the mouth of Wyre, which will be -described hereafter. He explored the estuaries and woods -along the western coast of Lancashire, and harassed the enemy -by sudden and frequent incursions. When the Brigantes and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> -Setantii had been thoroughly overawed and disheartened by the -invincible Romans, Agricola stayed his operations in order to -shew them the blessings of peace, and in that way many towns -which had bravely held out were induced to surrender and give -hostages. These places he surrounded with guards and -fortifications. The following winter was passed in endeavouring, -by various incentives to pleasure, to subdue the warlike nature of -the Britons, thereby diminishing the danger of an outbreak, -especially amongst such tribes as the Setantii, whose intrepid -spirits had been so difficult to quell, and who were not likely to -submit quietly to the yoke of the conqueror, unless some means -were adopted to allure them by the charms of civilised luxury -from their free field and forest mode of existence. Temples, -courts of justice, and comfortable habitations were first erected; -the sons of the petty chiefs were next instructed in the liberal -arts, and Agricola professed to prefer the genius of the Britons -to the attainments of the Gauls. The Roman dress became the -fashion, and the <i>toga</i> was frequently worn. The “porch, -luxurious baths, and elegant banquets” were regularly instituted, -and by degrees the crafty design of the Roman general was -accomplished, and the vanquished Britons had ceased to be the -hardy warriors of old.</p> - -<p>About one century after the subjugation of Britain by Agricola -no less than seven important Roman stations, or garrisoned -places, had risen up in the county of Lancaster, and were situated -at Manchester, Colne, Warrington, Lancaster, Walton-le-dale, -Ribchester, and Overborough. The minor ones, such as Kirkham, -supposing their sites to have been first built upon in a season of -warfare, subsequently became small settlements only, and were, -in all probability, unused as military depots. The rivers which -flowed in the neighbourhood of the several encampments, -terminated in three estuaries, denominated by Ptolemy,<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> the -ancient geographer, in his book, completed in A.D. 130, the -Seteia Æstuarium, the Moricambe Æstuarium, and the Belisama<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> -Æstuarium. The first of these estuaries is generally regarded as -the mouth of the Dee, the second is identified with Morecambe -Bay, and the third with the Ribble by some historians and the -Mersey by others. The same authority mentions also a Portus -Setantiorum, which has been located on the banks of the Ribble, -Lune, and Mersey, by different antiquarians, but in the opinion -of the most recent writers the ancient harbour of the Setantii was -situated at the mouth of the river Wyre. Further reference to the -Setantian port will be made in a later page of the present chapter.</p> - -<p>At the shore margin of the warren at Fleetwood there was -visible, about forty years ago, the abrupt and broken termination -of a Roman road, which could be traced across the sward, along -the Naze below Burn Hall, and onward in the direction of Poulton. -From that town it ran in a southerly line towards Staining, -crossing Marton Mere, on its way, in the cutting of which its -materials were very apparent, and lying on the low mossy lands -to the depth of two yards in gravel. From Staining it proceeded -to Weeton, and in a hollow near to the moss of that township, -consisted of an immense stony embankment several yards in -height; in the moss itself the deep beds of gravel were distinctly -observable, and from there the road continued its course up the -rising ground to Plumpton, the traces as usual being less obvious -on the higher land. From Plumpton it travelled towards the -elevated site of a windmill between Weeton moss and Kirkham, -at which point it turned suddenly, and joined the public road, -running in a continuous straight line towards the latter town. -The greater part of the long street of Kirkham is either upon -or in the immediate vicinity of the old Roman road. From -Kirkham the road directed its course towards Lund church, -somewhere in the neighbourhood of which it was joined by -another path formed by the same people and commencing at the -Neb of the Naze near Freckleton.<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Leaving Lund it ran through -Lea on to Fulwood moor, where it took the name of Watling -street, and proceeded on to Ribchester. This road has always been -known in the Fylde as the Danes’ Pad, from a tradition that -those pirates made use of it at a later period in their incursions -into our district, visiting and ransacking Kirkham, Poulton, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span> -other towns or hamlets of the unfortunate Saxons. Numerous -relics, chiefly of the Roman soldiery, have been dug or ploughed -up at different times out of the soil, bordering on the road, or -found amongst the pebbles of which it was composed, and -amongst them may be mentioned spears, both British and Roman, -horse shoes in abundance, several stone hammers, a battle axe, -a broken sword, and ancient Roman coins, all of which were -picked up along its line between Wyre mouth and Weeton. -Several half-baked urns marked with dots, and pieces of rudely -fashioned pottery were discovered in an extensive barrow or cairn -near Weeton-lane Heads, which was accidentally opened, and is -now pointed out as the abode of the local hairy ghost or boggart. -In the neighbourhood of Kirkham there have been found many -broken specimens of Roman pottery, stones prepared for building -purposes, eight or ten urns, some containing ashes and beads, -stone handmills for corn grinding, ancient coins, “Druids’ eggs,” -axes, and horse shoes; in the fields near Dowbridge, where several -of the above urns were discovered, there was found a flattened -ivory needle, about five or six inches long with a large eyelet. -A cuirass was also picked up on the banks of the Wyre; but the -most interesting relic of antiquity is the boss or umbo of a shield, -taken out of a ditch near Kirkham, which will be fully described -in the chapter devoted to that township. The Romans were -accustomed to make three kinds of roads, the first of which, -called the Viæ Militares, were constructed during active warfare, -when they were engaged in pushing their way into the territory -of the enemy, and easy unobstructed communication between -their various encampments became a matter of the utmost -importance. The second, or public roads, were formed to facilitate -commerce in time of peace; and the third were narrower paths, -called private roads. The county of Lancaster was intersected by -no less than four important Roman routes, two of which ran from -north to south, and two traversed the land from west to east. -The course of one road, and perhaps the best constructed of the -whole four, we have just followed out; of the remainder, the first, -commencing at Carlisle, passed near Garstang and Preston, crossed -the Irwell at Old Trafford, and maintaining its southerly direction, -ultimately arrived at Kinderton, in Cheshire. The second -extended from Overborough to Slack, in Yorkshire, passing on its<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span> -way through Ribchester, the Ribble, Radcliffe, Prestwich, and -Newton Heath; whilst the third had its origin at a ford on the -Mersey, in close proximity to Warrington, and from that spot -could be traced through Barton, Eccles, Manchester, Moston, -Chadderton, Royton, and Littleborough, thence over Rumbles -Moor to Ilkley, where was located the temple of the goddess -Verbeia. It is conjectured that these roads, which consisted for -the most part of pavement and deep beds of gravel, were begun, -or at least marked out, by Agricola during the time he was -occupied in the subjugation of Lancashire, and if this very -probable hypothesis be correct the course taken by that general -in his exploration of the woods of the Fylde, and the estuaries -of Morecambe and the Ribble is clearly indicated by the direction -of the ancient path communicating with the mouth of Wyre and -the Naze.</p> - -<p>At the opening of the third century the Roman governor of -Britain found it necessary to obtain the personal co-operation -of Severus, in order to put an effectual check to the repeated -outbreaks of the natives; in A.D. 207, that emperor having landed -and established his head-quarters at York, a considerable force -marched northwards under his leadership to punish the revolting -tribes, and it is surmised that the curious road, running across -the mosses of Rawcliffe, Stalmine, and Pilling, was constructed -by the legionaries whilst on this tour. The pathway alluded to, -and commonly known as Kate’s Pad, was deeply situated in the -mosses, and had apparently been formed by fastening riven oak -planks on to sleepers of the same material, secured and held -stationary by means of pins or rivets driven into the marl a little -above which they rested. Its width was about twenty inches, but -in some places rather more.<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> Herodian, in describing the -expedition of Severus to quell the insurrection of the Briton, -says:—“He more especially endeavoured to render the marshy -places stable by means of causeways, that his soldiers, treading -with safety, might pass them, and having firm footing fight to -advantage. In these the natives are accustomed to swim and -traverse about, being immersed as high as their waists: for going<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span> -naked as to the greater part of their bodies they contemn the -mud. His army having passed beyond the rivers and fortresses -which defended the Roman territory, there were frequent attacks -and skirmishes, and retreats on the side of the barbarians. To -these indeed flight was an easy matter, and they lay hidden in the -thickets and marshes through their local knowledge; all which -things being adverse to the Romans served to protract the war.” -There can be no doubt that, when the path, which consisted in -some parts of one huge tree and in others of two or more, was -formed, timber must have been very plentiful in the vicinity, and -at the present day numbers of tree trunks of large size are to be -found in the mosses, further corroborating the conclusions arrived -at by Leyland, whose words have already been quoted, and -Holinshed, who wrote:—“The whole countrie of Lancaster has -beene forests heretofore.” An iron fibula, a pewter wine-strainer, -a wooden drinking bowl, hooped with two brass bands and having -two handles, a brass stirrup, and other relics have been taken out -of the moss fields; and in the same neighbourhood an anvil, -several pieces of thin sheet-brass, and a pair of shears were -discovered in a ditch.</p> - -<p>About the year 416 the Romans finally removed themselves -from our island, taking with them many of the brave youths of -Britain, and leaving the country in the hands of a people whose -inactive habits, acquired under their dominion, had rendered -them ignorant of the art and unfit for the hardships of warfare. -According to Ethelwerd’s Chronicle, in the year 418 those few of -the Roman race who were left in Britain, not being able to put -up with the manifold insults of the natives, buried their treasure -in pits, hoping that at some future day, when all animosity had -subsided, they would be able to recover it and live peaceably, but -such a fortunate consummation never arrived, and weary at -length of waiting, they assembled on the coasts and “spreading -their canvass to the wind, sought an exile on the shores of Gaul.” -The Saxon Chronicle says:—“This year, A.D. 418, the Romans -collected all the treasures that were in Britain, and some they hid -in the earth so that no one since has been able to find them; and -some they carried with them into Gaul.” It is far from unlikely -that the silver denarii, discovered in 1840 by some brickmakers -near Rossall, and amounting to four hundred coins of Trajan,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -Hadrian, Titus, Vespasian, Domitian, Antonius, Severus, Sabina, -etc., were deposited in that spot for security by one of those -much harassed Romans, previous to his departure from our coast.</p> - -<p>A prize so easily to be obtained as Britain in its practically -unprotected state appeared, was not long in attracting the -covetousness of the neighbouring Picts and Scots, who came -down in thousands from the north, forced their way beyond the -Roman Wall erected by Hadrian, occupied the fortresses and -towns, and spread ruin and devastation in their track. The -northern counties were the chief sufferers from these ruthless -marauders. Cumberland, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, were ravaged -and plundered to such an extent that had it not been for the -seasonable assistance of the Saxons, the whole country they -embrace would have been utterly devastated and almost -depopulated. Gildas, the earliest British historian<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a>, born about -500, described our land before the incursions of the Picts and -Scots as abounding in pleasant hills, spreading pastures, cultivated -fields, silvery streams, and snow-white sands, and spoke of the -roofs of the buildings in the twenty-eight cities of the kingdom -as “raised aloft with threatening hugeness.” We may readily -conceive how this picture of peace and prosperity was marred and -ruined, as far as the three counties above-named were concerned, -by the destroying hand of the northern nation. The British -towns were still surrounded by the fortified walls and embattled -towers, built by the Romans, but the unfortunate inhabitants, so -long unaccustomed to</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The close-wedged battle and the din of war,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">and deprived of their armed soldiers and valiant youth, were -panic stricken by the fierce onslaughts of the Scottish tribes, and -fled before their advancing arms. Some idea of the critical and -truly pitiable condition to which they were reduced may be gleaned -from the tenor of an appeal for help sent by them to their old -rulers, which the author last quoted has preserved as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">The Lamentation of the Britons unto Agitius, -thrice Consul.</p> - -<p>“The barbarians drive us to the sea, the sea drives us back to the barbarians. -Thus of two kinds of death, one or other must be our choice, either to be -swallowed up by the waves or butchered by the sword.”</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span></p> - -<p>The Romans were fully occupied with enemies of their own, the -Goths, and consequently were unprepared to offer any assistance -to the Britons, whose position was shortly afterwards rendered -additionally wretched by famine and its attendant evils. At that -period both the state of Lancashire itself and of its inhabitants -must have been exceedingly deplorable—the country ravaged and -still exposed to the depredations and barbarities of the enemy, -had now become a prey to a fearful dearth. Many of the -descendants of the old Setantii, unable any further to support -the double contest, yielded themselves up to the Picts and Scots -in the hope of obtaining food to appease the fierce cravings of -hunger, whilst others, more hardy, but outnumbered and weakened -by long fasts, sought refuge in the woods and such other shelters as -the neighbourhood afforded. Disappointed in the Romans, the -Britons applied for aid to the Saxons, or Anglo-Saxons, a mixed -and piratical tribe, dwelling on the banks of the German Ocean, -and composed of Jutes, Angles, and pure Saxons. The men of -this race are described as determined, fearless, and of great size, -with blue eyes, ruddy complexions, and yellow streaming hair. -They were well practised in warfare, and armed with battle-axes, -swords, spears, and maces. Their chief god was Odin, or Woden, -and their heaven Valhalla. About one thousand of these warriors, -under the command of Hengist and Horsa, embarked in three -vessels, built of hides, and called <i>Cyulæ</i> or <i>Ceols</i>. They landed on -the coast of Kent, about the year 449, and by the direction of -Vortigern, king of the Island, marched northwards until they -arrived near York, where an encounter of great moment took -place, terminating in the utter defeat of the Picts and Scots. -Inspirited by so early and signal a success the Saxons followed up -their advantage with alacrity, drove the baleful marauders out of -the counties of Lancaster and York, and finally compelled them -to retreat across the frontier into their own territory. After -having rescued the kingdom from these invaders the Saxons -settled at York and Manchester, and not only evinced no sign of -returning to their own country, but even despatched messengers -for fresh troops. This strange and suspicious conduct on the part -of their allies excited considerable alarm and anxiety amongst -the Britons, who practically expressed their disapproval by -refusing to make any provision for the reinforcements. After a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -short interval a mandate was issued to the Saxon leader ordering -him to withdraw his army from the soil of Britain. Incensed and -stimulated by such decisive action Hengist determined at once -to carry out the object he had cherished from the first—the -subjugation of the people and the seizure of the island. Having -procured a further supply of men under his son Octa, he -established them in the country of the Brigantes, and almost -immediately invited the native nobles to a friendly conference -with his chiefs on Salisbury plain. The Britons, who were far -from suspecting his treacherous design, attended the assembly -unarmed, and in that defenceless state fell an easy prey to their -Saxon hosts, who in the midst of feasting and revelry, brutally -massacred the whole of their guests. Successful in his cowardly -and murderous stratagem, Hengist took possession of the southern -counties, whilst his son Octa maintained his sway over the -Brigantine province of Northumbria, in which the Fylde was -included, as intimated at the beginning of the chapter.</p> - -<p>The ancient warlike spirit of the Setantii, which had lain -almost dormant for centuries, was once more thoroughly aroused -in the natives of Lancashire, and a determined and valiant -opposition offered by them to Octa and his army. Overborough -capitulated only when its inhabitants were worn out by fatigue -and famine, whilst Warrington and Manchester sustained severe -and protracted sieges before they fell into the hands of the enemy. -Nennius, another early historian, who was born towards the end -of the sixth century, informs us that the famous King Arthur and -his sixty Knights of the Round Table worsted the Saxons in -twelve successive battles, four of which were fought on the banks -of the Douglas, near Wigan. In those conflicts our county was -well and effectively represented in the person of Paulinus, the -commander of the right wing of the army, who after many brave -and sanguinary struggles overthrew the hitherto unconquered -Octa, and for a time, at least, delivered the Fylde and other parts -of Northumbria from the rule of the Saxons. This gallant soldier -was the offspring of a union between a Roman warrior and a -British maiden, who had established themselves in Manchester. -The chieftain Ella, however, compelled the Britons to submission, -and assumed the government over part of Northumbria. Clusters -of Saxon huts, soon growing into villages, now sprang up on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -soil of the Fylde, which under the wood-levelling and marsh-draining -Romans had lost much of its swampy and forest -characters and been transformed into a more habitable locality. -We need have little hesitation in conjecturing that the valour -displayed by the inhabitants of our county was greatly increased, -and often rendered almost desperate, by the knowledge that if -their land were subdued and occupied by the Saxons the key, if -it may so be called, to their mountainous strongholds would be -lost, and the line of communication between them impassably -and irretrievably obstructed; for the venerable Bede<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> tells us that -a portion of the Britons fled to the hills and fells of Furness, and -we are aware that a much larger share sought refuge amongst the -mountains of Wales, lying to the south-west, and visible from the -shores of the Fylde. Others escaped over to Armorica in France, -and from them it acquired the name of Brittany. Additional -evidence that Furness was peopled by the Britons, even for more -than two centuries after the arrival of the Saxons, is to be found -in the writings of Camden, who says:—“The Britons in Furness -lived securely for a long time, relying upon those fortifications, -wherewith nature had guarded them; for that the Britons lived -here in the 228th year after the coming of the Saxons, is plain -from hence; that at that time Egfrid, the king of the -Northumbrians, gave to St. Cuthbert the land called Cartmell, -and all the Britons in it; for so it is related in his life.”</p> - -<p>The Saxons were great idolaters, and soon crowded the country -with their temples and images. The deities they worshipped -have furnished us with names for the different days of the week, -thus Sunday is derived from <i>Sunan</i> the sun, Monday from <i>Monan</i> -the moon, Tuesday from <i>Tuisco</i> a German god, Wednesday from -<i>Woden</i>, Thursday from <i>Thor</i> or <i>Thur</i>, Friday from <i>Friga</i>, and -Saturday from <i>Seater</i>.</p> - -<p>When the nation was once more at peace, all the towns and -castles which had been damaged during the wars were repaired, -and others, which had been destroyed, rebuilt. The Britons were -brought by degrees to look with less disfavour on their conquerors, -and as time progressed adopted their heathenish faith and offered -up prayer at the shrines of the same idols, drifting back into<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span> -darkness and forgetting or ignoring those true doctrines which, -it is said, had been declared and expounded to them at the very -commencement of the Christian era. According to Clemens -Romanus and Theodoret, the Apostle Paul was one of the earliest -preachers of the Gospel in Britain, but whatever amount of truth -there may be in this statement, it is certain that at the Council -of Arles in A.D. 314, and ten years later at that of Nicene, three -British bishops were present. All traces of their former religion -quickly vanished from amongst the native population of -Lancashire under the pagan influence of their rulers; and it was -during that unhallowed age that Gregory, surnamed the Great, -and afterwards pontiff, being attracted by the handsome appearance -of some youths exposed for sale in the market-place at Rome, and -finding, on inquiry, that they came from the kingdom of Deira, -in Britain, determined to send over Augustine and Paulinus to -Christianise the inhabitants. In 596 Augustine landed with forty -missionaries on the coast of Kent, the king became a convert, and -the new faith spread rapidly throughout the island. Thousands -were baptised by Paulinus in the river Swale, then called the -Northumbrian Jordan, and the waters of Ribble were also resorted -to for the performance of similar ceremonies.</p> - -<p>The advent of the Roman mission initiated a fresh epoch in the -ecclesiastical history of the county, monasteries and religious -houses sprang up in different parts, and at the consecration of the -church and monastery of Ripon, lands bordering on the Ribble, -in Hacmundernesse (Amounderness), in Gedene, and in Duninge -were presented amongst other gifts to that foundation. Paulinus -was created bishop of Northumbria in 627, and it is to his -ministrations and pious example that the conversion of the -inhabitants of the Fylde and vicinal territory is generally -attributed. The Saxon Chronicle records, however, that in 565 -Columba “came from Scotia (Ireland) to preach to the Picts.” -Columba was born at Garten, a village in county Donegal, and -according to Selden and other learned writers, the religion -professed by him and the Culdees, as the priests of his order were -called, was strictly Presbyterian. Bede writes:—“They preached -only such works of charity and piety as they could learn from -prophetical, evangelical, and apostolic writings.” Columba -established a monastery at Iona. Dr. Giles states that “the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -ancient name of Iona was I or Hi, or Aoi, which was Latinised -into Hyona, or Iona; the common name of it now is I-colum-kill, -the Island of Colum of the Cells.” Bishop Turner affirms that -“the lands in Amounderness, on the Ribble,” were first presented -to a Culdee abbot, named Eata, on the erection of a monastery at -Ripon, but that before the building was finished he was dismissed -and St. Wilfred made abbot of Ripon, sometime before 661. If -the foregoing assertion be correct there is certain evidence that -the Culdee doctrines were also promulgated in Lancashire, and -doubtless in our own district, at that early date. Bede seems to -support such an assumption when he states that the Ripon lands -were originally granted to those who professed the creed of the -Picts to build a monastery upon, and did not pass to St. Wilfred, -bishop of Northumbria, until afterwards, in 705, when he re-edified -the monastery. Whatever discrepancies may exist as to the exact -period and manner in which Christianity was introduced or -revived in the bosoms of our forefathers, there is ample and -reliable proof that the majority of them had embraced the true -faith about the middle of the seventh century, when churches -were probably erected in the hamlets of Kirkham and St. Michael’s-on-Wyre.</p> - -<p>About the year 936 the Hundred of Amounderness was granted -by Athelstan to the See of York:—“I, Athelstan, king of the -Angles, etc., freely give to the Omnipotent God, and to the -blessed Apostle Peter, at his church in the diocese of York, a -certain section of land, not small in extent, in the place which -the inhabitants call Amounderness,” etc. The Hundred of -Amounderness when this grant was made must have been pretty -thickly peopled, for Athelstan states that he “purchased it at no -small price,” and land at that date was valued chiefly by the -number of its residents. Here it will be convenient to observe -that in some instances, as in that of Amounderness, the Hundreds -acquired the additional titles of Wapentakes, and, in explanation of -the origin of the term, we learn from “Thoresby Ducat Leodiens,” -that when a person received the government of a Wapentake, he -was met, at the appointed time and usual place, by the elder -portion of the inhabitants, and, after dismounting from his horse, -he held up his spear and took a pledge of fealty from all according -to the usual custom. Whoever came touched his spear with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -theirs, and by such contact of arms they were confirmed in one -common interest. So from <i>wœpnu</i>, a weapon, and <i>tac</i>, a touch, or -<i>taccare</i>, to confirm, the Hundreds were called <i>Wapentakes</i>. -Traces of the above antique ceremony are still to be met with in -the peculiar form of expression used when the tenantry and others -are summoned by the manorial lords of Amounderness to attend -their court-barons and court-leets.</p> - -<p>The Heptarchy, established about 550, and consisting of seven -sovereign states, was finally abolished in 830, and Egbert became -king over the whole island. The province of Northumbria, more -especially the Fylde and tracts of adjoining territory, had at -that date been the scene of irregular and intermittent warfare -during the previous forty years. Lancashire had suffered cruelly -from the visitations of the Northmen, or Danes, who spared -neither age, sex, nor condition in their furious sallies. In the -years 787, 794, and 800, these pirates invaded the soil, ravaged -the country, butchered the inhabitants, and on the last occasion -shot Edmund, the king of the West Saxons, to death with arrows, -because he refused to renounce the Christian faith and embrace -the errors of heathenism. Egbert was no sooner seated on the -throne than the Danes re-appeared off the coasts, and there can -be little doubt that some of their bands made their way down the -western shore of the island, entered the Bay of Morecambe, and, -guided by the old Roman road near the mouth of the Wyre, -pushed onwards into and through the heart of the Fylde, -plundering and laying waste villages, hamlets, and every trace of -agriculture in their path. “The name of the <i>Danes’ Pad</i>,” says -Mr. Thornber, “given to the Roman agger is and ever will be an -everlasting memorial of their ravages and atrocities in this -quarter.”<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> In addition it may be stated that many warlike relics -of the Danes have been found along the road here indicated, -and that the names of the Great and Little Knots in the channel -of Wyre, opposite Fleetwood, were of pure Scandinavian derivation, -and signified “round heaps,” probably, of stones. These mounds -were, during the formation of the harbour entrance, either -destroyed or disfigured beyond recognition. Several localities, -also, along the sea boundary of the Fylde bear Danish denominations,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -which will be treated of hereafter. In 869 Lancashire was -again visited by a dreadful famine, and many of the people in every -part of the county fell victims either to the dearth itself or the fatal -disorders following in its train. Those who were fortunate enough -to escape the wholesale destruction of the scourge suffered so -severely from the merciless massacres of the Danes that at the -accession of Alfred the Great, in 871, our Hundred was but -sparsely populated. During the reign of that illustrious monarch -England was divided into counties, which again were subdivided -into Hundreds. Each Hundred was composed of ten Tithings, -and each Tithing of ten Freeholders and their families. When -this division of the kingdom was effected the south-western -portion of the old province of Northumbria was separated from -the remainder, and received the name of <i>Lonceshire</i>, from the -capital <i>Loncaster</i>, the castle on the <i>Lone</i>, or Lune. Alfred, as we -are told by his biographer Asser, did much to improve the -condition of his subjects both for peace and war; referring to -their illiterate state, on his accession the king himself says:—“When -I took the kingdom there were very few on the south -side of the river Humber, the most improved portion of England, -who could understand their daily prayers in English, or translate -a letter from the Latin. I think they were not many beyond the -Humber. There were so few that I cannot, indeed, recollect one -single instance on the south of the Thames.”<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> After suffering a -defeat at Wilton almost at the outset of his career, Alfred -surprised and overthrew the Danish camp at Eddington; -Guthrum, their leader, and the whole of his followers were taken -prisoners, but afterwards liberated and permitted to colonise East -Anglia, and subsequently Northumbria, an act of clemency which -entailed most disastrous consequences upon the different sections -of the latter province. The Fylde now became the legalised -abode of numbers of the northern race, between whom and the -Saxon settlers perpetual strife was carried on; in addition the -restless and covetous spirit of the new colonists constantly -prompted them to raids beyond the legitimate limits of their -territory, rebellions amongst themselves, and conspiracies against -the king; insurrection followed insurrection, and it was not until<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -Athelstan had inflicted a decisive blow upon the Danish forces, -and brought the seditious province of Northumbria under his -own more immediate dominion, that a short lull of peace was -obtained. In the reign of his successor, however, they broke out -again, and having been once more reduced to order, agreed to -take the name of Christians, abjure their false gods, and live -quietly henceforth. These promises, made to appease the anger -of Edmund, were only temporarily observed, and their turbulent -natures were never tranquilised until Canute, the first Danish -king, ascended the throne of England in 1017. The Norse line -of monarchs comprised only three, and terminated in 1041. -Reverting to Athelstan and the Danes we find that about ten -years after the subjugation of the latter in 926, as recorded in the -Saxon Chronicle, Anlaf, a noted Danish chieftain, made a -vigorous attempt to regain Northumbria. The site of the -glorious battle where this ambitious project was overthrown and -the army of Anlaf routed and driven to seek refuge in flight from -the shore, on which they had but a short time previously -landed exulting in a prospect of conquest and plunder, is a -matter of dispute, and nothing authentic can be discovered -concerning it beyond the fact that the name of the town or -district where the forces met was Brunandune or Brunanburgh, -and was situated in the province of Northumbria. The former -orthography is used in Ethelwerd’s Chronicle:—“A fierce battle -was fought against the barbarians at Brunandune, whereof that -fight is called great even to the present day; then the barbarian -tribes were defeated and domineer no longer; they are driven -beyond the ocean.” Burn, in Thornton township, is one of the -several rival localities which claim to have witnessed the -sanguinary conflict. In the Domesday Survey, Burn was written -<i>Brune</i>, and it also comprises a rising ground or <i>Dune</i>, which -seem to imply some connection with <i>Brunandune</i>. From an -ancient song or poem, bearing the date 937, it is clear that -the battle lasted from sunrise to sunset, and that at night-fall -Anlaf and the remnant of his followers, being utterly discomfited, -escaped from the coast in the manner before described. This -circumstance also upholds the pretentions of Burn, as it is situated -close to the banks of the Wyre, and at a very short distance both -from the Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay, as well as being in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -direct line of the road called Danes’ Pad, the track usually taken -by the Northmen in former incursions into the Fylde and county. -In addition it may be mentioned that tradition affirms that a large -quantity of human bones were ploughed up in a field between -Burn and Poulton about a century ago. Sharon Turner says:—“It -is singular that the position of this famous battle is not yet -ascertained. The Saxon song says it was at Brunanburgh; -Ethelwerd, a contemporary, names the place Brunandune. These -of course are the same place, but where is it?”<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> Having done our -best to suggest or rather renew an answer presenting several -points worthy of consideration to Mr. Turner’s query, we will, -before bidding farewell to the subject, give our readers a -translated extract from the old song to which allusion has been -made:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Athelstan king,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of earls the Lord,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of Heroes the bracelet giver,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And his brother eke,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Edmund Atheling,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Life-long glory,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In battle won,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With edges of swords,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Near Brunanburgh.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The field was dyed</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With warriors blood,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Since the sun, up</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At morning tide,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Mighty planet,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Gilded o’er grounds,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">God’s candle bright,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The eternal Lord’s,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Till the noble creature</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sank to her rest.</div> - <div class="verse indent6">...</div> - <div class="verse indent0">West Saxons onwards</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Throughout the day,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In numerous bands</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Pursued the footsteps</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of the loathed nations.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They hewed the fugitives,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Behind, amain,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With swords mill-sharp.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Mercians refused not</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The hard-hand play</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To any heroes,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Who with Anlaf,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Over the ocean,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In the ship’s bosom,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">This land sought.</div> - <div class="verse indent6">...</div> - <div class="verse indent0">There was made to flee</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The Northmens’ chieftain,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">By need constrained,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To the ships prow</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With a little band.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The bark drove afloat.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The king departed.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">On the fallow flood</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His life he preserved.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The Northmen departed</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In their nailed barks</div> - <div class="verse indent0">On roaring ocean.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Athelstan, in order to encourage commerce and agriculture, -enacted that any of the humbler classes, called Ceorls, who had -crossed the sea thrice with their own merchandise, or who,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -individually, possessed five hides of land, a bell-house, a church, -a kitchen, and a separate office in the king’s hall, should be raised -to the privileged rank of Thane. Sometime in the interval -between the death of this monarch, in 941, and the arrival of -William the Conqueror, the Hundred of Amounderness had been -relinquished by the See of York, probably owing to frequent wars -and disturbances having so ruined the country and thinned the -inhabitants that the grant had ceased to be profitable.</p> - -<p>During the earlier part of the Saxon era the clergy claimed -one tenth or tithe of the produce of the soil, and exemption for -their monasteries and churches from all taxations. These -demands were resisted for a considerable period, but at length -were conceded by Ethelwulf “for the honour of God, and for his -own everlasting salvation.”<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> In 1002, it is recorded in the Saxon -Chronicle, that “the king (Ethelred) ordered all the Danish men -who were in England to be slain, because it was made known to -him that they would treacherously bereave him of his life, and -after that have his kingdom without any gainsaying.” In -accordance with the royal mandate, which was circulated in secret, -the Anglo-Saxon populace of the villages and farms of the Fylde, -as elsewhere, rose at the appointed day upon the unprepared and -unsuspecting Northmen, barbarously massacring old and young, -male and female alike. Great must have been the slaughter in -districts like our own, where from the Danes having been -established for so many generations and its proximity to the -coast and the estuaries of Wyre and Ribble, a safe landing and a -friendly soil would be insured, and attract numbers of their -countrymen from Scandinavia. The vengeance of Sweyn, king -of Denmark, was speedy and complete; the country of -Northumbria was laid waste, towns and hamlets were pillaged -and destroyed, and for four years all that fire and sword, spurred -on by hatred and revenge, could effect in depopulating and -devastating a land was accomplished in Lancashire, and the -neighbouring counties, by the enraged Dane. Half a century -later than the events just narrated, earl Tosti, the brother of -Harold, who forfeited his life and kingdom to the Norman -invaders on the field of Hastings, was chosen duke of Northumbria.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -The seat of the new ruler has not been discovered, but as far as -his personal association with the Fylde is concerned it will be -sufficient to state that almost on its boundaries, in the township -of Preston, he held six hundred acres of cultivated soil, to which -all the lands and villages of Amounderness were tributary. As a -governor Tosti proved himself both brutal and oppressive. In a -very limited space of time his tyrannical and merciless conduct -goaded his subjects to rebellion, and with one consent they ejected -him from his dukedom and elected earl Morcar in his stead, a -step commended and confirmed by Harold, when the unjust -severity of his brother had been made known to him. Tosti -embraced the Norman cause, and fell at the head of a Norwegian -force in an engagement which took place at Standford a few -months before the famous and eventful battle of Hastings.</p> - -<p>We have now traced briefly the history of the Fylde through a -period of eleven hundred years, and before entering on the era -which dates from the accession of William the Conqueror, it will -be well to review the traces and influences of the three dissimilar -races, which have at different epochs usurped and settled on the -territory of the old Setantii; our reference is, of course, to the -Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and Danes. Under the first, great -advances were made in civilisation; clearings were effected in -the woods, the marshes were trenched, and lasting lines of -communication were established between the various stations -and encampments. The peaceful arts were cultivated, and -agriculture made considerable progress, corn even, from some -parts of Britain, being exported to the continent. Remains of the -Roman occupation are to be observed in the names of a few -towns, as Colne and Lincoln, from <i>Colonia</i>, a Colony, also Chester -and Lancaster, from <i>Castra</i>, a Camp, as well as in relics like those -enumerated earlier. The word “street” is derived from <i>Stratum</i>, -a layer, covering, or pavement. Their festival of Flora originated -our May-day celebrations, and the paraphernalia of marriage, -including the ring, veil, gifts, bride-cake, bridesmaids, and -groomsmen, are Roman; so also are the customs of strewing -flowers upon graves, and wearing black in time of mourning. -That the Romans had many stations in the Fylde is improbable, -but that they certainly had one in the township of Kirkham is -shown by the number and character of the relics found there.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span> -This settlement would seem to have been a fairly populous one, -if an opinion may be formed from the quantity of cinereal urns -discovered at various times, in which had been deposited the -cremated remains of Romans, who had spent their days and done -good service in levelling the forests and developing the resources -of the Fylde. The traffic over the Roman road through the -district must have been almost continuous, to judge from the -abundance of horse-shoes and other matters picked up along its -route, and whether the harbour of the Setantii was on Wyre, -Ribble, or elsewhere, it is evident from the course taken by the -well constructed path that something of importance, say a -favourable spot for embarcation or debarcation, attracted the -inhabitants across the soil of the Fylde towards its north-west -boundary. Now arises the question what was the boundary here -denoted, and in reply we venture to suggest that the extent of -this district, in both a northerly and westerly direction, was much -greater in ancient days than it is in our own, and that the Lune -formed its highest boundary, whilst its seaward limits, opposite -Rossall, were carried out to a distance of nearly eight miles beyond -the existing coast, and comprised what is now denominated -Shell Wharf, a bank so shallowly covered at low water spring -tides that huge boulders become visible all over it. Novel as -such a theory may at first sight appear, there is much that can be -advanced in support of it. From about the point in Morecambe -Bay, near the foot of Wyre Lighthouse, where the stream of -Wyre meets that of Lune at right angles, there is the -commencement of a long deep channel, apparently continuous -with the bed of the latter river as defined by its sandbanks, which -extends out into the Irish Sea for rather more than seven miles -west of the mouth of Morecambe Bay, at Rossall Point. This -channel, called “Lune Deep,” is described on the authorised -charts as being in several places twenty-seven fathoms deep, in -others rather less, and at its somewhat abrupt termination twenty-three -fathoms. Throughout the entire length its boundaries are -well and clearly marked, and its sudden declivity is described by -the local mariners as being “steep as a house side.” Regarding -this curious phenomenon from every available point of view, it -seems more probable to us that so long and perfect a channel was -formed at an early period, when the river Lune was, as we<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span> -conjecture, continued from its present mouth, at Heysham Point, -through green plains, now the Bay of Lancaster, in the direction -and to the distance of “Lune Deep,” than that it was excavated -by the current of Lune, as it exists to-day, after mingling with -the waters of Morecambe and Wyre. The course and completeness -of Wyre channel from Fleetwood, between the sandbanks called -Bernard’s Wharf and North Wharf, to its point of junction with -the stream from Lancaster, prove satisfactorily that at one time -the former river was a tributary of the Lune. Other evidence can -be brought forward of the theory we are wishful to establish—that -the southern portion of Morecambe Bay, from about -Heysham Point, bearing the name of Lancaster Bay, as well as -“Shell Wharf” was about the era of the Romans, dry or, at least, -marshy land watered by the Wyre and Lune, the latter of which -would open on the west coast immediately into the Irish Sea. If -the reader refer to a map of Lancashire he will see at once that -the smaller bay has many appearances of having been added to -the larger one, and that its floor is formed by a continuous line of -banks, uncovered each ebb tide and intersected only by the -channels of Wyre and Lune. The Land Mark, at Rossall Point, has -been removed several times owing to the incursions of the sea, and -within the memory of the living generation wide tracts of soil, -amounting to more than a quarter of a mile westward, have been -swallowed up on that part of the coast, as the strong currents of -the rising tides have swept into the bay; and in such manner -would the land about the estuary of “Lune Deep,” that is the -original river of Lune, be washed away. As the encroachments -of the sea progressed, the channel of the river would be gradually -widened and deepened to the present dimensions of the “Deep”; -the stream of Wyre would by degrees be brought more -immediately under the tidal influence, and in proportion as the -Lune was absorbed into the bay, so would its tributary lose its -shallowness and insignificance, and become expanded to a more -important and navigable size. About the time that “Lune Deep” -had ceased to exist as a river, and become part of the bay, the -overcharged banks of the Wyre would have yielded up their -super-abundance of waters over the districts now marked by -Bernard’s Wharf and North Wharf, and subsequently, as the -waves continued their incursions, inundations would increase,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -until finally the whole territory, forming the site of Lancaster -Bay, would be submerged and appropriated by the rapacious hosts -of Neptune. The “Shell Wharf” would be covered in a manner -exactly similar to the more recently lost fields off Rossall; and as -illustrations of land carried away from the west coast in that -neighbourhood, may be instanced a farm called Fenny, at Rossall, -which was removed back from threatened destruction by the -waves at least four times within the last fifty years, when its -re-building was abandoned, and its site soon swept over by the -billows; also the village of Singleton Thorp, which occupied the -locality marked by “Singleton Skeer” off Cleveleys until 1555, -when it was destroyed by an irruption of the sea. Numerous -other instances in which the coast line has been altered and driven -eastward, between Rossall Point and the mouth of Ribble, during -both actually and comparatively modern days might be cited, -but the above are sufficient to support our view of the former -connection of “Shell Wharf” with the main-land, and its gradual -submersion. If on the map, the Bay of Lancaster be detached -from that of Morecambe, the latter still retains a most imposing -aspect, and its identity with the Moricambe Æstuarium of -Ptolemy is in no way interfered with or rendered less evident. -The foregoing, as our antiquarian readers will doubtless have -surmised, is but a prelude to something more, for it is our purpose -to endeavour to disturb the forty years of quiet repose enjoyed by -the Portus Setantiorum on the banks of the Wyre and hurl it far -into the Irish Sea, to the very limits of the “Lune Deep,” where, -on the original estuary of the river Lune, we believe to be its -legitimate home. No locality, as yet claiming to be the site of -the ancient harbour, accords so well with the distances given -by Ptolemy. Assuming the Dee and the Ribble to represent -respectively, as now generally admitted, the Seteia Æstuarium -and the Belisama Æstuarium, the Portus Setantiorum should lie -about seven miles<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> to the west and twenty-five to the north of the -Belisama. The position of the “Lune Deep” termination is just -about seven miles to the west of the estuary of the Ribble, but is, -like most other places whose stations have been mentioned by -Ptolemy, defective in its latitudinal measurement according to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -the record left by that geographer, being only fifteen instead of -twenty-five miles north of the Belisama or Ribble estuary. -Rigodunum, or Ribchester, is fully thirty miles to the east of the -spot where it is wished to locate the Portus, and thus approaches -very nearly to the forty-mile measurement of Ptolemy, whose -distances, as just hinted, were universally excessive. As an -instance of such error it may be stated that the longitude, east -from Ferro, of Morecambe Bay or Estuary given by Ptolemy, is -3° 40´ in excess of that marked on modern maps of ancient Britannia, -and if the same over-plus be allowed in the longitude of the -Portus Setantiorum a line drawn in accordance, from north to -south, would pass across the west extremity of the “Lune Deep,” -showing that its distance from the Bay corresponds pretty -accurately with that of the Portus from the Morecambe -Æstuarium as geographically fixed by Ptolemy. In describing -the extent and direction of the Roman road, or Danes’ Pad, in his -“History of Blackpool and Neighbourhood,” Mr. Thornber writes:—“Commencing -at the <i>terminus</i>, we trace its course from the -Warren, near the spot named the ‘Abbot’s walk’;” but that the -place thus indicated was not the <i>terminus</i>, in the sense of <i>end</i> or -<i>origin</i>, is proved by the fact that shortly after the publication of -this statement, the workmen engaged in excavating for a sea-wall -foundation in that vicinity came upon the road in the sand on -the very margin of the Warren. Hence it would seem that the -path was continued onwards over the site of the North Wharf -sand bank, either towards the foot of Wyre where its channel -joins that of Lune, and where would be the original mouth of the -former river, or, as we think more probable, towards the Lune -itself, and along its banks westward to the estuary of the stream, -as now marked by the termination of “Lune Deep.” The Wyre, -during the period it existed simply as a tributary of the Lune, a -name very possibly compounded from the Celtic <i>al</i>, chief, and -<i>aun</i>, or <i>un</i>, contractions of <i>afon</i>, a river, must have been a stream -of comparatively slight utility in a navigable point of view, and -even to this day its seaward channel from Fleetwood is obstructed -by two shallows, denominated from time out of mind the Great -and Little Fords. The Lune, or “Chief River,” on the contrary, -was evidently, from its very title, whether acquired from its -relative position to its tributary, or from its favourable comparison<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -with other rivers of the neighbourhood, which is less likely, -regarded by the natives as a stream of no insignificant magnitude -and importance. As far as its navigability was concerned the -Portus may have been placed on its banks near to the junction of -Wyre, but the distances of Ptolemy, which agree pretty fairly, -as shown above, with the location of the Portus on the west -extremity of the present “Lune Deep,” are incompatible with -such a station as this one for the same harbour. The collection -of coins discovered near Rossall may imply the existence in early -days of a settlement west of that shore, and many remains of the -Romans may yet be mingled with the sand and shingle for -centuries submerged by the water of the still encroaching Irish -Sea. Leaving this long-argued question of the real site of the -Portus Setantiorum, in which perhaps the patience of our readers -has been rather unduly tried, and soliciting others to test more -thoroughly the merits of the ideas here thrown out, we will -hasten to examine the traces of the Anglo-Saxons and Danes.</p> - -<p>Many, in fact most, of the towns and villages of the Fylde were -founded by the Anglo-Saxons, and have retained the names, -generally in a modified form, bestowed upon them by that race, -as instance Singleton, Lytham, Mythorp, all of which have Saxon -terminals signifying a dwelling, village, or enclosure. The word -<i>hearb</i>, genitive <i>hearges</i>, indicates in the vocabulary of the same -people a heathen temple or place of sacrifice, and as it is to be -traced in the endings of Goosnargh, and Kellamergh, there need -be no hesitation in surmising that the barbarous and pagan rites -of the Saxons were celebrated there, before their conversion to -Christianity. Ley, or lay, whether at the beginning of a name, as -in Layton, or at end, as in Boonley, signifies a field, and is from -the Saxon <i>leag</i>; whilst Hawes and Holme imply, respectively, a -group of thorps or hamlets, and a river island. Breck, Warbreck, -and Larbreck, derive their final syllables from the Norse <i>brecka</i>, a -gentle rise; and from that language comes also the terminal <i>by</i>, -in Westby, Ribby, and other places, as well as the <i>kirk</i> in Kirkham, -all of which point out the localities occupied by the Danes, or -Norsemen. Lund was doubtless the site of a sacred grove of these -colonists and the scene of many a dark and cruel ceremony, its -derivation being from the ancient Norse <i>lundr</i>, a consecrated -grove, where such rites were performed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span></p> - -<p>At the present time it is difficult, if indeed possible, to -determine from what races our own native population has -descended, and the subject is one which has provoked more than -a little controversy. Palgrave, in his “History of the Anglo-Saxons,” -says:—“From the Ribble in Lancashire, or thereabouts, -up to the Clyde, there existed a dense population composed of -Britons, who preserved their national language and customs, -agreeing in all respects with the Welsh of the present day; so -that even to the tenth century the ancient Britons still inhabited -the greater part of the west coast of the island, however much -they had been compelled to yield to the political supremacy of -the Saxon invaders.” Mr. Thornber states that he has been -“frequently told by those who were reputed judges” that the -manners, customs, and dialect of the Fylde partook far more of -the Welsh than of the Saxon, and that this was more perceptible -half a century ago than now (1837). “The pronunciation,” he -adds, “of the words—laughing, toffee, haughendo, etc., the -Shibboleth of the Fylde—always reminds me of the deep gutterals -of the Welsh,<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> and the frequent use of a particular oath is, alas! -too common to both.” Another investigator, Dr. Robson, holds -an entirely different opinion, and maintains in his paper on -Lancashire and Cheshire, that there is no sufficient foundation -for the common belief that the inhabitants of any portion of -those counties have been at any time either Welsh, or Celtic; -and that the Celtic tribes at the earliest known period were -confined to certain districts, which may be traced, together -with the extent of their dominions, by the Celtic names of places -both in Wales and Cornwall. From another source we are -informed that at the date of the Roman abdication the original -Celtic population would have dwindled down to an insignificant -number acting as serfs and tillers of the land, and not likely -to have much influence upon future generations. Mr. Hardwick, -in his History of Preston, writes:—“Few women would accompany -the Roman colonists, auxiliaries, and soldiers into Britain; -hence it is but rational to conclude, that during the long -period of their dominion, numerous intermarriages with the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -native population would take place.” Admitting the force of -reasoning brought forward by the last authority, it can readily be -conceived that the purity of the aboriginal tribes would in a great -measure be destroyed at an early epoch, and that subsequent -alliances with the Anglo-Saxons, Danes, and Normans, have -rendered all conjectures as to the race of forefathers to which the -inhabitants of the Fylde have most claim practically valueless.</p> - -<p>The dense forests with which our district in the earliest historic -periods abounded must have been well supplied with beasts of -chase, whereon the Aborigines exercised their courage and craft, -and from which their clothing and, in a great measure, their -sustenance were derived. The large branching horns of the -Wild Deer have been found in the ground at Larbrick, and during -the excavations for the North Union and East Lancashire Railway -Bridges over the Ribble, in 1838 and 1846 respectively, numerous -remains of the huge ox, called the <i>Bos primigenius</i>, and -the <i>Bos longifrons</i>, or long-faced ox, as well as of wild boars -and bears, were raised from beneath the bed of the river, -so that it is extremely likely that similar relics of the brute -creation are lying deeply buried in our soil. Such a supposition -is at least warranted by the discovery, half-a-century ago, of -the skull and short upright horns of a stag and those of an -ox, of a breed no longer known, at the bottom of a marl pit -near Rossall. Bones and sculls, chiefly those of deer and oxen, -have been taken from under the peat in all the mosses, and two -osseous relics, consisting each of skull and horns, of immense -specimens of the latter animal, have been dug up at Kirkham. -In the “Reliquiæ Diluvianæ” of Mr. Buckland is a figure of -the scull of a rhinoceros belonging to the antediluvian age, and -stated to have been discovered beneath a moss in Lancashire.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE NORMAN CONQUEST TO JAMES THE FIRST.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-w.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">When the battle of Hastings, in 1066, had terminated in -favour of William the Conqueror, and placed him on -the throne of England, he indulged his newly acquired -power in many acts of tyranny towards the vanquished -nation, subjecting the old nobility to frequent indignities, -weakening the sway of the Church, and impoverishing the middle -and lower classes of the community. This harsh policy spread -dissatisfaction and indignation through all ranks of the people, -and it was not long before rebellion broke out in the old province -of Northumbria. The Lancastrians and others, under the earls -Morcar and Edwin, rose up in revolt, slew the Norman Baron set -over them, and were only reduced to order and submission when -William appeared on the scene at the head of an overwhelming -force. The two earls escaped across the frontier to Scotland, and -for some inexplicable reason were permitted to retain their possessions -in Lancashire and elsewhere, while the common insurgents -were afterwards treated with great severity and cruelty by their -Norman rulers. Numerous castles were now erected in the north -of England to hold the Saxons in subjection, and guard against -similar outbreaks in future. Those at Lancaster and Liverpool -were built by a Norman Baron of high position, named Roger de -Poictou, the third son of Robert de Montgomery, earl of Arundel -and Shrewsbury. When William divided the conquered territory -amongst his followers, the Honor<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> of Lancaster and the Hundred<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span> -of Amounderness fell, amongst other gifts, amounting in all to -three hundred and ninety-eight manors,<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> to that nobleman, and, -as he resided during a large portion of his time at the castle -erected on the banks of the Lune, our district would receive a -greater share of attention than his more distant possessions.</p> - -<p>After the country had been restored to peace, William determined -to institute an inquiry into the condition and resources of -his kingdom. The records of the survey were afterwards bound -up in two volumes, which received the name of the Domesday -Book, from <i>Dome</i>, a census, and <i>Boc</i>, a book.</p> - -<p>The king’s commands to the investigators were, according to -the Saxon Chronicle, to ascertain—“How many hundreds of -hydes were in each shire, what lands the king himself had, and -what stock there was upon the land; or what dues he ought to -have by the year from each shire. Also he commissioned them -to record in writing, how much land his archbishops had and his -diocesan bishops, and his abbots and his earls; what or how much -each man had, who was an occupier of land in England, either in -land or stock, and how much money it was worth. So very -narrowly, indeed, did he commission them to trace it out, that -there was not one single hide, nor a yard of land; nay, moreover -(it is shameful to tell, though he thought it no shame to do it), -not even an ox, nor a cow, nor a swine, was there left that was -not set down in his writ.” The examination was commenced in -1080, and six years afterwards the whole of the laborious task was -accomplished. In this compilation the county of Lancaster is -never once mentioned by name, but the northern portion is joined -to the Yorkshire survey, and the southern to that of Cheshire.</p> - -<p>The following is a translation of that part of Domesday Book -relating to the Fylde:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Agemundernesse under Evrvic—scire (Yorkshire).</span></p> - -<p><i>Poltun</i> (Poulton), two carucates;<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> <i>Rushale</i> (Rossall), two carucates; <i>Brune</i> (Burn), -two carucates; <i>Torentun</i> (Thornton), six carucates; <i>Carlentun</i> (Carleton), four<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -carucates; <i>Meretun</i> (Marton), six carucates; <i>Staininghe</i> (Staining), six carucates.</p> - -<p><i>Biscopham</i> (Bispham), eight carucates; <i>Latun</i> (Layton), six carucates.</p> - -<p><i>Chicheham</i> (Kirkham), four carucates; <i>Salewic</i> (Salwick), one carucate; <i>Cliftun</i> -(Clifton), two carucates; <i>Newtune</i> (Newton-with-Scales), two carucates; <i>Frecheltune</i> -(Freckleton), four carucates; <i>Rigbi</i> (Ribby-with-Wray), six carucates; <i>Treueles</i> -(Treales), two carucates; <i>Westbi</i> (Westby), two carucates; <i>Pluntun</i> (Plumptons), -two carucates; <i>Widetun</i> (Weeton), three carucates; <i>Pres</i> (Preese), two carucates; -<i>Midehope</i> (Mythorp), one carucate; <i>Wartun</i> (Warton), four carucates; <i>Singletun</i> -(Singleton), six carucates; <i>Greneholf</i> (Greenhalgh), three carucates; <i>Hameltune</i> -(Hambleton), two carucates.</p> - -<p><i>Lidun</i> (Lytham), two carucates.</p> - -<p><i>Michelescherche</i> (St. Michael’s-on-Wyre), one carucate; <i>Pluntun</i> (Wood Plumpton) -five carucates; <i>Rodecliff</i> (Upper Rawcliffe), two carucates; <i>Rodecliff</i> (Middle -Rawcliffe), two carucates; a third <i>Rodecliff</i> (Out Rawcliffe), three carucates; -<i>Eglestun</i> (Ecclestons), two carucates; <i>Edeleswic</i> (Elswick), three carucates; <i>Inscip</i> -(Inskip), two carucates; <i>Sorbi</i> (Sowerby), one carucate.</p> - -<p>All these vills belong to <i>Prestune</i> (Preston); and there are three churches (in -Amounderness). In sixteen of these vills<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> there are but few inhabitants—but how -many there are is not known.</p> - -<p>The rest are waste. <i>Roger de Poictou</i> had [the whole].</p> - -</div> - -<p>When we read the concluding remark—“The rest are waste,” -and observe the insignificant proportion of the many thousands -of acres comprised in the Fylde at that time under cultivation, we -are made forcibly cognizant of the truly deplorable condition to -which the district had been reduced by ever-recurring warfare -through a long succession of years. There is no guide to the -number of the inhabitants, excepting, perhaps, the existence of -only three churches in the whole Hundred of Amounderness, and -this can scarcely be admitted as certain evidence of the paucity of -the population, as in the harassed and unsettled state in which -they lived it is not very probable that the people would be much -concerned about the public observances of religious ceremonials or -services. The churches alluded to were situated at Preston, Kirkham, -and St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. The parish church at Poulton -was the next one erected, and appears to have been standing less -than ten years after the completion of the Survey, for Roger de -Poictou, when he founded the priory of St. Mary, Lancaster, in -1094, endowed it with—“Pulton in Agmundernesia, and whatsoever -belonged to it, and the <i>church</i>, with one carucate of land, -and all other things belonging to it.”<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> The terminal paragraph<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -of the foundation-charter of the monastery states that Geoffrey, -the sheriff, having heard of the liberal grants of Roger de Poictou, -also bestowed upon it—“the tithes of Biscopham, whatever he -had in Lancaster, some houses, and an orchard.” It is difficult to -determine whether a church existed in the township of Bispham -at that date or not, but as no such edifice is included in the above -list of benefactions, we are inclined to believe that it was not -erected until later. The earliest mention of it occurs in the reign -of Richard I., 1189 to 1199, when Theobald Walter quitclaimed -to the abbot of Sees “all his right in the advowson of Pulton, -with the <i>church of Biscopham</i>.”<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p> - -<p>The rebellious and ungrateful conduct of Roger de Poictou -ultimately led to his banishment out of the country, and the -forfeiture of the whole of his extensive possessions to the crown. -The Hundred of Amounderness was conveyed by the King on the -22nd of April, 1194, being the fifth year of his reign, to Theobald -Walter, the son of Hervens, a Norman who had accompanied the -Conqueror. “Be it known,” says the document, “that we give -and confirm to Theobald Walter the whole of Amounderness with -its appurtenances by the service of three Knights’ fees, namely, -all the domain thereto belonging, all the services of the Knights -who hold of the fee of Amounderness by Knight’s service, all the -service of the Free-tenants of Amounderness, all the Forest of -Amounderness, with all the Venison, and all the Pleas of the -Forest.” His rights “are to be freely and quietly allowed,” -continues the deed, “in wood and plain, in meadows and -pastures, in highways and footpaths, in waters and mills, in -mill-ponds, in fish-ponds and fishings, in peat-lands, moors and -marshes, in wreck of the sea, in fairs and markets, in advowsons -and chapelries, and in all liberties and free customs.” Amongst -the barons of Lancashire given in the MSS. of Percival is—“Theobald -Walter, baron of Weeton and Amounderness,” but, as -Weeton never existed as a barony, it is clear that the former title -is an error. The “Black Book of the Exchequer,” the oldest -record after the “Domesday Book,” has entered in it the tenants -and fees <i>de veteri feoffamento</i><a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> and <i>de novo feoffamento</i>,<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> and -amongst others is a statement that Theobald Walter held<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -Amounderness by the service of one Knight, thus the later -charter, just quoted, must be regarded as a confirmation of a -previous grant, and not as an original donation. He was an -extensive founder of monastic houses, and amongst the abbeys -established by him was that of Cockersand, which he endowed -with the whole Hay of Pylin (Pilling) in Amounderness. He was -appointed sheriff of the county of Lancaster by Richard I. in 1194, -and retained the office until the death of that monarch five years -afterwards. His son, Theobald, married Maud, sister to the -celebrated Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, and -assumed the title of his office when created <i>Chief Butler</i> of -Ireland. The family of the same name which inhabited Rawcliffe -Hall until that property was confiscated through the treasonable -part played by Henry Butler and his son Richard in the rebellion -of 1715, was directly descended from Theobald Walter-Butler. -The Butlers of Kirkland, the last of whom, Alexander Butler, -died in 1811, and was succeeded by a great-nephew, were also -representatives of the ancient race of Walter, and preserved the -line unbroken. Theobald Walter, the elder, died in 1206, and -Amounderness reverted to the crown.</p> - -<p>Richard I. a few years before his death presented the Honor of -Lancaster to his brother, the earl of Moreton, who subsequently -became King John, and it is asserted that this nobleman, when -residing at the castle of Lancaster, was occasionally a guest at -Staining Hall, and that during one of his visits he so admired the -strength and skill displayed by a person called Geoffrey, and -surnamed the Crossbowman, that he induced him to join his -retinue. How far truth has been embellished and disguised by -fiction in this traditional statement we are unable to conjecture, -but there are reasonable grounds for believing that the story is -not entirely supposititious, for the earl of Moreton granted to -Geoffrey l’Arbalistrier, or the Crossbowman, who is said to have -been a younger brother of Theobald Walter, senior, six carucates -of land in Hackinsall-with-Preesall, and a little later, the manor -of Hambleton, most likely as rewards for military or other services -rendered to that nobleman. John, as earl of Moreton, appears to -have gained the affection and respect of the inhabitants of -Lancashire by his liberal practices during his long sojourns in -their midst. He granted a charter to the knights, thanes, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span> -freeholders of the county, whereby they and their heirs, without -challenge or interference from him and his heirs, were permitted -to fell, sell, and give, at their pleasure, their forest woods, without -being subject to the forest regulations, and to hunt and take -hares, foxes, rabbits, and all kinds of wild beasts, excepting stags, -hinds, roebucks, and wild hogs, in all parts within his forests -beyond the desmesne hays of the county.<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> On ascending the -throne, however, he soon aroused the indignation of all sections of -his subjects by his meanness, pride, and utter inability to govern -the kingdom. His indolent habits excited the disgust of a -nobility, whose regular custom was to breakfast at five and dine -at nine in the morning, as proclaimed by the following popular -Norman proverb:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Lever à cinque, dîner à neuf,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Souper à cinque, coucher à neuf,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Fait vivre d’ans nonante et neuf.<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Eventually his evil actions and foolish threats so incensed the -nation, that the barons, headed by William, earl of Pembroke, -compelled him, in 1215, to sign the Magna Charta, a code of laws -embodying two important principles—the general rights of the -freemen, and the limitation of the powers of both king and pope.</p> - -<p>About that time it would have been almost, if not quite, -impossible to have decided or described what was the national -language of the country. The services at the churches were read -in Latin, the aristocracy indulged only in Norman-French, whilst -the great mass of the people spoke a language, usually -denominated Saxon or English, but which had been so mutilated -and altered by additions from various sources that the ancient -“Settlers on the shores of the German Ocean” would scarcely -have recognized it as their native tongue. Each division of the -kingdom had its peculiar dialect, very much as now, and from the -remarks of a southern writer, named Trevisa, it must be inferred -that the <i>patois</i> of our own district, which he would include in the -old province of Northumbria,<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> was far from either elegant or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -musical. “Some,” he says, “use strange gibbering, chattering, -waffling, and grating; then the Northumbre’s tongue is so sharp, -flitting, floyting, and unshape, that we Southron men may not -understand that language.” Such a list of curious and -uncomplimentary epithets inclines us at first sight to doubt the -strict impartiality of their author, but when it is remembered that, -in spite of the greatly increased opportunities for education and -facilities for intercommunion amongst the different classes, the -provincialisms of some of our own peasantry would be utterly -unintelligible to many of us at the present day, we are constrained -to admit that Trevisa may have had just reason for his remarks.</p> - -<p>In 1268 the Honor of Lancaster, the Wapentake of -Amounderness, and the manors of Preston, Ribby-with-Wray, -and Singleton were given by Henry III. to his son Edmund -Crouchback, and in addition the king published an edict -forbidding the sheriffs of neighbouring counties to enter -themselves, or send, or permit their bailiffs to enter or interfere -with anything belonging to the Honor of Lancaster, or to the men -of that Honor, unless required to do so by his son. Edmund was -also created earl of Lancaster, and became the founder of that -noble house, whose possessions and power afterwards attained to -such magnitude as to place its representative, Henry IV., upon the -throne, although nearer descendants of his grandfather Edward III. -were still living.</p> - -<p>We have now arrived at the unsettled era, comprising the -reigns of the three Edwards and Richard II., and during the -whole of the time these monarchs wore the crown, a period of one -hundred and twenty-six years, the nation was engaged in -continual wars—with the Welsh under Llewellyn, the Scotch -under Bruce and Wallace, and the French under Philip. The -reign of Richard II. was additionally agitated by the insurrection -of Wat Tyler. Looking at that long uninterrupted season of -excitement, we cease to wonder at the riotous and disorganized -state into which society was thrown. The rulers, whether local -and subordinate, or those of a higher grade, were too actively -engaged in forwarding the efficiency of the army, to devote much -attention to the welfare and proper government of the people. -Crimes and disturbances were allowed to pass unpunished, and -evil-doers, being thus encouraged to prosecute their unlawful<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -purposes, carried their outrages to the very confines of open -rebellion against all power and order. It was not until such a -dangerous climax had been reached that a commission, consisting -of the following judges, Peter de Bradbate, Edmund Deyncourt, -William de Vavasour, John de Island, and Adam de Middleton, -was appointed to deal summarily and severely with all offenders -in the counties of Lancaster and Westmoreland. During those -troublesome times Sir Adam Banastre and a number of others -assaulted Ralph de Truno, prior of Lancaster, and his train of -attendants at Poulton-le-Fylde, seized and carried him off to -Thornton, where they brutally ill-used and finally imprisoned -him. An inquiry into the disgraceful proceeding was instituted -by order of Edward I., but the result has not been preserved, at -least no record of it has as yet been discovered amongst any of the -ancient documents concerning this county. Leyland, who was -antiquary to Henry VIII., alluding to the death of the disorderly -knight, says,—“Adam Banastre, a bachelar of Lancastershire, -moved ryot agayne Thomas of Lancaster by kraft of kynge -Edward II., but he was taken and behedid by the commandment -of Thomas of Lancaster.” The first part of the quotation has -reference to a quarrel between the earl of Lancaster and Sir -Adam, who for his own aggrandizement and to curry favour with -the king, as well as to divert the attention of that monarch from -his own misdeeds, declared that Thomas of Lancaster wished to -interfere with the royal prerogative in the choice of ministers; -and, professedly, to punish such presumption he invaded the -domains of that nobleman. An encounter took place in -the valley of the Ribble, not far from Preston, in which the -followers of Sir Adam were vanquished and put to flight. Their -leader secreted himself in a barn on his own lands, but, being -discovered by the soldiers of his opponent, was dragged forth and -beheaded with a sword. Subjoined is an account of a disturbance -which occurred at Kirkham during the same period, transcribed -from the Vale Royal<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> register:—“A narrative of proceedings in a -dispute between the abbot of Vale Royal, and Sir Will. de Clifton, -knt., respecting the tithes in the manor of Clifton and Westby, in -the parish of Kirkham, A.D. 1337, in the time of Peter’s abbacy.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -The charges alleged against Sir William state, that he had -obtained twenty marks<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> due to the abbot; had forcibly obstructed -the rector in the gathering of tithes within the manor of Clifton -and Westby; seized his loaded wain, and brought ridicule on his -palfrey: that he had also burst, with his armed retainers, into the -parish church of Kirkham, and thereby deterred his clerks from -the performance of divine service; had prevented the parishioners -from resorting to the font for the rite of baptism; and that, -having seized on Thomas, the clerk of the abbot of Vale Royal, -he had inflicted on him a flagellation in the public streets of -Preston. After a complaint, made to the abbot of Westminster, a -conservator of the rights and privileges of the order to which -Vale Royal belonged, Sir William confessed his fault and threw -himself on the mercy of the abbot of the Cheshire convent, who -contented himself, after receiving a compensation for his rector’s -losses, with an oath from the refractory knight, that he would in -future maintain and defend the privileges of the abbey, and would -bind himself in forty shillings to offer no further violence to the -unfortunate secretary of the abbot.”</p> - -<p>During the reign of Edward III., Henry, earl of Lancaster, was -created duke of the county with the consent of the prelates and -peers assembled in parliament. This nobleman, whose pious and -generous actions earned for him the title of the “Good duke of -Lancaster,” received a mandate from the king during the war with -France, when there were serious apprehensions of an invasion by -that nation, to arm all the lancers on his estates, and to set a strict -watch over the seacoasts of Lancashire. These precautions, -however, proved unnecessary, as the French made no attempt to -cross the channel. In his will, bearing the date 1361, (the year of -his death), Duke Henry bequeathed the Wappentakes or Hundreds -of Amounderness, Lonsdale, and Leyland, with other estates, to -his daughter Blanche, who had married John of Gaunt, the earl -of Richmond and fourth son of Edward III. John of Gaunt -succeeded to the dukedom in right of his wife.</p> - -<p>“In the ‘Testa de Nevill’,” a register extending from 1274 to -1327, and containing, amongst other matters, a list of the fees and -serjeanties holden of the king and the churches in his gift, it is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span> -stated under the latter heading:—“St. Michael upon Wyre; the -son of Count Salvata had it by gift of the present king, and he -says, that he is elected into a bishoprick, and that the church is -vacant, and worth 30 marks<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> per an. Kyrkeham; King John -gave two parts of it to Simon Blundel, on account of his custody -of the son and heir of Theobald Walter. Worth 80 marks<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> per -an.” In another part of these records it is named that Richard de -Frekelton held fees in chief in Freckleton, Newton, and -Eccleston; Alan de Singilton, in Singleton, Freckleton, Newton, -and Elswick; and Adam de Merton, in Marton; also that Fitz -Richard held serjeanties in Singleton, by serjeanty of -Amounderness.</p> - -<p>The earliest intimation of members being returned to represent -our own district, in conjunction with the other divisions of the -county, is to the parliament of Edward I., assembled in 1295, -when Matthew de Redmand and John de Ewyas were elected -knights of the shire for Lancaster, and in his report the sheriff -adds—“There is no city in the county of Lancaster.” The -members of parliament in 1297 were Henricus de Kigheley and -Henricus le Botyler; in 1302 Willielmus de Clifton and -Gilbertus de Singleton; and in 1304 Willielmus de Clifton and -Willielmus Banastre. Henricus le Botyler, or Butler, belonged -to the family of the Butlers of Rawcliffe; Gilbertus de Singleton was -probably connected with the Singletons whose descendants -resided at Staining Hall; Willielmus de Clifton was an ancestor -of the Cliftons of Lytham, and here it may be stated that -Lancashire was represented in 1383 by Robt. de Clifton, of -Westby, and Ric’us de Hoghton; and in 1844 by J. Wilson -Patten, now Lord Winmarleigh, and Jno. Talbot Clifton, esq., of -Lytham Hall. Thos. Henry Clifton, esq., son of the last -gentleman, and the Hon. F. A. Stanley are the present members -for North Lancashire.</p> - -<p>During the Scottish wars of Edward III., John de Coupland, of -Upper Rawcliffe, valiantly captured David II., king of Scotland, -at the battle of Durham, and although that monarch dashed out -Coupland’s teeth and used every means to incite the latter to slay -him, the brave soldier restrained his wrath and delivered up his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span> -prisoner alive. For that signal service Edward rewarded him -with a grant of £500 per annum, until he could receive an -equivalent in land wherever he might choose, and created him a -knight banneret.<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> “I have seen,” says Camden, “a charter of -King Edward III., by which he advanced John Coupland to the -state of a banneret in the following words, because in a battle -fought at Durham he had taken prisoner David the Second, King -of Scots:—‘Being willing to reward the said John, who took -David de Bruis prisoner, and frankly delivered him unto us, for -the deserts of his honest and valiant service, in such sort as others -may take example by his precedent to do us faithful service in -time to come, we have promoted the said John to the place and -degree of a banneret; and, for the maintenance of the same state, -we have granted, for us and our heirs, to the same John, five -hundred pounds by the year, to be received by him and his heirs’,” -etc.</p> - -<p>For some time after a truce had been concluded with Scotland, -the war, in which the incident narrated occurred, continued with -little abatement, and in 1322 this county with others was called -upon to raise fresh levies. These constant drains upon its -resources, and the devastations committed by riotous companies -of armed men, so impoverished our district that the inhabitants of -Poulton forwarded a petition to the Pope, praying him to forego -his claims upon their town on account of the deplorably distressed -condition to which they had been reduced. The taxations of all -churches in the Fylde were greatly lowered in consideration of the -indigency of the people; that of Kirkham from 240 marks per -annum to 120, and the others in like proportion. Further -evidence of the poverty of this division may be gathered from a -census taken in 1377, which states, amongst other things, that—“There -is no town worthy of notice anywhere in the whole of the -county”; and again, twenty years later, when a loan was raised -to meet the enormous expenditure of the country, Lancashire -furnished no contributors.</p> - -<p>In 1389, during the reign of Richard II., it was enacted, with a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span> -view to the preservation and improvement of the salmon fisheries -throughout the kingdom, “that no young salmon be taken or -destroyed by nets, at mill-dams or other places, from the middle -of April to the Nativity of St. John Baptist”; and special -reference is made to this neighbourhood in the following sentence -of the bill:—“It is ordained and assented, that the waters of Lone, -Wyre, Mersee, Ribbyl, and all other waters in the county of -Lancaster, be put in defence, as to the taking of Salmons, from -Michaelmas Day to the Purification of our Lady (2nd of February), -and in no other time of the year, because that salmons be not -seasonable in the said waters in the time aforesaid; and in the -parts where such rivers be, there shall be assigned and sworn good -and sufficient conservators of this statute.” The foregoing is the -earliest regulation of the kind, and the wisdom and utility of its -provisions are evinced by the existence of similar measures at the -present day.</p> - -<p>From the annals of the Duchy may be learnt some interesting -particulars relative to changes in ownership at that period of -certain portions of the territory comprised in the Fylde. In 1380 -John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, issued a “precept to the -Escheator to give seisin of the Lands of William Botyler in -Layton Magna, Layton Parva, Bispham, Warthebrek, and Great -Merton,” etc.; and shortly afterwards gave orders to “seize the -Lands of William Botyler.” In 1385 mandates were issued by -the same nobleman to his Escheator to “seize into the Hands of -the King and himself the Lands of Thomas Banastre, (deceased, -1384), in Ethelswyk, Frekculton, Claughton in Amoundernes, -Syngleton Parva, Hamylton, Stalmyn,” etc.; also those of -“Emund Banastre, (deceased, 1384), in Wodeplumpton, Preston,” -etc. In the Rolls the subjoined entries also occur:—</p> - -<table class="text" summary="Entries from the Rolls"> - <tr> - <th class="tdc" colspan="3">1381.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th><span class="smcap">Grantors.</span></th> - <th><span class="smcap">Grantees.</span></th> - <th><span class="smcap">Matters and Premises.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">John Botyler, Knt.</td> - <td class="tdc">Henry de Bispham, Richard de Carleton, Chaplains.</td> - <td class="noindent">Enrolment of the Grant of the Manors of Great Layton, Little - Layton, Bispham, and Wardebrek; lands in Great Merton, and the - whole Lordship of Merton Town.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">Henry de Bispham, Richard de Carleton.</td> - <td class="tdc">John Botyler, Knt., and Alice his wife. </td> - <td class="noindent">Enrolment of the Grant of the above Manors, Lands, and - Lordship, in Fee Tail special.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th class="tdc" colspan="3">1382.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">Robert de Wasshyngton.</td> - <td class="tdc">William de Hornby, Parson of St. Michael-upon-Wyre, and - William le Ducton.</td> - <td class="noindent">Enrolment of Grant of Lands, etc., in Carleton in Amounderness, - for a Rose Rent per ann. 8 years, and increased rent £20 per ann.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>There is nothing of interest or importance to recount affecting -the Fylde from the death of Richard II. until the year 1455, when -the battle of St. Albans, resulting in the defeat of Henry VI. and -the royal forces by the Duke of York, initiated those lamentable -struggles between the rival houses of York and Lancaster; and -the inhabitants of our section shared, like the rest, in the ruin and -bloodshed of civil war. Those contests, which lasted no less than -thirty years, and included thirteen pitched battles, were finally -terminated in 1485, by the union of Henry VII. with Catherine of -York, daughter of Edward IV.</p> - -<p>In 1485 a malady called the “Sweating Sickness” visited the -different districts of Lancashire, and so rapid and fatal were the -effects, that during the seven weeks it prevailed, large numbers -of the populace fell victims to its virulence. Lord Verulam, -describing the disease, says:—“The complaint was a pestilent -fever, attended by a malign vapour, which flew to the heart and -seized the vital spirits; which stirred nature to strive to send it -forth by an extreme sweat.”</p> - -<p>In 1487 the impostor Lambert Simnel, who personated Edward, -earl of Warwick, the heir in rightful succession to Edward IV., -landed at the Pile of Fouldrey, (Peel harbour) in Morecambe Bay, -with an army raised chiefly by the aid of the Duchess of Burgundy, -and marched into the country. At Stoke, near Newark, he was -defeated and taken prisoner, and subsequently the adventurer -was made a scullion in the king’s kitchen, from which humble -sphere he rose by good conduct to the position of falconer. -Henry VIII., soon after his accession in 1509, became embroiled -in war with France, and whilst he was engaged in hostilities on -the continent, James IV. of Scotland crossed the border, and -invaded England with a force of fifty thousand men. To resist -this aggression large levies were promptly raised in Lancashire -and other northern counties, and on the field of Flodden, in -Northumberland, a decisive battle took place in 1513, in which -the Scottish monarch was slain, and his army routed. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -Lancashire troops were led by Sir Edward Stanley, and their -patriotism and valour are celebrated in an ancient song called the -“Famous Historie or Songe of Floodan Field.” In the following -extract certain localities in and near the Fylde are mentioned as -having furnished their contingents of willing soldiers:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“All Lancashire for the most parte</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The lusty Standley stowte can lead,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A stock of striplings stronge of heart</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Brought up from babes with beef and bread,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Warton unto Warrington,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Wiggen unto Wyresdale,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Weddecon to Waddington,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Ribchester to Rochdale,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Poulton to Preston with pikes</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They with ye Standley howte forthe went,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Pemberton and Pilling Dikes</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For Battell Billmen bould were bent</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With fellowes fearce and fresh for feight</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With Halton feilds did turne in foores,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With lusty ladds liver and light</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Blackborne and Bolton in ye moores.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The office of High Sheriff is one of considerable antiquity, and -in early times it was no uncommon thing for the elected person -to retain the position for several years together. Annexed is a -list of gentlemen connected with the Fylde who have been High -Sheriffs of the county of Lancaster at different times, with their -years of office:—</p> - -<table class="text" summary="High Sheriffs of Lancaster with their dates"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc nw">1194 to 1199.</td> - <td>Theobald Walter, of Amounderness.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1278.</td> - <td>Gilbert de Clifton, of Clifton and Westby.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1287.</td> - <td>Gilbert de Clifton, of Clifton and Westby.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1289.</td> - <td>Gilbert de Clifton, of Clifton and Westby.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1393.</td> - <td>Sir Johannes Butler, Knt., of Rawcliffe.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1394.</td> - <td>Sir Johannes Butler, Knt., of Rawcliffe.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1395.</td> - <td>Sir Johannes Butler, Knt., of Rawcliffe.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1397.</td> - <td>Sir Richard Molyneux, Knt., of Larbrick (for life).</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1566.</td> - <td>Sir Richard Molyneux, Knt., of Larbrick.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1606.</td> - <td>Edmund Fleetwood, of Rossall.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1677.</td> - <td>Alexander Rigby, of Layton.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1678.</td> - <td>Alexander Rigby, of Layton.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1691.</td> - <td>Sir Alexander Rigby, Knt., of Layton.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1740.</td> - <td>Roger Hesketh, of Rossall.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1797.</td> - <td>Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, of Rossall.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1820.</td> - <td>Robert Hesketh, of Rossall.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1830.</td> - <td>Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, of Rossall.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1835.</td> - <td>Thomas Clifton, of Lytham.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1842.</td> - <td>Thomas Robert Wilson ffrance, of Rawcliffe.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1853.</td> - <td>John Talbot Clifton, of Lytham.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>It may be here noticed that Edmund Dudley, so notorious in -English history as the infamous agent of Henry VII. in the -wholesale and scandalous extortions that monarch practised upon -his subjects, held many and large territorial possessions in the -county of Lancashire, the reward in all probability of his -unscrupulous services to the king. After the death of his royal -patron a loud outcry for the punishment of Dudley was raised by -the nation, and in the first year of Henry VIII. a proclamation -was issued inviting those subjects who had been injured by -Dudley and his fellow commissioner, Sir Richard Empson, to -come forward and state their complaints; the number of -complainants who appeared was so great that it was found -impossible to examine all their claims, so in order to pacify the -universal indignation, the two obnoxious agents were thrown into -prison on a charge of treason. From the Inquisition for the -Escheat of the Duchy of Lancaster taken on the attainder of -Edmund Dudley, in 1509, it is discovered that amongst his -numerous estates, were lands in Elswick, Hambleton, Freckleton, -Thornton, Little Singleton, Wood Plumpton, Whittingham, -Goosnargh, and Claughton. Stow, writing about the circumstances -alluded to, says:—“Thereupon was Sir Richard Empson, -Knight, and Edmund Dudley, Esquire, by a politicke mean -brought into the Tower, where they were accused of treason, and -so remained there prisoners, thereby to quiet men’s minds, that -made such suit to have their money restored. On the seventeenth -of July Edmund Dudley was arraigned in the Guildhall of -London, where he was condemned, and had judgement to be -drawn, hanged, and quartered.... Henry VIII. sent -commandment to the Constable of the Tower, charging him that -Empson and Dudley should shortly after be put to execution. -The Sheriffs of London were commanded by a special writ to see -the said execution performed and done, whereupon they went to -the Tower and received the prisoners on the 17th of August, 1510, -and from thence brought them unto the scaffold on Tower Hill, -where their heads were stricken off.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span></p> - -<p>The most conspicuous event which happened during the -sovereignty of Henry VIII. was the Protestant Reformation. -Henry, having quarrelled with the Supreme Head of the Church -at Rome, determined to suppress all religious houses in his -kingdom whose incomes amounted to less than £200 per annum. -Doctors Thomas Leigh and Thomas Layton were appointed to -inspect and report on those in Lancashire; and amongst the -number condemned on their visit was a small Benedictine Cell at -Lytham. This Cell owed its origin to Richard Fitz Roger, who -towards the latter part of the reign of Richard I. granted lands at -Lytham to the Durham Church, in order that a prior and -Benedictine monks might be established there to the honour of -St. Mary and St. Cuthbert. Its yearly revenue at the time of -suppression was only £55. A little later, in 1540, the larger -monastic institutions suffered the fate of the smaller ones; and -amongst the chantries closed were two at St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. -All Catholic places of worship were closed by a proclamation, -bearing the date September 23rd, 1548, and issued by the lord -protector Somerset on behalf of the young king Edward VI. On -the death of that monarch in 1553 the crown descended to his -sister Mary, only daughter of Catherine of Arragon; and one of -her first acts was to re-establish the old faith and re-open the -churches and chantries which her predecessors had closed. Mass -was again celebrated in the churches of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, -Kirkham, and Singleton, as in former days, the officiating priests -being:—</p> - -<table summary="Officiating priests of each church and their pay"> - <tr> - <td>Kirkham</td> - <td>Thomas Primbet,</td> - <td>annual fee</td> - <td>£2</td> - <td class="tdr">10s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton</td> - <td>Richard Goodson,</td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>£2</td> - <td class="tdr">9s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>St. Michael’s-on-Wyre,</td> - <td>Thomas Cross</td> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>£4</td> - <td class="tdr">13s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In the early part of this reign a grand military muster was -ordered to be made in the county palatine of Lancaster, and -towards the 300 men raised in the Hundred of Amounderness the -Fylde townships contributed as follows:—</p> - -<table summary="Men contributed by each township to the military muster"> - <tr> - <td>Warton</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td>men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carleton</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hardhome with Newton</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Much Eccleston</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clifton</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bispham and Norbreke</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Freckleton</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thilston</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thornton</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Upper Rawcliffe and Tornecard</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pulton</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Weton</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Threleyle</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Little Eccleston and Larbreke</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Little Singleton and Grange</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Newton with Scales</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Layton with Warbrick</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Elliswicke</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kelmyne and Brininge</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kirkham</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westbye and Plumpton</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rigby with Wraye</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lithum</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Much Singleton</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Plumpton</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The commanders of the regiment were—Sir Thomas Hesketh, -Sir Richard Houghton, George Browne, John Kitchen, Richard -Barton, William Westby (of Mowbreck), and William Barton, -Esquires.</p> - -<p>Dodsworth, who lived in the latter part of the sixteenth and -early part of the seventeenth centuries, informs us that sometime -during the year 1555 “a sudden irruption of the sea” took place -near Rossall grange, and a whole village, called Singleton Thorp, -was washed away by the fury of the waves. “The inhabitants -were driven out of their ancient home, and erected their tents at a -place called Singleton to this day.” It has been surmised that -Singleton Thorp was the residence of Thomas de Singleton, who -opposed Edward I. in a suit to recover from that king the manors -of Singleton, Thornton, and Brughton. The site formerly -occupied by the ancient village is now called Singleton Skeer. -Dodsworth also declares that the Horse-bank lying off the shores -of Lytham was, in 1612, during the reign of James I., a pasture -for cattle, and that, in 1601, a village called Waddum Thorp -existed between it and the present main-land.</p> - -<p>In January, 1559, about two months after the accession of -Elizabeth, another muster took place throughout the several -counties of the kingdom, and subjoined are enumerated the bodies -of soldiers furnished by the different Hundreds of Lancashire:—</p> - -<table summary="The bodies of soldiers furnished by the different Hundreds of Lancashire"> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Blackeburne Hundred</span>—</td> - <td>407 harnessed men, 406 unharnessed men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Amoundernes Hundred</span>—</td> - <td>213 harnessed men, 369 unharnessed men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Londesdall Hundred</span>—</td> - <td>356 harnessed men, 114 unharnessed men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Leylonde Hundred</span>—</td> - <td>80 harnessed men, 22 unharnessed men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Saleforde Hundred</span>—</td> - <td>394 harnessed men, 649 unharnessed men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">West Derby Hundred</span>—</td> - <td>459 harnessed men, 413 unharnessed men.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Sum Total of harnessed men 1919.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Sum Total of unharnessed men 2073.<a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>An epidemic, described by Hollinworth as a “sore sicknesse,” -prevailed in this county during some months of 1565, and carried -off many of the inhabitants.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span></p> - -<p>Queen Elizabeth on her accession wrought another change in -the national religion, but taking warning from the outcries and -disturbances produced by the sudden and sweeping policies of -Henry VIII. and Mary, proceeded to affect her purpose in a more -deliberate manner. She retained some of her Catholic ministers, -taking care, however, to have sufficient of the reformed faith to -outvote them when occasion required, and appointed a commission -to inquire into the persecutions of the last reign, with orders to -liberate from prison all those who had been confined on account -of their attachment to Protestant principles. In her own chapel -she forbade several Popish practices, and commanded that certain -portions of the services should be read in the English tongue. -Shortly afterwards a proclamation was issued, ordering that all -chantries should conduct their services after the model of her -own chapel. This comparative moderation was succeeded at a -later period of her sovereignty by sterner measures, and many -Catholic recusants were placed in confinement, being subjected to -heavy penalties and degradations. During the same reign the -military strength of the nation was again ascertained by a general -muster. The gathering took place in 1574, when six gentlemen -of our neighbourhood were thus rated:—</p> - -<p>Cuthbert Clifton, esq., to furnish:—Light horse 1, Plate-coate -1, Pyke 1, Long bows 2, Sheaves of arrows 2, Steel caps 2, Caliver -1, Morion 1.</p> - -<p>James Massey, George Alane to furnish:—Plate-coat 1, Long -bow 1, Sheaf of arrows 1, Steel cap 1, Caliver 1, Morion 1, Bill 1.</p> - -<p>William Hesketh to furnish of good will:—Caliver 1, Morion 1.</p> - -<p>William Singleton, John Veale to furnish:—The same as -William Hesketh doth.</p> - -<p>The whole complement raised in the Hundred of Amounderness -consisted of—5 Light horse, 1 Demi-lance, 2 Corslets, 17 Plate-coats, -11 Pykes, 22 Long bows, 22 Sheaves of arrows, 27 Steel -caps, 15 Calivers, 20 Morions, and 10 Bills.</p> - -<p>Father Edmund Campion, the notorious Jesuit, was apprehended -in 1581, immediately after travelling through Lancashire -endeavouring to spread the doctrines of his faith, and imprisoned -in the Tower. Under the cruel influence of the rack he divulged -the names of several persons by whom he had been received and -entertained whilst on his journey, and amongst them were Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -Allen of Rossall Hall, the widow of Richard Allen, and John -Westby of Mowbreck and Burn Halls. Shortly before his -execution Campion deplored his compulsory confession in a letter -to a friend in these words:—“It grieved me much to have offended -the Catholic cause so highly, as to confess the names of some -gentlemen and friends in whose houses I have been entertained; -yet in this I greatly cherish and comfort myself, that I never -discovered any secrets there declared, and that I will not, come -rack, come rope.”</p> - -<p>The following extracts are taken from some manuscripts in the -Harleian collection, and will explain themselves:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“Names of such as are detected for receiptinge of Priests, Seminaries, etc., in -the County of Lancashire.</p> - -<table class="text" summary="Names of such as are detected for receiptinge of Priests, Seminaries, etc., in the County of Lancashire"> - <tr> - <td>“This appeareth by the presentment of the Vicar of Garstang.</td> - <td class="noindent">One named little Richard receipted at Mr. Rigmaden’s - of Weddicar by report.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“This appeareth by the presentment of the Vicar of Kirkham.</td> - <td class="noindent">Ricard Cadocke, a seminary priest, also Deiv. Tytmouse - conversant in the Company of two widows—viz. Mistress Alice Clyfton and - Mistress Jane Clyfton, about the first of October last, 1580, by the - report of James Burie.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“This also appeareth by the presentment of the Vicar of Kirkham.</td> - <td class="noindent">Richard Brittain, a priest receipted in the house of - William Bennett of Westby, about the beginning of June last, from - whence young Mr. Norrice of Speke conveyed the said Brittain to the - Speke, as the said Bennett hath reported.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>“The said Brittain remayneth now at the house of Mr. Norrice of the Speke, as -appeareth by the deposition of John Osbaldston.</p> - -<p class="center">“Diocese of Chester</p> - -<p class="center">“Amounderness Deanery</p> - -<table summary="List of signatories"> - <tr> - <td>Cuthb. Clifton, Esq.</td> - <td>Obstinate.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Will. Hesketh, gent.</td> - <td>Obstinate.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>John Singleton, gent.</td> - <td>Obstinate.”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - -<p>At that period it was customary to levy a tax of live stock and -different articles of food on each county, for the supply of the -royal larder, and Sir Richard Sherburn, of Carleton and -Hambleton, and Alexander Rigby, of Middleton, near Preston,<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> -ratified an agreement with the treasurer and controller of -Elizabeth’s household, that Lancashire should provide annually<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span> -forty great oxen, to be delivered alive at her majesty’s pasture at -Crestow. Afterwards the sums to be contributed by each -Hundred for the purchase of these animals was arranged, and -Amounderness rated at £16 10s. 0d. per year. The latter agreement -was ratified by Sir Richard Sherburne and Edward Tyldesley, -of Myerscough, amongst others. Grievous complaints were made -in the Fylde and other parts of the county of the desecration of the -Sabbath by “Wakes, fayres, markettes, bayrebaytes, bull baits, -Ales, Maygames, Resortinge to Alehouses in tyme of devyne -service, pypinge and dauncinge, huntinge and all manner of -unlawfull gamynge.” A letter praying that these profanations -might be reformed was signed by the magistrates of the several -districts, amongst whom were Edmund Fleetwood of Rossall, and -R. Sherburne of Carleton, etc., and forwarded to London. A -commission of inquiry was appointed, and after an investigation, -the commissioners charged all mayors, bailiffs, and constables, as -well as other civil officers, churchwardens, etc., to suppress by all -lawful means the said disorders of the Sabbath, and to present the -offenders at the quarter sessions, that they might be dealt with for -the same according to law. They also directed that the minstrels, -bearwards, and all such disorderly persons, should be immediately -apprehended and brought before the justices of the peace, and -punished at their discretion; that the churchwardens should be -enjoined to present at the sessions all those that neglected to -attend divine service upon the Sabbath day, that they might be -indicted and fined in the penalty of twelve pence for every -offence; that the number of alehouses should be abridged, that -the ale-sellers should utter a full quart of ale for one penny, and -none of any less size, and that they should sell no ale or other -victuals in time of divine service; that none should sell ale -without a license; that the magistrates should be enjoined not to -grant any ale-licenses except in public sessions; that they should -examine the officers of the commonwealth to learn whether they -made due presentment at the quarter sessions of all bastards born -or remaining within their several precincts; and that thereupon a -strict course should be taken for the due punishment of the -reputed parents according to the statute, as also for the convenient -keeping and relief of the infants.<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span></p> - -<p>In 1588, the year following the execution of Mary, Queen of -Scots, Philip of Spain, urged on by an ambition to conquer the -kingdom of England and re-establish the Romish religion, -equipped an immense fleet, consisting of seventy-two galliasses -and galleons, forty-seven second-class ships of war, and eleven -pinnaces, to which he gave the name of the “Invincible Armada.” -The rumour of this invasion spread great alarm throughout the -country; and the magistrates, gentry, and freeholders of Lancashire -were summoned to meet Lord Strange at Preston, to consider -what steps should be taken for the defence of their coast, on -which, at Peel in Morecambe Bay, it was deemed probable the -Spaniards would attempt a landing. So doubtful does Elizabeth -appear to have been of the loyalty of her Lancashire subjects that -Lord Strange was commanded to append to his summonses the -words,—“Fayle not at your uttermost peril.” Nor were these -suspicions on the part of the queen without good reason, for the -principal landed proprietors and gentry of the county were -members of the Romish Church, and it was to be feared that they -would be only lukewarm in repelling, if not, indeed, active in -encouraging, an enemy whose professed object was the restoration -of their religion. Baines, in reviewing the Reformation, says,—“In -the county of Lancashire it was retrograde. The Catholics -multiplied, priests were harboured, the book of common prayer -and the service of the Church, established by law, were laid aside; -many of the churches were shut up, and the cures unsupplied, -unless by the ejected Catholics.” Numerous crosses on the -highways, as well as the names of several places, as Low-cross, -High-cross, Norcross, etc., also testify to the Romish tendency of -the inhabitants. Cardinal Allen, who had for many years been -living on the continent at Douai and elsewhere<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> was suspected -of having, in conjunction with Parsons, the Jesuit, instigated -Philip to this invasion. The harbour of “Pille,” (Peel) is -described in the Lansdowne manuscripts as the “very best haven -for landings with great shyppes in all the west coast of England, -called St. George’s Channel,” and further in the same folio we -read:—“What the Spanyerd means to do the Lord knows, for all -the countrie being known to Doctor Allen, who was born harde by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -the pyle,” (Rossall Hall was the birth-place of Allen,) “and the -inhabytentes ther aboutes all ynfected with the Romish poyson, -it is not unlike that his directione will be used for some landinge -there.... One Thomas Prestone (a papyshe atheiste) is -deputye steward, and commandes the menrede, and lands ther, -wch were sometyme appertayning to the Abbeye of Fornes.”</p> - -<p>Whilst preparations for resisting the Spaniards were being -pushed forward with as much expedition as possible, the -“Invincibles” appeared in the English Channel, and arranged -themselves for battle in the form of a crescent. The British fleet, -numbering only thirty-four ships of war, and sundry private -vessels equipped for the occasion, under the command of Lord -Howard, sailed out to engage them. A series of actions took -place, and although nothing decisive had been effected, the -advantage seemed to be leaning towards the English fleet, when -eight fire-ships drifted in amongst the Armada and threw them -into utter confusion. This <i>coup de maître</i> took place on the 29th -of July, 1588. The panic-stricken Spaniards, fearing that the -whole of their ships would be destroyed in a general conflagration, -severed their cables, and fled. A westerly gale, however, sprang -up, and wrecked many of the vessels on the coast between Ostend -and Calais; the shores of Scotland and Ireland were also covered -with fragments of their ships and bodies of their mariners, while -tradition asserts that one of the galleons was stranded on the Point -of Rossall, where it was attacked by the country people, either for -the sake of pillage or in the hope of capturing it. Whether one -or both of these desires actuated the rustics they were doomed to -disappointment, for the Spaniards successfully resisted their first -attempt, and escaped on the returning tide, before further efforts -could be made by the little band on shore. Two cannon balls -were formerly to be seen at Rossall Hall, and it was stated that -they were the identical ones fired by this vessel, as a parting -salute, when she sailed away. They were found on removing -some of the walls belonging to the old mansion.</p> - -<p>The annexed is a list of free-tenants residing in the Fylde -district about the year 1585, the 27th of the reign of Queen -Elizabeth:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Molyneux, Sir Richard, of Larbrick, knight.</li> -<li>Clifton, Thomas, of Westby, esq.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span></li> -<li>Rigby, Edward, of Layton and Burgh, esq.</li> -<li>Veale, John, of Mythorp, esq.</li> -<li>Butler, Henry, of Out-Rawcliffe, esq.</li> -<li>Parker, William, of Bradkirk, esq.</li> -<li>Westby, John, of Mowbreck, esq.</li> -<li>Kirkby, William, of Upper Rawcliffe, esq.</li> -<li>Singleton, George, of Staining, esq.</li> -<li>Hesketh, William, of Little Poulton, esq.</li> -<li>Stanley, Thomas, of Great Eccleston, esq.</li> -<li>Warren, ⸺, of Plumpton, esq.</li> -<li>White, Nicholas, of Great Eccleston, gent.</li> -<li>Rogerly, George, of Lytham, gent.</li> -<li>Banister, William, of Carleton, gent.</li> -<li>Sharples, John, of Freckleton, gent.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The dress of the priests previous to the Protestant Reformation is -thus described by Harrison:—“They went either in divers colours -like plaiers, or in garments of light hew, as yellow, red, greene, -etc., with their shoes piked, their haire crisped, and their girdles -armed with silver; their shoes, spurs, bridles, etc., buckled with -like mettall; their apparell chiefly of silke, and richlie furred, -their cappes laced and buttoned with gold; so that to meet a -priest in those days, was to beholde a peacocke that spreadeth his -taile when he danseth before the henne.” “The manners and -customs of the inhabitants of Lancashire,” writes John de -Brentford, “are similar to those of the neighbouring counties -except that the people eat with two pronged forks<a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a>; the men are -masculine, and in general well made, they ride and hunt the same -as in the most southern parts, but not with that grace, owing to -the whip being carried in the left hand; the women are most -handsome, their eyes brown, black, hazel, blue, or grey; their -noses, if not inclined to the aquiline, are mostly of the Grecian -form, which gives a most beautiful archness to the countenance, -such indeed as is not easy to be described, their fascinating -manners have long procured them the name of Lancashire -witches.” Leyland in his “Itinerary” says:—“The dress of the -men chiefly consists of woollen garments, while the women wear -those of silk, linen, or stuff. Their usual colours are those of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -green, blue, black, and sometimes brown. The military are -dressed in red, which is vulgarly called scarlet.” In the time of -Henry VIII. the custom of placing chimneys on the tops of the -houses was first introduced amongst the English; before that -period the smoke usually found its way through an opening in the -roof or out of the doorway. The houses of the middle classes -were for the most part formed of wood, whilst those of the -peasantry were built of wattles plastered over with a thick -coating of clay. The few stone mansions existing in Lancashire -were the residences of the nobility or of the most opulent gentry. -Harrison, referring to the improvements in accommodation -gradually gaining ground, remarks:—“There was a great, -although not general, amendment of lodging; for our fathers, -yea, and we ourselves also, have lien full oft upon straw pallets, -on rough mats, onelie covered with a sheet under coverlets made -of dagswam or hopparlots, and a good round log under the head -instead of a bolster or pillow, which was thought meet onelie for -women in childbed; as for servants, if they had anie sheets above -them, it was well, for seldome had they anie under their bodies to -keep them from the prickly straws that ran oft through the -canvas of the pallet, and raised their hardened hides.” Holinshed, -also, notices the better style of entertainment at the inns of -Lancaster, Preston, etc.; at which he tells us the guests were well -provided with “napierie, bedding, and tapisserie,” and each was -sure of resting “in cleane sheets wherein no man had been lodged -since they came from the laundress.” Camden, writing of our -more immediate neighbourhood a little later than the period we -are now discussing, says:—“The goodly and fresh complexion of -the natives does sufficiently evince the goodness of the county; -nay and the cattle too, if you will; for in the oxen, which have -huge horns and proportionate bodies, you will find nothing of that -perfection wanting that Mago, the Carthagenian, in Columella -required. This soil (Amounderness) bears oats pretty well, but is -not so good for barley; it makes excellent pasture especially -towards the sea, where it is partly Champain; whence a great -part of it is called the File, probably for the Field. But being in -other places Fenny ’tis reckoned less wholesome. In many places -along the coast there are heaps of sand, upon which the natives -now and then pour water, till it grows saltish, and then with turf<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span> -boyl it into white salt.” Several of these salt manufacturies were -located near Lytham, and it is very likely that the two brass pans -and an ancient measure, discovered about forty years since deeply -imbedded in the peat not far from Fox Hall, were used in the -production of salt somewhere in that vicinity.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer1.jpg" width="400" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /> -<span class="smaller">JAMES THE FIRST TO QUEEN VICTORIA.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-o.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">On the accession of James I., in 1603, the crowns of -England and Scotland became legally united, although -it was not until a considerable time afterwards that -they could be regarded as practically so. This -monarch was the first to assume the title of King of Great Britain.</p> - -<p>A custom prevailed in former days of relieving the secular -portion of the community by imposing exclusive taxes on the -clergy, and hence it is seen, that in 1608 a rate was levied upon -the latter by the Right Reverend George Lloyd, D.D., the eighth -bishop of Chester. The following is a copy of the impost so far as -the Hundred of Amounderness was concerned:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“<i>Archid. Decanatus</i> -Cestrie <i>in Com.</i> Lancastrie</p> - -<p>A Rayte imposed by me George Bushoppe of -Chestʳ upon the Clergie within the Countye -of Chesshyre and Lancashyre within the Dyoces of Chest,ʳ By vertue of Ires from -the lordes grace of Yorke grounded upon + from the lordes and others of his maᵗᵉˢ -most honorable privye counsell for the fyndinge of horses, armes, and other -furniture, the <span class="allsmcap">XXVIII</span>th of October 1608.</p> - -<p class="center">Amounderness Decanatus Archid. Richm.</p> - -<table summary="The impost"> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Porter, vicar of Lancastʳ</td> - <td class="bracket"></td> - <td>a corslet furnished.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Paler, vicar of Preston</td> - <td class="bracket">⎱</td> - <td rowspan="2" class="valign">a musket furnished</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Norcrosse, vicar of Ribchestʳ</td> - <td class="bracket">⎰</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Whyt, vicar of Poulton &</td> - <td class="bracket">⎱</td> - <td rowspan="2" class="valign">a musket furnished.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Greenacres, vicar of Kirkham</td> - <td class="bracket">⎰</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Aynsworth, vicar of Garstange</td> - <td class="bracket">⎱</td> - <td rowspan="2" class="valign">a musket furnished.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Woolfenden, vicar of St. Michael’s upon Wyre</td> - <td class="bracket">⎰</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Calver, vicar of Cockerham</td> - <td class="bracket">⎱</td> - <td rowspan="2" class="valign">a caliver furnished.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Parker, vicar of Chippin.</td> - <td class="bracket">⎰</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p class="right">George Cestriensis.”<a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p>Here it may be mentioned that, although about 636, Honorus, -archbishop of Canterbury, attempted to divide the kingdom into -parishes, it was not until many years later, in the reign of Henry<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -VIII., that the diocese to which Lancashire belonged was clearly -defined. At that date Chester was created a distinct bishopric, -and the southern part of our county included in the archdeaconry -of Chester, whilst the northern portion was attached to the -archdeaconry of Richmond.</p> - -<p>In 1617 James I., on his return journey from Scotland to -London, was entertained at Myerscough Lodge, near Garstang, by -Edward Tyldesley, the grandfather of the gentleman who erected -Fox Hall, at Blackpool. Thomas Tyldesley, a cousin of the owner -of Myerscough Lodge, and attorney-general of the county of -Lancaster, had been knighted by the monarch at Wimbleton in -the previous year. From Myerscough the King proceeded to -Hoghton Tower, where a petition was presented to him by the -agricultural labourers, petty tradesmen, and ordinary servants in -this and other districts lying near Preston, praying that the edict -of the late queen, whereby sports and games had been prohibited -on the Sabbath, might be repealed. The prayer of the petitioners -found favour with James, and shortly afterwards he caused it to -be proclaimed—“that his majesty’s pleasure was, that the bishops -of the diocese should take strict order with all the puritans and -precisians within the county of Lancaster, and either constrain -them to conform themselves, or to leave the countrie, according -to the laws of this kingdom and the canons of the church; and -for his good people’s recreation his pleasure was, that after the -end of divine service, they be not disturbed, letted, or discouraged -from any lawful recreation, such as dancing, either men or women; -archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any such harmless -recreation; nor having of May-games, Whitson-ales, and Morice-dances, -and the setting up of May-poles, and other sports -therewith used; so as the same be had in due and convenient -time, without impediment or neglect of divine service; and that -women should have leave to carry rushes to the church, for -decorating of it according to the old custom; but withal his -majesty did here account still as prohibited, all unlawful games to -be used on Sundays only, as bear and bull-baitings, interludes, -and, at all times, in the meaner sort of people, by law prohibited, -bowling.” A few months after this concession to the wishes of a -portion of his subjects, James issued a publication designated the -“Book of Sports,” in which he explained what were to be<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span> -considered lawful sports to be indulged in on “Sundays and -Festivals.”</p> - -<p>The gentlemen enumerated below were free-tenants, residing in -the Fylde, during his reign:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Clifton, Sir Cuthbert, of Westby, knight.</li> -<li>Banister, Sir Robert, of Plumpton, knight.</li> -<li>Fleetwood, Edward, of Rossall, esq.</li> -<li>Westby, Thomas, of Mowbreck, esq.</li> -<li>Kirkby, William, of Upper Rawcliffe, esq.</li> -<li>Veale, Edward, of Whinney Heys, esq.</li> -<li>Burgh, Richard, of Larbrick, esq.</li> -<li>Leckonby, John, of Great Eccleston, esq.</li> -<li>Longworth, Richard, of St. Michael’s, esq.</li> -<li>Parker, John, of Bradkirk, esq.</li> -<li>Hesketh, William, of Mains, esq.</li> -<li>Singleton, Thomas, of Staining, esq.</li> -<li>Brown, James, of Singleton, gent.</li> -<li>Leigh, Robert, of Plumpton, gent.</li> -<li>Smith, John, of Kirkham, gent.</li> -<li>Sharples, Henry, of Kirkham, gent,</li> -<li>ffrance, John, of Eccleston, gent.</li> -<li>Thompson Wm., of Little Eccleston, gent.</li> -<li>Dobson, William, of Bispham, gent.</li> -<li>Hornby, Henry, of Bankfield, gent.</li> -<li>Bradley, James, of Bryning, gent.</li> -<li>Taylor, James, of Poulton, gent.</li> -<li>Bamber, Thomas, of Poulton, gent.</li> -<li>Bailey, Lawrence, of Layton, gent.</li> -<li>Bonny, Robert, of Kirkham, gent.</li> -<li>Whiteside, Robt., of Thornton, gent.</li> -</ul> - -<p>In the Registers of Kirkham is the annexed statement, from -which it appears that a few years from the death of James I. the -Fylde, or at least a considerable tract of it, was visited by some -fatal epidemic, but its peculiar nature cannot be ascertained:—“<span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> -1630. This year was a great plague in Kirkham, in which -the more part of the people of the town died thereof. It began -about the 25th of July and continued vehemently until Martinmas, -but was not clear of it before Lent; and divers towns of the parish -was infected with it, and many died thereof out of them, as -Treales, Newton, Greenall, Estbrick, Thistleton. N.B.—The -great mortality was in the year 1631; 304 died that year, and -were buried at Kirkham, of whom 193 in the months of August -and September”. Charles I. soon after ascending the throne in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -1626, provoked a breach with his parliament by endeavouring to -enforce subsidies, with which to carry on his foreign wars, and -further, he alienated the affections and respect of the Puritan -section of his subjects by confirming the regulations of the “Book -of Sports.” Dissatisfaction and murmurings were quickly -fermented into rebellion, and the closing of the gates of Hull -against the king in 1642 initiated those fearful wars, which -desolated and disorganised the country for so many years. In -1641, Alexander Rigby,<a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> esq., of Layton Hall, Sir Gilbert de -Hoghton, with eight other gentlemen, were removed from the -commission of the peace, by order of parliament, on suspicion of -being favourably disposed towards the royal party. The chief -supporters of the king in the ensuing conflicts were the nobility, -in great numbers; the higher orders of the gentry, and a -considerable portion of their tenantry; all the High-churchmen; -and a large majority of the Catholics. The parliamentarian army, -on the other hand, was mainly composed of freeholders, traders, -manufacturers, Puritans, Presbyterians, and Independents. An -engagement near Wigan roused up the people in our vicinity to a -sense of the dangers menacing them, and a public meeting of -royalists was called at Preston under the presidency of the earl of -Derby. Amongst other gentlemen who took a prominent part -in the assembly were Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, and -Alexander Rigby, esq., of Layton. Several resolutions were -adopted, the most important being that a sum of money, -amounting to £8,700, should be raised and devoted to the -payment of a regiment, consisting of 2,000 foot and 400 horse, in -the following scale of remuneration:—</p> - -<table summary="Pay for the regiment by rank"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4"><span class="smcap">Dragooners.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Captain</td> - <td class="tdr">12s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td>per diem.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lieutenant</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cornet</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sergeant</td> - <td class="tdr">3s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corporal</td> - <td class="tdr">2s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dragooner</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kettle-drum</td> - <td class="tdr">2s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="4"><span class="smcap">Foot.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Captain</td> - <td class="tdr">10s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td>per diem.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lieutenant</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sergeant</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Drummer</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">3d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corporal</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Private</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">9d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="4"><span class="smcap">Horse.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Captain</td> - <td class="tdr">16s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td>per diem.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lieutenant</td> - <td class="tdr">8s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cornet</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corporal</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Trumpeter</td> - <td class="tdr">5s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Private</td> - <td class="tdr">2s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>And to every Commissary</td> - <td class="tdr">5s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td>per diem.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Parliamentary commissioners were sent this year, 1642, into all -parts of Lancashire to visit the churches and chapels and to -remove therefrom all images, superstitious pictures, and idolatrous -relics, which any of them might contain.</p> - -<p>Preston and Lancaster were amongst the earliest towns to fall -into the hands of the Roundheads, and about ten days after the -surrender of the former place, when the people of this district were -labouring under the excitement of war on their very frontier, -Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall, accompanied by Captain -Thomas Singleton, of Staining, and other officers, appeared near -Poulton at the head of a number of horsemen, and threw the -inhabitants into a state of great consternation and alarm, -fortunately proving unnecessary, for the cavalcade had other -designs than that of bringing devastation and bloodshed to their -own doors, and continued their journey peaceably northward. A -few weeks later a Spanish vessel was seen at the entrance of -Morecambe Bay, off Rossall Point, and as it evinced no signs of -movement, either towards the harbour of Lancaster or out to sea, -the yeomen and farm servants of that neighbourhood at once -surmised that some sort of an invasive attack was meditated on -their coast, nor were these fears in any way allayed by the constant -firing of a piece of cannon from the deck of the ship, and it was -not until the discharges had been repeated through several days -that they realised that distress and not bombardment was intended -to be indicated. On boarding the vessel they found that she -contained a number of passengers, all of whom, together with the -crew, were reduced to a pitiable and enfeebled condition through -exposure and scarcity of provisions, for, having lost their way in the -heavy weather which prevailed, they had been detained much over -the time expected for the voyage, blindly cruising about in the -hope of discovering some friendly haven or guide. The craft was -piloted round into the mouth of the river Wyre, opposite the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -Warren, and relief afforded to the sufferers. Rumour of the -presence of the ship was not long in reaching the ears of the earl -of Derby, who, with promptitude determined to march down and -seize it in the king’s name. On the Saturday he arrived at -Lytham Hall with a small troop of cavalry, where he sojourned -for the night, with the intention of completing his journey and -effecting his purpose the following day before the parliamentarians -had got word of the matter; but here his calculations were at -fault, for the parliamentary leader had already dispatched four -companies of infantry, under Major Sparrow, to take possession of -the prize, and on the same Saturday evening they took up their -quarters at Poulton and Singleton, having arrived by a different -route to the earl, who had forded the river at Hesketh Bank. On -the Sunday Major Sparrow, who throughout showed a lively -horror of risking an encounter with the renowned nobleman, -posted scouts with orders to watch the direction taken by the -latter, and convey the information without delay to the chief -station at Poulton, where the soldiers were in readiness, not for -action, as it subsequently turned out, but to put a safe barrier -between themselves and the enemy, for no sooner was it ascertained -that the earl, “all his company having their swords drawn,” -was marching along Layton Hawes towards Rossall, than Sparrow -conducted his force across the Wyre, at the Shard, and followed the -course of the stream towards its outlet “until he came over -against where the shipp lay, being as feared of the earle as the -earle was of him.”<a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> The earl of Derby advanced along the shore -line and across the Warren to the mouth of the river without the -naked weapons of his followers being called into service, but finding -when he boarded the ship that two parliamentary gentlemen -had forestalled his intention by seizing her for the powers they -recognized, he unhesitatingly took them prisoners, and set fire to -the vessel, whilst Sparrow and his men stood helplessly by, on the -opposite side of the water, where the gallant major perhaps congratulated -himself on his caution in having avoided a collision -with so prompt and vigorous a foe. Some of the Spaniards -attached themselves to the train of the earl, whilst others were -scattered over the neighbourhood, depending for subsistence upon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -the charity of the cottagers and farmers, but their final destiny is -unknown. The noble general, enraged at the unlooked for frustration -of the main object of his journey, determined that it -should not be altogether fruitless, and on his return forced admittance -into the mansion of the Fleetwoods, at Rossall, and bore off -all the arms he could lay hands upon. Resuming his march he -re-passed through Lytham, forded the Ribble, and finally made -his way to Lathom House, his famous residence.</p> - -<p>Inactivity, however temporary, was ill suited to the temperament -of the earl, and on receiving the news that the solitary piece -of artillery belonging to the luckless Spanish vessel had been -appropriated by the parliamentary officials before he appeared upon -the scene, and transferred to their stronghold at Lancaster, he -conceived the idea of reducing the ancient castle on the Lune, and -so taking vengeance on those who had anticipated him in the -Wyre affair, as well as removing a formidable obstacle to the -success of the royal arms. Before entering on an undertaking of -such importance it was necessary that his small body of troops -should be materially increased, and after exhausting the districts -south of the Ribble, he crossed it, in search of recruits amongst the -yeomanry and peasantry of the Fylde. The earl lodged his -soldiers in and about Kirkham, and fixed his own quarters at -Lytham Hall. Dreadful stories are related by the old historian, -from whose work we have already quoted, of the doings of the -troops for the short time they remained in the neighbourhood, -but it is only fair to state that their rapacity was directed exclusively -against the property of those whose sympathies were with -their opponents, whose houses and farms they plundered most -mercilessly, driving off their horses, and carrying away ornaments, -bedding, and everything which could either be turned to immediate -use or offered a prospect of future gain. Warrants were issued on -the first day of their arrival, from the head quarters at Lytham, -over the whole of our section, calling upon every male above sixteen -years of age and under sixty, “upon payne of death to appear -before his Honor at Kirkham the next morning by eight of the -clock, in their best weapons, to attend the King’s service.”<a id="FNanchor_39" href="#Footnote_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> The -officers to whom fell the task of heralding the mandate over the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span> -large area in the brief interval allowed, fulfilled their duties with -energy, and a goodly company responded to the arbitrary summons -of the commander. After having seen that the fresh levies -were as suitably equipped for warfare as means would permit, the -earl appointed John Hoole, of Singleton, and John Ambrose, of -Wood Plumpton, as captains over them, and gave the order to -march. On reaching Lancaster Lord Derby summoned the -mayor and burgesses to surrender the town and castle into his -hands, to which the chief magistrate replied that the inhabitants -had already been deprived of their arms and were unresisting, but -that the fortress, now garrisoned by parliamentary troops, was out -of his keeping, an answer so far unsatisfactory to the besieger -that he set fire to the buildings, about one hundred and seventy -of which were destroyed, and inflicted other injury on the place. -Colonel Ashton, of Middleton, who had been sent to relieve the -castle, arrived too late, when the earl was some distance on his -return towards Preston, from which town he dislodged the enemy. -A little later the tide of fortune turned against the royalists, and -the earl of Derby was one of the earliest to suffer defeat. Colonel -Thomas Tyldesley, a staunch partizan of the king, and the father -of Edward Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, Blackpool, retreated before -Colonel Ashton, from Wigan to Lathom, and afterwards to Liverpool, -where he was besieged and forced again to fly by his indefatigable -opponent. (Later he distinguished himself at Burton-on-Trent, -by the desperate heroism with which he led a cavalry -charge over a bridge of thirty-six arches, and for that display of -valour as well as his faithful adherence to Charles, he received -the honour of knighthood.) Driven from Liverpool, Tyldesley, -in company with Lord Molyneux, withdrew the remnant of his -regiment towards the Ribble, crossed that stream, and quartered -his men in Kirkham, whilst Molyneux occupied the village of -Clifton. In these places they rested a night and a day, keeping a -vigilant look out for their pursuer, Ashton, from the old windmill, -situated at the east end of Kirkham. About one o’clock on the -day succeeding the evening of their arrival the soldiers, acting -under orders, repaired to their several lodgings to further refresh -themselves after their prolonged fatigues, but before four hours -had elapsed, a report came from the outpost that the enemy was -approaching. An alarm spread through the camp, and with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -difficulty Lord Molyneux and Colonel Tyldesley assembled their -forces in the town of Kirkham, where they elected once more to -make a stand against the victorious Ashton. Command was -given that all the women and children should confine themselves -within doors, and preparations were hurried forward to offer the -parliamentarians a vigorous resistance; but as daylight waned and -the besiegers were momentarily expected, the courage of the royal -troops seems to have oozed away, and they precipitately vacated -the town, fording the Wyre, and flying towards Stalmine, whence -they continued their retreat to Cockerham, and so on northwards. -When Colonel Ashton entered Kirkham he found the enemy -gone and the inhabitants in a state of extreme trepidation, but -their fears were soon dismissed by the action of the gallant soldier -who, on learning the course taken by Tyldesley and Molyneux, -pushed on without delay. Ashton followed up the pursuit as far -as the boundaries of Lancashire, without overtaking any of the -royalists, and then returned to Preston. The rear of his troops -diverged from the main road at Garstang, unknown to their -leader, and marched into the Fylde for plunder. They passed -through St. Michael’s, and visiting the residence and estate of -Christopher Parker, of Bradkirk, drove away many of his cattle, -and stripped his house of everything of value. In Kirkham they -laid the people under heavy toll, and even spared not those who -were notoriously well affected towards parliament. At Clifton -they found more herds of cattle, which were joined to those -already with them; but at Preston they fell to quarrelling over -the booty, and it is questionable whether their ill-gotten stores -did not prove rather a curse than a blessing to them.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of 1643, the year in which the events just -narrated occurred, Thurland Castle, the seat of Sir John -Girlington, was captured by the parliamentary colonel, Alexander -Rigby, of Middleton, near Preston. In the engagement the -Lancashire troops were under the command of Alexander Rigby, -of Layton, who allowed his small regiment to be surprised and -routed by his namesake. After his success at Thurland, Colonel -Rigby, of Middleton, proceeded to raise fresh levies in Amounderness. -Mr. Clayton, of Fulwood Moor, was appointed to -superintend the whole of the recruiting and directed to place -himself at the head of the new regiment. Mr. Patteson, of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -Ribby, and Mr. Wilding, of Kirkham, were each apportioned half -of the parish bearing the latter name, in which they were -respectively ordered to raise a company. In the parishes of -Poulton and Bispham, Mr. Robert Jolly, of Warbreck, Mr. -William Hull, of Bispham, Mr. Richard Davis, of Newton, and -Mr. Rowland Amon, of Thornton, were made captains, and had -similar duties imposed upon them. In Lytham parish, Mr. -George Sharples, of Freckleton, received a commission, but was -unable to muster more than a very few followers, as the people of -that neighbourhood reflected the loyal sentiments of the lord of -the manor, and could neither be coerced nor seduced from their -allegiance to the king. Captains Richard Smith and George -Carter, of Hambleton, raised companies in Stalmine, Hambleton, -and the adjacent townships and villages. Mr. William Swarbrick -recruited a company in his native parish of St. Michael’s, and -Mr. Duddell obtained another in Wood Plumpton.</p> - -<p>At the siege of Bolton, in May, 1644, when the town was -stormed and surrendered after a valiant resistance, to Prince Rupert, -with an army of over nine thousand royalists, Duddell and Davis -were amongst the officers slain, whilst their companies were -literally cut to pieces. Captain George Sharples, of Freckleton, -was taken prisoner, and dragged, almost naked and barefooted, -through the miry and blood-stained streets to the spot where -Cuthbert, the eldest son of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, was -standing after the carnage, in which he had led a party of the -besiegers. Captain Clifton and others near him were in a mood -for a somewhat rude and ungenerous entertainment, and placed the -hapless Sharples, in his dilapidated attire, in a prominent position -and, thrusting a Psalter into his hand, compelled him to sing a -Psalm for their delectation. After they had amused themselves -in such fashion for some time the prisoner was handed over to -the guard, from whom he ultimately made his escape. Captain -Cuthbert Clifton was elevated to the rank of colonel as an -acknowledgment of his gallant services at Bolton, after which he -returned for a few days into the Fylde, where he engaged himself -in procuring a fresh detachment of soldiers, who readily flocked to -his standard. For their provision and comfort he did not hesitate -or scruple to appropriate a number of cattle on Layton Hawes, -and to relieve some of the Puritans of Kirkham, Bispham, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -Poulton, of their bedding, etc. Having fully supplied his -commissariat department by these means, he marched to -Liverpool, and joining Prince Rupert, was present at the sacking -of that town.</p> - -<p>The Civil War had proved most disastrous to Lancashire, -where the constant movements and frequent collisions of the -contending parties had ruined the towns, destroyed almost all -attempts at agriculture, and reduced the inhabitants to a state of -wretchedness and poverty, in many instances to the verge of -starvation; and notwithstanding the fact that in not one single -instance had the Fylde been the scene of an encounter, the people -of this section were in as lamentable a condition of penury and -suffering as those of the less fortunate districts, a circumstance -not to be wondered at when the incessant plunderings are taken -into consideration, and when it is remembered that the youth -and strength of the neighbourhood were serving as volunteers or -recruits, either under the banner of parliament or that of the king. -The 12th of September, 1644, was appointed by the Puritans as a -day of solemn prayer and fasting throughout the country, and -parliament decreed that half of the money collected “in all the -churches within the cities of London and Westminster and within -the lines of communication,” should be devoted to the relief of -the distressed and impoverished in this county.</p> - -<p>Sir Thomas Tyldesley accompanied the army of Prince Rupert -to York, near to where the sanguinary and famous battle of -Marston Moor, in which no less than sixty thousand men were -engaged on both sides, was fought on the 2nd of July, 1644. -Oliver Cromwell commanded the parliamentarians in person, and -after a fierce struggle discomfited the troops of Prince Rupert -and drove them in confusion from the field. Sir Thomas -Tyldesley retreated with his shattered regiment in hot haste -towards Amounderness, where he made diligent search for -arms and ammunition, but hearing that the enemy, under -Sir John Meldrum, was marching in quest of him he hurried -to the banks of the Ribble, and crossed the ford into the -Fylde. This latter incident happened towards the end of the -week, and on Saturday he was joined in his ambush by the -immense royalist force of Colonel Goring, so great indeed that -“before the last companies had marched over the bridge at St.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span> -Michael’s Church the first company was judged to be at Kirkham.”<a id="FNanchor_40" href="#Footnote_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> -There is probably some little exaggeration in the quoted statement, -but even allowing it to be verbally correct, there can be no -doubt that it is unintentionally misleading, as the extreme length of -road covered would be due more to the wide intervals between the -companies and the straggling manner in which they proceeded -than to their actual numerical strength. Nevertheless the detachment, -chiefly composed of cavalry, was enormous, and completely -inundated the towns and villages in the parishes of Poulton, Kirkham, -and Lytham. The men were lodged twenty, thirty, forty, -fifty, and even sixty in a house, and on the Sunday morning they -set out on an errand of pilfering without respect to persons, pillaging -those who were friendly with as much eagerness and apparent -satisfaction as others who were inimical to their cause, an impartiality -so little appreciated by the inhabitants that they are said to -have blessed the Roundheads by comparison with these insatiate -freebooters. Horses, money, clothes, sheets, everything that was -portable or could be driven, was greedily seized upon, and, in spite -of threats and entreaties, remorselessly borne away. Hundreds of -households were stripped not only of their ornaments, bedding, -etc., but even of the very implements on which the family depended -for subsistence. It is in truth no figure of speech to state that by -far the larger share of the people were reduced to utter and seemingly -hopeless destitution, and grateful indeed were they when -their portion of the parliamentary grant of collections in the -metropolis, before mentioned, was distributed amongst them, -coming like manna from the heavens to comfort their desolated -homes. To add insult to injury the graceless troopers compelled -their entertainers to employ the Sabbath in winnowing corn in -the fields for their chargers, and even refused to allow them to -erect the usual curtains to protect the grain from being carried -away by the high wind, so that the loss and waste amounted to -barely less than the quantity utilised as fodder, and completely -exhausted the fruits of their harvest. Sir Thomas Tyldesley, Lord -Molyneux, and others of the leaders, fixed their lodgment near -the residence of a gentleman named Richard Harrison, and -were supplied with necessaries from Mowbreck Hall. Freckleton<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -marsh was the rendezvous, and there the entire forces assembled -on the morning of Monday, but were compelled to remain until -one o’clock at noon before the Ribble was fordable, when they took -their departure, to the intense joy of all those who had trembled -for their lives and suffered ruin in their small properties during -their brief sojourn. Sir John Meldrum appeared in the district -only a few hours after the royalists had left, and thus the Fylde -had again a narrow escape of adding one more to the long list of -unnatural battles, most truly described as suicidal massacres of the -nation, where men ignoring the ties of friendship or kinship imbrued -their swords in the blood of each other with a relentless and -inhuman savagery, reviving as it seemed the horrid butcheries of -the dark ages. Sir John Meldrum hastened in the direction of -the retreating foe, but failed to overtake them.</p> - -<p>“In 1645,” writes Rushworth, “there remained of unreduced -garrisons belonging to the king in Lancashire only Lathom House -and Greenhalgh Castle.”<a id="FNanchor_41" href="#Footnote_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> This castle was erected about half a -mile eastward of Garstang, overlooking the Wyre, by Thomas, the -first earl of Derby, in 1490, after the victory of Bosworth Field, as -a protection from certain of the outlawed nobles, whose estates in -that vicinity had rewarded the services of the earl to Henry VII. -The castle was built in a rectangular form almost approaching to -a square, with a tower at each angle. The edifice was surrounded -and protected by a wide moat. The garrison occupying the small -fortress at the date under consideration held out until the death of -the governor, when a capitulation was made, and, about 1649, the -castle was dismantled. In 1772 Penant spoke of the “poor -remains of Greenhalgh Castle.”<a id="FNanchor_42" href="#Footnote_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a></p> - -<p>The fall of Lathom House and other strongholds of the king and -the surrender of Charles himself to the Scotch army of Puritans, -brought the contests for a time to a close in 1647, and Sir Thomas -Tyldesley, with several more, received instructions to disband the -troops under his command. During the foregoing struggles -parliament, in order to provide the necessary funds for the increased -expenditure, had allowed “delinquents, papists, spies, and -intelligencers” to compound for their sequestered estates, and -amongst those connected with this locality who had taken<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -advantage of the permission were:—</p> - -<table summary="Men who compounded their estates, and the price paid"> - <tr> - <td>Brown, Edward, of Plumpton,</td> - <td>compounded for</td> - <td class="tdr">£127</td> - <td class="tdr">8s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Breres, Alexander, of Marton, gent.,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£82</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bate, John, of Warbreck,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£11</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leckonby, Richard, of Elswick, esq.,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£58</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nicholson, Francis, of Poulton, yeoman</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£133</td> - <td class="tdr">3s.</td> - <td class="tdr">4d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rigby, Alexander, of Layton, esq.,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£381</td> - <td class="tdr">3s.</td> - <td class="tdr">4d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walker, William, of Kirkham, gent.,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£175</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westby, John, of Mowbreck, esq.,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">£1,000</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Presbyterianism became the national, or at least, the state -religion, and for the regulation of ecclesiastical matters the -Assembly of Divines, at Westminster, suggested that the country -should be divided into provinces, whose representatives should -hold annual conferences at the larger towns. The county of -Lancaster was divided into nine Classical Presbyteries, and the -seventh Classis, embracing the parishes of Preston, Kirkham, -Garstang, and Poulton, consisted of—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Mr. Isaac Ambrose, of Preston, minister.</li> -<li>Mr. Robert Yates, of Preston, minister.</li> -<li>Mr. Ed. Fleetwood, of Kirkham, minister.</li> -<li>Mr. Thos. Cranage, of Goosnargh, minister.</li> -<li>Mr. Chr. Edmondson, of Garstang, minister.</li> -<li>Mr. John Sumner, of Poulton, minister.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Laymen.</span></p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Alexander Rigby, of Preston, Esq.</li> -<li>William Langton, Esq.</li> -<li>Alderman Matt. Addison, of Preston, gent.</li> -<li>Alderman Wm. Sudall, of Preston, gent.</li> -<li>Alderman Wm. Cottam, of Preston, gent.</li> -<li>Edward Downes, of Wesham, gent.</li> -<li>Edmund Turner, of Goosnargh, yeoman.</li> -<li>Thomas Nickson, of Plumpton, gent.</li> -<li>Robt. Crane, of Layton, gent.</li> -<li>Wm. Latewise, of Catterall, gent.</li> -<li>Wm. Whitehead, of Garstang, gent.</li> -<li>Edward Veale, of Layton, Esq.</li> -<li>Rd. Wilkins, of Kirkham, yeoman.</li> -</ul> - -<p>One of the duties of these Classes was to examine, ordain, and -appoint ministers, or presbyters, as they were called, whenever -vacancies occurred in the district over which, respectively, they -had jurisdiction; subjoined is the certificate given in the case of -Cuthbert Harrison, B.A., when selected and appointed presbyter -of Singleton chapel:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Whereas Cuthbert Harrison, B.A., aged 30 years, hath addressed himself to -us, authorised by ordinance of parliament of 22 Aug. 1646, for ordination of -ministers, desiring to be ordained a presbyter, being chosen by the inhabitants -within the chapelry of Singleton to officiate there; and having been examined by -us the ministers of the Seventh Classis, and found sufficiently qualified -for the ministerial functions, according to the rules preserved in the said ordinance,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -and thereupon approved—we have this day solemnly set him apart to the office of -presbyter and work of the ministry of the gospel, by laying on of hands by us -present, with fasting and prayer, by virtue whereof we declare him to be a lawful -and sufficiently authorised minister of Jesus Christ. In testimony whereof we -have hereunto put our hands the 27th Nov., 1651.”</p> - -<p class="center">(Here follow the signatures.)</p> - -</div> - -<p>In 1648 General Langdale, a royalist officer, appealed to the -loyalty of the northern counties to attempt a rescue of the imprisoned -monarch from the hands of his enemies. Many rushed -to his standard, and the parliamentarians of the Fylde shared the -general consternation which pervaded Lancashire at the success of -his effort to rekindle the still smouldering embers of civil war. -There is no necessity to trace the steps of this ill-judged enterprise -to its disastrous issue, but suffice it to say that the defeat and -routing of the little army was followed at a very short interval by -the execution of Charles I., after a formal trial in which he disclaimed -the jurisdiction of the court.</p> - -<p>On the 22nd of June, 1650, a meeting of Commissioners under -the Great Seal of England was held at Preston—“for inquiring -into and certeifying of the certeine numbers and true yearely -value of all parsonages and vicariges presentative, of all and every -the sp’uall and eccli’call benefices, livings, and donatives within -the said countye”; and after examining the good and lawful men -of Kirkham and Lytham, it was recommended by the assembly -that Goosnargh and Whittingham should be formed into a -separate parish on account of their great distance from the church -at Kirkham. At this inquiry it was also stated that—“the -inhabitants of Newsham desired to be annexed to Woodplumpton; -the inhabitants of Clifton and Salwick, together with the -inhabitants of Newton-cum-Scales, and the upper end of Treales, -desired to be united in one parish. Singleton chappell, newly -erected, desired that it might be made a parish. The inhabitants -of Weeton-cum-Preese desired that that township might be made -a parish, and the inhabitants of Rawcliffe desired to be annexed to -it. The townships of Rigby-cum-Wraye, and of Warton, and of -Kellamore-cum-Bryning, and Westbye-cum-Plumpton, all humbly -desired to be made a parish. The several townships of Eccleston -Parva-cum-Labrecke, and the inhabitants of Medlar and Thistleton, -and the inhabitants of Rossaker-cum-Wharles, desired to be -annexed to Elswick, and that it might be made a parish.” Although<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -at that time these petitions failed in obtaining their -objects, much the same thing has been accomplished in more -recent years by Lord Blandford’s Act, by which separate parochial -districts, as far as ecclesiastical matters are concerned, have been -appropriated to each church, thus rendering it independent of the -mother-church of the ancient parish in which it might happen to -be situated.</p> - -<p>In 1651 the son of the unfortunate monarch, who had been -proclaimed king by the Scotch under the title of Charles II., -crossed the frontier and invaded England with a force of fourteen -thousand men. That year the earl of Derby, Sir Thomas -Tyldesley, and several other officers, sailed from the Isle of Man, -whither they had retired, in obedience to the call of the young -prince, and landed either on the Warren, at the mouth of the -river Wyre, or at Skippool higher up the stream, with a regiment -of two hundred and fifty infantry and sixty cavalry. Two of the -vessels grounded during the operation of disembarking the horses, -and in the heavy winds that ensued were reduced to total wrecks. -As soon as the news of the earl of Derby’s arrival on the banks of -the Wyre was rumoured abroad, “all the ships,” says the <i>Perfect -Diurnall</i>, “were wafted out of the rivers of Liverpool, and set -sail with a fair wind fore Wirewater, where the Frigots rid that -brought the Lord Derby over with his company, to surprise them -and prevent his Lordship escaping any way by water.” The earl -marched through the Fylde, but the martial ardour of the -inhabitants was not so readily excited as on former occasions, for -the recollection of their abusive and piratical treatment by the -troopers of Colonel Goring, in 1644, was still fresh in their minds, -and effectually checked any feelings of enthusiasm at seeing the -royal banners once again unfurled in their midst. A scattered -few, however, there were who were willing to forget the misdeeds -of the agents in their eagerness for the success of the cause, and -with such meagre additions to his strength the earl hastened on. -At Preston he raised six hundred horse, and shortly afterwards -encountered the parliamentarians, under Colonel Lilburne, at -Wigan-lane, where the royalists were defeated with great -slaughter. Sir Thomas Tyldesley was slain, and the gallant earl -escaped from the field only to be taken prisoner in Cheshire and -suffer the fate of his late regal master, Charles I. Alexander<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -Rigby, the grandson of the Alexander Rigby, of Layton, before -mentioned, and only seventeen years of age, also took part in this -eventful engagement, and twenty-eight years subsequently, when -High Sheriff of the county of Lancaster, erected a monument to -the memory of Major-General Sir Thomas Tyldesley near the -spot where he fell. So universally esteemed was the valiant -knight for his bravery and honourable conduct that the title of -“Chevalier sans peur et sans reproche” was conferred upon him -alike by friends and enemies. Charles II., after the overthrow of -his army by Cromwell, adopted the disguise of a peasant, and -having narrowly escaped detection by hiding himself amidst the -foliage of an oak tree, fled at the first opportunity over to France. -Cromwell was now installed in the chief seat of authority and held -the reins of government under the style of Lord Protector.</p> - -<p>In 1660, two years after the death of Cromwell, Charles II. -was recalled and placed upon the throne; and in 1662 -a law was passed by which it was enacted that before St. -Bartholomew’s Day of that year, all ministers should arrange -their services according to the rules contained in the new book of -Common Prayer, under pain of dismissal from their preferments. -The following letter was received by the churchwardens of -Garstang, ordering the ejectment of the Rev. Isaac Ambrose, who -was a member of the family of Ambrose of Ambrose Hall, in -Wood Plumpton, from his benefice on account of his refusal to -conform to the arbitrary regulation:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Whereas in a late act of Parliament for uniformitie, it is enacted that every -parson, vicar, curate, lecturer, or other ecclesiasticall person, neglecting or refusing, -before the Feast Day of St. Bartholomew, 1662, to declare openly before their -respective congregations, his assent and consent to all things contained in the -book of common prayer established by the said act, <i>ipso facto</i>, be deposed, and that -every person not being in holy orders by episcopall ordination, and every parson, -vicar, curate, lecturer, or other ecclesiasticall person, failing in his subscription to -a declaration mentioned in the said act to be subscribed before the Feast Day of -St. Bartholomew, 1662, shall be utterly disabled, and <i>ipso facto</i> deprived, and his -place be void, as if the person so failing be naturally dead. And whereas Isaac -Ambrose, late Vicar of Garstang, in the county of Lancaster, hath neglected to -declare and subscribe according to the tenor of the said act, I doe therefore declare -the church of Garstang to be now void, and doe strictly charge the said Isaac -Ambrose, late vicar of the said church, to forbear preaching, lecturing, or officiating -in the said church, or elsewhere in the diocese of Chester. And the churchwardens -of the said parish of Garstang are hereby required (as by duty they are -bound) to secure and preserve the said parish church of Garstang from any<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -invasion or intrusion of the said Isaac Ambrose, disabled and deprived as above -said by the said act, and the churchwardens are also required upon sight hereof to -show this order to the said Isaac Ambrose, and cause the same to be published -next Sunday after in the Parish Church of Garstang, before the congregation, as -they will answer the contrary.—Given under my hand this 29th day of August, -1662.</p> - -<p class="center">“Geo. Cestriens.</p> - -<p class="center">“To the Churchwardens of Garstang, in the County Palatine of Lancaster.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In this county sixty-seven ministers refused to submit to the -mandate, and were removed from their churches by the authority -of documents similar to the above, and prohibited from officiating -in their priestly capacity anywhere within the diocese. Amongst -the number, so interdicted, were the Rev. W. Bullock, of -Hambleton, the Rev. Joseph Harrison, of Lund chapel, and the -Rev. Nathaniel Baxter, M.A., of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. The -Nonconformists were subsequently subjected to even greater -harshness and injustice by an act which decreed that no -clergyman, belonging to any of their sects, should reside within -five miles of the town or place at which he had last preached, -unless he took an oath as under:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“I do swear that it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take arms -against the king, and that I do abhor the traitorous position of taking arms -against his authority; against his person; or against those that are commissioned -by him, in pursuance of such commissions; and that I will not at any time -endeavour any alteration of government either in church or state.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The sufferings experienced by those ministers who had been -deprived of their benefices are described as having been extreme, -nay, almost intolerable, and it was doubtless owing to the great -severity practised towards the body of Nonconformists that the -old creed gained such little popularity for some time after its -re-establishment.</p> - -<p>Charles II., soon after the restoration of monarchy at his -coronation, determined to create a new order of knighthood, to -be called the “Royal Oak,” as a reward to some of the more -distinguished of his faithful adherents, and amongst the number -selected for the honour were Col. Kirkby, of Upper Rawcliffe, -Richard Butler, of Out Rawcliffe, and Edward Tyldesley, of Fox -Hall, Blackpool.<a id="FNanchor_43" href="#Footnote_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> The design was shortly abandoned by the advice<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -of the crown ministers, who foresaw that the necessarily limited -distribution of the distinction would give rise to jealousy and -animosity amongst those who had been active in the late wars.</p> - -<p>In 30 Charles II. a statute was passed entitled “An act for -lessening the importation of linen from beyond the seas, and the -encouragement of the woollen and paper manufactories of the -kingdom”; and by it was provided, under a penalty of £5, half of -which was to be distributed to the poor of the parish, that at -every interment throughout the country a certificate should be -presented to the officiating minister stating that the winding -sheet of the deceased person was composed of woollen material and -not of linen, as heretofore. The certificate ordered to be used -at every burial ran thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“<i>A</i>, of the parish of <i>B</i>, in the county of <i>C</i>, maketh Oath that <i>D</i>, of the parish -of <i>B</i>, in the county of <i>C</i>, lately deceased, was not put in, wrapt or wound up or -Buried, in any Shirt, Shift, Sheet, or Shroud, made or mingled with Flax, Hemp, -Silk, Hair, Gold, or Silver, or other than that which is made of Sheep’s Wool -only. Nor in any Coffin lined or faced with any cloth, stuff, or anything whatsoever, -made or mingled with Flax, Hemp, Silk, Hair, Gold, or Silver, or any other -material but Sheep’s Wool only.</p> - -<p>“Dated the ... day of ... in the xxxth year of the reign of our -Sovereign Lord, Charles the second, king of England, Scotland, France, and -Ireland, etc.</p> - -<p>“Sealed and Subscribed by us, who were present and witnesses to the Swearing -of the above said affidavit</p> - -<p class="right">(Signatures of two witnesses.)</p> - -<p>“I, ..., esq., one of the King’s Majesties Justices of the Peace for the -County above said, do hereby certify that the day and year above said <i>A</i> came before -me and made such affidavit as is above specified according to the late Act of -Parliament, entitled An Act for burying in Woollen.</p> - -<p class="right">(Signature.)”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The foregoing statute was amended two years later, and the -modified enactment continued in force for some time, when it was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -repealed. In the registers of old churches, such as Bispham, -Poulton, Kirkham, and St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, where they have -been preserved, notices of burials according to this regulation -during the two years it was in operation, may be seen; and -amongst the records of the Thirty-men, or governing body of -Kirkham, is an entry of expenses incurred when they went “to -justice Stanley” to obtain his authority to “demand 50s. for -Tomlinson’s wife buried in linen,” contrary to the law.</p> - -<p>Three years from the accession of James II., his repeated -attempts to curtail the civil and religious liberties of his subjects -had so far incensed them against him that William, Prince of -Orange, was invited over to free them from his rule. In 1688 -James abdicated the throne, and the following year William and -Mary were crowned at Westminster. Annexed is a list of the -gentry residing in the Fylde from the reign of Henry VIII., to -their accession, as prepared from original records and private -manuscripts:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Allen of Rossall Hall.</li> -<li>Ambrose of Ambrose Hall.</li> -<li>Bradley of Bryning.</li> -<li>Bradshaw of Preese and Scales.</li> -<li>Butler of Rawcliffe Hall.</li> -<li>Butler of Layton and Hackensall.</li> -<li>Clifton of Westby.</li> -<li>Eccleston of Great Eccleston Hall.</li> -<li>Fleetwood of Plumpton.</li> -<li>Fleetwood of Rossall Hall.</li> -<li>Hesketh of Mains Hall.</li> -<li>Kirkby of Upper Rawcliffe.</li> -<li>Kirkby of Mowbreck.</li> -<li>Leigh of Singleton.</li> -<li>Longworth of St. Michael’s Hall.</li> -<li>Lowde of Kirkham.</li> -<li>Massey of Carleton.</li> -<li>Molyneux of Larbrick Hall.</li> -<li>Parker of Bradkirk Hall.</li> -<li>Rigby of Layton Hall.</li> -<li>Sharples of Freckleton.</li> -<li>Shuttleworth of Larbrick.</li> -<li>Singleton of Singleton.</li> -<li>Singleton of Staining Hall.</li> -<li>Stanley of Great Eccleston Hall.</li> -<li>Tyldesley of Fox Hall, Blackpool.</li> -<li>Veale of Whinney Heys.</li> -<li>Westby of Rawcliffe.</li> -<li>Westby of Mowbreack and Burn Halls.</li> -</ul> - -<p>James II., when force of circumstances had driven him into -exile, left a considerable number of supporters behind him, chiefly -amongst the Roman Catholics, who were not dilatory in devising -schemes for his re-establishment. On the 16th of May, 1690, -Robert Dodsworth deposed upon oath, before Lord Chief Justice -Holt, that the following Popish gentry of the Fylde, amongst -others, had entered into a conspiracy to restore James, and that -they had received commissions as indicated for the purpose of -raising troops to carry out the enterprise:—Colonel Thomas<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -Tyldesley, son of the late Sir Thomas; Captains Ralph Tyldesley, -son of the late Sir Thomas; Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, -nephew to the two preceding; Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, -and Henry, his eldest son; Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck Hall, -and William, his third son, who was designated a lieutenant; and -Lieutenant Richard Stanley, of Great Eccleston Hall. Nothing -is recorded as to the result of the above information, but in 1694 -Sir Thomas Clifton, brother to Cuthbert Clifton, of Lytham, was -arraigned, with several more, on a charge of treason in connection -with a reported Jacobite plot, but was acquitted, as also were those -with him. During the course of the trial, Thomas Patten, of -Preston, as witness to the loyalty of Sir Thomas Clifton to the -existing government, stated that “in 1689 he received orders from -the Lord Lieutenant to secure several Popish gentlemen, and that -amongst them Sir Thomas Clifton was one who was taken and -brought prisoner to Preston upon the 16th day of June in that -year; that Sir Thomas being a very infirm man and unfit to be -carried so far as Manchester, which was the place where the rest -of the Popish gentlemen then made prisoners were secured, he -undertook for Sir Thomas, and prevailed to have him kept at his -(Patten’s) own house in Preston, where he continued prisoner, and -was not discharged until the January following, at which time all -the gentlemen were set at liberty; that during Sir Thomas -Clifton’s confinement he expressed to him much zeal and affection -to the present government, saying how much the persons of his -religion ought to be satisfied with their usage, as putting no difference -betwixt them and other subjects save the public exercise of -their religion, so long as they themselves would be quiet, and -protested for himself that he could never endure to think of -practising any change.” Further Mr. Patten affirmed “that he -knew Sir Thomas’s disposition to have always been peaceful and -quiet.” During the time that James II. was engaged in inciting -the Irish nation to espouse his cause and furnish him with an -army to invade England and regain his throne, Thomas Tyldesley, -of Fox Hall, prepared a secret chamber in that mansion for his -reception. The disastrous battle of the Boyne, however, in which -James was vanquished by William, Prince of Orange, and King -of England, crushed all hope of future success in the fallen -monarch, and at the earliest opportunity he escaped to France.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -In 1715, during the reign of George I., his son, the Chevalier de -St. George was proclaimed king in Scotland under the title of -James III. The earl of Mar and several other influential supporters -of the Stuarts assembled a large force and marched southwards; -on arriving at the border five hundred of the Highlanders -refused to proceed further, but the remainder passed through the -northern counties as far as Preston. Here they were besieged by -the loyal troops under Generals Carpenter and Wills, who -stormed the town and forced the rebels to an unconditional -surrender. Many of the leaders were executed, whilst others -were incarcerated for various terms; the general treatment of -their unfortunate followers may be gleaned from the journal of -William Stout, of Lancaster, in which it is written:—“After the -rebellion was suppressed about 400 of the rebels were brought to -Lancaster Castle, and a regiment of Dragoons was quartered in -the town to guard them. The king allowed them each 4d. a day -for maintenance, viz., 2d. in bread, 1d. in cheese, and 1d. in small -beer. And they laid on straw in stables most of them, and in a -month’s time about 100 of them were conveyed to Liverpool to be -tried, where they were convicted and near 40 of them hanged at -Preston, Garstang, Lancaster, etc.; and about 200 of them continued -a year, and about 50 of them died, and the rest were -transported to America.” Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, died in -1715, just before the outbreak of the rebellion, but his son Edward, -who succeeded him, joined the rebels. For this act of treason he -was put on his trial, but escaped conviction and punishment -through the favour of the jury, by whom he was acquitted -in spite of clear and reliable evidence that he had entered -Preston at the head of a company of insurgents with a -drawn sword in his hand. After the capitulation, when -the king’s troops had entered the town and were marching -along the streets, many men from our district, who had -congregated on Spiral’s Moss, armed with fowling pieces and -implements of husbandry, joined their ranks, and a huge duck-gun -belonging to a yeoman named Jolly, from Mythorp, near Blackpool, -was instrumental in doing good service to the besiegers by -slaying one Mayfield, of the Ashes, Goosnargh. The rebel had -secreted himself behind a chimney on one of the houses, and was -engaged in picking off the loyal soldiers as they made their way<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -along the thoroughfare below. His murderous fire was at length -put an end to by a charge from the famed gun of Jolly, whose -keen eye had detected the assassin in his hiding place. Jolly -himself appears to have had an aversion to causing the death of a -fellow-creature in cold blood, even though a rebel, and the credit -of the shot is due to a soldier, whose own weapon failed in reaching -the object. The Rev. W. Thornber tells us in his History of -Blackpool, that the family of the Jollys, for many years, treasured -up the wonderful gun, and that the tale of its exploit was circulated -far and wide in the neighbourhood of their home. From -the remarks of the Rev.—Patten, who accompanied the army of -the Chevalier, as chaplain to General Forster, we learn that those -who joined the insurgents in Lancashire were chiefly Papists, -and that the members of the High-church party held aloof, much -to the disappointment and chagrin of General Forster, who, in his -anger, declared “that for the time to come he would never again -believe a drunken tory.” Edward Tyldesley, Henry Butler, of -Rawcliffe Hall, and his son Richard Butler, were the most distinguished -personages amongst the small body of men belonging to -this section who openly espoused the cause of the Pretender. The -paucity of the recruits attracted by the insurgent standard from our -neighbourhood is easily to be accounted for, when it is remembered -that for many years the county of Lancashire had enjoyed an -immunity from strifes and disturbances, so that the inhabitants of -the rural districts, such as the Fylde, had settled down to the -cultivation of the soil, and would care little to assist in a work -which as far as they were privately concerned, could only terminate -in the devastation of their fields, and, probably, in the ruin of -many of their households. Especially, in 1715, would the people -be disinclined to take part in or encourage insurrectionary and warlike -proceedings, for in that year extraordinarily bountiful -harvests had rewarded their labours, and general prosperity had -taught them the blessings of peace.<a id="FNanchor_44" href="#Footnote_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> After the rebellion of 1715 -many Papists registered their estates and the respective yearly -values thereof, according to an Act of Parliament passed in the -reign of George I., and amongst the number may be observed the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -names of sundry local personages as:—</p> - -<table summary="Catholic local residents and the values of their estates"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th></th> - <th></th> - <th colspan="5">Annual Value.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="nw">Sherburne, Sir Nicholas,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Carleton, Hambleton, and Stonyhurst</td> - <td class="tdr">£1210</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td>s.</td> - <td class="tdr">3½</td> - <td>d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, Mary,</td> - <td>⎱</td> - <td rowspan="2" class="valign">wife and only child of Rich. Butler, who died in gaol,</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, Catherine,</td> - <td>⎰</td> - <td class="tdr">537</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, Elizabeth,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Kirkland, afterwards the third wife of Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe,</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, Christopher,</td> - <td></td> - <td>second son of H. Butler, of Rawcliffe,</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">6</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brockholes, John,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Claughton, etc.,</td> - <td class="tdr">522</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">1</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clifton, Thomas,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Lytham, Clifton, etc.,</td> - <td class="tdr">1548</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">10½</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clifton, Bridget,</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blackburne, Thomas,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Wood Plumpton,</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blackburne, Richard,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Stockenbridge, near St. Michael’s,</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesketh, William,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Mains,</td> - <td class="tdr">198</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">4½</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesketh, George,</td> - <td></td> - <td>brother to W. Hesketh,</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">8</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesketh, Margaret,</td> - <td></td> - <td>widow of Thos. Hesketh, of Mains,</td> - <td class="tdr">57</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, Anne,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Staining and Bardsea,</td> - <td class="tdr">76</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">10</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stanley, Anne,</td> - <td></td> - <td>widow of Richard Stanley of Great Eccleston,</td> - <td class="tdr">118</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swartbreck, John,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Little Eccleston,</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tyldesley, Edward,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Fox Hall, and Myerscough,</td> - <td class="tdr">720</td> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">2</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tyldesley, Agatha,</td> - <td></td> - <td>half-sister of Edward Tyldesley,</td> - <td class="tdr">52</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Threlfall, Cuthbert,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Wood Plumpton,</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - <td class="tdr">12</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">6</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westby, John,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of White Hall, St. Michael’s,</td> - <td class="tdr">119</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">1</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westby, John,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Mowbreck,</td> - <td class="tdr">230</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1½</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westby, Thomas,</td> - <td>⎱</td> - <td rowspan="2" class="valign">bros. of J. Westby, of Mowbreck,</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westby, Cuthbert,</td> - <td>⎰</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leckonby, William,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Leckonby House, Elswick, etc.,</td> - <td class="tdr">79</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">6</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walley, Thurstan,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Kirkham,</td> - <td class="tdr">12</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">8</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charnock, Anne,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Salwick,</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knott, Thomas,</td> - <td></td> - <td>of Thistleton,</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - </table> - -<p>Prince Charles Edward, the son of the former Pretender, -landed in the Hebrides, in 1745, with a well-officered force of two -thousand men, and after defeating Sir John Cope, seized the city -of Edinburgh and commenced his march southwards. Crossing -the border, he passed through Lancashire, and arrived at Preston -with an army barely six thousand strong. At Preston he met -with an enthusiastic welcome, the church bells were rung, and -loud cheers greeted the proclamation of his father, the Chevalier, -as king of Great Britain and Ireland. His sojourn in the town -was brief, and on the 27th of November the rebel troops set out -for Manchester, inspirited by the lively strains of “The King -shall have his own again.” Arriving at that city, they continued<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -their march towards Derby, where, on receiving the news that the -Duke of Cumberland was at Lichfield on his way to intercept -them, Prince Charles Edward hastened to beat a retreat, and on -the 12th of December re-passed through the streets of Preston, -the wearied feet of his followers keeping time to the doleful but -appropriate air of “Hie the Charlie home again.”</p> - -<p>The battle on the moor of Culloden, in which the rebel army -was defeated by the Duke of Cumberland, finally decided the fate -of the House of Stuart, and after experiencing many hardships, -Prince Charles Edward escaped across the channel into France. -James, the son of Edward Tyldesley who took part in the -insurrection of 1715, served in the army of the Young Pretender. -During the excitement and alarm produced by these rebellions, -silver spoons, tankards, and other household treasures, were -deposited for safety in a farm house at Marton; cattle and other -farm-stock were driven to Boonley, near Blackpool, whilst money -and articles of jewelry were buried in the soil of Hound Hill in -that town. The Scots who accompanied Prince Charles were so -renowned for their voracious appetites that the householders of -the Fylde prepared for their expected visit by laying in an -abundant supply of eatables, hoping that a good repast, like a soft -answer, would turn away wrath. Mr. Physic, of Poulton, was an -exception to the general rule, and having barricaded his house, -determined vigorously to resist any attack of the rebels either -on his larder or his purse. Hotly pursued by the Duke of -Cumberland in their retreat towards Scotland, the insurgents -were quickly hurried through the country, but some of the -stragglers found their way to Mains Hall, where they were -liberally provided with food by Mrs. Hesketh. It is probable that -these rebels formed part of the number of Highlanders, who were -afterwards captured at Garstang, and that one of them was the -bare-footed Scot who seized the boots of John Miller, of Layton, -dragging them from his feet with the cool remark—“Hout mon, -but I mon tak’ thy brogues.” William Hesketh, of Mains, had -considered it prudent to secrete himself on the warren at Rossall -until the excitement had subsided, as in some way or other he -had been mixed up with the former outbreak, and wished to -avoid any suspicion of having been implicated in this one also. -At the sanguinary and decisive battle of Culloden, two notorious<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -characters from Layton and Staining were present; one of them, -named Leonard Warbreck, served in the capacity of hangman at -the executions following the rebellion, whilst the other, James -Kirkham, generally known as Black Kirkham, was a gallant -soldier, remarkable for his giant-like size and immense strength. -The country people near his home were wont to declare that, -for a small wager, this warrior carried his horse and accoutrements -round the cross at Wigan to the astonishment and admiration of -the by-standers. One incident of these times, reflecting little -credit on this neighbourhood, but which, as faithful recorders, -we are bound to relate, was the journey of Henry Hardicar, of -Little Poulton, to London, a distance of two hundred and thirty-three -miles, all of which he travelled on foot, solely to gratify a -morbid taste by witnessing the legal tragedies performed on -Tower Hill. “I saw the lords heided” was his invariable -answer to all inquiries as to the wonders he had seen in the -metropolis. In this rising, as in the earlier one, the inhabitants -of the Fylde evinced their prudence and good sense by remaining -as nearly neutral as their allegiance to the reigning monarch -would permit them. Those insurgents who found their way into -the district were treated with kindness, but no encouragement -was given them to prolong their stay, either by professions of -sympathy or offers of assistance in their insurrectionary enterprise.</p> - -<p>We have at last come to the end of the long chain of wars and -disturbances which from the period of the struggles between the -Houses of York and Lancaster, had exercised their baneful -influence on the territory and population of the Fylde, and are -now entering on an era of peace and unbroken prosperity. The -small water-side hamlets of Blackpool and Lytham put forth -their rival claims to the patronage of the inland residents,—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And had their claims allow’d.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In 1788, Mr. Hutton described the former place as consisting of -about fifty houses and containing four hundred visitors in the -height of the season. This historian also informs us, that the -inhabitants were remarkable for their great longevity, and relates -the anecdote of a woman who, forming one of a group of -sympathising friends around the couch of a dying man, exclaimed—“Poor -John! I knew him a clever young fellow four score -years ago.” Lytham, also, attracted a considerable number of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -visitors during the summer, and for many years was a more -popular resort than Blackpool. In Mr. Baines’s account of -Lytham, published in 1825, we read as follows:—“This is one of -the most popular sea-bathing places in the county of Lancashire; -and if the company is less fashionable than at Blackpool, it is -generally more numerous, and usually very respectable.”</p> - -<p>A list of the Catholic Chapels and Chaplains, together with -the number of their respective congregations, in the county of -Lancaster, was collected in 1819, and subjoined are enumerated -those situated in the Hundred of Amounderness:—</p> - -<table summary="A list of the Catholic Chapels and Chaplains, together with -the number of their respective congregations, in the Hundred of Amounderness"> - <tr> - <th>Place.</th> - <th>Chapels.</th> - <th colspan="2">Priest.</th> - <th></th> - <th>No. of<br />Congregation.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td>Revd.</td> - <td>⸺ Dunn</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td rowspan="4" class="tdr valign">6,000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Morris</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Gore</td> - <td>⎪</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Bird</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alston Lane</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Cowburne</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">400</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fernyhalgh</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Blakoe</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Hill</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Martin</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">450</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Claughton</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Gradwell</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">800</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scorton</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Lawrenson</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">350</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garstang</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Storey</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">600</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>New House</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Marsh</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">600</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cottam</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Caton</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lea</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Anderton</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">400</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Willows</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Sherburne</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">600</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westby</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Butler</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lytham</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Dawson</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Poulton</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Platt</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">400</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>⸺ Parkinson</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">450</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Total</td> - <td class="tdr bt">16</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt"><a id="FNanchor_45" href="#Footnote_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a>12,650</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In 1836 the first house of Fleetwood was erected, and in a few -years the desolate warren at the mouth of the Wyre was converted -into a rising and prosperous town. The rapidity of its early -growth may be inferred from the following paragraph, extracted -from a volume on Lancashire, published during the infancy of this -new offspring of the Fylde:—“As a bathing place, it possesses -very superior attractions: hot water baths, inns, and habitations -of all kinds have sprung as if by magic on one of the most -agreeable sites it is possible to imagine, very superior to any other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span> -in Lancashire, admitting, as from a central point, excursions by -land and water in all directions, amongst some of the most -beautiful scenery in the empire. A couple of hours steaming takes -the tourist across Morecambe Bay to the Furness capital, and into -the heart of a district of surpassing interest. Charming indeed -is Fleetwood in the height of the summer, with its cool sands, -northern aspect, and delightful prospects. First there is a noble -bay in front, an ocean of itself when the tide is in; and when it -is out offering firm sands of vast extent, for riding or walking.” -Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., of Rossall Hall, lord of the -manor, and founder of the town to which he gave his name, was -returned on four occasions as one of the parliamentary representatives -of Preston:—</p> - -<p class="center90">MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FOR PRESTON.</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>1832.—Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and the Hon. Henry Thos. Stanley.</li> -<li>1835.—Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and the Hon. Henry Thos. Stanley.</li> -<li>1837.—Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and Robert Townley Parker.</li> -<li>1841.—Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., and Sir Geo. Strickland, Bart.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The year 1840 was an auspicious one in the history of the Fylde. -On the 25th of July, the Preston and Wyre Railway, running -through the heart of this district, was completed and declared -open for traffic. By its means the farmer became enabled to -convey his produce to the extensive market of Preston; and -Kirkham, Poulton, and Garstang were no longer the only towns -accessible to our agriculturists for the sale of their crops. The -early appreciation of the utility and benefit of the line is apparent -from the rapid increase of its traffic, as shown by the annexed -tables, in which the official returns of passengers and goods for -the week ending Dec. 14th, 1842, and the corresponding weeks -of the four succeeding years are stated:—</p> - -<table summary="Comparative traffic figures for the railway line over a five year period"> - <tr> - <td>Week ending Dec. 14th, 1842.</td> - <td class="tdr">911</td> - <td>Passengers.</td> - <td class="tdr">£65</td> - <td class="tdr">10s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td>Goods.</td> - <td class="tdr">62</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">127</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">18</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corresponding week in 1843.</td> - <td class="tdr">1105</td> - <td>Passengers.</td> - <td class="tdr">88</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td>Goods.</td> - <td class="tdr">140</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">228</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">13</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">3</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span>Corresponding week in 1844.</td> - <td class="tdr">1601</td> - <td>Passengers.</td> - <td class="tdr">139</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td>Goods.</td> - <td class="tdr">163</td> - <td class="tdr">18</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">303</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">3</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">5</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corresponding week in 1845.</td> - <td class="tdr">1997</td> - <td>Passengers.</td> - <td class="tdr">144</td> - <td class="tdr">12</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td>Goods.</td> - <td class="tdr">234</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">379</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">5</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">5</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corresponding week in 1846.</td> - <td class="tdr">2820</td> - <td>Passengers.</td> - <td class="tdr">243</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td>Goods.</td> - <td class="tdr">308</td> - <td class="tdr">18</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">552</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">17</td> - <td class="tdr bt bb">5</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>At the present date, 1876, the average weekly traffic on this -railway and its branches to Lytham and Blackpool, amounts -in round numbers to £1,200 for passengers, and £800 for goods.</p> - -<p>The Preston and Wyre Railway was amongst the earliest formed, -and the impression made on the natives of this district, who had -been accustomed to the slow-going coaches, must have been one -of no little amazement, when, for the first time, they beheld the -“iron horse” steaming along the rails at a speed which their past -experience of travelling would make them regard as impossible. -The following lines were written by a gentleman named Henry -Anderton, a resident in the Fylde, on the opening of the railway:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Some fifty years since and a coach had no power,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To move faster forward than six miles an hour,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Till Sawney McAdam made highways as good,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As paving-stones crushed into little bits could.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The coachee quite proud of his horse-flesh and trip,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Cried, ‘Go it, ye cripples!’ and gave them the whip,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And ten miles an hour, by the help of the thong,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They put forth their mettle and scampered along.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The Present has taken great strides of the Past,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For carriages run without horses at last!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And what is more strange,—yet it’s truth I avow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Hack-horses themselves have turned passengers now!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">These coaches alive go in sixes and twelves,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And once set in motion they travel themselves!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They’ll run thirty miles while I’m cracking this joke,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And need no provisions but pump-milk and coke!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And with their long chimneys they skim o’er the rails,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With two thousand hundred-weight tied to their tails!</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> - <div class="verse indent0">While Jarvey in stupid astonishment stands,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Upturning both eyes and uplifting both hands,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘My nags,’ he exclaims, betwixt laughing and crying,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Are good ’uns to go, but yon devils are flying.’”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The fares on the Preston and Wyre Railway at its commencement -were:—</p> - -<table summary="The fares on the Preston and Wyre Railway at its commencement"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="2">1st class.</th> - <th colspan="2">2nd class.</th> - <th colspan="2">3rd class.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston to Fleetwood or Blackpool</td> - <td>4s.</td> - <td>6d.</td> - <td>3s.</td> - <td>0d.</td> - <td>2s.</td> - <td>0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston to Poulton</td> - <td>3s.</td> - <td>6d.</td> - <td>2s.</td> - <td>6d.</td> - <td>1s.</td> - <td>6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston to Kirkham</td> - <td>2s.</td> - <td>0d.</td> - <td>1s.</td> - <td>3d.</td> - <td>0s.</td> - <td>9d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston to Lytham</td> - <td>3s.</td> - <td>0d.</td> - <td>2s.</td> - <td>6d.</td> - <td>1s.</td> - <td>6d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Until the opening of the branch lines to Lytham and Blackpool -respectively, in 1846, passengers completed their journies from -Kirkham and Poulton to those watering places by means of -coaches. Three trains ran from the terminus at Fleetwood to -Preston on each week-day, and one on Sunday, a similar number -returning.</p> - -<p>In consequence of the severe distress prevailing throughout the -country, a proclamation was issued by Her Majesty for a General -Fast to be held on Wednesday, the 24th of March, 1847; and -from the public prints of that date it is evident that the occasion -was observed with great solemnity in our division—the shops of -the different towns were closed during the whole of the day, the -streets were quiet, the hotels deserted, whilst the churches were -crowded even to overflowing. This distress was caused by an -almost complete failure in the potatoe harvests; and at that time -these necessary articles of diet were sold at 26s. per load in the -local markets, whilst meal, also scarce, rose to 52s. per load.</p> - -<p>In September of the same year, the Fylde was honoured by a -passing visit from Queen Victoria and the late Prince Consort, -who arrived at Fleetwood in the Royal Yacht on their return -journey from Scotland to London. An address was presented -by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart., the Rev. St. Vincent Beechey, -Frederick Kemp, esq., James Crombleholme, esq., and Daniel -Elletson, esq., on behalf of the inhabitants of Fleetwood, and -received by Lord Palmerston, who promised that it should be -laid before the Queen. In the course of a few days an -acknowledgment was received from the metropolis. In Her -Majesty’s book, published in 1868, and entitled “Leaves from -our Highland Journal,” these diarian entries relating to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -above event appear:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="right">“Monday, September 20th, 1847.</p> - -<p>“We anchored at seven in Fleetwood Harbour; the entrance was extremely -narrow and difficult. We were lashed close to the pier, to prevent our being -turned by the tide; and when I went on deck there was a great commotion, such -running and calling, and pulling of ropes, etc. It was a cheerless evening, -blowing hard.”</p> - -<p class="right">“Tuesday, September 21st, 1847.</p> - -<p>“At ten o’clock we landed, and proceeded by rail to London.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In 1860, a project was launched for a comprehensive scheme of -water supply for the towns of this district; a company was -established, and, in the session of 1861, an act of parliament was -obtained “for incorporating the Fylde Waterworks Company, and -for authorising them to make and maintain waterworks, and -to supply water at Kirkham, Lytham, Blackpool, Fleetwood, -Poulton, Rossall, Garstang, South-shore, and Bispham, in the -county palatine of Lancaster, and to shipping at Fleetwood and -Lytham.” The act granted power to take the water from Grizedale -Brook, a tributary of the Wyre, which rises in Grizedale Fell, -one of the Bleasdale range, and, flowing through the gorge or -pass, called Nickey Nook, divides the township of Nether-Wyersdale -and Barnacre-with-Bonds, and falls into the Wyre a -mile or so before that river reaches Garstang. A dam or embankment, -upwards of 20 feet high, 70 feet wide at the base, and 12 -feet wide at the top, was raised across the valley, converting the -upper portion of it into a reservoir. At the west end of the -reservoir, below the embankment, is a culvert, through which -the water passes to a guage, where a stipulated quantity is turned -into the brook, and the rest enters the pipe for the Fylde. -Twelve miles of twelve inch pipes carry the water to the service -reservoir at Weeton. The course is down Grizedale, under the -railway, through Greenhalgh Green, Bowgrave, leaving Garstang -to the right, then past Catterall Mill, through the grounds -of Catterall Hall, and onward to the east of St. Michael’s, -through Elswick, to Weeton. The service reservoir, situated on -the most elevated ground, called Whitprick Hill, in the township -of Weeton, has a diameter at the base of 400 feet, and at the top -468 feet. The embankment is at the base 70 feet in diameter, and -12 feet at the top, with a puddle trench in it, varying from 8 feet -8 inches to 6 feet wide. To the south a 10 inch main takes the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span> -supply of water for Kirkham and Lytham; and from the west -side a main of similar size takes the water for Fleetwood and -Blackpool, the supply for the former place branching off near -Great Marton, and going by Bispham and Rossall. The Weeton -reservoir was formed capable of containing fifteen million gallons -of water. An additional pipe, running from Weeton through -Singleton, Skippool, and Thornton, to join the Fleetwood main -at Flakefleet, near Rossall, was laid in 1875; and a new reservoir, -to hold 190,000,000 gallons, is in course of formation at Barnacre, -above Grizedale.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/footer4.jpg" width="500" height="150" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">CONDITION, CUSTOMS, AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEOPLE.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">There is little to be remarked, because little is -known, respecting the social and moral aspects of -the untutored race which, in the earliest historic age, -sought a domicile or refuge amidst the forests of -the Fylde, or invaded its glades in search of prey. The habits -of the Setantii were simply those of other savage tribes who -depended for their daily sustenance upon their skill and prowess -in the chase, and whose intercommunion with the world beyond -their own limited domains, was confined to hostile or friendly -meetings with equally barbarous races whose frontiers adjoined -their own. Certain disinterred roots were necessary adjuncts -to their repasts, and indeed, on many occasions, when outwitted -by the wild tenants of the woods, formed the sole item. Their -Druidical faith and the supreme power of the priesthood over -their almost every action, both secular and religious, have already -been referred to in an earlier page. The remorseless sacrifice of -fellow beings on their unhallowed altars, and the general spirit -of cruelty and inhumanity which pervaded all their rites, are not -to be regarded as disclosing a naturally callous and brutal -disposition on the part of the Setantii, but as indications of the -deplorable ignorance in which they existed, and the blind -obedience which they yielded to the principles indoctrinated -by the Druids. That the Setantii, however submissive to the -dictates and requirements of their priests, were far from passively -allowing the encroachments of others on their liberties is shown -by the promptitude and fierceness with which they combatted -the progress of the Roman legions through their territory. No<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -portion of the British conquest cost the conquerors more trouble, -time, and bloodshed, than did the land peopled by the hardy and -valorous Brigantes with their comparatively small, but equally -intrepid, neighbours and allies the Setantii. The two most -striking characteristics of the aboriginal Fylde inhabitants were -their ignorance and bravery, and whilst the former rivetted the -chains which held them in subjection to the priesthood, the latter -incited them to oppose to the death the usurpations of the -stranger. There is nothing of local interest to recount during -the period the Romans held the soil, but after their abdication, -when the Anglo-Saxons violated their faith and traitorously -seized a land which they had come professedly to protect, the -Fylde began to evince symptoms of greater animation; villages -sprang up in different spots on the open grounds or clearings in -the woods; the solitary Roman settlement at Kirkham was -appropriated and renamed by the new arrivals, and, perhaps, -for the first time a population of numerical importance was -established in the district.</p> - -<p>During the earlier part of this era the inhabitants were graziers -rather than agriculturists or ploughmen. Three quarters, even, -of the entire kingdom were devoted to rearing and feeding cattle, -so that the grain produce of the country must have been -extremely small when compared with the superabundance of -live stock, and as a consequence of such a condition of things, -those animals which could forage for themselves and exist upon -the wild herbage of the waste lands or the fallen fruits of the -trees, as acorns and beech-mast, were to be purchased at prices -almost nominal, whilst others which required the cultivated -products of the fields, as corn and hay, for their sustenance, were -disproportionately dear; thus about the end of the tenth century -the values of the former were:—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <td>One Ox</td> - <td class="tdr">7s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0½d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Cow</td> - <td class="tdr">5s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Pig</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10½d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Sheep</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">2d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Goat</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5½d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The latter commanded these comparatively high prices—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <td>One Horse</td> - <td class="tdr">£1</td> - <td class="tdr">5s.</td> - <td class="tdr">2d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Mare, or Colt</td> - <td class="tdr">£1</td> - <td class="tdr">3s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Ass, or Mule</td> - <td class="tdr">£0</td> - <td class="tdr">14s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span></p> - -<p>Trees were valued not by the circumference or magnitude of -their trunks, but by the amount of shelter their branches would -afford to the cattle, which seem to have lived almost entirely in -the open pastures; and bearing that in mind we are not surprised -to read in the Saxon Chronicle of periodical plagues or murrains -breaking out amongst them. “In 1054,” says that journal, -“there was so great loss of cattle as was not remembered for -many winters before.” This, however, is only one extract from -frequent entries referring to similar misfortunes in different years, -both before and after the date quoted. Swine were kept in -immense herds throughout the kingdom, and there is every -probability that in a locality like the Fylde, where trees -would still abound and provender be plentifully scattered -from the oaks and beeches, hogs would be extensively bred. -Indeed immediately after the close of the Saxon empire, Roger de -Poictou conveyed his newly acquired right to pawnage (swine’s -food) in the woods of Poulton, amongst other things, to the -monastery of St. Mary, in Lancaster, a circumstance strongly -favourable to the existence of swine there in considerable -numbers. Kine, also, are usually reported to have been a -favourite stock with the breeders of Lancashire, whilst sheep -were rare in proportion, although in other places they were -exceedingly popular and profitable, chiefly from the sale of their -wool.</p> - -<p>The Saxon inhabitants of the small villages in the Fylde who -were engaged in agriculture had no knowledge of any manure -beyond marl, which they mixed with lighter and finer soils; nor -were their farm-lands cultivated all at one time, but a portion -only of the estate was subjected to the action of the plough, and -when its fertility had been thoroughly exhausted, the remainder -was tilled and brought into service, the first plot being allowed -to lie fallow for a few years until its productive powers had been -renewed. Grain was not, as now, purchased from the growers by -dealers and stored up in warehouses, but each of the neighbouring -people, as soon as the crops had been gathered into the barns, -bought whatever quantity he thought would suffice for his -household wants until the ensuing harvest, and removed it to his -own residence. The universal waste and improvident consumption -of grain during this season of abundance, led frequently to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span> -famines in other parts of the year, and many instances of that -punishment following such prodigality are related in the chronicle -before named. One notice, bearing the date 1044, says:—“This -year there was very great hunger all over England, and corn so -dear as no man ever remembered before; so that a sester of wheat -rose to sixty pence and even further.”</p> - -<p>The ploughs of our forefathers were, as would naturally be -supposed, somewhat rude and clumsy in construction, differing -considerably in appearance, although not in their <i>modus operandi</i>, -from those which may be seen furrowing the same land in the -present day. Each plough was furnished with an iron share, -in front of which, attached to the extremity of a beam projecting -anteriorly, was a wheel of moderate diameter, its purpose being to -relieve the labour of the oxen and to facilitate the guiding of the -instrument, especially in turning. The oxen employed were -ordinarily four, and yoked to the plough by means of twisted -willow bands. Horses were prohibited by law from being used -on the land, but there must have been little need, one would -imagine, for a legal prohibition in the matter when it is -remembered that horses were nearly four times as valuable as -oxen, and that the latter were fully efficient at the task. The -month of January commenced their season for preparing the -ground, and during the period thus occupied the labours of the -ploughman began each morning at sunrise, when the oxen were -tethered and conducted to the fields, where the duty of the -husbandman was lightened by the assistance of a boy, who -superintended the cattle, driving or leading them whilst at work. -In the inclement months of winter these oxen were fed and -tended in sheds under the special care of the ploughman, but -during summer they shared a common lot with the other cattle -and were turned out to pasture in the fields, being transferred to -the charge of the cowherd. Other implements of husbandry in -use, in addition to the plough, were scythes, sickles, axes, spades, -pruning-hooks, forks, and flails, besides which the farmers -possessed carts and waggons of rather a cumbersome pattern. -It is doubtful whether the harrow was known here so early, but -opinion usually refers its introduction to a later date.</p> - -<p>Of the moral tone of our Saxon settlers it is difficult to judge, -but that their business transactions were not always governed by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -a very strict sense of honour is intimated by the following -enactment, apparently framed to check repudiations of bargains -and, perhaps, to insure fair dealing:—“No one shall buy either -what is living or what is dead to the value of four pennies without -four witnesses either of the borough or of the village.” William -of Malmesbury, who wrote about a century after the Norman -Conquest, informs us that “excessive eating and drinking were -the common vices of the Saxons, in which they spent whole -nights and days without intermission.” It may, however, with -much probability be conjectured that not only is the statement in -some degree exaggerated, but that its application was designed -more particularly for the inhabitants of the larger towns than -those of comparatively sparsely populated districts like our own. -Nevertheless it cannot be claimed, with any show of reason, that -the small section of the nation established in the Fylde was -entirely uninfected by the vices which enervated and degraded -the wealthier and more populous regions of the kingdom. The -evil of intemperance in both food and drink, especially the latter, -pervaded the whole community, but as its indulgence required -both means and opportunity, its loathsome features were less -prominently visible in localities where these were scarce than in -others where they abounded. The Church used every effort to -awaken a better feeling in the minds of her degenerate sons, -and liberate them from the chains of a passion which had so -thoroughly enslaved them. Canons were directed against the -“sin of drunkenness,” and in order that no plea of ignorance -could be urged by any who had overstepped the bounds of sobriety, -a curious and minute description of the condition of body and -brain which constituted inebriation was appended to one of them, -as here quoted:—“This is drunkenness—when the state of the -mind is changed, the tongue stammers, the eyes are disturbed, -the head is giddy, the belly is swelled, and pain follows.” Ale -and mead were the beverages on which these excesses were committed, -and cow-horns the drinking cups. It would seem that -there was yet another national blemish, that of gambling, which -even invaded the cloister and threw its veil of fascination over -the clergy themselves, for a canon of the reign of Edgar ordered—“That -no priest be a hunter, or fowler, or player at tables, but -let him play upon his books, as becometh his calling.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span></p> - -<p>Water-mills, planted on the banks of streams and consisting of -square weather-boarded structures, usually open at the top, were -the means possessed during the Saxon era for grinding the cereal -products of the Fylde. The wheel which received the pressure of -the current, and conveyed its motive power to the simple machinery -within the fabric, differed little from those still in use in various -parts of the country, one of which until recently was connected -with a small mill on the brink of the brook which drains the mere -at Marton into the river Wyre, and less than a century ago another -mill, situated in the township of Marton and worked on a similar -principle, was turned by a stream from the same mere. A water-mill -is at present in use near Great Eccleston. After the grinding -process had been completed the bran and flour were separated by -hand-sieves. About seventy or eighty years after the Normans -had settled in the district these primitive sheds were superseded -by a fresh species of mill, in which sails supplied the place of the -wheel, and another element was called into service. The new -erections were of wood, and separated from the ground by a pivot -of slight altitude, on which they turned bodily in order to be fixed -in the most favourable position for their sails to reap a full -harvest of wind. Solitary specimens of this early piece of -mechanical ingenuity are still visible hereabouts, but most of the -old mills were pulled down about a hundred years ago, or less, and -rebuilt with more stable material, whilst the modern improvement -of a revolving top only, did away with the necessity for the -venerable pivot, and allowed the foundations of the edifices to be -more intimately associated with mother earth than formerly.</p> - -<p>Throughout the whole of the Saxon dynasty the mass of the -inhabitants would be what were termed the “villani,” that is, a -class forming a link between abject slavery and perfect independence. -They were not bound to any master but to the soil on -which they happened to be born, and on no plea were they -permitted to leave such localities. To the lord of the manor each -of the “villani” gave annually a certain portion of the produce -of the ground he tilled, but beyond that they acknowledged no -claim to the proceeds of their thrift by the large territorial -proprietors. When a manor changed ownership the “villani” -were transferred with it in exactly the same condition as before, -so that really they seem to have occupied the position of small<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span> -tenants paying rent in kind, with the important addition -that they were forced to pass their lives in the district where -they had first seen the light of day. It should be noted that -any “villani” not having domiciles of their own were compelled -to enter the service of others who were more fortunately -situated in that respect.</p> - -<p>During the twelfth century the house-wife’s plan of preparing -bread for the table, in the absence of public bakehouses, common -in some neighbourhoods, was to knead the dough into large flat -cakes and lay them on the hearth in full glare of the fire, where -they were permitted to remain until thoroughly baked. Bread -from pure wheat of the best quality was a luxury unattainable -except by those of high station or wealth, the bulk of the people -having to content themselves with an inferior quality, brownish -in colour and made from rye, oats, and barley. The amount of -this indispensable commodity to be sold at a specified price was -regulated by law, and the punishments for not supplying the -proper measure, or for “lack of size” as it was termed, were—for -the first offence, loss of the bread; for the second, imprisonment; -and for the third, the pillory or tumbrel.<a id="FNanchor_46" href="#Footnote_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> In 1185 the maximum -charges to be made for certain provisions were settled by an act -which decreed that the highest price for a hen should be ½d., a -sheep 5½d., a ram 8d., a hog 1s., an ox 5s. 8d., and a cow 4s. 6d.</p> - -<p>In the ensuing century no restrictions were placed upon the -tenants of the Fylde as to the course of husbandry to be pursued, -but each on renting his farm or parcel of ground cultivated it -according to the dictates of his own inclination or experience, the -only stipulation being that the soil should suffer no deterioration -from any ignorant or imprudent action on the part of the holder. -Oats and barley mixed, and a light description of wheat, very -inferior to the best grain, were the favourite crops, the former -being known as “draget,” and the latter as “siligo.” Arable land -was let at 4d. per acre, and the annual yield of each acre sown -with wheat, usually amounted to 12 bushels, the value of the grain -itself averaging about 4s. 6d. per quarter. Demand notices were -sent in two days after the rent had become due, and if not complied -with in two weeks the landlord distrained without further<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -ceremony; after an interval of another fortnight, if the money -still remained unpaid, the tenant was summarily ejected, and the -owner seized both farm and stock.</p> - -<p>The meals consumed by the peasantry comprised only two during -the twenty-four hours, one, called dinner, being eaten at nine in -the morning, and the other, supper, at five in the afternoon. It -is very possible, however, that during the summer those farm -servants whose arduous duties were entered on at daybreak, partook -of some slight repast at an early hour of the morning, but the only -meals for which regular times were appointed were the two mentioned. -During harvest the diet of the labourers consisted for the -most part of herrings, bread, and an allowance of beer, whilst -messes of pottage were far from uncommon objects on the rustic -boards. Between the year 1314 and 1326 the prices of live stock -were again arranged, as under:—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <td>The best grass fed ox</td> - <td class="tdr">16s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best cow (fat)</td> - <td class="tdr">12s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best short-horn sheep</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">2d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best goose</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">3d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best hen</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1½d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best chickens, per couple</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1½d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eggs, twenty for</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In 1338 no domestic or husbandry servant residing in the -Hundred of Amounderness was allowed to pass beyond the -boundaries of the Wapentake on profession of going to dwell or -serve elsewhere, or of setting out on a pilgrimage, without bearing -with him a letter patent stating the reason of his departure and the -date of his return. This law, which applied to all Hundreds alike, -was intended to prevent the threatened decay of agriculture from -a dearth of labourers, who heretofore had been in the habit of -deserting their employment and wandering away into other -divisions of the country, where they supported an idle and -frequently vicious existence by soliciting alms and by petty thefts.</p> - -<p>It will scarcely surprise the reader to learn that superstition was -rife amongst the populace during the periods so far noticed, and -that nothing was too absurd to be accepted as an omen, either of -good or evil, by our credulous forefathers. A timid hare encountered -in their walks abroad announced the approach of some unforeseen -calamity, as also did a blind or lame man, a woman with dishevelled -hair, or even a monk; whilst the visions of a wolf<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span> -crossing the path, St. Martin’s birds flying from left to right, a -humpbacked man, or the sound of distant thunder, were welcomed -as heralds of prosperity. All amusements were of an athletic -kind, and consisted of archery, casting heavy stones, spear darting, -wrestling, running, leaping, and sword and buckler playing. On -festivals, and occasionally at other seasons, the barbarous and -cruel sports of bull and bear-baiting were indulged in,<a id="FNanchor_47" href="#Footnote_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a> but cock-fighting -was considered, until a later epoch, an entertainment only -suitable for children, and on Shrove Tuesday each boy took his -pet bird to the school-house, which was for that day converted -into a cock-pit, superintended by the master.</p> - -<p>In 1444, the wages received by different classes of agricultural -servants were:—</p> - -<table summary="Rates of pay"> - <tr> - <td>A bailiff</td> - <td></td> - <td class="nw">£1 3s. 4d.</td> - <td class="nw">per year,</td> - <td>and 5s. for clothing,</td> - <td class="nw">with board.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A chief hind</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td rowspan="3" class="valign">£1 0s. 0d.</td> - <td rowspan="3" class="valign tdc">”</td> - <td rowspan="3" class="valign">and 4s. for clothing,</td> - <td rowspan="3" class="valign tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> carter</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> shepherd</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A woman servant</td> - <td></td> - <td class="nw">£0 10s. 0d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and 4s. for clothing,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A boy under 14</td> - <td></td> - <td class="nw">£0 6s. 0d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and 3s. for clothing,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A common husbandman</td> - <td></td> - <td class="nw">£0 15s. 0d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and 40d. for clothing,</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>At harvest time, when special labour was required, the scale of -remuneration was:—</p> - -<table summary="Rates of pay"> - <tr> - <td>A mower</td> - <td>4d.</td> - <td class="nw">per day,</td> - <td>with</td> - <td>board.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>6d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>without</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A reaper or carter</td> - <td>3d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>with</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>5d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>without</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A woman labourer, or other labourer</td> - <td>2½d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>with</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td>4½d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>without</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The statute which arranged the above rates of payment concluded -by saying that “such as deserve less shall take less, and also in places -where less is used to be given less shall be given from henceforth;” -so that the table just completed would seem to represent the -maximum rather than the ordinary scale of wages. This statute -also enacted that farm servants who purposed leaving their employers, -must engage themselves to other masters and give -reasonable warning before leaving their present ones, by which -idleness and mendicancy were effectually guarded against.</p> - -<p>The common pastimes of the inhabitants during the fifteenth -and sixteenth centuries, in addition to some of those already<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span> -enumerated which still held their sway, were club, and trap-ball, -bowling, prisoners’-bars, hood-man blind, (a game similar to the -modern blindman’s-buff, but entered into by adults alone,) battledore -and shuttlecock, and during hard frosts skating, at first by -means of the shank bone of a sheep fastened on to the sole of the -boot and afterwards with iron-shod skates. Hawking and hunting -were confined to the families of position who resided at the ancient -Halls of the Fylde and to others of similar social standing, -forming but a small proportion of the entire population. At -Christmas the largest log obtainable was lighted on the hearth -and denominated the yule log. If the mass burned throughout -the night and the whole of the next day, it was regarded as an -omen of good fortune by the members of the household, but if it -were consumed or extinguished before that time had expired, it -was looked upon as auguring adversely for their prosperity. The -first Monday after Twelfth Day was called Plough Monday, a -name still familiar to many an old Fylde man, and was observed -as a general holiday by the men whose labours were associated -with that instrument, who on this day went about the villages -from house to house asking for plough-money to spend in -ale. Their processions, if such they could be called, consisted -of a plough, which was dragged along by a number of sword-dancers; -a labourer, dressed to resemble an old woman; and -another, who was clothed in skins, and wore the tail of some -animal hanging down his back. These two oddly garbed -individuals solicited small contributions from the people whilst -the remainder were engaged in dancing, and if anyone refused to -disburse some trifling sum when requested, they turned up the -ground fronting his doorway with the plough. During -Christmas week the country people blackened their faces, and thus -disguised committed all sorts of frolics and absurdities amongst -their neighbours. The chief rustic festival, however, was appointed -for the first of May, on which day the May-pole was drawn to the -village green by several oxen, whose horns were decorated with -bunches of flowers, and accompanied by a joyous band of revellers, -who after its erection on the accustomed site held their jubilee of -feasting and dancing around it. The pole itself was covered with -floral garlands, and streamed with flags and handkerchiefs from -its summit. A Lord and Lady, or Queen, of May were elected<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -by a general vote, and to them belonged the honour of presiding -over the festivities. The costumes of these pseudo-regal -personages were liberally adorned with scarfs and ribbons, so that -their appearances should be in unison with the rest of the gay -preparations. The morris-dance formed an important feature of -the festival, and the performers in that somewhat vigorous -exercise wore richly decorated habits on to which small bells, -varying in tone, had been fastened. The new year was ushered -in with feasting and joviality, whilst friendly interchanges of -presents took place amongst all classes. In the evening, a huge -wassail-bowl filled with spiced ale was carried to the different -houses of the villages, and all who quaffed its exhilarating -contents drank prosperity to the coming year, and rewarded the -cup-bearers, usually female farm-servants, with some small -donation; the following carol in a more antique form, or some -similar one, was sung on the occasion:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Good Dame, here at your door,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Our Wassel we begin,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We are all maidens poor,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">We pray now let us in,</div> - <div class="verse indent14">With our Wassel.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Our Wassel we do fill,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">With apples and with spice,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Then grant us your good will</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To taste here once or twice</div> - <div class="verse indent14">Of our Wassel.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse center">...</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Some bounty from your hands</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Our Wassel to maintain.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We’ll buy no house nor lands</div> - <div class="verse indent2">With that which we do gain,</div> - <div class="verse indent14">With our Wassel.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>On Shrove Tuesday a barbarous custom prevailed of tying -cocks to a stake driven into the ground, and throwing at them -with sticks, until death ensued from repeated blows. St. Valentine’s -day received a merry welcome from the country swains -and maidens, who at that auspicious time made choice of, or more -properly speaking were mated to, their true loves for the year. -The all important selection was made by writing the names of an -equal number of each sex on separate slips of paper, and then -dividing them into two lots, one of which represented the males<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -and the other the females. The women drew from the male -heap, and the men from that of the females, so that each person -became possessed of two sweethearts, and the final pairing was -really the only element of real choice in the matter; in this the -men usually claimed the girl whom each of them had drawn, and -thus an amicable settlement was soon arrived at. After the -mirthful ceremony had been completed and each happy couple -duly united, the men gave treats and dances to their sweethearts, -and wore their billets for several days pinned on to their breasts -or coat sleeves. Another, and much simpler, plan of choosing a -valentine was to look out of the door or window on the eventful -morning, and the first person seen was regarded as the special -selection of the patron Saint, provided always the individual was -of the opposite sex, and unfettered by the silken bonds of Hymen. -Whitsun-ales and Easter-ales were assemblies held within, or in -the immediate neighbourhood of, the church-yards, at which the -beverage, giving the title to these festivities, was sold by the -clergy or their assistants, and consumed by the country people, -the proceeds being devoted to ecclesiastical purposes and the -relief of the poor. Wakes originated in an ancient custom of -gathering together on the evening before the birthday of a Saint -or the day appointed for the dedication of a church, and passing -the night in devotion and prayer. These watches, however, were -soon altered in character, and instead of religious exercises -employing the period of vigil, feasting and debauchery became the -recognized occupations.</p> - -<p>The festival of Rush-bearing is of such antiquity that its origin -has become in a great measure obscured, but there is a strong -probability that the practice arose from a recommendation given -by Pope Gregory IV. to Mellitus, who was associated with St. -Augustine in christianising the inhabitants of England, to celebrate -the anniversaries of the dedications of those places of worship, -which they had rescued from Pagan influences, “by building -themselves huts of the boughs of trees about such churches, and -celebrating the solemnities with religious feastings.” The rush-cart, -decorated with flowers and ribbons, was paraded through -the village streets, accompanied by morris-dancers and others -bearing flags or banners. One of the mummers, dressed in a -motley suit, somewhat resembling that of a circus jester, jingled a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -horse-collar hung with bells, and kept up a constant succession of -small jokes at the expense of the bystanders as the procession -advanced. In early days before churches were flagged it was the -annual custom to strew their floors with rushes on the day of the -dedication of the sacred edifice, and in the parish register of -Kirkham we find, as follows:—“1604. Rushes to strew the -church cost this year 9s. 6d.” From the register at Poulton -church we have also extracted an entry, at random, from similar -ones occurring each year:—“Aug. 6th, 1784. To Edward -Whiteside for rushes, 6s. 8d.” The practice appears to have -arisen simply from a desire to promote warmth and comfort -within the churches by providing a covering for the bare earth, -and its connection with rush-bearing, when it existed, must be -regarded as having been purely accidental. Brand has discovered -another motive for rush-strewing, more especially in private -houses, and one not very flattering to our forefathers:—“As our -ancestors,” writes he, “rarely washed their floors, disguises of uncleanliness -became very necessary.” Erasmus, also, a Greek -Professor at Oxford in the time of Henry VIII., in describing the -hovels in which the agricultural labourers and others of the lower -classes lived, says:—“The floors are commonly of clay strewed -with rushes; under which lies unmolested an ancient collection -of beer, grease, fragments, bones, spittle, and everything that is -nasty.”</p> - -<p>From 1589 to 1590 inclusive, the daily wages, without board, -of a ditcher were 4d., a thresher 6d., a hedger 4d., a gardener 10d., -and a master-mason 14d. In 1533 it was enacted that no tenant -should hold more than two farms at once; and fifty-five years -later sundry penalties were imposed upon any one erecting -cottages for the agricultural population without attaching four -acres of land to each, also for allowing more than one family to -occupy a cottage at the same time.<a id="FNanchor_48" href="#Footnote_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> A law was passed in 1597, -directing that all houses of husbandry which had fallen into decay -within a period of seven years should be rebuilt, and from twenty -to forty acres of ground apportioned to each.<a id="FNanchor_49" href="#Footnote_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> The average yields -of grain per acre on well-cultivated soils during the latter half of -the sixteenth century were—wheat 20 bushels, barley 32 bushels,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span> -and oats 40 bushels. The subjoined tables contain the average -prices of some of the common articles of consumption:—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <th colspan="2">In 1500.</th> - <th colspan="2">In 1541.</th> - <th colspan="2">In 1590.</th> - <th colspan="2">In 1597.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>12 Pigeons</td> - <td>4d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">3d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>100 Eggs</td> - <td>7d.</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr">3s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1 Goose</td> - <td>4d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1 Chicken</td> - <td>1d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1 Lb. of Butter</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">3d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">4d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In 1581, the charge for shoeing a horse was 10d., and sometimes -12d. Here it may be noticed, although perhaps rather -digressive, that the herb tobacco was introduced into this country -sometime during the summer of 1586, by a party of Englishmen, -who for a short time colonised the island of Roanoak, near the -coast of Virginia, but, having quarrelled with the aborigines, were -removed home in the ships of Sir Francis Drake. Camden, -writing of these men, says:—“They were the first that I know of -that brought into England that Indian plant which they called -<i>tabacca</i> and <i>nicotia</i>, or <i>tobacco</i>, which they used against crudities, -being taught it by the Indians. Certainly, from that time -forward, it began to grow into great request, and to be sold at -a high rate; whilst in a short time many men, everywhere, -some for wantonness, some for health sake, with insatiable desires -and greediness, sucked in the stinking smoke thereof through an -earthen pipe, which presently they blew out again at their -nostrils; insomuch that tobacco-shops are now as ordinary in -most towns as tap-houses and taverns.”</p> - -<p>The following rhymes, descriptive of the games and recreations -common in Lancashire amongst the youth of both sexes, were -written in 1600, by Samuel Rowland:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Any they dare challenge for to throw the sledge,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To jump or leap over ditch or hedge;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To wrestle, play at stool-ball, or to run,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To pitch the bar or to shoot off a gun;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To play at loggats, nine-holes, or ten-pins,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To try it out at foot-ball by the shins;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At tick-tacke, seize-noddy, maw, and ruff;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At hot-cockles, leap-frog, or blindman’s buff;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To drink the halper-pots, or deal at the whole can;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To play at chess, or pue, and inkhorn;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To dance the morris, play at barley-brake;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At all exploits a man can think or speak:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At shove-groat, venter-point, or cross and pile;</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> - <div class="verse indent0">At ‘beshrew him that’s last at any style’;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At leaping over a Christmas bonfire,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Or at ‘drawing the dame out of the mire’;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At shoot-cock, Gregory, stool-ball, and what-not;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Pick-point, top and scourge, to make him hot.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Many of these games have long since become obsolete. Tick-tacke -resembled backgammon, but was rather more complicated; -seize-noddy, maw, and ruff were games of cards, the first being -somewhat similar to cribbage, while the two latter have no -modern representatives, although the expression <i>to ruff</i> is -frequently used at the whist-table; ‘cross and pile’ is merely an -earlier name of ‘pitch and toss’; and shoot-cock has been -modernised into shuttlecock.</p> - -<p>During the seventeenth century occasional village fairs were -held in the Fylde, at which such uncouth games as “grinning -through a horse-collar,” as well as trials in whistling, etc., were -common amusements, while pedlars’ stalls, puppet shows, raffling -tables, and drinking booths were well attended by the holidaymakers. -At that period any damsel, wishing to learn something, -be it ever so little, of her future mate, was directed to run until -out of breath on hearing the first notes of the cuckoo, and on -removing her shoe she would find a hair of the same colour as -that of the husband whom fate had selected for her. On May-day -a snail placed upon the ashes of the hearth would trace the initial -letter, or letters, of the lover’s name; or the rind, peeled from an -apple and thrown backwards over the head, would by its arrangement -on falling to the ground effect a similar purpose:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Last May-day fair I search’d to find a snail</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That might my secret lover’s name reveal:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Upon a gooseberry bush a snail I found,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For always snails near sweetest fruit abound.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I seiz’d the vermin; home I quickly sped,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And on the hearth the milk white embers spread,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Slow crawled the snail, and if I right can spell</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In the soft ashes marked a curious L.”<a id="FNanchor_50" href="#Footnote_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>This couplet was recited by young maidens after capturing an -insect called a Lady-bird, and on releasing it:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Fly, Lady-bird, fly south, east, or west;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Fly where the man is that I love best.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The following extracts from an “inventarye of all the goods and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -chattels of Peter Birket, late of Borrands,” taken after his decease -in 1661, will furnish a pretty accurate idea of the monetary worth -of certain articles of farming stock at that time:—“One outshoote -of hay, £1 6s. 8d.; one stack of hay without dores, 10s.; one -scaffold of hay, 10s.; one mare and one colt, £3; five geese, 4s.; -13 sheepe, £3; one cock and five hens, 2s.; one calfe, 10s.; two -heiffers, £3; one heiffer, £2; one cow, £2 10s.; another cow, -£3 10s.” Whether this gentleman was a fair representative of -his class or not we are unable to say, but if so, the small farmers -of Lancashire, to whom he appears to have belonged, were not -over indulgent in articles of dress or comfort, for the whole of -his wearing apparel was valued at no more than £1, whilst -his bedding realised only 5s.</p> - -<p>In 1725 the Lancashire justices arranged and ordered that the -rate of wages in all parts of this county should be:—</p> - -<table summary="Rates of pay"> - <tr> - <td>A bailiff in husbandry, or chief hind</td> - <td class="tdr">£6</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="nw">per year,</td> - <td class="nw">with board.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A chief servant in husbandry, able to mow or sow</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A common servant in husbandry of 24 years of age and upwards</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A man servant from 20 to 24 years of age</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A man servant from 16 to 20 years of age</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best woman servant, able to cook</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dairy man, or lower servant</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woman servant under 16 years of age</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The best of millers</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>They also appointed the hours of labour for those hired by the -day to be, between the middle of March and the middle of -September, from five in the morning until half-past seven in the -evening, and during the remainder of the year from sunrise to -sunset, resting half-an-hour at breakfast, an hour at dinner, and -half-an-hour at “drinking,” as the meal corresponding to our -“tea” was termed. “In the summer half,” added the magisterial -mandate, “the labourers may sleep each day half-an-hour; else -for every hour’s absence to defaulk a penny; and every Saturday -afternoon or eve of a holiday, that they cease to work, is to be -accounted but half a day.” The day wages, as fixed by the same -authorities, were:—</p> - -<table summary="Rates of pay"> - <tr> - <td>The best kind of husbandry labourer</td> - <td class="tdr">12d.</td> - <td>without,</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="nw">with board.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>An ordinary labourer</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">5d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A male haymaker</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A woman haymaker</td> - <td class="tdr">7d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">3d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A mower</td> - <td class="tdr">15d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">9d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A man shearer</td> - <td class="tdr">12d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A woman shearer</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hedgers, Ditchers, Threshers, and persons employed in task work</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Masons, Joiners, Plumbers, Tilers, Slaters, Coopers, and Turners</td> - <td class="tdr">12d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>and</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Master workman, acting as foreman</td> - <td class="tdr">14d.</td> - <td colspan="4">without board.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>From 1660 to 1690, the average price of mutton was 2d. per -pound; from 1706 to 1730, 2½d.; and from 1730 to 1760, 3d. per -pound. The prices of beef, veal, and lamb in 1710, were respectively -1⅒d., 2⅗d., and 2⁹⁄₁₀d., per pound.</p> - -<p>During the eighteenth and earlier part of the nineteenth -centuries there was perhaps no pastime more popular amongst -the adult members of all classes than the callous sport of cock-fighting; -every village and hamlet in the Fylde had its pit, where -mains were held at all times and seasons. The following were -the rules pretty generally adopted in this neighbourhood for the -regulation of the contests:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="hanging">“1.—To begin the main by fighting the lighter pair of cocks which fall in -match first, proceeding upwards towards the end, that every lighter pair -may fight earlier than those that are heavier.</p> - -<p class="hanging">“2.—In matching, with relation to the battles, after the cocks of the main -are weighed, the match bills are to be compared.</p> - -<p class="hanging">“3.—That every pair of equal weight are separated, and fight against others; -provided it appears that the main can be enlarged by adding thereto.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Skippool was one of the favourite resorts for the gentry of our -district when wishful to indulge in their favourite amusement, -and frequent allusions to the cockpit there are to be found in the -journal of Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, as—“June 9, 1714, -... thence to Skipall, where at a cockin I meet with a deal -of gentlemen. Gave Ned M⸺y 1s. for his expenses; spent 1s., -and won 2s. 6d. of Dr. Hesketh’s cockes.” In 1790 a notice -appeared in Liverpool that “The great main of cocks between -John Clifton, Esq., of Lytham, and Thomas Townley Parker, -Esq., of Cuerden, would be fought on Easter Monday, the 5th of -April, and the three following days, at the new cockpit in Cockspur -Street—to show forty-one cocks each. Ten guineas each battle, -and two hundred guineas the main.” The great-grandfather of -the present Lord Derby compelled each of his tenants to maintain -a game-cock for his benefit, and many were the birds supplied<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -from the Fylde to uphold his great reputation as a successful -cock-fighter.</p> - -<p>One of the most ancient punishments amongst our forefathers -was that of the Brank or Scolds’ Bridle, a specimen of which was -possessed by Kirkham, and doubtless many others existed in the -Fylde. This instrument was but little removed in severity from -those implements of torture in vogue at the time of the Inquisition, -but differed from them in one important particular—it was -intended to control or silence, and not to stimulate, the tongue of -its victim. The Brank consisted of an iron framework, which -was fitted on to the head of the offender, usually some woman -whose intemperate language had incensed her husband; and a -metal spike, attached to the front of it, was so inserted into the -mouth that the slightest movement of the tongue brought that -sensitive organ in contact with its sharp edge or point. Doctor -Plott, who appears to have held the Brank in high estimation, -and to have considered it greatly superior to another mode of -correction, much in fashion during his day, says:—“This artifice -is much to be preferred to the ducking-stool, which not only -endangers the health of the party, but gives liberty of tongue -betwixt every dip.”</p> - -<p>The Ducking-stool or Cuck-stool consisted of a substantial chair, -fastened to the extremity of a long pole, and suspended over a -pool of water. The middle of the pole rested on an upright post -near the edge of the pond, and was attached to it by means of a -pivot-hinge, so that the chair could be swung round to the side to -receive its victim, and, after being freighted and restored to its -original position, plunged into the water by raising the other end -of the shaft as often as those on the bank deemed it necessary to -cool the anger of the unfortunate scold. Several pools in -different parts of the Fylde still retain their names of Cucking-ponds, -and the last person condemned to suffer the barbarous -punishment was a young woman at Poulton, but she was happily -rescued by the kindly intervention of Madam Hornby, who -became surety for her good conduct in future.</p> - -<p>In the belfry of Bispham church there formerly stood a plain-looking -wooden frame, which in earlier times had done duty as a -pennance-stool, but some years since the chair was removed, and -probably destroyed, as no trace of its existence has since been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -discovered. The last to perform pennance in this church and sit -upon the stool was a woman, who seems to have been living as -recently as 1836. A public pennance was exacted by the Church -from all frail maidens, who desired to obtain pardon for the sins -into which they had fallen. The ceremony consisted of parading -the aisles of the parish church with a candle in each hand, barefooted, -and clothed in white. Jane Breckal, of Poulton, was the -last to undergo the ceremony at that place, some time during the -ministry of the Rev. Thos. Turner, 1770 to 1810. The sobs and -cries of the unfortunate girl aroused the indignation of the -inhabitants against the pennance, and the cruel and degrading -exhibition was never repeated.</p> - -<p>Riding Stang was another plan of punishment formerly inflicted -on quarrelsome or adulterous persons, and a woman named Idle, -of Great Layton, is mentioned as being the last of its victims in -that locality, and very likely in the whole of the Fylde. There -seem to have been two ways adopted of Riding Stang, one of -which was to mount the offending party or parties on a ladder, -supported at each end on the shoulders of one or sometimes two -men, and carry them about the neighbourhood for several hours, -accompanied by a band of men and boys beating tin kettles, -frying-pans, etc.; the other mode, and perhaps the more antique -one, was to place a youth astride a ladder, borne as in the previous -case, and arm him with a hand-bell, so that he was fully equipped -to undertake the duties of town crier. A procession was then -formed, and, amidst the discordant sounds of the instruments just -alluded to, paraded through the streets of the village, whilst the -crier, who usually did his part with great gusto, shouted out the -following doggrel rhymes, varying some portions of them when -occasion required:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Ran a dan, ran a dan, dan, dan,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But for ... has been banging his good dame.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He banged her, he banged her, he banged her, indeed,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He banged her, poor woman, before she stood need;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For neither wasting his substance nor spending his brass,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But she was a woman, and he was an ass.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Now, all good people that live in this row,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I would have you take warning, for this is our law,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And if you do your good wives bang,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For you three nights we will ride this stang.</div> - <div class="verse indent22">Hurrah! hurrah!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span></p> - -<p>When the offender happened to be some woman, who had -inflicted chastisement on the person of her spouse, the rhyme -was altered to suit her sex, and asserted that “he was a coward, -and she was an ass.” The remains of stocks in various states of -preservation, are still to be seen in many old villages, and -their use is of too recent a date to require any elucidation in this -volume.</p> - -<p>On the fifth Sunday in Lent, Carling Sunday, the villagers -prepared a feast, consisting chiefly of peas, first steeped in water, -and afterwards fried in butter, which were eaten on the -afternoon of that day. Small troops or companies of pace-egg -mummers went from house to house in Passion week -enacting a short dramatic piece, and afterwards soliciting -money, or, in some cases, eggs, from their audience. The -<i>dramatis personæ</i> usually represented St. George, the champion -of England; a Turk, dressed in national costume; the -Doctor, of the quack fraternity; the Fool; and one or two others. -In the play, the Turk was wounded by St. George, and being left -for dead upon the field, guarded by the Fool, was restored to -health and strength by the Doctor, who opportunely arrived, and -concluded his self-laudatory harangue over the body of the -apparently defunct Turk, thus:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Here, Jack, take a little out of my bottle,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And let it run down thy throttle;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">If thou be not quite slain,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Rise, Jack, and fight again.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Easter mumming is now rapidly becoming obsolete, and at -present amounts to nothing more entertaining than the recital of -a few weak, almost meaningless, rhymes, by, usually, five young -boys, decorated with ribbons and coloured paper, and supposed to -represent Lord Nelson, a Jack-Tar, a Lovely Youth, Old Toss-pot, -and Old Bessy Branbags.</p> - -<p>“Lifting at Easter” was an old-established practice, existing in -the villages, of hoisting individuals in the air, either in a chair -or by any other means that might be convenient, until they -purchased their release by payment of a forfeit, generally some -small coin. On Ascension-day the parochial schoolmaster -conducted his pupils, armed with peeled willow wands, round -the limits of the parish, and each pupil struck the various<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span> -boundary marks with his stick as he passed them. All-Hallows’ -E’en was the time when the young people tested the durability of -love or friendship by burning nuts:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And to each nut I gave a sweetheart’s name:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">This with the loudest bounce, me sore amazed,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That in a flame of brightest colour blazed;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As blazed the nut, so may thy passion grow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For ’twas thy nut that did so brightly glow!”<a id="FNanchor_51" href="#Footnote_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Other pastimes contributed to the evening’s amusement, such -as “ducking for apples,” and “snatch apple”—a tub, in the -former case, having been nearly filled with water, and the fruit -placed in it, each in turn, with hands bound behind them, -endeavoured to seize the prize with the teeth; in the latter game, -an apple was fastened to one extremity of a rod and a lighted -candle to the other, the whole being suspended by a string from -the ceiling, and the players, bound as before, snapped at the -apple, and avoided the flame as well as they were able.</p> - -<p>Until within the last fifty or sixty years, the mosses of Marton -and the hills in the vicinity of the Fylde were illuminated with -bonfires on All-Hallows’ Eve, or Teanlay-night, as it was called, -kindled by the country people with the avowed object of succouring -their friends who were lingering in the imaginary regions -of a middle state. A field near Poulton received the name of -“Purgatory” from the mummery of the “Teanlays” having, on -one occasion at least, been celebrated there.<a id="FNanchor_52" href="#Footnote_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a> This ceremony was -simple in its performance, and consisted merely of a circle of men -raising masses of blazing straw on high with pitch-forks. On All -Souls’ Day our Catholic forefathers were accustomed to bake cakes -of oatmeal and aromatic seeds, named Soul-cakes, and these, -together with pasties and furmety, formed a feast invariably eaten -at that season. Remnants of this custom existed even in late -years amongst the youths of Marton and some other townships and -villages, who on the day of ancient festival solicited money, under -the name of Soul-pence, from their neighbours.</p> - -<p>We will now enumerate some of the superstitions and beliefs -that have prevailed in the Fylde more recently than those to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -which allusion has been made in the earlier part of the chapter.</p> - -<p>The following adage, showing the signification of certain marks -on the nails, will probably be familiar to many of our readers, and -it is questionable whether, even yet, it is not regarded by a few of -the less enlightened of the peasantry as something more than a -mere saying:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Specks on the fingers,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Fortune often lingers;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Specks on the thumbs,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Fortune surely comes.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>No sick person could die if the bed or pillow upon which he lay -contained a pigeon’s feather; and, at an earlier date, the dwellers -near the coast firmly believed that life could only depart with the -ebbing tide. A horse-shoe nailed against the stable or barn-door, -or a broom-stick placed across the threshold of the dwelling, -prevented the entrance of witches or evil persons; also a hot -heater placed in the churn, and the mark of a cross, protected -respectively the cream and baking of dough from their presence. -The advent of guests was made known to the family circle by -certain conditions of the fire-grate; thus, a flake of soot hanging -from the topmost bar foretold a boy visitor, from the second a -man, from the third a woman, and from the fourth a girl. Cats -were popularly supposed to have the power of drawing the breath, -and as a natural consequence the life, out of children when asleep, -and for this reason great care was taken to exclude them from -bedchambers. Should a dark complexioned person be the first to -enter a dwelling on New Year’s morning, the household looked -forward with confidence to a prosperous year; but if the person -happened to be light, more especially if he had red hair, the omen -was regarded as unpropitious. Moon-beams shining through the -windows of bedrooms were considered injurious to the sleepers, -and even capable of distorting their features, or rendering them -imbecile. Children were taught to recite these simple lines -whenever the moon shone into their chambers:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“I see the moon,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The moon sees me;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">God bless the priest</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That christened me.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A tooth, after extraction, was sprinkled with salt and thrown -into the fire in order to insure peace and comfort to the person<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -from whose mouth it had been removed. A pair of shoes placed -under the bed so that the tips of the toes alone were visible, -formed a certain remedy for cramp. Warts were removed by -rubbing them with a piece of stolen beef, which was afterwards -carefully and secretly buried to render the charm complete; a -snail hung on to a thorn was equally efficacious in removing these -excrescences, which gradually faded away as the snail itself melted -and vanished. A bag, containing small stones of the same number -as the warts, thrown over the left shoulder, transmitted them to -the person who had the misfortune to pick up the pebbles. -People labouring under attacks of ague, jaundice, or other -ailments, applied for relief to the wise-men of the neighbourhood, -who professed to cure them by incantations. The two following -receipts are taken from an old medical work, published as early as -1612, and in its time a highly popular authority on matters of -“Phisicke and Chirurgerie” amongst our rural populations:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“A good Medicine to staunch the bleeding of the Nose, although it bleed never -so freely.</p> - -<p>“Take an egg and breake it on the top, in such sorte that all the white and -yolke may issue cleane forthe of it; then fill the egg-shell with some of the bloud -of the party which bleedeth, and put it in the fire, and there let it remaine until it -be harde, and then burne it to ashes, and it will staunch the bleeding immediately -without all doubt.”</p> - -<p>“A very good Medicine to staunch bloud when nothing else will do it, by -reason the veine is cut, or that the wound is greate.</p> - -<p>“Take a Toade and dry him very well in the sunne, and then put him in a -linen Bagge, and hang him about the necke of him that bleedeth with a stringe, -and let it hange so low that it may touch his breaste on the left side neere unto -his hart, and commonly this will stay all manner of bleeding at the mouth, nose, -wound, or otherwise whatever. Probatum est.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>A woman named Bamber, living at Marton, attained to considerable -celebrity amongst the peasantry and others by her -skill in checking bleeding, which she is reported to have accomplished -by the utterance of some mystic words.</p> - -<p>The people of the Fylde were not exempt from the common -belief in the miraculous power of the Royal touch in that -particular form of disease known as king’s evil, for amongst the -records of the Thirty-men of Kirkham is a notice that in 1632 a -sum of money was “given to Ricd. Barnes’s child, that had the -king’s evil, to help him up to London,” to be touched by -Charles I.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span></p> - -<p>The fairies of the Fylde were supposed, like those of other -localities, to reside in the earth; the vicinity of a cold spring, -situated between Hardhorn and Newton, was one of their -legendary resorts, and from such reputation acquired the name of -“Fairies’ well.” Many stories are told of the mischievous, or -good-natured doings of these imaginary beings; one or two of -which we will here narrate:—A poor woman when filling her -pitcher at the above well, in order to bathe the weak eyes of her -infant, was gently addressed by a handsome man, who gave her a -small box of ointment, and told her at the same time that it would -prove an infallible remedy for the ailment of her child. The -woman, although grateful for the present, either overcome by that -irresistible curiosity which is commonly, but perhaps erroneously, -supposed to attach itself to her sex, or doubtful of the efficacy -which the stranger had assigned to the drug, applied it to one of -her own eyes. A few days afterwards she had occasion to go to -Preston, and whilst there detected her benefactor in the act of -stealing corn from the open mouths of some sacks exposed for -sale, and, having accosted him, began to remonstrate with him -on the wickedness of his proceedings, when he inquired with -evident surprise, how she became enabled to observe him, as he -was invisible to all else. She explained the use that had been -made of his ointment, and pointed to the powerful eye; but -hardly had the words been uttered and the organ of supernatural -vision indicated, before he raised his clenched hand, and with one -blow struck out the offending optic, or rather reduced it to a state -of total and irrecoverable blindness. Another anecdote refers to -a milkmaid, who, whilst engaged in her avocation, perceived a jug -and sixpence placed near to her by some invisible means; but no -way disconcerted by the singular event, and probably attributing -it to the agency of one of the elvan tribes, she filled the pitcher -with milk, and, having watched its mysterious disappearance and, -with unerring commercial instinct, pocketed the silver coin, took -her departure. This episode was repeated for many successive -mornings, until the maiden, overjoyed at her good fortune, -revealed the curious adventures to her lover, and from that hour -the hobgoblins appear either to have grown less thirsty, or, -annoyed at what they might consider the betrayal of their secret, -to have removed their custom to some other dairy, for neither<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span> -jug nor sixpence ever gladdened the morning labours of the milkmaid -again. A ploughman had his good nature, in cheerfully -repairing the broken “spittle” of a lady liberally rewarded. -The fairy, for such she proved to be, made known her presence -to the agriculturist by suddenly crying in a distressed tone—“I -have broken my speet,” and then held out in her hands the -useless instrument with a hammer and nails. No sooner had -she received her property, restored to a state of utility, than she -vanished into the earth, but not, however, without leaving a -substantial acknowledgment of his skill and kindness in the -palm of the astonished husbandman.</p> - -<p>We can only discover a record of one witch in the Fylde; this -person of unenviable notoriety is stated to have had her abode in -Singleton, and to have been known to the villagers as Mag -Shelton. Her food, according to local tradition, was composed of -boiled groats mixed with thyme or parsley, and numerous are the -anecdotes related of her evil machinations and doings in the -neighbourhood—the cows of the country people were constantly -milked by her, whilst the pitcher walked before her in the form -of a goose; lives were blighted and prosperity checked by the -influence of her evil eye. Once, however, she was foiled by a girl, -who fastened her to a chair by sticking a bodkin, crossed with -two weavers’ healds, about her dress when seated before a large -fire.</p> - -<p>Some idea of the spiritual condition of the peasantry may be -obtained from the perusal of the following prayer, a common one -amongst the children of the Fylde about one hundred years ago:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Bless the bed that I lie on;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">There are four corners to my bed,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And four angels overspread,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Two at the feet and two at the head.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">If any ill thing me betide,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Beneath your wings my body hide.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Bless the bed that I lie on.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Bacon was considered to prove the finest and best if the hogs were -slaughtered before the moon began to wane, and in some month -whose name contained the letter R:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Unless your bacon you would mar</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Kill not your pig without the R.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span></p> - -<p>The dumb-cake was made by unmarried women who wished to -divine the selection of fate as to their future husbands. The cake -was baked in strict silence by two maidens on Midsummer’s eve, -and afterwards broken into three pieces by another, who placed -one under each of their pillows; during sleep the expectant fair -ones were rewarded with a vision of their lovers, but the charm -was ruined if only a single word were spoken. Hemp-seed, also, -was sown by young maidens, who whilst scattering it recited the -words “Hemp-seed I sow, hemp-seed I hoe, and he that is my -true-love come after me and mow.” After repeating the rhyme -three times it was only necessary to look over the shoulder, and -the apparition of the destined swain would never fail to appear:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“At eve last Midsummer no sleep I sought,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But to the field a bag of hemp-seed brought;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I scattered round the seed on every side,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And three times, in a trembling accent cried:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘This hemp-seed with my virgin hand I sow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Who shall my true love be the crop shall mow.’</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I straight looked back, and, if my eyes speak truth,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With his keen scythe behind me came a youth.”<a id="FNanchor_53" href="#Footnote_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A spinster who fasted on Midsummer’s eve, and at midnight laid -a clean cloth, with bread, cheese, and ale, and sat down to the -table as though about to eat, would be gratified with a sight of -the person to whom she would be married. This individual was -supposed to pass through the doorway, left open for the purpose, -as the clock struck twelve, and, approaching the table, to salute -his future partner with a bow and a pretence of drinking her -health, after which he vanished, and the maid retired to her -couch to rejoice or mourn, according as she admired or contemned -the prospect in store for her. Cuttings or combings from the hair -were thrown into the fire, and upon their blazing brightly or -smouldering away depended the duration of life likely to be -enjoyed by the person from whose head they had been taken. -Wishing-wells and gates were visited by credulous rustics, who -were anxious to make use of their mysterious power in obtaining -their desires in matters of love or business. The forefinger was -deemed venomous, and on that account children were instructed -not to spread salve or ointment with it.</p> - -<p>About a century ago oats formed the chief production, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span> -nearly, if indeed not quite, the only grain crop cultivated in the -Fylde. When reaped, in harvest time, this commodity was -carried on the backs of pack-horses to the markets of Poulton, -Kirkham, Garstang, and Preston. The “horse bridge” between -Carleton and Poulton was originally a narrow structure, capable -only of affording passage to a single horse at once, and it was from -the practice of the farmers, with their laden cattle, crossing the -stream by its aid, when journeying to market, that the bridge -derived its name. These horses followed a leader ornamented -with a bell, and after they had arrived at their destination and -been relieved of their burdens, returned home in the same order -without a driver, leaving him to attend to his duties at the -market. The old bridge in use at the period to which we allude, -still exists, but is built over and hidden by the present erection. -Later experience has taught the agriculturist that the soil of the -Fylde is capable of producing, under proper tillage, other crops, -equal in their abundance to the one to which it appears formerly -to have been mainly devoted, and it would be difficult at the -present day to enumerate with accuracy the many and varied -fruits of the earth that have found a home in the Corn-field of -Amounderness.</p> - -<p>We mentioned about the commencement of the chapter that -marl was in general use as a manure in the Anglo-Saxon era, and -here it is perhaps hardly necessary to state that this substance, so -rich in lime and so adapted for giving consistency to the sandy -soils, is still occasionally had recourse to by the husbandman. -Guano was first introduced into this country about the year 1842, -but it is probable that it was not commonly used in our district -until the beginning of 1845, when a cargo was imported from -Ichaboe to Fleetwood by Messrs. Kemp and Co., and offered for -sale to the farmers of the neighbourhood. Other cargoes followed. -Subjoined are arranged some tables showing the average market -values of certain productions of the Fylde in the two years given:—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="4">1847.<br />Inclusive.</th> - <th colspan="4">1867.<br />Inclusive.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="2">Jan. to June.</th> - <th colspan="2">July to Dec.</th> - <th colspan="2">Jan. to June.</th> - <th colspan="2">July to Dec.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wheat, per windle</td> - <td class="tdr">39s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">25s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">31s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8d.</td> - <td class="tdr">32s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Meal, per load</td> - <td class="tdr">52s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">41s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">37s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr">37s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beans, per windle</td> - <td class="tdr">25s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">22s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Oats, per bushel</td> - <td class="tdr">5s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10½d.</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8d.</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5d.</td> - <td class="tdr">4s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Potatoes, per windle</td> - <td class="tdr">21s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.<a id="FNanchor_54" href="#Footnote_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a></td> - <td class="tdr">7s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr">12s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8d.</td> - <td class="tdr">11s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butter, per pound</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1d.</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1½d.</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5d.</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">3d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eggs, per dozen</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">11d.</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pork, per pound</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">5½d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beef <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6½d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">7½d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">7¾d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6¾d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mutton <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6¾d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8½d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">8d.</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">7d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Geese <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6¾d.<a id="FNanchor_55" href="#Footnote_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br /> -<span class="smaller">COSTUMES, COUNTRY, RIVERS, AND SEA.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The history of the dresses and costumes of the -inhabitants of the Fylde is interesting not only on -account of the multifarious changes and peculiarities -which it exhibits, but also as a sure indication of the -progress in civilisation, wealth, and taste, made in our section at -different eras. To Julius Cæsar we are indebted for our earliest -knowledge of the scanty dress worn by the aborigines of this -district, and from that warrior it is learnt that a slight covering -of roughly prepared skins, girded about the loins, and the -liberal application of a blue dye, called woad, to the rest of the -body constituted the sole requisites of their primitive toilets. -Cæsar conjectures that the juice or dye of woad was employed by -the people to give them a terror-striking aspect in battle, but here -he seems to have fallen into error, for the wars engaged in by the -Setantii would be confined to hostilities with neighbouring tribes, -stained in a similar manner, and it is scarcely reasonable to -suppose that either side would hope to intimidate the other by -the use of a practice common to both. A more probable explanation -of the custom is, that it was instituted for the ornamental -qualities it possessed in the eyes of the natives. Such a view -is supported by the remarks of Solinus, a Roman author, who -informs us that the embellishments usually consisted of the -figures of animals, “which grew with the growth of the body”; -and from this it is evident that before the frame had arrived at -maturity, in either youth or childhood, the skin was subjected to -the painful and laborious process of tattooing, for such according -to Isidore, appears to have been the nature of the operation. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -latter asserts that the staining was accomplished by squeezing out -the juice of the plant on to the skin, and puncturing it in with -sharp needles. When the Romans established a station at -Kirkham, and opened out the Fylde by means of a good road-way -to the coast, the Setantii modified their wild uncultivated habits, -and, taking pattern from the more civilised garb of their -conquerors, adopted a covering for the lower limbs, called <i>brachæ</i>, -hence the modern breeches, whilst many of the chiefs were not -long before they strutted about in all the pride of a <i>toga</i>, or gown. -About four hundred years later, when the Anglo-Saxons had -taken possession of the soil of the Fylde, and had either -appropriated the deserted settlements and renamed them, or -reared small and scattered groups of dwellings of their own, a -marked change became visible in the nationality, character, -and costumes of the people. No longer the semi-civilised and -half-clad Briton was lord of the domain, but the more refined -Saxon with his linen shirt, drawers, and stockings, either of -linen or woollen, and bandaged crosswise from the ankle to the -knee with strips of leather; over these a tunic of the same -material as the stockings was thrown, and reached as low as the -knees, being plain or ornamented according to the means or rank -of the wearer. This garment was open at the neck and for a -short distance over the chest; the sleeves, extending to the wrists, -were generally tight, and a girdle frequently, but not universally, -confined the gown round the waist. In addition a small cloak -was worn for out-door purposes over the tunic, and fastened on -the breast or shoulder with brooches or clasps. The shoes of the -Saxon settlers were open down the instep, where they were laced -or tied with two thongs. Even the very lowest of the population, -although poverty might reduce them to miserable straits, seldom, -if ever, went barefooted. Caps, on the contrary, were not in great -request, and rarely to be seen, unless on the heads of some of -the more affluent. Our female ancestors at that era were habited -in a close-fitting dress, falling to the feet and furnished with tight -sleeves, reaching as far as the wrists, over which was placed a -shorter gown with loose open sleeves. Their head-dress was -simply a strip of linen of sufficient length to wrap round the -temples and fall on the neck. Amongst the wealthiest of the -nation a flowing mantle, ornaments of precious metal, and sable,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -beaver, and fox furs were common, but the inhabitants of the -Fylde, being of less exalted social standing, were obliged to -content themselves with the skins of lambs and cats by way of -adornment. The inferior farm servants, called serfs, amongst -whom many of the vanquished Britons would be classed, were -seldom indulged by their masters with more than a coat, a pair -of drawers, and sandals, the shirt, we presume, being deemed ill -suited to their positions of servitude and dependence.</p> - -<p>The colonisation of the Danes, whatever effect it may have had -upon the habits and condition of the people, exercised no lasting -influence upon their dress, and it was not until half a century after -the Norman baron, Roger de Poictou, had parcelled out the -land amongst his tenants, that the bulk of the males were induced, -by the example of the new-comers, to display their taste in the -choice of a head-covering. Many varieties were daily open to -their inspection on the brows of the Norman landholders and -servants, but the diffidence, let us hope, of the now humbled -Saxons suggested the adoption of an exceedingly plain flat species -of bonnet, which speedily became the common cap of the district. -The ladies, however, with a greater aptitude for rising superior to -disappointment and affliction, were not dilatory in benefitting by -the superior style of the fair partners of their conquerors, and -soon, putting aside all semblance of depression, appeared in long -cuffs, hanging to the ground from their upper dress sleeves and -tied in a large knot; their kerchiefs, also, whose modest proportions -had formerly served only to encircle the forehead, were -now extravagantly lengthened and fastened in a similar manner. -As years rolled on and fashion began to assert her sway with a -greater show of authority, the shoes of the men underwent certain -changes, becoming more neat in workmanship and having the -toes somewhat elongated and pointed, whilst the richer of the -gentry, chiefly Normans, wore short boots reaching a little -distance up the calf. In the early part of the thirteenth -century the female head-dresses consisted of nets, made from -various materials, in which the hair was confined; and the trains -of the gowns were lengthened. Later in the same era cowls or -hoods, twisted and pinned in fanciful shapes, adorned the heads -of the ladies, and formed the main feature of their walking -costumes. Aprons also came up at that period. The dress of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span> -the men underwent no alteration of any moment until the first -half of the fourteenth century, when the manorial lords of the -neighbourhood, and others of the inhabitants, discarded the cloaks -and tunics of their forefathers, and substituted in their stead a -close-fitting outer garment of costly and handsome material, -scarcely covering the hips, immediately above which it was -surrounded by a girdle. The sleeves usually terminated at the -elbows, and from there long white streamers depended, whilst the -sleeves of an under dress reached to the wrists, and were ornamented -with rows of buttons. A long cape and cowl was the -general overcoat. The most characteristic dress of the ladies was -a habit cut away at the sides so as to expose the under skirt, -which was invariably of rich and fine texture. The long white -streamers, just alluded to, were part of the female as well as the -male attire, and the borders of the habit were bound with fur or -velvet. We may mention that an English beau of that era wore -long pointed shoes, the toes of which were connected with the -knees by gold or silver chains, a long stocking of different colour -on each leg, short trowsers, barely extending to the middle of the -thigh, a coat, half of which was white and the other blue or some -equally bright colour, and a silken hood or bonnet, fastened under -the chin, embroidered with grotesque figures of animals, and -occasionally decked with gold and precious stones. Lest, -however, the reputations of our ancestors should suffer in the -eyes of the present generation from the existence in their age -of the absurdity here pictured, it is our duty and pleasure to -assure all readers that such parodies on manhood were strictly -confined to the populous cities, and that there is no probability of -even a solitary specimen ever having desecrated the modest soil -of the Fylde.</p> - -<p>During the greater portion of the succeeding cycle of a hundred -years a species of cloth turban was much in favour amongst the -male sex of the middle and upper classes, from one side of which -a length of the same material hung down below the waist, and was -either thrust between the girdle and the coat, or wrapped round -the neck as a protection from cold. Faces were cleanly shaved, -and hair cut as close to the scalp as possible; hitherto, from about -the date of the first arrival of the Normans, the practice had been -to allow the latter to grow long and to wear the beard. The hose<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span> -were long and tight. The boots were either short, or reached -half-way up the thighs, both kinds being long toed. Occasionally -a single feather relieved the plainness of the turban-shaped cap. -The ordinary dress of the gentlewomen was a full trained robe or -gown, made high in the neck, and sometimes, with a fur or velvet -turn-over collar, its folds at the short-waist being confined by -means of a simple band and buckle. Coiffures were mostly heart-shaped, -but in some rare instances horned. The sleeves of the -above costume were, shortly after its institution, lengthened and -widened to a ridiculous extent. Towards the end of the particular -era of which we are writing trains were discontinued, and broad -borders of fur substituted, whilst round tapering hats, two feet -in height, with loose kerchiefs floating from the apex, came -much into favour. The last few years of the fifteenth and the -earliest ones of the sixteenth centuries were marked by great -changes in the male attire; the Butlers, Cliftons, Carletons, -Westbys, Allens, Molyneux, and many others of the gentry of -the neighbourhood, figured at that period in fine shirts of long -lawn, embroidered with silk round the collar and wristbands, a -doublet with sleeves open at the elbows to allow the shirt to -protrude, a stomacher, over which the doublet was laced; a long -gown or cloak, with loose or hanging sleeves and broad turn-over -collar of fur or velvet; long hose or stockings; broad-toed shoes -for ordinary use, and high boots, reaching to the knees, for riding -purposes; and broad felt hats, or variously shaped caps of fur or -velvet, adorned with ostrich or other feathers. The hair was -permitted to grow enormously long and fall down the back and -over the shoulders, but the face was still cleanly shaved, with the -exception of military and aged persons, who wore mustaches or -beards. The wives and daughters, belonging to such families as -those alluded to, were habited in upper garments, cut square at -the neck, and stomachers, belts, and buckles, or costly girdles -with long pendants in front. The sleeves were slit at the elbows -in a manner similar to those of the men. High head-dresses were -abandoned, and a cap or caul of gold net or embroidery, which -allowed the hair to flow beneath it half way to the ground, took -their place. Turbans, also, were fashionable for a brief season. -The females of a humbler sphere wore plain grey cloth gowns, -ornamented with lambs’ skin or wool, and cloaks of Lincoln<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -green; the appearance of such an one upon a holiday is described -by Skelton, the laureate of Henry VII., as under:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Her kirtle bristow red,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With cloths upon her head,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They weigh a ton of lead.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">She hobbles as she goes,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With her blanket hose,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Her shoone smeared with tallow.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In the following reign, the commonalty, in imitation of the -example set by the resident squires in this and other parts of the -kingdom, became so extravagant in their ideas of suitable habiliments -that Henry VIII. issued an edict, prohibiting them from -wearing ornaments of even the most simple description, and -confining them to the use of cloth at a certain fixed price, and -lambs’ fur only. At the same time, velvets of any colour, furs of -martens, chains, bracelets, and collars of gold were allowed only -to those who possessed an income of not less than two hundred -marks per annum; but the sons and heirs of such were permitted -to wear black velvet or damask, and tawny-coloured russet or -camlet. None but those in the yearly receipt of one hundred -marks could venture on satin or damask robes. The dress which -may be taken as the most characteristic garb under the sovereignty -of the last Henry and of his two immediate successors, -comprised a doublet with long bases, or skirts, and extensive -sleeves, over which was thrown a short cloak, provided with armholes -for the passage of the doublet sleeves. The cloak had a -wide rolling collar, made of velvet, fur, or satin, according to -taste. The shirt was plaited, and embroidered with gold, silver, -or silk. The hose were closely fitted to the limb, being in some -cases long and entire, and in others divided, under the names of -the upper and nether stocks. Slashed shoes, or buskins of velvet -and satin, with broad toes, and a cap of one of sundry forms, -either simply bordered, or laden with feathers, completed the -costume of every male member of the numerous families inhabiting -the ancient halls of this section. Sir Walter Scott, who is -generally allowed to have been pretty correct in the costumes of -his heroes and minor characters, has described the appearance of -a yeoman of our county about the middle of the sixteenth century -as follows:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“He was an English yeoman good,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And born in Lancashire.</div> - <div class="verse indent14">...</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His coal-black hair, shorn round and close,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Set off his sun-burnt face;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Old England’s sign, St. George’s cross,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">His barret-cap did grace;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His bugle horn hung from his side,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">All in a wolf-skin baldric tied;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And his short falchion, sharp and clear,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Had pierced the throat of many a deer.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His kirtle, made of forest green,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Reached scantly to his knee;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And at his belt, of arrows keen</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A furbished sheaf bore he.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Shortly after the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1558, remarkable -alterations became evident in the fashions of the inhabitants. -The skirts of the doublet were reduced to much smaller dimensions, -so as thoroughly to expose the upper stocks, which, under -the new title of trunk-hose, had risen to a very important -place in the toilet. French trunk-hose were the first to render -themselves conspicuous in our locality, and consisted of two -varieties, the former of which were short, round, and full, -becoming, in fact, in course of time, so swollen by padding that -their use was abandoned by universal consent; and the second -variety, going to the other extreme and fitting tightly to the -limb, introduced. The next to arrive were the Gallic hose, very -large and wide, and extending to the knee only; after which came -the Venetian hose, reaching below the knee to the garter, where -they were secured with silken bands. The trunk-hose, of every -kind, were made of silk, velvet, satin, or damask. The nether -stocks, or stockings, were of jarnsey, thread, fine yarn, and later, -of silk, whilst the shoes partook more of the nature of slippers, -and were variously decorated. Ruffs encircled the necks of the -males as well as the females. Above the doublet was worn in the -Spanish style a cloak of silk, velvet, or taffeta, and of a red, black, -green, yellow, tawny, russet, or violet colour, many being -bordered with long glass beads. Hats were conical and high, flat -and broad, and flat and round, but in all cases were made of velvet -or sarcenet, and ornamented with bunches of feathers. The robes -of the ladies, made of bright-coloured velvet, silk, or fine cloth,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -had both tight and wide sleeves, and were branched or opened at -the front of the skirt to expose the handsome petticoat beneath. -The farthingale distended the dresses of our female ancestry from -just below the bodice or stomacher, in a manner that few, we -opine, of the fair sex would care to see revived at the present day. -The ruff was of cambric or lawn, and when first introduced, -moderate in its proportions, but like many other fashions of that -epoch, became enlarged into an absurdity as years passed on. -The hair of the ladies was curled, crisped, and arranged with -most elaborate care; indeed, so curious and changeable were the -coiffures that it would be tedious to our readers to offer more than -this general description of them. Capes falling but a short way -beyond the shoulders, and faced with fringe or velvet, were also -worn. The costume of the gentlewomen during the seventeenth -century, if the sombre garbs of the Roundhead families be -excepted, consisted of an upper gown, which comprised a bodice -and short skirt, the former being open over a laced stomacher, -and the latter divided anteriorly, and its sides drawn back -and looped up behind; a petticoat or under-dress, of expensive -material, reaching to the ground; a yellow starched neckerchief, -overspreading the shoulders and terminating on the bosom in two -pointed ends; and a high crowned hat, beneath which long -ringlets escaped and flowed down the back. The peasant girls or -female farm servants had plain dresses, falling to the ankles, and -usually tight sleeves and aprons. The bodices of some were open -to the waist, but the stomachers, although laced, were of a very -inferior kind, and the starched neckerchiefs were wanting. The -gentlemen of the Fylde were influenced in their choice of garments -according as their sympathies were with the King or -Parliament, but there can be little question that in a locality so -staunchly loyal as our own, the picturesque garb of the Cavaliers -would predominate over the affectedly modest and plain attire of -the partizans of Cromwell. The existence on the soil of such men -as Sir Thomas Tyldesley, Thomas Singleton of Staining Hall, -Thomas Hesketh of Mains Hall, who laid down their lives in the -service of the crown, and numbers of others, who drew the -sword in the cause of the throneless monarch, are fair evidence -that the above conjecture is not hazarded without good reason. -A doublet of silk, satin, or velvet, with large wide sleeves slashed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span> -up the front; a collar covered by a band of rich point lace, with -Vandyke edging; a short cloak, thrown on one shoulder; short -trousers, fringed and reaching to the wide tops of the high boots; -a broad-leaved Flemish beaver hat, with a plume of feathers and -band; and a sword belt and rapier, constituted the full costume -of a Cavalier. Instead of the velvet doublet, a buff coat, richly -laced, and encircled by a broad silk or satin scarf, fastened in a -bow, was substituted when the inhabitants were under the -excitement produced by actual war, in which so many took part. -The hair, it should be mentioned, was worn long by the Cavaliers, -and closely cropped by the Roundheads, whose dress offers no -special features to our notice.</p> - -<p>In the earlier part of last century the occupiers of Layton, -Lytham, Fox, Burn, Mains, Rawcliffe, Rossall, Larbrick, etc., -Halls, and others of equal social standing, who formed the gentry -of the Fylde, and who consequently must be taken as our mirror -of fashion, were clothed in straight square-cut waistcoats, extending -to the knees, and of very gorgeous patterns; velvet breeches -fastened below the knees; long silk stockings; buckled shoes, -with high red heels; periwigs of monstrous size; hats, cocked on -three sides; long lace neckerchiefs; and lastly, but far from the -least important, a coat of rich material, having long stiff skirts -and wide cuffs, turned back and adorned with gold or silver lace. -The ladies had laced stomachers beneath a bodice with straight -sleeves, ending at the elbow in moderately wide cuffs. The skirt -of the dress was divided in front and looped up behind, disclosing -a petticoat equalling or surpassing the richness of the upper -garment, and trimmed with flounces and furbelows. The boots -resembled those just described, but were more delicate in workmanship. -The head-dress was composed of a species of cap, the -lace material of which rose in three or four tiers, placed one above -another, almost to a point, whilst the hair was brushed up and -arranged in stiff curls, somewhat resembling a pyramid. This -coiffure had only a brief reign, and was superseded by one less -exalted, and of more elegant appearance. Hoops were introduced -about 1720, and thirty years later silk aprons and gipsy straw hats, -or small bonnets, were worn. In 1765 periwigs were discarded, and -the natural hair was allowed to grow, being profusely sprinkled -with powder, both by males and females. The country people<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -were habited in long, double-breasted coats, made from frieze or -homespun, and of a dark brown, grey, or other quiet shade; a -light drugget waistcoat, red shag or plush breeches, and black -stockings. There is no necessity to trace the costumes of our -ancestors further than the point here reached, as their varieties -present few phases of special interest, and probably the most -striking are already sufficiently familiar to our readers. A sure, -though somewhat unsteady, decline was shortly inaugurated in -the sumptuous and elaborate dresses of the people, which -continued its course of reform until the more economical and -unostentatious dress of modern days had usurped the place of the -showy habiliments of the eighteenth century.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The Country</span> or district of the Fylde may be briefly described -as broad and flat, for although in many places it is raised in gentle -undulations, no hill of any altitude is to be seen upon its surface. -The fertility of its soil has long been acknowledged, and a visit to -its fruitful fields during the warm months of summer would -disclose numbers of rich acres yellow with the ripening grain, -while potatoe and bean-fields, meadow and pasture-lands, orchards -and fruit gardens, are scattered over the wide area. Our design -in the present instance is not, however, to enlarge upon these -cultivated features, but to notice some of the more striking -natural peculiarities, and to arrange in a classified list sundry of -the rarer wild plants growing in the neighbourhood, enumerating -also the different birds and sea-fowl, which are either natives or -frequenters of the locality.</p> - -<p>The features most calculated by their singularity to attract the -attention of the stranger on surveying this division of the county -are the moss-lands, the sand-hills, the mere at Marton, and the -stunted appearance and inclination from the sea of those trees -situated anywhere in the vicinity of the coast.</p> - -<p>The great moss of the Fylde lies in the township of Marton, -and extends six miles from north to south, and about one mile -from east to west. On examining the structure of this moss, -below the coarse herbage covering its surface, is discovered -a substance called peat, brown and distinctly fibrous at its upper -part, but becoming more and more compact as we descend, until -at the bottom is presented a firm, dark-coloured, or even black -mass, betraying less evidence, in some cases barely perceptible, of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -its fibrous formation. Beneath the peaty layer is a thick bed of -clay, having imbedded in it, either partially or wholly, large -trunks of trees—oak, yew, fir, etc., which, by their frequency and -arrangement, show that at some period the extensive tract must -have been a dense woodland, but at what particular era it is -impossible, with any degree of exactness, to determine. The -disinterment, however, of certain Celtic relics from the substance -of the peat, which may be supposed to have belonged to the -aboriginal Britons of the section, inclines us to the opinion that -the lower layers of the moss were formed, and consequently the -forest overthrown, anterior to the Roman occupation of our island, -but how long before that time it was standing, must remain -purely a matter of conjecture, unless some reliable proofs of its -more precise antiquity are disclosed during operations in the turf. -The manner in which the demolition of the forest was effected is -also somewhat wrapt in obscurity, although it is probable that -the noble trees of which it was composed were overturned and -uprooted by the fury of some wide-spread inundation or the -violence of some terrific hurricane. The fearful devastations, -both or either of the elements here brought into action can -accomplish, are too well marked in the histories of other countries -for us to hesitate in ascribing to them the power of overthrowing, -under similar turbulent conditions, even so substantial an obstruction -as the forest must have been; but a careful study of the -locality and of the several sudden incursions of the tide which -have occurred during recent years, leads to the belief that the sea -was the chief destructive agent, and that the gale which hurled -the raging volumes of water over the low-lying lands at the south -of Blackpool, and the then level wooded tract beyond, assisted only -in the ruinous work. In support of such a hypothesis may be -instanced the flood of 1833, when a tide, only estimated to rise to -a height of sixteen feet, but greatly swollen by a furious storm -from the south-west, burst over at that spot, swept away several -dwelling-houses in its course, battered down the hedges, and laid -waste the fields far into the surrounding country. Had this -inundation occurred during the high spring tides, it is impossible -to say to what extent its ravages might have been carried, but the -incident as it stands, being within the recollection of many still -living, and by no means a solitary example of the usual direction<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -taken by the storm-driven waves, furnishes an apt illustration of -the most natural way in which the downfall of the forest may -have been accomplished. The Rev. W. Thornber, who has -bestowed much time and labour on the subject, says:—“There -are some facts that will go far to prove that these forests, once -standing on Marton Moss, were overthrown by an inundation of -the sea, viz., every tree on the Moss, as well as the Hawes, lies -in a south-eastern direction from the shore; and the bank, which -appears to have been the extent of this irruption, commencing at -the Royal Hotel, runs exactly in the same direction. The shells, -similar to those collected on the shore, intermixed with wrack of -the sea, which are found in abundance under the peat, also -corroborate this supposition. Moreover the tide is constantly -depositing a marine silt similar to that which lies beneath the -peat, and in some instances upon it.”</p> - -<p>The wreck of such a vast number of trees would cause a great -but gradual alteration in the surface of the ground. The masses -of fallen timber, blocking up the streamlets and obstructing -drainage, would create a more or less complete stagnation of -water upon the land; the bark, branches, and leaves undergoing -a process of decay would form the deepest layers of the peat; -rank herbage and aquatic plants springing up and dying in endless -succession, would form annual accumulations of matter, which in -course of time would also be assimilated into peat, and in this -manner the moss overlaying the original clayey surface and -burying the ancient forest, would grow step by step to its present -dimensions. Again, each layer of peat, as they were successively -formed, would press upon those beneath, so that the weight of its -own increase would give firmness and solidity to the substance of -the moss. Thus we see that the whole secret of the creation or -formation of the moss is simply a process of growth, decay, and -accumulation of certain vegetable products annually repeated. -The huge moss of Pilling and Rawcliffe owes its existence to -similar phenomena.</p> - -<p>The large mounds, or star-hills as they are called, which -undulate the coast line from Lytham to South-Shore, are composed -simply and purely of sand, covered over with a coarse -species of herb, bearing the name of star-grass. Similar eminences -at one time occupied the whole of the marine border of the Fylde,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span> -but in many places the encroaching tide has not only annihilated -the hills themselves, but even usurped their sites. The town of -Fleetwood is erected on a foundation of sand, and several -extensive mounds of that nature exist in its vicinity. Below this -light superficial substance, in some places very deep and thrown -into its elevated forms by the long-continued action of the wind, -is a subsoil resembling that found in other parts of the Fylde, -and consisting of a clayey loam and alluvial matter. The -diminutive size of those trees growing near the coast is due both -to the openness and bleakness of the site, and the deleterious -effects of the saline particles contained in the air; whilst the -peculiar leaning from the water of their branches, and in many -instances their trunks, is caused by the mechanical action or -pressure of the strong winds and sea breezes prevailing from the -west during three-fourths of the year.</p> - -<p>Marton Mere, situated in the township indicated by its name, -was formerly a lake of no inconsiderable extent, but drainage and -the accumulation within its basin of sediment have reduced it to -its present comparatively unimportant dimensions. Traces of the -more extensive boundaries of the sheet of water in former days -are still discernible along its banks, and at one time, it is stated, -the wheel of a water-mill near to the village of Great Marton, -was turned by a stream from the mere. The right of fishery in -the lake, for such it was in the earlier periods, was the subject of -legal contest in the reign of Edward III., and in 1590 John -Singleton, of Staining Hall, held the privilege.</p> - -<p>There are few districts of similar area which can boast so -many and such interesting varieties of the feathered tribes, either -natives or visitants, as the Fylde. Some of the rarest sea-fowl -are occasionally seen along the coasts, while the fields and hedgerows -abound with most of the melodious songsters of our island. -Amongst the number of both land and sea birds which have been -observed in the neighbourhood, either during the whole year or -only in certain parts of it, may be mentioned the following:—</p> - -<table summary="Bird species that can be seen in the Fylde"> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—RAPTORES OR RAPACIOUS BIRDS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">FALCONIDÆ OR FALCON FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tinnunculus Alaudarus</td> - <td>Kestrel</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Accipiter Nisus</td> - <td>Sparrow Hawk</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Circus ceruginosus</td> - <td>Moor Buzzard</td> - <td>Very rare<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Strix flammea</td> - <td>Barn Owl</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Otus vulgaris</td> - <td>Long-eared Owl</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Otus brachyotus</td> - <td>Short-eared Owl</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—PASSERES OR PERCHERS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">HIRUNDINIDÆ OR SWALLOW FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hirundo rustica</td> - <td>Common Swallow</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cotyle riparia</td> - <td>Sand Martin</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chelidon urbica</td> - <td>House Martin</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LUSCINIDÆ OR WARBLER FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sylvia undata</td> - <td>Whitethroat</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sylvia trochilus</td> - <td>Willow Warbler</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sylvia curruca</td> - <td>Lesser Whitethroat</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sylvia sibilatrix</td> - <td>Wood Warbler</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Calamodyta phragmitis</td> - <td>Sedge Warbler</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Saxicola ænanthe</td> - <td>Wheatear</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pratincola rubetra</td> - <td>Whinchat</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pratincola rubicola</td> - <td>Stonechat</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ruticilla phœnicura</td> - <td>Redstart</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parus major</td> - <td>Great Titmouse</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parus cæruleus</td> - <td>Blue Titmouse</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parus caudatus</td> - <td>Long-tailed Titmouse</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parus ater</td> - <td>Cole Titmouse</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Motacilla Yarrellii</td> - <td>Pied Wagtail</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Motacilla sulphurea</td> - <td>Yellow Wagtail</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Motacilla campestris</td> - <td>Grey Wagtail</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anthus pratensis</td> - <td>Meadow Titlark</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anthus arboreus</td> - <td>Tree Titlark</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Regulus cristatus</td> - <td>Golden-crested Wren</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Regulus ignicapillus</td> - <td>Fire-crested Wren</td> - <td>Very rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">TURDIDÆ OR THRUSH FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turdus musicus</td> - <td>Song Thrush</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turdus viscivorus</td> - <td>Missel Thrush</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turdus pilaris</td> - <td>Fieldfare</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turdus iliacus</td> - <td>Redwing</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turdus merula</td> - <td>Blackbird</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turdus torquatus</td> - <td>Ring Ousel</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LANIIDÆ OR SHRIEK FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lanius collurio</td> - <td>Red-backed Shriek</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CORVIDÆ OR CROW FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corvus Corone</td> - <td>Carrion Crow</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corvus cornix</td> - <td>Hooded Crow</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corvus frugilegus</td> - <td>Rook</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pica caudata</td> - <td>Magpie</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">STURNIDÆ OR STARLING FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sturnus vulgaris</td> - <td>Common Starling</td> - <td>Common<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">FRINGILLIDÆ OR FINCH FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fringilla carduelis</td> - <td>Goldfinch</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fringilla cælebs</td> - <td>Chaffinch</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fringilla spinus</td> - <td>Siskin</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fringilla chloris</td> - <td>Greenfinch</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fringilla cannabina</td> - <td>Linnet</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Emberiza citrinella</td> - <td>Yellow Bunting</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Emberiza schæniculus</td> - <td>Reed Bunting</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Emberiza miliaris</td> - <td>Common Bunting</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Emberiza nivalis</td> - <td>Snow Bunting</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pyrrhula rubicilla</td> - <td>Bullfinch</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alauda arvensis</td> - <td>Skylark</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alauda arborea</td> - <td>Woodlark</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—SCANSORES OR CLIMBERS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CUCULIDÆ OR CUCKOO FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cuculus canorus</td> - <td>Cuckoo</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—COLUMBÆ OR DOVES.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">COLUMBIDÆ OR DOVE FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Columba palumbus</td> - <td>Ring Dove</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Columba ænas</td> - <td>Stock Dove</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—GALLINÆ OR FOWLS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PHASIANIDÆ OR PHEASANT FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Phasianus Colchicus</td> - <td>Common Pheasant</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">TETRAONIDÆ OR TETRAO FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Perdix cinereus</td> - <td>Common Partridge</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coturnix communis</td> - <td>Quail</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—GRALLATORES OR WADERS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CHARADRIADÆ OR PLOVER FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charadrius pluvialis</td> - <td>Golden Plover</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charadrius hiaticula</td> - <td>Ringed Plover or Dotterel</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charadrius morinellus</td> - <td>Common Dotterel</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Vanellus griseus</td> - <td>Grey Plover</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Vanellus cristatus</td> - <td>Common crested Lapwing</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hæmatopus ostralegus</td> - <td>Oyster-catcher</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cinclus interpres</td> - <td>Turnstone</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ARDEIDÆ OR HERON FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ardea cinerea</td> - <td>Common Heron</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nycticorax Europæus</td> - <td>Common Night Heron</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Botaurus stellaris</td> - <td>Bittern</td> - <td>Very rare indeed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">SCOLOPACIDÆ OR WOODCOCK FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tringoides hypoleuca</td> - <td>Common Sandpiper</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Totanus ochropus</td> - <td>Green Sandpiper</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Totanus Calidris</td> - <td>Redshank Sandpiper</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Numenius arquata</td> - <td>Curlew or Whaup</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Numenius phæopus</td> - <td>Whimbrel</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Limosa vulgaris</td> - <td>Common Godwit</td> - <td>Rare<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Philomachus pugnax</td> - <td>Ruff</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tringa Canutus</td> - <td>Knot</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tringa Temminckii</td> - <td>Temminck’s Stint</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tringa minuta</td> - <td>Little Stint</td> - <td>Very rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tringa cinclus</td> - <td>Dunlin</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Phalaropus fulicarius</td> - <td>Grey Phalarope</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scolopax rusticola</td> - <td>Woodcock</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gallinago media</td> - <td>Common Snipe</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gallinago gallinula</td> - <td>Jack Snipe</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">RALLIDÆ OR RAIL FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rallus aquaticus</td> - <td>Water Rail</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ortygometra crex</td> - <td>Land Rail</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gallinula chloropus</td> - <td>Water Hen</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fulica atra</td> - <td>Common Coot</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc">ORDER—NATORES OR SWIMMERS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ANATIDÆ OR DUCK FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anser ferus</td> - <td>Grey-lag Goose</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anser segetum</td> - <td>Bean Goose</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bernicla leucopsis</td> - <td>Bernicle Goose</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cygnus ferus</td> - <td>Whistling Swan</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tadorna vulpanser</td> - <td>Common Shieldrake</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mergus Castor</td> - <td>Goosander</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anas boschas</td> - <td>Mallard</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Querquedula Crecca</td> - <td>Common Teal</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spatula clypeata</td> - <td>Shoveller Duck</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moreca Penelope</td> - <td>Common Wigeon</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Myroca Terina</td> - <td>Common Pochard</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Margellus albellus</td> - <td>Smew</td> - <td>Occasional visitor</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fuligula cristata</td> - <td>Tufted Duck or Pochard</td> - <td>Rather common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fuligula marila</td> - <td>Scaup Duck or Pochard</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Oidemia fusca</td> - <td>Velvet Scoter</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Oidemia nigra</td> - <td>Black Scoter</td> - <td>Very rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clangula vulgaris</td> - <td>Golden-eye Duck or Garrot</td> - <td>Rather common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clangula albeola</td> - <td>Buffel-headed Duck</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">COLYMBIDÆ OR DIVER FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Colymbus glacialis</td> - <td>Great Northern Diver</td> - <td>Very rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Colymbus arcticus</td> - <td>Black-throated Diver</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Colymbus septentrionalis</td> - <td>Red-throated Diver</td> - <td>Rather common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chaulelasmus strepera</td> - <td>Gadwall</td> - <td>Very rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Podiceps minor</td> - <td>Little Grebe</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ALCIDÆ OR AUK FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fratercula artica</td> - <td>Puffin</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alca torda</td> - <td>Razor-bill</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Uria Troile</td> - <td>Common Guillemot</td> - <td>Rare<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PROCELLARIDÆ OR PETREL FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thalassidroma pelagica</td> - <td>Stormy Petrel</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thalassidroma Leachii</td> - <td>Fork-tailed Petrel</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LARIDÆ OR GULL FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larus canus</td> - <td>Common Gull</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larus ribibundus</td> - <td>Black-headed Gull</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larus fuscus</td> - <td>Little Black-headed Gull</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larus tridactylus</td> - <td>Kittiwake Gull</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larus Glaucus</td> - <td>Glaucus Gull</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larus argentatus</td> - <td>Herring Gull</td> - <td>Very common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sterna hirundo</td> - <td>Sea-swallow or Tern</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sterna fuliginosa</td> - <td>Sooty Tern</td> - <td>Rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sterna minuta</td> - <td>Lesser Tern</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PELECANIDÆ OR PELICAN FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Graculus Carbo</td> - <td>Common Cormorant</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Graculus Cristata</td> - <td>Crested Cormorant</td> - <td>Rather rare</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sula Bassanea</td> - <td>Gannet or Solan Goose</td> - <td>Common</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The fertile fields and sunny lanes of the Fylde afford ample -opportunity for the botanist to indulge in his favourite pursuit, and -a short ramble over any portion of the pleasant country will -unfold to his inquiring gaze many of Nature’s most beautiful and -interesting offsprings. Specimens, especially of the maritime -varieties of several of the floral families, unobtainable in the -inland districts, may here be found lightly planted on the loose, -sandy margins of the shore. In the context it is not intended to -enter into a description of the different plants or of the localities -in which they may most commonly be found, but merely to -enumerate some of the more important ones; and in the following -list all those inhabitants of the district, which are likely to -interest the student of Botany or lover of Nature, are arranged in -their various groups or orders:—</p> - -<table summary="Plant species that can be seen in the Fylde"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">RANUNCULACEÆ OR BUTTERCUP ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ranunculus aquatilis</td> - <td>Water Crowcroft</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Lingua</td> - <td>Spearwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> acris</td> - <td>Meadow Crowfoot</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> arvensis</td> - <td>Corn <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thalictrum minus</td> - <td>Lesser Meadow-rue</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Delphinium consolida</td> - <td>Field Larkspur</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">NYMPHÆACEÆ OR LILY ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nymphæa Alba</td> - <td>White Water-lily</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PAPAVERACEÆ OR POPPY ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Papaver dubium</td> - <td>Long Smooth-headed Poppy</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Rhæas</td> - <td>Corn Poppy</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chelidonium majus</td> - <td>Common Celandine<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CRUCIFERÆ OR CABBAGE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nasturtium officinale</td> - <td>Common Water-cress</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesperis matronalis</td> - <td>Common Damewort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cochlearia officinalis</td> - <td>Common Scurvy-grass</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Danica</td> - <td>Danish <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cakile maritima</td> - <td>Purple Sea Rocket</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crambe <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td>Sea Kale</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sisymbrium Irio</td> - <td>Broad-leaved Hedge-mustard</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Sophia</td> - <td>Fine-leaved <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">VIOLACEÆ OR VIOLET ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Viola odorata</td> - <td>Sweet Violet</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> tricolar</td> - <td>Heartsease</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">RESEDACEÆ OR MIGNONETTE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Reseda Luteola</td> - <td>Yellow Weed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">DROSERACEÆ OR SUNDEW ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Drosera rotundifolfa</td> - <td>Sundew</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parnassia pallustris</td> - <td>Grass of Parnassus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CARYOPHYLLACEÆ OR CLOVEWORT ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Saponaria officinalis</td> - <td>Common Soapwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lychnis Diocia</td> - <td>White Campion</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Floscuculi</td> - <td>Cuckoo-flower</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Silene inflata</td> - <td>Bladder Catchfly</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> maritima</td> - <td>Sea <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arenaria marina</td> - <td>Sea Sandwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> serpyllifolia</td> - <td>Thyme-leaved Sandwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Adenaria peploides</td> - <td>Sea Chickweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LINACEÆ OR FLAX ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Linum usitatissimum</td> - <td>Common Flax</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> catharticum</td> - <td>Purging <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">MALVACEÆ OR MALLOW ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Malva rotundifolia</td> - <td>Dwarf Mallow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Althæa officinalis</td> - <td>Marsh Mallow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">GERANIACEÆ OR CRANESBILL ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Geranium sanguimeum</td> - <td>Bloody Crane’s-bill</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Geranium pratense</td> - <td>Meadow Crane’s-bill</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Geranium purpurea</td> - <td>Odoriferous Cranes-bill</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Erodium cicutarium</td> - <td>Hemlock Stork’s-bill</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LEGUMINOSÆ OR LEGUMINOUS ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anthyllis vulneraria</td> - <td>Common Kidney-vetch</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Vicia lathyroides</td> - <td>Spring Vetch</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ononis procurrens</td> - <td>Procurrent Restharrow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> spinosa</td> - <td>Spinous <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Melilotus officinalis</td> - <td>Common Melilot</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Trifolium arvense</td> - <td>Hare’s-foot Trefoil<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ROSACEÆ OR ROSE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rosa canina</td> - <td>Dog rose</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> spinosissima</td> - <td>Burnet-leaved Rose</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> eglantaria</td> - <td>Sweet Briar</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Agrimonia Eupatoria</td> - <td>Agrimony</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spiræa ulmaria</td> - <td>Meadow Sweet</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rubus fruticosus</td> - <td>Blackberry Brambles</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ONAGRACEÆ OR ŒNOTHERA FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Epilobium hirsutum</td> - <td>Great Willow-herb</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> montanum</td> - <td>Small <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LYTHRACEÆ OR LYTHRUM FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lythrum salicaria</td> - <td>Spiked purple Loosestrife</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">HALORAGEACEÆ OR THE MARE’S TAIL ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hippuris vulgaris</td> - <td>Common Mare’s-tail</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PORTULACACEÆ OR PURSLANE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Montia foutana</td> - <td>Water Blinks</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CRASSULACEÆ OR THE CRASSULA ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sedum acre</td> - <td>Biting Stonecrop</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> album</td> - <td>White <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sempervivum tectorum</td> - <td>Houseleek</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">SAXIFRAGACEÆ OR SAXIFRAGE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Saxifraga granulata</td> - <td>White Saxifrage</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> stellaris</td> - <td>Starry <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> aizoides</td> - <td>Yellow <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">UMBELLIFERÆ OR UMBELLIFEROUS ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crithmum maritimum</td> - <td>Samphire</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hydrocotyle vulgaris</td> - <td>Marsh Pennywort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Conium maculatum</td> - <td>Hemlock</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cicuta virosa</td> - <td>Cowbane</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eryngium maritimum</td> - <td>Sea-holly</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Apium graveolens</td> - <td>Wild Celery</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bupleurum tenuissimum</td> - <td>Slender Hare’s-ear</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Œnanthe Crocata</td> - <td>Dead-tongue</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Peucedanum ostruthium</td> - <td>Master-wort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> officinale</td> - <td>Sea Sulphurwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Daucus Carato</td> - <td>Wild Carrot</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anthriscus sylvestris</td> - <td>Wild beaked Parsley</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scandix Pecten-Veneris</td> - <td>Venus’ Comb</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CAPRIFOLIACEÆ OR HONEYSUCKLE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Louicera Periclymenum</td> - <td>Pretty piped Woodbine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Caprifolium</td> - <td>Common Woodbine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sambucus Nigra</td> - <td>Elder</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">RUBIACEÆ OR MADDER ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Galium verum</td> - <td>Yellow Bedstraw</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> mollugo</td> - <td>Hedge <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sherardia arvensis</td> - <td>Little Spurwort<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">VALERIANACEÆ OR VALERIAN ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Valeriana officinalis</td> - <td>Common Valerian</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Valerianella olitoria</td> - <td>Lamb’s Lettuce</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">DIPSACACEÆ OR TEAZEL ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dipsacus sylvestris</td> - <td>Wild Teazel</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">COMPOSITÆ OR COMPOSITE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Aster Tripolium</td> - <td>Sea Starwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Apargia hispida</td> - <td>Rough Hawkbit</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hieracium pallidum</td> - <td>Hawkweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> umbellatum</td> - <td>Narrow-leaved Hawkweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carduus tenuiflorus</td> - <td>Slender-flowered Thistle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> palustris</td> - <td>Marsh Thistle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chrysanthemum maritimum</td> - <td>Sea Feverfew</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tanacetum vulgare</td> - <td>Common Tansey</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Centaurea Cyanus</td> - <td>Corn Bluebottle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pryethrum parthenium</td> - <td>Common Feverfew</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> inodorum</td> - <td>Corn <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Senecio vulgaris</td> - <td>Common Groundsell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> aquaticus</td> - <td>Marsh Groundsell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Silybum Marianum</td> - <td>Milk Thistle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tragopogon pratense</td> - <td>Yellow Goatsbeard</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Helminthia echioides</td> - <td>Bristly Oxtongue</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">VACCINIACEÆ OR CRANBERRY ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Oxycoccus palustris</td> - <td>Cranberry</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CAMPANULACEÆ OR HAREBELL ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Campanula rotundifolia</td> - <td>Harebell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PYROLACEÆ OR WINTERGREEN ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pyrola media</td> - <td>Intermediate Wintergreen</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">APOCYNACEÆ OR DOGBANE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Vinca major</td> - <td>Greater Periwinkle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">GENTIANACEÆ OR GENTIAN ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gentiana Pneumonanthe</td> - <td>Marsh Gentian</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Campestris</td> - <td>Field <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chironia Centaurium, var.</td> - <td>White-flowered Centaury</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> latifolia</td> - <td>Broad-leaved <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> pulchella</td> - <td>Dwarf-branched <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CONVOLVULACEÆ OR CONVOLVULUS ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Convolvulus Soldanella</td> - <td>Sea Bindweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Sepium, var.</td> - <td>Great Ditto, Pink-flowered</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> arvensis</td> - <td>Small Bindweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">SCROPHULARIACEÆ OR FIGWORT ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Veronica Anagallis</td> - <td>Water Speedwell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> arvensis</td> - <td>Wall <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Beccabunga</td> - <td>Brooklime</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Serpyllifolia</td> - <td>Thyme-leaved Speedwell<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Digitalis purpurea</td> - <td>Purple Foxglove</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Linaria vulgaris</td> - <td>Yellow toadflax</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Antirrhinum Cymbalaria</td> - <td>Ivy-leaved Snapdragon</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scrophularia vernalis</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> figwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LABIATÆ THE DEAD-NETTLE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thymus Serpyllum</td> - <td>Wild Thyme</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marrubium vulgare</td> - <td>White Horehound</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Prunella vulgaris</td> - <td>Selfheal</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mentha viridis</td> - <td>Spearmint</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> arvensis</td> - <td>Corn mint</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Betonica officinalis</td> - <td>Wood Betony</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lamum album</td> - <td>White Dead-nettle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> purpureum</td> - <td>Red <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Galeopsis ladanum</td> - <td>Red Hemp-nettle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scutellaria galericulata</td> - <td>Skullcap</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PLUMBAGINACEÆ OR LEADWORT FAMILY.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Armeria vagaris</td> - <td>Common Thrift</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Statice Limonium</td> - <td>Lavender <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">BORAGINACEÆ OR BORAGE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Myosotis palustris</td> - <td>Forget-me-not</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> cæspitosa</td> - <td>Water Scorpion-grass</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> arvensis</td> - <td>Field <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> versicolor</td> - <td>Yellow and Blue <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">LENTIBULARIACEÆ OR BLADDERWORT ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Utricularia vulgaris</td> - <td>Greater Bladderwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PRIMULACEÆ OR PRIMROSE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Primula vulgaris</td> - <td>Primrose</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> veris</td> - <td>Cowslip</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Glaux maritima</td> - <td>Black Saltweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Samolus Valerandi</td> - <td>Brookweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anagallis cærula</td> - <td>Blue Pimpernel</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> tenella</td> - <td>Bog <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hottonia palustris</td> - <td>Water Featherfoil</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lysimachia vulgaris</td> - <td>Yellow Loosestrife</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">PLANTAGINACEÆ OR RIBGRASS ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Plantago major</td> - <td>Plantain</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> media</td> - <td>Hoary Plantain</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> maritima</td> - <td>Sea-side Plantain</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Littorella lacustris</td> - <td>Plantain Shoreweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">POLYGONACEÆ OR BUCKWHEAT ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rumex crispus</td> - <td>Curled Dock</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> acetosa</td> - <td>Common Sorrel</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">EUPHORBIACEÆ OR SPURGEWORT ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Euphorbia paralias</td> - <td>Sea purge<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">URTICACEÆ OR NETTLE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Humulus Lupulus</td> - <td>Hop</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Urtica pilulifera</td> - <td>Roman nettle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parietaria officinalis</td> - <td>Common Wall-pellitory</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">SALICACEÆ OR WILLOW ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Salix argentea</td> - <td>Silky Sand Willow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> repens</td> - <td>Dwarf Willow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Myrica Gale</td> - <td>Sweet Gale</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">IRIDACEÆ OR IRIS ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Iris Pseudacorus</td> - <td>Yellow water-iris</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">AMARYLLIDACEÆ OR THE AMYRILLIS ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus</td> - <td>Common Daffodil</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Galanthus nivalis</td> - <td>Snowdrop</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ALISMACEÆ OR WATER-PLANTAIN ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butomus umbellatus</td> - <td>Flowering-rush</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alisma ranunculoides</td> - <td>Lesser Thrumwort</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">POTAMOGETONACEÆ OR PONDWEED ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ruppia maritima</td> - <td>Sea Tasselgrass</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Zannichellia palustris</td> - <td>Common Lakeweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ORCHIDACEÆ OR ORCHID ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Orchis morio</td> - <td>Green-winged Orchis</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> pyramidalis</td> - <td>Pyramidal <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Epipactis latifolia</td> - <td>Broad-leaved Helleborine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> palustris</td> - <td>Marsh <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">JUNCACEÆ OR RUSH ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Juncus effesus</td> - <td>Soft Rush</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> filiformis</td> - <td>Threadrush</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> squarrosus</td> - <td>Heathrush</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Narthecium ossifragrum</td> - <td>Bog Asphodel</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">ARACEÆ OR ARUM ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lenna minor</td> - <td>Lesser Duckweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CRONTIACEÆ OR SWEET-FLAG ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Acorus Calamus</td> - <td>Sweet-flag</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">CYPERACEÆ OR SEDGE ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carex limosa</td> - <td>Mud Sedge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> flava</td> - <td>Yellow <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> arenaria</td> - <td>Sea <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eriophorum polystachyon</td> - <td>Broad-leaved Cotton-grass</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="allsmcap">EQUISETACEÆ OR HORSETAIL ORDER.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Equisetum arvense</td> - <td>Corn Horsetail</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> variegatum</td> - <td>Variegated Horsetail</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="smcap">The River Wyre</span> rises in the hills of Wyersdale and -Bleasdale; running in a south-westerly direction and passing -the towns of Garstang and Church Town, it arrives at St. -Michael’s, from which point its tortuous course is continued -almost due west as far as Skippool. Thence winding past the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -ancient port of Wardleys, the stream, much widened, flows -north and a little inclined towards the west, until it reaches -the harbour of Fleetwood, situated at its mouth. From that -seaport, the channel of the river, unaltered in direction, lies for a -distance of nearly two miles between the sand-banks of North -Wharf and Bernard’s Wharf, and finally terminates in Morecambe -Bay, meeting the well-defined bed of the Lune at right -angles. The origins of the Wyre in the hills consist of two small -rivulets, and the stream formed by their union is joined near -Scorton by the Grizedale Brook, whilst lower down, about two -miles beyond the town of Garstang, it receives the Calder, -rising on the slopes of Bleasdale. Before leaving the parish of -Garstang, the Wyre is further increased by the brook springing -from Fairsnape and Parlick Pike, which passes Claughton and -Myerscough, not far from where it receives a small tributary from -the south. At Skippool also a brook, the Skipton, which springs -from the mere and marshy grounds of Marton Moss, pours its -contents into the river.</p> - -<p>The Wyre is crossed at Garstang by the aqueduct of the -Preston, Lancaster, and Kendal canal, and at St. Michael’s, near -the Church, it is spanned by a rather narrow but substantial -stone bridge. For a distance of about six miles in the neighbourhood -of the latter place the stream is enclosed within artificial -banks, which in some parts have a descent of thirty feet. In -spite of these precautions, however, high floods occasionally occur, -when the swollen waters burst over the embankments and inundate -the adjoining country. At Cart Ford there is a wooden structure -of very limited width, connecting the opposing banks; and a few -miles further down is the Shard Bridge, built of iron, and presenting -a neat and elegant appearance. The river at that spot is 500 -yards in breadth, and until the erection of the bridge in 1864, -was crossed by means of a ferry-boat, or forded at low water by -carts and conveyances. The ancient name of this ford was -Ald-wath, and we learn from the following entry in the diary -of Thomas Tyldesley, that in 1713 the charge for crossing by boat -was 6d. each journey:—“September 14, 1713.—Went after dinr. to -ffox Hall; pd. 6d. ffor boating att Sharde; saw ye ferry man -carry out of ye boat a Scot and his pack, a sight I never saw -beffor, beeing 56 years off age.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<p>About three hundred years since the venerable Harrison -described the principal rivers of Lancashire, and from his -writings at that time we quote as under:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The Wire ryseth eight or ten miles from Garstan, out of an hill in Wiresdale, -from whence it runneth by Shireshed chappell, and then going by Wadland, -Grenelaw Castle (which belongeth to the erle of Darbie), Garstan and Kyrkeland -hall, it first receiveth the seconde Calder, that commeth down by Edmersey -chappell, then another chanel increased with sundrie waters, the first water is -called Plympton brooke. It riseth south of Gosner, and commeth by Craweforde -hall, and eare long receyving the Barton becke, it proceedeth forward till it -joyneth with the Brooke rill that commeth from Bowland Forest by Claughton -hall, where M. Brokehales doth live, and so throw Mersco forest. After this confluence -the Plime or Plimton water meeteth with the Calder, and then with the -Wire, which passeth forth to Michael church and the Rawcliffes, and above -Thorneton crosseth the Skipton, that goeth by Potton, then into the Wire rode, -and finally into the sea, according to his nature.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Drayton also has left the subjoined versified account of the -Wyre, and as in addition to its poetic merit, it possesses the -virtue of being a faithful description, we need not apologise for -giving it unabridged:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Arising but a rill at first from Wyersdale’s lap,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Yet still receiving all her strength from her full mother’s pap,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As downe to seaward she her serious course doth ply,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Takes Calder coming in, to beare her company,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Woolscrag’s cliffy foot, a hill to her at hand,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">By that fayre forest knowne, within her Verge to stand.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">So Bowland from her breast sends Brock her to attend,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As she a Forest is, so likewise doth she send</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Her child, on Wyresdale Flood, the dainty Wyre to wayte,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With her assisting Rills, when Wyre is once repleat;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">She in her crooked course to Seaward softly glides,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where Pellin’s mighty Mosse, and Merton’s on her sides</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Their boggy breasts outlay, and Skipton down doth crawle</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To entertain this Wyre, attained to her fall.”<a id="FNanchor_56" href="#Footnote_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>White Hall, (formerly Upper Rawcliffe Hall,) Rawcliffe Hall, -and Mains Hall, each of which will claim our attention more -particularly hereafter, are seated on the banks of the Wyre, so -also is the ancient house of Preesall-with-Hackensall, and although -not properly comprised within the limits of this work, it has a -right from its association with the river, to some description—a -right the more readily conceded when it is known that in point -of antiquity and interest, the hall and domain are well deserving<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span> -of our consideration. The site of the mansion is a little removed -from the brink of the stream, and almost directly opposite the -southern extremity of Fleetwood. The present building is of -considerable age, having been erected by Richard Fleetwood, of -Rossall, in 1656, as indicated by an inscription over the main -entrance, but there can be no question that the origin of its -predecessor was co-eval, at least, with the grant of the manor by -King John, when earl of Moreton, to Geoffrey, the Crossbowman, -who, with his descendants, resided there. The whole of the large -estate remained in the family of Geoffrey until the fifteenth -century, when it was conveyed in marriage to James Pickering, -of Layton, by Agnes, the sole offspring and heiress of the last -male Hackensall, the title assumed, according to custom, by the -Crossbowman. James Pickering left at his decease four daughters, -co-heiresses, and married to Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe, Thomas -Aglionby, Nicholas Aglionby, and James Leybourne, each of -whom inherited one-fourth of the manor in right of his wife. In -1639 Sir Paul Fleetwood, of Rossall, held three-fourths of -Hackensall, whilst the remaining quarter had descended to -Henry Butler. Under the will of Richard Fleetwood, the -re-erector of the hall, at that time occupied by his brother -Francis, the three-fourths just named were sold by his trustees, -being purchased, in part, for the Hornbys, of Poulton. Geoffrey -Hornby, vicar of Winwick, and Robert Loxham, vicar of Poulton, -held between them three-quarters of the manor in 1729, and -William Elletson, of Parrox Hall, had possession of the other -fourth, which is now the hereditary estate of Daniel Hope -Elletson, esq., justice of the peace, residing at the same seat. -At the end of the last century the Hornbys disposed of their -share to John Bourne, gentleman, of Stalmine, from whom it -descended to his second son, James Bourne, of Stalmine, and -from him to his nephews, Thomas, James, and Peter, successively. -The other portion of the manorial rights of the three-fourths was -subsequently acquired by the last-surviving nephew, Peter Bourne, -of Heathfield and Liverpool. Peter Bourne, esq., of Hackensall, -married Margaret, the only daughter of James Drinkwater, esq., -of Bent, in Lancashire, and left issue James, who is the present -lord of three-quarters of the manor, and owner of the ancient Hall. -James Bourne, esq., M.P., of Hackensall, and of Heathfield, near<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span> -Liverpool, is Col.-Comdt. of the Royal Lancashire regiment of -Militia Artillery, a deputy-lieutenant, and a justice of the peace of -this county. Colonel Bourne has recently restored the old manor -house, but in such a way as to preserve, and not obliterate, its -links with a bygone age. The antique fire-places, one of which -was protected by a massive arch of stone sweeping across the -whole width of the room, have been renewed as before, and -although the main doorway has been removed to another part of -the building, the stone with the initials F. R. A., being those of -Richard Fleetwood and Anne, his wife, has been reinstated in its -original position above the newly-constructed lintel. Rumour -affirms that during certain alterations two or three skeletons, -supposed to be those of females, were found bricked up in a -narrow chamber in one of the walls, and whilst confirming the -discovery of a long secret recess, we dare not venture, for the -evidence is somewhat contradictory, to hold ourselves responsible -for the strict accuracy of the other part of the story, which -suggests the enactment of a scene of revolting cruelty, similar -to that introduced by Sir Walter Scott in the following lines:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Yet well the luckless wretch might shriek,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Well might her paleness terror speak!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For there was seen in that dark wall,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Two niches, narrow, deep, and tall.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Who enters at such grisly door</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Shall ne’er I wean find exit more.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In each a slender meal was laid</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of roots, of water, and of bread.</div> - <div class="verse indent14">...</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Hewn stones and mortar were display’d,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And building tools in order laid.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The moat has now been nearly filled up, but its extent and -direction can still be pointed out. There are no indications of a -chapel having formerly constituted part of the residential building, -but several years since, when an outhouse was destroyed, at a -short distance, about twenty yards, two gravestones were discovered, -and it is probable that they were somewhere near, if not -actually on the site of, the private chapel or oratory. One of the -stones was broken up immediately, and the other is practically -illegible, although three or four words, still preserved, prove that -the inscription has not been in raised characters. The rights to -wreckage, etc. on the foreshore of the manor have pertained to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -the lords of Hackensall from time immemorial, and still continue -to be held and exercised as portion of the lordship.</p> - -<p>Anterior to the establishment of a port at Fleetwood, or more -correctly speaking, to the foundation of a town and the erection -of wharfage, etc., on the warren forming the western boundary of -Wyre estuary, Wardleys and Skippool, almost facing each other, -were the harbours to which all commercial traffic on the river -was directed. Ships of considerable size, freighted with cargoes -of various sorts, found their way to those secluded havens, and -even within the last few years, during high tides, vessels laden -with grain have been berthed and unloaded in the narrow creek -leading from Skippool bay, while bags of guano have often terminated -their sea-voyages at Wardleys. A solitary warehouse, -however, undated, but bearing on its battered exterior and decaying -timbers the unmistakable stamp of time, is, at the present -day, almost the only remaining witness to the former pretentions -of the first named place. At Wardleys, three or four spacious -warehouses, in a similarly dilapidated condition and now partially -converted into shippons, the remainder being unused except as -lumber-rooms or temporary storehouses for guano or some local -agricultural produce, together with a stone wharf, are evidences -of a fair amount of business having once been carried on at that -little port.</p> - -<p>In 1825 Baines described Wardleys as “a small seaport on the -river Wyre, where vessels of 300 tons register may discharge their -burdens, situated in the township of Stalmine with Stainall, in -the hundred of Amounderness;” but in the year 1708 customs -were established at Poulton in connection with Wardleys and -Skippool. Nor should we be justified in limiting the antiquity of -the ports to that date, for as early as 1590-1600, William and -James Blackburne, of Thistleton, carried on an extensive trade -with Russia, and there can be no doubt that their cargoes of merchandise, -most likely flax and tallow, were landed on the banks -of the Wyre at those ancient harbours. The father of the above -merchants was the first of the family to take up his residence in -this neighbourhood, and appears to have settled at Garstang, -about 1550, from Yorkshire. That the commercial dealings of -the partners were both large and successful is shown in the property -acquired by William Blackburne, the elder brother, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span> -purchased Newton, lands in Thistleton, and several other estates -of considerable magnitude in the Fylde, all of which he bequeathed -to his son and heir, Richard. Richard Blackburne married Jane, -the daughter of John Aynesworth, of Newton, and had issue John -of Eccleston; Richard, of Goosnargh; Thomas, of Orford and -Newton; Edward, of Stockenbridge, near St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; -Robert, who was suspected of being implicated in the Gunpowder -Plot, but acquitted, the evidence being insufficient; Annie, who -married—Nickson; and Elizabeth, the wife of William Standish. -When the Singletons of Staining became extinct, the Hall and -estate of that name passed to a William Blackburne, as heir-at-law, -and there is great probability that he was a descendant of one -of the sons of Richard Blackburne of Thistleton, Newton, etc.—most -likely of John Blackburn, of Eccleston.</p> - -<p>During the years more immediately previous to the opening of -the new port at the mouth of the river, a great many large ships -from America, laden with timber, and brigs from Russia, with flax -and tallow, were discharged at Wardleys. A three masted vessel, -for the foreign trade, was also constructed in the ship-yard -attached to that place, but as far as can be learnt this was the -only vessel of equal dimensions ever built there, repairs being the -chief occupation of the workpeople.</p> - -<p>Several of the officers connected with the Custom House at -Poulton, were stationed at Knot End, opposite the Warren, -living in the small cottage standing near the shore, in order to -board the different craft as they entered the river, and pilot them -up the stream to Wardleys. A large hotel is situated behind -the site of the old ship-yard, and during the summer months is -generally well patronised by visitors, to whom, as well as to the -pleasure-parties arriving by water from Fleetwood, and by road -from Blackpool, the hamlet is now mainly indebted for support. -Some large mussels, the “Mytili angulosi,” but known amongst -the natives of those parts as “Hambleton hookings,” were found -formerly in large quantities a little lower down the river, but lately -specimens of this fine shell-fish have been growing much scarcer. -Dr. Leigh, in his Natural History of our county, informs us that -pearls have frequently been discovered enclosed within the shells -of these molluscs, and also that their popular name arises from the -manner in which they are taken, the feat being accomplished “by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span> -plucking them from their Skeers, or Beds, with Hooks.” The -tidal estuary of the Wyre embraces an area of three miles by two, -and it is near to its termination that the port and town of Fleetwood -are situated. Our purpose now is not to enter into a -description of the harbour, which will be found in the chapter -specially devoted to the seaport itself, but a few words as to the -advantages derived from the nature of the river’s current and its -bed, will not be out of place. Captain Denham, R.N., F.R.S., -after inspecting the site of the proposed port on behalf of the promoters, -issued a report in the month of January, 1840, and -amongst other things, stated that during the first half of the ebb-tide, -a reflux of backwater was produced which dipped with such -a powerful under-scour as to preserve a natural basin, capable of -riding ships of eighteen or twenty feet draught, at low water, -spring tides; also that the anchorage ground, both within and -without the harbour, was excellent. These facts alone seemed -sufficient to warrant the gallant officer’s prediction that the -undertaking would be successful and remunerative, but when in -addition it is called to mind, that “as easy and safe as Wyre -water” had for long been a proverb amongst the mariners of our -coast, and that the harbour was, and is, perfectly sheltered from -all winds, as well as connected with a railway terminus which -communicates with Preston, Manchester, etc., we are astonished -that comparatively so little encouragement has been given to it, -and that now, thirty-five years from the date of this survey, the -first dock is only approaching completion.</p> - -<p>The river Wyre is plentifully supplied with fish of various sorts; -in the higher parts of the stream trout and smelts may be found, -whilst the lower portion and estuary contain codling, flounders, -sea-perch, conger, sand eels, and occasionally salmon. The -earliest enactments with regard to the fisheries connected with -the last-named fish related to the Wyre, Ribble, and other rivers -of Lancashire. In 1389, during the reign of Richard II., a law, -which arranged the times and seasons when the fisheries in these -rivers should be closed, and other matters affecting them, was -passed and brought into force, being the first regulation of its -kind.</p> - -<p>The Ribble is associated with the Fylde only in so much as its -tidal estuary is concerned, which forms the southern boundary of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span> -the district. Since 1837 great alterations have been effected in -the channel of the river by the Ribble Navigation Improvement -Company. The stream for the larger portion of its extent from -Preston to the Naze Point has been confined within stone -embankments, and its bed considerably deepened by dredging. -During the progress of these improvements wide tracts of land -have been reclaimed both north and south of the current. -From Freckleton the river rapidly widens as it approaches -the sea, so that a direct line drawn from Lytham to Southport -across its mouth would pass over a distance of seven or -eight miles. The channel here is shallow, while the sands on -each side are flat and extensive, and midway in the estuary, at its -lowest part, lies the far-famed Horse-bank, which divides the -stream into a north and south current, scarcely discernible, -however, after the tide has risen above the level of the bank. -About one mile from the town of Lytham, in the direction of -Preston, is a pool of moderate dimensions, having an open communication -with the river, and formed into a small harbour or -dock for yachts and vessels connected with the coasting trade. -In the bed of the river, a little higher up than that locality, -trunks of large trees are occasionally observed at low water, and -many such remains of a once noble forest, which is believed to -have extended from near the Welsh coast as far even as Morecambe, -have been raised at different times during the operation of -dredging.</p> - -<p>The following descriptions of the Ribble, its source, course, and -tributaries, were written, respectively, by the ancient topographer -Harrison, and the poet Drayton, whose accounts of the Wyre -have been previously quoted:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The Rybell, a river verie rich of Salmon and Lampreie, dooth in manner -inviron Preston in Andernesse, and it riseth neere to Ribbesdale above Gisburne. -It goeth from thence to Sawley or Salley, Chatburne, Woodington, Clitherow -Castell, and beneath Mitton meeteth with the Odder, which ryseth not farre from -the Cross of Grete in Yorkshire, and going thence to Shilburne, Newton, -Radholme parke, and Stony hirst, it falleth ere long into Ribble water. From -thence the Ribble hath not gone farre, but it meeteth with the Calder. Thys -brooke ryseth above Holme Church, goeth by Townley and Burneley (where -it receiveth a trifeling rill), thence to Higham, and ere long crossing one -water that cometh from Wicoler, by Colne, and another by and by named Pidle -brooke that runneth by Newechurch, in the Pidle: it meeteth with ye Calder, -which passeth forth to Padiam, and thence (receyving a becke on the other side)<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span> -it runneth on to Altham, and so to Martholme, where the Henburne brooke doth -joyn with all, that goeth by Alkington chappell, Dunkinhalge, Rishton, and so -into ye Calder as I have sayde before. The Calder therefore being thus inlarged, -runneth forth to Reade (where M. Noell dwelleth), to Whalley, and soon after -into Ribell, that goeth from this confluence to Salisbury hall, Ribchester, Osbaston, -Sambury, Keuerden, Law, Ribles bridge, and then taketh in the Darwent, before -it goeth by Pontwarth or Pentworth into the sea. The Darwent devideth Leland -shire from Andernesse,<a id="FNanchor_57" href="#Footnote_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> and it ryseth by east above Darwent Chappell, and soone -after uniting it selfe with the Blackeburne, and Rodlesworthe water it goeth -thorowe Howghton Parke, by Howghton towne, to Walton hall, and so into the -Ribell. As for the Sannocke brooke, it ryseth somewhat above Longridge -Chappell, goeth to Broughton towne, Cotham, Lee hall, and so into Ribell.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“From Penigent’s proud foot as from my source I slide,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That mountain, my proud sire, in height of all his pride,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Takes pleasure in my course as in his first-born flood,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And Ingleborrough too, of that Olympian brood,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And Pendle, of the north, the highest hill that be,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Do wistly me behold, and are beheld of me.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">These mountains make me proud, to gaze on me that stand,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">So Longridge, once arrived on the Lancastrian strand,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Salutes me, and with smiles me to his soil invites,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">So have I many a flood that forward me excites,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As Hodder that from Home attends me from my spring,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Then Calder, coming down from Blackstonedge doth bring</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Me easily on my way to Preston, the greatest town</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Wherewith my banks are blest, where, at my going down,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Clear Darwen on along me to the sea doth drive,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And in my spacious fall no sooner I arrive,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But Savock to the north from Longridge making way</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To this my greatness adds, when in my ample bay,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Swart Dulas coming in from Wigan, with her aids,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Short Taud and Dartow small, two little country maids,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In these low watery lands and moory mosses bred,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Do see me safely laid in mighty Neptune’s bed,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And cutting in my course, even through the heart</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of this renowned shire, so equally it part,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As nature should have said, lo! thus I meant to do,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">This flood divides this shire, thus equally in two.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The beautiful scenery and historical associations of the Ribble -render it the most interesting and charming of the several rivers -which water the county of Lancaster. The quietude of its fair -valley has on more than one occasion been rudely broken by the -clash of arms, and students of our country’s history will readily<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span> -call to mind that calamitous day to the Duke of Hamilton, when -Cromwell routed the Highlanders under his command, near -Preston,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And Darwen stream with blood of Scots imbrued.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Other instances of war-like doings along the banks of this river -might be recounted, but as the neighbourhoods in which they -occurred are not enclosed within the Fylde boundaries, we are -perforce obliged to exclude them from this volume, and must -refer those of our readers who are anxious to learn more both of -them and of the river itself to other sources for the required -information. The chief fish of the Ribble is of course its salmon, -but in addition the estuary contains numbers of flounders and -other varieties of the finny tribes similar to those found in the -tidal portion of the Wyre. During the sixteenth century -sturgeons seem to have been captured occasionally in the Ribble, -and amongst the records of the duchy in 1536, there is a complaint -that when “one certain sturgeon was found within the -township of Warton and seized for the use of the King (who held -the right of fishery there), and laid up in a house in Warton, one -Christopher Bone, of Warton, and James Bradʳton, of the ley, -with divers riotous persons, about the 6th of May last, did then -and there take out of the said house the said sturgeon, and the -said Bone hath at divers times and in like manner taken -sturgeons and porpoises to his own use and the injury of his -majesty.”<a id="FNanchor_58" href="#Footnote_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a></p> - -<p>As such a small part, and that far from the most important, of -Ribble stream is really connected with the Fylde, and as it is -not our intention to trespass beyond the limits of that district,—at -least not knowingly, and the margin in the present instance is so -clearly defined that no excuse could be offered for overstepping it,—we -are compelled to content ourselves with this brief account, -leaving much unsaid that is of considerable historical and general -interest.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The Sea</span> which washes over the westerly shore of the Fylde -forms part of St. George’s Channel or the Irish Sea, whilst the -narrow northern boundary of the same district is limited by the -waters of Morecambe Bay. The main peculiarities to be noticed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span> -along the extensive line of this coast swept over by the billows of -the Irish Sea, are the almost entire absence of seaweeds and the -levelness of the sands; indeed, so gentle is the slope of the latter -that its average declivity has been estimated at no more than one -foot in every fifty yards, and to the flatness of this surface it is -due that the beach is in a very great measure freed from putrifying -heaps of fish and seaweed, for the rising tides glide with such -swiftness over the level sandy beds that most driftmatters and -impurities are left behind in the depths beyond low water mark. -An analysis, made by Dr. Schweitzer, of the waters of the English -coast, furnishes the following result:—</p> - -<table summary="Chemical composition of the waters of the English coast"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th></th> - <th>No. of<br />grains.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Water</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">964.74</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chloride of Sodium (Table salt)</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">27.06</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chloride of Magnesium</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">3.67</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sulphate of Magnesia (Epsom Salts)</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">2.30</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sulphate of Lime</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1.40</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carbonate of Lime</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">0.03</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carbonate of Magnesia</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="tdr valign" rowspan="6">Traces</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carbonic Acid</td> - <td>⎪</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Potash</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Iodine</td> - <td>⎪</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Extractive matter</td> - <td>⎪</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bromide of Magnesium</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt">1,000</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>There are few, we imagine, who have not at one time or -another admired the luminous appearance of the sea on certain -evenings. This astonishing and beautiful phenomenon is brought -about by the presence in the water of myriads of tiny beings, -called Noctilucæ, which possess the power of emitting a phosphorescent -light, and seemingly convert the bursting waves into -masses of liquid fire. The immense expanse of sea spreading out -from the westerly border of the Fylde has, independently of its -association with the Gulph Stream, a marked influence in -equalising the climate and averting those sudden and extreme -degrees of heat and cold commonly experienced inland. The -atmosphere over water does not undergo such rapid alterations in -its temperature as that over land, and hence it happens that -localities situated near the coast are cooler in summer and -warmer in winter than others far removed from its vicinity. -Most people will have observed that after a calm sunny day at -the seaside, a breeze from the land invariably arises after sunset,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span> -due to the fact that the air over the earth being cooled and -condensed much sooner than that over the sea, the heavier body -of atmosphere endeavours to displace the warmer and lighter one. -A gentle evaporation is daily taking place from the surface of the -sea, by which the air becomes loaded with moisture, remaining -suspended until the coolness of evening sets in, when it is -deposited on the ground as dew. The water thus obtained from -the deep is not pure brine, as might at first sight appear, but is -freed from its salts by the process of natural distillation which -has been undergone. Similar evaporation also goes on from the -surfaces of the Ribble and Wyre, and it is doubtless chiefly owing -to the Fylde being almost environed by water, constantly disseminating -dew, that its fecundity is not only so great, but also so -constant. The following is a list of the seaweeds to be found on -the coast:—</p> - -<table summary="Seaweed species that can be seen in the Fylde"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">MELANOSPERMEÆ OR OLIVE GREEN SEAWEEDS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—fucaceæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fucus nodosus</td> - <td>Knobbed Wrack</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> serratus</td> - <td>Serrated <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> canaliculatus</td> - <td>Channelled <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> vesiculosus</td> - <td>Bladder <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—sporochnaceæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Desmarestia aculeata</td> - <td>Spring Desmarestia</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> viridis</td> - <td>Green <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—laminarieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alaria esculenta</td> - <td>Edible Alaria</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Laminaria digitata</td> - <td>Tangle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> saccharina</td> - <td>Sweet Laminaria</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> bulbosa</td> - <td>Sea-furbelows</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chorda filum</td> - <td>Thread Ropeweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—dictyoteæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dictyosiphon fæniculaceus</td> - <td>Tubular Netweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Asperococcus echinatus</td> - <td>Wooly Rough-weed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> compressus</td> - <td>Compressed <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—chordarieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chordaria flagelliformis</td> - <td>Whiplash weed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mesogloia virescens</td> - <td>Verdant Viscid-weed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> vermicularis</td> - <td>Wormy <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—ectocarpeæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cladostephus verticillatus</td> - <td>Whorled Cladostephus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> spongiosus</td> - <td>Spongy <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sphacellaria scoparia</td> - <td>Brown-like Sphacellaria</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> plumosa</td> - <td>Feathered <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> Cirrhosa</td> - <td>Nodular</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ectocarpus litoralis</td> - <td>Shore Ectocarpus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> siliculosus</td> - <td>Podded <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> tomentosus</td> - <td>Feathered <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">RHODOSPERMEÆ OR RED SEAWEEDS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—rhodomeleæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Polysiphonia fastigiata</td> - <td>Tufted Polysiphonia</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> urceolata</td> - <td>Hair-like <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> nigrescens</td> - <td>Dark <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—laurencieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bonnemaisonia asparagoides</td> - <td>Asparagus-like Bonnemaisonia</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Laurentia pinnatifida</td> - <td>Pinnatifid Pepper-dulse</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> cæspitosa</td> - <td>Tufted <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> dasyphylla</td> - <td>Sedum-leaved <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—corrallineæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corallina officinalis</td> - <td>Officinal Coralline</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jania</td> - <td>Jania</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Melobesia</td> - <td>Melobesia</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—delesserieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Delesseria alata</td> - <td>Winged Delesseria</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—rhodymenieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rhodymenia palmata</td> - <td>Dulse</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> ciliata</td> - <td>Ciliated Rhodymenia</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hypnea purpurescens</td> - <td>Purple Hypnea</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—cryptonemieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gelidium</td> - <td>Jellyweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gigartina mamillosa</td> - <td>Papillary Grape-stone</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chondrus crispus</td> - <td>Irish moss</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Polyides rotundus</td> - <td>Round Polyides</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Furcellaria fastigiata</td> - <td>Slippery Forkweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Halymenia rubens</td> - <td>Red Sea-film</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> membranifolia</td> - <td>Membranous Sea-film</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> edulis</td> - <td>Edible <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> palmata</td> - <td>Palmated <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> lacerata</td> - <td>Lacerated <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catanella opuntia</td> - <td>Catanella opuntia</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—ceramieæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ceramium rubrum</td> - <td>Red Hornweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> diaphanum</td> - <td>Diaphanous <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> ciliatum</td> - <td>Hairy <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> echionotum</td> - <td>Irregularly-spined Hornweed</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> acanthonotum</td> - <td>Spined <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> nodosum</td> - <td>Nodose <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Callithamnion tetragonum</td> - <td>Square-branched Callithamnion</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> plumula</td> - <td>Feathery <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> polyspermum</td> - <td>Many-spermed <span class="ditto2">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc">CHLOROSPERMEÆ OR GRASS GREEN SEAWEEDS.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—conferveæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Couferva rupestris</td> - <td>Rock Crowsilk</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> lanosa</td> - <td>Woolly <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> fucicola</td> - <td>Wrack <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> tortuosa</td> - <td>Twisted <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Tribe—ulveæ.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ulva latissima</td> - <td>Oyster Green or Laver</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto1">”</span> Lactuca</td> - <td>Lettuce Laver</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Entermarpha intestinalis</td> - <td>Intestinal Entermorpha</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> compressa</td> - <td>Branched <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The subjoined table contains the names of some of the -crustaceous animals and molluscs commonly met with in the -neighbourhood:—</p> - -<table summary="Crustaceans and molluscs that can be seen in the Fylde"> - <tr> - <td>Arctopsis tetraodon</td> - <td>Four-horned Spider-crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hyas araneus</td> - <td>Great Spider-crab, or Sea-toad</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Portunus puber</td> - <td>Velvet Fiddler-crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corystes dentata</td> - <td>Toothed Crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gonoplax angulata</td> - <td>Angular Crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pinnotheres pisum</td> - <td>Pea-crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porcellana platycheles</td> - <td>Broad-claw porcelain Crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cancer pagurus</td> - <td>Edible crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cancer mænas</td> - <td>Common Crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pagurus Bernhardus</td> - <td>Hermit-crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pilumnus hirtellus</td> - <td>Hairy-crab</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Palæmon serratus</td> - <td>Common Prawn</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crangon vulgaris</td> - <td>Common Shrimp</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corophium longicorne</td> - <td>Long-horned Corophium</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Orchestia littorea</td> - <td>Shore-hopper</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Talitrus saltator</td> - <td>Sand-hopper</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sulcator arenarius</td> - <td>Sand-screw</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mytilus edulis</td> - <td>Edible Mussel</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardium edule</td> - <td>Cockle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Buccinum undatum</td> - <td>Whelk</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Litorina litorea</td> - <td>Periwinkle</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Calyptra vulgaris</td> - <td>Common Limpet</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header6.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE PEDIGREES OF ANCIENT FAMILIES.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<h3>ALLEN OF ROSSALL HALL.</h3> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The Allens who resided at Rossall Hall for a period -of more than half a century, and by intermarriage -became connected with the Westbys of Mowbreck, -the Heskeths of Mains, and the Gillows of Bryning, -sprang from the county of Stafford. At the time of the -Protestant Reformation, George Allen, of Brookhouse, in -the division just mentioned, held a long lease of the Grange -and Hall of Rossall from a kinsman of his family, one of the -abbots of Deulacres, a Staffordshire monastery, to which the -estate had been granted by King John. George Allen at his -death left one son, John, who resided at the Hall, and subsequently -married Jane, the sister of Thomas Lister, of Arnold -Biggin, in Yorkshire. The offspring of this marriage were -Richard, William, Gabriel, George, who espoused Elizabeth, -the daughter of William Westby, of Mowbreck; Mary, afterwards -the wife of Thomas Worthington, of Blainscow; Elizabeth, -subsequently the wife of William Hesketh, of Mains Hall; and -Anne, who married George Gillow, of Bryning. Richard Allen, -of Rossall Hall, the eldest son, left at his demise a widow with -three daughters, named respectively, Helen, Catherine, and Mary, -who were deprived of their possessions and rights in the Grange -in the year 1583 by Edmund Fleetwood, whose father had -purchased the reversion of the lease from Henry VIII., at the -time when the larger monastic institutions were dissolved in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span> -England. The widow and her daughters fled to Rheims to escape -further persecution, where they were hospitably received by their -near relative, Cardinal William Allen, who interested the princely -family of Guise in their behalf and so obtained for them the means -of subsistence.</p> - -<p>William Allen, the second son of John Allen, of Rossall Hall, -was born in 1532, and at the early age of fifteen entered Oriel -College, Oxford, under the tutorship of Morgan Philips, perhaps -the most eminent logician of his day. Three years later he was -elected to a fellowship. Upon the accession of Mary he entered -the church, and in 1556 was made principal of St. Mary’s Hall, -acting as Proctor for the two succeeding years. In 1558 he was -created canon of York, but on the accession of Elizabeth, he -refused the Protestant oaths, was deprived of his fellowship, and, -in 1560, retired to Louvaine, where he wrote his first work, -entitled “A Defence of the Doctrine of Catholics, concerning -Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead,” in answer to an attack on -those dogmas by Bishop Jewell. In 1565, the year in which this -publication appeared and fermented great excitement both here -and abroad, William Allen determined, in spite of the extreme -dangers of such an act, to visit his native country, more -especially the home of his fathers at Rossall. Religious zeal -prevented his active spirit from being long at rest; after residing -in England about three years and visiting different parts of -Lancashire, seeking converts to his creed, he was obliged to -secrete himself from the eye of the law amongst his friends, -Layton Hall and Mains Hall being two of his hiding places, -until a suitable opportunity occurred for escaping over to the -continent. Flanders was his destination, and from there he went -to Mechlin, afterwards taking up his abode at Douai, where he -obtained a doctor’s degree, and established an English seminary. -This college, we learn from the “Mem: Miss: Priests: Ed. 1741,” -was founded in 1568 “to train up English scholars in virtue and -learning, and to qualify them to labour in the vineyard of the -Lord, on their return to their native country; it was the first -college in the Christian world, instituted according to the model -given by the council of Trent.”</p> - -<p>Whilst engaged at the above scholastic institution, William -Allen was appointed canon of Cambray; subsequently when the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span> -English council applied to the ruling powers of the Spanish -Netherlands to suppress the college of Douai, the Doctor and his -assistants were received under the protection of the house -of Guise. Afterwards Doctor Allen, on being appointed canon of -Rheims, established another seminary in that city. At that time -perhaps no one was more admired and revered by the Catholic -party abroad, and detested by the Protestant subjects of England, -than William Allen. He was even accused by his countrymen at -home of having traitorously instigated Philip II. of Spain, to -attempt the invasion and conquest of England, and although he -strenuously denied any agency in that matter, it is certain that -after the defeat of the Armada, he wrote a defence of Sir William -Stanley and Sir Rowland York, who had assisted the enemy. In -1587, he was made cardinal of St. Martin in Montibus by Pope -Sectus V., and a little later was presented by the king of Spain -to a rich abbey in Naples with promises of still higher preferment. -In 1588 he published the “Declaration of the Sentence of Sixtus -the Fifth,” which was directed against the government of the -British queen, whom he declared an usurper, obstinate and -impenitent, and for these reasons to be deprived. As an appendix -to the work he issued shortly afterwards an “Admonition to the -Nobility and People of England and Ireland,” in which he pronounced -the queen an illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII. -Although the effect of these publications on the English nation -was not, as he hoped, to arouse the people to open rebellion, or -in any way to advance the Catholic cause, the efforts of the -cardinal were so far appreciated by the king of Spain that he -promoted him to the archbishopric of Mechlin. He lived at -Rome during the remainder of his life in great luxury and -magnificence. On October 6th, 1594, this remarkable man -expired at his palace, in the 63rd year of his age, and was -buried with great pomp at the English church of the Holy -Trinity in the ancient imperial city.</p> - -<h3>BUTLER OF RAWCLIFFE HALL.</h3> - -<p>The name of Butler, or as it was formerly written Botiler, -belonged to an office in existence in earlier times, and was first -assumed by Theobald Walter, who married Maud, the sister of -Thomas à Becket, on being appointed <i>Butler</i> of Ireland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span></p> - -<p>Theobald Walter-Botiler gave to his relative Richard Pincerna, -or Botiler, as the family was afterwards called, the whole of Out -Rawcliffe and one carucate of land in Staynole. This gentleman -was the founder of that branch of the Butlers which was established -at Rawcliffe Hall for so many generations. Sir Richard -Botiler, of Rawcliffe, married Alicia, in 1281, the daughter of -William de Carleton, and thus obtained the manor of Inskip. -He had issue—William, Henry, Richard, Edmund, and Galfrid. -Richard Botiler, the third son, who had some possessions in -Marton, left at his death one son, also named Richard, who was -living in 1323, and became the progenitor of the Butlers of -Kirkland. William, the eldest son, espoused Johanna de Sifewast, -a widow, by whom he had Nicholas de Botiler, who was alive in -1322, and had issue by his wife Olivia, one son, William Botiler, -living in 1390. William Botiler had three children—John, -Richard, and Eleanor. John Botiler was created a knight, and in -1393-4-5 was High Sheriff of the county of Lancaster. Sir John -Botiler left at his death, in 1404, three sons and one daughter, the -offspring of his marriage with Isabella, his second wife, who was -the widow of Sir John Butler, of Bewsey. Nicholas, the eldest -son, was also twice married, and had issue by his first wife, -Margeria, the daughter of Sir Richard Kirkeby,—John and -Isabella Botiler. John Botiler espoused, in 1448, Elizabeth, the -daughter of William Botiler, of Warrington, and had issue—Nicholas -and Elizabeth Botiler. Nicholas Botiler married Alice, -the daughter of Sir Thomas Radcliffe, knt., and was succeeded -by his eldest son John Botiler, who subsequently espoused -Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of Sir John Lawrence, knt., -and had issue—William, James, Richard, and Robert Botiler. -James Botiler, the second son, inherited the estates, most -probably owing to the death of William, his elder brother, and -married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Thomas Molyneux, knt., of -Larbrick Hall. James Botiler, or Butler, was living in 1500, but -died shortly afterwards, leaving two sons and two daughters—John, -Nicholas, Isabella, and Elizabeth. John, the elder son, had -issue four daughters, whilst Nicholas, the second son, had issue -by his first wife, the daughter of Richard Bold, of Bold, two sons, -Richard and Henry, and by his second wife, Isabel, the daughter -and co-heiress of John Clayton, of Clayton, one daughter, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span> -died in 1606. Richard Butler married Agnes, the daughter of -Sir Richard Houghton, knt., but having no offspring, the estates -of Rawcliffe passed to William Butler, the eldest son of his -younger brother, Henry Butler, somewhere about 1627. William -Butler espoused Elizabeth, the daughter of Cuthbert Clifton, of -Westby, by whom he had one son, Henry, who was thrice -married, and had numerous offspring. Richard, the eldest son -of Henry Butler by his first wife, Dorothy, the daughter of Henry -Stanley, of Bickerstaffe, died before his father, but left several -sons, one of whom, also named Richard, succeeded to the -Rawcliffe property, and was thirty-two years of age in 1664; -another, Nicholas, was a colonel in the time of Charles I.; and -another, John, was a citizen of London. Richard Butler espoused -Katherine, the daughter of Thomas Carus, of Halton, by whom -he had a large family, the eldest of which, Henry, was six years of -age in 1664. Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe, espoused as his first -wife, Katherine, the granddaughter, and subsequently heiress, of -Sir John Girlington, knt., of Thurland Castle, and had issue—Richard, -Christopher, Philip, Mary, and Katherine. Henry -Butler, and Richard, his eldest son, took part with the Pretender -in the rebellion of 1715, and for this piece of disaffection their -estates were confiscated by the crown, and afterwards sold. Henry -Butler made his escape over to France, but Richard was seized, -tried, and condemned to death. He died in prison, however, in -1716, before the time appointed for his sentence to be carried out, -leaving an only child, Catherine, by his wife, Mary, the daughter -of Henry Curwen, of Workington, who married Edward Markham, -of Ollarton, in the county of Nottingham, and died a minor -without issue. Henry Butler lived in the Isle of Man for several -years, and espoused Elizabeth Butler, of Kirkland, his third wife, -but had no further issue.</p> - -<h3>CLIFTON OF CLIFTON, WESTBY, AND LYTHAM.</h3> - -<p>The family of the Cliftons, whose present seat is Lytham Hall, -has been associated with the Fylde for many centuries. The -earliest ancestor of whom there exists any authentic record, was -Sir William de Clyfton, who lived in the time of William II., -surnamed Rufus, and during the last year of that monarch’s -reign, <span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1100, gave certain lands in Salwick to his son William<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span> -upon his marriage. In 1258 a namesake and descendant of this -William de Clyfton held ten carucates of land in Amounderness, -and was a collector of aids for the county of Lancaster. His son -Gilbert de Clyfton was lord of the manors of Clifton, Westby, -Fylde-Plumpton, etc., and High Sheriff of the county in the -years 1278, 1287, and 1289. He died in 1324, during the reign -of Edward II., and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir William -de Clifton, who was Knight of the Shire for Lancaster 1302-1304. -Sir William de Clifton,<a id="FNanchor_59" href="#Footnote_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> knt., the son of the latter gentleman, -came into possession of the estates on the demise of his father, -and married in 1329, Margaret, the daughter of Sir R. Shireburne, -knt., of Stonyhurst, by whom he had issue one son, Nicholas, -afterwards knighted. He also entailed the manors of Clifton and -Westby on his male issue, and settled the manor of Goosnargh -upon his son and heir. He died in 1365. Sir Nicholas de -Clifton, during one portion of his life, held the post of Governor -of the Castle of Ham, in Picardy. He married Margaret, the -daughter of Sir Thomas West, of Snitterfield, in Warwickshire, -and had issue two sons—Robert and Thomas. The former, who -succeeded him, was Knight of the Shire 1382-1383, and espoused -Eleyne, the daughter of Sir Robert Ursewyck, knt., by whom he -had three sons—Thomas, Roger, and James. In course of time, -Thomas, the eldest, became the representative of the family, and -married Agnes, the daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, of Sefton. -This gentleman (Thomas Clifton), accompanied the army of -Henry V., when that monarch invaded France in 1415. He -settled Goosnargh and Wood-Plumpton upon his second son, -James, while the other portion of the estates passed, on his death -in 1442, to Richard, his heir. Richard Clifton formed a matrimonial -alliance with Alice, the daughter of John Butler, of -Rawcliffe, from which sprang one child, James Clifton, who -afterwards espoused Alice, the daughter of Robert Lawrence, of -Ashton. The offspring of the latter union were Robert and John -Clifton. The former on inheriting the property married Margaret,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span> -the daughter of Nicholas Butler, of Bewsey, in Lancashire. His -children were Cuthbert and William; and now, for a few generations, -we have two separate branches, the descendants of these -gentlemen, which afterwards became united in the persons of -their respective representatives:—</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/family-tree.jpg" width="700" height="525" alt="The family tree" /> -<a id="FNanchor_60" href="#Footnote_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a> -</div> - -<p>This Thomas Clifton retained the Fairsnape estates, which he -had inherited from his mother, during his lifetime, but on his -decease they passed to his uncle. He married Eleanora Alathea, -the daughter of Richard Walmsley, of Dunkenhalgh, in Lancashire. -At his death he left a family of five daughters and two -sons, the eldest of whom, Thomas Clifton, of Clifton, Westby, -and Lytham, subsequently espoused Mary, the daughter of the -fifth Viscount Molyneux. His heir, also Thomas, and born in -1728, rebuilt Lytham Hall, and allied himself to the noble house -of Abingdon by marrying, as his third wife, Lady Jane Bertie,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span> -the daughter of the third earl. The children of this union were -seven, and John, the eldest, born in 1764, inherited the estates, -and married Elizabeth, the daughter of Thomas Horsley Widdrington-Riddell, -of Felton Park, Northumberland. John Clifton -was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas, who had four brothers -and three sisters—John, William, Charles, Mary, Harriet, and -Elizabeth. Thomas Clifton, of Clifton and Lytham, born in 1788, -was a justice of the peace, a deputy-lieutenant, and in 1835, -High Sheriff of the county of Lancaster. He married Hetty, -the daughter of Pellegrine Trevis, an Italian gentleman of ancient -lineage, by whom he had issue John Talbot, born in 1819; -Thomas Henry, lieut.-colonel in the army, and knight of the -Legion of Honour and of the Mejidie; Edward Arthur, died -abroad in 1850; Charles Frederick, who espoused Lady Edith -Maud, eldest daughter of the second Marquis of Hastings, and -assumed in 1859, by act of parliament, the arms and surname of -Abney Hasting; and Augustus Wykenham, late captain in the -Rifle Brigade, who married Lady Bertha Lelgarde Hastings, -second daughter of the second Marquis of Hastings. John Talbot -Clifton, esq., is still living, and is the present lord of Lytham, -Clifton, etc. He was for some years colonel of the 1st. Royal -Lancashire Militia, and sat in Parliament from 1844 to 1847 as -Member for North Lancashire. In 1844 he married Eleanor -Cicily, the daughter of the Hon. Colonel Lowther, M.P., and has -one son, Thomas Henry Clifton, esq., who was born in 1845, and -is now one of the Members of Parliament for North Lancashire. -John Talbot Clifton, esq., is a justice of the peace, and deputy-lieutenant -of this county. Thomas Henry Clifton, esq., M.P., -espoused, in 1867, Madeline Diana Elizabeth, the eldest daughter -of Sir Andrew Agnew, bart., and has issue several children.</p> - -<p>In 1872 Henry Lowther succeeded his uncle as third earl of -Lonsdale, and at the same time his sisters Eleanor Cicily, the wife -of John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, and Augusta Mary, -the wife of the Right Hon. Gerard James Noel, M.P., younger -son of the first earl of Gainsborough, were elevated to the rank of -earl’s daughters.</p> - -<h3>FLEETWOOD OF ROSSALL HALL.</h3> - -<p>This family sprang originally from Little Plumpton in the -Fylde. Henry Fleetwood being the first of whom there is any<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -reliable record, and of him nothing is known beyond the place of -his residence, and the fact that he had a son named Edmund. -Edmund Fleetwood married Elizabeth Holland, of Downholme, -and was living about the middle and earlier portion of the latter -half of the fifteenth century. From that marriage there sprang -one son, William Fleetwood, who subsequently espoused Ellyn, -the daughter of Robert Standish, and had issue John, Thomas, -and Robert Fleetwood. Of these three sons, Thomas, the second, -resided at Vach in the county of Buckingham, and at the -dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII., about 1536, -purchased from that monarch the reversion of the lease of -Rossall Grange, then held by the Allens from the Abbot and -convent of Deulacres, in Staffordshire. Thomas Fleetwood -married Barbara, the cousin and heiress of Andrew Frances, of -London, and had issue five sons, the second and third of whom -were knighted later in life, whilst the eldest, Edmund, came into -possession of Rossall Hall and estate in 1583, after the demise of -Richard Allen, whose widow and daughters were ejected. Thus -Edmund Fleetwood was the first of the name to reside at Rossall, -where he died about forty years later. This gentleman married -Elizabeth, the daughter of John Cheney, of Chesham Boys, in -Buckinghamshire, and had issue several sons and daughters. -Paul, the eldest son and heir, who succeeded him, was knighted -by either James I. or Charles I., and married Jane, the daughter -of Richard Argall from the county of Kent, by whom he had -three sons and two daughters. Edmund, the eldest son, had no -male issue, and at his death, in 1644, Richard, his brother, -succeeded to the property and resided at Rossall Hall. Richard -Fleetwood, who was only fifteen years of age when the death of -his predecessor occurred, subsequently espoused a lady, named -Anne Mayo, from the county of Herts, by whom he had only -two children, a son and a daughter, and as the former died in -youth, the estate passed to the next male heir on his demise. -The heir was found in the person of Francis, of Hackensall Hall, -the brother of Richard Fleetwood and the third son of Sir Paul -Fleetwood. Francis Fleetwood, of Rossall, married Mary, the -daughter of C. Foster, of Preesall, and had issue Richard -Fleetwood, who succeeded him, and a daughter. Richard -Fleetwood resided at Rossall Hall, and married Margaret, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span> -daughter of Edwin Fleetwood, of Leyland, in 1674. The -offspring of that union were two sons, Edward and Paul, and a -daughter Margaret. Edward, the heir, was born in 1682, and -practised for some time as an attorney in Ireland. On the death -of his father, however, he inherited the property, and took up his -abode at the ancestral Hall. He espoused Sarah, the daughter of -Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys. Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox -Hall, Blackpool, was on terms of friendship and intimacy with -the Fleetwoods of Rossall at that period, and on the fourteenth of -April, 1714, the following entry occurs in his diary, referring to -Edward Fleetwood, the lord of the manor, and his brother Paul, -also Edward Veale, the father of Mrs. Ed. Fleetwood, whom, for -some reason unknown, the diarist invariably designated Captain -Veale:—“Went to Rosshall. Dinᵈ with the trustys, yᵉ Lord -& his lady, Mr. Paull, and Capᵗᵗ Veal. Gave I. Gardiner 1s., and -a boy 6d.; soe to ffox Hall.”</p> - -<p>Paul Fleetwood, the younger brother of the “Lord” died in -1727 and was buried at Kirkham, where some of his descendants -still exist in very humble circumstances.</p> - -<p>The offspring of Edward Fleetwood consisted only of one child, -a daughter, named Margaret, who was born in 1715, and to -whom the estates appear to have descended on the decease of her -father. On the sixteenth of February, 1733, she married, at -Bispham church, Roger Hesketh, of North Meols and Tulketh. -Roger Hesketh and his lady resided at Rossall Hall until their -respective demises, which happened, the latter in 1752, and the -former in 1791. Fleetwood and Sarah Hesketh were the children -of their union. On the decease of his father at the ripe age of -81 years, the son and heir, Fleetwood, had already been dead 22 -years, and consequently his son, Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, the -eldest offspring of his marriage, in 1759, with Frances, the third -daughter of Peter Bold, of Bold Hall, in the county of Lancaster, -succeeded his grandfather Roger Hesketh. Bold Fleetwood -Hesketh, who was born in 1762, died unmarried in 1819, and -was buried at Poulton, his younger brother, Robert Hesketh, -inheriting the Hall and estates. Robert Hesketh was in his 55th -year when he became possessed of the property, and had already -been married 29 years to Maria, the daughter of Henry Rawlinson, -of Lancaster, by whom he had a numerous family. His four<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -eldest sons died in youth and unmarried, the oldest having only -attained the age of twenty three, so that at his decease in 1824 he -was succeeded by his fifth son, Peter Hesketh. This gentleman, -who was born in 1801, espoused at Dover, in 1826, Eliza -Delamaire, the daughter of Sir Theophilus J. Metcalf, of Fern -Hill, Berkshire, by whom he had several children, who died in -early youth. As his second wife he married, in 1837, Verginie -Marie, the daughter of Senor Pedro Garcia, and had issue one -son, Peter Louis Hesketh. In 1831, Peter Hesketh obtained -power by royal license to adopt the surname of Fleetwood in -addition to his own, and in 1838 he was created a baronet. In -1844, Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood vacated Rossall Hall, and the -site is now occupied by a large public educational institution, -denominated the Northern Church of England School. Sir -P. H. Fleetwood died, at Brighton, in 1866, leaving one son and -heir, the Rev. Sir Peter Louis Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., M.A., of -Sunbury on Thames, in the county of Middlesex. The Rev. -Charles Hesketh, M.A., rector of North Meols, is the younger -brother of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, and consequently uncle -to the present baronet.</p> - -<h3>FFRANCE OF LITTLE ECCLESTON HALL.</h3> - -<p>William, the son of John ffrance, who married the younger -daughter of Richard Kerston, of Little Eccleston, was the first of -this family to reside at the Hall, and he was living there at the -beginning of the seventeenth century. William ffrance had two -sons and a daughter—John, born 1647; Henry, born 1649; and -Alice, born 1653. John, the eldest son, succeeded to the Hall -and estates on the demise of his father, and married Deborah -Elston, of Brockholes, by whom he had issue—Robert, who died -in 1671; Anne, died 1672; Thomas, died 1672; Deborah, died -1673; John, born 1675; William, died 1680; Henry, died 1676; -Mary, died 1701; and Edward, died 1703. John ffrance, senʳ., -survived all his sons except John and Edward, and on his -death, in 1690, was succeeded by the former and elder of the two -brothers. John ffrance, like his father, resided at the Hall, and -espoused Joan, daughter of John Cross, of Cross Hall, by whom -he had issue—John, born 1699; Anne, died 1702; and Henry, -died 1707. John ffrance died in 1762, and his eldest son, John,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span> -inherited the estates. This John ffrance married Elizabeth, -daughter and heiress of Thomas Roe, of Out Rawcliffe, and by -that union became possessed, later, of Rawcliffe manor and Hall, -to which the family of ffrance removed. John ffrance, of -Rawcliffe Hall, the son and heir of John and Elizabeth ffrance, -of Little Eccleston Hall, and subsequently of Rawcliffe, died -childless in 1817, aged 91 years, and bequeathed his property to -Thomas Wilson, of Preston, who assumed the name of ffrance.<a id="FNanchor_61" href="#Footnote_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a></p> - -<h3>HESKETH OF MAINS HALL.</h3> - -<p>This family was descended from the Heskeths, of Rufford, -through William Hesketh, of Aughton, the sixth son of Thomas -Hesketh, of Rufford. Bartholomew, the son of William -Hesketh, of Aughton, succeeded to his father’s estates, and -married Mary, the daughter of William Norris, of Speke, by -whom he had one son, George, residing at Little Poulton Hall in -1570. George Hesketh married Dorothy, the daughter of William -Westby, of Mowbreck, and had issue a son, William, who, on his -father’s death, somewhere about 1571, inherited considerable -property, comprising possessions in no less than twenty-eight -different townships in Lancashire. William Hesketh, who was -living in 1613, married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Allen, of -Rossall Hall, and sister to Cardinal Allen. The children springing -from that union were William and Wilfrid. William, the elder -son, is the first of the Heskeths mentioned as inhabiting Mains -Hall, and he appears to have been living there in 1613. We -have no documents throwing any certain light upon the way in -which he gained possession of the seat, but it is most probable -that he purchased it. William Hesketh, of Mains Hall, espoused -Anne, the daughter of Hugh Anderton of Euxton, and had issue—Thomas, -Roger, John, William, Hugh, George, Anne, Alice, and -Mary. Thomas, the eldest son, was nine years old in 1613, hence -it is extremely likely that he was the first representative of the -family born at Mains Hall. Thomas Hesketh was twice married; -the first time to Anne, the daughter of Simon Haydock, of Hezantford, -and after her decease, to Mary, the daughter of John Westby,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span> -of Westby and Mowbreck. The children of his first marriage -were William; Thomas, an officer in the royalist army, and slain -at Brindle in 1651; Anne, who became the wife of Thomas -Nelson, of Fairhurst; and Margaret, afterwards the wife of Major -George Westby, of Upper Rawcliffe. William, the elder son, -married Perpetua, the daughter of Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck, -and had issue—Thomas, born in 1659; William, who died in -infancy; John; Anne, married to Richard Leckonby, of -Leckonby House, Great Eccleston; Helen; Dorothy, married to -Thomas Wilkinson, of Claughton; Perpetua, died in infancy; -and six other daughters, all of whom died in youth. Thomas -Hesketh, the eldest son, left four sons and three daughters—William; -Thomas, who was a priest; John; George; Mary; -Perpetua; and Anne. William Hesketh, the eldest of these sons, -was living at the same time as Thomas Tyldesley, who died in 1714, -and was a frequent visitor at Fox Hall. He married Mary, the -daughter of John Brockholes, of Claughton, and heiress to her -brother William Brockholes, of Claughton, and had issue—Thomas, -Roger, William, Joseph, James, Catherine (an abbess), -Margaret, Anne, Mary (a nun), and Aloysia (a nun). Thomas, -the eldest son, inherited the property of his deceased uncle, -William Brockholes, and assumed the name and arms of -Brockholes. He died in 1766. Roger, the second son, also died in -1766. William, the third son, was born in 1717, and in later years -entered the “Society of Jesus,” dying in 1741. Joseph succeeded -to the Brockholes’ estates on the death of his brother Thomas, and, -like him, assumed the name of Brockholes. He married Constantia, -the daughter of Bazil Fitzherbert, of Swinnerton, and dying in a -few years without issue, was succeeded by his sole remaining -brother, James, who also assumed the name and arms of Brockholes, -and some years afterwards died unmarried. The Brockholes’ -property now passed, under the will of Joseph Hesketh-Brockholes, -to William Fitzherbert, the brother of his widow; and -that gentleman, after the manner of his predecessors, assumed the -name of Brockholes. He espoused Mary, the daughter and -co-heiress of James Windsor Heneage, of Cadeby, Lincolnshire, -and had issue—Thomas Fitzherbert-Brockholes, of Claughton; -Catherine, abbess of the Benedictines at Ghent; Margaret; Ann; -Mary, who became a nun; and Frances.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span></p> - -<h3>HORNBY OF POULTON.</h3> - -<p>The Hornbys, of Poulton, were descended from Hugh Hornby, -of Singleton, who died about 1638, after having so far impoverished -himself during the civil wars as to be obliged to -dispose of his estate at Bankfield, inherited from his sister, and -purchased from him by the Harrisons. Geoffrey Hornby, the son -of this gentleman, practised very successfully as a solicitor in -Preston, and probably was the first to acquire property in Poulton. -Edmund Hornby, his eldest son, of Poulton, where he also -practised as a solicitor, and Scale Hall, married Dorothy, the -daughter of Geoffrey Rishton, of Antley, in Lancashire, Member -of Parliament for Preston, and had issue—Geoffrey, George, and -Anne. George, the second son, went into holy orders, became -rector of Whittingham, and subsequently died without surviving -offspring. Anne Hornby married Edmund Cole, of Beaumont -Cote, near Lancaster; and Geoffrey Hornby, who inherited the -Poulton property, as well as Scale Hall, espoused Susannah, the -daughter and heiress of Edward Sherdley, of Kirkham, gentleman, -by whom he had issue—Edmund and Geoffrey, the latter dying -unmarried in 1801. Geoffrey Hornby, who died in 1732, was -buried in Poulton church, being succeeded by his son Edmund, -who came into the possessions at Poulton and Scale. Edmund -Hornby, born in 1728, married Margaret, the daughter of John -Winckley, of Brockholes, and had issue one son, Geoffrey, -and three daughters. At his decease, in 1766, the estates -descended to his only son and heir, Geoffrey, born at Layton -Hall in 1750, who, after being High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1774, -and for some time colonel of a Lancashire regiment of militia, -entered the church and became rector of Winwick. The Rev. -Geoffrey Hornby espoused the Hon. Lucy Smith Stanley, -daughter of Lord Strange, and sister of the twelfth earl of Derby, -and had issue; but the departure of this representative of the -family from the homes of his fathers severed the close connection -between the town of Poulton and the name of Hornby, after an -existence of about a century.</p> - -<h3>HORNBY OF RIBBY HALL.</h3> - -<p>Richard Hornby, of Newton, who was born in 1613, married -Elizabeth, the daughter of Christopher Walmsley, of Elston, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span> -had issue a son, William Hornby, also of Newton. That -gentleman had several children by his wife Isabel, the eldest of -whom, Robert Hornby, was born in 1690, and espoused Elizabeth -Sharrock, of Clifton, leaving issue by her at his decease in 1768, -three sons—Hugh, William, and Richard. Hugh Hornby took -up his abode at Kirkham, where he married Margaret, the -daughter and heiress of Joseph Hankinson, of the same place, -and had issue—Joseph, born in 1748; Robert, born in 1750, and -died in 1776; Thomas, of Kirkham, born in 1759, married -Cicely, the daughter of Thomas Langton, of that town, and died -in 1824, having had a family of two sons and five daughters; -William, of Kirkham; John, of Blackburn and Raikes Hall, -Blackpool, born in 1763; Hugh, vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, -born in 1765; Alice, who became the wife of Richard Birley, of -Blackburn; and Elizabeth. Joseph Hornby was a deputy-lieutenant -of the county of Lancaster, and erected Ribby Hall. -He married Margaret, the daughter of Robert Wilson, of Preston, -by whom he had Hugh; Margaret, who espoused William -Langton, of Manchester; and Alice, who died a spinster. Hugh -Hornby, the only son, born in 1799, succeeded to the Hall and lands -on the death of his father in 1832, and left issue at his own demise, -in 1849, Hugh Hilton, Margaret Anne, and Mary Alice. Hugh -Hilton Hornby, of Ribby Hall, esq., who married his relative, -Georgina, the daughter of the Rev. Robert Hornby, M.A., J.P., -in 1868, is the present representative of the family, and was born -in 1836.</p> - -<p>John Hornby, of Blackburn and Raikes Hall, married Alice -Kendal, a widow, and the daughter of Daniel Backhouse, of -Liverpool, by whom he had four sons—Daniel, born in 1800, who -espoused Frances, daughter of John Birley, of Manchester, and -dying in 1863, left issue, Fanny Backhouse and Margaret Alice -Hornby; Robert, born in 1804, M.A., a clergyman and justice of the -peace, who married Maria Leyland, daughter of Sir William -Fielden, bart., and had issue, Robert Montagu, William St. -John Sumner, Leyland, Frederick Fielden, Henry Wallace, -Hugh, and ten daughters, the first and third sons being captains -in the army, and the second in the royal navy; William -Henry, of Staining Hall, J.P. and D.L., born in 1805, and Member -of Parliament for Blackburn from 1857 to 1869, married<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span> -Susannah, only child of Edward Birley, of Kirkham, by whom -he had John, Edward Kenworthy, Henry Sudell, William Henry, -Cecil Lumsden, Albert Neilson, Charles Herbert, Elizabeth -Henriana, Frances Mary, Augusta Margaret, and Caroline -Louisa, of whom Edward Kenworthy Hornby, esq., has sat as -M.P. for Blackburn; John, M.A., formerly M.P. for Blackburn, -and born 1810, married Margaret, daughter of the Rev. Christopher -Bird, having issue, John Frederick, Wilfrid Bird, Edith -Diana, and Clara Margaret. The Rev. Hugh Hornby, M.A., -sixth son of Hugh Hornby, of Kirkham, was vicar of St. -Michael’s-on-Wyre, and espoused Ann, daughter of Dr. Joshua -Starky, a physician, of Redbales, having issue one son, William, -now the Venerable Archdeacon Hornby, M.A., and the present -vicar of St. Michael’s, born in 1810. Archdeacon Hornby -married, firstly, Ellen, daughter of William Cross, esq., of Red -Scar, and four years after her decease, in 1844, Susan Charlotte, -daughter of Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby, K.C.B. The offspring -of the earlier union were two—William Hugh and Joseph Starky, -both of whom died young; whilst those of the second marriage -are—William, Hugh Phipps, Phipps John, James John, William -Starky, Susan, and Anne Lucy, the eldest of whom, William, -died in 1858, aged thirteen years.</p> - -<h3>LECKONBY OF LECKONBY HOUSE.</h3> - -<p>John Leckonby, the earliest of the name we find mentioned -as connected with Great Eccleston, on the borders of which stood -Leckonby House, was living in 1621, and was twice married—first -to Alice, the daughter of Thomas Singleton, of Staining -Hall, and subsequently, in 1625, to Marie, the daughter of Henry -Preston, of Preston. Richard Leckonby, the eldest son and heir, -was the offspring of his first marriage, and like his father, became -involved in the civil wars on the royal side. Richard succeeded -to the family estates sometime before 1646, for in that year he -compounded for them with Parliament. He left issue at his -death in 1669, by his wife, Isabel, a numerous family—John; -Richard, of Elswick; George; William, of Elswick; Sarah; -Martha; and Mary, who married Gilbert Whiteside, of Marton, -gentleman. John Leckonby inherited the estate, and resided at -the ancestral mansion—Leckonby House. He married Ann, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span> -daughter of William Thompson, gent., of Little Eccleston, but -dying without offspring, was succeeded by his brother Richard, -who had espoused Ann, the daughter of William Hesketh, of Mains -Hall. The children of Richard Leckonby, of Leckonby House, -were William; Richard, who was born in 1696, and afterwards -became a Romish missionary; and Thomas, also a missionary, who -died at Maryland in 1734. William Leckonby, the eldest son, -occupied Leckonby House, after the decease of his father, as -holder of the hereditary estates. He espoused Anne, the daughter -of Thomas Hothersall, of Hothersall Hall, and sister and co-heiress -of John Hothersall, and had issue—Richard; Thomas, -born in 1717, who entered the Order of Jesus; William, of -Elswick, who died in 1784; Anne, born in 1706; Bridget; and -Mary, who became the wife of Thomas Singleton, of Barnacre-with-Bonds, -gent. Richard Leckonby, who succeeded his father -in 1728, inherited, in addition to the lands in Great Eccleston -and Elswick, the extensive manor of Hothersall, and by his -marriage with Mary, the daughter of William Hawthornthwaite, -of Catshaw, gent., came into possession, on the death of her -brother John Hawthornthwaite in 1760, of Catshaw, Lower -Wyersdale, Hale, Luddocks, and Stockenbridge. Notwithstanding -these large accessions to the original family domain, Richard -Leckonby managed, by a long career of dissipation and extravagance, -to run through his resources, mortgaging his estates, and -bringing himself and his family to comparative poverty. He died -in 1783, at about 68 years of age, having survived his wife many -years, and was buried at St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. His offspring -were two sons, the elder of whom was thrown from a pony and -killed in early youth; whilst the second, William, met with a -fatal accident when hunting in Wyersdale the year before the -death of his father. William Leckonby, left, at his untimely -death, by his wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of James Taylor, of -Goosnargh, gent., two sons and a daughter. Of these children, -Richard, the eldest, died in 1795, when only sixteen years of age; -James, the second son, died in infancy; and Mary, their sister, -married in 1799, at the age of twenty-two years, Thomas Henry -Hale Phipps, of Leighton House, Wiltshire, a justice of the peace -and deputy-lieutenant of his county, by which union, Leckonby -of Leckonby House, became a title of the past.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span></p> - -<h3>LEYLAND OF LEYLAND HOUSE AND KELLAMERGH.</h3> - -<p>Leyland House was occupied during the latter half of the -seventeenth and part of the eighteenth centuries by a family of -wealth and position, named the Leylands of Kellamergh. Christopher -Leyland, the first of the line recorded, resided at Leyland -House in 1660, and married in 1665, Margaret Andrew, of Lea, -by whom he had issue—John; Ralph, died in 1675; Anne, born -1671; Ellen, born 1679; Susan, died 1670; another Ralph, born -1680 and died 1711; Francis, died 1674; Bridget, died 1687; -Roger, died 1678; and Thomas, who died in 1682.</p> - -<p>John Leyland, who succeeded to the Kellamergh property and -Leyland House on the death of his father in 1716, married, in -1693, Elizabeth Whitehead, and had offspring—Christopher, born -1694; Thomas, born 1699, afterwards in holy orders; Joseph, -died 1709; Ralph, born 1712; John, died 1716; and William, -who espoused Cicely, widow of Edward Rigby, of Freckleton, and -daughter of Thomas Shepherd Birley, by whom he had two -daughters, one of whom, Jane Leyland, subsequently married -Thomas Langton.</p> - -<p>Christopher Leyland inherited Kellamergh and the mansion on -the demise of his father, John Leyland, in 1745, and at his own -death, some years later, left one child, Elizabeth, who married, as -her second husband, the Rev. Edward Whitehead, vicar of -Bolton.</p> - -<h3>LONGWORTH OF ST. MICHAEL’S HALL.</h3> - -<p>The family of Longworths, inhabiting St. Michael’s Hall until -the early part of the eighteenth century, was descended from the -Longworths, of Longworth, through Ralph, a younger son of -Christopher Longworth, of Longworth, by his wife Alice, the -daughter of Thomas Standish, of Duxbury. Ralph Longworth -married Anne, the daughter of Thomas Kitchen, and had issue -two sons and one daughter. Robert, the younger son, espoused -Helen Hudson, whilst Elizabeth, his sister, married Richard -Blackburne, and afterwards Thomas Bell, of Kirkland. Richard, -the elder son and heir, is the first of the Longworths, described -as of St. Michael’s Hall, in Upper Rawcliffe. He married -Margaret, the daughter of George Cumming, of Upper Rawcliffe, -and had issue—Ralph, Thomas, Lawrence, Christopher, Anne,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -Elizabeth, and Katherine. Ralph, the eldest son, espoused Jane, -the daughter of Richard Cross, of Cross Hall, in Chorley parish, -but further than this fact, we have no information concerning -him. The family of the Crosses, into which he married, belonged to -Liverpool, and their old country seat, Cross Hall, is now converted -into cottages and workshops. Thomas Longworth, the -second son, born in 1622, resided at St. Michael’s Hall, and -married Cicely, the daughter of Nicholas Wilkinson, of Kirkland, -by whom he had one son—Richard Longworth. The latter -representative, having succeeded in course of time to the Hall and -estates, was a justice of the peace for the county of Lancaster, -and on terms of intimacy with Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, -Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys, William Hesketh, of Mains -Hall, and a number of other leading gentry in the district. He -married Fleetwood, the daughter of Edward Shutteworth, of -Larbrick, and Thornton Hall, and left at his demise one son—Edward -Longworth, who became a doctor of medicine, and resided -at St. Michael’s Hall until 1725, about which time he removed to -Penrith, in the county of Cumberland.</p> - -<h3>PARKER OF BRADKIRK HALL.</h3> - -<p>The Parkers, who inhabited Bradkirk Hall for over a hundred -years, were relatives of the Derby family, and came originally -from Breightmet Hall, near Bolton, where they had lived for -many centuries. William Parker, of Bradkirk Hall, who died in -1609, and was buried at Kirkham, is the first of whom we have -any authentic account, and he is stated to have married Margaret, -the daughter of Robert Shaw, of Crompton. The children -springing from that union were—John, who inherited Bradkirk -Hall; Thomas, of Bidstone, in the county of Chester; and Henry, -who espoused, in 1609, Alice Threlfall, and became the founder of -the family of Parkers of Whittingham. John Parker, of Bradkirk -Hall, married Margaret, the daughter and co-heiress of Anthony -Parker, of Radham Park, Yorkshire; and after her decease he -espoused Alice, the daughter of Richard Mason, of Up-Holland, -near Wigan, by whom he had three sons and one daughter—William, -Richard, John, and Margaret. The offspring of his -first marriage were Anthony, Elizabeth, Jennet, Anne, Alice, and -Christopher. Anthony died unmarried, and Christopher, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span> -second son, born in 1625, succeeded to Bradkirk Hall on the -demise of his father. He was a justice of the peace for the -county of Lancaster, and married Katherine, sister to James Lowde, -of Kirkham, and daughter of Ralph Lowde, of Norfolk. His -children were Anthony; Alexander, who married Dorothy, the -daughter of Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck; John, William, -Gerrard, Christopher, Margaret, Mary, and Jane, the last married -John Westby, of Mowbreck, at Poulton church, in 1688. -Anthony Parker, the eldest son, born in 1657, lived at Bradkirk -Hall, and espoused Mary, the daughter of Sir Thomas Stringer, -sergeant-at-law, by whom he had issue—Christopher, Catherine, -and Rebecca, who died young. Christopher Parker inherited -Bradkirk Hall, and was Member of Parliament for Clitheroe in -1708. He died unmarried about 1713, and the Hall and estates -passed by will to his sister Catherine, the wife of Thomas Stanley, -of Cross Hall, in Ormskirk Parish, conjointly with her uncle -Alexander Parker. In 1723 the possessions of the deceased -Christopher Parker in Lancashire and Yorkshire were sold by -Catherine Stanley and Alexander Parker. The latter, however, -resided at Bradkirk Hall for some time after that date with his -wife Dorothy, the daughter, as before stated, of Thomas Westby of -Mowbreck, by whom he had nine sons and two daughters. The -sons appear to have died without issue, and one of the daughters, -Dorothy, married ⸺ Cowburn, whilst the other Katherine, became -the wife of William Jump, of Hesketh Bank.</p> - -<h3>RIGBY OF LAYTON HALL.</h3> - -<p>The Rigbys, of Layton, were descended from Adam Rigby, of -Wigan, who married Alice, the daughter of ⸺ Middleton, of -Leighton, and had issue—John, Alexander, and Ellen. John -Rigby, of Wigan, married Joanna, the daughter of Gilbert -Molyneux, of Hawkley, and became the founder of the family -of Rigby of Middleton. Ellen became the wife of Hugh Forth; -and Alexander Rigby, of Burgh Hall, in the township of -Duxbury, espoused Joanna, the daughter of William Lathbroke, -by whom he had three sons and one daughter—Edward, Roger, -Alexander, and Anne. Edward Rigby, of Burgh, who purchased -the estate of Woodenshaw from William, earl of Derby, in 1595, -was the first of the family, as far as can be ascertained, who held<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span> -property in the Fylde, and from his <i>Inq. post mortem</i>, dated -1629-30, we find that he possessed Laiton, Great Laiton, -Little Laiton, Warbrecke, Blackepool, and Marton, besides -other estates in Broughton in Furness, Lancaster, Chorley, -etc. This gentleman married Dorothy, the daughter of Hugh -Anderton, of Euxton, and had issue—Alexander, Hugh, Alice, -Jane, and Dorothy. Alexander Rigby, who was born in 1583, -succeeded to Layton Hall, and Burgh, on the death of his father, -and afterwards married Katherine, the daughter of Sir Edward -Brabazon, of Nether Whitacre, in the county of Warwick. In -1641, during the time of Charles I., he was a colonel in the -king’s forces, and was, somewhere about that period, removed -from the commission of the peace for this county by command of -Parliament on account of certain charges made against him of -favouring the royal party. In 1646 he compounded for his -sequestrated estates by paying £381 3s. 4d. His offspring were -Edward, of Burgh, and Layton Hall; Thomas, rector of St. Mary’s, -Dublin; William, a merchant; Mary, wife of John Moore, of -Bank Hall; Elizabeth, wife of Edward Chisenhall, of Chisenhall; -Jane, the wife of the Rev. Paul Lathome, rector of Standish; and -Alexander, who died in infancy. Edward, the eldest son, who -died before his father, married Mary, the daughter of Edward -Hyde, of Norbury, and left issue—Alexander, William, Hamlet, -Robert, Richard, Mary, and Dorothy. Alexander Rigby, the heir, -who was born in 1634, was also an officer in the royalist army, -and erected a monument to Sir Thomas Tyldesley near the spot -where he was slain at Wigan-lane, at which battle “the grateful -erector” fought as cornet. He was High Sheriff of Lancashire -in 1677 and 1678, and married Alena, the daughter of George -Birch, of Birch Hall, near Manchester. His children were -Edward, Alexander, Mary, Alice, Eleanor, and Elizabeth. Of -Edward we have no account beyond the fact that he was born in -1658, and consequently must conclude that he died young. -Alexander, the second son, succeeded to the estates, and was -knighted for some reason, which cannot be discovered. He was -High Sheriff of the county in 1691-2. Mary, the eldest daughter, -married Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, and was co-heiress with -Elizabeth, wife, and subsequently, in 1720, widow of ⸺ Colley, -to her brother, Sir Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall and Burgh,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span> -who married Alice, the daughter of Thomas Clifton, of Clifton, -Westby, and Lytham, but left no surviving offspring. Sir -Alexander Rigby is reputed to have been a gambler, and to have -so impoverished his estates, already seriously injured by the -attachment of his family to the fortunes of Charles I. and II., -that he was compelled to dispose of his possessions in Poulton -and Layton for the benefit of his creditors. He also appears to -have been imprisoned for debt until released by an act of Parliament, -passed in the first year of George I., and his property -vested in trustees. His estates in Layton and Poulton were sold -for £19,200. After his liberation he resided in Poulton at his -house on the south side of the Market-place, where the family -arms, bearing the date 1693, may still be seen fixed on the outer -wall. The pew of the Rigbys is still in existence in the parish -church of that town, and has carved on its door the initials -A. R., and the date 1636, separated by a goat’s head, the crest of -the family.</p> - -<h3>SINGLETON OF STAINING HALL.</h3> - -<p>There is every reason to suppose that the Singletons who -resided at Staining Hall during the greater part of two centuries -were a branch of the family founded in the Fylde by Alan de -Singleton, of Singleton. George, the son of Robert Singleton by -his wife Helen, the daughter of John Westby, of Mowbreck, -purchased the hamlet and manor of Staining from Sir Thomas -Holt, of Grislehurst, and was the first of the name to occupy the -Hall. He married Mary Osbaldeston, and left issue at his death, -in 1552, William, the eldest; Hugh, who espoused Mary, sister -of William Carleton, of Carleton, and left a son, William, who -died without issue; Richard; Lawrence; and Margaret, the wife -of Lawrence Carleton, heir and subsequently successor to his -brother William. William Singleton, of Staining, became allied -to Alice, the daughter and heiress of Thomas ffarington, by whom -he had Thomas, John, George, Richard, Helen, and Margaret. -On the demise of his father in 1556, Thomas, the heir, came into -possession of the estate; he married Alice, the daughter of James -Massey, and had one child, a daughter, Ellen, who espoused John -Massey, of Layton. Thomas Singleton died in 1563, and was -succeeded by his brother John, who had married Thomasine, the -daughter of Robert Anderton, and had issue two daughters, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span> -elder of whom, Alice, became the wife of Henry Huxley, of -Birkenhead, and the younger, Elizabeth, of James Massey, of -Strangeways. John Singleton died in 1590, and was in his turn -succeeded by the next male representative, his brother George, -who had issue by his wife Mary, the daughter of John Houghton, -of Penwortham or Pendleton, two sons and a daughter—Thomas, -George, and Anne, the wife of Robert Parkinson, of Fairsnape. -Thomas Singleton, the heir, became lord of Staining in 1597, -previously to which he had espoused Cicely, the daughter of -William Gerard, of Ince, and had issue Thomas, John, Mary, Grace, -Alice, the last of whom married John Leckonby, of Great Eccleston, -and Anne, the wife of Richard Bamber, of the Moor, near Poulton. -Thomas Singleton, the eldest son, succeeded to the lordship in -the natural course of events, and formed an alliance with Dorothy, -the daughter of James Anderton, of Clayton, who was left a -widow in 1643, when her husband was slain at Newbury Fight -in command of a company of royalists. The offspring of -Thomas and Dorothy Singleton were John, born in 1635 and -died in 1668, who espoused Jane, the daughter of Edmund -Fleetwood, of Rossall; Thomas, who died childless; George; -James; Anne, of Bardsea, a spinster, living in 1690; Mary, the -wife of John Mayfield; and Dorothy, the wife of Alexander -Butler, of Todderstaff Hall. John Singleton, of Staining, whose -widow married Thomas Cole, of Beaumont, near Lancaster, -justice of the peace, and deputy-lieutenant, had no progeny, and -the manor passed, either at once, or after the death of the next -brother, Thomas, to George Singleton, who had possession in -1679, but was dead in 1690, never having been married. He held -Staining, Hardhorne, Todderstaff, and Carleton manors or estates. -The whole of the property descended to John Mayfield, the son -and heir of his sister Mary, whose husband, John Mayfield, was -dead. John Mayfield, of Staining, etc., ultimately died without -issue, and was succeeded by his nephew and heir-at-law, William -Blackburn, of Great Eccleston, whose offspring were James, and -Gabriel, under age in 1755.</p> - -<h3>STANLEY OF GREAT ECCLESTON HALL.</h3> - -<p>The Stanleys, of Great Eccleston, were descended from Henry, -the fourth earl of Derby, who was born in 1531, through Thomas -Stanley, one of his illegitimate children by Jane Halsall, of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span> -Knowsley, the others being Dorothy and Ursula. Thomas -Stanley settled at Great Eccleston Hall, probably acquired by -purchase, and married Mary, the relict of Richard Barton, of -Barton, near Preston, and the daughter of Robert Hesketh, of -Rufford. The offspring of that union were—Richard Stanley; -Fernando Stanley, of Broughton, who died unmarried in 1664; -and Jane Stanley, who was married to Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe -Hall. Richard Stanley, the eldest son, succeeded to Great -Eccleston Hall and estate on the death of his father, and espoused -Mary, the daughter and sole heiress of Lambert Tyldesley, of -Garret, by whom he had one son, Thomas Stanley, who in course -of time inherited the Eccleston property, and married Frances, -the daughter of Major-General Sir Thomas Tyldesley, of -Tyldesley and Myerscough Lodge, the famous royalist officer slain -at the battle of Wigan-lane in 1651. Richard Stanley, the only -child of this marriage, resided at Great Eccleston Hall, and -espoused Anne, the daughter and eventually co-heiress of Thomas -Culcheth, of Culcheth, by whom he had two sons—Thomas and -Henry Stanley. Richard Stanley, who died in 1714, was buried -at St. Michael’s church, and the following extract is taken from -the diary of Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, the grandson of Sir -Thomas Tyldesley, and consequently Richard Stanley’s cousin, -who at that time appears to have been in failing health, and -whose death occurred on the 26th of January in the ensuing -year:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“October 16, 1714.—Wentt in ye morning to the ffuneral off Dick Stanley. -Partᵈ with Mr. Brandon att Dick Jackson’s dor; but fell at Staven’s Poole; and -soe wentt home.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>It may here be mentioned that for two years the cousins had -not been on very friendly terms, owing to Richard Stanley having -at a meeting of creditors, summoned by Thomas Tyldesley in -1712, when he had fallen too deeply into debt, objected to an -allowance being made to Winefride and Agatha, daughters of -Thomas Tyldesley by a second marriage. We may form some -idea of the strong feeling existing between them from an entry -made on the 7th of May, 1712, by Thomas Tyldesley in his diary:—“Stanley—Dicke—very -bitter against my two poor girlles, and -declared he would bee hanged beffor they had one penny allowed; -yet my honest and never-to-be-forgotten true friend Winckley,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span> -with much art and sence, soe perswaded the otheʳ refferys that -the slaving puppy was compelled to consent to a small allowance -to be sedulled—viz.: £100 each.” After the decease of Richard -Stanley, Great Eccleston Hall, for some reason we are unable to -explain, passed into the possession of Thomas Westby, of Upper -Rawcliffe.</p> - -<h3>TYLDESLEY OF FOX HALL.</h3> - -<p>The family which inhabited the ancient mansion of Fox Hall -in the time of Charles II., and for many subsequent years, sprang -originally from the small village of Tyldesley, near Bolton-le-moors. -When or how they first became associated with the -latter place is impossible to determine, as no authentic documents -bearing on the subject can be discovered; but that they must -have been established in or connected with the neighbourhood at -an early epoch is shown by the fact that Henry de Tyldesley held -the tenth part of a Knight’s fee in Tyldesley during the reign of -Edward I., 1272-1307. A Richard de Tyldesley was lord of the -manor of Tyldesley towards the close of the sovereignty of this -monarch, and there is sufficient evidence to warrant the -assumption that he was the son and heir of Henry de Tyldesley.</p> - -<p>At a later period Thurstan de Tyldesley, a lineal descendant, -who is accredited with having done much to improve his native -village, and having built Wardley Hall, near Manchester, about -1547, was a justice of the peace for the county of Lancaster, and -Receiver-General for the Isle of Man in 1532. He was on -intimate and friendly terms with the earl of Derby, and we may -safely conjecture that the members of the two houses had for long -been familiarly known to each other, as we read that in 1405 -Henry IV. granted a letter of protection to William de Stanley, -knt., John de Tyldesley, and several more, when they set out to -take possession of the Isle of Man and Peel Castle. In 1417, -when Sir John de Stanley, lord of the same island, was summoned -to England, he left Thurston de Tyldesley, a magistrate, to -officiate as governor during his absence. The Tyldesleys held -extensive lands in Wardley, Morleys, Myerscough, and Tyldesley, -having seats at the three first-named manors. Thurstan de -Tyldesley, who erected Wardley Hall, was twice married and -had issue by each wife. To the offspring of the first, Parnell,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span> -daughter of Geoffrey Shakerley, of Shakerley, he left Tyldesley -and Wardley; and to those of his second, Jane, daughter of Ralph -Langton, baron of Newton, he bequeathed Myerscough, and some -minor property. There is nothing calling for special notice -concerning any, except two, of the descendants from the first -marriage—Sir Thomas Tyldesley, a great-grandson, attorney-general -for Lancashire in the reign of James I.; and his son, who -did not survive him many months, and terminated the elder -branch. In consequence of this failure of issue the Tyldesley -estate, but not Wardley, which had been sold, passed to the -representatives of Thurstan’s children by his second wife. The -eldest son of the second alliance, Edward, had espoused Anne, -the daughter and heiress of Thomas Leyland, of Morleys, and, -subsequently, inherited the manor and Hall of Morleys. The -grandson and namesake of Edward Tyldesley, of Morleys and -Tyldesley, who was born in 1585, and died in 1618, entertained -James I. for three days at his seat, Myerscough Lodge, in 1617. -Edward Tyldesley, of Myerscough, was the father of Major-General -Sir Thomas Tyldesley, knt., who so greatly distinguished -himself, by his fidelity and valour, in the wars between King and -Parliament. In those sanguinary and calamitous struggles he -served under the standard of royalty. He was slain at the battle -of Wigan-lane in 1651; and as a mark of esteem for his many -virtues and gallant deeds a monument was erected, near the spot -where he fell, in 1679, by Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall, High -Sheriff for the county of Lancaster. The monument was inscribed -as under:—</p> - -<p class="center">“An high Act of Gratitude, which conveys the Memory of<br /> -SIR THOMAS TYLDESLEY<br /> -To posterity,<br /> -Who served King Charles the First as Lieutenant-Colonel at Edge-Hill Battle,<br /> -After raising regiments of Horse, Foot, and Dragoons,<br /> -and for<br /> -The desperate storming of Burton on Trent, over a bridge of 36 arches,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Received the Honour of Knighthood</span>.<br /> -He afterwards served in all the wars in great command,<br /> -Was Governor of Litchfield,<br /> -And followed the fortune of the Crown through the Three Kingdoms,<br /> -And never compounded with the Rebels though strongly invested;<br /> -And on the 25th of August, <span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1651, was here slain,<br /> -Commanding as Major-General under the Earl of Derby,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span><br /> -To whom the grateful erector, Alexander Rigby, Esq., was Cornet;<br /> -And when he was High Sheriff of this county, <span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1679,<br /> -Placed the high obligation on the whole Family of the Tyldesleys,<br /> -To follow the noble example of their Loyal Ancestor.”</p> - -<p>Sir Thomas Tyldesley married Frances, daughter of Ralph -Standish, of Standish, and had issue—Edward, born in 1635; -Thomas, born in 1642; Ralph, born in 1644; Bridget, who -became the wife of Henry Blundell, of Ince Blundell; Elizabeth; -Frances, wife of Thomas Stanley, of Great Eccleston; Anne, who -was abbess of the English nuns at Paris in 1721; Dorothy; Mary, -wife of Richard Crane; and Margaret.</p> - -<p>Edward Tyldesley, the eldest son and heir, followed in the -footsteps of his father, and was a staunch supporter of Charles II. -When that monarch had been restored to the throne of his -ancestors he purposed creating a fresh order of Knighthood, -called the Royal Oak,<a id="FNanchor_62" href="#Footnote_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a> wherewith to reward a number of his -faithful adherents, whose social positions were of sufficient -standing to render them suitable recipients of the honour. -Edward Tyldesley was amongst those selected; but the design -was abandoned by the king under the advice of his ministers, -who considered that it was likely to produce jealousy and dissatisfaction -in many quarters, and might prove inimical to the -peace of the nation. Under an impression, which afterwards -proved erroneous, that Charles II. intended to confer upon him -the lands of Layton Hawes, in recognition of the loyal services of -his father and himself, Edward Tyldesley erected a residence, -called Fox Hall, near its borders, where he lived during certain -portions of the year until his death, which occurred between 1685 -and 1687. Edward Tyldesley espoused Anne, daughter of Sir -Thomas Fleetwood, of Colwich, in Staffordshire, and baron of -Newton, in Lancashire; and after her decease, Elizabeth, daughter -of Adam Beaumont, of Whitley, by whom he had only one child, -Catherine Tyldesley, of Preston. The offspring of his union with -Anne Fleetwood were Thomas, Edward, Frances, and Maria. -Thomas Tyldesley succeeded to the estates, on the decease of his -father, with the exception of Tyldesley, which had been sold by -Edward Tyldesley in 1685, and resided during a considerable part<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span> -of his life at Fox Hall, and occasionally at Myerscough Lodge. -Thomas Tyldesley was born in 1657, and at twenty-two years of -age married Eleanor, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Holcroft, -of Holcroft, by whom he had Edward, Dorothy, Frances, -Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Mary. After the death of his wife -Eleanor, Thomas Tyldesley espoused Mary, sister and co-heiress -of Sir Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall, and had issue—Charles, -Fleetwood, James, Agatha, and Winefrid. Thomas Tyldesley, -whilst living at Fox Hall, employed his time chiefly in field -sports, visits amongst the neighbouring gentry, and frequent -excursions to his more distant friends, as we learn from his diary, -a portion of which is still preserved. The following extracts from -it will illustrate what formed the favourite recreations of the -numerous well-to-do families peopling the Fylde at that era:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“May 16, 1712.—In the morning went round the commone a ffowling, and -Franke Malley, Jo. Hull, and Ned Malley, shoot 12 times for one poor twewittee; -came home; after dinner Cos. W: W: went with me to Thornton Marsh, where -we had but bad suckses; tho wee killed ffive or six head of ffowle.</p> - -<p>“May 31, 1712.—Went to yᵉ Hays to see a race between Mr. Harper’s mare -and Sanderson’s; meet a greatt deal of good company, but spent noe thing.</p> - -<p>“June 7, 1712.—Pd. Mrs. 2s. 6d., pd. pro ffish 1s., pro meat 3s.; and affter -dinʳ went with cos Walton to bowle with old Beamont. I spent 10d. att bowling -green house with 4 grubcatchers and Tom Walton, and Jo. Styeth.</p> - -<p>“June 10, 1713.—Gave Joⁿ Malley and Jo. Parkinson 1s. to see yᵉ cock -ffeights. Gave Ned Malley 1s. for subsistence. Dinᵈ in the cockpitt with Mr. -Clifton and others. Spent in wine 6d., and pro dinʳ 1s. Gave yᵉ fidler 6d. Spent -in the pitt betwixt battles 6d.; I won near 30s.</p> - -<p>“June 17, 1713.—Al day in yᵉ house and gardening; went to beed about 7, and -riss at 10, in ordʳ to goe a ffox hunting.</p> - -<p>“Augᵗ 29, 1713.—Paid 2s. pro servant, &c.; soe a otter hunting to Wire, but -killed none.</p> - -<p>“Septʳ 5, 1713.—In the morning Jos. Tounson and I went to Staining; ... -thence to Layton-heys to see a foot race, where I won 6d. off Jos. Tounson—white -against dun; soe home. Gave white my winings.</p> - -<p>“Octʳ 6, 1713.—We hunted yᵗᵗ hare ffive hours; but yᵉ ground soe thorrowly -drughted by long continewance of ffine wether that we could not kill her.</p> - -<p>“Decʳ 16, 1713.—In the morning went a coursing with Sʳ W: G:; Lawʳ -Rigby, &c.</p> - -<p>“March 16, 1714.—In the morning sent Dick Gorney and 6 more harty lads a -ffishing; I stopᵈ with a showʳ of raine. Two of Rob. Rich his sons came in on -my godson, to whom I gave 1s.; thence followed the ffishʳˢ, where we had very -good sport, and tuck 8 brave large growen tenches, and 6 as noble carps as I have -seen tuke, severall pearch, some gudgeons, and a large eyell, and 6 great chevens.”</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span></p> - -<p>The diarist, Thomas Tyldesley, died in 1715, before the outbreak -of the rebellion, and was buried at Churchtown, near Garstang. -Edward Tyldesley, his eldest son, who succeeded him, had two -children by his wife Dorothy—James and Catherine. He was -accused, tried, and acquitted of taking part with the rebels of 1715, -although the evidence clearly convicted him of having led a body -of men against the king’s forces. At the death of Edward -Tyldesley, in 1725, Myerscough no longer belonged to the family, -but Holcroft, acquired by marriage in 1679, passed to his son James, -who twenty years later served with the troops of Prince Charles, -the younger pretender, and died in 1765. The offspring of James -Tyldesley by Sarah, his wife, were Thomas, Charles, James, Henry, -and Jane, all of whom with their descendants seem to have sold or -mortgaged the remnants of the once large estates, and gradually -drifted into poverty and obscurity.</p> - -<p>It will not be out of place in concluding the notice of a family -connected with the earliest infancy of Blackpool, to state something -of the character and habits of Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox -Hall, as disclosed by, and deduced from, the entries in his diary, -which unfortunately comprises only the last three years of his -life. At the present time the appearance of a party of gentlemen -in this neighbourhood decorated with curled wigs, surmounted by -three-cornered hats, and habited in long-figured waistcoats, plush -breeches, and red-heeled boots, would excite no little astonishment, -yet in the days of the diarist the sight must have been one of -usual occurrence, for such was the style of costume worn by -the wealthier classes. The lower classes were clothed in garments -made from the undyed wool of the sheep and called hodden gray.</p> - -<p>Thomas Tyldesley was a great equestrian, his journeys being -so frequent and rapid that it is difficult to be certain of his -whereabouts when he finished his day’s work and its minute -record, with the final “soe to beed.” He was on terms of -intimacy and friendship with the Rigbys of Layton, the Veales -of Whinney Heys, the Westbys of Burn Hall, and all the wealthy -families in the neighbourhood. Fishing, hunting, coursing, and -shooting were his favourite recreations. Nor was he unmindful -in the midst of these amusements of the interests of his farm, as -the accompanying remarks amply testify:—“Very bussy all -morning in my hay;” and “Alday in the house and my garden,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span> -bussy transplanting colleflowʳ and cabage plants;” whilst at other -times we find him in communication with various tenants relative -to some portion or other of the Myerscough property. Unless -confined to bed by gout or rheumatism, and the self-imposed, but -fearful, “Phissickings” he underwent, swallowing doses whose -magnitude alone would appal most men of modern days, he -was ever actively engaged in either business or pleasure. Every -item of disbursement and every circumstance that occurred, even -to the most trivial, has found a place in his diary, and from -it we learn that while evidently anxious to avoid unnecessary -expenditure, he was neither parsimonious nor illiberal, always -recompensing those who had been put to any trouble on his -account, and paying his share of each friendly gathering with a -scrupulous exactness. There is, however, a satisfaction expressed -in the words, “but spent noe thing,” after the brief notice of the -horse-race he had attended on the Hawes, which, when we call to -mind his natural generosity, showed that his income required care -in its expenditure, and was barely sufficient to support the position -he held by birth. Many other entries in his diary prove that he -was frequently short of money, and as his mode of living appears -to have been far from extravagant, it seems difficult at first sight -to account for the circumstance. But when we discover that he -had for years been connected, as one of the leading members and -promoters, with a Catholic and Jacobite Society at Walton-le-dale, -having for its object the restoration of the Stuarts, then in -exile, and remember that a scheme of such magnitude and -importance could not possibly be matured or kept in activity -without the purses of its more earnest supporters suffering to a -great extent, we obtain in some measure an explanation of the -matter.</p> - -<p>The character of Thomas Tyldesley, as gleaned from his diary, -may be summarised as follows:—He was in every sense a country -gentleman, fond of field sports, happy on his farm, thoughtful of -the condition and comfort of his cattle, although sometimes given -to hard, or at least far, riding; for the rest, he was active and -intelligent, liberal to his dependants, careful in his household, and -strictly honourable in all his dealings, but above all he had an -earnest and deep reverence for his creed and principles that spared -no sacrifice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span></p> - -<h3>VEALE OF WHINNEY HEYS.</h3> - -<p>The Veales, of Whinney Heys, who during a time of considerable -license and extravagance, were renowned for their piety and -frugality, were descended from John Veale, of Mythorp. This -gentleman was living during the reign of Elizabeth, and furnished -1 caliver and 1 morion at the military muster which took -place in 1574. Francis Veale, the son of John Veale, of Mythorp, -is the first of the name we find described as of Whinney Heys.<a id="FNanchor_63" href="#Footnote_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> -Francis Veale left a son, Edward, who resided at Whinney Heys, -and appeared amongst the list of Free-tenants of Amounderness -in 1621. According to Sir William Dugdale, he was a justice of -the peace for Lancashire in the reigns of James I. and Charles I. -Edward Veale married Ellen, the daughter and co-heiress, with -her younger sister Alice, of John Massey, of Layton and Carleton, -and in that way the Veales acquired much of their property in -the neighbourhood of Whinney Heys. The offspring of this -union were—John, who was born in 1605; Massey; Edward; -Francis; Singleton; Ellen, who married Thomas Heardson, of -Cambridge; Juliana; Dorothy, who married George Sharples, of -Freckleton; Anne, who became the wife of John Austin, of -London; Alice; and Frances, the wife of William Wombwell, -of London. The maiden name of Mrs. Edward Veale’s mother -was Singleton, she being the daughter of Thomas Singleton, of -Staining Hall, and for that reason we find the name borne by one -of the sons of Edward Veale. John Veale, the eldest son, -succeeded to the Hall and estate, and espoused Dorothy, the -daughter of Matthew Jepson, of Hawkswell, in Yorkshire. John -Veale was fifty-nine years of age in 1664, and at that date entered -the names of his ancestors, etc., before Sir William Dugdale at -Preston, who was on his heraldic visitation in Lancashire. The -children of John Veale, by Dorothy, his wife, were—John, -Edward, Helen, Susan, and Jane. John Veale, who was twenty -years old in 1664, became the representative of the family on the -decease of his father, some time previous to which he had -married Susannah, the daughter of Geoffrey Rishton, of Antley, -and by her had issue—Edward, born in 1680; Ellen, the wife of -Richard Sherdley, of Kirkham, born in 1698; and Dorothy, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span> -died unmarried in 1747, aged 76 years. John Veale was a justice -of the peace for this county, and died in 1704. After the death of -John Veale, whose remains were interred at Bispham church, -Edward, his only son, inherited the lands and Hall of Whinney -Heys. Edward Veale was living at the same time as Thomas -Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, Blackpool, and between the two -gentlemen a close friendship seems to have existed, as we glean -from the diary of the latter, in which Edward Veale is frequently -mentioned, being invariably, for some reason, styled Captain,—perhaps -he once held that rank in some temporary or reserve -force, for there is no record of his ever having been connected -with the regular troops. The following is a short extract from -the above diary in 1712:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Aug. 2.—Att my returne I wentt to yᵉ King’s Arms, and got my dinʳ with -Broʳ. We spent 1s. a pice in whitte wine, and as wee went through yᵉ hall -met with Just. Longworth,<a id="FNanchor_64" href="#Footnote_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> Capᵗᵗ Veale, Just. Pearson, Franke Nickinson, and -small Lᵈ of Roshall.<a id="FNanchor_65" href="#Footnote_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a> Wee were very merry upon yᵉ small Lord, and spent 1s. -a pice in sack and white wine, wʰ elevated yᵉ petite Lᵈ that before he went to -bed he tucke yᵉ ffriedom of biting his man Sharocke’s thumb off just beyond -yᵉ nail. I found cos. W: W: att home.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Edward left issue at his death in 1723, at forty-three years of -age—John, Sarah, and Susannah. John Veale, the heir, entered -into holy orders, and subsequently died unmarried. Sarah and -Susannah Veale, the co-heiresses of their brother, married -respectively Edward Fleetwood, of Rossall Hall (the small lord), -and John Fayle, of the Holmes, Thornton, who erected Bridge -House in Bispham, after the model of the original Hall of -Whinney Heys. The lands and residence of Whinney Heys -eventually passed into the possession of the Fleetwoods, of -Rossall, through the wife of Edward Fleetwood. The Veales -were Puritans in religion, and one of the family, named Edward -Veale, whose father was the third son of Edward and Ellen Veale -mentioned above, and a lay member of the Presbyterian Classis for -this district in the time of the Commonwealth, attained considerable -eminence, first as a Puritan preacher and afterwards as a -Nonconformist minister. Calamy, in his <i>Nonconformist Memorial</i>, -tells us that “Mr. Edward Veale, of Christ Church, Oxford,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span> -afterwards of Trinity College, Dublin, was ordained at Winwick in -Lancashire, August 4th, 1657. When he left Ireland he brought -with him a testimonial of his being ‘a learned, orthodox minister, -of a sober, pious, and peaceable conversation, who during his -abode at the college was eminently useful for the instruction of -youth, and whose ministry had been often exercised in and about -the city of Dublin with great satisfaction to the godly, until he -was deprived of his fellowship for nonconformity to the ceremonies -imposed in the church, and for joining with other -ministers in their endeavours for a reformation;’ signed by -Richard Charnock and six other respectable ministers. He -became chaplain to Sir William Waller, in Middlesex, and -afterwards settled as a Nonconformist pastor in Wapping, where -he lived to a good old age. He had several pupils, to whom he -read university learning, who were afterwards useful persons; -one of whom was Mr. Nathaniel Taylor. He died June 6th, -1708, aged 76. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. T. -Symonds, who succeeded him.”</p> - -<h3>WESTBY OF MOWBRECK HALL AND BURN HALL.<a id="FNanchor_66" href="#Footnote_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a></h3> - -<p>The family of this name, so long associated with the township -of Medlar-with-Wesham, in the parish of Kirkham, is descended -from the Westbys of Westby, in the county of York.</p> - -<p>William Westby, who was under-sheriff of Lancashire in 1345, -is the first of the name, we can find, residing at Mowbreck; and -a great-grandson of his, named William Westby, is recorded as -inheriting the Mowbreck and Westby property in the reign of -Henry VI., 1422-61. John Westby, the son of the latter William, -succeeded to the estates, residing, like his ancestors, at Mowbreck -Hall, and was twice married, the offspring of the first union, with -Mabill, daughter of Richard Botiler, being two daughters; and of -the second, with Eleanor Kirkby, of Rawcliffe, a son and heir, -named William, who succeeded him at his death in 1512. -William Westby, although the lawful holder of the estates, did -not obtain control over them until after 1517, being a minor at -that date. He married Elizabeth Rigmayden, of Wedacer, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span> -had issue—John, Elizabeth, and Helen. John Westby, the heir, -had possession of Mowbreck, and Burn in Thornton township, -about the year 1556, after the decease of his father; his places of -residence were Mowbreck and Burn Halls. He was thrice married, -and by his last wife, Ann, daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, of -Sefton and Larbrick, and widow of Thomas Dalton, of Thurnham, -had issue—John, Thomas, William, Ellen, and Mary. John -Westby succeeded his father in 1591, and dying unmarried in -1604, was in his turn succeeded by his brother, Thomas Westby, -who was twice married, and purchased the estate of Whitehall, -where the children of his second union established themselves. -The offspring of his first wife, Perpetua, daughter of Edward -Norris, of Speke, were—John, Thomas, Edward, William, -Francis, Margaret, Perpetua, and Anne. John Westby, the -heir, came into the Mowbreck estate and Burn Hall some time -after 1622, but dying without issue in 1661, was succeeded by his -nephew, Thomas, the eldest son of his fourth brother, Francis -Westby, Thomas Westby, M.D., slain in the civil wars, and his -two other brothers, Edward and William, having died childless. -Thomas Westby, the inheritor of Westby, Mowbreck, and Burn, -was born in 1641, and espoused Bridget, daughter of Thomas -Clifton, of Lytham Hall, his issue being John, Thomas, William, -Cuthbert, Robert, Francis, Bridget, Anne, and Dorothy. John -Westby, the eldest son, inherited Westby, Mowbreck, and Burn -Hall, on the demise of his father in 1700. Thomas Tyldesley, of -Fox Hall, was intimate with this gentleman, as observed from the -following entry in his diary in the year 1715:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“June primo.—Went to Mains to prayers; thence with Jack Westby to Burn -to dinner; stayed till 4; thence to Whinneyheys; stayed till 9; soe home.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>John Westby married, in 1688, Jane, daughter of Christopher -Parker, of Bradkirk Hall, and had issue four daughters—Catherine, -who married Alexander Osbaldeston, of Sunderland; -Bridget, the wife of William Shuttleworth, of Turnover Hall; -Mary, the wife of the Rev. Thomas Alderson; and Anne, the -wife of the Rev. J. Bennison, of London. At the death of John -Westby in 1722, Burn Hall and estate passed to the Bennisons, -whilst Mowbreck became the property of Thomas Westby, who -died childless six years later, and afterwards of Robert Westby, -brothers of the deceased John Westby. Margaret Shuttleworth,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span> -the daughter of William and Bridget Shuttleworth, of Turnover, -married her cousin, Thomas Westby, of Whitehall, in 1744, and -had numerous offspring, the eldest of whom, John Westby, -succeeded to Mowbreck, as heir-at-law, on the death of his -relative, Robert Westby, before mentioned, in 1762. This John -Westby died in 1811 unmarried, and was succeeded by his only -surviving brother, Thomas Westby. This gentleman also died -unmarried, and was succeeded in 1829 in the Turnover Hall -estate, by his cousin, Thomas Westby, heir-at-law, to whose -eldest son, George Westby, he left Whitehall and Mowbreck. -George Westby espoused Mary Pauton, the eldest daughter of -Major John Tate, of the 6th West Indian Infantry, and had issue—Mary -Virginia Ann; Matilda Julia, wife of the Rev. Dr. Henry -Hayman; Jocelyn Tate; Ada Perpetua; Georgina Blanche; -Ashley George, late captain in the army; Cuthbert Menzies; -Bernard Hægar, captain 16th regiment; Basil Clifton, captain -16th regiment. George Westby died at Paris in 1842, and was -succeeded by his eldest son, Jocelyn Tate, the present holder, -who took by royal license the name and arms of Fazakerley on -espousing, in 1862, Matilda Harriette Gillibrand-Fazakerley sister -and co-heiress of the late Henry Hawarden Gillibrand-Fazakerley, -the son of Henry Hawarden Fazakerley, of Gillibrand Hall, etc., -and lord of the manor of Chorley.</p> - -<p>Jocelyn Tate Fazakerley-Westby, of Mowbreck Hall, esq., was -formerly a cornet in the Scotch Greys, and is now a captain of -Lancashire hussars, yeomanry cavalry. He is a justice of the -peace and a deputy-lieutenant of the county of Lancaster.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header1.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">PARISH OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Poulton.</span></p> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The ancient town and port of Poulton occupies the -summit of a gentle ascent about one mile removed -from the waters of Wyre at Skippool, and three -from the Irish Sea at Blackpool. Between 1080 and -’86, Poltun, as it was written in the Norman Survey, contained no -more than two carucates of land under tillage, or in an arable -condition, so that out of the 900 acres composing the township, -only 200 were cultivated by the inhabitants. A considerable -proportion of the entire area of the township, however, would be -covered with lofty trees, and provide excellent forage ground for -large herds of swine, which formed the chief live-stock dealt in by -our Anglo-Saxon and early Norman ancestors. Taking this into -consideration, the comparatively small amount of soil devoted to -agriculture, may not, indeed, indicate so meagre a population -about the close of the eleventh century as otherwise it would -seem to do, but still the evidence adduced is barely sufficient -whereon to base the assumption that the antecedents of Poulton -had been less under the destructive influence of the Danes than -those of its neighbours. Regarding the locality more retrospectively, -and turning back, for a brief space, to the era of the Romans, -it must be admitted that nothing has as yet been discovered -which could be construed into an intimation that the followers of -Agricola, or their descendants, ever had a settlement or encampment -on the site. It is true that the churchyard has yielded up -many specimens of their ancient coinage, whilst others have been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span> -found at no great distance, but the character of the relics is in no -way suggestive of a sojournment, like that of the fragmentary -domestic utensils and urns of Kirkham; and when it is remembered -that the much-used Roman road (Dane’s Pad) leading to -the most important harbour of the west coast, passed through -the vicinity on its way towards the Warren of Rossall, the -explanation of the presence of the coins, as of other antiquities -along its line, is obvious. The name of the town and district -now under examination is of pure Anglo-Saxon origin, and -acquired from its proximity to the pool of the Skipton, or -Skippool, the signification of the word being, it is scarcely -necessary to add, the enclosure or township of the pool. The -date at which habitations first became visible on the soil must -remain in a great measure a matter of conjecture, as the annals -of history are silent respecting this and most other towns of -Amounderness, until the arrival of William the Conqueror, but -we may safely infer that it was not long after the advent of the -Saxons before a situation so convenient both to the stream of -Wyre and the frequented pathway just mentioned, attracted a -small colony of settlers. Whatever century gave birth to -Poulton, it is certain that from such epoch to 1066, the -population would be constituted, almost exclusively, of the -class known as “Villani,” perhaps most appropriately interpreted -by our term villagers, and that the occupation of -these bondsmen of the soil would be the tillage of the land -and the superintendence of swine. Their huts were doubtless -of very rude and primitive construction, but somewhere -within the boundaries of the township there must have been a -dwelling of more pretentious exterior, the residence of the Town-Reve, -who received the dues and tolls from the “Villani,” on -behalf of the large territorial lord, and exercised a general supervision -over them. Athelstan appears to have held the lordship of -the whole of Amounderness in 936, when he conveyed it to the -See of York, and possibly before he ascended the throne it was -invested successively in his regal predecessors.</p> - -<p>After the Conquest, Poulton passed into the possession of the -Norman nobleman, Roger de Poictou, by whom it was granted in -1094, to the priory of St. Mary, at Lancaster. “He gave,” says -the charter, “Poltun in Agmundernesia, and whatsoever belonged<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span> -to it, and the church with one carucate of land, and all other -things belonging to it; moreover he gave the tithe of venison -and of pawnage<a id="FNanchor_67" href="#Footnote_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> in all the woods, and the tithe of his fishery.”<a id="FNanchor_68" href="#Footnote_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> -This extract proves beyond question the existence of a church at -Poulton exactly eight years after the completion of the Domesday -record; and further, that it was endowed with one carucate of -land, or half the cultivated portion of the township. At the first -glance it seems more probable that the sacred edifice was overlooked -by the investigators in the course of the survey than that -it was erected so shortly afterwards, but a study of other pages of -the register betrays such evident care and minuteness on the part -of those to whom the work of compilation was entrusted, that it -appears impossible for an important building like the church to -have escaped their notice. Roger de Poictou was justly celebrated -for zeal in the cause of his faith; several monastic institutions -owed their establishment to his liberality, and amongst them was -St. Mary’s of Lancaster. It will therefore be but a reasonable -conclusion to arrive at, that he built and endowed the parish -church of Poulton with the intention of presenting it to the -Priory of his own founding, in connection with the abbey of -Sees in Normandy. During the reign of Richard I. (1189-99), -Theobald Walter quitclaimed to the abbot of Sees all his right to -the advowson of Poulton and the church of Bispham, owing to a -suit instituted against him by that ecclesiastic;<a id="FNanchor_69" href="#Footnote_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> and hence it -must be inferred that the donation of Roger de Poictou had -through some cause reverted to him, being subsequently conferred -on Walter in company with other of the confiscated estates of the -rebellious baron. The abbot of Cockersand also had some -interest in the town about the time the last event took place, and -in about 1216 he compounded with the prior of Lancaster for -certain tithes held by him in the parish.<a id="FNanchor_70" href="#Footnote_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a> In 1246 the mediety of -the church of Poulton and the chapel of Bispham was granted -by the archdeacon of Richmond to the priory of St. Mary, and -half a century later John Romanus, archdeacon of Richmond, -confirmed the gift, bestowing on it in addition the remaining<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span> -mediety, to be received when death had removed the present -holder. A clause in the document stipulated that immediately -the second mediety had been appropriated a vicar should be -appointed at a salary of twenty marks (£13 6s. 8d.) per annum.<a id="FNanchor_71" href="#Footnote_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a> -Here again it is clear that some time in the interval between -1199 and 1246 the lands and living of Poulton had once more -been forfeited or disposed of by the Lancaster monastery, but in -the absence of any records bearing on the subject, the manner -and reason of the relinquishment must still continue enveloped -in a veil of mystery. From 1246 the vicarage of Poulton -remained attached to the Lancaster foundation until the -dissolution of alien priories, when it was conveyed to the abbey -of Sion, in Middlesex, and retained by that convent up to the -time of the Reformation in 1536. Alien priories, it may be -explained, were small monastic institutions connected with the -abbeys of Normandy, and established on lands which had been -granted or bequeathed to the parent houses by William the -Conqueror or one of his followers. They were occupied by only -a very limited number of brethren and members of the sisterhood. -A prior was appointed over each, his chief duty being to -collect the rents and other monies due from their estates, etc., -and transmit them over to Normandy. Such immense sums -were in that way annually exported out of the country, that it -was ultimately deemed expedient by the king and his ministers to -suppress all priories of this description.</p> - -<p>The Banastres were a family long connected with the Fylde -through landed property which they held in the neighbourhood; -originally they are stated to have come over from Normandy with -William the Conqueror, and to have settled at Newton in the -Willows. On their frequent journeys to and from Thornton, -Singleton, and Staining, the tenants of the priory of St. Mary -were in the habit of crossing over the lands of the Banastres, -by whom their intrusions were deeply resented, which led -to constant feuds between them and the head of the Lancaster -monastery. In 1276, as we learn from the “Regist. S. -Mariæ de Lanc.,” Sir Adam Banastre with several of his friends -and retainers, amongst whom were John Wenne, Richard le<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span> -Demande (the collector), William de Thorneton, Richard de -Brockholes, Geoffrey le Procuratoure (the proctor), and Adam le -Reve (the reeve), attacked the prior, Ralph de Truno, and his -train of attendants, when on their way to Poulton. They seized -and carried off both him and his retinue to Thornton, where, after -treating them with great indignity, they chastised and imprisoned -them. Edward I., on hearing of the disgraceful outrage, appointed -John Travers, William de Tatham, and John de Horneby to -investigate the matter and ascertain the cause, if possible; but no -paper is now to be found revealing the result of the examination -or hinting at the provocation, although a surmise may be hazarded -that it was no new quarrel, but simply the old feud, which had at -last culminated in a cowardly assault on a defenseless ecclesiastic.</p> - -<p>In 1299, Poulton was held in trust by Thomas, earl of Lancaster, -for the prior of St. Mary; and eight years anterior to that date -the abbot of Deulacres, in Staffordshire, drew certain revenues -from land in the township, viz., £8 per annum from 16 carucates -of land, about 13s. 4d. each year from the sale of meadow land, -10s. from assessed rents, and £5 from the profit of stock, making -in all an annual total of £14 3s. 4d. The repeated disputes -between Sir Adam Banastre and Adam Conrates, prior of -Lancaster, relative to the trespasses of the latter’s tenants and the -collection of tithes on the domains of the former were peaceably -settled in 1330, by an arrangement, in which Sir Adam pledged -himself to allow two good roads across his lands—one from -Poulton and Thornton to Skippool and thence across the ford of -Aldwath, now called Shard, on to Singleton, the other starting -from the same localities and running to the ford of Bulk higher -up the river, probably the modern Cartford, or in its vicinity; in -addition the knight agreed to make good any damage that the -prior or his dependants might suffer over that portion of their -journeys.<a id="FNanchor_72" href="#Footnote_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a> Adam Conrates on his side promised to withdraw all -actions for trespass, etc., on the fulfilment of these conditions. In -1354 a person named Robert de Pulton held some small possessions -in Poulton, but nothing further than that trifling fact is recorded -about him, although it is probable from the orthography of his -name that his ancestors were at some time closely and honourably<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span> -associated with the town from which their distinctive appellation -appears to have been derived. During the time of Elizabeth, -James Massey, gentleman, of Carleton and Layton, purchased -from the governors of the Savoy Hospital, in London, the tolls -in the parish of Poulton, together with all the “chauntry and -appurtenances” founded in the parish church of Bricksworth, and -all messuages, lands, tenements, etc., situated in the town and -parish of Poulton; the tolls remained subject to an annual -rent of £2, to be paid on St. Michael’s day to the governors -and chaplains of the hospital. Later in the same reign James -Massey sold to William Leigh, esq., of High Leigh, in Cheshire, -half of these tolls and some pasture fields, called “Angell’s Holme,” -adjoining the Horse-bridge, where in earlier days, when the waters -of Wyre made their way along a brook into the interior of this -neighbourhood, boats are said to have been built. The Rigbys, of -Layton Hall, subsequently became possessed of a great part of -Poulton, and at the present day a large number of houses are -leased in their name for the remainder of terms of 999 years; the -Heskeths, of Mains, and other leading families in the district were -also considerable property owners in the town. On one occasion -the ruling powers of Kirkham made an unsuccessful attempt to -obtain the tolls arising from the cattle fairs held in Poulton and -Singleton, but on what plea such claims were urged the record is -silent.</p> - -<p>In an entry which occurs in the lists of the Norman Roll, an -impost consisting of the ninth of corn, fleeces, and lambs, and -created in 9 Edward III., 1336, it is stated that in 1291 the -vicarage of Poulton was taxed by Pope Nicholas at 10 marks, or -£6 13s. 4d. modern coinage, the prior of Norton taking £2 in -garbs or wheat sheaves. Afterwards the vicarage was freed from -the payments of tenths on account of the smallness of the living. -Dr. Whittaker informs us that the priory of Lancaster was granted -by Henry V., in 1422, to the chancellor of England, who in that -year instituted a vicar to the living of Poulton, but eight years -previously, in the same reign, the priory was granted in trust for -the abbess and convent of Sion; from which seemingly contradictory -statements it may be gathered that the chancellor was -the trustee for the property, and in such capacity alone acted as -patron of the church of Poulton. In support of this supposition<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span> -may be cited the fact that the Lancaster house and its belongings -were not received by the convent in Middlesex until 1431, during -the sovereignty of Henry VI., when the vicarage was endowed by -the abbess, and William de Croukeshagh presented to the living. -This pastor, the earliest personally mentioned, was succeeded on -his death, in 1442, by Richard Brown, appointed by the same -convent. “Among the records,” writes Baines in his history of -Lancashire, “in the Augmentation Office is in indenture tripartite -in English, bearing the date 11 Henry VIII., 1579, and purporting -to be made between the Abbess of Sion on the first part, Thomas -Singleton and Henry Singleton on the second part, and William -Bretherton, vicar of Poulton, on the third part, by which the -tithe-sheaf of Pulton and a tenement are leased to the vicar, that -he may better keep and maintain his house in Pulton; the term -to continue during the existence of a lease granted to the persons -named Singleton by Sion abbey.” At the Reformation the manor -and advowson were claimed by the crown, and a few years later -became the property of the Fleetwoods. The last royal presentation -to the living was made by Edward VI. in 1552, just one year -before his death, whilst the first by this family was in 1565, by -John Fleetwood, lord of the manor of Penwortham. The Rev. -Charles Hesketh, M.A., of North Meols, is now the patron.</p> - -<p>The ancient church of Poulton stood on the site now occupied -by the existing edifice, and like it, was dedicated to the Saxon -St. Chad or Cheadda, bishop of Mercia, and seated at Chester in -<span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 669. The original structure consisted of only a nave and -north aisle, the outer walls of which were composed of sandstone, -whilst the double roof rested on semicircular arches, extending -from the chancel to the font, and supported on four octagonal -pillars. These semicircular arches belonged to a very antique -style of architecture, and have given rise to the belief that the -pillars were at first massive cylinders, being carved into an -angular form about the time of Henry VIII. The pulpit had its -place towards the south, and at the east end there appears to have -been a small gallery. A pipe clay monument <i>in memoriam</i> of -the Singletons, of Staining, stood inside the church, but was, -intentionally or accidentally, destroyed when the building was -pulled down. A rude brass crucifix and a chalice, both of which -belonged to the church previous to the Reformation, are still<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span> -preserved, one being in the possession of a late priest at Breck -chapel, and the other in the Catholic chapel at Claughton. The -upper halves of the windows, including the east one, were semicircular -in form. In 1622 the old chancel was repaired by the -Rev. Peter Whyte, the vicar, and a stone, two feet in length and -one foot and a half in depth, bearing the name “Peter Whyte,” -and the date “1622,” in raised letters about six inches long, -was placed over the east window. This piece of masonry now -occupies a situation in the south-west corner of the edifice. The -churchyard, which is reported to have been usually in a filthy -and disgraceful state, was partly surrounded by a moderately wide -ditch, on the brink of which three or four fine sycamore trees -flourished, but were cut down when sundry alterations and -improvements were effected in the ground. In 1751, after the -old church had been standing six centuries and a half, it was -determined to demolish it, and erect a more commodious building -on the site. The tower, however, was retained, as, being of more -recent date, it evinced none of those symptoms of decay which -had rendered the body of the edifice dangerous to worshippers. -An opinion prevails that the tower was built about the time of -Charles I., and such a view is upheld by the discovery on the -removal of the pulpit in 1836 of a square stone, having on its face -the raised letters TB. WG. in the first line, IH. TG. IH. in the -second line, and WG. 1638 in the last line. It is supposed that -this stone, which is now fixed in the wall at the south-west -corner of the church, was carved in commemoration of the -erection of the tower, and the raised letters are the initials of the -churchwardens then in office, and the date when the work was -accomplished. Between this stone and the one previously referred -to, there is a stained-glass memorial window to “Robert Buck, -born 1805, died 1862, presented by his sister, C. D. Foxton.” -Mrs. Catherine Dauntesy Foxton, the lady here indicated, is the -representative of the family of Bucks, of Agecroft Hall, Pendlebury, -and inherited considerable property in the neighbourhood -of Poulton. During the time the new church was in course of -building, divine service was performed in the tithe-barn, and the -ceremony of baptism at the residences of the parents. The funds -required for carrying out the important undertaking were -doubtless chiefly supplied through the munificence of a comparatively<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span> -small circle of private individuals, whose contributions -would probably be in some measure supplemented by minor -collections amongst the less opulent agriculturists and peasantry. -One person, named Welsh, who resided at Marton, seems to have -cherished a bitter antipathy to the levelling of ancient structures -in general, and embodied his refusal to assist this particular work -in the following rhymes:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“While here on earth I do abide,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I’ll keep up walls and pull down pride;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To build anew I’ll ne’er consent,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And make the needy poor lament.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>It has usually been affirmed that the side galleries were not -erected until several years after the new church had been finished, -but the annexed extract from an old document discovered in -1875, shows that authority to build them was obtained in 1751, -whilst the church was levelled with the ground; and as the parchment -also discloses that a number of seats in these galleries were -allotted to certain gentlemen of the parish in the ensuing year, -there is ample evidence that the rebuilding of the church and -their erection were carried on simultaneously:—“25 June, 1751. -On the Certificate and request of Roger Hesketh, Esq., Patron; -the Rev. Robert Loxham, Clerk, Vicar; and the Churchwardens -of the Parish Church of Poulton; a Faculty was Granted to -John Bird, John Birley, and Richard Tennant, all of Poulton, -Gentlemen (for the better uniformity of the Parish Church of -Poulton, which was then taken down and rebuilding) to take -down the Gallery over the Chancel in the East of the said -Church, which was then very irregular and incommodious, and -to rebuild the same with a convenient staircase, stairs, and -passage leading thereto, of their own expense, in the west end -thereof to adjoin to the north side of the gallery there then -standing, and to be made uniform therewith, and to make -satisfaction to the several owners of the seats in the said Gallery -for the damage sustained in removing the same and altering, and -lessening the seats therein; and to erect a Gallery on each side of -the said Church, with convenient staircases leading thereto at the -north-east and south-east ends of the said Church, if necessary, -according to the form of the said Certificate annexed, and also -to remove the Pulpit and reading desk from the place where the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span> -same then lately stood, near to the place where the Churchwardens’ -seat was then lately situate, as it would greatly tend to the -conformity of the said Church and to the benefit and advantage -of the Inhabitants of the said Parish, and also that they might -have liberty to sell and dispose of the seats to be contained in the -said intended side Galleries, to such persons within the said -Parish as should stand most in need thereof, to reimburse themselves -the charges and expenses they would be necessarily put to in -building the said intended galleries and making the alterations -aforesaid.”</p> - -<p>The present edifice is of stone, plain but commodious, and -comprises a chancel, body, and embattled tower, with buttresses -supporting each corner. Formerly a small shed stood on one -side of the tower, and was used as a repository for the sculls and -other osseous relics of humanity, which were unearthed during -the process of making fresh graves; this house was pulled down -some years ago, and its numerous treasures returned to the ground -at the south-east corner of the yard. The chancel now standing -was erected eight years since, mainly through the exertions of the -Rev. Thomas Clarke, M.A., the vicar, who died in 1869. On the -exterior of the building, over a door at the south-east corner of -the body is the inscription:—“Insignia Rici Fleetwood Ari Hujus -Eccliæ Patroni Ann Dni 1699”; above which is a circumscribed -uneven space formerly occupied by the arms of the Fleetwood -family. Within the church the quarterings of the Heskeths and -Fleetwoods are hung against the walls in frames. At the west -end of the building there is a wooden panel into which the -following names have been cut:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Rich. Dickson.</li> -<li>Rich. Willson.</li> -<li>John Hull.</li> -<li>Rich. Willson.</li> -<li>John Woodhouse, churchwardens, 1730.</li> -</ul> - -<p>From the way in which the holders of similar offices are -arranged at present it is surmised that these gentlemen respectively -represented the townships of</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Poulton.</li> -<li>Carleton.</li> -<li>Hardhorn.</li> -<li>Thornton.</li> -<li>Marton.</li> -</ul> - -<p>On the south side of the church is a mural tablet to the memory -of the Rev. Richard Buck, M.A., of Agecroft Hall, Pendlebury,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span> -born 1761, died 1845, also Margaret, his wife, and Margaret, his -daughter. Another monument bears the names of Frances Hull, -born 1794, died 1847; William Wilson Hull, born 1822, died -1847, in the Queen’s service, at Bathurst, St. Mary’s Island in the -river Gambia; Henry Mitchell Hull, M.A., born 1827, died 1853; -John Hull, M.D., born 1761, died 1843—“left the eldest of the -three children of John Hull, surgeon; an orphan at six years of -age, poor, friendless, by the best use of all means of education -within his power, by unwearied industry, by constant self-denial, -he duly qualified himself for the practice of his profession<a id="FNanchor_73" href="#Footnote_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a>”; -Sarah Hull, died 1842; William Winstanley Hull, M.A., Fellow -of Brazenose College, Oxford, and Barrister-at-Law, eldest son -of John Hull, M.D., F.L.S., born 1784, died 1873. Here also was -the old churchwardens’ pew, removed in 1876, having a brass -plate inscribed thus:—“Thomas Whiteside, Jno Wilkinson, Jno -Whiteside, Thos. Cornwhite, Jno Hodgson, Churchwardens, -1737”; also the old pew formerly belonging to the Rigbys of -Layton Hall, on the door of which are carved the letters “A.R.,” -a goats head, and the date “1636,” being the initials and crest of -Sir Alexander Rigby, of Layton Hall. Until last year, when they -were removed to afford space for more modern seats, the two -family pews of the Fleetwoods and Heskeths stood on this side. -The pews were walled in laterally and in front by a high ornamental -railing of oak, and in the larger of the two traces of a -crest were visible on the wall. Near this spot there are many very -ancient pews, one of which has the date and initials “17.TW.02” -carved upon it, whilst on the floor of the aisle close at hand is the -gravestone of “Edward Sherdley, gentleman, dyed 21st September, -1744, aged 71,” and almost adjoining lies another stone, surmounting -the remains of Geoffrey Hornby, who died in 1732. -On the day of the latter gentleman’s funeral the west side of the -market-place was destroyed by fire, and as the procession passed -the scarves of the mourners were scorched by sparks driven by a -high wind in showers from the conflagration. On the north side<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span> -of the church is a pew bearing the date ‘1662’; and near to are -the old pews of Burn Hall, Little Poulton Hall, Mains Hall, and -Todderstaff Hall, above which, fastened to the wall and marking -the resting place of several members of his family, are the arms -of Thomas Fitzherbert Brockholes, esq., of Claughton, the lord of -Little Poulton, etc.</p> - -<p>The chancel contains a monument in memory of Bold Fleetwood -Hesketh, died 1819, and his nephew, Edward Thomas Hesketh, -died 1820; also of Fleetwood Hesketh, of Rossall, who died in -1769, aged 30, and Frances Hesketh, who died in 1809, aged 74, -all of whom were interred beneath the Communion. In addition -there are two recent tablets, one being to the memory of the -late Thomas Clarke, vicar of the parish; and the other in memory -of Francis Wm. Conry, only child of F. A. Macfaddin, surgeon, -47th regt. Within the Communion rails are two antique and -elaborately carved oak chairs.</p> - -<p>In the south gallery are mural tablets inscribed in remembrance -of Edward Hornby, died in 1766, and Margaret, his wife; Edward -Sherdley, died 1744, and Ellen, his wife; Giles Thornber, J.P., -died 1860, and his wife; Geoffrey Hornby, died in 1732, and -Susannah, his wife; Richard Harrison, vicar of Poulton, died in -1718, aged 65; and Christopher Albin, curate of Bispham, died -in 1753, aged 56, on a pew door opposite to which is a brass plate -engraved:—“Introite et orate, cælo supinas si tuleris manus -sacra feceris, malaque effugies.<a id="FNanchor_74" href="#Footnote_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> Christopher and Margery Albin -1752.”</p> - -<p>At one time a sounding board was suspended over the pulpit. -An ancient font, formerly belonging to the church and now the -property of the vicar, the Rev. William Richardson, M.A., has -carved upon its exterior the date 1649, the letters M.H., a cross, -and something, in its damaged state difficult to trace but -betraying some resemblance to a crown. The successor to this -font was removed several years since to make room for a new one -presented by the daughter of the Rev. Canon Hull, of Eaglescliffe, -in memory of her sister Frances Mary Hull, who died in 1866, -aged 20 years.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span></p> - -<p>The old church books, extracts from which will be given -subsequently, contain many entries of sums paid for rushes to -strew the pews and aisles, a custom existing here as late as 1813. -In the tower is a peal of six bells, with the inscriptions:—</p> - -<table summary="Inscriptions on the bells"> - <tr> - <td>1st Bell.</td> - <td>—</td> - <td>“Prosperity to all our Benefactors.</td> - <td class="tdr">A. R. 1741.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>2nd. <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - <td>—</td> - <td>“Peace and good Neighbourhood.</td> - <td class="tdr">A. R. 1741.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>3rd. <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - <td>—</td> - <td>“Prosperity to this Parish.</td> - <td class="tdr">A. R. 1741.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>4th. <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - <td>—</td> - <td> - <div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse indent0">“When us you ring</div> - <div class="verse indent2">We’ll sweetly sing.</div> - </div> - </div> - </td> - <td class="tdr vb">A. R. 1741.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>5th. <span class="ditto">”</span></td> - <td>—</td> - <td> - <div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Able Rudhall</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Cast us all.</div> - </div> - </div> - </td> - <td class="tdr vb">M. T. Gloucester. 1741.”</td> - <td class="vb"><a id="FNanchor_75" href="#Footnote_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The 6th bell was recast by G. Mears and Company, of London, -in 1865, at the sole expense of the Rev. T. Clarke, and is inscribed:—“T. -Clarke, M.A., vicar; W. Gaulter, J. T. Bailey, W. Jolly, -J. Whiteside, churchwardens.” The original inscription was—“Robert -Fishwick, John Wilkinson, William Cookson, James -Hull, John Moore, churchwardens.”</p> - -<p>About thirty years since the roof of the church was altered and -renewed. Notwithstanding the fact that the churchyard has been -in constant use for so many centuries very few emblems of -antiquity, beyond occasional coins of the Roman era, have ever -been discovered in it, and at present, unlike most burial grounds -of great age, no specimens of raised letters are to be seen amongst -the numerous gravestones, the oldest of which still legible, -intimates the resting place of Richard Elston, and has the date -1719. At a short distance, and assisting to flag a side pathway to -the south of the church, is another stone, covering the grave of -“Richard Brown, of Great Marton, who died the third day of -April, 1723”; but neither this nor the foregoing one have any -interest beyond their antiquity. The ancient practice of tolling -the Curfew-bell is still continued in the winter evenings from -the 29th of September to the 10th of March, whilst a pancake bell -is rung at 12 o’clock on each Shrove Tuesday.<a id="FNanchor_76" href="#Footnote_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of vicars of Poulton-le-Fylde"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">VICARS OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE.<br /> - IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF LANCASTER.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Vicars.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1431</td> - <td>Wm. de Croukeshagh</td> - <td>Abbot and Convent of Sion</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1442</td> - <td>Richard Brown</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1519</td> - <td>William Bretherton</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1552</td> - <td>Ranulph Woodward</td> - <td>Edward VI.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Richard Cropper</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1565</td> - <td>Wm. Wrightington</td> - <td>John Fleetwood, of Penwortham</td> - <td>Death of Richard Cropper</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1573</td> - <td>Richard Grenhall</td> - <td>Bridget Fleetwood and William, her son</td> - <td>Death of William Wrightington</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1582</td> - <td>Peter Whyte</td> - <td>Edward Fleetwood and William Purston</td> - <td>Death of Richard Grenhall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1650</td> - <td>John Sumner</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>George Shaw</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1674</td> - <td>Richard Harrison</td> - <td>Richard Fleetwood, of Rossall</td> - <td>Death of George Shaw</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1718</td> - <td>Timothy Hall</td> - <td>Edward Fleetwood, of Rossall</td> - <td>Death of Richard Harrison</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1726</td> - <td>Robert Loxham</td> - <td>Ditto<a id="FNanchor_77" href="#Footnote_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a></td> - <td>Death of T. Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1749</td> - <td>Robert Loxham</td> - <td>Roger Hesketh, of Rossall</td> - <td>Resignation of R. Loxham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1770</td> - <td>Thomas Turner</td> - <td>Exors. of Fleetwood Hesketh, of Rossall, by consent of his widow</td> - <td>Death of Robert Loxham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1810</td> - <td>Nathaniel Hinde</td> - <td>Bold Fleetwood Hesketh, of Rossall</td> - <td>Death of Thomas Turner</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1820</td> - <td>Chas. Hesketh, M.A.</td> - <td>Peter Hesketh, of Rossall</td> - <td>Cession of N. Hinde</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1835</td> - <td>John Hull, M.A.</td> - <td>Rev. C. Hesketh, of North Meols</td> - <td>Resignation of C. Hesketh</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1864</td> - <td>Thos. Clarke, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of J. Hull</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1869</td> - <td class="bb">William Richardson, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Ditto</td> - <td class="bb">Death of T. Clarke</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Of the earlier vicars mentioned above, nothing is known until -we come to the Rev. Peter Whyte, of whose immediate<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span> -descendants it is recorded that, after his death, they rapidly -drifted into poverty, and that one of them, a granddaughter, -regularly attended the fairs of Poulton as the wife of a pedlar or -hawker. The Rev. Richard Harrison was cousin to Cuthbert -Harrison, the Nonconformist divine who suffered ejection, and -belonged to the Bankfield family. Until instituted to Poulton, -Richard Harrison was curate at Goosnargh. His son Paul gained -some celebrity as a controversial writer on matters of ecclesiastical -interest.<a id="FNanchor_78" href="#Footnote_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a> The Loxhams settled at Dowbridge, near Kirkham, -and that estate is still held by the family. The Rev. Thomas -Turner purchased the living in 1770, when it was worth no more -than £75 per annum, for £200, and held it until his death forty -years later. The Rev. C. Hesketh, M.A., brother to the late Sir -Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, bart., is rector of North Meols and -patron of the living. During a portion of the time when he -was vicar of Poulton, the Rev. R. Bowness was curate in charge. -The Rev. John Hull, M.A., is honorary canon of Manchester, and -was examining chaplain to the Right Rev. Prince Lee, D.D., -the first bishop of this diocese, by whom he was appointed to the -rectory of Eaglescliffe, near Yarm, one of the most valuable livings -in his gift. The Rev. Thomas Clarke, M.A., was originally curate -at the Parish Church of Preston, and afterwards became incumbent -of Christ Church in the same town, which living he resigned -on being presented to the vicarage of Poulton.</p> - -<p>Subjoined are a number of extracts selected from the old -account books of the churchwardens, and in them will be found -much that is both interesting and curious:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“1764.</p> - -<p>“June 4.—To the Ringers, being his Majestie’s Birthday, 3s. 0d.</p> - -<p>July 8.—To a Bottle of Wine to a strange Parson, 2s. 0d.: To ditto to a strange -Parson, 2s. 0d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1765.</p> - -<p>“June 6.”—To Mr. Lomas for mending clock, 2s. 2d.</p> - -<p>August 18.—To Thomas Parkinson for Rushes, 6s. 8d.: Spent when Rush -came, 1s. 7d.</p> - -<p>Oct. 20.—To Mr. Loxham for a Prayer, 2d.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span></p> - -<p>Dec. 25.—Spent Receiving Bassoon, 1s. 6d.: To Clark in full for wages, -£4 0s. 0d.: To Ringers Last half yʳ Sallary, 18s. 0d.: To Singers in full, 12s. 6d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1766.</p> - -<p>“Sept. 15.—Rushes for Church, 6s. 8d.: Candles, Beesoms, &c., 12s. 6d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1767.</p> - -<p>“May 13.—Court fees at Visitation, 7s. 10d.: Churchwardens’ Expenses at -Preston, £1 7s. 5d.: Curat’s horse hire to Dᵒ, 2s. 6d.</p> - -<p>July 20.—To Reed for Bassoon, 4s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Nov. 21.—To Hugh Seed for Flaggin, £6 18s. 8½d.: To Thos. Crook for -Church steps, 18s. 4d.: Ale at fixing dᵒ, 1s. 0d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1768.</p> - -<p>“Sept. 1.—To Mr. Warbrick for Cloth for Surpᶜᵉ, 10½d.: To a Sacrament day, -11s. 6d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1769.</p> - -<p>“Feb. 1.—To A New Prayer Book, £1 1s. 3d.</p> - -<p>” 6.—To Cleaning Candlesticks, 2s. 0d.</p> - -<p>Mar. 27.—To Cash wᵗʰ Marton Parson, 5s. 5d.</p> - -<p class="center">Received<br /> -By Miss Hesketh’s Burial in the Church, 3s. 4d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1770.</p> - -<p>“Mar. 13.—To Cash allowed Church Wardens for attending sacramᵉⁿᵗ, 5s. 0d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1771.</p> - -<p>“May 29.—To Ringers ale, 3s. 0d.</p> - -<p>Aug. 18.—Spent when Parson Hull preeched, 4s. 6d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1772.</p> - -<p>Aug. 14.—To cleaning Windows, 7s.; and lowance of ale 2s. 6d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1774.</p> - -<p>“July 4.—Spent on Parson Eckleston and another strange Parson, one Red -prayrs and the other preached, 3s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Dec. 21.—To Expense of a Meeting in sending for boys that had done Mischief -at Church, 1s.</p> - -<p class="center">“1775.</p> - -<p>“May 3.—To 5 Church Wardens attending 7 Sacrament Days, £1 15s. 0d.</p> - -<p>May 6.—To Horse Hire for 5 Church Wardens twice to the Visitation, £1 5s.: -To Wᵐ Brown for ale for Richᵈ Rossall whilst he was altering Pulpit, and at -settling his accᵗ, 3s.</p> - -<p>June 30.—Spent on Martin Singers, 10s.</p> - -<p>Oct. 4.—Spent on St. Lawrence’s Singers, 18s. 4d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1781.</p> - -<p>“July 14.—It is agreed this Day among the Parishioners of the several Townships -of Poulton that all arrears belonging to the said Parish unto the time of -Visitation last past shall be paid and discharged by a Tax regularly laid upon the -Parish in general, and that all charges of Organ and Organist for the Parish<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -Church of Poulton shall not be defrayed hereafter by any Tax levied on the -Parish in general but by voluntary subscription only. In witness whereof we -have hereunto set our hands the Day and Year above written.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Thomas Turner</span>, Vicar of Poulton; <span class="smcap">Edwᵈ Smith</span>, <span class="smcap">James Bisbrown</span>, -<span class="smcap">Paul Harrison</span>.</p> - -<p class="center">“1782.</p> - -<p>“Feb. 6.—Recᵈ for Mr. Brockhole’s Burial in the Church, 3s. 4d.</p> - -<p>July 27.—Memorandum: It is agreed at this Vestry Meeting by all the -parishioners who have attended here that in future the public ringing days in -this parish shall be reduced to two, namely, the King’s Birthday and Christmas -Day,—the ringers to be allowed Six Shillings on each day; and further, that the -Church Wardens’ Expenses on every Visitation shall on no pretence exceed forty -shillings.—<span class="smcap">Joseph Harrison</span>, <span class="smcap">William Dickson</span>, <span class="smcap">James Standen</span>, <span class="smcap">Edw. -Smith</span>, <span class="smcap">Thos. Twiss</span>, <span class="smcap">Rich. Singleton</span>, <span class="smcap">Thompson Nickson</span>.</p> - -<p class="center">“1788.</p> - -<p>“June 7.—Cartage of Rush and allowance, 9s. 0d.: Kirkham Singers, 10s. 6d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1793.</p> - -<table summary="Record of expenditure"> - <tr> - <td>“Pᵈ for ale for Ringers</td> - <td>on 29 May,</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span> do <span class="ditto">”</span> do</td> - <td>on the 4 of June,</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span> do <span class="ditto">”</span> do</td> - <td>on the 25 Octobʳ,</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span> do <span class="ditto">”</span> do</td> - <td>on the 5 Novembʳ,</td> - <td class="tdr">7s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span> do <span class="ditto">”</span> do</td> - <td>on the 25 Decembʳ,</td> - <td class="tdr">6s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> <span class="ditto">”</span> do <span class="ditto">”</span> do</td> - <td>on Easter Tuesday,</td> - <td class="tdr">7s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - <td><a id="FNanchor_79" href="#Footnote_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Dec. 8.—To Cash Recᵈ for digging a grave in the Church for Mrs. Buck, 3s. 4d.</p> - -<p>Nov. 5.—Spent on Singers, 12s. 0d.: ditto on Ribbons for Girls, 2s. 0d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1798.</p> - -<p>“Oct. 4.—To Ringers on Nelson’s Victory, 2s. 6d.<a id="FNanchor_80" href="#Footnote_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a></p> - -<p class="center">“1805.</p> - -<p>“June 9.—To Expˢ to Church Town when John Sauter Clerk convicted -himself in getting drunk, and Timothy Swarbrick for making him drunk (when -they were each fined 5s.), 1s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Oct. 2.—To Rush, 14s. 3d.</p> - -<p class="center">“1806.</p> - -<p>Nov. 9.—To Ringers at Lord Nelson’s victory of Trafalgar on the 21st, 7s. 0d.</p> - -<p>N.B.: No money to be given to the Ringers on account of any Victory in -future on the Parish account; the Victory of Trafalgar was so Extraordinary that -7s. was allowed to the Ringers on that occasion.</p> - -<p class="center">“1811.</p> - -<p>“Resolved that in compliance with the request of the inhabitants of Marton -one pound shall be allowed for an annual Dinner on Easter Day in future.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span></p> - -<p class="center">“1817.</p> - -<p>“Nov. 20.—To Expenses to Churchtown when Wᵐ Hodkinson, Wᵐ Whiteside, -and Wᵐ Butcher was convicted for getting drunk—Wᵐ Hodkinson finde, and the -other two acquitted upon the promise of future good behaviour, 3s. 0d.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The following extracts from the parish registers show the -numbers of marriages, baptisms, and burials, which took place -during the last and first years of the specified centuries:—</p> - -<table summary="Numbers of marriages, baptisms, and burials"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="2">1600-1601.</th> - <th colspan="2">1700-1701.</th> - <th colspan="2">1800-1801.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marriages</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">22</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baptisms</td> - <td class="tdr">40</td> - <td class="tdr">74</td> - <td class="tdr">73</td> - <td class="tdr">79</td> - <td class="tdr">63</td> - <td class="tdr">57</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burials</td> - <td class="tdr">52</td> - <td class="tdr">41</td> - <td class="tdr">56</td> - <td class="tdr">57</td> - <td class="tdr">67</td> - <td class="tdr">48</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Anterior to 1674 the old vicarage was a thatched building of -two stories, the upper one being open to the roof and supported -on crooks, but about that date the vicar, the Rev. Rich. Harrison, -made an addition, abutting the west end, and put the original -portion in thorough repair. This house, which was surrounded -by venerable trees, was taken down in 1835, and the present -vicarage erected on the site.</p> - -<p>In 1830, a spacious building, capable of holding three hundred -persons, was erected in Sheaf Street by voluntary subscription for -the purposes of a Sunday School, previous to which a small -cottage in the Green had been used as a meeting place for the -scholars connected with the church.</p> - -<p>About one hundred and fifty years ago the town of Poulton -presented a very different appearance to that it wears in our day. -The market-place was surrounded by a number of low thatched -houses of very humble exteriors, if we except a few private -residences, as those of the Walmsleys and Rigbys, which stood -out conspicuously from the rest, not only by their superiority in -size, but also by the possession of slated or flagged roofs. The -house of the Rigbys was built in 1693 by Sir Alexander Rigby, of -Layton Hall, who was High-sheriff of the county in 1691-2, and -stands at the south end of the square, the family arms and date -of erection being still attached to the front wall. The building is -now used as a dwelling and retail shop combined, and contains -little of moment beyond the ancient oak balustrade and staircase. -It is probable that Sir Alexander Rigby built the house with the -intention of using it as a town residence for himself and family -during the winter months, for we must remember that Poulton -contained several persons of note and distinction at that time,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span> -and nothing is more natural than that the knight should prefer -the cheerful society to be found amongst them to the long -solitudes of the Hall during the dull, inclement season of the -year, when country roads were almost impassable. After Sir -Alexander Rigby had been released from prison, having satisfied -the claims of his creditors, he took up his abode permanently in -Poulton until his death, Layton Hall and other property having -been sold, but whether his remains were laid in the churchyard -here, or removed elsewhere, cannot be ascertained.</p> - -<p>At the opposite end of the market-place was the Moot Hall, -connected with which were shambles and pent-houses, the latter -being continued along the fronts of the dwellings in the square. -None of the streets could boast a pavement, and as a consequence -intercourse between the inhabitants in rainy weather was a matter -of considerable inconvenience and difficulty, visiting under such -unfavourable circumstances being usually performed by means of -stepping stones. Public lamps were unknown in the streets, and -any one whose business or pleasure took him abroad after night-fall -or dusk, would have to rely on the feeble glimmer of a horn -lantern to guide him along the proper track and protect him -from floundering in the mud. Looking on this picture of discomfort, -it seems pretty certain to us that our Poultonian forefathers -at least, could they but enjoy one week of our modern life and -improvements, would be the very last to join in the wish, so often -enthusiastically, but rather thoughtlessly, expressed, for a revival -of the <i>good</i> old times. The market-square still retains its fishstones, -cross, whipping post, and stocks; and although the wooden -portion of the last has been recently renewed, we are in a position -to inform the curious or alarmed reader that it has not been done -with the view of re-introducing the obsolete punishment, but -merely to preserve a link, be it ever so painful an one, with the -past. The cross surmounts a stone pillar placed on a circular -base of similar material, formed in steps and tapering towards the -column.</p> - -<p>Although Poulton was never the scene of any military -encounter during the unsettled eras of our history, still there -is ample proof that the inhabitants were far from lethargic or -indifferent to the course of events during those times. During -the reign of Henry VIII., when James IV. of Scotland succumbed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span> -to the superiority of the English arms, and yielded up his life on -Flodden Field, the yeomanry and husbandmen of this town were -well represented; and the cheerful alacrity with which they -hastened to join the royal standard under Lord Stanley, in -company with others from the Fylde, between here and Preston, -is lauded in an ancient ballad, written to celebrate the victory, -from which the following lines are extracted:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“From Ribchester unto Rachdale,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From Poulton to Preston with pikes,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They with yᵉ Stanley howte forthe went.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>There is no necessity to recapitulate the stirring incidents of -the Civil Wars, the bivouacking and plundering in the neighbourhood -or the frequent demands for recruits by the royal and -parliamentary generals, but it will be sufficiently convincing of -the earnestness and loyalty of the inhabitants to state, that most -of the local families of influence risked their lives and fortunes in -the service of the king, leaving little doubt that those of humbler -sphere would be actuated by a like enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>About a century ago it was customary amongst the gentry and -more wealthy yeomanry to hold their interments at night by the -light of lamps or lanterns, and during the passage of the funeral -procession through the town, each householder illuminated his -windows with burning candles. The last person to be buried with -this ceremony was the Rev. Thomas Turner, the vicar, who died -in 1810.</p> - -<p>Of the domestic habits of Poulton at that period, and rather -earlier, it need only be said that they presented little variation -from those of other towns or villages similarly situated; removed -from the enervating and seductive temptations of a city, and -forced, for the most part, to earn their bread under the broad -canopy of heaven, it is not surprising to find that the people were -a long-lived and vigorous race. Their feastings and merrymakings -took place at fair-times, and at such other seasons as -were universally set apart in rural districts for rejoicings and -festivity, notably harvest gatherings and the first of May, the -latter being especially honoured. On that day the causeways -were strewn with flowers, and all things suitable for the festival -were lavishly provided; wine, ale, and sweetmeats being freely -contributed by the gentry and others. The peasantry were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span> -clothed in sober suits of hodden grey, the productions of the -“disty and wharl” or spinning wheel, without which no household -was considered complete, whilst their food was of the plainest -kind, consisting mostly of barley and rye bread, with boiled -parsnips and peas eaten in the pod, wheaten bread being reserved -for the consumption of the more wealthy classes. The present -station at the Breck, a name of Danish origin, and signifying an -acclivity, stands either on, or in close proximity to, the site of the -old ducking-pond, or rather brook, where the scolds of Poulton -were wont in former days to have the</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Venom of their spleen”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">copiously diluted and cooled by frequent immersions.</p> - -<p>A native of Poulton thus wrote of the town more than fifty -years since, and if the present generation but emulates the virtues -of its forefathers as herein stated, there are many places which -would form, notwithstanding its protracted inertitia, less agreeable -homes than the ancient metropolis of the Fylde:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Hail happy place, for health and peace renown’d,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Though not with riches, yet contentment crown’d.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Riches, the grand promoter of each strife,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Content, God’s first-best gift in human life.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Here hospitality has fixed her throne,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And discord’s jars by name alone are known;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The stranger here is always entertain’d</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With welcome smile and courtesy unfeign’d.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Kind to each other, generous and free,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Plain, yet liberal friends to charity.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Sixty years since Poulton contained a manufactory for sacking, -sail-cloth, and sheeting, belonging to a Mr. Harrison, who lived -in the house now in the occupation of R. Dunderdale, esq., J.P., -and had his weaving shed at the rear of those premises. That -gentleman employed from thirty to forty hands regularly during -the time he conducted the business—a period of about fifteen -years. An establishment connected with flax dressing and twine -spinning, and employing several hands, was located in the house -erected by Sir Alexander Rigby, of Layton; and a currier and -leather dresser had his works in Church Street. Of other trades -and professions in the town at that date, there were four attorneys, -two surgeons, seven butchers, nine bakers and flour dealers, three -wine and spirit merchants, two maltsters, ten boot and shoe<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span> -makers, five linen and woollen drapers, four tailors, three milliners, -four grocers, three ironmongers, three joiners, two wheelwrights, -two coopers, two painters, three plumbers and glaziers, -and two corn-millers. Subsequently Harrison’s residence was -used for parochial purposes, and formed the town’s workhouse -until the bill of Sir Robert Peel brought about the joint system -of pauper relief and management under the name of Unions; -and at one time small looms were placed in the old shed behind -the workhouse, for the purpose of providing remunerative occupation -for some of the inmates. Three fairs are held annually for -cattle and cloth, and take place on the 3rd of February, the 13th -of April, and the 3rd of November, whilst a general market, but -very indifferently, if at all, attended, is appointed to be held each -Monday. About the year 1840, when the Preston and Wyre -Railway was completed and the Poulton Station erected, a dye-house -of some considerable size, and one that had done a large -business in the Fylde for many years, was taken down, and shortly -afterwards the Royal Oak Hotel built on its site. About the -same time the old brook, over which the cuckstool hung in earlier -days, and whose waters had long been polluted by discharges from -the dye-house, was arched over with brick and earth, and included -in the station premises. The Railway Hotel was erected a little -anterior to the inn just mentioned. The other hotels of Poulton, -situated in the town itself, are ancient, and by their size and number, -considering the smallness of the present population, are indicative -of the former importance of its market and fairs, and intimate -that its position as the centre of a wide district was the means of -exciting and maintaining a large amount of commercial activity, -such as would necessitate the frequent visits of business agents -and others. Several private houses can be pointed out as having -been in earlier days places of public entertainment, amongst -which may be named one now used as a bakery and bread shop -in Queen’s Square, and which formerly bore the name of the -Spread Eagle Hotel; in Sheaf Street, also, there existed about -half a century ago a small but respectable hotel, called the Wheat -Sheaf Inn, with bowling green attached, but like other more -pretentious establishments, it has been converted into a dwelling-house, -whilst a handsome residence occupies the old bowling -green.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span></p> - -<p>The Independents were the first section of the Dissenting -community to erect a chapel for their members, which they -accomplished in 1808. After being in use twenty or thirty years, -this place of worship was closed, and not re-opened until about -ten years since. In 1819 a chapel was erected by the Wesleyans -in Back Street, and in 1861 the building was enlarged. At the -Breck there is a Roman Catholic chapel, which stands back some -distance from the road leading to Skippool, and is approached by -a long avenue of trees. The chapel is a plain brick building, with -three unstained windows on each side; and above the entrance -has been placed a square stone inscribed with a verse from the -Psalms—“I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy House, and -the place where thy Glory dwelleth,”—and the date of erection, -“<span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1813.” Within the edifice the pews are open and arranged -in three rows, one running down each side, and a double set -occupying the central portion of the body. The solitary gallery -at the end opposite the altar is lined with seats, and contains a -harmonium, whilst the altar itself is handsomely and suitably -decorated. The chapel is dedicated to St. John, and on the east -and south sides lies the burial ground, wherein may be seen a stone -slab carved by an eccentric character of Poulton, named James -Bailey, whose remains are now deposited beneath it. The upper -surface of the stone is ornamented with the outlines of two coffins, -recording respectively the demises of Margaret Bailey, in 1841, -and James Bailey, her father, in 1853. Between the coffins, and -severing their upper portions, is a cross, with a few words at the -foot, on each side of which are the representations of a scull and -cross-bones. Other specimens of the sculptural genius of Bailey are -lavishly, if not tastefully, scattered over the remainder of the slab. -The residence of the priest is attached to the chapel, and in -Breck Road are the elegant Gothic schools connected with it. -Until the opening, in 1868, of these schools, which have since -been extended by the erection of a wing, a loft over an outbuilding -facing the priests’ house, received the Catholic children of the -parish for educational purposes.</p> - -<p>We now come to speak of Poulton as a port, and in this -respect our information, it must be acknowledged, is very scanty; -the harbours of Poulton were situated at Skippool and Wardleys, -on opposite banks of the Wyre, and it was to the cargoes imported<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span> -to those places that the custom-house of the town owed its -existence. At what date it was first established cannot be -discovered, but that it was in being nearly two centuries ago is -proved by a paper on “The comparative wages of public servants -in the customs,” in which the following occurs:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“We find that William Jennings, collector of the customs at Poulton, in the -Fylde, received in 1708, during the reign of Queen Ann, for his yearly services -thirty pounds per annum; and five subordinate officers had seventy-five pounds -equally divided amongst them.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The chief traffic of the port was in timber, imported from the -Baltic and America; and flax and tallow, which arrived from -Russia. In 1825 Poulton was described by Mr. Baines, in his -History of Lancashire, as a creek under Preston, and it is -probable that such had been its position for a long time anterior -to that date. In 1826 Poulton was made a sub-port under -Lancaster, and later, when the town of Fleetwood sprang up at -the mouth of the Wyre, the customs were removed from Poulton -to that new port.</p> - -<p>Subjoined are the number of inhabitants of the township at -intervals of ten years from 1801, when the first official census was -taken:—</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801</td> - <td class="tdr">769</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1811</td> - <td class="tdr">926</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1821</td> - <td class="tdr">1,011</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1831</td> - <td class="tdr">1,025</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1841</td> - <td class="tdr">1,128</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1851</td> - <td class="tdr">1,120</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1861</td> - <td class="tdr">1,141</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1871</td> - <td class="tdr">1,161</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In 1770, during the reign of George III., an act of parliament -was obtained by means of which a court was established in this -town “for,” according to the wording of the deed, “the more -easy and speedy recovery of small debts within the parishes of -Poulton, Lytham, Kirkham, and Bispham, and the townships of -Preesall and Stalmine.” A number of gentlemen engaged in -commercial pursuits and residing in these several districts were -appointed commissioners, any three or more of whom constituted -a court of justice, by the name and style of The Court of Requests; -they were empowered to hear and determine all such matters of -debt as were under forty shillings, further they were authorised -and required, “to meet, assemble, and hold the said Court in each -of the said Parishes of Poulton and Kirkham, once in every week -at least, to wit, on every Monday at Poulton, and on every -Thursday at Kirkham, and oftener if there should be occasion, in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span> -a Court-house, or some convenient place appointed in each of the -said Parishes.” Each commissioner on being elected took the -following oath:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“I ... do swear That I will faithfully, impartially, and honestly, according -to the best of my Judgement, hear and determine all such Matters and Causes as -shall be brought before me, by virtue of an Act of Parliament, for the more easy -and speedy Recovery of small Debts, within the Parishes etc.; without Favour or -Affection, Prejudice or Malice, to either Party. So help me God.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Edward Whiteside and Simon Russell were elected, respectively, -clerk and sergeant of this court, and James Standen, of Poulton, -in consideration of having advanced money to pay the expenses of -obtaining the act and providing suitable accommodation for its -administration, had authority given to him and his heirs to -appoint a person to be clerk or sergeant as often as either of -those offices should become vacant, until the sum so advanced -with lawful interest had been repaid; after which the appointments -were to be filled up by a majority of votes at a special -meeting of the commissioners, not less than eleven being present. -For the better regulation of the proceedings it was enacted that a -majority, amounting to five, of the commissioners assembled in -court should have full power and authority to make, as often as -occasion required, such rules and orders for the better management -of the court as might seem necessary and conducive to the -purposes of the act, provided always such rules or orders did -not abridge or alter the scale of fees as at first arranged, and were -consistent with equity and the true intent of the act. In the -event of anyone neglecting to comply with an order from this -court for the payment of money owing an execution was awarded -against the body or goods of the debtor, if the former, the -sergeant was, by a precept under the hand and seal of the clerk, -“empowered and required to take and apprehend, or cause to be -taken and apprehended, such party or parties, being within any -of the parishes or townships aforesaid, and convey him, her, or -them, to some common gaol, or house of correction, within the -county palatine of Lancaster, there to remain until he, she, or -they, had performed and obeyed such order, decree, or judgment, -so as no person should remain in confinement upon any -such execution, for any longer space of time than three months.” -In the case of goods the sergeant was similarly empowered -“to levy by distress and sale of goods, of such party, being<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span> -within the parishes or townships aforesaid, such sum and sums -of money and costs as should be so ordered and decreed.”</p> - -<p>One clause of the act stated that if any person or persons -affronted, insulted, or abused, all or any of the commissioners, -the clerk, or officers of the court, either during the sitting or in -going to or returning from the same, or interrupted the proceedings, -or obstructed the clerk or sergeant in the lawful -execution of their different offices, he, she, or they should be -brought before a justice of the peace, who was hereby empowered -to inflict on conviction a fine of not more than 40s., and not less -than 5s. The jurisdiction of the court did not extend to any debt -or rent upon any lease or contract, where the title of any lands, -tenements, or hereditaments came in question; nor to any debt -arising from any last will or testament, or matrimony, or -anything properly belonging to the ecclesiastical courts; nor to -any debt from any horse-race, cock-match, wager, or any kind -of gaming or play; nor from any forfeiture upon any penal -statute or bye-law; nor did it extend to any debt whatsoever -whereof there had not been contract, acknowledgment, undertaking, -or promise to pay within six years from the date of the -summons, although any of the above mentioned debts should -not amount to forty shillings. No attorney or solicitor was -allowed to appear before the commissioners as attorney or advocate -on behalf of either plaintiff or defendant, or to speak on any -cause or matter before the court in which he was not himself a -party or witness, under a penalty of five pounds for each offence. -It was further enacted “that no action or suit for any debt not -amounting to the sum of forty shillings, and recoverable by -virtue of this act in the said Court of Requests, should be brought -against any person or persons, residing or inhabiting within the -jurisdiction thereof, in any of the king’s courts at Westminster, -or any other court whatsoever, or elsewhere, out of the said -Court of Requests, and no suit which had been commenced in -the said Court of Requests in pursuance of this act, nor any -proceedings therein, should or might be removed to any superior -court, but the judgments, decrees, and proceedings of the said -court should be final and conclusive to all intents and purposes; -provided always, that nothing in this act should extend, or be -construed to extend, to prevent any person from suing for small<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -debts in any other court, where such suit might have been -instituted before the passing of this act.” The various fees to be -paid to the clerk of the court were—for entering every case, 6d.; -for issuing every summons, 6d.; for every subpœna, 6d.; for -calling every plaintiff or defendant before the court, 3d.; for -every hearing or trial, 6d.; for swearing every witness, plaintiff -or defendant, 3d.; for every order, judgment or decree, 6d.; for -a non-suit, 6d.; for every search in the books, 3d.; for paying -money into court, 6d., if by instalments, 6d. in the pound more; -for every execution, 6d.; for every warrant of commitment for -misconduct in court, 1s. The fees to the sergeant were—for -every summons, order, or subpœna, and attending court with the -return thereof, 6d.; for calling every plaintiff or defendant before -the court, 1d.; for executing every attachment, execution, or -warrant, against the body or goods, 1s.; for carrying every -plaintiff, defendant, or delinquent to prison, 6d. more for every -mile. Although this was purely a lay-court the commissioners -possessed and exercised the power of placing the witnesses on -oath previous to receiving their evidence. In 1847 the Court of -Requests was superseded by a new court, for the recovery of -debts not amounting to twenty pounds, which held its first sitting -on Monday, the 23rd of April in that year, under the presidency -of John Addison, esq., a barrister and the appointed judge, in the -room belonging to the Sunday school. This gentleman wore a -silk gown, as prescribed to the judges of these courts, and Mr. -Elletson, solicitor, the clerk, was also robed. At the first -assemblage the Rev. John Hull, M.A., the vicar, and Giles -Thornber, esq., J.P., were seated on each side of the judge. The -cases for trial or arbitration only numbered seventeen, and were -of little interest, so that the initiative sitting of the court was -but of short duration. The circuits apportioned to the judges -had an average population ranging from 202,713 to 312,220 -persons, and the salary paid to each of these officials was £1,200 -per annum. In the schedule of fees it was stated that for the -recovery of debts not exceeding 20s. the cost should be 3s.; under -40s., 5s.; under £5, 9s.; under £10, £1; under £20, £1 10s.; -and in jury cases 5s. would be charged for the jurymen, while the -other court charges would be a little increased. The powers of -this court, now designated the County Court, have been considerably<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span> -enlarged since its first establishment; the following -gentlemen are the officers at present connected with it:—</p> - -<table summary="Officers of the County Court"> - <tr> - <td>Judge</td> - <td>William A. Hulton, esq.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Registrar</td> - <td>Mr. E. J. Patteson.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>High Bailiff</td> - <td>Mr. J. Whiteside.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Little Poulton is the name given to a district and hamlet lying -on the east of Poulton township, and in it is situated the ancient -manorial residence called Little Poulton Hall, and now used as a -farm-house. The original mansion stood on the land immediately -at the rear of the existing edifice, which was erected about one -hundred and ten or twenty years ago. Until the occupation of -the present tenant, Mr. Singleton, the foundations of the old Hall -remained in the ground, but the indications afforded by them of -its dimensions and appearance were not of any great utility. -In 1570 Little Poulton Hall was occupied by George, the son of -Bartholomew Hesketh, of Aughton, a grandson of Thomas -Hesketh, of Rufford, but only in one of the junior lines. George -Hesketh married Dorothy, the daughter of William Westby, of -Mowbreck, and had issue one son, William, who inherited the -estate and resided at the Hall. William Hesketh was living in -1613, about forty years after the decease of his father, and had -two children, William and Wilfrid, by his wife Elizabeth, the -daughter of John Allen, of Rossall Hall. William, the eldest son, -seems to have removed to Maynes, or Mains, Hall, and settled -there during the lifetime of his father; it is probable that his -younger brother would remain at Little Poulton Hall, but of this -we have no positive proof, and consequently can advance it -merely as a conjecture. Little Poulton descended in the Heskeths, -of Mains, until about 1750, but the name of that family was -changed, after the marriage of William Hesketh, of Mains Hall, -(living in 1714), with Mary, the daughter of John Brockholes, of -Claughton, by Thomas Hesketh, the eldest son of that union, who -inherited the estates of his maternal uncle, and assumed the name -of Brockholes. Thomas Hesketh-Brockholes died without offspring, -and the property passed, successively, to his younger and -only surviving brothers, Joseph and James, both of whom adopted -the name and arms of Brockholes, and died childless; but by the -will of Joseph, Little Poulton and the other estates descended to -William Fitzherbert, the brother of his widow Constantia, the -daughter of Bazil Fitzherbert, of Swinnerton. William Fitzherbert<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span> -also assumed the title of Brockholes, and his descendant is the -present proprietor.</p> - -<p>A family of the name of Barban preceded the Heskeths -at the manor house, and Gyles Curwen, a descendant of the -Curwens, of Workington, in Cumberland, espoused, about 1550, -the daughter and co-heiress of—Barban, of Little Poulton Hall, -having issue—Thomas, Elizabeth, Grace, and Winefrid. Thomas -Curwen died unmarried; Elizabeth became the wife of—Camden, -by whom she had William Camden, Clarenceux king-at-arms; -Winefrid married and settled in London; and Grace espoused -Gilbert Nicholson, of Poulton, by whom she had issue—Francis, -Grace, and Giles. Francis Nicholson had six children—Humphrey, -Grace, Bridget, Thomas, Isabell, and Dorothy. Grace Nicholson -married Thomas Braithwaite, of Beaumont, and was the mother -of nine children in 1613, the eldest, Geoffrey, being fifteen years -of age.<a id="FNanchor_81" href="#Footnote_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a></p> - -<p>On the south side of the Hall is a wood, covering about two -acres of land, and freshly planted within the last half century. -Until recent years, numerous decaying tree stocks were turned -up out of the soil, and their size plainly evidenced the massive -nature of the timber formerly growing there. There is a rookery -in the modern wood, and it is surmised that there was one also -amongst the branches of the ancient trees, and that a large -quantity of bullets discovered in a field on its outskirts record -the periodical onslaughts on the unfortunate rooks in days when -marksmen were not so unerring as long practice and improved -firearms have rendered them now. In the hamlet of Little -Poulton there are, in addition to the Hall, three antique houses -of considerable pretensions, which were erected and occupied by -persons of good social standing. One of them, on the opposite -side of the road, and a little removed from the old mansion, was -built by a gentleman named Fayle, and on an oaken beam -over a doorway, now bricked up, in an extensive barn, is the -inscription, EF: IF: 1675, the initials of the erector and his -wife, with the date when the edifice was completed. This -E. Fayle was probably a relative, perhaps grandfather, of -Edward Fayle, of the Holmes, Thornton, and afterwards of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -Bridge House, Bispham, who married, about 1728, Susannah, -the younger daughter of Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys, and -co-heiress, with her sister, of the Rev. John Veale, of the same -place, her only brother. Another respectable dwelling, but like -the few other buildings around, becoming dilapidated through -age, bears the initials of Henry Porter, and the date 1723, over -the entrance. From sundry documents which have come to -light, it seems that Henry Porter was a gentleman of influence -and position in the neighbourhood, but beyond that no information -can be gained concerning him or his descendants. The -tenement he held was purchased by the Brockholes, of Claughton, -in 1846. Close by the side of Porter’s residence is another of -the same model and size, apparently erected by A. Worswick in -1741, but of this person nothing is known. The remainder of -the hamlet is made up of a few old thatched cottages.</p> - -<p>A free school was established by James Baines, draper, of -Poulton, in 1717, shortly before his death; and by his will, dated -that year, he bequeathed to Richard Wilson, Richard Whitehead, -sen., Richard Johnson, and Richard Thornton, of Hardhorn-with-Newton, -yeomen, to Richard Dickson, woollen draper, and -Samuel Bird, yeoman, of Poulton, to Robert Salthouse, of -Staining, yeoman, and to their heirs “all that Schoolhouse by -me lately erected in Hardhorn-in-Newton, and the parcel of -land whereon the same is erected, which is enjoyed therewith, -and which by me was lately purchased from Thomas Ords, to -remain, continue, and be a Free School for ever for the -persons and purposes hereinafter mentioned. Item: I give and -devise unto the seven said Trustees and their Heirs, all that -messuage and tenement, called Puddle House, with the lands -enjoyed therewith, about twenty-two acres, to the special end, -intent, and purpose, that the rents and profits over ten shillings a -year, (allowed for a dinner to the trustees, and their successors, on -their meeting about the affairs of this School on the second of -February, on which day they shall yearly meet for that purpose), -and after all costs for repairs at the said Schoolhouse and ground -it stands on be paid, the balance be given to such person as shall -yearly and every year be named, chosen, and appointed, by the -said seven Trustees, and their successors, or the major part of -them, to act as Schoolmaster, to teach and instruct in writing,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span> -reading, and other school learning, according to the best of his -capacity, all such children of the inhabitants of the townships -of Poulton and Hardhorn-in-Newton as shall be sent to the said -School, and behave themselves with care and good manners, -without any other payment or reward, except what the said -children or their parents shall voluntarily give.” The testament -then proceeds to direct that when any two of the seven trustees -died, the five surviving should at the cost of the estate appoint -two other of the “most able, discreet, and sufficient inhabitants -in Poulton and Hardhorn within three months,” and that such -a practice should be observed as occasion required “to the end -that the said charity may continue for ever according to the true -intent and meaning of this Will.” The Trustees were invested -with power to dismiss any schoolmaster and appoint a successor, -regarding whom there was the following clause:—“All Schoolmasters -on appointment shall give bond with one or more sureties -for good conduct, and be at duty from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 1 -p.m. to 5 p.m., except from the 1st November to 1st February, in -which quarter alone shall they attend on all school days from -8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; the afternoons of -Thursday and Saturday to be holiday.”</p> - -<p>The schoolhouse is a whitewashed building, a single story high, -and has four windows in front, with one at each end. It stands -in the township of Hardhorn-with-Newton, about half a mile -from the town of Poulton, and has the annexed inscription fixed -on the wall facing the main road:—“This Charity School was -Founded and Endowed by Mr. James Baines, of Poolton, who -died the 9th January, 1717. Rebuilt 1818.” The lands -bequeathed by Mr. Baines have been exchanged for others of -greater value across the river Wyre. The attendance at present -is small.</p> - -<p>Mr. Baines also left £800 to six trustees to be laid out in land, -half the annual income or interest from which he directed to be -devoted to the “maintenance, use, and best advantage of the -poorest sort of inhabitants of the township of Poulton, which -receive no relief by the Poor-rate,” and “for putting out poor -children of the said township apprentices yearly though their -parents receive relief by the Poor-rate.” The other moiety he -directed to be devoted to similar purposes in the townships of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span> -Marton, Hardhorn-with-Newton, Carleton, and Thornton.</p> - -<p>Jenkinson’s Gift or Charity consists of the rents of a small -cottage with garden behind, and two detached crofts at Forton, -in Cockerham parish, and amounts to about £5 10s. per annum, -which is expended in the purchase of books for the scholars of -Baines’s school.</p> - -<p>Nicholas Nickson, of Compley, in Poulton, by will dated the -12th of April, 1720, charged his estate with the payment, after -the decease of his widow, Alice Nickson, of £100 to the churchwardens -and overseers of Poulton, in trust, to invest the sum -and give half the interest to the vicar for the time being, -distributing the remainder amongst the poor house-keepers of -the township not in receipt of parish relief. Until the bequest -was paid, the heirs of Nickson, after the death of the widow, were -ordered to disburse five per cent. interest on the money each year. -In 1754 the trustees of this charity released the estate from all -charges in consideration of £100, the legacy, paid to them; and -on the 18th of July, 1783, Joseph Harrison and the four other -churchwardens of Poulton, together with William Brown and -Paul Harrison, the overseers, purchased from James Standen, for -£120, a close in Poulton, called Durham’s Croft, to hold the -same in trust and divide the rents into twelve parts, whereof five -were to be given to the vicar, five to indigent inhabitants not -receiving relief, and two in aid of the poor’s rates.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header2.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">FLEETWOOD-ON-WYRE.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The site of the present town of Fleetwood was at no -very distant period, less than half a century ago, a -wild and desolate warren, forming part of the Rossall -estate, and belonging to the late Sir Peter Hesketh -Fleetwood, bart. At that date the northern side showed unmistakable -evidences of having at an earlier epoch been bounded by -a broad wall or rampart of star-hills, continuous with the range -until recent years visible near Rossall Point, or North Cape, as -that portion of the district was locally called, but which has now -been destroyed and levelled by the sea. Beyond the warrener’s -cottage and a small farm-house on the Poulton road, no habitations -existed anywhere in the vicinity; the whole tract of -sandhills and sward had been usurped by myriads of rabbits, -which were some little time, even after the erection of dwellings, -before they entirely deserted the spot where for centuries they -had found a home. During the stormy months of winter, and -in the breeding season, immense flocks of sea-fowl made their -way to these shores, and like the rabbits, were allowed to remain -in undisputed and undisturbed possession of the domain they had -appropriated.</p> - -<p>Whether this district or locality was populated in the earlier -eras of history by any of the aboriginal Britons, invading Romans, -or piratical Danes, is a question difficult to solve, but the existence -of a paved Roman road, discovered some depth beneath the sand -when the trench for the sea-wall was being excavated opposite the -Mount Terrace, and traced across the warren in the direction of -Poulton, proves beyond a doubt that there was traffic of some<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span> -description, either peaceful or war-like, over the ground at a very -remote age. The road is commonly designated the Danes’ Pad, -from a tradition that these freebooters made use of it during their -incursive warfare in the Fylde.<a id="FNanchor_82" href="#Footnote_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a> Evidence in support of the -belief that this part of the coast was visited by the Danes or -Northmen, as the inhabitants of Scandinavia were called, is to be -found in “Knot End,” the name by which the projecting point -of land on the opposite side of Wyre has been known from time -immemorial. In early days there were both the “Great and Little -Knots,” or heaps of stones, but the works carried out for the -improvement of the harbour involved the destruction of the small, -and mutilation of the big “Knot.” Now arises the question, -why were these round collections of boulder stones called -“Knots?” In answer to which it may be stated that the word -“knot” is of pure Scandinavian origin, and in that ancient -Northern language always marked a round heap, and we -believe also a round heap of stones. This interpretation would -be characteristic of what these knots or mounds of stones were -before they were despoiled by the Wyre Harbour Company. -Such an application of the word to rounded hills of stone is -common at no great distance, and must have been applied by the -same people to all these rocky elevations, as instance Hard Knot, -Arnside Knot, and Farlton Knot, all of which indicate the name -by the rotundity of their stony summits, and seem to confirm -the opinion that the early inhabitants of Scandinavia visited the -coast, suggesting also that they had some settlement in its -immediate vicinity.</p> - -<p>As regards the Romans, the only traces of their presence -which have been discovered in the neighbourhood of the town, -consist of the road above mentioned, and a number of ancient -coins which were found near Rossall, in 1840, by some labourers -engaged in brick-making. These coins, amounting in all to about -three hundred, were principally of silver, and bore the impresses -of Severus, Sabina, Antonius, Nerva, etc. It is quite possible, -however, that other relics belonging to that nation or the Danes, -may still exist, hidden by the sand, and more deeply imbedded -than it is necessary to sink when preparing for the foundations of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -the houses, whilst many also may have been submerged by the -encroaching waves as they have gradually inundated the north -and west sides of the district.</p> - -<p>Doctor Leigh, in his Natural History of Lancashire, informs us -that at the mouth of the river Wyre there was in his time a -purging water which sprang up from out of the sand. “This, no -doubt,” says the Doctor, “is the sea-water which filters through -the sand, but by reason of the shortness of its filtration (the -spring lying so near the river), or the looseness of the sand, the -marine water is not perfectly dulcified, but retains a pleasing -brackishness, not unlike that which is observable in the milk of a -farrow cow, or one that has conceived.”</p> - -<p>To the lord of the manor, Sir P. H. Fleetwood, is due the -credit of having first conceived the idea of converting the sterile -warren into a thriving seaport. Situated at the mouth of a river, -the security of whose stream had originated the proverb—“As -safe and as easy as Wyre water,” and by the side of a natural and -commodious harbour, sheltered from ever wind, the illustrious -baronet foresaw a prosperous future for the place, could he obtain -permission from parliament to construct a railway to its shores -from the important town of Preston, thereby creating a communication -with the manufacturing and commercial centres of Lancashire -and Yorkshire. In 1835, a number of gentlemen, denominated -the Preston and Wyre Railway, Harbour, and Dock Company, -having obtained the requisite powers, deputed Frederick Kemp, -esq., J.P., of Bispham Lodge, then acting as agent to Sir P. H. -Fleetwood, to purchase the land along the proposed route. -Operations were commenced with little delay, the work progressed -with fair rapidity, and on the 15th of July, 1840, the line -was declared open and ready for traffic.</p> - -<p>In the meantime dwelling-houses, hotels, and a spacious wharf -had been springing into existence. In 1836 the earliest foundation -was laid at the south-west corner of Preston Street by Robert -Banton, of East Warren Farm. This farm was for a -short season a licensed house and brewery, and is now, -under the title of Warrenhurst, the private residence of J. -M. Jameson, esq., C.E. The new erection, which still bears -its original name of the Fleetwood Arms Hotel, made no further -progress for about a year, when it was completed by Thomas<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span> -Parkinson, the head carpenter at Rossall Hall. The first building -finished and inhabited in Fleetwood was a beer-house at the -south-west corner of Church Street, which was erected in -1836-7, and is now a shop, owned and occupied by Richard -Warbrick, outfitter. That small inn or licensed dwelling was in -the occupation of a person named Parker, a stonemason, who a -little later built the Victoria Hotel, in Dock-street, where he -removed and resided for several months, until a sale of the -property had been effected.</p> - -<p>The streets were marked out by the plough according to the -design of Decimus Burton, esq., architect, of London, and so -arranged that all the principal thoroughfares, with the exception -of the main road of entrance to the town, converged towards the -largest star-hill, now known as the Mount, on the highest point -of which was placed a small decagon Chinese edifice, surrounded -by a raised platform or terrace, whence an extensive view of -the broad bay of Morecambe, the lofty ranges of Lancashire, -Cumberland, and Westmoreland, and a wide circuit of the -neighbouring country could be obtained. The hollow on the -south side of the mound was fashioned into the form of a basin, -and a semicircular gravelled walk carried along the ridge of each -side, leading with a gentle ascent from the entrance gates on the -warren at the end of London Street to the summit, whilst the -slopes were tastefully arranged and planted with shrubs, to impart -a pleasing and ornamental appearance to the otherwise bare -sward. These shrubs, as might have been foreseen, speedily -withered and perished, owing to the bleakness of the site, and -a lack of that indispensable moisture which the dry sandy soil -could neither retain nor supply. In earlier days the Mount was -commonly known as Tup, or Top, Hill, and formed a favourite -resort for pic-nic parties from Blackpool, or some of the -surrounding villages, which visited the place during the summer -months, to admire the innumerable sea-fowl and their nests, the -latter being scattered over the shore in endless profusion.</p> - -<p>Building proceeded with rapid strides; house after house -sprang up in the lines of streets, which had only lately received -their first coating of shingle, and in 1841, one year after the -opening of the railway, the town had assumed considerable proportions. -Near the entrance from Poulton road were three or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span> -four double rows of cottages for the accommodation of the -workpeople, and a Roman Catholic chapel. Preston Street -contained but few houses in addition to the Fleetwood Arms -Hotel; thence, travelling eastward were Dock Street, with the -Crown Hotel, as far as and including the Victoria Hotel; the east -side of Warren Street, the west side of St. Peter’s Place, the -church and Sunday school, both sides of Church Street, Custom -House Lane, the Lower Queen’s Terrace, the North Euston Hotel, -and the bath houses. The Upper Queen’s Terrace was in process -of erection, but was not completed until 1844, after having been -allowed, for some reason, to remain in a partially finished state for -two years.</p> - -<p>The church, standing on a raised plot of ground in the centre -of the town and surrounded by an iron palisading, is dedicated to -St. Peter, and was first opened for divine service in 1841. It is -a stone edifice with a square tower and octagonal spire at the -west end, and was erected by voluntary contributions, the site -being provided by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, who retained the right of -presentation to the living. The interior of the building is neat, -and contains sittings for about four hundred persons in the body, -with additional accommodation for two hundred more in the -gallery, at the end of which are the choir-pew and organ-loft, the -latter being occupied by an instrument constructed by Gray, of -London. Previous to the alterations, which were made seventeen -years since, and consisted of the erection of a gallery and the -convertion of some of the private pews into free seats, the family -pew of the Fleetwoods stood in front of the organ-loft, and was -the only one raised out of the body of the church. The chancel -window is of stained glass, large and handsome, representing a -central figure of St. Peter bearing the Keys of Heaven, below and -on each side of which several scriptural subjects are illustrated. -This window, purchased by subscription amongst the parishioners, -was inserted in 1860; and in the previous year a handsome font -of Caen stone was presented by Mrs. G. Y. Osborne. Two upright -tablets, the gift of the late vicar, the Rev. G. Y. Osborne, illuminated -with the Ten Commandments, are placed, one on each -side of the Communion table. Four other tablets are fixed against -the walls of the church, the first of which was erected by a few -friends as a tribute of respect to the memory of Dobson Ward,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span> -died 1859, aged 43 years, a humble but zealous worker in the -Sunday school; another was placed by the Rev. G. Y. Osborne, -in loving memory of his deceased daughter; the third, a handsome -tablet, was erected at the entrance to the vestry, by parishioners -and friends, to the memory of the Rev. G. Y. Osborne, “for 19 -years vicar of this parish, who died 11 November, 1871, aged 53 -years,”<a id="FNanchor_83" href="#Footnote_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a> and the last is to the memory of Charles Stewart, esq., -died 1873, aged 64 years, late of High Leigh, Cheshire, and -Fleetwood. The living, endowed with the great tithes of -Thornton and augmented by the pew rents, was originally a -perpetual curacy, but during the ministry of the late Rev. G. Y. -Osborne, a distinct district or parish for all ecclesiastical purposes -was assigned to the church, and the title of vicar accorded to the -incumbent.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of perpetual curates and vicars of Fleetwood"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF FLEETWOOD.<br />IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF LANCASTER.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1841</td> - <td>St. Vincent Beechey, M.A.</td> - <td>Sir P. H. Fleetwood</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1849</td> - <td>G. Yarnold Osborne, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of St. Vincent Beechey</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1868</td> - <td>Saml. Hastings, M.A.</td> - <td>Exrs. of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood</td> - <td>Resignation of G. Y. Osborne</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1871</td> - <td class="bb">James Pearson, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Ditto</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of S. Hastings</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The burial ground connected with the church is part of the -general cemetery, situated near the shore in the direction of the -Landmark at Rossall Point, and about one mile distant from the -town.</p> - -<p>The small building opposite the Church, now used for infants -only, was for several years, until the erection of the Testimonial -Schools, the ordinary Sunday school under the superintendence -of the incumbent of St. Peter’s.</p> - -<p>The Market Place, opened on the 7th of November, 1840, is a -spacious, paved area, surrounded by a high wall of sandstone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span></p> - -<p>The two entrances are closed by means of large wooden gates, -and lead respectively into Adelaide and Victoria Streets. The -central portion of the in-walled space is occupied by a square, -wooden structure, covered over with a slated roof, in the interior -of which are stalls for the goods of the different farmers and -traders. Friday is the market day, and the following list comprises -the various commodities exposed for sale on Friday, the -10th of July, 1846, the earliest recorded, with their prices:—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <td>Oats, per bushel</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">3s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Meal, per load</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">36s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beans, per windle</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">16s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butter, per pound</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eggs, fresh</td> - <td class="tdr">16 to 18 for</td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Peas, per strike</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">9d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Potatoes (new), per score</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> (old), per windle</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">8s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beef, per pound</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr" colspan="2">6d. to 7d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lamb <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">7d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mutton <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6½d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Salmon <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lobsters <span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1s.</td> - <td class="tdr">0d.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Since the date of the above quotations, Preston has gradually -monopolised the chief portion of the grain trade, and consequently -transactions in oats and other cereals are not of frequent occurrence -at the local markets of the Fylde.</p> - -<p>The Roman Catholic chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, -was erected at the north end of Walmsley Street, continuous -with the line of houses forming the east side of that street, and -opened for divine worship on the 15th of November, 1841. A -few years since a more commodious edifice, which will be -described hereafter, was erected on another and better site, whilst -the old one was dismantled, and subsequently converted into -cottages.</p> - -<p>The Crown Hotel, a handsome and substantial stone structure -facing the Railway Station, was the third hotel erected in Fleetwood, -the Fleetwood Arms being the first, and the Victoria the -second in point of completion. The original dimensions of the -Crown have been considerably increased by the addition in recent -years of ample stable accommodation, a large billiard room, and -several sleeping apartments.</p> - -<p>The North Euston Hotel, which was opened almost<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span> -simultaneously with the Crown Hotel, is a superb stone -building in the form of a crescent, with a frontage of nearly -300 feet. This edifice was sold to Government in 1859, and subsequently -opened as a School of Musketry. The noble portico in -front of the main entrance and the spacious hall within are supported -by massive stone pillars, whilst a handsome terrace, raised -a little above the level of the street, encircles the whole length -of the ground floor, and is protected by an ornamental -iron railing. On its transfer to Government, quarters were -provided for sixty officers and a staff of military instructors. -There were three chief courses of instruction held during each -year, but in addition to these were two of shorter duration, one -being in the month of January for the adjutants of volunteers, -and another a little later for the volunteers themselves. -The curriculum was similar to that at Hythe. In 1867 the -School of Musketry was discontinued, and after a short interval, -in which fresh buildings were added, the whole structure -was turned into barracks, and as such continues to be occupied. -In the early days of the hotel a T-shaped jetty extended out from -the steps on the shore opposite the principal entrance to the -distance of low-water mark, and was used by the visitors as a -short promenade and landing stage, but after standing a few -years the erection was removed, being found to interfere with the -course of the steamers and other vessels round that section of the -channel.</p> - -<p>The bath-houses, each of which contained a spacious sea-water -swimming bath, were connected with the North Euston Hotel, -and therefore became the property of Government on the transfer -of the main building itself. Since that date their internal -arrangements have undergone material alterations and modifications -to suit the requirements of the military, but their handsome -stone exteriors and massive porticoes are still intact.</p> - -<p>The custom-house on the Lower Queen’s Terrace is now a -private residence in the occupation of Alexander Carson, esq., -who is also the owner, and the offices have for many years been -situated in a house of more modest pretensions in the same row.</p> - -<p>The two lighthouses, one of which is placed in Pharos Street -and the other further north, on the margin of the beach, were -also in existence in 1841, having been erected a short time<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span> -previously. The former is a tall circular column of painted stone, -having an altitude of about 90 feet above high-water mark. The -base of the column is square, each of the sides being 12 feet high -and 20 broad. The focus of the lantern is 104 feet above half-tide -level, and outside the reflector is a narrow, circular, stone gallery, -guarded by an iron fencing. The cost of the column was £1,480. -The other lighthouse is much smaller, and stands on a slightly -elevated plot of ground. Each side of its base forms a recess, -furnished with seats, and supported above by round stone pillars. -The centre of the lantern is 44 feet above half-tide level. The -whole fabric, which is built throughout of finely cut stone, was -erected at a cost of £1,375.</p> - -<p>We have now reviewed the general appearance of the town in -1841, including brief accounts of all the more important buildings, -but accidentally omitting to state that gas works were amongst -the early erections, and before proceeding with the history of its -further progress and increase, it will be convenient to revert for a -moment to the railway and matters connected with it, leaving, -however, the harbour, wharf, and shipping for separate examination -towards the later pages of the chapter. The railway, -consisting of a single line throughout the whole extent, was -carried over a portion of the estuary of the Wyre, along an -embankment and viaduct of huge wooden piles, running from -Burn Naze to the west extremity of the wharf at Fleetwood, near -to which the station is situated. In 1846 the traffic, both in -passengers and goods, had increased so rapidly that the directors -determined to have a double line without delay. Instructions for -that purpose were accordingly issued to the engineer of the -company, and at the same time he was directed that, in order to -afford space and facilities for the construction of the proposed -docks to the westward of the existing railway piling, the double -line should diverge at Burn Naze, run round the Cops, and -terminate as before. The programme here stated was not -fully carried out, and the double line extended only as far as Burn -Naze, from which point a single line ran along a semicircular -embankment, lying west of the old one, to the terminus at -Fleetwood.<a id="FNanchor_84" href="#Footnote_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a> This embankment was the means of rescuing from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span> -the incursions of the tide about 400 acres of marsh land, which -has since by drainage and cultivation been converted into -excellent pastures and productive fields. The entire line was leased, -under acts of 1846, to the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London -and North Western Railway companies, the former taking two -thirds and the latter one third of the profits or losses. The terms -agreed upon were a rent of £7 1s. 6d. per cent., and £1 15s. 4½d. -per share on a total capital of £668,000, until the close of 1854, -when the payments were raised to £7 17s. 6d. per cent., and -£1 19s. 3½d. per share in perpetuity. In the month of July, -1846, the electric telegraph in connection with the Preston and -Wyre Railway was introduced into the town, and as its first public -act was the interception, at Kirkham, of a defaulting steamship -passenger, who had neglected to pay her fare, it may be -concluded that the inhabitants welcomed the ingenious invention -as a valuable ally in the protection of their commercial interests, -as well as a rapid and convenient mode of friendly intercommunion -in cases of urgency.</p> - -<p>The Improvement Act, for “paving, lighting, cleansing, and -otherwise improving the town of Fleetwood and the neighbourhood -thereof, and for establishing a market therein,” came into -operation on the 18th of June, 1842. Meetings were appointed -to be held on the first Monday in every month, at which any male -person was empowered to sit as a commissioner on producing -evidence that he was either a resident within the limits prescribed -by the act, and rated to the poor-rates of the township of Thornton -for a local tenement of the annual value of £15, or possessed -as owner or lessee or in the enjoyment of the rents and profits of -a messuage, lands, or hereditaments, similarly situated and rated, -for a term of not less than fifty years. In 1869 authority was -obtained to repeal certain sections of the old act and adopt others -from the Public Health Act of 1848, and the Local Government -Act of 1858, the most important being that in future the Board -of Commissioners should consist of twelve members only, having -personally the same qualifications as before, but being elected by -the ratepayers. The new regulations also ordained that one third -of the commissioners should retire each year, and the vacancies -be filled up by a general election. This act is still in force.</p> - -<p>It was not possible that the claims of a place so happily situated<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span> -as Fleetwood for a summer residence could long remain unrecognised -by the inhabitants of the inland towns. No sooner was free -access given to its shores by the opening of the railway in 1840, -than the hotels and lodging-houses were inundated with visitors, -whose annual return testified to their high appreciation of its -mild climate, firm sands, excellent boating accommodation, and -lastly, the diversified and beautiful scenery of the broad bay of -Morecambe. A number of bathing vans were stationed on the -shore opposite the Mount, but were little patronised during the -first two or three seasons owing to the proprietors demanding 1s. -from each person using them, a sum exactly double that required -at other watering-places. The injurious effects of this exorbitant -charge were speedily experienced, not only by the van owners, -whose receipts were reduced to a minimum, but generally -throughout the town, as visitors who greatly preferred Fleetwood -were driven to other places on that account, and each year many -who came with the intention of remaining during the summer -left because their families were debarred from bathing, except at -an excessive cost. The error of so grasping a policy being at last -demonstrated to the proprietors by the small and diminishing -patronage extended to their vans, it was resolved, in 1844, to -reduce the charge to 6d. That year several newly-erected houses -in Kemp Street were furnished and tenanted, whilst the hitherto -unoccupied stone residences comprised in the Upper Queen’s -Terrace were fitted up with elegance and convenience for the -wealthier class of sojourners, to whom they were let for periods -varying from a few weeks to three or four months. The terrace -of houses situated between the North Euston Hotel and the -Mount, and bearing the latter name, was also completed that -year. The prices at the North Euston Hotel were arranged as -under:—</p> - -<table summary="Prices"> - <tr> - <td>Sitting-room</td> - <td>3s. 4d. per day.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bed-room</td> - <td>2s. 3d. and 4s. 0d. per day.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Table d’Hote</td> - <td>4s. per head.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Breakfast or Tea</td> - <td>2s. 0d. and 2s. 6d. per head.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>During the Whit-week of 1844 the place was crowded with -excursionists, many of whom, amounting to 1,000 daily, were -carried at half fare by the Preston and Wyre Railway, and came -from the neighbouring towns and villages, whilst others arrived<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span> -by sea in excursion boats from Dublin, the Isle of Man, Ulverstone, -Blackpool, and Southport. Festivities were entered into -on the warren and slopes of the Mount, lasting three days and -consisting of horse, pony, donkey, foot, sack, and wheelbarrow -races, a cricket match, foot steeplechases, wrestling, and gingling -matches.</p> - -<p>In 1844 Fleetwood was reduced from a distinct port to a creek -under Preston, and during the month of July the mayor of the -latter town paid a state visit to the watering-place, arriving by -sea in the small steamer “Lily.” A series of misfortunes rather -tended to upset the dignity and imposing aspect of the official -cortege. A somewhat rough sea retarded their passage and -rapidly converted the ship into a temporary hospital for that, -perhaps, most distressing of all sicknesses; nearing, at last, the -lighthouse at the foot of Wyre, a large portion of the larboard gunwale -was carried away by the bowsprit of the steamer “Express,” -which had been sent out to meet and tow them into harbour, if -necessary; and finally the unfortunate “Lily” stranded on a bank -opposite the beach at Fleetwood, and the mayoral party, now -pallid and dejected, in their gorgeous robes and liveries, were -brought to land in small open boats, and having formed the -following order, marched to the North Euston Hotel, where a -banquet was prepared:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Three Policemen.</li> -<li>Two Sergeants-at-Mace.</li> -<li>Mace Bearer.</li> -<li>The Mayor in his Robes of Office.</li> -<li>The Corporation Steward.</li> -<li>Recorder of the Borough.</li> -<li>The Aldermen of the Borough.</li> -<li>The Members of the Common Council.</li> -<li>Military Officers and Private Gentlemen.</li> -<li>Town Crier and Beadle.</li> -</ul> - -<p>This year the Preston and Wyre Railway Company, in conjunction -with the line from Manchester and Bolton, commenced to -run Sunday excursion trains to Fleetwood at reduced fares during -the genial months of summer, and in August upwards of ten -thousand pleasure-seekers were estimated to have been brought -into the town by their means alone. These lines were amongst -the first to try the experiment of cheap trains, and the immense -success which attended their efforts on the above occasions soon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span> -induced them to extend the privileges to other days besides the -Sabbath. The promoters of private excursions, also, were offered -facilities to direct their course to this watering-place. During the -summer of 1844 no less than 60,000 people in all, that is including -both day excursionists and those who remained for longer -periods, arrived, being considerably more than in any previous -season. In July, 1846, the whole of the workpeople of Richard -Cobden, esq., M.P., the great free-trade statesman, visited the -town to celebrate the triumph of free-trade principles in parliament, -the entire expense of the trip being defrayed by that -gentleman. Each of the operatives and others, numbering -about 1,300, had a free-trade medal suspended by a ribbon -from the neck; and, having formed in procession, the large -assembly paraded through the streets of Fleetwood, carrying -banners adorned with such appropriate mottoes and inscriptions -as “Free Trade with all the World,” “Peel, Bright, and -Cobden,” etc. In the same year an immense Sunday school trip, -bringing no less than 4,200 children and adults, arrived; and -after amusing themselves by rambling about the shore for a time, -the youthful multitude formed a huge pic-nic party on the -warren. This was without doubt the largest single excursion -which ever visited these shores, and on its return, the enormous -train of two engines and fifty-six carriages, many of which were -cattle trucks provided with forms and covered in with canvas, was -divided, each engine taking half, for fear of accidents and delays. -In later times it was no uncommon circumstance to see the spacious -wharf opposite the Upper and Lower Queen’s Terraces, crowded -with cheap trains during Easter and Whit-weeks. Hourly trips -in the small steam tug-boats or pleasure yachts, pony and donkey -rides, bathing, and mussel gathering on the bank opposite the -Mount Terrace were the chief amusements of the day visitors, -and innumerable were the exclamations of wonder and delight -uttered by thousands, who for the first time beheld</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The broad and bursting wave”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">at Fleetwood, for our readers may be reminded that at the date of -which we are writing, railway fares, except on special occasions, -were beyond the compass of the labouring populations of our -manufacturing and agricultural districts, and consequently a visit -to the, in many cases unknown, sea, was an event eagerly anticipated<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[231]</span> -and long remembered.</p> - -<p>In January, 1845, a general meeting of those who were -interested in Fleetwood, or wished to testify their respect and -admiration for the noble efforts of the founder of the town, was -held at the North Euston Hotel, to determine upon the most -suitable public testimonial to be erected in honour of Sir Peter -Hesketh Fleetwood. Doctor Ramsay proposed that day schools -for 200 children of the labouring classes, with a house for a -master and mistress, having the name of the “Fleetwood Testimonial -Schools,” open to all denominations of Christians and -connected with the National Society, should be erected. This -resolution was carried without a dissentient; subscription lists -were opened; and on Wednesday, the 26th of August, 1846, the -foundation stone of the building was laid by Charles Swainson, -esq., of Preston. Large numbers arrived early in the morning to -be present at the ceremony. The town, shipping, and river craft, -decked out in bunting, presented quite a gala appearance as the -officials and guests proceeded to the site in West Street. The -procession marched as stated below:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>The Beadle.</li> -<li>Band.</li> -<li>The Wesleyan Sunday School Children.</li> -<li>The Independent Sunday School Children.</li> -<li>The Church Sunday School Children.</li> -<li>The Architect holding the Mallet and Trowel.</li> -<li>The Contractors.</li> -<li>The Clergy.</li> -<li>Charles Swainson, esq.</li> -<li>The Treasurer and Mr. Swainson’s Friends.</li> -<li>Rossall School.</li> -<li>The Gentry and Visitors.</li> -<li>The Tradesmen.</li> -<li>Independent Order of Oddfellows.</li> -<li>The Rechabites.</li> -</ul> - -<p>In the cavity beneath the foundation stone were enclosed a -bottle containing coins of the present reign, a copy of the -<i>Fleetwood Chronicle</i> of that date, printed on parchment, and -another sheet of parchment inscribed thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The first stone of these schools, which are to be erected as the fittest Testimonial -to the benevolent founder of this town, Sir P. H. Fleetwood, Bart., M.P.,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[232]</span> -was laid by Charles Swainson, Esq., of Preston, this 26th day of August, 1846.</p> - -<ul> -<li><span class="smcap">The Rev. St. Vincent Beechey</span>, M.A., Incumbent;</li> -<li><span class="smcap">The Rev. W. Laidlay</span>, B.A., Curate;</li> -<li><span class="smcap">B. Walmsley</span>, <span class="smcap">Frederick Kemp</span>, Churchwardens;</li> -<li><span class="smcap">The Rev. John Hull</span>, Vicar of Poulton, Chairman of the Committee.</li> -<li><span class="smcap">John Laidlay</span>, Esq., Treasurer of the Committee;</li> -<li><span class="smcap">R. B. Rampling</span>, Esq., Architect;</li> -<li><span class="smcap">H. B. Jones</span>, Esq., Secretary.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">Non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>This scholastic institution is in the Gothic style of architecture, -and the principal front, facing into West Street, extends over a -distance of seventy-one feet. The interior of the building -contains separate school accommodation for boys and girls; and -at the east end there is a comfortable residence for the mistress. -The school is surrounded by an extensive play-ground, and -enclosed by a brick wall, surmounted anteriorly by ornamental -iron railings. Since the building was completed the provision -for the reception of boys has been greatly increased by the -erection of a new wing, by private munificence, abutting at right -angles with the east end of the original structure.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1845 a handsome promenade and carriage -drive was completed along the border of the shore from the North -Euston Hotel to the west extremity of the Mount Terrace. The -pathway, which ran on the inner side of the drive, was flagged -throughout its entire length, whilst the outer margin of the road -was connected with a substantial sea-wall of square-cut stone by a -broad and well-kept grass plat. Subsequently this elegant walk -was extended round the south side of the Mount, along Abbots’ -Walk, and so on by the side of the shore to the Cemetery Road. -Very little of the portion first constructed is now to be seen, and -that remnant is in such a dilapidated condition as almost to be -impassable. Huge stones which formerly protected the green -sward and road from the waves are now lying scattered and -buried about the beach; whilst the westerly end of the promenade -has not only suffered utter annihilation itself, but serious inroads -have been made by the water into the ornamental gardens -fronting the houses of the Mount Terrace.</p> - -<p>Strenuous efforts were put forth during the autumn of 1845 to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[233]</span> -prevent the visitors forsaking the town immediately the long -evenings had commenced; pyrotechnic displays took place each -week on the plot of land lying to the north of the Upper Queen’s -Terrace, and designated the Archery Ground. Sea excursions to -Blackpool, Southport, and Piel Harbour were liberally provided -for by the steamers of the port; a military band was hired for -several weeks, and played daily either on one of the pleasure -craft or near the new promenade; foot races, wrestling, and -cricket matches were arranged and contested at short intervals. -But all in vain, for towards the end of August the reflux of -visitors had thoroughly set in, and by the middle of September -the shores were almost deserted. During that brief period of -excitement it was proposed amongst the inhabitants to erect a -large public building to be ready for the ensuing season, which -should combine all the advantages of a reading and news -room, public library, bazaar, ball room, and theatre; but either -the ardour of the people cooled during the winter months or they -failed to discern a fair prospect of dividends from the investment, -for the summer of 1846 discovered that the idea had vanished -with the closing year, and</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Like the baseless fabric of a vision,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Left not a wreck behind.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Perhaps, however, it is going too far to assert that no trace or -vestige of the comprehensive project remained after the first -ebullition of enthusiasm had passed from the popular mind, for we -find that, although no noble hall graced the town, a Mechanics’ -Institution was modestly established on the 18th of May, 1846, -by the opening of a reading room in one portion of the Estate -Office. This office formerly occupied the site of the present -Whitworth Institute, and was a small, lightly constructed, Gothic -edifice. Subsequently a larger and more convenient place for -the purposes of the Institution was engaged in Dock Street; a -library was provided and arrangements made for lectures and -classes to be held on the premises. In the report of the establishment, -issued twelve months after its foundation, it was stated that -the members at that date amounted to 184, being 138 full -members, 20 females, and 26 youths and apprentices; and that -since its organisation 213 persons had availed themselves of the -privileges offered by the society. A considerable number of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[234]</span> -cottage houses were erected in different parts of the town, and not -only were these tenanted directly they were completed, but the -demand for further building was still on the increase. A public -abattoir, or slaughter-house, was constructed in 1846 on the -outskirts of the town, and a notice issued, prohibiting the slaying of -any cattle, sheep, or swine anywhere except within its walls, under -a penalty of £5 for every offence. A Wesleyan chapel was also -in course of erection in North Church Street, then open warren, -and finished the following year, divine service being first conducted -in it on Monday, the 24th of May, by the Rev. George -Osborne, of Liverpool. As the town gradually developed in size -and population, the attendants at this place of worship outgrew -the space provided for them, and lately, in 1875, it became -necessary to enlarge the edifice. The west gable-end was taken -out and the main building extended in that direction. Galleries -were placed along the two sides and across the east wall; the old-fashioned -pulpit was superseded by a platform situated at the -centre of the west end, and extending to within six feet of the -galleries at either side. The new sittings resemble the old ones -in being closed pews, and not open benches. The chapel is now -capable of containing double the congregation it could have held -previous to the recent alterations.</p> - -<p>In the month of February, 1847, an extraordinary high tide, -rendered more formidable by strong westerly winds, did great -damage on the coast from here to Rossall; the Landmark was so -far undermined that its fall was hourly expected; an embankment -raised on the shore from that point to Rossall suffered severely, -large portions being completely washed away; and the outbuildings -of a farm called “Fenny” were overthrown and destroyed, serious -injury being done also to the land in the neighbourhood. The -more immediate vicinities of the town escaped with comparatively -little loss, the most important being that resulting from the -inundation of several fields and gardens near the Cops, and the -levelling of a few wooden sheds for labourers’ tools and other -outbuildings.</p> - -<p>A failure in the potatoe and grain harvests of 1846 spread -fearful distress and famine throughout the United Kingdom; -bread riots and disturbances amongst the starving poor of Ireland -were of frequent occurrence, and it was to assist in alleviating the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[235]</span> -sufferings of those unfortunate people that a subscription was started -in Fleetwood during the latter months of that year. Donations -purely from the inhabitants of the town were collected, and in -January, 1847, the sum of £105 was forwarded to the sister -country. In consequence of the severe national affliction, Her -Majesty ordained that Wednesday, the 24th of the following -March, should be observed as a general fast-day. On that date -all the shops in the watering place, with one or two exceptions, -were closed; the public-houses and streets were quiet; and -stillness and solemnity everywhere apparent. The church was -crowded to overflowing; every seat was packed, and forms were -brought in from the Sunday school and placed in the aisles -to create extra accommodation, so excessive was the congregation -which assembled to join in the special service for divine -intervention.</p> - -<p>On Monday, the 20th of September, 1847, Her Majesty, Queen -Victoria, accompanied by their Royal Highnesses, the Prince -Consort, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal, landed at -Fleetwood <i>en route</i> from Scotland to London. The spot fixed for -the debarkation of the royal party was near the north end of the -covered pier, upwards of 100 feet of which were boarded off and -converted into a saloon, a covered gallery being erected leading -from it to the railway, where the special train was stationed. -The floors of the saloon and gallery were covered with crimson -drugget and at the entrance to the former a beautiful triumphal -arch was formed of various coloured draperies, and adorned -with the national flag and other emblems of loyalty. The -walls of the saloon were hung with white and coloured -draperies, festooned with evergreens, and British ensigns were -suspended from the roof. This elegant apartment contained a -gallery for ladies at the north end, and near to the entrance was -a small octagonal throne, having an ascent of three steps, upon -which a handsome gilded chair of state and a footstool were placed. -Behind the two latter, draperies of crimson cloth were suspended, -surmounted by the Arms of Her Majesty. On Sunday, the 19th -of September, the High-sheriff of the county of Lancaster, -William Gale, esq., of Lightburne House, near Ulverston, who -had arrived in order to receive Her Majesty on the following day, -attended divine worship at St. Peter’s Church, being driven there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[236]</span> -in his state carriage, drawn by four splendid greys and preceded -by his trumpeters and twenty-four javelin men with halberds. -Monday was ushered in with boisterous winds, a cloudy sky, and -other indications of unpropitious weather, which fortunately for -the thousands who crowded into the place from Yorkshire, -Manchester, and intermediate localities, considerably improved -as the day advanced. The ships in the harbour were draped with -flags, and similar decorations floated from the windows of almost -every house. A little after three o’clock in the afternoon the -report of a signal gun announced that the royal squadron, -consisting of the Victoria and Albert, the Black Eagle, the Fairy, -the Garland, and the Undine, was in sight, and as the noble -vessels steamed up the channel the North Euston Hotel and the -Pier burst out into brilliant illuminations. As soon as the royal -yacht, Victoria and Albert, had been safely moored to the quay -opposite the triumphal arch, and the gangways adjusted, the High-sheriff, -W. Gale, esq.; Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, -K.C.B.; Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart.; Major-General Sir William -Warre; John Wilson Patten, esq., M.P.; the Rev. St. Vincent -Beechey, incumbent of Fleetwood; Henry Houldsworth, esq., -chairman of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company; -George Wilson, esq., deputy-chairman; and Thomas H. Higgin, -esq., managing director of the Preston and Wyre district; -presented their cards, and explained to Captain Beechey the -several arrangements which had been made for Her Majesty’s -conveyance to London. Afterwards Sir P. H. Fleetwood, the Rev. -St. Vincent Beechey, Frederick Kemp, and James Crombleholme, -esqrs., of Fleetwood; and Daniel Elletson, esq., of Parrox Hall, -were admitted to an interview with Lord Palmerston, who, on -behalf of Her Majesty, received the subjoined address from the -inhabitants of Fleetwood, printed in gold on white satin, and -promised that it should be laid before the Queen:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“<span class="smcap">The Loyal and Dutiful<br /> -ADDRESS<br /> -of the<br /> -Inhabitants of Fleetwood,<br /> -TO HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN.</span></p> - -<p class="noindent">“<i>May it Please your Majesty</i>,</p> - -<p>“We, the Inhabitants of the Town of Fleetwood, in the county of Lancaster, -desire to approach your Majesty on this auspicious occasion, with the most sincere<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[237]</span> -expression of our devoted loyalty and attachment to your Majesty, of our deep -respect and esteem for your Majesty’s august Consort, for his Royal Highness -the Prince of Wales, and the other members of the Royal Family.</p> - -<p>“We beg to assure your Majesty that it is with feelings of the liveliest gratitude -that we hail this Royal visit to our humble shores, now for the first time pressed -by the foot of Sovereignty.</p> - -<p>“We rejoice to think that it has fallen to our happy lot to be the first to -welcome the Queen of England to her own Royal Patrimony in the Duchy of -Lancaster.</p> - -<p>“We hasten to lay at your Majesty’s feet the dutiful allegiance of the inhabitants -of the youngest Town and Port in all your Majesty’s dominions, which dates its -existence from the very year in which your Majesty first ascended the Throne of -these realms; and which, from the barren and uninhabited sands of the Fylde of -Lancashire, has already obtained some importance for its town of 3,000 inhabitants, -its Watering-place, Harbour, and Railway, together with its College for the sons -of clergymen and other gentlemen.</p> - -<p>“We sincerely trust, that the natural facilities and local arrangements of this -Port may be found such as shall conduce to the safety, comfort, and convenience of -your Majesty in your royal progress. And we beseech your Majesty to receive -our united and solemn assurance, that whatever progress our Harbour and Town -may make in wealth and importance, it shall ever be our firmest determination -and most earnest prayer, that we may never cease to boast of a loyal population, -entertaining the same feeling of devoted duty and attachment to your Majesty and -the Royal Family, which we experience at this moment, and which the grateful -remembrance of this Royal visit must ever tend to keep alive in our bosoms.</p> - -<p>“Signed on behalf of the Inhabitants,</p> - -<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">St. Vincent Beechey</span>, M.A., Incumbent of Fleetwood.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>To the foregoing address the annexed reply was received from -London in the course of a few days:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="right">“Whitehall, 25th September, 1847.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—I am directed by the Secretary, Sir George Grey, to inform you, that -the Loyal and Dutiful Address of the Inhabitants of Fleetwood, on the occasion -of Her Majesty’s late visit, has been laid before the Queen, and that the same was -very graciously received by Her Majesty.</p> - -<p>“I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,</p> - -<p class="center">(Signed)</p> - -<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Dennis le Merchant</span>.</p> - -<p>“Rev. St. Vincent Beechey, Incumbent of Fleetwood.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Early next morning the handsome saloon was occupied by the -High-sheriff, the Under-sheriff, and a select number of gentlemen, -and shortly after ten o’clock Her Majesty and the royal party -proceeded from the yacht to the special train amid joyful -acclamations which resounded from all parts of the shore. The -moment Her Majesty set foot, for the first time, on her Duchy of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[238]</span> -Lancaster, the royal standard was lowered from the mast-head -of the yacht, and instantly raised on the flag-staff at the custom-house -of Fleetwood, where it received a salute of twenty-one guns. -After another salute of a similar number of guns, as Her Majesty -reached the end of the gallery, the royal party entered their -saloon carriage, Mr., now Sir John, Hawskshaw, engineer to the -Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, took his station on -the engine, and the train moved slowly off, followed by the ringing -cheers of at least ten thousand spectators.</p> - -<p>It should be mentioned that a loyal address, written in Latin, -from the students of the Northern Church of England School, at -Rossall, arrived too late for presentation, and was afterwards -forwarded to London.</p> - -<p>In the month of July, 1847, Mr. Thomas Drummond, contractor, -commenced the erection of the present Independent Chapel in -West Street, and notwithstanding a serious delay through the -destruction of the north gable and roof-framing by a heavy gale -in September, the building was completed the same year. The -edifice, which will contain about 600 persons, is a neat brick -structure with side buttresses, and adorned with a castellated -tower. Beneath the chapel are spacious school-rooms for boys -and girls. The site was granted by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, and -conveyed in trust for the use of the church and congregation.</p> - -<p>For two or three years little of special interest occurred in the -progress or condition of the town. Each summer brought its -assembly of regular visitors, upon whom many of the inhabitants -depended for support, whilst Whit-week annually inundated the -warren, streets, and shores with crowds of day-excursionists, for -whose benefit sports, resembling those to which allusion has -already been made, were instituted. Regattas also were added to -the other attractions of the watering-place, but after existing for -some little time they gradually died out, either because they -failed to excite their former interest amongst the visitors, or the -public spirit of the inhabitants was tardy in providing the funds -necessary for their continuance. Houses in Albert Street, and in -other parts of the town, were slowly increasing in number, but no -large demand for dwellings bespoke a rapid rise in the prosperity -or popularity of the place, like that to which we referred a little -earlier. Trade, although comparatively steady, evinced no signs<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[239]</span> -of enlargement at present, and as a consequence fresh families -hesitated to venture their fortunes in the new land, until some -more regular and reliable means of gaining a livelihood were -offered them than the precarious patronage of uncertain visitors, -many of whom, now that free access had been given to Blackpool -and Lytham through the opening of branch lines, were already -being seduced from their old allegiance to Fleetwood, and attracted -to the gayer promenades of those rival resorts.</p> - -<p>In the month of December, 1852, and just at the Christmas -season, a fearful hurricane swept over Fleetwood; slates, chimney -tops, and boardings were torn from their fastenings, and hurled -about the streets; indeed so terrific was the violence of this gale -that at its height it was difficult for the pedestrian to avoid being -forced along by its fury in whatsoever direction the huge gusts -willed. During the storm a singular accident occurred in the -harbour. The barque “Hope,” which had arrived shortly before -from America with timber, was lying in the river attached to one -of the buoys, and by some carelessness the men employed in -unloading her had neglected, on leaving their work, to close up the -large square hole near the stem of the ship, through which the -baulks of wood were discharged. The hurricane came on fiercely -and suddenly from the west, and, to the dismay of the solitary -watchman who had been left in charge of the vessel, heeled over -her lightened hull so that the swollen and boisterous tide poured -wave after wave through the unprotected aperture at her bows; a -few minutes only were needed to complete the catastrophe, for as -the vessel settled in the deep, no longer waves but continuous -volumes of water rushed into her, and with a heavy lurch she -rolled over on her side, the masts and more than half her hull -being submerged. Fortunately, however, the remnant of the -cargo was sufficiently buoyant to prevent her from vanishing -bodily beneath the surface. The luckless guardian, whose feelings -must have been far from enviable, was quickly rescued from the -perilous position he occupied on the floating portion of the ship; -but it was not until some weeks afterwards that they were able, in -the words of the poet Cowper,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“To weigh the vessel up.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The “Hope,” 415 tons register, was built up the river at the old -port of Wardleys, being the only vessel of such dimensions<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[240]</span> -constructed in the shipyard there. Ten years later, on the 27th -of February, 1862, this ill-fated barque was abandoned on the -high seas in a sinking condition.</p> - -<p>In 1854 sundry improvements were effected in the extent and -condition of the place, and consisted in part of the erection -of a row of model cottages in Poulton Road, near the entrance -to the town, as well as a new police Station in West Street, -comprising two dwellings for the constables and cells for -prisoners. The streets were also put in better order, and efforts -made to render the aspect of Fleetwood more finished and -pleasing than it had been during the two or three previous -seasons. A scheme for the partial drainage of the town was -proposed at the assembly of commissioners, and arrangements -were entered into for the work to be promptly carried out at an -estimated cost of £1,200. Altogether a sudden spirit of activity -seemed to have superseded the lethargy or indifference which -lately had been too much visible amongst the inhabitants in all -matters of public interest, and which had already exercised a -serious and baneful influence upon the prospects of the place as a -sea-side resort. In the ensuing year the body of Primitive -Methodists, which had now become rather numerous, chiefly -owing to the prosperity of the fishing trade attracting many -followers of that calling to the port, most of whom were members -of this sect, commenced and completed a chapel in West Street. -Recently it has been found necessary considerably to enlarge the -edifice, in order to furnish more accommodation for the increasing -congregation. Although the erection of this chapel and of -the other buildings mentioned above mark undoubtedly an era -of progress in the history of the town, still we are constrained to -admit that the wants they supplied were not brought about by -the spread of Fleetwood’s reputation as a watering-place. From -the first little had been done to supplement its natural attractions -by laying out elegant promenades, or improving the state of the -Cops or Poulton Road, so as to render them agreeable rural walks -for many who, after a time, grew weary of watching the eddies -and dimples of the river’s current</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Play round the bows of ships,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That steadily at anchor rode;”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">or of daily rambling where the receding waves left a broad floor<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[241]</span> -of firm, unbroken sands. True, a carriage-drive and foot-way of -some pretensions to beauty had been constructed along the north -shore in 1845, but the storms we have described, and other -heavy seas, had torn breaches in its wall, and made sad havoc -amongst its light sandy material, completely ruining the fair -appearance of the shoreward grass-plat, and threatening the -road with that very destruction which has since overtaken it -through the continued negligence of the residents or governing -powers. There was no public hall, such as that once contemplated, -where a feeling of fellowship might be engendered amongst the -visitors. The regattas instituted for the interest and amusement -it was hoped they would excite amongst the spectators were, as -previously stated, conducted in a desultory manner for a few -years, and then abandoned; whilst the land sports during the -week of high festival were discontinued as the Whit-week -excursion trains found other outlets more attractive than Fleetwood -for their pleasure-seeking thousands; but it was not until -the North Euston Hotel was opened for military purposes, that all -hope of reviving the fading reputation of the town as a summer -resort was finally relinquished. For some little time after the foregoing -transfer, the bathing vans, as if to keep up the fiction of the -season, re-appeared with uninterrupted regularity each year upon -the beach, but even that last connecting link between the deserted -town, as far as visitors were concerned, and its former popularity, -was doomed shortly to be broken, for the ancient machines, never -renewed, and seldom repaired, were at length unequal to the -rough journey over the cobble stones, and crumbled to pieces on -the way, expiring miserably in the cause of duty, from old age -and unmerited neglect.</p> - -<p>In the early part of 1859, a lifeboat, thirty feet in length, was -stationed here by the National Lifeboat Institution, and in the -month of September in the same year, a neat and substantial -house was built for it on the beach opposite the North Euston -Hotel. After doing good service along the coast, in rescuing -several crews whose vessels had stranded amidst the breakers on -the outlying sand-banks, this boat was superseded, in 1862, by -one of larger dimensions. In January, 1863, the erection on the -beach was swept away by the billows during a heavy gale, and in -the course of a few months the present structure in Pharos Street,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[242]</span> -far removed from the reach of the destructive element, was raised, -and the lifeboat transferred to its safer keeping.</p> - -<p>The census of the residents taken in 1861 showed a total of -4,061 persons, being an increase of 940 over the number in 1851, -and of 1,228 over that in 1841. Hence it is seen that during the -long period of twenty years, almost from its commencement to -the date now under consideration, through fluctuating seasons of -prosperous and depressed trade, the town had succeeded in adding -no more than 1,228 individuals to the roll of its inhabitants, -many of whom would be the offspring of the original settlers. -Truly the foregoing picture is not a very satisfactory one to -review when we call to mind the bright auspices under which the -place was started,—the early and ample railway accommodation, -the short and well-beaconed channel, and the safe and spacious -harbour; but could we only add the extensive area of docks, the -Fleetwood of 1871 would doubtless have presented a widely -different aspect to that we are here called upon to portray. It -is scarcely just, however, to lay all the burden of this slow rate of -progress on the want of suitable berth provision for heavily-laden -vessels coming to the harbour. Fleetwood had other means of -extending its circle besides those derived from its happy situation -for shipping trade. Its merits as a watering-place were allowed on -every hand; eulogistic versions of its special charms were circulated -through the public prints; strangers flocked each summer to its -shores, and were enchanted with their visits; but after a while the -refreshing novelty wore off, and the puny efforts made by those -whose interests in the prosperity of the town were greatest, failed -to fill the inevitable void the waning newness left in its train. In -the meantime other season places, urged on by emulation, -enhanced the beauties of nature by works of art; promenades, -walks, drives, and, at no distant period, piers, were constructed -to meet the popular demands, and in that way the -tide of visitors was turned from the non-progressive and now -over familiar attractions of Fleetwood to swell the annually -increasing streams which overflowed the rising towns of Blackpool -and Lytham. The year 1861 will ever be remarkable in the -history of Fleetwood as being the date at which the town was for -the first time practically diverted from that line of progress which -its founder, in too sanguine expectancy, had early marked out for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[243]</span> -it. Its decadence as a summer resort had been too pronounced to -allow of any hope being entertained that a revulsion was probable, -or even possible, in the feelings and tastes of the multitude, which -would again people its shores, during the warm months, with a -heterogeneous crowd of valetudinarians and pleasure-seekers. The -noble hotel which had been erected by Sir P. H. Fleetwood on -the northern margin of the shore, in a style of architecture and at -an expense which bore witness to the firm confidence of the -baronet in the brilliant future awaiting the infant town, had been -sold to Government, as previously stated, in 1859, but it was not -until two years afterwards that the first detachment of officers -took up their quarters in the newly-established School of -Musketry, and Fleetwood awoke to the novel sound of martial -music and the reputation of being a military centre. Rumour, -also, had for several months been active in circulating a report -that the sward lying between the Landmark and the cemetery, -and a field at the corner of Cemetery Road, had attracted the eye -of Government as a suitable locality whereon to place barracks -and lay out a rifle-practice ground; and in February, 1861, doubt -on the subject was no longer admissible, for the contract to carry -out the fresh project was let during that month to the gentleman -who had been engaged in the necessary alterations at the North -Euston Hotel. The scheme involved the creation of residential -accommodation in the field just indicated for a small force of 220 -men and 12 officers, some of the quarters being specially designed -for married soldiers, in addition to which lavatories, a canteen, -mess-room, magazine, and guard-house, were to be erected. The -work was entered on without delay, and at no long interval, about -ten months, or rather more, the whole of the buildings were completed, -and soon afterwards occupied. The practice-ground was -marked out for range firing, and butts provided, where the -targets were shortly stationed. A spacious hospital, it should be -mentioned, was constructed almost contemporaneously with the -main portion of the barrack buildings.</p> - -<p>On Monday, the 20th of May, 1861, a mass meeting was -convened to ascertain the opinion of the inhabitants with regard -to a claim of exclusive use of the road over the Mount-hill, which -had recently been set up by Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, who in -order to establish his right had caused a cobble wall to be erected<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[244]</span> -round that portion of the estate. The meeting, consisting of -about three hundred persons, was held on the pathway in dispute, -which crosses the highest point of the elevation. A platform was -raised, and a chairman, elected by the unanimous voice of the -company, ascended the rostrum, being accompanied by several of -the more enthusiastic advocates of free-road, who in the course of -earnest addresses declared that for twenty years the Mount had -been dedicated to the public service, in consideration of certain -sums paid annually to the lord of the manor out of the town’s -rates, and that having been so long the property of the people, -Sir P. H. Fleetwood had now no moral or legal title to wrest it -from them. The ardent language of the speakers aroused a -sympathetic feeling in the breasts of the small multitude, and -murmurs of discontent at the attempted deprivation of their -privileges had already assumed a threatening tone, when a -gentleman who happened to be visiting the neighbourhood, -appeared upon the scene, and in a few spirited words urged the -excited listeners to some speedy manifestation of their disapproval. -Uttering a shout of indignation and defiance the crowd rushed at -the enclosure wall, tore down the masonry, and quickly opened -out a wide breach through the offending structure, after which -they filled the air with triumphant cheers and shortly retired -homewards in a comparatively orderly manner. In the course -of a few months the vexatious question was settled between the -representatives of the town and Sir P. H. Fleetwood, who on his -part agreed only to retain to himself a plot of land fifty yards -square, lying on the west side of the hill; another piece one -hundred yards square, extending from the base of the elevation to -the sea; the wooden edifice on the summit of the mound; six -square yards whereon to erect a look-out house for the Coastguards; -and the gardens and cottage-lodges at the entrance. The -remainder of the Mount, amounting to about three-fourths, was -given up to the public, together with the right of footway through -the cottages just mentioned, and over the east and west plots; -the commissioners engaging, on their side, to erect and maintain -a suitable fence round the Mount, and to keep the hill itself in a -proper manner for the benefit of the inhabitants or visitors, as -well as binding themselves upon no account to raise any building -on the site. The entire ground, with the buildings, has since<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[245]</span> -been given, on much the same conditions, to the town.</p> - -<p>During the year 1862 the town, which for some time had lain -dormant in a commercial point of view, evinced unmistakable -signs of returning animation; trade was more active, rumour once -more hinted at the probable commencement of docks at an early -date, and ninety-five houses of moderate size were erected. In -the earlier half of the following twelve months no less than -thirty-seven more dwellings were added to the town, the foundations -of several others being in course of preparation. A branch -of the Preston Banking Company was also opened for a few hours -once in each week; and during later years has transacted business -daily.</p> - -<p>On Tuesday, the 20th of January, 1863, a storm and flood, such -as has seldom been witnessed on this coast, arose suddenly and -raged with fury for about twenty hours. The whole of the wall -under the Mount, which had been brought to light by some gales -in the previous November, after having been buried in the sand -for long, was utterly demolished, not one stone being left upon -another. In addition, the breakers penetrated with destructive -violence, several yards inland beyond the line of that barrier -throughout its whole length, from the west end of the Euston -Barracks to the further extremity of Abbot’s Walk. A wooden -battery of two 32-pound guns at the foot of the Mount, belonging -to the Coastguards,<a id="FNanchor_85" href="#Footnote_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a> and used for training the Naval Volunteer -Reserve, was undermined and so tilted that its removal became a -necessity. The marine fence, which had been constructed at an -immense cost, between the Landmark and Cleveleys, was almost -entirely swept away, leaving the adjacent country open to the -inundations of the sea, which rushed over and flooded all the land -between the points just named, extending eastward even to the -embankment of the Preston and Wyre Railway. Several of the -streets at the west side of Fleetwood were under water, as also -were the fields about Poulton road and the highway itself. The -proprietor of the “Strawberry Garden,” off the same road, and his -family, were compelled to take refuge in an upper storey of their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[246]</span> -dwelling until rescued in a boat, the following day, from their -unpleasant, if not perilous, position. It was in this hurricane that -the house erected on the shore for the reception of the lifeboat -suffered annihilation, and the boat itself narrowly escaped serious -damage. Tuesday, the 10th of March, in the same year was -observed by the residents as a general holiday and gala day, in -honour of the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, with the -Danish Princess, Alexandra. Flags and banners floated from the -windows of nearly every habitation, as well as from the roofs of -many, while the steamships and other vessels in the harbour were -gaily decorated with bunting, which waved in rich and varied tints -from their masts, spars, and rigging. Triumphal arches of the -“colours of all nations” were suspended across the streets at several -points. A large procession of schools and friendly societies in full -regalia, with their banners and devices, paraded the different -thoroughfares, and were afterwards sumptuously entertained, the -latter at their various lodges, and the former in the large area -of a cotton warehouse, recently built on the quay by Messrs. B. -Whitworth and Bros., of Manchester. The military stationed at -the School of Musketry evinced their loyalty by discharging a -<i>feu de joie</i> on the warren. In the following November a scheme -was proposed for the construction of a coast railway between -Fleetwood and Blackpool, to pass through Rossall and Bispham. -A survey was made of the route, and according to the plans drawn -out, the projected line was intended to have its Fleetwood terminus -at the south extremity of Poulton Terrace, opposite the end of West -Street, whence it was to run towards the new barracks, near the -cemetery, then diverge to the south in the direction of Rossall. -From Rossall its course lay towards Bispham and thence onwards -to the Blackpool terminus, which would be located in Queen’s -street, adjoining the station already standing there. The stations, -besides those at the two termini, were to be placed at the -barracks, Rossall, and Bispham. At Fleetwood the promoters -proposed to form a junction with the Preston and Wyre Railway -near the old timber pond, for the purpose of passing carriages -from one line to the other, whilst at Blackpool a similar object -would be effected with the Lytham and Blackpool Railway by -deviating eastward from Queen Street, so as to avoid the town, -and establishing a junction with the latter line near Chapel Street.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[247]</span> -On an application being made to parliament for powers to carry -out the design, strenuous opposition was offered by the representatives -of the Preston and Wyre Railway, who pledged themselves -to erect additional stations along their track to accommodate the -people residing at Rossall, Cleveleys, and Bispham, in consequence -of which the bill for a coast-line was thrown out and the project -abandoned.</p> - -<p>On the 4th of December, 1863, the Lancaster Banking Company -established a branch here; and on the 15th of that month the -Whitworth Institute in Dock Street was publicly opened. This -handsome Hall was erected through the munificence of Benjamin -Whitworth, esq., M.P., of London, who for long resided at Fleetwood, -and during that period, and afterwards, was instrumental in -giving a marked stimulus to the foreign trade of the port by -shipping each year, on behalf of the large firm of which he is the -head at Manchester, numerous cargoes of cotton from America <i>viâ</i> -Fleetwood. The building is in the Gothic style of architecture. The -walls are built of bricks with stone dressings, the principal features -being the ten arcaded windows, with the stone balcony beneath -running across the entire width of the front, and the elegant entrance. -The interior comprises a spacious reading room and library, a -smoking and coffee room, provided with chess and draughts, an -assembly room, capable of containing 400 persons, and two billiard -rooms. At the time of its presentation to the inhabitants the -donor generously provided tea urns and other appliances necessary -for holding soirees, in addition to having liberally furnished the -whole of the building, including the gift of a choice and extensive -selection of books, chess and draught-men, a bagatelle-board, and a -billiard-table. The second billiard-table was added out of the surplus -funds in 1875. The Institute is vested in trustees for the use of -the town, and governed by a committee chosen from amongst the -subscribers.</p> - -<p>During 1864-5 building continued to progress, but not with -that great rapidity which had characterised its advance in 1862 -and the earlier months of the following year. An act of -parliament was granted in 1864 to certain gentlemen for the -formation of a dock in connection with the harbour, confirming -the rumour which had now agitated the place for the last two -years, and bringing conviction to the hearts of many of the older<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[248]</span> -inhabitants, whose past experience had taught them to look with -eyes of distrust on all reports which pointed to such a happy -realisation of their youthful dreams. The inaugural ceremony of -breaking the turf did not, however, take place for some time, and -will be noticed shortly. On the 17th of May, 1866, the foundation -stone of the present Roman Catholic church in East Street was -laid by Doctor Goss, bishop of Liverpool, who performed the -ceremony, attired in full ecclesiastical robes, and attended by a -numerous retinue of priests and choristers. The sacred edifice -was opened on Sunday, the 24th of November in the ensuing year. -Its general style is early English of the 13th century. The -building consists of a nave and two aisles, with an apsidal -sanctuary at the east end; it is about one hundred feet long, -thirty-five feet wide, and fifty feet in height. The exterior is -built of stone, the body of the walls being Yorkshire parpoints, -whilst the dressings are of Longridge stone. Mr. T. A. -Drummond, of Fleetwood, was the builder, and the design -was drawn by E. Welby Pugin, esq., architect, the total cost -being about £4,000.</p> - -<p>For many years, in fact ever since steamship communication -had been established between this port and Belfast, large quantities -of young cattle from Ireland were landed each season at -Fleetwood, and carried forward by rail to the markets of Preston -and elsewhere. For the benefit of the dealers, who would thus -escape the railway charges, as well as for the convenience of the -graziers and other purchasers residing in the neighbourhood, it -was determined to open a place for the public sale of such live -stock at Fleetwood; the necessary authority was obtained from -the Privy Council, and on the 2nd of April, 1868, the Cattle -Market, lying on the east side of that for general produce, and -consisting of sixteen large strong pens, arranged in two rows with -a road between them, was used for its earliest transactions and -much appreciated by those who were concerned in the traffic.</p> - -<p>Wednesday, the 2nd of June, 1869, will not readily be obliterated -from the memories of the people of Fleetwood. On that day the -first sod of the long expected dock was cut by H. S. Styan, esq., -of London, the surviving trustee of the estate under the will of -the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, who died in 1866. The auspicious -event was celebrated with universal rejoicing, in which many-coloured<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[249]</span> -bunting played its usual conspicuous part. A large procession -of the clergy, gentry, schools, and friendly societies, -enlivened by the band of the 80th regiment of Infantry from the -Euston Barracks, and gay with waving banners, accompanied -Mr. Styan to the site where the important ceremony was -performed, and sent forth hearty congratulatory cheers when the -piece of turf had been duly dissected from the ground. With all -apparent earnestness and eagerness, operations were at once -commenced, and for two or three months the undertaking, under -the busy hands of the excavators, made satisfactory progress, when -suddenly several gangs of labourers were discharged, and the -works partially stopped—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“While all the town wondered.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Wonderment, however, was turned to a feeling of disappointment -and chagrin, when it was discovered, a little later, that the closing -year would put a period to the labours at the dock as well as to -its own epoch of time, and that its last shadows would fall on -deserted works and idle machinery. For some reason, which -may fairly be conjectured to have been an incompleted list of -shareholders, the Fleetwood Dock Company determined to -suspend all operations barely six months after they had been -begun, and it is scarcely necessary to inform our readers that the -work was never resumed under the same proprietorship. Two -years subsequently, in 1871, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway -Company obtained an act of parliament to carry out, on a -larger scale, the undertaking which their predecessors had -abandoned almost in its birth. The dock, which embraces an -area of nearly ten acres, being one thousand feet long, by four -hundred feet wide, has already been in course of formation for -more than two years, and although the labour is being pushed -forward by the contractors, Messrs. John Aird and Sons, of -Lambeth, with as much expedition as is consistent with good -workmanship, the completion of this much-needed accommodation -is not expected until some time in 1877. The dock walls are built -with square blocks of stone, surmounted by a broad and massive -coping of Cornish granite, and filled in behind with concrete, the -whole having an altitude of thirty-one feet, and being placed on a -solid concrete foundation fourteen feet wide. The walls themselves -vary in width as they approach the surface, being in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[250]</span> -lower half of their distance 12½ feet, then 10½ feet, and in the -highest section 8½ feet wide. The lock entrance communicates -with the north extremity of the dock, and is two hundred and -fifty feet long by fifty feet wide, being protected at each end by -gates, opening, respectively, into the dock and the channel now in -process of excavation to the bed of the river Wyre. Lying to -the south of the dock is the recently-constructed timber pond, -covering an area of 14½ or 15 acres, and having a depth of 15 feet. -The pond is connected with the dock by means of a gateway, so -arranged in the southern wall of the latter that two feet of water -will always remain in the former after the tide has ebbed below -the level of its floor. The timber pond has no other entrance -beyond the one alluded to. Sir John Hawkshaw, previously -mentioned in connection with the visit of Queen Victoria to -Fleetwood, is the eminent engineer from whose designs the dock -is being constructed.</p> - -<p>The prospect, or indeed certainty, of materially increased trade -when the dock is thrown open has not been without effect upon -the town generally, but its stimulating influence is most remarkable -in the large number of houses which, during the last few -years, have sprung into being. Streets have been lined with -habitations where recently not a dwelling existed, and others have -had their vacant spaces filled in with buildings. Handsome -shops have been erected in Dock Street, East and West Streets, -and other localities, whilst many of the residences in Church -Street have been remodeled and converted into similar retail -establishments. Everywhere there is a spirit of activity visible, -contrasting most pleasingly and favourably with the passive -inertitia which pervaded the place for a considerable period previous -to the commencement of the dock operations. In 1875 the commissioners -determined to do something towards protecting the -northern aspect of the Mount from the devastations of the waves, -whose boisterous familiarity had already inflicted serious injury -on its feeble sandy sides, and seemed disposed, if much longer -unchecked, to reduce the venerable pile to a mere matter of -history. A public promenade, fenced with a substantial wall of -concrete, was laid out at the base of the hill, extending from -near the west extremity of the Mount Terrace to the commencement -of Abbot’s Walk. The damaged side of the mound itself<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[251]</span> -has been levelled and sown with grass-seed, so that in course of -time the marine walk will have a lofty sloping background of -green sward, and form the prettiest, as it was doubtless the most -needed, object in the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>On the 1st of January, 1875, a number of gentlemen, denominated -the Fleetwood Estate Company, Limited, and consisting of -Sir Jno. Hawkshaw, knt., of Westminster; Thos. H. Carr, J. M. -Jameson, C.E., and Philip Turner, esqrs., of Fleetwood; Capt. -Henry Turner and Sturges Meek, esq., C.E., of Manchester; -Thomas Barnes, esq., of Farnworth; James Whitehead, esq., of -Preston; Joshua Radcliffe, esq., of Rochdale; Samuel Burgess, -esq., of Altringham; William Barber Buddicom, esq., C.E., of -Penbedw, Mold; and Samuel Fielden, esq., of Todmorden; -purchased the lands, buildings, manorial rights and privileges -(including wreckage, market-tolls, and advowson of the church), -of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, in and near this town, from the -trustees of his property, for £120,000, subscribed in equal shares. -Although negotiations were satisfactorily concluded in 1874, it -was not until the month just stated that the actual transfer was -effected, and the gentlemen enumerated became lords of the soil. -We must not omit to name that a portion of the Fleetwood estate, -amounting to about 600 acres, lying between the old and present -railway embankments, had been acquired in a similar manner, for -£25,000, in 1871, by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway -Company. Under the new proprietorship leases for building -purposes are sold or let, as formerly, for terms of 999 years.</p> - -<p>In closing this account of Fleetwood as a watering-place and -town, and before delineating its career as a seaport, it should be -stated that the census of the inhabitants taken in 1871 yielded -a total of 4,428 persons, of whom 2,310 were males, and 2,118 -females; but in the limited period which has elapsed since that -result was obtained the population has grown considerably, and -the increase during a similar interval after any of the previous -official returns cannot be taken as a criterion of the present -numerical strength of the residents.</p> - -<p>Fleetwood was started in 1839 as a distinct port with customs -established by an order of the Treasury; subsequently in 1844 it -was reduced to a creek under Preston; then two years later -elevated to a sub-port; and finally in 1849 reinstated in its first<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[252]</span> -position of independence. The iron wharf was completed in 1841, -and is constructed of iron piles, each of which weighs two and -three quarter tons, driven seventeen feet below low water mark, -and faced with plates of the same metal, seven or eight inches -thick, which are rivetted to the flanges of the piles, and filled in -at the back with concrete. The wooden pier, about 400 feet in -length, and abutting on the north extremity of this massive -structure, was finished in 1845, and roofed over shortly afterwards. -On the 22nd of July in the ensuing year, the last stone of the -wharf wall, erected by Mr. Julian A. Tarner, of Fleetwood, and -extending fourteen hundred feet from the south end of the iron -wharf in the direction of the railway, was laid; and at the same -time the coal-shoots connected with the new portion of the quay -were approaching completion.</p> - -<p>The improvement of the harbour was entrusted to Captain -Denham, R.N., F.R.S., under whose superintendence the seaward -channel of the river was buoyed and beaconed, being rendered safe -for night navigation by the erection of a marine lighthouse, in -1840, at the foot of Wyre, nearly two miles from the mouth of -the river at Fleetwood. This lighthouse was the first one erected -on Mitchell’s screw-pile principle. The house in which the lightkeepers -lived was hexagonal in form, and measured 22 feet in -diameter, from angle to angle, and nine feet in height. It was -furnished with an outside door and three windows; and divided -within into two compartments, one of which was supplied with a -fireplace and other necessaries, whilst the second was used purely -as a dormitory. The lantern was twelve-sided, 10 feet in diameter -and 8 feet in height to the top of the window, the illumination it -produced being raised about 31 feet above the level of the highest -spring-tide, and 44½ feet above that of half-tide. A few years -since, in 1870, this lighthouse was carried away by a vessel, and -for some time a light-ship occupied the station, but subsequently -another edifice, similar in appearance and construction to the -original one, was raised about two hundred yards south of the -same site.</p> - -<p>Captain Denham, having accomplished his survey of the river and -harbour, issued the following report in 1840:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The river Wyre assumes a river character near Bleasdale Forest, in Lancashire, -and after crossing the line of road between Preston and Lancaster, at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[253]</span> -Garstang, descends as a tortuous stream for five miles westward; then, in another -five mile reach of one-third of a mile wide, north-westward, sweeping the -light of Skippool, near Poulton-le-Fylde, on its way, and bursting forth from the -narrows at Wardleys, upon a north trend, into the tidal estuary which embraces -an area of three miles by two, producing a combined reflux of back-water, equal to -fifty million cubical yards, and dipping with such a powerful <i>under-scour</i> during -the first half-ebb, as to preserve a natural basin just within its coast-line orifice, -capable of riding ships of eighteen or twenty feet draft, at <i>low water spring tides</i>; -perfectly sheltered from all winds, and within a cable’s length of the railway -terminus, nineteen miles from Preston, and in connection with Manchester, -Lancaster, Liverpool, and London. It is on the western margin of this natural -dock that the town, wharfs, and warehouses are rising into notice, under the -privilege of a distinct port, and abreast of which, the shores aptly narrow the -<i>back-water escape</i> into a bottle-neck strait of but one-sixth the width of the -estuary, so impelling it down a two-mile channel as scarcely to permit diminishment -of its three and four-mile velocity until actually blended with the <i>cross-set</i> of -the Lune and Morecambe Bay ebb waters. Thus, the original short course of -Wyre to the open sea, is freed from the usual river deposit, its silting matter -being kept in suspension until transferred and hurried forth at right angles by the -ocean stream. It is, therefore, the peculiar feature and fortune of Wyre that, -instead of a <i>bar</i> intervening between its bed or exit trough and the open sea, a -precipitous river shelf, equal to a fall of forty-seven feet in one-third of a mile, -exists.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The first steam dredger, of 20 horse power, was launched on -the 21st of January, 1840, and the important work of deepening -and clearing the channel at once commenced.</p> - -<p>At a meeting of the Tidal Harbour Commissioners held at the -port on the 21st October, 1845, it was stated that the harbour dues -were—for coasting vessels, 1d. per ton, and for foreign ships, 3d. per -ton; whilst the light charges were in all cases 3d. per ton. At the -same time it was observed that the whole of the dues amounted -in 1835 to £36 2s. 0d., and in 1845 to £528 9s. 5d. (In 1855 the -dues on similar accounts reached £1,520; and in 1875, £2,427.) -The Walney light was reported to be a great tax on vessels -coming to Fleetwood, as they were charged 3d. a ton per year, -commencing on the 1st of January; so that if a vessel arrived at -the port on the 28th of December, a charge was made for the -year just closing, and a further sum demanded from the craft on -going out in the month of January. This was not the case with -regard to similar taxes in other localities, where one payment -exempted a ship for twelve months; and consequently the -regulation acted in some degree as a deterrent to traders, who -might under a more liberal arrangement have been induced to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[254]</span> -have availed themselves in larger numbers of the facilities -offered by the new haven. The total length of useful wharfage in -1845 extended over 1,000 feet, being well supplied with posts and -rings, and possessing no less than sixteen hand cranes, thirteen of -which were for the purpose of unloading vessels at the quay. -There was a depth of five feet at low-water spring tides from the -marine lighthouse, at the foot of Wyre, to the wharf, and it was -proposed to dredge until ten feet had been obtained.</p> - -<p>On examining the state of the shipping trade of the harbour -during the year 1845, it is discovered that the imports and exports -of foreign produce and home manufacture, respectively, far outstripped -those of any of the few preceding years. There had been -vessels laden with guano from Ichaboe, sugar from the West Indies, -flax from Russia, and timber from both the Baltic and Canada, -making in all twenty-three ships of large tonnage, only two of which -returned with cargoes, in far from complete stages of fulness, from -the warehouses of Manchester, Preston, or other adjacent commercial -towns. The coasting trade had also given earnest of its progressive -tendencies by a remarkable increase in the number of -discharges and loadings over those of the previous twelve months, -and notwithstanding the four hundred feet of extra wharfage, -forming the wooden pier, just opened, the demands for quay berths -could not always be supplied.</p> - -<p>New bonding warehouses were erected towards the close of -1845 at the corner of Adelaide and Dock Streets, the temporary -ones previously in use being abandoned, and comprised three -stories capable of providing accommodation for 400 hogsheads of -sugar at one time, as well as spacious vaults and other conveniences -for duty-bearing articles. The goods allowed to be -warehoused were wine, spirits, tea, tobacco, East India goods, -and goods in general.</p> - -<p>In 1846 prosperity continued to reward the efforts put forth by -the authorities of the young haven. Twelve vessels arrived from -America with timber, and nine similarly laden from the Baltic; -tobacco, sugar, and other commodities were imported in two ships -from the Indies; but the event which kindled the brightest -anticipations in the breasts of the inhabitants and others interested -in the success of the port was the arrival of the barque “Diogenes,” -chartered by Mr. Evans, of Chipping, with the first cargo of cotton<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[255]</span> -ever landed at Fleetwood. In it was welcomed an introduction to -the chief trade of the county, and a happy augury of future -activity in an import which would not only of itself materially -assist the financial condition of the harbour, but would also be the -means of spreading its reputation throughout the commercial -world, and extending its field of action to a degree which could -scarcely be foretold. How these pleasant visions have been fulfilled -the reader is perhaps aware, but if not a glance at the tables of -coasting and foreign trade, given a little later, will furnish the -necessary information. On the 12th of February, immediately -the novel consignment just referred to, which “afforded a suitable -opportunity,” had come to hand, a public dinner was given by -their fellow-townsmen to Frederick Kemp and John Laidlay, -esqrs., as a mark of respect for their assiduous efforts to develope -the mercantile resources of the place. During the evening Mr. -Laidlay remarked that “within a short period the trading intercourse -of the port had extended to various and distant portions of -the world, the products of Africa, the West Indies, and North -America having been imported; and stretching our arm still -further, a cargo from the East Indies may be stated as almost -within our grasp.” Mr. Evans, in alluding to his transatlantic -shipment, affirmed that in bringing it by way of Fleetwood, he -had effected a saving of at least a farthing per pound; and continued,—“When -the order was given, it could not have been -imported into Liverpool without loss.”</p> - -<p>In the latter part of the year a testimonial was presented by the -inhabitants of the town to Henry Smith, esq., of Fleetwood, -manager of the North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company, as -a tribute to his untiring and successful attempts to promote -steamship traffic and advance the interests of the place, and in the -course of a speech made on the occasion, Mr. Smith said:—“In -1842 I first visited Fleetwood at the request of the London -board of directors, it then presented a most gloomy aspect—a -splendid modern ruin, no shipping, no steamers, no passengers for -the trains, and yet it required no very keen discernment to learn -that all the facilities for trade and commerce existed here, but life -was wanting; here was one of the finest and safest harbours, -certainly the best lighted and marked port on the west coast, -being as easily made by night as by day, with that wonderful<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[256]</span> -natural phenomenon, the Lune Deep, making it a safety port to -take in fog by sounding—a thing having no parallel in England.... -What changes have we witnessed here since -1842? I have seen your population without employment, and -now there is more work than there are hands to perform—the -wages from one shilling a day have advanced to two shillings and -sixpence and three shillings; then indeed was your port without a -ship, now there is a general demand for more quay room, although -since then upwards of 1,000 feet have been added to the wharfage; -then your railway receipts were £100, this year they have attained -£1,500 per week.” This unfortunate gentleman was killed in -the June following, through a collision on the London and -North Western Railway; and there can be no hesitation in -affirming that, had his career of usefulness and activity not been -thus prematurely cut short, the trade of Fleetwood would have -developed, in the long period which has elapsed since his death, -into something more important than it presents to day.</p> - -<p>The following authentic returns of the whole business of the port -in 1846 forms a favourable comparison with those of 1840, the -year in which the railway was opened, when they amounted to -57,051 tons of imports, the exports being proportionately small:—</p> - -<p class="center90">COASTING.</p> - -<table summary="Returns of the whole business of the port in 1846"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th></th> - <th colspan="4"><span class="smcap">Imports.</span></th> - <th colspan="4"><span class="smcap">Exports.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1846.</td> - <td>January</td> - <td class="tdr">59</td> - <td>ships</td> - <td class="tdr">11,564</td> - <td>tons.</td> - <td class="tdr">59</td> - <td>ships</td> - <td class="tdr">11,875</td> - <td>tons.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>February</td> - <td class="tdr">60</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,251</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">62</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,208</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>March</td> - <td class="tdr">72</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,252</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">70</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,289</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>April</td> - <td class="tdr">63</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">10,971</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">66</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,098</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>May</td> - <td class="tdr">61</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,539</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">121</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,790</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>June</td> - <td class="tdr">61</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">10,637</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">97</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">14,715</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>July</td> - <td class="tdr">81</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">13,413</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">94</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">14,274</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>August</td> - <td class="tdr">80</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">13,194</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">93</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">16,042</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>September</td> - <td class="tdr">94</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">13,515</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">65</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,609</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>October</td> - <td class="tdr">64</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,472</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">71</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">13,158</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>November</td> - <td class="tdr">63</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">11,094</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">51</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">8,619</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>December</td> - <td class="tdr">41</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">7,785</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdc" colspan="4">not obtained.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc"></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt">799</td> - <td class="bt">ships</td> - <td class="tdr bt">137,687</td> - <td class="bt">tons.</td> - <td class="tdr bt">849</td> - <td class="bt">ships</td> - <td class="tdr bt">135,677</td> - <td class="bt">tons.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2">Foreign</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">6,935</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">2,703</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2">Total</td> - <td class="tdr bt">823</td> - <td class="bt">ships</td> - <td class="tdr bt">144,622</td> - <td class="bt">tons.</td> - <td class="tdr bt">862</td> - <td class="bt">ships</td> - <td class="tdr bt">138,380</td> - <td class="bt">tons.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The animated appearance of the harbour was described in 1846 -by a gentleman connected with the town, as here quoted:—“With<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>[257]</span> -two Indiamen at their berths, the splendid steamers -alongside, schooners, small craft innumerable dotting the river, -wharfmen, porters, etc., removing merchandise from vessel to -wagon, and <i>vice versa</i>, the cranes in constant operation, goods-trains -arriving and preparing for departure, give the pier-head -and harbour an air of bustle and activity, and are themselves a -pleasing indication of what our commerce may become; of the -trade which vigilance, patience, and effort, may secure to the -harbour and railway.”</p> - -<p>The twelve months of 1847 proved anything but a re-assuring -time. The foreign imports suddenly fell off to six cargoes, four of -which were timber from America, the two remaining being guano -and timber from Hamburg. One left for Mexico and Hong Kong, -laden with British goods, silk, wine, and spirits from the bonding -warehouses. The coasting returns also showed a diminution of -almost fifty discharges at the quay, as compared with the previous -year, and a corresponding decrease in the exports; but in spite of -the sudden dispiriting experience, we find from the annexed extract -out of the annual official report concerning the harbour, that the -future was regarded hopefully:—“There is every probability of the -business increasing at this Port, as an extensive trade with the -Baltic is expected, and most of the goods now in warehouse under -bond will no doubt be taken out for home consumption during the -present year.” 1848 was marked by an increase of nine in the -number of foreign importations; and of the fifteen large vessels -which arrived, one was from France with wines and spirits for -re-exportation to Mexico, two were from the Baltic and Hamburg -with timber, eleven from Canada with timber, and one from -Russia with flax. The importers of timber carried on, and used -sedulous efforts to extend, a healthy retail trade in the adjoining -districts and in the west of Yorkshire. The export trade was still -inconsiderable, although gradually increasing, but it was expected, -from the convenient situation of the harbour to the manufacturing -towns, and the local dues upon vessels and goods being much -lower than at other ports, that both it and the imports would, -before many years had passed over, become very extensive, more -especially as the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company had -recently acquired a right to the line between Fleetwood and -Preston, and were offering every facility and inducement to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>[258]</span> -shippers and manufacturers, with the view of making this haven -the inlet and outlet for goods to and from the towns and villages -on their several lines. During the twelve months eighteen small -importations of paper from the Isle of Man took place, and it was -necessary for the officers connected with the customs to keep a -strict guard upon the wharf to prevent the smuggling of that and -other dutiable articles by the numerous passenger and coasting -vessels from the above island, as well as from Scotland and Ireland.</p> - -<p>In 1849 the foreign imports were more than doubled, the excess -being chiefly due to the increase of timber-laden vessels. Six of -the total number sailed outwards with cargoes of warehoused -goods, and nine with coal and salt. The coasting trade underwent -a most remarkable rise of about four hundred cargoes inwards, and -two hundred outwards, the principal of the former being iron ore, -pig iron, and, more occasionally, grain; and of the latter, coal. -The barque “Isabella” discharged 609 bales of cotton at Fleetwood -from America in July, 1850, being the second cargo landed -here, and later in the year another consignment of 400 bales was -brought by the same vessel. In 1851 the only novel feature was -the arrival of a large shipload of currants; the value of British -goods exported amounted to £90,000, besides which there were -considerable quantities of merchandise sent outwards from bond. -The main foreign business in 1852 was in timber and dried fruits, -but such importations were seriously diminished during the -ensuing year by the high price of the latter and by a temporary -misunderstanding between the railway company and one of the -chief timber merchants, through which several consignments -intended for the Wyre were diverted elsewhere; in addition five -large cargoes were lost at sea and not replaced. The coasting -trade continued to expand until 1856, when its zenith was reached, -since when it has been characterised by a gradual decline, and -the last report, that of 1875, is as little encouraging as any, with -one exception, of its degenerate predecessors. The fourth freight -of cotton, consisting of 1,327 bales, made its appearance in the ship -“Cleopatra,” in the spring of 1857, and was consigned to Messrs. -Benjamin Whitworth and Brothers, of Manchester, etc. Shortly -afterwards, barely two weeks, the “Favourite” arrived with a -further consignment for the same firm, and gave the signal for -the real commencement of a prosperous trade in that commodity<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>[259]</span> -with America, which rapidly developed until the outbreak of -civil war in the transatlantic continent brought it somewhat -abruptly to a close in 1862. In a comparative statement of -charges between Liverpool and Fleetwood, issued during that -flourishing time, it was demonstrated that on a vessel of 500 tons, -cotton in and coals out, the following saving in favour of this port -could be effected:—</p> - -<table summary="Savings on port charges"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th>£</th> - <th>s.</th> - <th>d.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charges on Ship</td> - <td class="tdr">66</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> on Cargo inwards</td> - <td class="tdr">96</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> on Cargo outwards</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Total saving</td> - <td class="tdr bt">£170</td> - <td class="tdr bt">15</td> - <td class="tdr bt">0</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Supposing the cargo to have been consigned to parties in -Preston, a further advantage, amounted to £230 0s. 0d. in carriage -would be gained, raising the entire saving to £400 15s. 0d.</p> - -<p>During late years, the business firm just alluded to, whose -interests in, and efforts for, the welfare of the port have so long -been unflagging, has made a vigorous attempt to revive the -American cotton importations. For the last few seasons several of -their shipments, about ten, have annually arrived, and there is -every prospect that when the dock is completed many more -vessels will be chartered. A large shed for the reception of cotton -was erected in 1875, in Adelaide Street, by Messrs. B. Whitworth -and Bros., who have also established a permanent office in the -town.</p> - -<p>In 1859 the trade between Fleetwood and Belfast had developed -to such an extent that a larger covered area for the temporary -warehousing, loading, and discharging of goods was urgently -called for, and towards the close of that year a space of about 190 -feet in length, by 30 feet wide, was walled in and roofed over on -the quay, adjoining the building then in use for the same purposes. -Four years later, in 1863, two steam cranes were placed on the -wharf by the North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company. -Subsequently other cranes, working on a similar principle, have -been added to those experimental ones, and gradually the old -system of hand-labour at the quay-side has been superseded by -the adoption of this more expeditious and economical plan. -Shortly before the last-named facilities had augmented the conveniences -of the wharf, a fresh description of mooring appliance<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>[260]</span> -was laid down in the harbour, and consisted of two longitudinal -ground chains of 1,000 feet each, attached at intervals of 50 feet to -two sets of Mitchell’s screws, which were worked into the clay in -the bed of the stream. The bridle chains, shackled above to the -mooring buoys, were secured below to the ground links between -the attachments of the screws, the buoys being so arranged that -each vessel was held stem and stern, instead of swinging round -with the tide, or stranding with one end on the large central -sandbank, as heretofore.</p> - -<p>From 1862 to the present date, the story of the haven, with -the exceptions of the trawling fleet and the Belfast line, which -will be treated of directly, is not one which will awaken envy in -the breasts of those whose interests are bound up in rival ports, -nor indeed can it be a source of congratulation to those whose -interests might ordinarily be supposed to be best promoted by its -prosperity. It is true that the foreign trade for seven years after -1862 was in a state of fluctuation rather than actual decline, but -the three succeeding years were stationary at the low figure of -21 imports each, after which there was a slight improvement, -raising the annual numbers to 24, 32, and, in 1875, 33, due more -to the staunch allegiance of Messrs. B. Whitworth and Bros., -whose cotton again appeared on the wharf, than to any inducements -offered to them or others by increased facilities or more -appropriate accommodation. The coasting trade has already been -referred to, so that there is no necessity to recapitulate facts but -just laid before our readers. It is proper, however, to mention a -few statistics respecting the trade in exports of coal, the chief -business, and below are given the numbers of tons shipped, mostly -to Ireland, in each of the specified years:—</p> - -<table summary="Numbers of tons shipped in each of the specified years"> - <tr> - <td>1855</td> - <td class="tdr">31,490</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1860</td> - <td class="tdr">23,652</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1865</td> - <td class="tdr">16,225</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1866</td> - <td class="tdr">12,315</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1867</td> - <td class="tdr">10,912</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1868</td> - <td class="tdr">6,809</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1869</td> - <td class="tdr">24,741</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1870</td> - <td class="tdr">43,653</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1871</td> - <td class="tdr">51,473</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1872</td> - <td class="tdr">54,794</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1873</td> - <td class="tdr">55,447</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1874</td> - <td class="tdr">56,939</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1875</td> - <td class="tdr">71,353</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The large and sudden increase from 1869 is mainly owing to -several screw steamships having been extensively engaged in the -traffic, and there is every probability, from the addition within -the last few months of a new and handsome coal-screw, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>[261]</span> -other indications, that this branch of commerce will continue -to develope with equal, if not greater, rapidity. Again, it -should be remembered, when considering the falling off in the -numerical strength of the coasting vessels trading here, that -those now plying are of much greater carrying capacity than -formerly, and consequently the actual exports and imports have -not suffered diminution in anything like the same proportion -as the ships themselves. A series of tabular statements of all -the most important and interesting matters connected with the -harbour from the earliest obtainable dates has been prepared -from the official returns made to the custom-house during each -twelve months, and subjoined will be found a list of the vessels -retained on the register as belonging to the port at the end of the -years indicated, with their tonnages and the number of hands -forming the crews:—</p> - -<table summary="Ships registered to the port of Fleetwood"> - <tr> - <th>Year.</th> - <th>Steam<br />Vessels.</th> - <th>Tonnage.</th> - <th>Hands.</th> - <th>Sailing<br />Vessels.</th> - <th>Tonnage.</th> - <th>Hands.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">739</td> - <td class="tdr">49</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">560</td> - <td class="tdr">54</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1851</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">739</td> - <td class="tdr">49</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">856</td> - <td class="tdr">77</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1852</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">739</td> - <td class="tdr">49</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">1495</td> - <td class="tdr">104</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">806</td> - <td class="tdr">54</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - <td class="tdr">4002</td> - <td class="tdr">196</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1854</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">560</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td class="tdr">41</td> - <td class="tdr">5337</td> - <td class="tdr">261</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1855</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">586</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">49</td> - <td class="tdr">4933</td> - <td class="tdr">267</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1856</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">978</td> - <td class="tdr">52</td> - <td class="tdr">51</td> - <td class="tdr">5458</td> - <td class="tdr">280</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1857</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">952</td> - <td class="tdr">49</td> - <td class="tdr">71</td> - <td class="tdr">7839</td> - <td class="tdr">391</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1858</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">968</td> - <td class="tdr">54</td> - <td class="tdr">79</td> - <td class="tdr">8168</td> - <td class="tdr">427</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1859</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">968</td> - <td class="tdr">54</td> - <td class="tdr">76</td> - <td class="tdr">6930</td> - <td class="tdr">392</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1860</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">968</td> - <td class="tdr">54</td> - <td class="tdr">84</td> - <td class="tdr">12075</td> - <td class="tdr">570</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1861</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">1508</td> - <td class="tdr">74</td> - <td class="tdr">93</td> - <td class="tdr">14760</td> - <td class="tdr">640</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1862</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">1249</td> - <td class="tdr">62</td> - <td class="tdr">89</td> - <td class="tdr">13957</td> - <td class="tdr">602</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1863</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">1249</td> - <td class="tdr">62</td> - <td class="tdr">85</td> - <td class="tdr">12147</td> - <td class="tdr">567</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1864</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">1355</td> - <td class="tdr">71</td> - <td class="tdr">81</td> - <td class="tdr">10338</td> - <td class="tdr">513</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1865</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1372</td> - <td class="tdr">74</td> - <td class="tdr">83</td> - <td class="tdr">9757</td> - <td class="tdr">479</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1866</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1372</td> - <td class="tdr">74</td> - <td class="tdr">80</td> - <td class="tdr">8831</td> - <td class="tdr">454</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1867</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1779</td> - <td class="tdr">90</td> - <td class="tdr">77</td> - <td class="tdr">9265</td> - <td class="tdr">451</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1868</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1779</td> - <td class="tdr">90</td> - <td class="tdr">85</td> - <td class="tdr">11226</td> - <td class="tdr">515</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1869</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">1239</td> - <td class="tdr">70</td> - <td class="tdr">99</td> - <td class="tdr">12601</td> - <td class="tdr">587</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1870</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1797</td> - <td class="tdr">93</td> - <td class="tdr">104</td> - <td class="tdr">12546</td> - <td class="tdr">609</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1871</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1571</td> - <td class="tdr">81</td> - <td class="tdr">115</td> - <td class="tdr">13642</td> - <td class="tdr">690</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1872</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1571</td> - <td class="tdr">81</td> - <td class="tdr">133</td> - <td class="tdr">15161</td> - <td class="tdr">789</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1873</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1994</td> - <td class="tdr">92</td> - <td class="tdr">150</td> - <td class="tdr">19379</td> - <td class="tdr">947</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1874</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1994</td> - <td class="tdr">122</td> - <td class="tdr">162</td> - <td class="tdr">22598</td> - <td class="tdr">1045</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1875</td> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - <td class="tdr">2671</td> - <td class="tdr">160</td> - <td class="tdr">165</td> - <td class="tdr">22655</td> - <td class="tdr">1061</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The foregoing tables, taken by themselves, would seem to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>[262]</span> -imply that from the year 1868, the business of the place had -been characterised by a rapid and most satisfactory increase, but -unfortunately for such a deduction, the ships registered as -belonging to any port afford no clue to the number actually -engaged in traffic there, hence it happens that many vessels -hailing from Fleetwood, as their maternal port, are seldom to be -observed in its waters.</p> - -<p>The following are the annual records of the foreign and coasting -trade of the harbour, in which the Belfast and all other steamships -are included under the latter heading:—</p> - -<p class="center90">VESSELS WITH CARGOES.</p> - -<table summary="Annual records of the foreign and coasting trade of the harbour"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Foreign Trade.</span></th> - <th colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Coasting Trade.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Year.</th> - <th>Inwards.</th> - <th>Outwards.</th> - <th>Inwards.</th> - <th>Outwards.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1844</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">436</td> - <td class="tdr">327</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1845</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">580</td> - <td class="tdr">473</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1846</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdr">799</td> - <td class="tdr">927</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1847</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">752</td> - <td class="tdr">913</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1848</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">873</td> - <td class="tdr">857</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1849</td> - <td class="tdr">36</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">1247</td> - <td class="tdr">1059</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - <td class="tdr">14</td> - <td class="tdr">986</td> - <td class="tdr">1014</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1851</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdr">943</td> - <td class="tdr">932</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1852</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td class="tdr">12</td> - <td class="tdr">951</td> - <td class="tdr">823</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td class="tdr">22</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1093</td> - <td class="tdr">919</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1854</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1119</td> - <td class="tdr">983</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1855</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">1101</td> - <td class="tdr">971</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1856</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">1181</td> - <td class="tdr">1120</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1857</td> - <td class="tdr">18</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">1130</td> - <td class="tdr">1150</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1858</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td class="tdr">1020</td> - <td class="tdr">986</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1859</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdr">1023</td> - <td class="tdr">865</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1860</td> - <td class="tdr">71</td> - <td class="tdr">30</td> - <td class="tdr">1123</td> - <td class="tdr">813</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1861</td> - <td class="tdr">68</td> - <td class="tdr">28</td> - <td class="tdr">953</td> - <td class="tdr">713</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1862</td> - <td class="tdr">41</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">884</td> - <td class="tdr">560</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1863</td> - <td class="tdr">27</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">795</td> - <td class="tdr">615</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1864</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">783</td> - <td class="tdr">610</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1865</td> - <td class="tdr">29</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">868</td> - <td class="tdr">623</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1866</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">762</td> - <td class="tdr">612</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1867</td> - <td class="tdr">37</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">737</td> - <td class="tdr">573</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1868</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">689</td> - <td class="tdr">512</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1869</td> - <td class="tdr">28</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">730</td> - <td class="tdr">512</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1870</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">694</td> - <td class="tdr">573</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1871</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">545</td> - <td class="tdr">526</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1872</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">697</td> - <td class="tdr">621</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1873</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">696</td> - <td class="tdr">670</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1874</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">703</td> - <td class="tdr">587</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1875</td> - <td class="tdr">33</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">659</td> - <td class="tdr">589</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>[263]</span></p> - -<p>The particulars given below, concerning the vessels belonging -to Fleetwood, will form an interesting and useful accompaniment to -the foregoing:—</p> - -<table summary="Vessels belonging to Fleetwood"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="2">New Vessels<a id="FNanchor_86" href="#Footnote_86" class="fnanchor">[86]</a> Registered.</th> - <th colspan="2">Lost at Sea.</th> - <th colspan="2">Broken-up (condemned).</th> - <th colspan="2">Transferred to other Ports.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Year.</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Tons.</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Tons.</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Tons.</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Tons.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1851</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">83</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">27</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1852</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">199</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">62</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">44</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1854</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">128</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">1003</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1855</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">104</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">595</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">562</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1856</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">484</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">294</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1857</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">364</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1858</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">239</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">1050</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">54</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1859</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">97</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">739</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">726</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1860</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">865</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">29</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">74</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1861</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">1012</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">518</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1862</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">534</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">416</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">12</td> - <td class="tdr">1844</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1863</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">226</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">1308</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">318</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1864</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">201</td> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - <td class="tdr">3363</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">666</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1865</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">273</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">538</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">517</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1866</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">520</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">1449</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">64</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1867</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">439</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">605</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">214</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1868</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">588</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1869</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">512</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">518</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1870</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">1610</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">683</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">65</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">424</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1871</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">991</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">339</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1872</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">1588</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">427</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">42</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1873</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td class="tdr">2921</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">1966</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">120</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1874</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">2928</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">2304</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - <td class="tdr">—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1875</td> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - <td class="tdr">2410</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">2021</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Now that the dock is no longer a mere word and promise, but -has at length a definite signification and a material existence, -there is every appearance that those into whose hands the -fortunes of the port may be said to have been entrusted have -no intention of any dilatory action in furthering the interests -of their charge. Already, in 1875, a powerful steam dredger -has been purchased at a cost of £12,000 and set to its labours -in the channel and harbour. This dredger, which has superseded -the older and much smaller one, launched in 1840 and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>[264]</span> -used until recently, was built by Simonds and Company, of -Renfrew, on the Clyde, and is of 100-horse power, being capable -of raising 250 tons of sand, shingle, etc., in an hour. In addition -it is able to work in twenty-six feet of water, whereas the original -one was obliged to wait until the tide had ebbed to fourteen feet -before operations could be commenced, so that really the work -which can be accomplished by the new machine is out of all -proportion to that which its predecessor could effect. Several -iron pontoons, or lighters, furnished with false bottoms to expedite -the business of discharging them, formerly performed by hand -and spade, have also been obtained; and the bed of the river -seaward from Fleetwood is rapidly being relieved of its superabundance -of tidal deposits and scourings, which is carried by -the lighters beyond the marine lighthouse at the foot of the Wyre -and deposited in the Lune.</p> - -<p>Steamboat traffic was, and is, the most important branch of -shipping connected with the port, but notwithstanding the -support and encouragement which has been so freely extended to -the Belfast line, sundry attempts by the same company to -establish sea-communications between Fleetwood and other places -have invariably ended in complete failures. In the context we -have endeavoured to trace a brief outline of the steamship trade -of the harbour from its earliest days up to our time. The North -Lancashire Steam Navigation Company was established in 1843, -and commenced operations by running the “Prince of Wales” -and the “Princess Alice,” two large and fast iron steamships for -that date, between this port and Belfast on each Wednesday and -Saturday evening, the return trips being made on the Monday -and Friday. In that year, however, the number of trips was -increased to three per week, the fares for the single journey -being, saloon, 15s.; and deck, 3s. Another steamship the -“Robert Napier,” of 220 horse-power, sailed also from Fleetwood -in 1843, every Friday morning, at 10 a.m. for Londonderry, -calling at Portrush, and returned on Tuesday, the fares -being, cabin, 20s.; and deck, 5s. In 1844 we find that communications, -through the exertion and enterprise of the above -company, were open between Fleetwood and Belfast, Londonderry, -Ardrossan, and Dublin, respectively. The Ardrossan line consisted -of two new iron steamboats, “Her Majesty,” and the “Royal<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>[265]</span> -Consort,” each of which was 300 tons register, and 350 horse-power, -the fares being, cabin, 17s.; and deck, 4s. The Dublin -trip was performed once, and afterwards twice, a week each way, -by the iron steamship “Hibernia,” which called off Douglas, Isle -of Man, to land passengers, but after a year’s trial this communication -was closed. In the summer of 1845, an Isle of Man line was -opened by the steamship “Orion,” which ran daily, except -Sundays; and at the same season the Belfast boats commenced -to make the double journey four days a week, whilst the Londonderry -route was abandoned. As early as 1840, on the completion -of the Preston and Wyre Railway, a daily steam communication -had been established to Bardsea, as the nearest point to Ulverston -and the Lakes; and in the month of September, 1846, on the -completion of Piel Pier, it was transferred to that harbour, -and continued by the steamship “Ayrshire Lassie,” of 100 horse-power, -the fares being, saloon, 2s.; and deck, 1s. In the -following year this boat was superseded by a new steamer, the -“Helvellyn,” of 50 tons register and 75 horse-power, which -continued to ply for many years, in fact, almost until this summer -line was closed, at a comparatively recent date, about eight or ten -years ago. The Fleetwood and Ardrossan steamers discontinued -running in 1847, and at the same time an extra boat, the -“Fenella,” was placed on the Isle of Man route, whilst the Belfast -trips were reduced to three double journeys per week. After a -few years experience the Isle of Man line, a season one only, was -given up; but the Belfast trade, continually growing, soon obliged -the company to increase the number of trips, and step by step to -enlarge and improve the boat accommodation. We need not -trace through its different stages the gradual and satisfactory -progress of this line, but our object will be sufficiently attained by -stating that the two steamships were shortly increased to three. -Afterwards larger and finer boats, having greater power, took the -places of the original ones, and at the present day the fleet -consists of four fine steamers of fully double the capacity of the -original ones, which cross the channel from each port every -evening except Sunday.</p> - -<p>In the year 1874 the whole of the interests of Frederick -Kemp, esq., J.P., of Bispham Lodge, in the Fleetwood and Belfast -steam line were acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>[266]</span> -London and North Western Railway Companies, at that time -owners of the larger share, and now practically sole proprietors. -Up to the date of this transaction the vendor had been intimately -and personally associated with the traffic as managing-owner -from its first institution, in addition to which he was the chief -promoter of the Ardrossan and Isle of Man routes.</p> - -<p>With the solitary exception of the service whose progress has -just been briefly traced out, there is perhaps no single branch of -industry which has assisted so ably in maintaining and stimulating -such prosperity as the town of Fleetwood has enjoyed, -throughout its chequered career, as the fishing traffic. In the -earliest years of the seaport, shortly before the Belfast steamer -communication was established, a second pilot boat, named the -“Pursuit,” arrived in the river from Cowes, but finding little -occupation the crew provided themselves with a trawl-net and -turned their long periods of vigil to profitable account by its use. -This sensible plan of launching out into another field of labour -when opportunities of prosecuting their more legitimate avocation -failed them was not of long duration, probably no more than a -few months, for on the Irish line of steamships commencing to -ply the pilots secured berths as second officers, and their boat was -laid up. The “Pursuit” soon became a tender to a government -ship engaged in surveying; and about ten or twelve months later -was purchased by some gentlemen, denominated the Fleetwood -Fishing Company, and, together with four more boats, hired from -North Meols, Southport, sent out on fishing excursions. At the -end of one year the hired sloops were discharged, and five -similar craft bought by the company, thus making a fleet of six -smacks belonging to the place, connected with the trawling trade. -In the course of three or four years the whole of the boats were -sold, as the traffic had not proved so remunerative a venture as at -first anticipated; and one only remained in the harbour, being -purchased by Mr. Robert Roskell, of this place. Shortly afterwards -a Scotch smack arrived from Kirkcudbright, and in about -twelve months the two boats were joined by three or four from -North Meols, owned for the most part by a family named -Leadbetter, which settled here. Almost simultaneously another -batch of fishing craft made its appearance from the east coast and -took up a permanent station at Fleetwood. The success which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>[267]</span> -attended the expeditions of the deep-sea trawlers was not long in -being rumoured abroad and attracting others, who were anxious to -participate in an undertaking capable of producing such satisfactory -results. Year by year the dimensions of the originally small fleet -were developed as new-comers appeared upon the scene, and added -their boats to those already actively prosecuting the trade. To -trace minutely each gradation in the prosperous progress of this -line of commerce would be wearisome to the reader, and is in no -way necessary to the object we have in view. It will be sufficient -for the purpose to state that in 1860 the number of fishing smacks -on the Fleetwood station amounted to thirty-two, varying in -tonnage from 25 to 50 tons each and built at an average cost of -£500 each, the lowest being £400 and the highest £1,000. The -following will illustrate the plan by which men in the humble -sphere of fishermen were enabled to become the proprietors of -their own craft: A shipmaster supplied the vessel on the -understanding that £100 was deposited at once, and the remainder -paid by quarterly instalments, no insurance being asked for or -proffered regarding risk. The arrangement entered into by the -smack-owners for the conveyance of fish to shore, when they -were engaged out at sea in their calling was most simple and -business-like. The boats kept company during fishing, and on a -certain signal being given one of the number, according to a -previous agreement, received the whole of the fish so far caught -by her fellow craft and returned home, for which service her men -were paid 2s. each by the other crews, who continued their -occupation and arrived in harbour generally on Friday. For the -next week another smack was selected, and thus all in turn -performed the mid-week journey. At present there are no less -than eighty-four sloops belonging to this port, pursuing the -business of fishing, and the arrangements both for their purchase -and the landing of the captured fish have undergone a revolution. -All boats are now paid for when they leave the shipbuilder’s yard, -and the former custom of a mid-week relief, has been relinquished, -each sloop returning and discharging as occasion requires. A -fishing boat’s crew usually consists of four men and a boy. In conclusion -it should be noticed that a special warehouse, about 90 feet -long, was erected in 1859, solely for the use of the fishermen and -agents, or dealers, connected with the trade.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>[268]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THORNTON, CARLETON, MARTON, AND HARDON-WITH-NEWTON.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Torentum, or Thornton, was estimated in the time of -William the Conqueror to contain six carucates of -land fit for the plough, but this computation was -exclusive of Rossall and Burn, which were valued -at two carucates respectively, so that the whole townships held ten -carucates, about one thousand acres of arable soil, or farming -land, a large amount for those days, but insignificant indeed when -we recall the nine thousand seven hundred and thirty acres -embraced by the township at present, either in use for grazing -and agricultural purposes, or forming the sites of town and village -buildings.</p> - -<p>Thornton was held immediately after the Conquest by Roger -de Poictou, and subsequently by Theobald Walter, after whose -death it passed to the crown.</p> - -<p>During the reign of King John, Margaret Wynewick held two -of the six carucates of Torentum, or Thornton, in chief from that -monarch, and her marriage was in his gift. In 1214-15 -Baldewinus Blundus paid twenty marks to John for permission -to espouse the lady and gain possession of her estate.<a id="FNanchor_87" href="#Footnote_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> The -request was granted conditionally on Blundus obtaining the -consent of her friends; and in this he appears to have been -successful, for we learn from a writ to the warden of the Honor -of Lancaster in 1221, that Michael de Carleton paid a fine of ten<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>[269]</span> -marks to Henry III. at that date for having married Margaret, -the daughter and heiress of William de Winewick, without the -royal assent, and for marrying whom Baldewinus Blundus had -formerly paid twenty marks to King John.<a id="FNanchor_88" href="#Footnote_88" class="fnanchor">[88]</a></p> - -<p>In 1258, Margaret de Carleton still retained her lands in -Thornton in her maiden name of Winewick,<a id="FNanchor_89" href="#Footnote_89" class="fnanchor">[89]</a> and it is probable -from that circumstance that her second husband was then dead, -for the writ cited above expressly commanded that her inheritance -should be handed over to Michael de Carleton, the penalty -of ten marks for his disobedience having been received.</p> - -<p>According to the <i>Testa de Nevil</i>, Matilda de Thorneton, a -spinster, whose marriage also lay in the king’s gift, held lands in -Thornton, of the annual value of twenty shillings; and later, -about 1323, a moiety of Thornton was held by Lawrence, the son -of Robert de Thorneton, a member of the same family. In 1346, -John, son of Lawrence de Thorneton, held one carucate of land -in Thornton and Staynolfe, lately of Robert Windewike, in -thanage, paying yearly at four terms thirteen shillings relief, -and suit to the county and wapentake.<a id="FNanchor_90" href="#Footnote_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a> In 1421 John de Thornton -died, possessed of half the manor of Thornton and the -Holmes, which descended to his son, William de Thornton, who -died in 1429, aged thirty years, leaving four daughters—Agnes, -afterwards the wife of William Wodey; Katherine, who married -William Carleton; Elizabeth, the wife of Robert Adlington; -and Johanna, who espoused Christopher Worthington.<a id="FNanchor_91" href="#Footnote_91" class="fnanchor">[91]</a> Much -as it is to be regretted, no more than the scanty information here -given can be discovered concerning the Thorntons, of Thornton; -even tradition is silent on the matter of their residence or local -associations, although it is very likely they occupied Thornton -Hall, a mansion long since converted into a farm house, and -consequently we are obliged to dismiss with this brief notice what -under more favourable auspices would probably have proved one -of the most interesting subjects in the township. In 1292 the -king’s attorney sued Thomas de Singleton for the manor of -Thornton, etc., but the defendant pleaded successfully, that he -only held a portion of the manor, Thomas de Clifton and -Katherine, his wife, holding the third of two parts of twelve<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270"></a>[270]</span> -bovates of the soil.<a id="FNanchor_92" href="#Footnote_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a> In the seventeenth year of the reign of -Edward II., William, father of Adam Banastre, who granted -certain concessions to the prior of Lancaster, held, half the vill of -Thornton, the other half being held, as before shown, by -Lawrence de Thorneton.</p> - -<p>In an ancient survey of the Hundred of Amounderness, completed -in the year 1346, it is stated that the following gentlemen -had possessions in the place called Stena, or Stainall, in Thornton, -at the rentals specified:—John de Staynolfe held four oxgangs of -land, at four shillings and sixpence;<a id="FNanchor_93" href="#Footnote_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a> Roger de Northcrope, one -messuage and one oxgang, at sevenpence halfpenny; Sir Adam -Banastre, knt., five acres, at fourpence; Thomas, the son of Robert -Staynolfe, one messuage and one oxgang, at sevenpence halfpenny; -William Lawrence, a fourth part of an oxgang, at sixteen -pence; Thomas Travers, a fourth part of an oxgang, at sixteen -pence; John Botiler, a fourth part of an oxgang, at sixteen -pence; and Richard Doggeson, five acres, at sixpence. William -de Heton held one carucate of land at Burn, in Thornton township, -for which he paid yearly at two terms, Annunciation and -Michaelmas, ten shillings relief, and suit to the county and -wapentake.<a id="FNanchor_94" href="#Footnote_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a></p> - -<p>In 1521, during the sovereignty of Henry VIII., Thomas, earl -of Derby, was lord of the manor of Thornton, which subsequently -passed into the hands of the Fleetwoods, of Rossall, who -retained it until the lifetime of the late Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, -bart., when it was sold. Thornton has for long been -regarded only as a reputed manor. The largest land proprietors -at present are the Fleetwood Estate Company, Limited, and the -trustees of the late John Horrocks, esq., of Preston, but in -addition there is a number of smaller soil-owners and resident -yeomen. Burn Hall is a building of the fifteenth century, and -was occupied in 1556 by John Westby, of Mowbreck, the owner.<a id="FNanchor_95" href="#Footnote_95" class="fnanchor">[95]</a> -In 1323 the land of Burn was held by William Banastre at a -rental of ten shillings per annum, and about 1346 one carucate of -the same land was held, as already stated, by William de Heton<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271"></a>[271]</span> -for a similar yearly payment. Within the residence of Burn was -a domestic chapel, over the doorway of which stood a polished -oaken slab or board inscribed—“Elegi abjectus esse in domo Dei -mei, magis quam habitari in tabernaculis peccatorum.”<a id="FNanchor_96" href="#Footnote_96" class="fnanchor">[96]</a> The -walls were panelled with oak and carved with shields and foliage, -whilst the ceiling was embellished with representations of vine -leaves and clusters of grapes. Modern alterations have destroyed -most, if not all, interesting relics of past ages. After the -death of John Westby, of Burn Hall, a descendant of the John -Westby before mentioned, in 1722, Burn passed to the Rev. J. -Bennison, of London, who had married Anne, his fourth -daughter. It is said that Mr. Bennison utterly ruined his property, -by attempting a style of agriculture similar to that -described by Virgil in his Georgics. Burn Hall is now, and has -been for many years a farm-house, and the estate forms part of -the large tract held by the representatives of the late John -Horrocks, esq. The land lying towards the coast was formerly -subject to occasional inundations of the sea, but an effectual barrier -has been put by raising a mound round such exposed localities.</p> - -<p>The extensive area known as Thornton Marsh, was a free -open common, used as a pasture by the poor cottagers of -the township until 1800, when it was enclosed, together with -Carleton Marsh, and has since by cultivation been converted into -valuable and productive fields.</p> - -<p>A church and parsonage house were erected at Thornton in -1835, the former being a neat whitewashed building in the early -English style of architecture, with a low square tower, but -presenting externally no special features of attraction beyond its -profuse covering of ivy, which renders it a most picturesque -object in the surrounding landscape. The churchyard also is -well worthy of notice, if only for the luxuriance of its foliage, the -beauty of its flowers, and the taste and elegance exhibited in -several of the monuments. This, like the church and parsonage, -is embosomed in trees. The sacred edifice has been named Christ -Church, and a separate parochial district was assigned to it in -1862, the title of vicar being accorded to the incumbent.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272"></a>[272]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Thornton"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF THORNTON.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1835</td> - <td>David H. Leighton</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1837</td> - <td>Edward Thurtell</td> - <td>Resignation of D. H. Leighton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1841</td> - <td>St. Vincent Beechey, M.A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> E. Thurtell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1846</td> - <td>Robert W. Russell</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> St. V. Beechey</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td>Isaac Durant, M.A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> W. Russell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1869</td> - <td>Samuel Clark</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> I. Durrant</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1870</td> - <td class="bb">Thomas Meadows, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> S. Clark</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Within the building there is a small gallery at the west end, and -the private pews are arranged in two rows, one being placed along -each side of the body of the church, whilst the central portion is -filled with open benches, or forms, free to all worshippers. A -marble tablet “To the memory of Jacob Morris, a faithful warden -for 20 years, who died Oct., 1871,” is fixed against the south wall, -and over the mantel-piece in the vestry is a white-lettered black -board stating that—“This Church was erected in the year 1835, -containing 323 sittings; and, in consequence of a grant from the -Incorporated Society for promoting the enlargement, building, and -repairing of churches and chapels, 193 of that number are hereby -declared to be free and unappropriated for ever.—David Hilcock -Leighton, minister; James Smith and Richard Wright, churchwardens.” -On the font is the following inscription:—“Presented -to Thornton Church by Elizabeth Nutter, of Rough Hall, -Accrington, July 13th, 1874.”</p> - -<p>Mr. James Baines, of Poulton, by will dated 6th of January, -1717, devised to Peter Woodhouse, of Thornton, and six others, -and their heirs, the school-house lately erected by him on Thornton -Marsh, and the land whereon it stood, to be used for ever as a free -school for the children of the township; in addition he -bequeathed to the same trustees several closes in Carleton, called -the Far Hall Field, the Middle Hall Field, and the Vicar’s Hey, -amounting to about twenty-one acres, to the intent, that the -annual revenue therefrom, less 10s. to be expended each year in a -dinner for the trustees, should be devoted to the payment of a -suitable master. In 1806, Richard Gaskell, the sole surviving -trustee, conveyed by indenture to John Silcock, John Hull,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273"></a>[273]</span> -Thomas Barton, of Thornton, Charles Woodhouse of Great -Carleton, Bickerstaff Hull, and Thomas Hull, and the said Richard -Gaskell, their heirs and assigns, the premises above-mentioned, for -the purposes set forth in the will of the founder.<a id="FNanchor_97" href="#Footnote_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> A further -endowment of £500 was left by Mr. Simpson, with a portion of -which farm buildings have been erected on the school estate. -The school-house is situated on the east side of Cleveleys Station, -and consists of a small single-storey building, having two windows -and a central doorway in front. To the west end is attached a -two-storey teacher’s residence. The double erection was built -some years ago, by subscription amongst the inhabitants, on the -site of the original fabric at a cost of rather more than £100. -The master is elected and, when necessary, dismissed by the -trustees, who forego their claim on the 10s. left for an annual -dinner. In 1867 the number of scholars amounted to eighty-eight, -fifty-nine of whom were boys, and twenty-nine girls, -presenting about an average attendance since that date.</p> - -<p>The small village of Thornton comprises only a limited cluster of -dwellings and the old windmill. The Wesleyan Methodists had -established a place of worship in the township as early as 1812, -and about ten years later the Society of Friends opened a meeting-house -here.</p> - -<p>The arable land of Rossall, in Thornton township, or Rushale, -as it was written, is estimated in the Domesday volume at two -carucates. At that time Rossall was included amongst the -princely possessions of the Norman baron, Roger de Poictou, -after whose banishment it passed, by gift of Richard I., to -Theobold Walter, and again reverted to the crown in 1206, on his -demise. King John, at the instigation of Ranulph de Blundeville, -earl of Chester and Lincoln, presented the grange of Rossall to -the Staffordshire convent of Deulacres, a monastic house founded -by that nobleman; and in 1220-1 Henry III. issued a writ to the -sheriff of this county, directing him to institute inquiries by -discreet and lawful men, into the extent of several specified places, -one of which was the pasture of Rossall, recently, “granted by -my father, King John, to the abbot of Deulacres.”<a id="FNanchor_98" href="#Footnote_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a> In 1227-8 a -deed was drawn up between Henry III. and the abbot whereby<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274"></a>[274]</span> -the grange was conveyed, or confirmed, to the latter<a id="FNanchor_99" href="#Footnote_99" class="fnanchor">[99]</a>; and twenty -years subsequently a fresh charter appears to have been framed -and to have received the royal signature, for in the following reign -of Edward I., when that monarch laid claim to the land as a -descendant of King John, the head of the Staffordshire convent -produced a document of 31 Henry III. (1247), at the trial, granting -“to God, the church of St. Mary, and the abbot of Deulacres and -his successors for ever, the manor of Rossall with its appurtenances -and with the wreck of the sea.”<a id="FNanchor_100" href="#Footnote_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a> Sir Robert de Lathum, Sir -Robert de Holaund, Sir John de Burun, Sir Roger de Burton, -Sir John de Cornwall, Sir John de Elyas, and Sir Alan de -Penyngton, knights; Alan de Storeys, Robert de Eccleston, -William du Lee, Hugh de Clyderhou, and Roger de Middleton, -esquires, who composed the jury in the above suit, decided in -favour of the abbot’s title, but at the request of the king’s -attorney, judgment was arrested, and it was pleaded on behalf of -the regal claimant that the abbot’s allegations seemed to imply -that the manor of Rossall was formerly held by the monks of -Deulacres in bailiwick of Kings, John and Henry; that thirty -years at least of the reign of Henry had elapsed before the -predecessors of the present abbot held any fee or free tenement -in the manor, which was worth 100 marks per annum; and -that this rent had been in arrears during the whole of the time; -wherefore the king’s attorney demanded that the accumulation -of these arrears, amounting to 3,000 marks, or £2,000, should -be paid by the abbey to Edward I. The jury stated in their -verdict that the manor had been held by the abbot’s predecessors -as pleaded by the king’s attorney, but that during the last seven -years of King John, and the first twenty-four years of Henry III., -the manor was only worth 30 marks per annum, and in the -remaining six years before the date of the charter put in as -evidence by the abbot in the first trial, they valued the manor -at 40 marks per annum, on which scales the abbey of Deulacres -was condemned to pay the accumulated arrearages. In 1539, -during the reign of Henry VIII., the grange was valued in the -Compotus of the king’s ministers at £13 6s. 3d. per annum.</p> - -<p>The site of the original Hall has long since been washed away<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275"></a>[275]</span> -by the waves, but in earlier years, before the sea had made such -encroachments on the land, the foundations of red sandstone and -the remnant of an old ivied wall were visible near the edge of the -cliff, all being sufficiently traceable to indicate that the mansion -had been one of no mean dimensions. A coat of arms of the -Fleetwood family, rudely engraven on a flat stone, some ornamental -pinnacles, and other relics of the ancient edifice, have also been -discovered at different times. Numerous foundations of large -buildings were once scattered about the sandy soil of the grange, -but most of them were removed eighty years since as impediments -to the course of the plough. In a plot of ground, known -by the title of “Churchyard field,” remains of a structure, running -east and west, in length thirty and in breadth twelve yards, were -taken up about half a century or more ago by a farmer named -John Ball, who whilst removing them came upon some human -bones. The fabric once standing there was conjectured to have -been a chapel or oratory, and the bones to have been those of -priests or others buried within its precincts. Harrison, in -describing the course of the Wyre, says “that at the Chapell of -Allhallowes tenne myles from Garstone it goeth into the sea,” -and Mr. Thornber suggests, in his History of Blackpool and -Neighbourhood, that the foundations disturbed by Mr. Ball may -have been the remains of the oratory alluded to by the ancient -topographer; but whilst admitting that the character of the relics -discovered points to there having been at one time a religious -edifice on the site, we cannot think that its claims to be the -missing chapel are nearly so great as those of Bispham, which is -now known, by an inscription on an old communion goblet, to -have been actually dedicated to All-Hallows, or at least to have -been commonly designated by that name in the seventeenth -century.</p> - -<p>The Allens appear to have held Rossall on lease from the abbot -of Deulacres about a century after the dispute between that -monastery and Edward I. had been decided, for in 1397, during -the reign of Richard II., the name of “Allen of Ross-hall” was -entered in the list of donors to the fraternities of the Preston -Guild of that year. George Allen, of Brookhouse, Staffordshire, -who held Rossall at the date of the Reformation, by virtue of a -long lease granted to his ancestors by an abbot of Deulacres, is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276"></a>[276]</span> -the earliest of this family to whom these tenants of the grange -can be traced genealogically. The widow and daughters of the -grandson of George Allen were ejected from Rossall in 1583, -before the expiration of their lease, and despoiled of valuable -documents and property by Edmund Fleetwood, whose father had -purchased the reversion from Henry VIII., at the time of the -dissolution of monasteries. On that occasion a neighbour, Anion, -seized and appropriated £500 belonging to the Allens on pretence -of remitting it to Dr. William Allen, at Rheims. Mrs. Allen -made an attempt to recover possession of the grange, and a trial -for that purpose took place at Manchester, but her case broke -down through inability to produce the original deeds and papers, -all of which had been either stolen or destroyed when the Hall -was plundered during the ejection.<a id="FNanchor_101" href="#Footnote_101" class="fnanchor">[101]</a> The estate, or grange, of -Rossall, remained in the hands of the Fleetwoods until the -death of Edward Fleetwood, when it passed to Roger Hesketh, -of North Meols, who married Margaret, the only child and -heiress of that gentleman in 1733.<a id="FNanchor_102" href="#Footnote_102" class="fnanchor">[102]</a> The Heskeths, of Rossall, -were descended from the Heskeths of Rufford, through Hugh -Hesketh, an offspring of Sir Thomas Hesketh, of Rufford. Hugh -Hesketh married the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Barneby -Kytichene, or Kitchen, and thus acquired a moiety of the manor -of North Meols. At the decease of Hugh Hesketh, in 1625, the -lands of North Meols descended to his son, Thomas Hesketh, -then 56 years of age, whose son and heir, Robert Hesketh, -was already married to the daughter of—Formby, of Formby. -The only child of Robert Hesketh was the Roger Hesketh, -mentioned above, who also held Tulketh Hall and estate. The -Heskeths continued to reside at Rossall until the lifetime of the -late Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, bart.; and under their proprietorship, -at an early period, or in the latest years of their -predecessors, the ancient Hall was pulled or washed down and -another mansion erected more removed from the shore.</p> - -<p>In 1843 the design of establishing a school for the education of -the sons of clergymen and other gentlemen, under the direct -superintendence of the Church of England, but at a less cost -than incurred at the public schools then in existence, was first<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277"></a>[277]</span> -promulgated by the Rev. St. Vincent Beechey, incumbent of -Thornton and Fleetwood; and mainly through the exertions of -that gentleman a provisional committee for arranging details and -furthering the object in view, was formed in the first month of -the ensuing year. This committee consisted, amongst others, of -the Rev. J. Owen Parr, vicar of Preston, chairman; the Revs. -Charles Hesketh, vicar of North Meols; William Hornby, -vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; John Hull, vicar of Poulton; -R. B. Robinson, incumbent of Lytham; St. Vincent Beechey, -incumbent of Thornton and Fleetwood, hon. sec. <i>pro. tem.</i>; and -Messrs. Thomas Clifton, of Lytham Hall; Daniel Elletson, of -Parrox Hall, and T. R. Wilson-ffrance, of Rawcliffe Hall. At -their first meeting it was decided that the management of the -school should be placed in the hands of a committee of twenty-four -of the principal clergy and laity in the neighbourhood, of -whom fourteen should be clergymen and ten laymen, with power -to fill up vacancies; that the bishop of the diocese should always -be the visitor; that the provisional committee should be the first -members of the council, with which should rest the appointment -of the principal, who must be in holy orders, at such a liberal -salary as would insure the services of one eminently qualified for -so important a post; that the council should have power to -dismiss the principal; that the internal management, subject to -certain regulations, should be committed to the principal, who -should have the appointment and dismissal of all the inferior or -subordinate masters; and that the system of education should -resemble that in the school connected with King’s College, -London, and in Marlborough school, consisting of systematic -religious instruction, sacred literature, classics, mathematics, -modern languages, drawing, music, etc.</p> - -<p>With regard to the admission of pupils it was resolved that the -school should consist of not less than two hundred boys; that no -child should be admitted under eight years of age; that the -mode of admission should be by annual payment, nomination, or -insurance; that any pupil should be admitted on the payment, -half-yearly in advance, of £50 per annum for the sons of laymen, -and £40 for the sons of clergymen; that nominations might be -procured, at the first opening of the school, in order to raise -the required capital, whereby pupils could be admitted on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278"></a>[278]</span> -yearly payment of £40 for the sons of laymen, and £30 for the -sons and wards of clergymen; that a donation of £25, or the -holding of two £25 shares, fully paid up, should entitle the donor -or holder, to one nomination, and a donation of £50, or the -holding of four shares of £25 each, should constitute the donor, -or holder, a life-governor, entitled to have always one pupil in the -school on his nomination; that the shares should be limited to an -annual interest of 5 per cent., and be paid off as soon as possible, -the return of such capital, however, not to destroy the right of -nomination during the life of a governor; that clergymen should -be able to provide for the admission of their children to the -school at a reduced charge of £25 per annum, by paying, on the -principle of life-insurance, small sums for several years previous -to, or one large sum at, the date of entry of each child into the -establishment, such payments to be regulated according to certain -tables, and, of course, forfeited in case the child died.</p> - -<p>The committee stated that the outlay of capital required to -erect a building expressly for the purposes of the school would be -greater than they were likely to be able to meet at the low rate of -nomination which it had been deemed expedient to adopt, and, -therefore, it had been determined to take advantage of the offer -of Rossall Hall by Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart., the mansion being -eminently adapted to the purpose, on account of its size and -situation. It contained many suites of rooms, and an organ -chamber, well suited for a chapel, and furnished with a fine -instrument; and surrounding the Hall were meadows convenient -for play-grounds, and very productive gardens.</p> - -<p>The title of the Northern Church of England School was given -to the institution, and on Thursday, the 22nd of August, 1844, it -was formally opened by the Head Master, Dr. Woolley, in the -presence of the junior masters and from forty to fifty pupils, with -their parents. At that date the school-buildings consisted of -apartments in the old Hall for the principal, junior masters, and -lady superintendent; a dining room, 44 feet long and 20 feet wide, -fitted with a general and masters’ tables; four dormitories, able to -accommodate 100 boys; and a chapel, formerly the organ-room -above mentioned, having benches for the scholars and stalls for -the masters, the school-house itself consisting of four lofty rooms, -each about 34 feet long by 20 feet wide, being detached from the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279"></a>[279]</span> -Hall, and fitted up with handsome oak desks and benches, -fixed upon bronzed cast-iron standards. The play-ground comprised -many acres, and in addition there were convenient covered -areas for the recreation of the boys in wet weather.</p> - -<p>The school was opened with only 70 pupils, but at the -beginning of the second six months the number had increased -to 115, and the establishment was self-supporting.</p> - -<p>The rules of the school have undergone some slight modifications -and additions since they were first framed by the provisional -committee, and no pupils are now admitted under ten or over -fifteen years of age, whilst the annual payments of all pupils -have been raised £20 in each case. The insurance plan of -entrance was never adopted. A donation of 50 guineas now -entitles the donor to a single nomination, and one of 100 -guineas constitutes him a life-governor, with power to vote at -all general meetings, and to have always one pupil in the school -on his nomination. Other rules for the internal management -and government of the school have been framed as the number -of scholars has increased and their requirements become greater.</p> - -<p>There are three exhibitions connected with this institution, of -£50 a year each, called respectively the Council, Beechey, and -Osborne exhibitions, (the last two being named after the late -Honorary Secretary and the late Head Master, through whose -exertions the funds were mainly contributed,) tenable for three -years at any of the colleges of Oxford or Cambridge; and one of -£10 a year, in books, tenable for three years, and founded by -Lord Egerton, of Tatton. Besides these there are about eight or -ten entrance scholarships offered for competition every year, -ranging in value from £10 to £20 each. Of these seven were -founded by George Swainson, esq., and one by the Bishop of -Rupertsland. A number of other special prizes have been -instituted by the present Head Master, the Rev. H. A. James, B.D.</p> - -<p>In 1850 the estate was purchased, and since then fresh buildings -have been erected to provide accommodation for 400 boys. The -old chapel, which was built to supersede the one in the organ-room, -has of late years been converted into a library and class-room. -A dining hall, schools, class-rooms for different branches -of study, spacious dormitories, and a swimming bath have all -been added; whilst extensive enlargements and improvements<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280"></a>[280]</span> -have taken place in the sanatorium, kitchens, laundries, etc. The -old school has been arranged and fitted up as a lecture-room and -laboratory. The new chapel is a handsome edifice, containing -stained glass windows and a richly decorated chancel; it is -dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It should be added that the -original name,—The Northern Church of England School,—has -been discontinued, and that of Rossall School, substituted, as a -more comprehensive title for a great public school.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of head masters of Rossall School"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">HEAD MASTERS OF ROSSALL SCHOOL.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Appointment.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1844</td> - <td>Rev. John Woolley, D.C.L.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1849</td> - <td>Rev. William A. Osborne, M.A.</td> - <td>Resignation of John Woolley</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1869</td> - <td>Rev. Robert Henniker, M.A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> W. A. Osborne</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1875</td> - <td class="bb">Rev. Herbert A. James, B.D.</td> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span> R. Henniker</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>A preparatory school in connection with this college was -successfully established during the reign of Mr. Osborne, about -one mile distant along the shore, in a southerly direction, to -which pupils are admitted at seven years of age, but not younger, -and subsequently drafted into the higher institution.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF THORNTON TOWNSHIP, EXCLUSIVE OF FLEETWOOD.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">617</td> - <td class="tdr">739</td> - <td class="tdr">875</td> - <td class="tdr">842</td> - <td class="tdr">1,014</td> - <td class="tdr">1,013</td> - <td class="tdr">1,023</td> - <td class="tdr">934</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="smcap">Carleton</span>, anciently written Carlentun, is named in the -Domesday Book as comprising four carucates of land; and in -the Black Book of the Exchequer, it is stated that during the -reign of Henry II., 1154-89, Gilbert Fitz Reinfred held four -carucates in Carlinton and another place. In 1254 the manor of -Carleton in Lancashire belonged to Emma de St. John, and at -that date there appears to have been some litigation concerning -her right of proprietorship, but how settled we have no means of -discovering.<a id="FNanchor_103" href="#Footnote_103" class="fnanchor">[103]</a> In the <i>Testa de Nevill</i> it is recorded that Roger -Gernet had the 24th part, and Robert de Stokeport the 48th, of a -knights’ fee in Little Carleton of William de Lancaster’s fee.</p> - -<p>The earliest allusion to the local territorial family occurs in -1221, when Michael de Carleton, as before stated under “Thornton,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281"></a>[281]</span> -paid a fine to Henry III. for having espoused Margaret Wynewick, -or Winwick, a royal ward, without first obtaining permission from -the king. It has been conjectured that Much Carleton received -its peculiar title from this member of the family, and amongst the -records of some ancient pleadings is one of 1557 concerning certain -lands in <i>Miche Carlton</i>, a mode of writing the name which lends -considerable support to the theory. Alyce Hull, widow, was the -plaintive in the dispute. The Carletons, of Carleton, were -connected with the neighbourhood for a very long period as -holders of the manor; Alicia, the daughter of William de Carleton -married Sir Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, in 1281, and -received the manor of Inskip as her dowry; and in 1346 H. de -Carleton possessed four carucates and a half in Carleton.<a id="FNanchor_104" href="#Footnote_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a> Thomas -de Carleton held the manor of Carleton up to the time of his -death in 1500, when he was succeeded by his son and heir George -Carleton, aged 22,<a id="FNanchor_105" href="#Footnote_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a> who died in 1516, leaving an only child, -William, then eleven years of age.<a id="FNanchor_106" href="#Footnote_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a> William de Carleton came -into possession of the property on attaining his legal majority,<a id="FNanchor_107" href="#Footnote_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a> -and died in 1557, being succeeded by Lawrence Carleton, probably -his brother. Lawrence Carleton, who had married Margaret, -the daughter of George Singleton, of Staining, held the estate for -barely twelve months, as he died in 1558 without issue, leaving his -lands and tenements in Carleton, amounting to several extensive -messuages and Carleton Hall, to his only surviving sister, Margaret, -the wife of Thomas Almond.<a id="FNanchor_108" href="#Footnote_108" class="fnanchor">[108]</a> Thus Lawrence Carleton was the -last of the manorial family of that name connected with the -township. Of the ancient Hall of Carlton, the seat of the -Carletons for over three centuries, nothing can be learnt beyond -the fact that it stood opposite the Gezzerts farm, and that almost, -if not quite, within the recollection of the present generation some -ruins of the once noble mansion were visible on its former site, -long since enclosed and used for purposes of agriculture. In 1261 -the abbey of Cockersand held some property in Carleton, as -appears from an agreement entered into at that date between the -abbot of Cockersand and H. de Singleton Parva, by which the -latter transferred a messuage in Carleton, by the side of other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282"></a>[282]</span> -messuages already belonging to the abbey, to the abbot, in -exchange for messuages and an acre of ground in the vicinity of -Stanlawe abbey in Cheshire.<a id="FNanchor_109" href="#Footnote_109" class="fnanchor">[109]</a> Stanlawe abbey itself had sundry -possessions in Carleton shortly after its foundation in 1175,<a id="FNanchor_110" href="#Footnote_110" class="fnanchor">[110]</a> all of -which were conveyed to the abbey of Whalley in 1296, when the -two monastic houses were united, and thus it happened that this -township was included amongst the localities in which Whalley -abbey held lands at the time of its dissolution.</p> - -<p>Sometime during the reign of Henry VIII. the Sherburnes, of -Stonyhurst, Hambledon, etc., became holders of soil in Carleton, -and at a later period had acquired the manorial rights and -privileges. In 1717 Sir Nicholas Sherburne, bart., bequeathed the -manor of Carleton, amongst numerous other estates, to his only -child and heiress, Maria Winifreda Francisca, the duchess of -Norfolk, and two years later the duke of Norfolk had obtained a -settlement by which he held a life interest in Carleton, Stonyhurst, -and other places, the duchess, however, having reserved to herself -the power to dispose of the reversion or inheritance by will or -deed, executed in the duke’s lifetime. The duchess of Norfolk -bequeathed her real estate, including Carleton, on her death in -1745, to her cousin Edward Weld, esq., grandson of Sir John -Weld, of Lulworth Castle, Dorsetshire, whose descendant Edward -Joseph Weld, esq., has disposed of most of his inheritance in -the township to various purchasers, chiefly amongst the local -yeomanry and gentry.</p> - -<p>The Bambers, of the Moor, in Carleton, were people of position -in the township. Richard Bamber, during the latter half of the -sixteenth century, married Anne, the daughter of Thomas -Singleton, of Staining Hall, and consequently was the brother-in-law -of John Leckonby, of Leckonby House, Great Eccleston, who -had espoused Alice, another daughter of the same gentleman. -It is impossible to affirm with certainty what children sprang from -the union of Richard Bamber and Ann Singleton, but of one of -them, Edward, who entered the Romish priesthood, we subjoin an -interesting and tragic account, extracted from the “Memoirs of -Missionary Priests, by the Right Rev. Richard Challoner, D.D.”:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Edward Bamber, commonly known upon the commission by the name of -Reding, was the son of Mr. Richard Bamber, and born at a place called the Moor,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283"></a>[283]</span> -the ancient mansion-house of the family, lying not far from Poulton, in that part -of Lancashire called the Fylde. Having made good progress with his grammar -studies at home, he was sent abroad into Spain, to the English college at -Valladolid, where he learnt his philosophy and divinity, and was ordained priest. -My short memoirs leave us much in the dark as to many passages and particulars -relating to the life and labours of this good priest, as well as to the history of his -trial; but then short as they are they are very expressive of his zeal and indefatigable -labours, his unwearied diligence in instructing the catholics under his charge, -disputing with protestants, and going about doing good everywhere, with a -courage and firmness of mind almost above the power and strength of man. -When, how, or where, he was apprehended, I have not found, but only this, that -he had lain three whole years a close prisoner at Lancaster castle, before he was -brought to the bar, where he stood with an air of fortitude and resolution of -suffering in defence of truth. Two fallen catholics, Malden and Osbaldeston, -made oath that they had seen him administer baptism and perform the ceremonies -of marriage; and upon these slender proofs of his priesthood, the jury, by the -judge’s direction, found him guilty of the indictment. Whereupon the judge -sentenced him to be hanged, cut down alive, drawn, quartered, etc., as in cases of -high treason. It was on the 7th of August, 1646, that he, with two fellow priests, -and a poor wretch, named Croft, condemned to death for felony, were drawn upon -sledges to the place of execution at Lancaster. There Mr. Bamber exhorted -Croft to repentance, and besought him to declare himself a Catholic, confess -some of his more public sins, and be truly contrite and sorry for all—‘and I, -a priest and minister of Jesus Christ, will instantly in his name, and by his -authority, absolve thee.’ On hearing this the officers of Justice began to storm -but Mr. Bamber held his ground, and finally absolved the man in sight and -hearing of the crowd. As Mr. Bamber mounted up the ladder, he paused after -ascending a few steps, and taking a handful of money from his pocket, threw it -amongst the people, saying, with a smiling countenance, that ‘God loveth a -cheerful giver.’ Mr. Bamber was encouraging Mr. Whitaker, one of the other two -priests about to suffer, who appeared not a little terrified at the approach of death, -to be on his guard against the temptation to save his life by renouncing his -creed, when the sheriff called out hastily to the executioner to dispatch him -(Bamber); and so he was that moment turned off the ladder, and permitted to -hang but a very short time, before the rope was cut, the confessor being still alive; -and thus he was butchered in a most cruel and savage manner.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The two following verses, relating to his death, form part of a -long ode or sonnet written at the time:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Few words he spoke—they stopp’d his mouth,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And chok’d him with a cord;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And lest he should be dead too soon,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">No mercy they afford.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“But quick and live they cut him down,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And butcher him full soon;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Behead, tear, and dismember straight,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And laugh when all was done.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284"></a>[284]</span></p> - -<p>The free school of Carleton was founded towards the close of -the seventeenth century. On the 17th of May, 1697, Richard -Singleton, John Wilson, John Davy, and six others recited in an -indenture between them, that Elizabeth Wilson, of Whiteholme, -by her verbal will of the 22nd of September, 1680, declared it to -be her wish that the interest of a fourth of her goods, which -amounted to £59 2s. 0d., should be used by the overseers of -Carleton for the purpose of procuring instruction for so many of -the poorest children of the town of Carleton as they should think -proper; and that one-quarter of her estate had been invested in -land, and the annual revenue therefrom employed according to -her last directions and desire. William Bamber, by will dated -13th of October, 1688, bequeathed £40 to his wife Margaret -Bamber, and Richard Harrison, vicar of Poulton, to the intent -that they should lay out the sum in land or other safe investment, -not to yield less than 40s. per annum, half of which was to be -given, at their discretion, amongst the most needful of the poor -of Great Carleton, and the other moiety to be expended in -purchasing books, or obtaining tuition for such poor children of -the same place as they might select. After the deaths of the two -original trustees, the will directed that the bequest should pass -under the management of the vicar of Poulton, for the time -being, and the churchwarden of Carleton. The money was -invested on the 11th of May, 1689, in a messuage and appurtenances, -a barn, and several closes, called the Old Yard, the Great -Field, the Croft, the New Hey, the Two Carrs, and the third part -of a meadow, named the Great Meadow, all being situated in -Blackpool, and containing by estimation six acres and a half. -The property was immediately leased to the vendor, John Gualter, -at a rental of 40s. a year. By an indenture, dated the 31st of -December, 1706, between Sir Nicholas Sherburne, of Carleton, -Hambleton, and Stonyhurst, and John Wilson, with three others, -of Carleton, it appears that Sir Nicholas leased to the latter, and -their assigns, the school-house, newly erected at a place called -the Four Lane Ends, in Great Carleton, and the site thereof, for a -term of 500 years from the foregoing date, at the nominal rent of -1s. per annum; and John Wilson, with his co-trustees, covenanted -that the same should be used for no other purpose but that of a -school, excepting that Sir Nicholas Sherburne and his heirs<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285"></a>[285]</span> -should have free liberty to hold the courts for the manor of -Carleton within the building. Margaret Bickerstaffe, by her will -of the 19th of April, 1716, left £20, the interest of which she -directed to be employed by her executors in educating some of -the poor children of Carleton. On the 2nd of February, 1737, -Richard Butler and Richard Dickson, trustees for the sale of -certain estates for paying the debts of James Addinson, conveyed -to George Hull, John Sanderson, and others, and their heirs, in -consideration of £42, a close in Thornton, formerly called Rushey -Full Long Meadow, and now Wheatcake, comprising one acre, in -trust, to hold the same and pay the annual proceeds to the master -of the Four Lane Ends school “for his care and pains in teaching -such poor children of Carleton as should be appointed each year -by the chief inhabitants or officers of the township.” The money -seems to have been given by some persons not wishing to disclose -their names, and who selected George Hull, John Sanderson, and -five more, as their agents in the matter, and as first trustees of -the charity. When five of the trustees had died, it was ordained -that seven fresh ones should be elected, and the two remaining be -relieved of their trust. John Addinson, in return for £20, given -by some person, to the inhabitants of Carleton, conveyed to the -same parties a close called the Rough Hey, in Thornton, containing -half an acre, to be dealt with and used as in the previous case. -It is very likely that the £20 here concerned was the sum before -mentioned as the legacy of Margaret Bickerstaffe. All the -premises belonging to the school were vested in six new trustees -by a deed, dated 3rd of June, 1777; and at the visit of the school -commissioners in 1867, the attendance of boys was 50, and of -girls 20, being somewhere about the usual average of later years. -The trustees manage the school property, and appoint or dismiss -the master.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF GREAT AND LITTLE CARLETON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">269</td> - <td class="tdr">308</td> - <td class="tdr">356</td> - <td class="tdr">319</td> - <td class="tdr">378</td> - <td class="tdr">400</td> - <td class="tdr">363</td> - <td class="tdr">433</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township embraces 1,979 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Meretun</span>, or the town of the Mere, was estimated by the -surveyors of William the Conqueror to comprise six carucates of -arable land, and shortly afterwards Sir Adam de Merton held -half of it, on condition that he performed military service<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286"></a>[286]</span> -when required.<a id="FNanchor_111" href="#Footnote_111" class="fnanchor">[111]</a> Somewhere about 1200 William de Merton, a -descendant of Sir Adam, was one of the witnesses to a charter, -concerning a local marsh, between Cecilia de Laton and the abbot -of Stanlawe.<a id="FNanchor_112" href="#Footnote_112" class="fnanchor">[112]</a> In 1207-8 the sheriff of Lancashire received orders -to give Matilda, widow of Theobald Walter, her third of the lands -at Mereton, which her late husband had held up to the time of -his death in 1206, at first for 12s. per annum, and subsequently -for one hawk each year.<a id="FNanchor_113" href="#Footnote_113" class="fnanchor">[113]</a> According to the <i>Testa de Nevill</i>, -Henry III. held three carucates of the soil of Mereton for a few -years, as guardian of the heir of Theobald Walter, and in 1249, -during the thirty-third year of the reign of that monarch, Merton -cum Linholme was in the possession of Theobald Walter, or -le Botiler as he was afterwards called, the heir here mentioned.<a id="FNanchor_114" href="#Footnote_114" class="fnanchor">[114]</a> -Marton descended in the Botiler, or Butler, family until the time -of Henry VIII., when it was sold by Sir Thomas Butler to John -Brown, a merchant of London, in company with Great Layton, -of which manor it had for long been regarded as a parcel, although -in 1323, Great Marton was alluded to as a distinct and separate -manor held by Richard le Botiler.<a id="FNanchor_115" href="#Footnote_115" class="fnanchor">[115]</a> Marton was purchased from -John Brown by Thomas Fleetwood, esq., of Vach, in the county -of Buckingham, whose descendants and heirs resided at Rossall -Hall; and after remaining in the Fleetwood family for many -generations the manor of Layton, with its dependency Marton, -was again sold, and this time became the property of Thomas -Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, Sir P. H. Fleetwood, bart., being -the vendor.</p> - -<p>Little Marton was held in trust by William de Cokerham, -in 1330, for the abbot and convent of Furness,<a id="FNanchor_116" href="#Footnote_116" class="fnanchor">[116]</a> but eight years -afterwards, the manor of Weeton and Little Marton, were held by -James, the son of Edmund le Botiler, earl of Ormond.<a id="FNanchor_117" href="#Footnote_117" class="fnanchor">[117]</a> What -claim James Botiler had to include Little Marton amongst his -possessions in 1338, cannot now be ascertained, but it is certain -that later, at the dissolution of monasteries, it passed to the crown -as part of the fortified lands of Furness Abbey. Subsequently -Little Marton passed to the Holcrofts, and from them, in 1505, to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287"></a>[287]</span> -Sir Cuthbert Clifton, of Lytham Hall, by exchange. John Talbot -Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, a descendant of Sir Cuthbert, and -the son of the late Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, is the present -owner of Great and Little Marton. As the moss and mere of -Marton, perhaps the most interesting objects in the township, -have been fully described in an earlier chapter, devoted to the -country, rivers, etc., of the Fylde, we refer our readers to that -portion of the volume for more detailed information concerning -them. In this place we must content ourselves by stating that -the mere was at one time a lake of no inconsiderable dimensions, -having a fishery of some value attached to it, and that from the -number of trunks of trees, discovered on the clayey soil beneath -the original moss, which extended six miles by one and a half, -there is conclusive evidence that in ancient times the whole of the -wide tract was covered by a dense forest, composed chiefly of oak, -yew, and fir trees. So enormous were some of the trunks -discovered that it was impossible for one labourer to grasp the -hand of another over them. The hamlet of Peel, situated within, -but close to the Lytham border of the township, contains in a -field called Hall-stede, traces of the ancient turreted manorial -mansion of the Holcrofts, of Winwick and Marton,<a id="FNanchor_118" href="#Footnote_118" class="fnanchor">[118]</a> and the -remains of a moat out of which about sixty years ago a drawbridge -and two gold rings were taken. The old lake of Curridmere, -mentioned in the foundation charter of Lytham priory in the -reign of Richard I., was also located in this neighbourhood, the -site being indicated by the soil it once covered bearing the name -of the <i>tarns</i>. A little more than half a century since the <i>tarns</i> -formed nothing but a trackless bog, and beneath its surface a -husbandman discovered the remains of a small open boat, which -had doubtless been used in earlier days on the waters of -Curridmere.</p> - -<p>About 1625 the inhabitants of Marton petitioned, that in -conjunction with “Layton, Layton Rakes, and Blackpool,”<a id="FNanchor_119" href="#Footnote_119" class="fnanchor">[119]</a> the -township might be constituted a separate parish, stating in support -of their prayer that the parish church of Poulton was five miles -distant, and during the winter they were debarred by inundations<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288"></a>[288]</span> -from attending that place of worship. This reasonable request -does not appear to have evoked a favourable response from the -parliamentary commissioners, and it was not until more than a -century and a half later that the district had its claims to the -privilege desired practically acknowledged. The church of St. -Paul, in Great Marton was erected by subscription in 1800, and -opened by license the same year, but was not consecrated until -1804. It was a plain, unpretending structure with front and side -galleries, but having neither chancel nor tower, and capable of -holding upwards of 400 worshippers. In 1857 the increase of the -population rendered it necessary to lengthen the church at the -east end, and at the same time a neat and simple tower was added. -Within the tower is the vestry, above which a number of seats -were raised for the Sunday school children, many of whom had -previously, for want of space, occupied forms in the aisles. A -porch was built over the entrance of the church about 1848, and -in 1871 a chancel was erected. Three bells were purchased by -the parishioners, and placed in the tower in 1868, whilst the -present reading desk and pulpit, were the gift of Miss Heywood, -the daughter of Sir Benjamin Heywood, bart., who formerly had -a handsome marine residence at Blackpool. Previous to 1845 the -musical portion of the service was accompanied by two bassoons -and another wind instrument, but about that date they were -abolished, and a barrel organ substituted, which continued in force -until a few years ago, when it was succeeded by the more modern -key organ at present in use. The church of Marton has now an -ecclesiastical district of its own, but was originally a chapelry -under Poulton. A little anterior to the erection of the church -divine service was conducted in the school-house of Baines’s -Charity, Mr. Sawyer being the first appointed minister.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Marton"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF MARTON.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1762</td> - <td>⸺ Sawyer</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1772</td> - <td>George Hall</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1814</td> - <td>Thomas Bryer</td> - <td>Death of G. Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1843</td> - <td class="bb">James Cookson, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of T. Bryer</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289"></a>[289]</span></p> - -<p>The old parsonage stood on the same site as the present one, -and consisted simply of two cottages united to form one small -residence. In 1846 this house was pulled down, and another, -elegant and commodious, erected in its place, being completed the -following year. Attached to the parsonage are eleven acres of -glebe land.</p> - -<p>James Baines, of Poulton, by will dated 6th of January, 1717, -devised unto John Hull and six others, of Marton, their heirs and -assigns, the school-house lately erected by him in Marton, the -land whereon it stood, a messuage or tenement in Warbreck, -containing about six acres, a messuage or dwelling-house in -Hardhorn-with-Newton, with the smithy and two shippons -thereto belonging, and several closes of land in the same township, -called the Sheep Field, the Croft, the Garden, being about -three acres; also the Many Pits, the Debdale, the Cross Butts, -the Wradle Meadow, and the field adjoining its north-west end, -and the Carr, containing twelve and a half acres, to the intent -that the rents arising from the foregoing should after the deduction -of 10s. for an annual dinner to the trustees, be directed to the -maintenance of a master to instruct the children of the township -in the above-mentioned building. The revenue of the school was -greatly impoverished for many years by the expenses of a chancery -suit about 1850, which arose on the question whether the school -should be continued as formerly or be divided, and part of its -income be devoted to the establishment and support of a similar -institution in the adjoining district of Little Marton. The whole -of the funds were defrayed out of the funds of the charity. A -scheme for its regulation was framed in 1863 by the Master of the -Rolls, providing amongst other matters that the school should be -open to Government inspection, but in no way interfering with -its gratuitous character. The commissioner of 1869 reports:—“Sixty-three -children were present on the day of my visit, -of whom fifty-two were girls, who are taught in the same -classes as the boys, and are with them in play hours. The school -being free, no register of attendance is kept. In arithmetic, six -boys (average age 11), and four girls (average age 10½), did fair -papers; the questions of course were simple ones. Grammar and -geography, in which subjects I examined the highest class, were -tolerably good. The girls read well; the boys (as usual) less so;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290"></a>[290]</span> -spelling was up to the average. The girls are taught to write a -bad angular hand; the master says that it is to please the parents. -He has been in his present position five years, and receives a -salary of £50 a year.” The school property consists of forty -acres of land, producing a gross annual income of about £130. -Both a playground and gymnasium are attached to the school. -There are now two masters. The vicar of Poulton and the vicar -of Marton, <i>ex officio</i>, and five other trustees self-electing, residing -within the township, appoint and dismiss the masters, admit and -expel scholars, appoint an examiner, and regulate the studies. -The chief master must be a member of the Church of England, -and is not permitted to take boarders.</p> - -<p>Margaret Whittam, widow, by will dated 26th of July, 1814, -bequeathed to Edward Hull, Richard Sherson, and John Fair, -of Marton, and her brothers, their executors and administrators, -the sum of £40, duty free, in trust, the interest to be applied to -the benefit of the Sunday school in Marton so long as it should -continue to be taught, and in the event of its being abolished, to -use the same income for the relief of such necessitous persons of -the township as received no alms from the poor rate. The -Sunday school established in 1814 is still kept at Marton, and the -master paid, in part from the interest of the legacy, and the -remainder from subscriptions. About twenty years ago between -£200 and £300 were obtained by means of a bazaar, and -expended in the erection of a school building on a piece of waste -land in Marton, for the purpose of providing for the education of -children, both male and female, under the superintendence of a -mistress. At Marton Moss there is another school, used also as a -church, being served from South Shore, which was built a few -years since through the munificence of Lady Eleanor Cicily -Clifton, of Lytham Hall; and at Moss Side, a small Wesleyan -Chapel was erected by subscription about 1871.</p> - -<p>Edward Whiteside, of Little Marton, sailor, bequeathed by will, -dated 22nd December, 1721, as follows:—“It is my will, that my -ground be kept in lease, according as my executors shall see fit, -and what spares it is my will that they buy cloth and give it to -poor people that has nothing out of the town; it is my will that -it be given in Little Marton, and if there be a minister that -preaches in Marton, that they give him something what they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291"></a>[291]</span> -shall see fit: It is my will, that if they can buy land, that they sell -my personal estate, and buy as much as it will purchase: It is -my will, that two acres, which my father hath now in possession, -that when it falls into my hands and possession, that it go the -way above named: It is my mind and will, that my executors -give it when they shall see fit, and I hope they will choose -faithful men, who will act according to themselves; and I -make my well-beloved friends, Anthony Sherson and Thomas -Grimbalson, executors of my last will.”</p> - -<p>William Whiteside left by will, dated 1742, £100 to be invested, -and the annual proceeds to be spent in furnishing clothing to -the poor of Marton, not in receipt of parish relief. John Hull, -Thomas Webster, and Robert Bickerstaffe, were the original -trustees of this charity.</p> - -<p>John Hodgson, by will dated 25th of September, 1761, devised -his messuage and lands in Marton, and his personal estate, to -John Hull and Richard Whittam, their heirs and assigns, in -trust, to dispose of the same, and after paying his debts and -funeral expenses, to lay out at interest the remainder of the -money so acquired, and devote the yearly income therefrom to -the purchase of meal for poor housekeepers of Great Marton, not -relieved from the town’s rate. The meal to be distributed -annually on the 25th of December. The net amount of the -legacy was £100.</p> - -<p>Edward Jolly, of Mythorp, by indenture, dated 13th of February, -1784, conveyed to James Jolly, James Sherson, and Thomas Fair, -their executors and assigns, the sum of £60, to the intent that it -should be placed on good security, and one shilling of the yearly -income derived be expended weekly in bread, to be distributed each -Sunday to those poor persons who had attended divine service in -the morning at the chapel of Great Marton. The deed directed -that the dole should be given at the door of the chapel immediately -after morning service, by the clerk or some other authorised -person, and that in the event of Marton Chapel, which was then -unconsecrated and supported by subscription, being closed for four -successive Sundays, or converted into a Dissenting place of -worship, the bread money should be transferred to the townships -of Great and Little Singleton, and Weeton-cum-Preese; and the -weekly allowance of food be distributed as above at the parochial<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292"></a>[292]</span> -chapel of Great and Little Singleton. The dole, however, had to -return to Marton chapel as soon as service, according to the -Church of England, was again conducted there. The chapel -alluded to was Baines’s school-house, where it had been the custom -of Edward Jolly to distribute bread each Sunday for several years -previously, and it was with the intention of rendering this practice -perpetual, that the indenture was made. No re-investment of the -money can be legally made without the approval of the minister -of Marton church.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF GREAT AND LITTLE MARTON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">972</td> - <td class="tdr">1,093</td> - <td class="tdr">1,397</td> - <td class="tdr">1,487</td> - <td class="tdr">1,562</td> - <td class="tdr">1,650</td> - <td class="tdr">1,691</td> - <td class="tdr">1,982</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township amounts to 5,452 statute acres, -inclusive of the sheet of water called Marton mere.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hardhorn-with-Newton</span> contains within the limits of its -township the three hamlets or villages of Hardhorn, Newton, and -Staining, of which the last only is alluded to in the Domesday -Survey, where Staininghe is mentioned as comprising six -carucates of land in service. The Coucher Book of Whalley -Abbey furnishes much valuable and interesting information -relating to the district of Staining, and from it we find that -sometime between 1175 and 1296 John de Lascy, constable of -Chester, “gave and by this charter confirms to God and the -Blessed Mary, and to the abbot and monks of the Benedictine -Monastery (Locus) of Stanlawe the <i>vill</i> of Steyninges, with all -things belonging to it, in the <i>vill</i> itself, in the field, in roads, in -footpaths, in meadows, in pastures, in waters, in mills, and in all -other easements which are or can be there, for the safety of my -soul and those of my antecessors and successors. To be held and -possessed in pure and perpetual gift without any duty or exaction -pertaining to me or my heirs, the monks themselves performing -the service which the <i>vill</i> owes to the lord King.” The monks -of Stanlawe retained possession until 1296, when their monastic -institution, with all its property, including Staining, was united to, -or appropriated by, the abbey of Whalley, shortly after which, in -1298, an agreement was arrived at between the prior of Lancaster, -who held Poulton church, and the abbot of Whalley, concerning -the tithes of Staining, Hardhorn, and Newton. “At length,” says -the record, “by the advice of common friends they submitted the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293"></a>[293]</span> -matter to the arbitration of Robert de Pikeringe, Elbor. Official,” -who decided that the abbot and convent of Whalley, formerly of -Stanlawe, should receive in perpetuity the major tithes of every -and all their lands within the boundaries of Staining, Hardhorn, -and Newton, whether the harvests were cultivated by the monks -themselves or by their tenants; but the minor tithes, personal -and obligatory, whether of the abbey tenants or of the secular -servants, were adjudged to the vicar of the church of Poulton and -the prior and monks of Lancaster. The abbot of Whalley was -also directed to pay to the prior of Lancaster at the parish -church of Poulton an annual sum of eighteen marks, as an -acknowledgment, half at the festival of St. Martin and the -remainder at Pentecost. The Coucher Book contains several -deeds of arrangement touching marsh-land in the vicinity of -Staining. Cecilia de Laton, widow, gave to the abbot and convent -of Stanlawe, all her marsh between certain land of Staining and a -long ditch, so that the latter might mark the division between -Staining and Little Layton, the witnesses to the transfer being -William de Carleton, William de Syngleton, and Alan, his son, -William de Merton, and Richard de Thornton; Cecilia de Laton -also quitclaimed to the same monastery all her right to the -mediety of a marsh between “Mattainsmure” and Little Carleton. -William le Boteler exchanged with the Stanlawe brotherhood all -the marsh between the ditch above mentioned and the land of -Staining for a similar tract beyond the trench towards Great -Layton, stipulating that if at any time a fishery should be -established in the ditch, which was doubtless both wide and deep, -the monks and he, or his heirs, should participate equally in the -benefits accruing from it. Theobald Walter granted power to the -abbot of Stanlawe to make use of his mere of Marton for the -purpose of conducting therefrom a stream to turn the mill at -Staining, belonging to the monastery, care being taken that the -fish in the said mere were not injured or diminished. Within the -grange of Staining a chantry was in existence, and its services -were presided over by two resident priests, whose duty it also was -to superintend the property held by the convent of Stanlawe, and -subsequently by the abbey of Whalley, in the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>The following is a list of the conventual possessions and rentals -in Staining at the date of the Reformation:—The house of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294"></a>[294]</span> -Staining 6s. 0d.; Scotfolde close, held by Lawrence Richardson, -5s. 0d., also Cach Meadow, of one acre, 1s. 8d.; a messuage, 30 acres -of land, held by Lawrence Archer, £1 10s. 4d; a messuage, 16 acres, -held by Thomas Salthouse, 16s. 0d.; a messuage, 15 acres, held -by John Johnson, 18s. 2d.; a fishery, held by Richard Whiteside, -18s. 4d.; a messuage, 15 acres, held by Richard Harrison, 18s. -10d.; a messuage, 18 acres, held by William Salfer, 18s. 2d.; a -messuage, 8 acres, held by William Hall, 10s. 4d.; a house and a -windmill, held by Lawrence Rigson, £2 0s. 0d.; a messuage, 18 -acres, held by Robert Gaster, 18s. 2d.; a messuage, 30 acres, held -by Constance Singleton, widow, £1 13s. 0d.; a messuage, 20 acres, -held by Thomas Wilkinson, £1 0s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, -held by John Pearson, 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, held by the -wife of William Pearson, 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 6 acres, held by -Robert Walsh, 6s. 8d.; a messuage, 13 acres, held by Thomas -Dickson, 13s. 4d., and 4 hens; a messuage, 20 acres, held by John -Sander, £1 0s. 0d. and 6 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by -William Hey, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 6 acres, held by -Ralph Dape, 7s. 6d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 8½ acres, held by -the wife of Richard Dane, 7s. 6d. and three hens. In Hardhorn -the abbey possessed a messuage, 10 acres, held by William -Lethum, at 10s. per annum; a messuage, 20 acres, held by Robert -Lethum, £1 0s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, held by Henry ffisher, -10s.; a messuage, 10 acres, held by William Pearson, 10s. 0d. -and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by John ffisher, 10s. 0d. -and 3 hens: a messuage, 10 acres, held by William Silcocke, 10s. -0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 acres, held by Richard Hardman -until “ye time that Richard Hardman, son of William Hardman, -come to ye age of 21 yeares,” 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 10 acres, held -by Richard Hardman, junior, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 10 -acres, held by Robert Silcocke, 10s. 0d.; a messuage, 12 acres, -held by Robert Whiteside, 12s. 6d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 12 -acres, held by Richard Bale, 12s. 6d. and 3 hens; a messuage, 7 -acres, held by Henry ffisher, junior, 7s. 6d. and 2 hens; a messuage, -2 acres, held by John Allards, 2s. 0d. and 2 hens; a messuage, 10 -acres, held by John Walch, 10s. 0d. and three hens; a messuage, -10 acres, held by Robert Crow, 10s. 0d. and 2 hens; a messuage, -20 acres, held by Richard Garlick, £1 0s. 0d. and 6 hens; a -messuage, 10 acres, held by John Ralke, 10s. 0d. and 3 hens; a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295"></a>[295]</span> -messuage, 10 acres, held by Edmund Holle, 10s. 0d. In Carleton -the abbey owned a close named Whitbent, which William Carleton -rented at 1s. 6d., a year; and in Elswick, a barn and 3 acres of -land, held by Christopher Hennett, for an annual payment of 3s. -4d. In the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey, from which the -foregoing information has been obtained there occurs the following -notice, relating to the Hall, apparently written when the above -survey was made:—“The house of Stayning is in length xxvii. -yards, and lofted ou’r and slated; ye close called ye little hey -contains by estimation halfe an acre, and ye said house payeth -yearly, 6s.” Sir Thomas Holt, of Grizlehurst, appears to have -been the first proprietor of the conventual lands of Staining after -they had been confiscated to the crown at the dissolution of -monasteries; and from him they were purchased, either towards -the end of the reign of Henry VIII., or at the commencement of -that of Edward VI., by George the son of Robert Singleton, by -his wife Helen, daughter of John Westby, of Mowbreck. The -Singletons, of Staining, resided at the Hall until the close of the -seventeenth century, and during that long period formed alliances -with several of the local families of gentry, as the Carletons of -Carleton, the Fleetwoods of Rossall, the Bambers of Carleton, -and the Masseys of Layton. On the death of George Singleton, -the last of the male representatives of the Singletons of Staining, -somewhere about 1790, the estates descended to John Mayfield, -the son of his sister Mary, and subsequently, on his decease -without issue, to his nephew and heir-at-law, William Blackburne. -Staining Hall, now the property of W. H. Hornby, -esq., of Blackburn, is a small and comparatively modern residence, -presenting in itself nothing calling for special notice or comment -from an antiquarian point of view. Remains of the old moat, -however, are still in existence round the building, but beyond this -there is no indication of the important station the Hall must have -formerly held in the surrounding country, both as the abode of -some of its priestly proprietors, of Stanlawe and Whalley, and the -seat of a family of wealth and position, like the Singletons would -seem to have been.</p> - -<p>The township of Hardhorn-with-Newton contains the free -school erected and endowed by Mr. James Baines, which has -already been fully noticed in the chapter devoted to Poulton.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296"></a>[296]</span> -In the hamlet of Staining a chapel and school combined was -erected by private munificence in 1865, the former building used -for such purposes being both inadequate and inappropriate. The -foundation stone was laid by Mrs. Clark, the wife of the late -vicar of Poulton, on a site given by W. H. Hornby, esq., of -Blackburn and Staining. The ceremony took place on the 26th -of May, 1865, and on the 3rd of December in that year service -was first performed in the edifice by the Rev. Richard Tonge, of -Manchester. The building is of brick, with stone dressings, and -comprises a nave, apsis, and tower of considerable altitude, containing -a fine toned bell.</p> - -<p>On the 1st of February, 1748, Thomas Riding re-leased to John -Hornby and Thomas Whiteside, a dwelling-house and certain -premises for the remainder of a term of 1,000 years, to be held in -trust by them and their heirs for the use and benefit of the poor -housekeepers in Hardhorn-with-Newton township, in such -manner as directed by the will of Ellen Whitehead. The -property of this charity in 1817 consisted of half an acre of -ground, and three cottages and a weaving shed standing upon -it, together with £40 in money, out at interest. It cannot be -ascertained either who Ellen Whitehead was or when she died.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF HARDHORN-WITH-NEWTON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">311</td> - <td class="tdr">324</td> - <td class="tdr">392</td> - <td class="tdr">409</td> - <td class="tdr">358</td> - <td class="tdr">386</td> - <td class="tdr">389</td> - <td class="tdr">436</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township extends over 2,605 statute acres.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297"></a>[297]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE PARISH OF BISPHAM.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-b.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Biscopham was the appellation bestowed on the -district now called Bispham at and before the era of -William the Conqueror, in whose survey it appears -as embracing within its boundaries eight carucates of -arable land. The original name is simply a compound of the two -Anglo-Saxon words <i>Biscop</i>, a bishop, and <i>Ham</i>, a habitation or -settlement, the signification of the whole being obviously the -‘Bishop’s town,’ or ‘residence.’ Hence it is clear that some -episcopal source must be looked to as having been the means of -conferring the peculiar title on the place, and fortunately for the -investigator, the annals of history furnish a ready clue to what -otherwise might have proved a question difficult, or perhaps -impossible, of satisfactory solution. In a previous chapter it has -been noted that for long after the reign of Athelstan Amounderness -was held by the See of York, and nothing can be more natural -than to suppose, when regarding that circumstance in conjunction -with the significance of the name under discussion, that the -archbishops of the diocese had some residence on the soil of -Bispham. It is quite possible, however, that there may have been -merely a station of ecclesiastics who collected the rents and -tithes of the Hundred on behalf of the bishopric, acting in fact as -stewards and representatives of the archbishop for the time being, -but in either case it is evident that the name and, consequently, -the town, are of diocesan origin, doubtless associated with the -proprietorship above mentioned. The presence of priests in -residence within the manor of Bispham would necessarily lead to -the establishment there of some chapel or oratory, and the absence<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298"></a>[298]</span> -of any allusion to such a structure by the investigators of William -I. seems, at the first glance, a serious obstacle to the episcopal -theory, but Bispham was located between the two Danish colonies -of Norbreck and Warbreck, a people whose hostility to all religious -houses was almost proverbial, and hence it is scarcely likely that -a church so conveniently situated, as that of Bispham would be, -could long escape spoliation and destruction after the prelates of -York had removed their protection from the neighbourhood, at -some date anterior to the arrival of the Normans in England. -The ravages of the Danes indeed, throughout the Hundred of -Amounderness are usually the reasons assigned why the district -was relinquished by the See of York, so that the non-existence of -a sacred pile of any description at the period of the Domesday -Survey, is in no way contradictory of such a building having been -there, at an earlier epoch. At the close of the Saxon dynasty the -number of acres in cultivation in the manor of Bispham exceeded -those of the five next largest manors in the Fylde by two hundred, -thus Staining, Layton, Singleton, Marton, and Thornton, each -contained six hundred acres of arable soil, whilst Bispham had -eight hundred in a similar condition. About thirty years after -the Norman Survey, Geoffrey, the sheriff, bestowed the tithes of -Biscopham, upon the newly founded priory of St. Mary, in -Lancaster, being incited thereto by the munificent example of -Roger de Poictou. In this grant no allusion is made to any -church, an omission which we should barely be justified in -considering accidental, but which would rather seem to indicate -that the edifice was not erected until later. The earliest allusion -to it is found in the reign of Richard I., 1189—1199, when -Theobald Walter quitclaimed to the abbot of Sees, in Normandy, -all his right in the advowson of Pulton and the church of -Biscopham, pledging himself to pay to the abbey ten marks a year -during the period that any minister presented by him or his heirs -held the living.<a id="FNanchor_120" href="#Footnote_120" class="fnanchor">[120]</a> In 1246 the mediety of Pulton and Biscopham -churches was conveyed to the priory of St. Mary, in Lancaster, an -offshoot from the abbey of Sees, by the archdeacon of Richmond; -and in 1296 the grant was confirmed to the monastery by John -Romanus, then archdeacon of Richmond, who supplemented the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299"></a>[299]</span> -donation of his predecessor with a gift of the other mediety, to be -appropriated after the decease of the person in possession, -stipulating only that when the proprietorship became complete -the conventual superiors should appoint a vicar at an annual -salary of twenty marks. At the suppression of alien priories the -church of Bispham was conveyed to the abbey of Syon, and -remained attached to that foundation until the Reformation of -Henry VIII.</p> - -<p>The original church of Bispham, subsequently to the Norman -invasion, was built of red sandstone, and comprised a low tower, a -nave, and one aisle. A row of semicircular arches, resting on -round, unornamented pillars, supported the double-gabled roof, -which was raised to no great altitude from the ground; whilst -the walls were penetrated by narrow lancet windows, three of -which were placed at the east end. The pews were substantial -benches of black oak. In 1773 this venerable structure was -deprived of its flag roof and a slate one substituted, the walls at -the same time being raised to their present height. During the -alterations the pillars were removed and the interior thoroughly -renovated, more modern windows being inserted a little later. -There is a traditional statement that the church was erected by -the monks of Furness, but beyond the sandstone of which it was -built having in all probability come from that locality, there -appears to be nothing to uphold such an idea. Over the main -entrance may still be seen an unmistakable specimen of the -Norman arch, until recent years covered with plaster, and in -that way retained in a very fair state of preservation.</p> - -<p>In 1553 a commission, whose object was to investigate -“whether ye belles belongynge to certayne chapelles which be -specified in a certayne shedule be now remayning at ye said -chapelles, or in whose hands or custodie the same belles now be,” -visited Bispham, and issued the following report:—“William -Thompson and Robert Anyan, of ye chapell of Byspham, sworne -and examyned, deposen that one belle mentioned in ye said -shedule was solde by Edwarde Parker, named in ye former -commission, unto James Massie, gent., for ye some of <span class="allsmcap">XXIII</span>ˢ. <span class="allsmcap">IV</span>ᵈ.” -Nothing is known respecting the number or ultimate destination -of the peal alluded to. The belfry can now only boast a pair -of bells.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300"></a>[300]</span></p> - -<p>Formerly there were many and various opinions as to the -dedication of the church, Holy Trinity and All Saints having -both been suggested, but the question is finally set at rest by a -part, in fact the sole remnant, of the ancient communion service, -the chalice, which is of silver gilt, and bears the inscription:—“The -gift of Ann, Daughter to John Bamber, to ye Church of -Allhallows, in Bispham; Delivered by John Corritt, 1704.” -Within the building, fastened to the east wall, and immediately to -the right of the pulpit, are four monumental brasses inscribed as -under:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Here lyes the body of John Veale, late of Whinney Heys, Esq., who dyed the -20th Jan., 1704, aged sixty.”</p> - -<p>“Here lyes the body of Susannah, wife of the late John Veale, Esq., of -Whinney Heys, Esq., who departed this life the 20th of May, 1718, aged 67 -years.”</p> - -<p>“Here lyes the body of Edward Veale, late of Whinney Heys, Esq., who -departed this life the 11th of August, 1723, aged 43 years.”</p> - -<p>“Here lyes the body of Dorothy Veale, eldest daughter of John Veale, late of -Whinney Heys, Esq., who departed this life the 9th day of January, in the year of -our Lord, 1747, and in the 77th year of her age.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Beneath these tablets, the only ones in the church, was the -family vault of the Veales, of Whinney Heys, now covered over -by pews. During the year 1875 the nave was re-seated, and at the -time when the flooring was taken up numerous skulls and bones -were found in different parts of the building, barely covered with -earth, plainly indicating that interments had once been very -frequent within the walls, and causing us to wonder that no mural -or other monuments, beyond those just given, are now visible, or, -indeed, remembered by any of the old parishioners. None of the -stones in the graveyard are of great antiquity, and the most -interesting object on that score is a portion of an ancient stone -cross, having the letters I.H.S. carved upon it, on the broken summit -of which a sun-dial has been mounted. Tradition has long affirmed -that Beatrice, or Bridget, the daughter of Oliver Cromwell, who -espoused General Ireton, and after his death General Fleetwood, -lies buried here, but this is a mistake, probably arising from the -proximity of the Rossall family, having the same name as her second -husband; the lady was interred at Stoke Newington on the 5th -of September, 1681. There are no stained glass windows, and the -walls of the church are whitewashed externally.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301"></a>[301]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of perpetual curates and vicars of Bispham"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF BISPHAM.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1559</td> - <td>Jerome Allen</td> - <td>Abbey of Syon</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1649</td> - <td>John Fisher</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1650</td> - <td>John Cavelay</td> - <td></td> - <td>Resignation of J. Fisher</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1674</td> - <td>Robert Brodbelt</td> - <td></td> - <td>Death of J. Cavelay</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1689</td> - <td>Robert Wayte</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1691</td> - <td>Thomas Rikay</td> - <td></td> - <td>Death of R. Wayte</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1692</td> - <td>Thomas Sellom</td> - <td>Richard Fleetwood</td> - <td>Death of T. Rikay</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1715</td> - <td>Jonathan Hayton</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1753</td> - <td>Christopher Albin</td> - <td>Edward Fleetwood</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1753</td> - <td>Roger Freckleton</td> - <td>Roger Hesketh</td> - <td>Death of C. Albin</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1760</td> - <td>Ashton Werden</td> - <td>Roger Hesketh</td> - <td>Death of Roger Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1767</td> - <td>John Armetriding</td> - <td>Roger Hesketh</td> - <td>Death of A. Werden</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1791</td> - <td>William Elston</td> - <td>Thomas Elston</td> - <td>Death of John Armetriding</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1831</td> - <td>Charles Hesketh, M.A.</td> - <td>Sir P. H. Fleetwood</td> - <td>Death of W. Elston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1837</td> - <td>Bennett Williams, M.A.</td> - <td>Rev. C. Hesketh</td> - <td>Resignation of C. Hesketh</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1850</td> - <td>Henry Powell, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of B. Williams</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1857</td> - <td>W. A. Mocatta, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of H. Powell</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1861</td> - <td>James Leighton, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of W. A. Mocatta</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1874</td> - <td>C. S. Hope, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of J. Leighton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1876</td> - <td class="bb">Francis John Dickson</td> - <td class="bb">Ditto</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of C. S. Hope</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The living was a perpetual curacy until lately, when it was -raised to the rank of a vicarage. The Rev. Charles Hesketh, -M.A., of North Meols, has been the patron for almost half a -century. Divine worship, according to the ritual of the Roman -Catholics, was last celebrated in Bispham church during -March, 1559, immediately after the death of Queen Mary, when -her protestant successor, Elizabeth, ascended the throne. The -pastor, Jerome Allen, a member of the Benedictine brotherhood, -assembled his flock at nine in the morning of the 25th of that -month, and previous to administering the holy sacrament, -addressed a few words of farewell and advice to his congregation. -“Suffused in tears,” records the diary of Rishton, “this holy and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302"></a>[302]</span> -good man admonished his people to obey the new queen, who -had succeeded Mary, the late one, and besought them to love God -above all things, and their neighbours as themselves.” It is said -that after vacating his cure at Bispham, the Rev. Jerome Allen, -retired to Lambspring, in Germany, where he spent the remainder -of his life in the strictest religious observances enjoined by his -creed. In 1650 the following remarks concerning Bispham -were recorded by the ecclesiastical commissioners of the Commonwealth:—“Bispham -hath formerly been a parish church, -containing two townships, Bispham-cum-Norbreck and Layton-cum-Warbreck, -and consisting of three hundred families; the -inhabitants of the said towns desire that they may be made a -parish.” In the survey of the Right Rev. Francis Gastrell, D.D., -bishop of Chester, the annexed notice occurs:—“Bispham. Certif. -£8 0s. 0d., viz., a parcell of ground, given by Mr. R. Fleetwood, -worth, taxes deducted, £5 per year; Easter Reckonings, £3. -Richard Fleetwood, esq., of Rossall Hall, settled upon the church -in 1687 a Rent Charge of £10 per ann. for ever. Bispham-cum-Norbreck, -and Layton-cum Warbreck, for which places serve four -Churchwardens, two chosen by the ministers and two by the -parish.” In 1725 Edward Veale, of Whinney Heys, gave £200 -to augment the living, and a similar amount was granted from -Queen Anne’s Bounty for a like purpose. Three years later £400 -more were acquired, half from the fund just named, and half -from Mr. S. Walter. The parish registers commence in 1599.</p> - -<p>William le Botiler, or Butler, held the manors of Layton, -Bispham, and Warbreck, according to the Duchy Feordary, in -the early part of the fourteenth century, and in 1365 his son, Sir -John Botiler, granted the manors of Great and Little Layton and -Bispham, to Henry de Bispham and Richard de Carleton, chaplains. -Great Bispham probably remained in the possession of the -church until the dissolution of the monasteries. Norbreck and -Little Bispham appear to have belonged to the convent of Salop, -and were leased by William, abbot of that house, together with -certain tithes in Layton, to the abbot and convent of Deulacres, -by an undated deed, for eight marks per annum, due at Martinmas.<a id="FNanchor_121" href="#Footnote_121" class="fnanchor">[121]</a> -In 1539 the brotherhood of Deulacres paid rent for lands<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303"></a>[303]</span> -in Little Bispham and Norbreck, and an additional sum of 2s. -to Sir Thomas Butler, for lands in Great Bispham.<a id="FNanchor_122" href="#Footnote_122" class="fnanchor">[122]</a> After the -Reformation, Bispham was granted by Edward VI., in the sixth -year of his reign, to Sir Ralph Bagnell, by whom it was sold to -John Fleetwood, of Rossall; and in 1571, Thomas Fleetwood, -the descendant of the last-named gentleman, held Great and Little -Bispham and Layton.<a id="FNanchor_123" href="#Footnote_123" class="fnanchor">[123]</a> The manors remained invested in the -Rossall family until the lifetime of the late Sir P. H. Fleetwood, -by whom they were sold to the Cliftons, of Lytham, John Talbot -Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, being the present lord.</p> - -<p>The subjoined account of a shipwreck on this coast is taken -from the journal of William Stout, of Lancaster, and illustrates -the uses to which the church was occasionally put in similar -cases of emergency:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Our ship, Employment, met with a French ship of some force, bound to -Newfoundland, who made a prize of her. The French were determined to send -her directly to St. Malo; when John Gardner, the master, treated to ransome her, -and agreed with the captors for £1,000 sterling. The French did strip the sailors -of most of their clothes and provisions; and coming out of a hot climate to cold, -before they got home they were so weak that they were scarce able to work the -ship, and the mate being not an experienced pilot, spent time in making the land, -and was embayed on the coast of Wales, but with difficulty got off, and then made -the Isle of Man, and stood for Peel Fouldrey, but missed his course, so that he -made Rossall Mill for Walna Mill, and run in that mistake till he was embayed -under the Red Banks, behind Rossall, so as he could not get off; and it blowing -hard, and fearing she would beat, they endeavoured to launch their boat; but -were so weak that they could not do it, but came to an anchor. She struck off -her rudder, and at the high water mark she slipped her cables and run on shore, -in a very foul strong place, where she beat till she was full of water, but the men -got well to land. But it was believed if they had been able to launch the boat -and attempted to land in her, the sea was so high and the shore so foul, that they -might have all perished. This happened on the 8th month, 1702, and we had -early notice of it to Lancaster, and got horses and carts with empty casks to put -the damaged sugars in, and to get on shore what could be saved, which was done -with much expedition. We got the sugar into Esquire Fleetwood’s barn, at -Rossall, and the cotton wool into Bispham chapel, and in the neap tides got the -carpenters at work, but a storm came with the rising tides and beat the ship to -pieces. The cotton wool was sent to Manchester and sold for £200.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In the early years of this century Bispham contained a -manufactory for the production of linsey-woolsey. The building -was three stories in height, and employed a considerable number<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304"></a>[304]</span> -of hands. Subsequently it was converted into a ladies’ school, and -afterwards pulled down. Two or three residences in the township -near the site of the old manufactory still retain the names of -‘factory houses,’ from their association with it. There is a small -Nonconformist place of worship in the village, surrounded by a -wall, being partially covered with ivy and overshadowed by trees. -This edifice is called Bethel Chapel, and a date over the doorway -fixes its origin at 1834. In 1868 a Temperance Hall, comprising -a reading room, library, and spacious lecture and assembly room, -was erected here by subscription, and forms one of the most -striking objects in the village. The Sunday school connected -with the parish church, and situated by its side, was erected also -by subscription, in 1840, and rebuilt on a larger scale in 1873.</p> - -<p>The hamlet of Norbreck is situated on the edge of the cliffs -overhanging the shore of the Irish Sea, and consists of several -elegant residences tenanted by Messrs. Swain, Burton, Harrison, -Wilson, and Richards. None of the houses present any features -calling for special comment, but appear, like others at no great -distance, as Bispham Lodge, the seat of Frederick Kemp, esq., J.P., -to have been built within comparatively recent years as marine -retreats for the gentry of neighbouring towns, or others more -intimately associated with the locality.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF BISPHAM-WITH-NORBRECK.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">254</td> - <td class="tdr">297</td> - <td class="tdr">323</td> - <td class="tdr">313</td> - <td class="tdr">371</td> - <td class="tdr">394</td> - <td class="tdr">437</td> - <td class="tdr">556</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township includes 2,624 statute acres.</p> - -<p>The Free Grammar School was established in 1659, when -Richard Higginson, of St. Faith’s, London, bequeathed unto the -parish of Bispham sundry annual gifts in perpetuity, and -especially the yearly payment of £30 for and towards the -support of a school-master and usher at the school of Bispham, -lately erected by him. From a subsequent deed it appears that -the annual sums were made chargeable on two messuages in -Paternoster Row, London, belonging to the dean and chapter of -St. Pauls, but as the interest Higginson possessed in such -property was acquired at the sale of the dean and chapter lands -during the Commonwealth, it followed that on the restoration -of Charles II., the rentals forming his bequest were not forthcoming. -Further, the document recites that John Amburst,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305"></a>[305]</span> -of Gray’s-inn, esq., and Elizabeth, his wife, who was the widow -and sole executrix of Richard Higginson, being desirous that -the object of the founder should be carried out, paid to John -Bonny and others in trust £200, to be invested in land and the -annual income thereof devoted to the maintenance of an able and -learned schoolmaster at the before-mentioned school of Bispham. -The costs of a chancery suit in 1686 reduced the donation to £180, -but the trustees made up the sum to the original amount and -reimbursed themselves by deducting £5 per annum from the salary -of the master for four years. In 1687, Henry Warbreck conveyed -in consideration of £200, to James Bailey and five other trustees -of the charity, elected by a majority of the inhabitants, the closes -known as the Two Tormer Carrs, the Two New Heys, the Great -Hey, the Pasture, the Boon Low Side, the Little Field, and 35 -falls of ground on the west of the Meadow Shoot close, amounting -to about 14 acres, and situated in Layton, “for the above-named -pious use; and it was agreed, that when any three of the five -trustees, or six of any eight which should hereafter be chosen, -should happen to die, the survivors should convey the premises to -eight new trustees to be chosen, two out of each of the respective -townships of Layton, Warbreck, Bispham, and Norbreck, by the -consent of the major part of the inhabitants of those townships, -and that the said trustees should from time to time employ the -rents for and towards the maintenance and benefit of an able and -learned schoolmaster, to teach at the school at Bispham.”<a id="FNanchor_124" href="#Footnote_124" class="fnanchor">[124]</a> In -1817, Thomas Elston, and George Hodgson, of Layton, Robert -Bonny, and William Bonny, of Warbreck, William Butcher, -junior, and James Tinkler, of Bispham, and Thomas Wilson, and -Joseph Hornby, of Norbreck, were appointed trustees at a public -meeting convened by William Bamber and William Butcher, the -two surviving trustees. The newly elected governors were directed -“to permit the dwelling-house and school to be used as a residence -for the schoolmaster and a public school for the instruction of the -children of the parish of Bispham-with-Norbreck, in reading, -writing, arithmetic, English grammar, and the principles of the -English religion, gratuitously, as had been heretofore done, and to -hold the residue of the premises upon the trust mentioned in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_306"></a>[306]</span> -last deed.”<a id="FNanchor_125" href="#Footnote_125" class="fnanchor">[125]</a> The commissioner who visited the school in 1868 -remarked:—“The building is an old house, through whose -thatched roof the rain penetrates in winter, dropping all over the -desks, and gathering in pools upon the floor; the room is very -small, 30½ by 14½ feet and 7½ feet high to the spring of the roof, -and the air being so foul that I was obliged to keep the door open -while examining the children.” The use of the dilapidated -structure here alluded to has been discontinued, and the scholars -assemble in a room in the Temperance Hall until a fresh school-house -has been erected.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Layton-with-Warbreck</span> is the second of the two townships -comprised in the ancient parish of Biscopham or Bispham. -The Butlers, barons of Warrington, were the earliest lords of -Layton. In 1251, Robert Botiler, or Butler, obtained a charter -for a market and fair to be held in “his manor of Latton.” The -estate descended in the same family with some interruptions, until -the reign of Henry VIII., when it was sold by Sir Thomas Butler -to John Brown, of London, who on his part disposed of it, in 1553, -to Thomas Fleetwood. The manor was retained by the Fleetwoods -up to the time of the late Sir. P. Hesketh Fleetwood, of Rossall, -by whom it was conveyed, through purchase, to the Cliftons, of -Lytham. The following abstract from the title deed touching the -transfer of the property from John Brown to Thomas Fleetwood -will not be without interest to the reader:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“By Letters Patent under the Great Seal of England, bearing date the 19th day -of March, in the first year of the reign of Queen Mary. After reciting that Sir -Thomas Butler, Knight, was seized in fee of the Mannour of Layton, otherwise -Great Layton, with the Appurtenances, in the county of Lancaster, and that his -estate, title, and interest therein by due course of Law, came to King Henry the -Eighth, who entered thereon and was seized in fee thereof, and being so seized -did by his letters patents under the seal of his Duchy at Lancaster, bearing date -the 5th day of April, in the thirty-fourth year of his Reign, (amongst other things) -give, grant, and restore unto the said Sir Thomas Butler, his heirs, and Assigns, the -said Mannour and its Appurtenances, by virtue whereof the said Sir Thomas -Butler entered and was seized in fee thereof, and granted the same to John Brown, -Citizen and Mercer of London, his heirs and assigns, and that Brown entered and -was seized thereof in fee, and granted and sold the same to Thomas Fleetwood, -Esq., his heirs and Assigns, and that the said Thomas Fleetwood entered thereon -and was at that time seized in fee thereof. And further reciting that the said Sir -Thomas Butler held and enjoyed the said Mannour, with its Appurtenances, from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_307"></a>[307]</span> -the time of making said Grant until he sold and conveyed the same to the said -Brown without disturbance, and that the said Brown held the same until he sold -and conveyed to the said Thomas Fleetwood without disturbance, and that the said -Thomas Fleetwood had held and enjoyed the same for near four years without -disturbance, and was then seized in fee thereof. But because it had been doubted -whether the said Letters Patent and Grant made by King Henry the Eighth to -Sir Thomas Butler were good and valid in the Law, because they were under the -Seal of the Duchy of Lancaster, and not under the Great Seal, and because it -appeared unto her said Majesty, that the said King Henry the Eighth, her Father, -had promised that the said Sir Thomas Butler, should have the said Grant either -under the Great Seal or the seal of the Duchy of Lancaster, She willing to perform -her Father’s promise and to remove all doubts, and for greater security of the said -Mannour, unto the said Thomas Fleetwood and his heirs, and in consideration of -the faithful services done by the said Thomas Fleetwood to her said Father, and -to her Brother King Edward the Sixth, and to her, did give, grant, and confirm -unto the said Thomas Fleetwood, his heirs and assigns, the Mannour of Layton, -otherwise Great Layton, with its rights, members, and Appurtenances, in the said -county of Lancaster, and all and singular the Messuages, Houses, Buildings, Tofts, -Cottages, Lands, Tenements, Meadows, Feedings, Pastures, &c. &c. &c., Fishing, -Wrecks of the Sea, Woods, Underwoods, &c. &c. &c., commodities, emoluments and -Hereditaments whatsoever, with their Appurtenances, situate, lying, and being in -the Vill, Fields, or Hamlets of Layton, otherwise Great Layton, aforesaid, which -were of the said Thomas Butler, and which the said John Brown afterwards sold -to the said Thomas Fleetwood as aforesaid, To hold the same unto the said -Thomas Fleetwood his heirs and assigns for ever.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Reverting to the market and fair above-mentioned we find that -in 1292 Sir William le Botiler was called upon to show upon what -right he laid claim to free warren in Layton, and two other places. -In proving his case, the knight stated that his privileges extended -to markets, fairs, and assize of bread and beer, in addition to which -he affirmed that wreck of the sea had been the hereditary rights of -his ancestors from the accession of William the Conqueror. The -jury acknowledged the title of Sir William in each instance, -ordaining that the same markets, fairs, etc., should continue to be -held or exercised as aforetime. It would appear that the market -took place each week on Wednesday, the chief merchandise offered -for sale being most likely cattle and smallware. There are now -no remnants of the market, which must at one era have been an -assembly of no mean importance, beyond the names of the market-house -and the market-field. The cross and stocks have also -succumbed to the lapse of years, the latter being a matter of -tradition only, with all, even to the oldest inhabitant.</p> - -<p>In 1767 a petition was presented to the House of Parliament,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_308"></a>[308]</span> -setting forth that within the manor of Layton and parishes of -Poulton and Bispham there was situated an extensive tract of land -containing about 2,000 acres, called Layton Hawes, and begging -on the part of those concerned, for permission to enclose the whole -of the common. The document states “that Fleetwood Hesketh, -Esquire, is Lord of the Manor of Layton aforesaid; and Edmund -Starkie, Esquire, is Impropriator of the Great Tythes arising within -that part of the Township of Marton called Great Marton, within -the said Manor of Layton and Parish of Poulton, and of One -Moiety of the Great Tythes arising in that part of the Township -of Bispham called Great Bispham, within the said Manor and -Parish of Bispham; and Thomas Cross, Esquire, and others, his -partners, are proprietors of the other Moiety of the Great Tythes -arising within Great Bispham aforesaid; and Ashton Werden, -Clerk, present Incumbent of the Parish Church of Bispham aforesaid, -and his Successors for the time being, of the Great Tythes, -arising within the Township of Layton-with-Warbreck, within the -said Manor and Parish of Bispham. Also that the said Fleetwood -Hesketh, Thomas Clifton, and other Owners and Proprietors of -divers ancient Farms, situate within the Manor of Layton, and the -towns of Great Marton, Little Marton, Black Pool, and Bispham, -have an exclusive Right to turn and depasture their Beasts, Sheep, -and other Commovable Cattle, in and upon the said Waste or -Common, called Layton Hawes, at all Times of the Year; and the -Parties interested are willing and desirous that the said Waste or -Common should be inclosed, allotted and divided, and therefore pray -that the said Waste or Common called Layton Hawes, lying -within the Manor of Layton, may be divided, set out, and allotted -by Commissioners, to be appointed for that purpose and their -Successors, in such manner, and subject to such rules, orders, -regulations, and directions, as may be thought necessary.” Leave -to carry out the object contained in the prayer was granted to the -petitioners, and within a comparatively short time the work of -dividing and apportioning the soil accomplished.</p> - -<p>The greater part of the township of Layton-with-Warbreck -being now absorbed in the borough of Blackpool, to which the -ensuing chapter will be devoted, there is little further to notice -beyond the ancient seats of the families of Rigby and Veale. -Layton Hall was probably the residence of the Butlers, of Layton,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_309"></a>[309]</span> -previous to the opening of the seventeenth century, when it was -sold to Edward Rigby, of Burgh; at least that gentleman was the -first of the Rigbys whose <i>Inq. post mortem</i> disclosed that he held -possessions in Layton. The Hall remained in the ownership and -tenancy of the Rigbys until the lifetime of Sir Alexander Rigby, -who married Alice, the daughter of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, -and died about 1700.<a id="FNanchor_126" href="#Footnote_126" class="fnanchor">[126]</a> The original edifice, which was taken down -and a farm-house erected on the site about one century ago, was a -massive gabled building. At the bottom of the main staircase -was a gate, or grating, of iron, the whole of the interior of the -Hall being fitted with oak panels, etc., in a very antique style.</p> - -<p>Whinney Heys was held by the Veales from the time of Francis -Veale, living in 1570, until the death of John Veale, about two -hundred years later, when it passed to Edward Fleetwood, of -Rossall Hall, who had married the sister and heiress of John -Veale.<a id="FNanchor_127" href="#Footnote_127" class="fnanchor">[127]</a> The Hall of Whinney Heys was embosomed in trees and -presented nothing of special moment to the eye, being simply a -large rough-cast country building of an early type. It was -partially taken down many years since and converted to farming -uses.</p> - -<p>“The village affords,” says Mr. Thornber,<a id="FNanchor_128" href="#Footnote_128" class="fnanchor">[128]</a> “an example of -covetousness seldom equalled. John Bailey, better known by -the name of the Layton miser, resided in a cottage near the -market-house. His habits were most frugal, enduring hunger -and privation to hoard up his beloved pelf. Once, during every -summer, his store was exposed to the beams of the sun, to undergo -purification, and he might be seen, on that occasion, with a loaded -gun, seated in the midst of his treasure, guarding it with the eyes -of Argus, from the passing intruder. Notwithstanding all this -vigilance, upwards of £700 was stolen from his hoard; and this -ignorant old man journeyed to some distance to consult the wise -man in order to regain it; his manœuvre to avoid the income-tax -also failed, for although he converted his landed property into -guineas, concealing them in his house, and then pleaded that he -possessed no <i>income</i>, but a <i>capital</i> only, the law compelled him to -pay his due proportion. In the midst of his savings, death smote<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_310"></a>[310]</span> -this wretched being, and even then his ruling passion was strong -in the very agony of departing nature. His gold watch, the only -portion of his property which remained unbequeathed, hung -within his reach; his greedy eye was riveted upon it; no he could -not part with that dear treasure—and, with an expiring effort, he -snatched it from the head of his bed, and it remained clenched in -his hand and convulsed fingers long after warmth had forsaken his -frame. Alas! His hidden store, all in gold, weighing 65lb, was -discovered at the close of a tedious search, in a walled up window, -to which the miser had had access from without, and was carried -home in a malt sack, a purse not often used for such a purpose.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_311"></a>[311]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">BLACKPOOL.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-b.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Blackpool is situated in the township of Layton-with-Warbreck, -and occupies a station on the west -coast, about midway between the estuaries of the -rivers Ribble and Wyre. The watering-place of -to-day with its noble promenade, elegant piers, handsome hotels, -and princely terraces, forms a wonderful and pleasing contrast to -the meagre group of thatched cabins which once reared their -lowly heads near the peaty pool, whose dark waters gave rise -to the name of the town. This pool, which was located at the -south end of Blackpool, is stated to have been half a mile in -breadth, and was due to the accumulation of black, or more -correctly speaking, chocolate-coloured waters,<a id="FNanchor_129" href="#Footnote_129" class="fnanchor">[129]</a> from Marton Mere -and the turf fields composing the swampy region usually designated -the “Moss.” It remained until the supplies were cut off by -diverting their currents towards other and more convenient -outlets, when its contents gradually decreased, finally leaving no -trace of their former site beyond a small streamlet, which now -discharges itself with the flows of Spendike into the sea, opposite -the point where the Lytham Road branches from the promenade. -The principal portion of the town stands a little removed from the -edge of a long line of cliffs, whose altitude, trifling at first, -considerably increases as they travel northwards; and from that -broad range of frontage streets and houses in compact masses<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_312"></a>[312]</span> -run backwards towards the country, covering an annually -extending area.</p> - -<p>One of the oldest and most interesting relics of antiquity is still -preserved in the Fox Hall Hotel, or Vaux Hall, as it is sometimes, -but we opine, for reasons stated hereafter, incorrectly written, -although its name, site, and long cobble wall are nearly the only -mementoes that time and change have failed to remove. It was -here in the reign of Charles II. that Edward, the son of the gallant -and loyal Sir Thomas Tyldesley who was slain at the battle of -Wigan-lane in 1651, having been led to expect a grant of the -lands of Layton Hawes, or Heys Side, from the king, after the -restoration, in return for his own and his father’s staunch adherence -to the royal cause, built a small sequestered residence as a summer -retreat for his family. Modest and unpretending as the dimensions -appear to have been, no doubt at that time it was regarded as a -stately mansion, and looked upon with becoming respect and -admiration by the inhabitants of the few clay-built and rush-roofed -huts which were scattered around it. The house itself was a -three gabled structure with a species of tower, affording an -extensive survey over the neighbouring country; there were four -or five rooms on each story, and one wing of the building was -fitted up and used as a chapel, the officiating priest being most -probably the Rev. W. Westby, the “W. W.” of the diary kept by -Thomas Tyldesley during the years he resided there. The chapel -portion of the old house was at a later period, when the remainder, -after experiencing various fortunes, had fallen into decay, converted -into a cottage. Over the chief entrance Edward had inscribed -the words—“Seris factura Nepotibus,” the motto of an order of -Knighthood, called the Royal Oak, which Charles II. contemplated -establishing when first he regained his throne, but afterwards for -certain reasons<a id="FNanchor_130" href="#Footnote_130" class="fnanchor">[130]</a> altered his mind, as he also appears to have done -in regard to the Hawes property, for it never passed into the -possession of the Tyldesleys by royal favour, or in any other way. -A fox secured by a chain was allowed to ramble for a short distance -in front of the doorway, and whether the presence of that animal, -together with the use of the Hall as a hunting seat, as well as a -summer retreat, originated its name, or its first title was Vaux,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_313"></a>[313]</span> -and by an easy and simple process of change became altered to -Fox, the reader must decide for himself; but after he has perused -the following extract from the Tyldesley Diary, in which the -priest already mentioned is alluded to as “W. W.”, he will, we -venture to think, have little difficulty in concluding that the -cognomen Vaux is merely a modern adaptation when applied to -this Hall:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“May 14, 1712.—Left Lanʳ about ffive; pᵈ 3d. ffor a shooe at Thurnham -Cocking, having lost one. Thence to Great Singleton to prayers, and ffrom thence -to Litham to dinʳ, ffound Mr. Blackborne, of Orford; stayed there 11 at night. -Soe to ffox hall. Gave W: W: 1s.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Edward Tyldesley surrounded the Hall with a high and massive -wall of cobble stones, strongly cemented together, as a protection -very needful in those times of turmoil and persecution. A large -portion of the wall still exists in an almost perfect state of preservation, -notwithstanding the fierce gales and boisterous tides -that have, at intervals, battered against it for more than two -centuries. This, with the additional safeguards that nature had -provided by means of the broad sea to the front, a small stream -running over swampy, almost impassable, ground to the south, -and a pool<a id="FNanchor_131" href="#Footnote_131" class="fnanchor">[131]</a> under its east side, rendered the house a secure -asylum for those who were constrained to practise</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The better part of valour,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">and remove themselves for a season from the eyes of the world -and their enemies. Over the high gateway at the south end of the -enclosure he placed a stone carved with the crest of the Tyldesley -family—a pelican feeding its young—encircled by the loyal and -patriotic motto—“Tantum valet amor regis et patriæ”: for long -the roughly finished piece of carving was visible in the wall of an -outbuilding, from which, however, it has recently been removed. -Fox Hall was not without its plot of garden ground, a considerable -space, being devoted to the useful products, was known as the -kitchen garden, whilst another space was devoted to an apiary, -and flowers must be supposed to have been an accompanyment of -bees. It also boasted a bowling green and an ancient fig tree.</p> - -<p>Thomas, the son of Edward Tyldesley, born in 1657, succeeded -to the family estates on the death of his father, and later married, -as his second wife, Mary, sister and co-heiress, with Elizabeth<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_314"></a>[314]</span> -Colley, of Sir Alexander Rigby, knt., of Layton Hall, High-sheriff -of the county of Lancashire in 1691, whose father had erected a -monument to the memory of Sir Thomas Tyldesley near the spot -where he was slain.</p> - -<p>During the year 1690, when the dethroned monarch James -II. invaded Ireland in the hope of regaining his crown, -Thomas Tyldesley prepared a secret chamber for his reception -in the interior of the Hall. The closet or hiding-place was -afterwards known as the King’s Cupboard. The Pretender, -also, was reported to have been concealed for some time within -Fox Hall, and although it is certain that this aspirant to the -British throne was never within its friendly walls, still the secret -recesses, called “priests’ holes,” with which it appears to have -been liberally provided, formed excellent refuges for the clergy -and other members of the Romish Church, who on the slightest -alarm were enclosed therein, and so secluded from the prying eyes -of their hostile countrymen until the danger had passed. These -latter incidents did not take place until after the decease of -Thomas Tyldesley, who died in 1715, shortly before the outbreak -of the rebellion, and was buried at Churchtown, near Garstang. -His son Edward, who succeeded him, was arrested for taking part -with the rebels, and escaped conviction and punishment only by -the mercy or sympathy of the jury, who after returning their -verdict of acquittal were severely censured by the presiding judge -for their incompetency and disaffection. Edward Tyldesley died -in 1725.<a id="FNanchor_132" href="#Footnote_132" class="fnanchor">[132]</a> At what date Fox Hall passed out of the hands of the -Tyldesleys, it is impossible to trace, but it is doubtful whether the -Edward here named ever resided there, as he is always described -as of Myerscough Lodge, another seat of the family. Mary -Tyldesley, the widow of his father, whom it will be remembered -he married as his second wife, was living there as owner in 1720, -and from that circumstance we must infer that the Blackpool -house was bequeathed to her by her husband Thomas Tyldesley, -and that the other portion only of the estates fell to Edward, the -son of his first marriage and his heir. Poverty seems to have -overtaken the family with rapid strides; their different lands and -residences were either mortgaged or sold, and whether Fox Hall<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_315"></a>[315]</span> -descended to the children of Mary Tyldesley, or returned again -into the more direct line, it is certain that not many years after -the death of Thomas Tyldesley it had ceased to be one of their -possessions.</p> - -<p>Thus, the annals of the founders of this solitary mansion carry -us back to the period between 1660 and 1685, that is from the -restoration to the death of Charles II., but certain entries in the -register of Bispham church show that there must have been -dwellings and a population, however thinly scattered, on the soil -anterior to that period, sometime during the sixteenth century, -and it was doubtless the descendants of these people who inhabited -the neighbourhood when Edward Tyldesley appeared upon the -scene and erected Fox Hall. The primitive structures forming -the habitations of these aborigines were built of clay, roughly -plastered on to wattles, and thatched with rushes more frequently -than straw, the whole fabric being supported on crooks driven -into the ground. About the epoch of Thomas Tyldesley drainage -and cultivation began to render the aspect of the country more -inviting, and fresh families were tempted to come down to the -coast and rear their humble abodes under the wing of the great -mansion, so that after a while a small hamlet of clustering huts -was formed. It is more than probable that the morals and -conduct of the dwellers in these huts were influenced in some way -or other by the sojourners at the Hall, but whether for good or -evil we are unable to say, as the time is now so hopelessly remote -and no records of their habits and doings are extant, so that in -the absence of any proof to the contrary, it is only fair and -charitable to surmise that their lives were as simple as their -surroundings.</p> - -<p>Whether the Tyldesleys were induced to locate themselves on -this spot solely by a prospect of possessing some of the territory -around, or were actuated also by a desire to have a retreat far -removed from the scenes of disturbance with which the different -factions were constantly vexing the land, is a matter of little -importance, but to their presence it was due that the natural -beauties of Blackpool were brought before the people at an early -date. There can be no doubt that the priests and others, who had -fled to the Hall as a harbour of refuge, would, on returning to -their own districts, circulate glowing and eulogistic accounts of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_316"></a>[316]</span> -the place they had been visiting—of the glorious beauty of the -sea, the endless stretch of level sands, and the bracing purity of -the breeze. In such manner a desire would readily be implanted -in the bosoms of their auditory to become personally acquainted -with the new land, which had created such a deep and favourable -impression on the minds of men, whose positions and education -warranted the genuineness of their statements and enhanced the -value of their opinions. There is one other circumstance worthy -to be mentioned as having in all likelihood aided considerably in -bringing the place into notice, and that is an annual race meeting, -held for long on Layton Hawes. The proximity of the site to the -residences of so many families of wealth and distinction, as the -Allens of Rossall, the Westbys of Burn Hall, the Rigbys of Layton -Hall, the Veales of Whinney Heys, the Heskeths of Mains, the -Cliftons of Lytham, and the Tyldesleys of Blackpool, must have -rendered the assembly one of no mean importance, and we may -picture in our minds the gay and brilliant scene presented each -year on the outskirts of the present town, when our ancestors in -their antique and many-hued costumes congregated to witness the -contests of their favourite steeds, and the level turf echoed to the -fleet hoofs of the horses as the varied colours of their riders flashed -round the course.</p> - -<p>Although these incidents must have greatly tended to give -publicity to Blackpool, its early advances towards popularity were -dilatory, but this is to be attributed rather to the unsettled state -of the times than to a tardy appreciation of its advantages by -those who had enjoyed them or heard them described. During -the reign of George I., 1714-1727, a mere sprinkling of visitors -seems to have been attracted each summer to the hamlet, but a -few years later, about 1735, they had become sufficiently numerous -to induce one Ethart à Whiteside to prepare a cottage specially -for their reception and entertainment. Common report whispers -that he was further prompted to the venture by being the -fortunate possessor of a wife whose skill in cookery far excelled -that of any of her neighbours, but be that as it may, whether he -espoused the Welsh maiden because her culinary accomplishments -were an additional recommendation to him in the sphere in which -he had embarked, or whether the lodging house was a cherished -dream only converted into a reality on their discovery after<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_317"></a>[317]</span> -marriage, one thing is certain, his speculation prospered, and at -the end of fifty years he retired on what at that era was considered -a fortune. The house in which he had laboured for half a century -was situated in the fields now occupied by General Street and the -neighbouring houses, on the site of what not long ago was a ladies’ -school; in appearance, it was a very ordinary cottage with the -usual straw thatch, somewhat oblong in form and possessing few -attractions to tempt the stranger to prolong his stay, but in spite -of all its disadvantages, the fascination of the sea and the novelty -of the surroundings filled it with guests summer after summer. -This dwelling claims the honour of having been the first ever fitted -up and arranged as a lodging house in Blackpool. On the retirement -of Whiteside, who a few years afterwards died at Layton, it passed -into the hands of a noted aboriginal, called Tom the Cobbler, -who appears to have held more ambitious views than his -predecessor, and converted the cottage into an inn, or at least -embellished its exterior with a rude lettered sign, and procured a -license to supply exciseable commodities within. Those who had -been accustomed to the scrupulous care and cleanliness of -Whiteside and his thrifty wife, must have experienced a considerable -shock from the eccentricities of the new proprietor; each day -at the dinner hour he entered in working costume amongst the -assembled guests, and with grimy fingers produced from the depths -of his well rosined apron the allotted portion of bread for each. -How this peculiarity was appreciated by his visitors there are no -means of ascertaining, but as his dwelling did not develope in the -course of years into a modern and commodious hotel like the -other licensed houses which sprang up about that time and a little -later, we are inclined to fear that some internal mismanagement -caused its collapse.</p> - -<p>In 1769 the whole hamlet comprised no more than twenty-eight -houses, or more correctly speaking hovels, for, with the exception -of four that had been raised to the dignity of slate roofs and a small -inn on the site of the present Clifton Arms Hotel, they were little -if any better. These were scattered widely apart along the beach, -and one of them standing on the ground now occupied by the -Lane Ends Hotel, and adjoining a small blacksmith’s shed, was -a favourite resort of visitors in search of refreshment. Turf stacks -fronted almost every door, and the refuse of the household was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_318"></a>[318]</span> -either carelessly thrown forth or else accumulated in putrifying -heaps by the sides of the huts, so that nothing but their isolated -situations and the constant currents of pure air from the sea -sweeping over and around them could possibly have prevented -the outbreak of some infectious and fatal disorder.</p> - -<p>Bonny’s Hotel, then known as old Margery’s, and standing in -the fields to the south, some distance from the sea, sprang up a -little anterior to this time and received its share of patronage; -later it was converted into a boys’ school and during recent years -has been divided into cottages, etc. The Gynn House, erected -northwards near the extremity or apex of a deep and wide fissure -in the cliffs, formed another popular haunt during the season; the -landlord at that hostel created much amusement by his oddities, -and especially by his quaint method of casting up the reckoning -on a horse-block in front of the door and speeding the “parting -guest” with—“and Sir, remember the servants.” A true -and remarkable anecdote is related about the old inn; -sometime during the summer of 1833 a sudden and terrific -storm burst over the western coast of this island, many -vessels were lost and the shore off Blackpool was strewn with -the battered fragments of unfortunate ships, which had either -foundered in the deep or been dashed to pieces as they lay helplessly -stranded on the outlying sandbanks. In the night as the gale -raged with its utmost fury, a Scotch sloop was beating off the -coast, vainly endeavouring to battle with the hurricane, and -driven by the force of wind and wave nearer and nearer to the -precipitous cliffs. When all hope had been abandoned and -destruction seemed inevitable, some thoughtful person placed a -lighted candle in the window of the Gynn House; guided by this -faint glimmer, the vessel passed safely up the creek, and the -exhausted sailors were rescued from a dreadful death. Next -morning a sad and harrowing scene presented itself along the -coast; no less than eleven vessels were lying within a short -distance of each other, with their torn rigging and shattered spars -hanging from their sides; brigs, sloops, and schooners, the short -but fearful gale had left little of them beyond their damaged hulls. -Nor were these the only victims of the storm, for as the tide -receded to its lowest the masts of two others rose above the surface -of the water; and during the next few days three large ships<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_319"></a>[319]</span> -drifted past the town in an apparently waterlogged condition.</p> - -<p>About that date, 1769, several heaps of mortar and other -building materials, lying on the road which separated the front of -the village from the edge of the cliffs, showed that more were -anxious to follow in the footsteps of Whiteside and his earlier -imitators.</p> - -<p>Some idea may be formed of the class of people who visited -Blackpool at that period from the charges made at Bonny’s Hotel -and the Gynn, the two principal inns, for board and lodging; at -the latter eightpence per day satisfied the modest demands of the -host, while at the former the sum of tenpence was exacted, with -a view no doubt of upholding its superior claims to respectability. -In drawing our conclusions from these facts we must bear in mind -that a shilling in those days represented much greater value than -it does at present, so that the charges may not have been really so -inadequate as they now appear. The village contained neither -shop nor store where the necessaries or luxuries of life, if such -things were ever dreamt of by the people, could be purchased, and -large quantities of provisions had to be laid in at one time. -Occasionally a sudden and unexpected influx of visitors occurred -inopportunely, when the larder was low, and as a consequence the -hungry guests were forced to wait, temporising with their -appetites as best they could, until a journey had been made to -Poulton and fresh supplies procured.</p> - -<p>Ten years later the hamlet had grown somewhat in size, and -the annually increasing numbers who flocked to its shores showed -that its popularity was steadily gaining ground. Intercourse with -the world beyond their own limited circle seems, however, to have -had anything but an elevating or civilising effect upon the inhabitants, -for we find amongst them at that time a band of professed -atheists, whose blasphemous conduct called forth no rebuke or -opposition from the rest, but was quietly tolerated, if not indeed -approved. Each fortnight during the summer fairs were held on -the Sabbath to provide refreshment and amusement for the -visitors, who came in crowds to witness the magnificence of the -highest spring tides. These gatherings usually terminated in -disgraceful scenes of revelry and debauchery. Smuggling was -carried on between the coast opposite the Star-hills and the Isle -of Man, but never to a great extent or for any lengthened period.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_320"></a>[320]</span> -These huge mounds of sand, much more numerous than in -our day, formed excellent store-houses for the contraband goods, -generally spirits, which were packed in hampers, and so overlaid -with fish that their presence was never even suspected. The -illicit cargoes were brought across the channel in trading vessels, -from which they were landed by means of light open boats, and -at once secreted in the manner just indicated, until a suitable -opportunity occurred for their removal to one of the neighbouring -towns. The success attending these ventures induced the -smugglers to construct a sloop of their own, with the intention of -prosecuting so profitable a trade on a larger scale, but information -of their proceedings having been conveyed by some one to official -quarters, a detachment of soldiers was promptly despatched to put -an end to the nefarious practices. So thoroughly did these men -effect their purpose, that, although no capture is recorded as -having taken place, the whole band was dispersed, and from that -date no more offences of this character have been known on the -coast.</p> - -<p>In 1788 the houses of Blackpool had increased to about thirty-five, -and these were arranged in an irregular line along the edge -of the cliffs; the intervals between the habitations being with -few exceptions so wide that this small number stretched out from -north to south, over a distance of quite a mile. One group of six -was especially remarkable as presenting a more respectable and -modern exterior than any of the others, most of which still retained -a great deal of their original defective appearances, as though their -owners were unwilling or unable to adapt themselves and their -abodes to the improved state of things springing up around them. -The company during the busiest part of the season amounted to -about four hundred persons, and a news-room had been established -for their use in the small cottage, before mentioned, on the site of -the Lane Ends Hotel, the smith’s shop adjoining having been -converted into a coffee-room and kitchen, at which a public -dinner was prepared each day during the summer, and served at -a dining-room erected across the way. There were now four -additional inns in the village, named respectively, Bailey’s, Forshaw’s, -Hull’s, and the Yorkshire House. The first of these had -sprung up on the cliffs towards the north, and was kept by an -ancestor of its present proprietor; the second was the nucleus<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_321"></a>[321]</span> -from which has grown the Clifton Arms Hotel, whilst the third -stood on the site of the Royal Hotel. The roads leading to the -hamlet were in such an unfinished state that after heavy falls -of rain they could be travelled only with the greatest difficulty, -and often with considerable danger both to the vehicle and its -occupants; so that under these circumstances most people -deemed it more prudent and expedient to perform the journey on -horseback, some of them in the pillion fashion usual at that -era. In an earlier part of this chapter we spoke of the troubled -state of the times and the unsettled and harassed condition of the -people as being the most probable causes why Blackpool was so -long neglected by many who must have been well cognisant of its -beauties in the days of the Tyldesleys, and with equal probability -may we now conjecture that the dilapidated and frequently -unsafe state of the highways had a serious effect in preventing -numbers from visiting the place at this period. Regarding the -matter from another point of view, we are led to infer that the -four hundred composing the company of 1788, were people -who, either in search of health or recreation, had willingly undergone -the discomforts of a dreary and sometimes hazardous journey -in order to make but a brief sojourn by the shores of Blackpool. -Here, then, there is evidence of the great estimation in which the -place was held at that early date by the dwellers in the inland -towns, and of the rapidity with which its good fame was increasing -and extending throughout a large section of the county. As may -be naturally supposed, the large influxes of visitors and their -turn-outs during the height of the season very much overtaxed the -accommodation provided for them by the inhabitants, but that -difficulty was easily surmounted by turning the horses loose into -a field until their services were again required, whilst the surplus -health or pleasure-seekers were lodged in barns or any outbuildings -sufficiently protected from the weather. The village -possessed two bowling greens of diminutive size, one of which -occupied the land at the south-west corner of Lytham Street, -whilst the other was in connection with the Yorkshire House, -afterwards the York Hotel, and since purchased by a company of -gentlemen, who razed it to the ground in order to erect more -suitable buildings on the site. There was also a theatre, if that -will bear the name which during nine months of the year existed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_322"></a>[322]</span> -under the more modest title of a barn; rows of benches were -placed one behind another, and separated into a front and back -division, designated respectively pit and gallery. This house is -said to have been capable of holding six pounds, the prices of -admission being one and two shillings. At that period bathing -vans were scarce, the majority of bathers making use of boxes, -which were placed for their convenience along the shore, and as -the mode in which they secured privacy and a proper separation -of the sexes during indulgence in this pastime was both ingenious -and entertaining, we will give a brief sketch of their arrangements. -At a certain hour each day, varying according to the -changes of the tide, a bell was rung when the water had risen -almost to its highest. On hearing the signal, the whole of the -gentlemen, however agreeably occupied, were compelled, under a -penalty of one bottle of wine for each offence, to vacate the shore -and betake themselves to their several hotels or apartments, whilst -the ladies, after sufficient time had elapsed for any stray member -of the sterner sex to get safely and securely housed, emerged -singly or in small groups from the different doorways, and, hurrying -down to the edge of the sea, quickly threw off their loose -bathing robes, and in a moment were sporting amid the waves -like a colony of nereids or mermaids. When these had finished -their revels and duly retired to their homes, the bell rang a second -time, and the males, released from <i>durance vile</i>, made their way -to the beach, and were not long in following the example of their -fair predecessors.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hutton, in his small pamphlet descriptive of Blackpool in -1788, says:—“The tables here are well supplied; if I say too well -for the price I may please the innkeepers, but not their guests. -Shrimps are plentiful; five or six people make it their business to -catch them at low water, and produce several gallons a day, which -satisfy all but the catchers. They excel in cooking, nor is it -surprising, for forty pounds and her maintenance is given to a -cook for the season only. Though salt water is brought in plenty -to their very doors, yet this is not the case with fresh. The place -yields only one spring for family use; and the water is carried by -some half a mile, but is well worth carrying, for I thought it the -most pleasant I ever tasted.”</p> - -<p>The prices at the inns and boarding-houses had risen as the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_323"></a>[323]</span> -accommodation they offered had improved in quality and -increased in extent, so that it was no longer possible to subsist on -the daily expenditure of a few pence as in former times. In -hotels of the first class 3s. 4d. per day, exclusive of liquors, was -the charge for board and lodging; dinner and supper being -charged 1s. each to the casual visitor, and tea or breakfast 8d. -In those of the second-class and some of the lodging-houses, -2s. 6d. per day covered everything with the exception of tea, -coffee, sugar, and liquors; whilst the smaller lodging-houses, -generally crowded with visitors who were either willing or -compelled to content themselves with the more frugal fare -provided, charged only 1s. 6d. per day for each guest.</p> - -<p>A promenade, six yards wide, carpeted with grass and separated -from the road by white wooden railings, ran along the verge of -the sea bank for a distance of two hundred yards, and was -ornamented at one end with an alcove, whilst the other terminated -abruptly at a rough clayey excavation, afterwards used as a brick -croft. “Here,” says the topographer already quoted, “is a full -display of beauty and of fashion. Here the eye faithful to its -trust, conveys intelligence from the heart of one sex to that of the -other; gentle tumults rise in the breast; intercourse opens in -tender language; the softer passions are called into action; -Hymen approaches, kindles his torch, and cements that union -which continues for life. Here may be seen folly flushed with -money, shoe-strings, and a phæton and four. Keen envy sparkles -in the eye at the display of a new bonnet. The heiress of eighteen -trimmed in black, and a hundred thousand pounds, plentifully -squanders her looks of disdain, or the stale <i>Belle</i>, who has outstood -her market, offers her fading charms upon easy terms.”</p> - -<p>This parade was extended some years later by means of a bridge -thrown from its south extremity over the road leading down to -the shore, and on to the cliffs of the opposite side. Riding or -walking, for those who were not fortunate enough to possess a -horse or equipage, on the sands or promenade, and excursions into -the country as far as the “Number 3 Hotel,” where many of the -company amused themselves with drinking “fine ale,” were the -favourite pastimes during the day, varied, however, with an -occasional practice at the butts for bow and arrow shooting, the -diurnal bathe, and contests on the bowling greens, to which we<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_324"></a>[324]</span> -have already alluded; in the evening or during unfavourable -weather cards and backgammon, or the theatre, were the means -with which the visitors beguiled the wearisomeness of the quiet -hours. The “Number 3 Hotel” above-mentioned stood behind -the present building bearing that name, at the corner of the -Layton and Marton roads.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hutton relates several somewhat startling instances of the -curative properties of the sea at Blackpool; amongst them that of -a man, by trade a shoemaker and a resident of Lancaster, who -having become, through some unexplained cause, totally blind, -visited this watering-place for six weeks, during which he drank -large quantities of the marine element, daily bathing his eyes in the -same, and at the end of that time had so far recovered his sight -that he could readily distinguish objects at a distance of two miles. -Another case was that of a gentleman, who, having been seized -with a paralytic attack, which deprived him of the use of one -side, was ordered by his physician to Bath, but finding, after a fair -trial, that he derived no benefit from the combined action of its -climate and waters, he determined to travel northwards and make -a short sojourn at Blackpool. Whilst there the invalid was daily -carried into and out of the sea, and even after this process had been -only twice repeated he had lost the violent pains in his joints, -recovered his sleep, and in some considerable degree the muscular -power of the affected side, but of his further progress there is -no account.</p> - -<p>The following lines, written by a visitor a few years after the -incidents we have just narrated, also show in what great estimation -the climate and sea of the village were held as remedial and -invigorating agents:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Of all the gay places of public resort,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At Chatham, or Scarbro’, at Bath, or at Court,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">There’s none like sweet Blackpool, of which I can boast,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">So charming the sands, so healthful the coast;—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Rheumatics, scorbutics, and scrofulous kind,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Hysterics and vapours, disorders of mind,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">By drinking and bathing you’re made quite anew,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As thousands have proved and know to be true.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>At this time Blackpool was not only without a church, but in -the whole place there was no room where the inhabitants or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_325"></a>[325]</span> -visitors were accustomed to assemble together for divine worship, -and it was not until 1821 that the sacred edifice of St. John was -completed and opened. In 1789 a subscription was started for -the purpose of erecting a church, but was soon closed for want of -support, barely one hundred pounds having been promised. -Some years later a large room at one of the hotels was used as a -meeting house on each Sabbath, the officiating ministers being -obtained alternately from Bispham and Poulton, and occasionally -from amongst the visitors themselves.</p> - -<p>In 1799, the poorer inhabitants of Blackpool and its neighbourhood -suffered severely, in common with others, from a failure in the -grain and potato harvests. They, like most members of the -working classes at that date, relied almost entirely upon good and -plentiful crops of these important articles of diet, to furnish them -with the means of sustenance throughout the year, so that a small -yield, raising the prices exorbitantly, became a matter of serious -moment to them, and in most instances, meant little less than -ruin or starvation. After the cold and inclement approach of -winter had banished the last stranger from their midst, the sums -demanded for their accustomed provisions soon swallowed up the -little these people had saved during the summer, and such -occasional trifles as could be earned on the farm lands around -whenever extra services were required. Their condition, deplorable -from the first, gradually grew worse, until, reduced to the deepest -distress, they became dependent for the bare necessaries of existence -upon the charity of those whose positions, although seriously -affected by the failure, were not placed in such great jeopardy as -their own. After this precarious and pitiable state of things had -lasted some time without any signs of amelioration, and it seemed -difficult, if not impossible, to conjecture how the remaining months -were to be provided for until the returning season brought fresh -assistance to their homes, an unexpected, and, to them, providential -occurrence relieved their sufferings. A large vessel laden with -peas was wrecked upon the coast, and the cargo, washing out of -the hold, was strewn upon the beach, supplying them with -abundance of food until better days shone upon the impoverished -village once more.</p> - -<p>Reviewing the appearance of Blackpool at the opening of the -nineteenth century we find that the whole hamlet was comprised<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_326"></a>[326]</span> -between the Gynn to the north, and the ruins of the once -aristocratic mansion of Fox Hall to the south. The houses with the -exception of Bonny’s Hotel and a few scattered cottages, had all -been erected along the sea bank, the great bulk lying to the south -of Forshaw’s Hotel, and amounting to about thirty, whilst the -space north of that spot as far as Bailey’s Hotel was only occupied -by one or two dwellings of very humble dimensions. These with -the Gynn and a few habitations standing south of it on Fumbler’s -Hill, made up the number of houses to about forty. A -detailed description of the different erections at that epoch is -impossible, but we may state generally that those of modern origin, -especially the hotels, although unpretending externally, were so -arranged and provided that the comforts of the guests were fully -insured, and in every way the accommodation they offered was -immensely superior to any that could have been obtained thirty -years before. The few old buildings that still remained had for -the most part undergone considerable alterations, and been rendered -more suitable for the purposes to which they were now devoted.</p> - -<p>In 1801 the first official census of the inhabitants of the township -of Layton-cum-Warbreck, in which Blackpool is situated, was -taken, and furnished a total of 473 persons.</p> - -<p>At that period many people attracted by the rising reputation of -the watering-place were anxious to invest their capital in the -purchase of land by its shores, and in the erection of houses -adapted for the reception of visitors, but the proprietors of the -hotels were the owners of a large portion of the soil, and fearing -that the introduction of substantial and commodious apartments -would interfere with the patronage of their inns, refused to dispose -of any part of their lands, or at least placed such obstacles in the -way of the would-be purchasers that bargains were seldom -concluded. Had it not been for the energy and foresight displayed -by one resident, Mr. H. Banks, who built several cottages and -fitted them up with every convenience and requisite for summer -dwellings, the prosperity of the village would have received a -sudden check and doubtless a serious injury, for the provision -made would have fallen far short of the requirements of an ever-increasing -throng of visitors, and thus repeated disappointments -would in the end have led to disgust and the absence of many -when the following seasons rolled round. The probability of such<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_327"></a>[327]</span> -a disastrous result seems at length to have been realised by the -landlords themselves, who discovered that the plan to enlarge their -own business was not to drive visitors away from the place by -limiting the accommodation, but to offer them every inducement -to come, and to have a sufficiency of houses ready to receive them -when they had arrived. Under this new and more liberal -impression greater facilities were offered both to purchasers of land -and builders, so that the early error into which they had fallen -was rectified before any great amount of harm had been done.</p> - -<p>During the summer of 1808 the Preston volunteers were on -duty at Blackpool for two weeks, and on the 4th of June celebrated -the seventieth birthday of His Majesty George III. with -many demonstrations of loyalty and rejoicing.</p> - -<p>The small town now boasted five good class hotels, which, in -their order from north to south, were named Dickson’s, Forshaw’s, -Bank’s, Simpson’s, and the Yorkshire House. Simpson’s, formerly -Hull’s, is now the Royal Hotel; Bank’s the Land Ends Hotel, and -Dickson’s was the one already mentioned as Bailey’s Hotel. -“Adjoining Forshaw’s Hotel,” writes a gentleman who visited -Blackpool about that date; “there are two or three houses of -genteel appearance, compared with the many small cottages -leading thence to the street, which is the principal entrance from -Preston. There is a promenade with an arbour at the end of it, -and beyond it nearer to Dixon’s Hotel stands a cottage used as a -warm bath. Beyond Dixon’s there is a public road where two -four-wheeled vehicles can pass each other.” At a later period -both the road and cottage alluded to had succumbed to the -unchecked power of the advancing sea; and here it will be convenient -to mention other and much more serious encroachments -made by the same element in the course of years now long gone -by. We can scarcely conceive, when gazing on the indolent deep -in its placid mood, that at any time it could have been possessed -with such a demon of fury and destruction as to swallow up -broad fields, acres upon acres, of the foreland of the Fylde, and in -its blind anger sweep away whole villages, levelling the house -walls and uprooting the very foundations, so that no trace or -vestige of their former existence should remain. History, however, -points to a hamlet called Waddum Thorp, which once stood -off the coast of Lytham, fenced from the sea by a broad area<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_328"></a>[328]</span> -of green pasture-land, now known as the Horse-bank; and in -more recent years a long range of star-hills ran southward from -opposite the Royal Hotel, protecting a highway, fields, and four -or five cottages from the waves, whilst a little further north a -boat-house afterwards a shoemaker’s shop, stood in the centre of a -grassy plot, all of which have vanished, and their sites are now -covered and obliterated by the sand and pebbles of the beach. -The several roads, which had been formed at different seasons, -leading over the cliffs to Bispham, were sapped away and -destroyed so rapidly by the incursions of the tide that one more -inland and circuitous was obliged to be made. On the sands, -about three miles to the north of Blackpool, and so far distant -from the shore that it is only visible when the water has receded -to its lowest ebb, stands the famous Penny-stone. Near the spot -marked by the huge boulder, tradition affirms that in days of yore -there existed a small road-side inn, celebrated far and wide for its -strong ale, which was retailed at one penny per pot, and that -whilst the thirsty traveller was refreshing himself within, and -listening to the gossip of “mine host,” his horse was tethered to -an iron ring fixed in this stone. It is stated that documents -relating to the ancient hostelry are still preserved, but as the -assertion is unsupported by any evidence of its veracity, we are -prohibited from accepting it as conclusive proof that the inn owes -its reputed existence to something more substantial than the -lively imaginations of our ancestors. There is, certainly, one -thing which gives some colouring of possibility, or perhaps, out of -veneration for the antiquity of the tradition, we may advance a -step and say, reasonable probability, to the story, and that is -the historic fact, that at no very great distance from the locality -there stood a village called Singleton Thorp until 1555, when it -was submerged and annihilated by a sudden and fearful irruption -of the sea. Several other boulders of various sizes are lying about -in the neighbourhood of Penny-stone, bearing the names of Old -Mother’s Head, Bear and Staff, Carlin and its Colts, Higher and -Lower Jingle, each of which is covered in a greater or less degree -with shells, corallines, anemonies, and other treasures of the -deep.</p> - -<p>In 1811 the census of the persons residing in the township -before specified, was again taken, and amounted to 580, showing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_329"></a>[329]</span> -an increase of 107 in the number of inhabitants during the -preceding ten years.</p> - -<p>The year 1816 is remarkable as being the first in which public -coaches ran regularly between Preston and Blackpool. Previously -the chief communication between the village and outlying places -had been by means of pack-horses, carts, and private vehicles, with -only occasional coaches.</p> - -<p>The following description of Blackpool about the year 1816 -was furnished by one of its oldest inhabitants, and, although -unavoidably entailing some repetition of what has been mentioned -before, will, we trust, be interesting in itself, as well as useful in -confirming the earlier parts of this history, which have necessarily -been compiled from previous writings on the subject, and -not from the evidence of living witnesses. The Gynn House -formed the most northerly boundary of the village, and, passing -from that hostelry in a southerly direction, the next dwelling -arrived at was Hill-farm, which still exists, and is at present used -as a laundry for the Imperial Hotel. A few gabled cottages stood -on the eminence called Fumbler’s Hill, near the site of Carleton -Terrace:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Old Ned, and Old Nanny, at Fumbler’s hill,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Will board you and lodge you e’en just as you will.”<a id="FNanchor_133" href="#Footnote_133" class="fnanchor">[133]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">These cottages faced the south, as indeed did all the other -dwellings at that time, with the exception of two or three of the -hotels and a few of the more recent buildings. Bailey’s, or rather -Dickson’s, Hotel was built in blocks of two and three stories, and -possessed one bay window. It must be remembered that the -stories of that day were much lower than those with which -modern improvements have made us familiar. The next hotel -was Forshaw’s, similar in its construction, but unadorned with -even one bay window; between these two large inns were two or -three small thatched cottages. Continuing our survey southwards -were Dobson’s Row, consisting of several slated cottages, with a -circulating library and billiard room; and the Lane Ends Hotel, -containing three bay-windows, built, like the others, in -parts of two and three stories each. In Lane Ends Street there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_330"></a>[330]</span> -was a general shop and lodging house combined, tenanted by a -person named Nickson. The Royal, then commonly called -the Houndhill Hotel, comes next in order, and a little distance -behind it on the rising ground was a small thatched cottage for -the reception of visitors. South Beach contained only a few -thatched cottages, and on the site of the present Wellington Hotel -stood a circular pinfold, built of cobble stone. Considerably west -of the present line of frontage, and south of the pinfold, stood two -rows of cottages almost on the edge of the shore; the last of these -habitations was washed away or pulled down in 1827. Beyond the -Yorkshire House and its bowling green was the dilapidated -remains of Fox Hall, part of which had been converted into a -small farm-cottage, in the occupation of a person named Wignall. -Between Fox Hall and the Yorkshire House, but further removed -from the beach, was a thatched cottage adjoining a stable, in which -Mr. Butcher, of Raikes Hall, kept two or three racehorses, the field -now occupied by the Manchester Hotel being used as an exercise -ground for them. Chapel Street contained a small farm-house -and several cottages, in addition to Bonny’s Hotel, which was -situated in a field at the lower end of this lane. In Church Street -there were only three or four cottages, two of which, standing at -the south-west corner, were slated and used as shops. A few -other cottages, whose exact sites could not be recalled with -accuracy, were scattered here and there, but the above will furnish -the reader with a fairly correct idea of the extent and appearance -of Blackpool about the year 1816.</p> - -<p>The National Schools, at Raikes Hill, were the first provision -made for the education of the young, and were built in 1817, -chiefly through the exertions of Mr. Gisborne, then a temporary -resident. They consist of two schools, for boys and girls respectively, -with a teachers’ home between. The accommodation has -since been considerably enlarged and the institution is now under -government inspection.</p> - -<p>The parish church of St. John, in course of erection in 1820, -was built with bricks from a croft situated on the cliffs between -Dickson’s Hotel and the promenade. This place of worship, -originally an episcopal chapel under Bispham, with a perpetual -curacy attached, was consecrated to St. John on July 6th, 1821, -by Doctor Law, bishop of Chester. In 1860 a special district was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_331"></a>[331]</span> -assigned by order of Council to St. John’s, which in that manner -became, under Lord Blanford’s Act, the parish church of Blackpool. -The district thus cut off from the wide parochial area of Bispham, -and constituted a distinct parish for all ecclesiastical purposes, was -included between the Spen Dyke to the south and the central line -of Talbot road to the north. The cost of the sacred edifice, -which consisted, externally, of a plain brick structure, having a -low embattled tower with pinnacles at the angles, amounted -to £1,072, the whole of which was defrayed by voluntary -subscriptions, the following individuals being the principal contributors:—</p> - -<table summary="Contributions made by the following individuals"> - <tr> - <td>Mrs. Dickson</td> - <td class="tdr">£100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. Robert Banks</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> H. Banks</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> John Hornby</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Friend</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mr. John Forshaw</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Robert Hesketh</td> - <td class="tdr">50</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Fielding</td> - <td class="tdr">50</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Jonathan Peel</td> - <td class="tdr">50</td> - <td>10s.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> Bonny</td> - <td class="tdr">50</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The interior of the church, plain and neat, was lighted by small -lamps for evening service during the winter, and contained a font -which had once belonged to the old Roman Catholic chapel of -Singleton; and, a few years later, an organ built by Wren, of -Manchester. In 1832 this building was enlarged by drawing out -the east end, into which a plain window was inserted. The still -increasing popularity of the watering place demanded another -enlargement, which took place in 1847; but it was not until 1851 -that the present chancel, containing a handsome stained glass -memorial window to H. Banks, esq., who died in 1847, was added. -The window embraces representations of Christ, the four -evangelists, and the infant Jesus, with Joseph and his mother, etc., -below which is the following inscription, surmounted by a coat of -arms and motto:—“In memoriam Henrii Banks de Blackpool -patris, et unius ex hujus Ædis patronis, tres sui liberi hanc -fenestram fieri fecerunt.” In 1862 it was thought desirable that -further improvements should be made, and an open domed roof of -pitch-pine was substituted for the old ceiling; the floors of the -pews, previously covered with asphalt, were boarded; new -windows of ground glass, and a fresh pulpit and reading desk were -added to the church; whilst a substantial iron railing was erected -round the yard in place of the cobble wall, which had stood since -the opening of the edifice, and in the same year the burial space<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_332"></a>[332]</span> -was increased by including the plot of land lying to the west of -the church, and now abutting on the houses of Abingdon Street. -Four years later, in 1866, a new and larger tower, furnished with a -clock and a peal of eight bells, was completed on the site of -the original one, which had been pulled down for this purpose. The -interior of the church contains, in addition to the memorial -window already alluded to, mural tablets <i>in memoriam</i> of Robert -Banks, gent., died May 27th, 1838, aged 76 years,—“Ever mindful -of the calls of general duty, he was also a liberal promoter of the -erection and endowment of this church, and by will bequeathed the -sum of £100, for the perpetual support of the national school”; -Edward, the son of Henry and Margaret Banks, died August 8th, -1845, aged 35 years; the Rev. Thomas Banks, “who was for -thirty-five years incumbent of Singleton church, and an eminent -instructor of youth,” died 1842, aged 73 years.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of perpetual curates and vicars of St. John’s"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF ST. JOHN’S.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1821</td> - <td>James Formby, B.A.</td> - <td>Trustees</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1826</td> - <td>G. L. Foxton, B.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of J. Formby</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1829</td> - <td>Wm. Thornber, B.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of G. L. Foxton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1846</td> - <td>W. T. Preedy, B.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of W. Thornber</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td>Alfred Jenour, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of W. T. Preedy</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1869</td> - <td class="bb">Norman S. Jeffreys, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Ditto</td> - <td class="bb">Death of A. Jenour</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The present patrons of St. John’s church are the Rev. C. -Hesketh, of North Meols; the Vicar of Bispham; J. Talbot Clifton, -esq., of Lytham Hall; and the Raikes Hall Park, Gardens, and -Aquarium Company.</p> - -<p>In 1821 the census returns of the population of Layton-with-Warbreck -showed a total of 749 persons. On the 19th of July -in that year the coronation of George IV. was celebrated by the -inhabitants and visitors of Blackpool “in a manner most grateful -to every benevolent heart.” A handsome subscription, we are told<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_333"></a>[333]</span> -by the gentleman whose words have just been quoted and who -was present on the occasion, was expended in procuring one day’s -festivity for the poor and needy, the aged and the young. About -ten in the morning, the children of the township, amounting to -one hundred and thirty-nine, assembled at the national school, -erected near the church, where they were each presented with -a coronation medal. Afterwards they paraded the beach, headed -by two musicians, and sang the national anthem at all the -principal houses, followed by ringing cheers; returning to -the school-house, each child was regaled with a large bun, and -spiced ale and coppers were distributed amongst them. When these -had been dismissed to their homes, upwards of thirty old people -met in the same room, where they sat down to an ample and -excellent dinner, at the conclusion of which they each drank the -king’s health in a pint of strong ale. The same kind-hearted -ladies who had superintended the children in the procession, -waited on this venerable company, and had their generosity -rewarded by witnessing the amusing spectacle of three old women, -upwards of seventy, who had probably danced at the coronation -of George III., go through a Scotch reel, which they accomplished -in excellent style.</p> - -<p>On the 21st of March, 1825, the first stone of a small Independent -chapel, situated at the lower end of Chapel Street, and lying on -the south extremity of the village, was laid by the Rev. D. T. -Carnson, and on the 6th of the ensuing July it was opened -for public worship by the Rev. Dr. Raffles.</p> - -<p>The summer of 1827 is remarkable as having been an exceptionally -prosperous season for Blackpool; vast numbers of carts -and other vehicles laden with their living freights arrived from -Blackburn, Burnley, Colne, Padiham, and the borders of Yorkshire, -and during the month of August so crowded was the place -that many were lodged in stables and barns, whilst others sought -refuge at Poulton. The following year a fine gravel promenade -was tastefully laid out on the sea bank to a considerable distance, -occupying a large portion of the site of the old road. A beautiful -green turf walk was constructed from the beach to the church, -leading through pleasant fields, and furnished at intervals with -covered seats. The Albion Hotel was also erected at the north-west -corner of Lane Ends Street.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_334"></a>[334]</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Whittle, in his publication descriptive, amongst other -resorts, of Blackpool in 1830, and entitled “Marina,” says:—“Blackpool -is furnished with excellent accommodation, although -it is a pity but what there had been some kind of uniformity -observed, as all sea-bathing stations ought to have their houses -built upon a plan entirely unique. Four assemblies have been -known to take place in one week during the bathing season, -extending from July to October. In fact the rooms at the hotels -are very extensive. Bank’s is the most commodious. The -inhabitants seem to have no taste for ornamenting their doorways -or windows with trellis work or verandahs, or with jessamines, -woodbines, or hollyhocks, similar to those at Southport, -and many of the sea-bathing situations in the south. It is not to -be wondered at that there are here frequently at the flux of the -season, from eight hundred to a thousand visitors. Blackpool has -most certainly been honoured since its commencement as a -watering-place by persons of distinction and fashion. The hotels -and other houses of reception are scattered along the beach with -an aspect towards the Irish Sea; and in the rear are the dwellings -of the villagers. The cottages on the beach have of late years -considerably increased, and they serve, with the hotels in the -centre, to give the place, when viewed from the sea, a large and -imposing appearance.”</p> - -<p>The ball and dining-room at Nickson’s Hotel, (the Clifton Arms,) -was of large dimensions, and contained a neat orchestra at one -end, whilst the following notice was suspended in a prominent -position against the inner wall:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The friends of Cuthbert Nickson will please to observe that the senior person -at the hotel is entitled to the president’s chair; and the junior to the vice-president’s. -Also the ladies to have the preference of the bathing machines.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>Placards, similar in their import to this one, were to be seen -in both Dickson’s and Bank’s Hotels.</p> - -<p>The new promenade was improved in 1830 by the addition of a -wooden hand-rail along its entire length, whilst comfortable seats -were placed opposite the hotels of Banks and Nickson. The fairs, -to which we have already alluded, continued to be held every second -Sunday during the season, but a few years later they were -abolished by the action of the more respectable portion of the -residents. Letters arrived at half-past eleven in the morning, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_335"></a>[335]</span> -were despatched at noon, daily in the summer months, but only -three times a week during winter. Mr. Cook, an American, was -the originator of the post, which he commenced some time before -by having the letters carried to Kirkham three times a week -during the season. At that day the arrival of the letter-bag was -made known to the anxious public by exposing a board on which -was written or painted, “The post is arrived.” This ingenious -device proclaimed, on reversing the board, “The post is not yet -arrived;” so that by a proper use of the signal the postmaster -was enabled to save himself much trouble in answering the frequent -inquiries of expectant visitors. Mr. Cook, who is described as -having been the “Beau Nash” of Blackpool, died in 1820, and -was buried at Bispham. The charges at the best hotels were -6s. per day in private and 5s. in public, with an addition of 1s. -each night for a front, or 6d. for a back, bedroom. At Bonny’s -the price was 4s. 6d. per day; and at Nickson’s and the Yorkshire -House 3s. 6d. per day at the first table, and 2s. 6d. at the second, -subject to an additional charge for extra attendance if required.</p> - -<p>The census returns of 1831 showed that the population of the -township had increased to 943 persons since 1821, when, the -reader may be reminded, the total amounted to 749.</p> - -<p>In 1835, a Wesleyan chapel, calculated to hold between 250 -and 300 persons, was erected and opened in Bank Hey Street. -This building, having in the course of time become inadequate -for the accommodation of its increasing congregation, was -pulled down, and the corner stone of the present edifice laid by -W. Heap, esq., of Halifax, on Friday, November 1st., 1861. The -chapel, which occupies a site near the old one, was opened for -service on the 4th of July, 1862, and is capable of seating 760 -persons. The total expenditure for the erection and other -incidental expenses connected with it, amounted to £3,500. An -organ, built by Mr. E. Wadsworth, of Manchester, at a cost of -£320, was obtained in 1872.</p> - -<p>During 1836 great improvements were made in the appearance -of the town; shops were beautified and increased in -number; many of the cottages were rendered more ornamental, -whilst others were constructed on modern principles, and on a -moderate calculation it may be estimated that two hundred -beds were added to the existing accommodation. Sir Benjamin<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_336"></a>[336]</span> -Heywood, bart., of Claremont, purchased an extensive plot -of land, now occupied by the Prince of Wales’s Market and -Aquarium Buildings, on which he shortly afterwards raised -a handsome marine family residence, called West Hey. -Numerous and copious springs of fine fresh water were found at -a depth of fifteen yards from the surface; until which fortunate -discovery, water for drinking purposes had been collected in -cisterns dug out of the marl. Public Baths were also erected on -the beach adjoining the Lane Ends Hotel.</p> - -<p>The following year, 1837, the Victoria Terrace and Promenade, -erected at the north-west corner of Victoria Street, were completed. -This block of buildings was formed of seven shops, above them -being the Promenade, a room thirty-two yards long, which -opened through folding windows upon a balcony six feet wide; -attached to it were a news-room, library, and billiard table. The -Promenade acquired its distinctive title from being first used on -the 24th of May, 1837, when the Princess Victoria, the present -Queen, attained her legal majority; on that day the principal -inhabitants of Blackpool assembled there to celebrate the important -event with a sumptuous dinner, and from the subjoined extract, -taken from an account of the gathering in a public print, we -learn the great estimation in which the saloon was then held:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“ ... dinner and excellent wine provided by Mr. C. Nickson, to which -fifty-two gentlemen sat down, in the splendid Promenade Room newly erected by -Doctor Cocker, who was highly extolled for his taste in the architectural design -and decorations of the building, which is of the chaste Doric order, and for his -spirited liberality in providing the visitors of this celebrated resort with so spacious -and magnificent a saloon, where, as in a common centre, they may meet each other -and enjoy the social pleasures of a <i>conversatione</i> whenever they please; thus -evincing his wish to promote a more friendly intercourse amongst the strangers -collected here from all quarters of the kingdom during the summer season—this -has hitherto been a <i>desideratum</i> at Blackpool.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>For long afterwards balls and all public meetings were held in -this assembly room, which still exists in its original condition, -although the other parts of the block, especially the shops, have -recently been improved and beautified.</p> - -<p>From 1837 to 1840 the progress of the place was steady, but -not rapid, as compared with more recent times. In the latter -year the opening of the Preston and Wyre Railway to Poulton, -initiated a mode of travelling until then unknown in the Fylde<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_337"></a>[337]</span> -district, and by its means Blackpool became nearer in point of -time to Preston, Manchester, and many other large towns already -possessing railway accommodation, a great accession of company -being the immediate result. Omnibuses, coaches, and other -carriages met every train at Poulton station, and the four miles of -road were scampered over by splendid teams in less than half an -hour. Then it was that the jolting, homely vehicles, and the -through coaches, which had for long been the dashing wonders of -the country roads, were driven off, and a greatly multiplied -number of visitors brought into the town daily by the more -expeditious route, at a less cost and with greater personal convenience -than had been possible in earlier days. More accommodation -was soon called for and as readily supplied by the -spirited inhabitants, who erected numerous houses at several -points, which served, at no distant period, as the nucleus for new -streets and terraces. The census of the township in 1841 had -risen to 2,168. In 1844 the erection and opening of a Market House, -evinced the growing importance and prosperity of the watering-place; -this building has lately, since 1872, been enlarged by lateral -extension to quite double its original capacity, whilst the extensive -unprotected area opposite, used for similar trading purposes and -occupied by stalls, has been covered over with a transparent roof. -Talbot Road was opened out and the lower end formed into a -spacious square, (furnished with an elegant drinking fountain in 1870) -by the removal of a house from its centre. These improvements -were effected at the sole cost of John Talbot Clifton, esq., of -Lytham, the owner of the soil. The Adelphi and Victoria Hotels, -which had sprung into being, were altered and enlarged; the -former by raising it a story, and the latter by the addition of a -commodious dining room, two sitting rooms, and sundry bedrooms. -Several spacious residences were finished on South Beach, and -a handsome terrace of habitations stretching south from Dickson’s -Hotel, was also erected about that time.</p> - -<p>In 1845, several houses on a larger scale, including the Talbot -Hotel, were built, and great improvements and additions made to -many former establishments.</p> - -<p>The opening of the branch line from Blackpool to join the main -railroad at Poulton, on the 29th of April, 1846, gave another marked -impetus to the progress of the town; by its formation direct steam<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_338"></a>[338]</span> -communication was completed with the populous centres of Lancashire -and Yorkshire, and many, who had previously been -deterred from visiting Blackpool by its comparative inaccessibility, -now flocked down to its shores in great numbers; building increased, -and dwellings arose, chiefly on the front, and in Church -and Victoria Streets.</p> - -<p>During the ensuing year the first meeting of the Blackpool Agricultural -Society was held on the grounds of a recently built inn, -the Manchester Hotel, at South Shore; the attendance was both -numerous and respectable, including many of the most influential -gentlemen, yeomen, and farmers of the neighbourhood, and several -from the remoter localities of the Fylde. Cows, horses, and pigs -appear to have been the only stocks to which prizes were awarded. -The first Lodge of Freemasons held their initiatory meeting in -that year at the Beach Hotel, another house of entertainment -which had risen shortly before, on the site of some furnished -cottage facing the beach.</p> - -<p>A new Independent Chapel was commenced in Victoria Street, -to supersede the small one erected in Chapel Street in 1825; the -edifice was finished and used for divine service in 1849. Serious -differences seem to have arisen a few years later between the pastor -of that date, the Rev. J. Noall, and a limited section of his congregation, -who were anxious to deprive him of his charge, and even -went so far, in 1860, as to publicly read in the chapel, after -morning service, a notice convening a meeting for that purpose. -This act, being repeated on the ensuing Sabbath, led to retaliation -on the part of the partizans of the minister, who, unknown to -that gentleman, paraded three figures, intended to represent the -three principal opponents to the continuance of his pastorate, suspended -from a gibbet, which had been erected in a cart, through -the streets of the town, and afterwards gave them up to the flames -on the sands. The Rev. J. Noall was shortly afterwards presented -with a testimonial of esteem by a number of sympathisers. -Schools, in connection with the chapel, were built in 1870.</p> - -<p>Two years subsequently, the watering-place had grown, without -the fostering care of a public governing body, into a large and -prosperous town, boasting a resident population of over two -thousand persons, but this very increase and popularity had -rendered it impossible for private enterprise to provide the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_339"></a>[339]</span> -requisite comforts and conveniences for such a mixture of classes -as visited it during the summer. Acting under this necessity and -for the welfare of the resort a Local Board was formed, composed -of gentlemen elected from amongst inhabitants, into whose hands -was entrusted the government and regulation of all matters connected -with the place. An accession of power was sought in 1853, -and on Tuesday, the 14th of June, the Blackpool Improvement -Act received the royal assent. The Board originally consisted -of nine members, but in 1871 the number was increased to -eighteen.</p> - -<p>One of the earliest acts of the new commissioners of 1853 was to -provide for the proper lighting of the town by the erection of Gas -Works, which they accomplished in their first year of office; for -some time it had been evident that the season was seriously curtailed -by the absence of any illumination along the promenade and -thoroughfares during the autumn evenings, but private speculation -had for some reason held aloof from so important an undertaking, -although the question had been much discussed amongst -the inhabitants. Here it may be stated, in order to avoid reverting -to the subject again, that in 1863 there were 650 consumers -of gas; in 1869, 1270; and in 1875, no less than 2,000; the -miles of mains in those years being respectively 5, 7, and 12.</p> - -<p>In 1856, the promenade, which had suffered much injury from -frequent attacks of the sea, and perhaps from some amount of -negligence in not bestowing due attention to its proper maintenance, -was put in better order and extended from its northern extremity, -opposite Talbot Square, along the front of Albert Terrace -as far as Rossall’s, formerly Dickson’s Hotel. Four years later a -portion of this walk opposite Central Beach was asphalted and -sprinkled over with fine white spar. The Infant School-house in -Bank Hey Street, was opened in 1856.</p> - -<p>The Roman Catholic Church, situated in Talbot Road, was -erected in 1857, from the design of Edwin W. Pugin, Esq., and at -the sole expense of Miss M. Tempest, sister to Sir Charles Tempest, -Bart., of Broughton Hall, Yorkshire. It is in the Gothic style, -the exterior being built with Yorkshire flag in narrow courses, -hammer dressed and tuck pointed. The church comprises a -chancel, north and south transepts, two sacristies, confessionals, -nave, aisles, south porch, and central western tower. The chancel,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_340"></a>[340]</span> -which is separated from the nave and transepts by a richly -decorated and moulded arch, contains four side windows in addition -to a large one at the east end. The nave is divided into five bays -of fifteen feet each, with massive arches ornamented with deeply -cut mouldings. The tower is of great solidity, and rises to a -height of one hundred and twenty-four feet. Almost the whole -of the windows are filled with richly stained glass; and the altar -within the chancel is beautified with elaborately carved groups, -designed by J. H. Powell, of Birmingham, of the “Agony in the -Garden,” and the “Last Supper;” whilst that in the lady chapel -is adorned, from the pencil of the same artist, with illustrations of -the “Assumption of the Virgin,” and the “Annunciation,” all of -which are exquisitely carved by Lane. This church is dedicated -to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and was the first one ever -erected in Blackpool for members of the Roman Catholic Faith, -service having been previously celebrated in a room in Talbot -Road. In 1866 an excellent peal of cast steel bells was added to -the tower; and ten years afterwards a magnificent organ was -opened in the main building. Attached to the church, and within -the same enclosure, were placed day and Sunday schools, as well -as a residence for the officiating priests. The cost of this -magnificent pile, without the internal decorations, amounted to -£5,500.</p> - -<p>The foundation stone of the Union Baptist Chapel, in Abingdon -Street, was laid on the 9th of April, 1860, and on Good Friday -in the following year it was opened for divine worship by the Rev. -Dr. Raffles. The main building, 80 feet long by 49 feet wide, is -of brick, and finished with moulded and polished stone dressings -in the Grecian style of architecture. The principal or west front -is surmounted by a bold cornice and pediment, and contains the -two chief entrances, which are approached by a long range of -steps and a spacious landing. The interior is fitted with substantial -open pews of red pine in the body, and similar seats are placed in -the two end galleries, the whole being capable of providing -accommodation for about 650 persons. The communion floor, -under a portion of which is the Baptistry, is enclosed with an -ornamental balustrade. The edifice is well supplied with light -through plain circular-headed windows. A Sunday school was -added in 1874, and an organ also purchased during that year.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_341"></a>[341]</span> -From 1858 to the completion of the chapel the Baptists -worshipped in the room formerly used by the Roman Catholics -in Talbot Road.</p> - -<p>In 1861, the progress and improvement of the town was well -shown by three events which occurred at that date—the first sod -of the Lytham and Blackpool coast line was cut at Lytham Park, -on the 4th of September; a large Market Hall, raised on South -Beach, by Mr. W. Read, for the sale of useful and fancy articles -was completed; and the original Christ Church was opened on -Sunday the 23rd of June, by the Rev. C. H. Wainwright, M.A. -This church, which stood until the erection of the present one, -was built of iron by Mr. Hemming, of London, at a cost of £1,000, -which was advanced by eight gentlemen, who were subsequently -reimbursed by contributions from the public and collections from -the congregation at various times.</p> - -<p>The population of Layton-with-Warbreck in 1861 amounted to -3,907 persons, of which number Blackpool contributed 3,506.</p> - -<p>The passenger traffic on the Blackpool and Lytham Railway -commenced on the 6th of April, 1862, and between that date and -the 30th of June over 35,000 persons had taken advantage of the -line and been conveyed between the two watering-places. In -1862 a handsome Police Station and Court-House sprang into -being in Abingdon street, including residences, lock-ups, offices, -magistrates’ room, etc.</p> - -<p>The streets of Blackpool no longer presented the meagre and -broken lines of earlier days, but were in most instances well filled -on each side with compact blocks of houses. In December, 1861, -a few of the townpeople assembled at the Clifton Arms Hotel to -consider the advisability of erecting a pier, to extend westward -from the promenade opposite Talbot square; and on the 22nd of -January, 1862, the memorandum of association was signed with a -capital of £12,000, being immediately registered. Plans were -examined on the 10th of February, and the design of E. Birch, -esq., C.E., selected, that gentleman being also appointed engineer. -In April, the tender of Messrs. Laidlaw, of Glasgow, to construct -the pier for £11,540 was accepted; and a grant of the foreshore -required for the undertaking having been obtained from the -Duchy of Lancaster for £120, and £7 paid to the Crown for the -portion beyond low-water mark, the first pile of the North Pier<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_342"></a>[342]</span> -was screwed into the marl on the 27th of June, 1862, by Captain -Francis Preston, the chairman of the company. A violent storm -in the ensuing October damaged the works to some extent, and -induced the company to raise the deck of the pier three feet above -the altitude originally proposed, at an expense of £2,000. On the -21st of May, 1863, the pier was formally opened by Captain -Preston, the auspicious event being celebrated by general -rejoicings throughout the town and a procession of the different -schools and friendly societies. The dimensions of the erection at -that date were:—Approach, 80 feet long; abutment, 120 feet long -and 45 feet wide; main portion, 1,070 feet long and 28 feet wide; -and the head, 135 feet long and 55 feet wide, giving a total length -of 1,405 feet available as a promenade. The entire superstructure -was placed upon clusters of iron piles, fixed vertically into the -ground by means of screws, those at the abutment and main body -being wholly of cast, and those at the head partly of cast and -partly of wrought iron. The largest of the cast-iron columns -measured 12 inches in diameter, and 1⅓ inch in thickness, each -column being filled in with concrete. The piles were arranged -in clusters at intervals of 60 feet, and firmly secured together -longitudinally, transversely, and diagonally, by rods and braces. -The main girders, of the sort known as plated, were rivetted on -the clusters in lengths of 70 feet, and formed parapets, presenting -a pleasing appearance and constituting a most efficient wind -guard to the pier. The tops of the girders were turned to useful -account by converting them into a continuous line of seats. Next -to the chief girders were fixed transverse wrought iron girders, -upon the top of which the planking of the deck was laid, being -arranged in longitudinal and transverse layers, so that no open -spaces were left to admit the passage of wind or spray. The head -of the pier, rectangular in form, was raised 50 feet above low-water -mark, and leading from it to ample landing stages below, -was a flight of steps 10 feet wide. The limits of the pier shore-wards -were defined by ornamental iron gates with lamps, -immediately inside which were the toll houses. Upon the main -portion of the pier were erected several ornamental shelter and -refreshment houses of an octagonal shape, and standing on side -projections. Another ornamental shelter house of much larger -dimensions was placed, within a few months, on the head. Lamps<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_343"></a>[343]</span> -were provided along the entire length of the pier. In 1867 the -directors determined to erect an iron extension or jetty, and in -less than two years the work was accomplished at a cost of £6,000. -During the month of May, 1869, a tender for the formation of the -present entrance for £2,700 was accepted, and the agreement -promptly carried out by Messrs. Laidlaw, of Glasgow. In -October, 1874, the company arranged with the same contractors -to enlarge the pierhead by putting out two wings, from the -designs of E. Birch, esq., C.E., at an expenditure of £14,000. On -the north wing it is intended to build a pavilion, 130 feet long by -90 feet wide, in an eastern style of architecture, and estimated to -hold 1,200 persons seated. The edifice, around which there will -be a promenade, is to be supplied with an orchestra, refreshment -rooms, etc., and used as a concert room and fashionable marine -lounge. The south wing, which is about 130 feet long, contains -a bandstand, capable of holding 30 performers, at the further -end, and on the east and west side two other buildings 62 -feet by 27 feet each, the former being designed for the purposes -of a restaurant, and the latter for the sale of fancy goods and -other commodities. The unoccupied space, nearly 100 feet by 80 -feet, will be provided with seats in the centre, the remainder -serving as a promenade. The contract for the foregoing erections -was let in 1875, to Messrs. Robert Neill and Sons, of Manchester, -for nearly £12,000. In 1863, the capital of the company was -raised to £15,000; in 1864, to £20,000; in 1865, to £25,000; -in 1874, to £40,000; and in 1875, to £50,000.</p> - -<p>About the period when the North Pier was constructed, and -for years previously, the visitors to Blackpool could certainly -complain of no lack of ordinary amusements during their brief -residence by the sea. Horses, donkeys, and vehicles were ever -in readiness to administer to their entertainment, either by -conveying them for short drives to explore such objects of -interest as the country afforded, or translating them for the day -to the seaport of Fleetwood, or the neighbouring resort of -Lytham. Bathing machines abounded on the sands, and during -suitable states of the tide were busily engaged in affording ready -access to the briny element to numbers, who were anxious to -experience the invigorating effects of a bath in Neptune’s domain. -In the evenings theatrical representations were frequently held,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_344"></a>[344]</span> -since 1861, in the spacious room of Read’s Market. The Crystal -Palace, formerly the Victoria Promenade, was also devoted to -similar purposes, having long been diverted from the use for -which it was first intended. The Number 3 Hotel, under its old -name, but in a more modern building than that described by Mr. -Hutton at the close of last century, still flourished, and proved -equally attractive, not so much, however, on account of its “fine -ale” as the wealth of strawberries and floral beauties adorning its -gardens. Carleton Terrace was built in 1863; and on the 10th of -March in that year the marriage of the Prince of Wales and the -Princess Alexandra of Denmark, was celebrated with many -manifestations of loyalty and joy. Flags, banners, and ensigns -were suspended from the windows of almost every house, whilst -sports of various kinds were held on the sands during the -morning, after which the school children, belonging to the -different denominations, and a body of Oddfellows, amounting in -all to 900 persons, assembled in Talbot Square, and sang the -national anthem, previous to forming a procession and parading -the streets of the town. Subsequently the children were regaled -with tea, buns, etc. The Preston Banking Company established -a branch at Blackpool during 1863; and in the month of January -a party of gentlemen purchased the whole of the land lying -between the site of Carleton terrace and the Gynn, for the -purpose of laying it out in building plots and promenades, the -main feature to be a large central hotel standing in its own -grounds. The contracts were let by the company in October, 1863, -for embanking, sewering, and forming the necessary roads and -promenades on their estate, and shortly afterwards an agreement -was entered into for preparing the foundation of the hotel, the -work in both instances being promptly commenced. The -magnitude of the scheme far exceeded that of any undertaking -which had ever yet been attempted in Blackpool, but undisturbed -by the speculative character of their venture the proprietors -carried the enterprise through its various phases with a liberal -and vigorous hand, succeeding in the course of time in creating -an acquisition of incalculable beauty and benefit to the town. -The Imperial Hotel has its station on the highest point of the -land, now called Claremont Park, and is a palatial edifice, -surrounded by elegant lawns and walks, walled off from the park<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_345"></a>[345]</span> -outside. In 1876 an extensive enlargement, consisting of a south -wing, containing 39 bedrooms and 6 sitting-rooms, was made to -the establishment. The cliffs fronting the estate, formerly rugged -and uneven, were sloped and pitched to form a protection from -the inroads of the tide, whilst a broad marine promenade was -made along the whole length of the park, about a mile, and fenced -with an iron railing on its open aspect. The main promenade of -the town was continued round the west side of the park as far as -the Gynn, but on a lower level than the walk just indicated. -Shrubs were planted and toll houses, with gates, fixed at the -entrances to the estate, all of which was enclosed with railings. -The splendid residences denominated Stanley Villas, Wilton -Parade, Imperial Terrace, and Lansdowne Crescent were not -dilatory in rearing their several heads in a locality so congenial to -their aristocratic proclivities, the foundations of the last being -prepared in 1864.</p> - -<p>In 1864 the Lane Ends Hotel was levelled to the ground, and -the present handsome structure, in the Italian style of architecture, -raised on the site, being re-opened again two years later. The -foundation stone of the United Methodist Free Church was -laid in Adelaide Street on the 30th of March, in the year specified, -by James Sidebottom, esq., of Manchester, service being held in -the building in the course of a few months; whilst the newly-arrived -lifeboat was launched, and the first supply of the Fylde -Waterworks Company passed through their pipes to Blackpool -on the 20th of July. The station of the lifeboat, named the -“Robert William,” is situated near the beach at South Shore, -close to the Manchester Hotel; and here we may mention that -this boat, under the skilful and intrepid management of its crew -and coxswain, has been instrumental on several occasions in -affording aid in time of shipwreck. Amongst these instances may -be noted the rescue of a crew of fourteen persons belonging to -the barque “Susan L. Campbell,” wrecked on Salthouse Bank on -the 11th April, 1867, assistance being rendered also to the barque -“A. L. Routh”; and the rescue of the crew of the schooner -“Glyde,” stranded on the South Beach on the same eventful -morning. The annual expense incurred in the support of this -valuable institution is defrayed by voluntary contributions.</p> - -<p>The unflagging efforts of the inhabitants to promote the comfort<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_346"></a>[346]</span> -of their visitors in matters of household convenience and accommodation, -and to render their sojourns by the shore productive of -pleasurable, as well as healthful, sensations, were manifestly well -appreciated by those for whose benefit they were intended. The -daily crowds parading the recently-erected pier were satisfactory -evidence of the high estimation in which that elegant addition to -the attractions of the place was held, whilst the thronged -thoroughfares during the heat of summer bore witness to the -growing affection which Blackpool was gaining for itself in the -hearts of the million. Active exertions were necessary on the part -of the builders to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for -more extended residential provision, houses being scarcely completed -before the eager tenants had established themselves in their -new domiciles. The greater portion of the Clifton Arms Hotel -was pulled down in the autumn of 1865, and rebuilt on an -enlarged and improved scale, being finished and ready for occupation -in the ensuing spring. On the 20th of June, 1865, the -first members of the Blackpool Volunteer Artillery Corps, -amounting to about 60 men, took the oath customary on enrolment, -and at the same meeting appointed their officers. Ten -years later a commodious drill-shed was erected for their use.</p> - -<p>In 1866 the temporary iron church, to which allusion has been -made in a late page, was superseded by the existing substantial -one in Queen Street, bearing the name of its predecessor. The -edifice was opened for divine service on Thursday, the 3rd of -May, by the Rev. E. B. Chalmers, M.A., of Salford, but was not -consecrated until 1870. The architecture is an early and simple -style of decorated Gothic, with thick walls and prominently projecting -buttresses. The east and west ends are lighted respectively -by four and five-light traceried windows and lancets. The steeple, -which is well buttressed, has in its upper stage a belfry for six -bells, and is surmounted by a vane. Until recent additions were -made, the church contained sittings for 1,000 persons. The -building originally comprised a broad nave, with a central aisle -and two side passages giving access to the seats, all of which were -open benches with sloping backs; north and south transepts -with galleries, lighted by bay windows; a spacious chancel, with -north and south aisles, the former being fitted up as a vestry, and -the latter used as the organ-chamber; a spacious porch at the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_347"></a>[347]</span> -west end, with a wide double door; a west gallery extending over -the porch, and approached by a staircase along the basement of -the tower; and a baptistry covered with a separate hipped roof. -The alterations just alluded to were carried out in 1874, and consisted -of the erection of north and south aisles to the nave, -providing accommodation for about 300 more worshippers. The -district assigned to Christ Church in 1872 was converted into a -parish in 1874, and the title of vicar given to the incumbent. -The Rev. C. H. Wainwright, M.A., to whose exertions the new -structure mainly owes its existence, was the first incumbent, and -is the present vicar. The schools connected with the church are -situated in Queen Street, and were built in 1872.</p> - -<p>During the year 1866 the Lancaster Banking Company and the -Manchester and County Banking Company each opened a branch -in Blackpool, and like the Preston Bank, previously referred to, -now transact business daily.</p> - -<p>In July, 1867, the Prince of Wales Arcade on Central Beach -was finished and opened, comprising a block of building, with -extensive market accommodation, assembly rooms, etc., erected -on the site between the Beach and Royal Hotels in an imposing -and ornamental style of architecture; and on the 19th of -December, the corner stone of the Temperance Hall in Coronation -Street was laid by the Rev. R. Crook, and in the following July the -erection was completed and opened. The temperance movement -had been commenced in Blackpool four years anterior to that -date, when a Band of Hope in connection with the United -Methodist Free Church was formed, and the number of its -members increased so rapidly in the intervening time that it was -considered advisable to build the present Hall for their meetings, -and for those of others who were interested in the same cause.</p> - -<p>The marked success which had attended the construction of -the North Pier induced a company of gentlemen to erect a similar -one, running seaward from the margin of the promenade at the -south of Blackpool. The first pile was screwed in July, 1867, -and on the 30th of May, 1868, the South Pier and Jetty were -thrown open to the public without any inaugural ceremony. It -is built of wrought iron and timber, and has the following -dimensions:—Total length 1,518 feet, the main promenade being -1,118 feet, and the lower promenade or jetty 400 feet; the entrance<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_348"></a>[348]</span> -is on an abutment 60 feet wide, where there are gates, toll-houses, -waiting and retiring-rooms; the pier head is rectangular in form, -and composed of strong timber, containing an area of 8,120 superficial -feet. The chief promenade is furnished with seats on each -side throughout its whole length, together with twelve recesses, -on which are shops for the sale of fancy articles and refreshments. -On the head of the pier are placed two large waiting and refreshment -rooms, as well as a commodious shelter and wind guard. -At the extremity of the jetty is a beacon and light as required by -the authorities at Trinity House.</p> - -<p>In 1868 a magnificent pile of buildings, erected in Talbot -Square, and called the Arcade and Assembly Rooms, was completed. -This structure contains a basement and arcade of very -elegant shops, a restaurant, refreshment and billiard rooms, -together with a handsome and spacious saloon, surrounded within -by a gallery, and furnished with a neat stage for theatrical representations -and other entertainments. Several sleeping apartments -were added in 1874, and a certain section of the edifice arranged -as a private hotel.</p> - -<p>The promenade had always been esteemed so much the property -of the house and land owners on the front of the beach that to -them was delegated the onerous duty of maintaining in repair such -portions of the hulking as ran before each of their possessions, -the walk itself being kept in order and supported by subscriptions -amongst the visitors and residents generally. Under this arrangement -although the embankment was ensured from being carried -away by the waves, there was no certainty that its upper surface -would invariably present that neat and finished appearance so necessary -to the success of a marine promenade. Voluntary contributions -are in most instances but a precarious support on which to rely -exclusively, and at Blackpool their unfortunate characteristic was -prominently exemplified, more particularly during the earlier years -of the watering-place, when visitors, whom the summer had drawn -to the coast, too frequently discovered their favourite lounge in a -state far from attractive to the pedestrian. Recently there had -been comparatively little cause for complaint as to the condition -in which each opening season found the promenade, but it was -felt on all sides that the day had arrived when a new and much -more extensive walk should be laid out, and that the responsibility<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_349"></a>[349]</span> -of maintaining both it and the fence in proper order -should devolve upon the town, from the funds, or rather -borrowing powers, of which it was proposed to carry out the -undertaking. In 1865 a special act of parliament had been -obtained with this object by the Local Board of Health, at a cost -of £2,159, by which permission to borrow up to £30,000 was -granted, but no active steps were then taken, and three years later -a supplemental act was procured to borrow up to an amount -which, when added to the amount already in hand under the -former act, would not exceed altogether two years’ assessable -value, the whole to be repaid within a period of fifty years from -the date of receiving the loan. There were other difficulties to -encounter, notwithstanding that the Board had the power of -compulsory purchased granted, in the buying of land to prosecute -the purpose of the act. These were ultimately overcome by -arbitration in cases where disputes had arisen. A supplemental -act in 1867 allowed the board to amend and curtail several -clauses in the original act, the first of which was to abridge the -dimensions of the proposed work, the second to empower the -levying of rates according to the act of 1865 on the completion of -each section of the undertaking, and the third to extend the time -for the compulsory purchase of land from three to five years. -According to the act the commissioners gained a right to collect -tolls for the usage of the promenade from all persons not assessed -or liable to be assessed by any rate leviable by the Local Board of -Health, with the exception of those crossing to the piers. This -power, it may be stated, was not intended to be, and never has -been, put in force. The promenade proposed to be made would -reach from Carleton Terrace to the further end of South Shore, a -distance of about two miles; and the work was divided into three -sections, the first of which, begun in 1868, was let to Mr. Robert -Carlisle, contractor, for £16,043, and extended from South Shore -to the Fox Hall Hotel. The storm which occurred on January -31st, 1869, washed away 350 yards of the newly-constructed sea -fence and carriage-drive, with about 16,000 cubic yards of embankment, -and about 6,000 square yards of pitching. Another storm -which took place on the 28th of February, added considerably to -the damage just stated, by tearing down a length of 250 yards, -which was entirely completed, so that the total injury inflicted by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_350"></a>[350]</span> -the waves during the gale represented 600 lineal yards of sea fence, -carriage-drive, and promenade, comprising 21,000 cubic yards of -embankment, all of which had to be replaced from the shore at -a considerable expense, in addition to 9,500 square yards of -pitching, etc., connected therewith. No. 2 section, running from -the Fox Hall Hotel to the New Inn, was contracted for by a -Manchester gentleman at £3,964, but in consequence of his not -being able to carry out the work, it was re-let, and Mr. -Chatburn succeeded him on the increased terms of £4,942. No. -3 section, stretching from the New Inn to the southern extremity -of Carleton Terrace, was also constructed by Mr. Robert Carlisle, -at a cost of £10,356. The whole of the ironwork was supplied -by Mr. Clayton, of Preston, and necessitated an expenditure of -£3,275. The sea fence consists of a sloping breastwork, pitched -with stones on a thick bed of clay puddle, the interstices between -the stones having been filled in with asphalt or cement concrete. -The slope is curvilinear, and one in four on an average. Next to -the breast is the promenade and carriage-drive. The promenade -is seven yards wide, and has an even surface of asphalting, being -separated from the carriage-drive by a line of side stones. In order -to obtain space between the houses and the sea for the promenade -and carriage-drive, a part of the shore was regained by an embankment -along South Shore, and along the northern district by an -iron viaduct, which projects considerably over the sea fence, and -encircles the marine aspect of Bailey’s Hotel. The floor of the -viaduct is formed with patent buckled plates, filled in with -concrete, and finished with asphalt. The plates are fixed to rolled -joists, and supported on neat cast-iron columns, screwed down -into the solid. The west front of the promenade is guarded by -an iron railing, and furnished at intervals with seats of the same -material, situated on the embankment to the south, and on projecting -ledges of the viaduct along the northern length. The -carriage-drive, twelve yards wide, runs parallel with the -promenade throughout the entire extent, and is formed of -shingle, clay, and macadam. It has a footway along the -frontages of the adjoining property, the whole being well drained -and lighted with gas. The complete structure was finished and -formally opened to the public on Easter Monday, 18th of April, -1870, by Colonel Wilson-Patten, M.P., the present Lord Winmarleigh.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_351"></a>[351]</span> -The town was profusely decorated with bunting of -every hue; triumphal arches of evergreens and ensigns spanned -many of the thoroughfares, notably Talbot Road and along the -front; whilst an immense procession, consisting of the Artillery -Volunteers, Yeomanry in uniform, trades with their emblems, -friendly societies, schools, etc., headed by a band, and comprising -in its ranks no less than twelve mayors from important towns of -Lancashire, conducted Colonel Wilson-Patten to that portion -of the promenade opposite Talbot Square, where the ceremony of -declaring the walk accessible for public traffic was gone through. -During the evening the watering-place was illuminated, and the -eventful day closed with a large ball, held in honour of the -occasion.</p> - -<p>The wisdom of the authorities in having Blackpool provided -with a marine promenade and a frontage unrivalled by any on the -coasts of England was soon evinced by the increase in the stream -of visitors poured into the place during the summer months. -Fresh houses for their accommodation were being rapidly erected -in many parts of the town, and everywhere there were ample -evidences that prosperity was dealing liberally with the town. -The wooden railings, which heretofore had been deemed sufficiently -ornamental fences for the residences facing the sea, were -removed, and elegant iron ones substituted, apportioning to each -habitation its own plot of sward or garden. The proprietor of -Bailey’s Hotel hastened to follow the example which had been set -by those who were interested in the Clifton Arms and Lane Ends -Hotels, and commenced a series of levellings and rebuildings, -under the superintendence and according to the designs of Messrs. -Speakman and Charlesworth, architects, of Manchester, which -extended over several years, and have now rendered the hotel one -of the most imposing and handsome edifices in the watering-place. -Further alterations, consisting in the erection of shops on a vacant -piece of land lying on the north side of the hotel, in the same -style of architecture, and continuous with it, were carried out in -1876.</p> - -<p>In 1871 a project was launched for purchasing Raikes Hall -with the estate belonging thereto, situated on the east aspect of -Blackpool, and converting the latter into a park and pleasure -gardens. In that year a company was formed, entitled<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_352"></a>[352]</span> -the Raikes Hall Park, Gardens, and Aquarium Company, -and the land obtained without delay. Vigorous operations -were at once commenced to render the grounds of the old mansion -suitable for the purposes held in view, whilst the building -itself speedily underwent sundry alterations and additions -in its transformation into a refreshment house on a large -scale. A spacious terrace, walks, promenades, and flower beds -were laid out, and an extensive conservatory constructed with all -haste, and in the summer after gaining possession of the estate, -the works had so far progressed that the public were admitted at -a small charge per head. Since that date a dancing platform has -been put down, an immense pavillion erected, and many other -changes effected in the wide enclosure. Pyrotechnic displays, -acrobatic performances, etc., are held in the gardens, which comprise -about 40 statute acres, during the season, whilst agricultural -shows and other meetings occasionally take place within its -boundaries. An extensive lake was formed in 1875, and an -excellent race-course marked out. Raikes Hall has a brief history -of its own, and was erected about the middle of the eighteenth -century by a Mr. Butcher, who resided there. Tradition affirms -that this gentleman sprang suddenly into an ample fortune from -a station of obscurity and poverty, giving rise to a supposition -that he had appropriated to his own uses a large mass of wealth -asserted to have been lost at that time in a vessel wrecked on the -coast. It is probable, however, that the foregoing is merely an -idle tale, utterly unworthy of credence. Mr. Butcher, who was -succeeded by his son, died in 1769, at the ripe age of 80, and was -interred in Bispham churchyard, the following words being -inscribed on his tombstone:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“His pleasure was to give or lend,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He always stood a poor man’s friend.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The mansion and estate were purchased by William Hornby, -esq., of Kirkham, shortly before his death in 1824, and by him -bequeathed to his brother John Hornby, esq., of Blackburn, who -married Alice Kendall, a widow, and the daughter of Daniel -Backhouse, esq., of Liverpool. Daniel Hornby, esq., the eldest -son of that union, inherited the property on the decease of his -father in 1841, and took up his abode at the Hall until the early -part of 1860, when he left the neighbourhood. Raikes Hall then<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_353"></a>[353]</span> -became the seat of a Roman Catholic Convent School, which -continued in possession for several years, until the new and -handsome edifice standing on a rising ground in Little Layton -was erected and ready for its reception. Shortly after the -removal of the school the land and residence were purchased by -the company above named, and their aspects began to undergo -the changes already indicated. The census returns of the -township collected in 1871, furnished a total of 7,902 persons, -all of whom, with the exception of an insignificant proportion, -were resident in Blackpool.</p> - -<p>In consequence of a letter from the Secretary of State, giving -notice that the burial ground in connection with St. John’s -Church must be closed after the 31st of December, 1871, the -responsibility of providing a suitable place for interments was -thrown upon the authorities, and the members of the Local -Board of Health formed themselves into a Burial Board, their -first meeting being held on the 20th of June in the year just -specified. A committee was appointed, and in the ensuing -August purchased for £1,759 an eligible site of 8½ acres, -lying by the side of the New Road, into which the entrance -gates of the cemetery now open. The plans for the requisite -erections were prepared by Messrs. Garlick, Park, and -Sykes, architects, of Preston, and the work of preparing the -ground commenced in October, the contract for the chapels and -lodge being let in December. As such a brief interval had to -elapse before the order for closing the churchyard would be put -in force, the Board applied, successfully, for permission to keep -it open six months longer. The cemetery, however, progressed -so tardily that it was necessary to renew the application on two -future occasions, and the churchyard continued in use until the -31st of May, 1873. Five acres of the land were laid out from -plans supplied by Mr. Gorst, surveyor to the board, and were -divided into nine sections, four of which were apportioned to the -Church of England, three to the Nonconformists, and two to the -Roman Catholics. The cemetery was enclosed from the highway -by stone palisadings and boundary walls, having massive iron -railings. The approach to the grounds is through a spacious -entrance, with a double iron gate in the centre, and a single gate -on either side, hung to stone pillars. Inside the gate is the lodge,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_354"></a>[354]</span> -built of stone and comprising a residence for the keeper, offices, -etc. The mortuary chapels, which are all of stone, have an -elegant appearance, that of the Church of England being stationed -in the middle, with the Nonconformists’ and Roman Catholics’ -edifices lying respectively west and east of it. The style of the -buildings is Gothic of the first pointed period. The roofs are -open-timbered, high-pitched, and covered with Welsh slates in -bands of different colours, being also crested with tiles. Entrance -to the chapels is gained by a porch, and there is a vestry attached -to each. The floors are laid with plain tiles of various tints. -Evergreens, shrubs, and forest trees have been planted on the -borders of the grounds, whilst the walks are wide and well cared -for. The Nonconformists were the first to take possession of their -portion, which was dedicated to its solemn uses by a service held -on the 7th of February, 1873, exactly one week after which an -interment took place, being the earliest not only in their land but -in the whole ground. On the 2nd of August in the same year -the Right Rev. Dr. Fraser, bishop of Manchester, consecrated the -division set apart for the Church of England, which had been -licensed for burials in the previous May. The Roman Catholics -deferred their ceremonial until the month of June, 1874, acting -under license during the interval.</p> - -<p>On the 26th of August, 1872, the Blackpool Sea Water -Company was registered under the limited liability act, with a -capital of £10,000, in shares of £10 each, for the purpose of -supplying water from the deep, together with the requisite -appliances for conducting it to the houses and elsewhere, to the -inhabitants of Blackpool; and rather more than two years later -a main of pipes had been laid along the front from the Merchants’ -College in South Shore as far as their steam pumping works in -Upper Braithwaite Street.</p> - -<p>In 1874 the watering-place had developed so rapidly during -past years that the members of the Local Board of Health felt -that the powers appertaining to a body of that description were -no longer adequate to the proper government of the town, and a -public meeting to ascertain the opinion of the ratepayers on the -subject of incorporation was called on Tuesday, the 6th of -November, 1874. After considerable discussion, it was proposed -by the Rev. N. S. Jeffreys: “That a petition be drawn up and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_355"></a>[355]</span> -signed by the chairman on behalf of the meeting, praying that a -Charter of Incorporation be granted for the town of Blackpool, -and that the same be forwarded to the proper authorities; and -that the necessary steps be taken to obtain such Charter.” The -proposition was adopted without a dissentient; and at the -ensuing assembly of the Local Board of Health on Tuesday, the -10th of November, a similar motion was brought forward by -W. H. Cocker, esq., J.P., with an equally successful result. The -prayers were forwarded to the appropriate official quarters in -London, and on the 26th of May, 1875, Major Donnelly, R.E., -the commissioner appointed by Her Majesty’s Privy Council, -attended at the Board-room to hold an inquiry as to whether the -importance and necessities of the place warranted a favourable -answer to the request. In the course of the examination, it was -stated, amongst other things, that the rateable value of the -proposed borough was in 1863, £17,489; 1866, £35,175; 1869, -£45,755; 1872, £55,653; 1874, £63,848; and in 1875, £73,035. -Also that the town contained three churches, seven chapels, three -rooms used for religious services, two markets under the Local -Board, other markets owned by private individuals, four public -sea-water baths, three banks, an aquarium, public gardens, etc. -On the 16th of the following July information was officially -conveyed to W. M. Charnley, esq., the law-clerk of the board, -that the lords of the Privy Council had determined to accede to -the prayer of the town, and that the borough should consist of -six wards, with one alderman and three councillors for each. A -draft of the scheme of incorporation was prepared by the law-clerk, -and forwarded to London. On the 22nd January, 1876, -the charter, having passed through the necessary forms, obtained -the royal assent, being received by W. M. Charnley, esq., two -days later. The document, after quoting several acts of parliament, -proceeds to “grant and declare that the inhabitants of the -town of Blackpool and their successors, shall be for ever hereafter -one body politic and corporate in deed, fact, and name, and that -the said body corporate shall be called the Mayor, Aldermen, and -Burgesses of the Borough of Blackpool, who shall have and -exercise all the acts, powers, authorities, immunities, and privileges -which are now held and exercised by the bodies corporate -of the several boroughs” similarly created. Further, the deed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_356"></a>[356]</span> -“grants and declares that the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses -and their successors shall and may for ever hereafter use a -common seal to serve them in transacting their business, and also -have armorial bearings and devices, which shall be duly entered -and enrolled in the Herald’s College;” also shall they have power -“to purchase, take, and acquire such lands, tenements, and -heriditaments, whatsoever, situate, lying, and being within the -borough, as shall be necessary for the site of the buildings and -premises required for the official purposes of the corporation.” -The Council was ordained to consist of “a Mayor, six Aldermen, -and eighteen Councillors, to be respectively elected at such times -and places, and in such manner” as those of other boroughs -existing under the same acts, in common with which they “shall -have, exercise, and enjoy all the powers, immunities, and privileges, -and be subject to the same duties, penalties, liabilities, and -disqualifications” appertaining to such positions. The first -election of councillors was directed to be held on the eleventh -day of April, 1876, followed by another on the 1st of November, -at which latter date one-third part of the councillors should go -out of office each year, and the vacant seats be refilled as specified; -the councillors to retire in the November, 1876, being those who -had obtained the smallest number of votes, and in November, 1877, -those with the next smallest number of votes. The first aldermen -of the borough “shall be elected and assigned to their respective -wards on the 19th day of April, 1876, and the councillors immediately -afterwards shall appoint who shall be the aldermen to go -out of office upon the 9th day of November ensuing,” and in -subsequent years those so retiring to be aldermen who have -retained their seats for the longest period without re-election. -The first mayor of the borough “shall be elected from and out -of the aldermen and councillors of the said borough, on the 19th -day of April, 1876,” the earliest appointment of auditors and -assessors being made on the 19th day of the following month. -The subjoined extent and names of the wards are also taken from -the charter:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">CLAREMONT WARD.</p> - -<p>“Commencing at the Sea beyond the Gynn, at the junction of the old existing -township boundary, thence running inland along the same boundary across the -fields, across Knowle-road, behind Warbrick and Mill Inn, across Poulton-road to -the centre of the Dyke at Little Layton, thence along the Dyke to the centre of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_357"></a>[357]</span> -Little Layton Bridge, thence westward along and including the north side of -Little Layton-road, north side of New-road, north side of Talbot-road, to Station-road, -thence along and including the east side of Station-road to Queen-street, -thence along and including the north side of Queen-street, Queen’s-square, across -the Promenade to the sea.</p> - -<p class="center">TALBOT WARD.</p> - -<p>“Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of Queen’s-square, thence along -and including the south side of Queen’s-square, south side of Queen-street to -Station-road, thence running along and including the west side of Station-road to -Talbot-road, thence along and including the south side of the upper portion of -Talbot-road, south side of New-road, the south side of Little Layton-road to the -centre of Little Layton Bridge, thence along the Dyke to the old township -boundary, thence south-east by the township boundary to the centre of Dykes-lane, -thence westward along and including the north side of Dykes-lane, the north -side of Layton-road, the north side of Raikes-road, the north side of Raikes Hill, -the north side of Church-street to Abingdon-street, thence along and including the -east side of Abingdon-street to Birley-street, thence along and including the north -side of Birley-street, the north side of West-street, across the Promenade to the -Sea.</p> - -<p class="center">BANK HEY WARD.</p> - -<p>“Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of West-street, thence along and -including the south side of West-street, the south side of Birley-street to Abingdon-street, -thence along and including the west side of Abingdon-street to Church-street, -thence along and including the south side of Church-street to Lower King-street, -thence along and including the west side of Lower King-street to Adelaide-street, -thence along and including the north side of Adelaide-street, the north side -of Adelaide-place, across the Promenade to the Sea.</p> - -<p class="center">BRUNSWICK WARD.</p> - -<p>“Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of Adelaide-place, thence along -and including the south side of Adelaide-place, the south side of Adelaide-street to -Lower King-street, thence along and including the east side of Lower King-street -to Church-street, thence along and including the south side of Church-street, the -south side of Raikes Hill, the south side of Raikes-road, the south side of Layton-road, -the south side of Dykes-lane to the existing township boundary, thence -along the same boundary beyond the Whinney Heys, around the Belle Vue -Gardens, southward of Raikes Hall Gardens to the centre of Revoe-road, thence -along and including the north side of Revoe-road, the north side of Chapel-street, -across the Promenade to the Sea.</p> - -<p class="center">FOXHALL WARD.</p> - -<p>“Commencing at the Sea opposite to the end of Chapel-street, thence along and -including the south side of Chapel-street, the south side of Revoe-road to the -existing township boundary, thence south-westerly, and thence south-easterly -along the same boundary to the centre of Cow Gap-lane, thence west along and -including the north side of Cow Gap-lane to Lytham-road, thence along and -including the east side of Lytham-road to Alexandra-road, thence along and -including the north side of Alexandra-road, across the Promenade to the Sea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_358"></a>[358]</span></p> - -<p class="center">WATERLOO WARD.</p> - -<p>“Commencing at the Sea opposite the centre of Alexandra-road, thence along -and including the south side of Alexandra-road to Lytham-road, thence along and -including the west side of Lytham-road to Cow Gap-lane, thence eastward, along -and including the south side of Cow Gap-lane to the existing township boundary, -thence south-easterly, along the same boundary on the easterly side of Hawes -Side-road, the north side of Layton-lane, across the Blackpool and Lytham -Railway to the Sea at Star Hills.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The election of councillors took place at the date specified in -the charter, under the superintendence of Mr. William Porter, -of Fleetwood and Blackpool, who had been nominated by the -authorities of the town as returning officer. On the 19th of -April the gentlemen elected assembled in the old board-room and -appointed aldermen and a mayor from amongst themselves, the -vacancies thus created being supplied by another appeal to the -burgesses of those wards whose representatives had been elevated -to the aldermanic bench. The first completed town council of -Blackpool consisted of—</p> - -<table summary="Names of the first Blackpool town councillors, and their wards"> - <tr> - <td>Alderman</td> - <td>William Henry Cocker (the mayor)</td> - <td></td> - <td>Bank Hey</td> - <td>Ward.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Thomas McNaughtan, M.D.</td> - <td></td> - <td>Claremont</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Thomas Lambert Masheter</td> - <td></td> - <td>Talbot</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>John Hardman</td> - <td></td> - <td>Foxhall</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Francis Parnell</td> - <td></td> - <td>Waterloo</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>J. E. B. Cocker</td> - <td></td> - <td>Brunswick</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Councillor</td> - <td>John Braithwaite</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="valign" rowspan="3">Claremont</td> - <td class="tdc valign" rowspan="3">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>William Bailey</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Leslie Jones, M.D.</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>T. Challinor</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="valign" rowspan="3">Talbot</td> - <td class="tdc valign" rowspan="3">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>R. Marshall</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>John Fisher</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>John Coulson</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="valign" rowspan="3">Bank Hey</td> - <td class="tdc valign" rowspan="3">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>George Ormrod</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Henry Fisher</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>George Bonny</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="valign" rowspan="3">Brunswick</td> - <td class="tdc valign" rowspan="3">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Robert Mather</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>John William Mycock</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>James Blundell Fisher</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="valign" rowspan="3">Foxhall</td> - <td class="tdc valign" rowspan="3">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Alfred Anderson</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Robert Bickerstaffe, jun.</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Francis Parnell</td> - <td>⎫</td> - <td class="valign" rowspan="3">Waterloo</td> - <td class="tdc valign" rowspan="3">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Richard Gorst</td> - <td>⎬</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td>Lawrence Hall</td> - <td>⎭</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="5">William Mawdsley Charnley, esq., solicitor, town-clerk.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>From the time when the subject of incorporation was first -beginning to dawn upon the inhabitants as something to which -the rapid extension and growing importance of their town was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_359"></a>[359]</span> -tending with no tardy pace, up to the present year of 1876, -buildings have increased at a rate unparalleled in any former -period of Blackpool’s history. No longer solitary erections, or -even small groups, but whole streets have been added to the -expanding area of the place, consisting of handsome and spacious -edifices, of, indeed, notwithstanding their being situated to the rear, -exteriors which would, not many years ago, have been deemed -highly ornamental to the beach itself. In 1874 the south -section of the noble market-hall, on Hygiene Terrace, was being -arranged and fitted up with roomy tanks to form an aquarium on -a fairly large scale by W. H. Cocker, Esq., J.P., who had recently -acquired the proprietorship of the entire pile. The open space in -front of the building was fenced in, and furnished with three tanks -for seals, and other novel features to render it attractive and -pleasing. The walls of the interior were adorned with landscapes -in the spacious saloon, where the main tank, divided into -numerous compartments, each being supplied with a variety of -fish differing from its neighbours, occupies a central position. -Subsidiary tanks, filled with curious specimens of animated nature -from the “vasty deep,” stand in the entrance hall and recesses. -The aquarium was opened to the public on the 17th of May, in -the ensuing year.</p> - -<p>On the 22nd of May, 1875, the foundation stone of a Primitive -Methodist chapel was laid in Chapel Street by Mr. J. Fairhurst, -of Wigan. Heretofore the members of that sect had met for -religious purposes in a mission room located in Foxhall Road. -The earliest service in the new chapel was conducted by the -resident minister, the Rev. E. Newsome, on Sunday, the 29th -of the following August. The Unitarians have a chapel in Bank -Street, which was formally opened by the Rev. J. R. Smith, -of Hyde, also in August, 1875. During the same month a -number of influential gentlemen purchased the estate of -Bank Hey from W. H. Cocker, esq., J.P., for £23,000, with the -intention of converting it into Winter Gardens. Possession was -gained, according to agreement, on the 1st of October. The -design of the company is to place on the land a concert room, -promenades, conservatories, and other accessories calculated to -convert the estate into a pleasant lounge, especially desirous -during inclement days.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_360"></a>[360]</span></p> - -<p>Although South Shore is now intimately connected and -associated with Blackpool as one town, there was a period, and -not a very remote one, when it flourished as a separate and -distinct hamlet, widely divided from its more imposing neighbour. -The first house of South Shore was erected in 1819 by Mr. -Thomas Moore, who speedily added about ten more to the -solitary edifice. The growth of the village in earlier years was not -characterised by any great rapidity, and in 1830 the whole of the -buildings comprised no more than a thin row of respectable -cottages overlooking the sea, with a lawn or promenade in front. -In 1836 a church was built, partly by subscription and partly -from Queen Anne’s Bounty, and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. -Twenty-two years afterwards, owing to the development of South -Shore through the number of regular visitants who preferred the -quietude of its beach to the greater animation which prevailed -at Blackpool, the building was enlarged by the erection of -transepts and a new chancel, alterations which supplied further -sitting room for about 380 worshippers. The church is of brick, -and contains a handsome stained-glass east window, representing -the baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist, another ornamental -window being inserted in the south wall. The mural tablets are -in memory of William Wilkinson, “who for twenty-five years was -an indefatigable teacher in the Sunday Schools of Marton and -South Shore,—he served his country in the battles of Talavera, -Busaco, Albuera, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nive, Nivelle, and Toulouse,” -died 11th September, 1853, aged 66 years; and of James Metcalf, -“curate of South Shore, who departed this life July 24th, 1875, -aged 42 years, and was interred at the Parish Church of Bolton-le-Sands.” -The font is of grey stone, massive and carved. The -first organ obtained by the congregation was purchased in 1847. -In 1872 a tasteful lectern was forwarded to the church by the -Rev. J. B. Wakefield, to whom it had been presented by his -parishioners, as a token of esteem, about the close of his ministry -amongst them in 1870. The burial ground encircling the church -of Holy Trinity contains no monuments of special interest, if we -except a stone pedestal, surmounted by a broken column, erected -by public subscription to the memories of three fishermen, -drowned off Cross-slack, whilst following their avocation on the -11th of October, 1860.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_361"></a>[361]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of perpetual curates and vicars of Holy Trinity"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF HOLY TRINITY.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1837</td> - <td>G. F. Greene, M.A.</td> - <td>J. Talbot Clifton, esq.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1841</td> - <td>John Edwards</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of G. F. Greene</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1845</td> - <td>C. K. Dean</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of J. Edwards</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1848</td> - <td>T. B. Banner, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of C. K. Dean</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td>J. B. Wakefield</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Resignation of T. B. Banner</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1870</td> - <td class="bb">J. Ford Simmons, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Ditto</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of J. B. Wakefield</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>There is now an ecclesiastical parochial district attached to the -church, of which the incumbent is the vicar.</p> - -<p>On Thursday, the 24th of March, 1869, the corner stone of a -Wesleyan chapel in Rawcliffe Street, built at the sole expense of -Francis Parnell, esq., of South Shore, who subsequently added -the schools, was laid by Mrs. Parnell, wife of the donor. For -four or five years the members of this denomination had met on -the Sabbath in a small room in Bolton Street, originally designed -for a coach-house, and the necessity for more suitable and -extended accommodation through growing numbers had of late -pressed urgently upon the limited and not over wealthy assembly, -so that the generous offer of their townsman was gratefully -appreciated. The structure is in the Gothic style of architecture, -about fifty feet in length and forty feet in width, with brick -walls and stone facings, and will contain upwards of three -hundred persons. Service was first held in the new place of -worship, styled the Ebenezer Wesleyan Chapel, on Thursday, the -2nd of September, 1869, the officiating minister being the Rev. -W. H. Taylor, of Manchester. The room in Bolton Street was -subsequently converted into a Temperance Hall, and remained in -that capacity until the 30th of March, 1873, when it was appropriated -as a meeting-house by the Baptist sect. The progress of -South Shore has not until the last two or three years been -marked by that wonderful rapidity which has already been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_362"></a>[362]</span> -noticed whilst delineating the prosperous career of Blackpool. -Nevertheless a steadily-increasing patronage was always extended -to the milder climate of the village under consideration, from its -earliest existence. Terraces of pretty and commodious residences -arose at intervals along the marine frontage, whilst elegant villas -have been erected both opposite the sea and nearer to the Lytham -Road. Building is at present (1876) being pushed forward with -great activity, houses springing up in endless succession along the -sides of thoroughfares but recently mapped out.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_363"></a>[363]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header6.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE PARISH OF KIRKHAM.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Kirkham.</span></p> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The township of Kirkham was probably the earliest -inhabited locality in the Fylde district; and although -it is impossible to assert that the very site of the -present town was a spot fixed upon by the Romans -for erecting their habitations, still as the road formed by those -people passed over it, and many remnants of their domestic -utensils, funereal urns, and other relics have been discovered in -the surrounding soil, there is strong presumptive evidence that -an ancient settlement was at least close at hand. Amongst the -traces of the old warriors disinterred in this neighbourhood may -be mentioned a large quantity of stones prepared for building -purposes, and numerous fragments of urns, ploughed up about -half a mile from Kirkham. The Mill Hill Field has also disclosed -frequent witnesses to the former presence of the Romans, notably -abundant specimens of their pottery and coinage, but perhaps the -greatest curiosity found in the vicinity is the boss or umbo of a -shield, wrought in brass, which was removed from a brook in the -field specified during the year 1792. In form the shield is somewhat -oval, having its central portion semi-globular, whilst the -outer rim is flat. The entire diameter is about eight inches, of -which the embossment supplies five. The horizontal and -encircling part is perforated in four separate places, apparently -for the passage of thongs or rivets. The highest surface of the -boss holds the representation of a human figure seated, with an -eagle to the left, the sides being adorned with an athlete<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_364"></a>[364]</span> -respectively. Birds, swords, diminutive shields, etc., complete -the decorations.</p> - -<p>From the year 418, when the Romans vacated the island, up -to the compilation of the Domesday Book by William the Conqueror -in 1080-86, a period of over six and a half centuries, history -preserves no record of any matter or event directly connected -with the town, as distinct from the Hundred in which it is -situated. Nevertheless it is obvious that Kirkham must have -sprung into being some time during that protracted era, insomuch -as it appears amongst the places existing in Amounderness in the -Norman survey just indicated. The name is a compound derived -from the Anglo-Saxons and Danes, and although the syllable -“Kirk,” coming from the latter, and signifying a church, could -not have been in use until those pirates first invaded the land in -787, and probably was not applied until the mistaken policy of -Alfred the Great allowed them to colonise this and other parts of -Northumbria, one hundred years later, still it would scarcely be -justifiable to conclude that there was no dwelling or village here, -as the Anglo-Saxon “ham” implies, anterior to that date. The -location of the place on the margin of an open thoroughfare, and -the former establishment of the Romans within or near to its -boundaries, incline us rather to the opinion that from the earliest -arrival of the Anglo-Saxons they had selected this site for the -foundation of a small settlement, and that the “ham” or hamlet -so created bore a purely Saxon title until the advent of the Danes, -under whose influence the orthography became altered by the -substitution from their vocabulary of the word “kirk” for the one -originally bestowed upon it.</p> - -<p>Some idea of the condition of Kirkham at the Norman Conquest -may be gleaned from the report concerning the Fylde in -the Domesday Book, in which it is stated that of the 840 statute -acres comprised in the township, only 400 (four carucates) were -under cultivation, the rest being waste, that is, untilled, but very -possibly in service as forage ground for swine. At that period -the town undoubtedly possessed a church, one of the three mentioned -in the record above-named, as standing in Amounderness, -but the era of its erection is conjectural merely. The name of -Kirkham, however,—the church hamlet,—is manifestly of -ecclesiastical origin, and the Danish derivation of “kirk”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_365"></a>[365]</span> -implies that some religious building existed there, very likely -about the year 900, when that nation colonised the district, but -that a sacred edifice of some description had been constructed -long before may be deduced from the fact that Christianity had -been pretty generally embraced by the Anglo-Saxons dwelling in -this locality about the middle of the seventh century.</p> - -<p>From the commencement of the Norman dominion the history -of Kirkham rises out of the mist which has obscured its earlier -ages, and we are enabled from the disclosures of ancient -documents, to follow out its career in a more satisfactory manner. -The church and tithes of Kirkham were presented amongst other -possessions, as a portion of the Hundred of Amounderness, by -William the Conqueror to the baron Roger de Poictou, and were -conferred by that nobleman about the year 1100, on the priory of -St. Mary’s, Lancaster,<a id="FNanchor_134" href="#Footnote_134" class="fnanchor">[134]</a>—a monastic institution founded by him -from the Abbey of Sees in Normandy. This priory retained -possession of the church for only a few years, when it reverted to -its former owner, and was bestowed by him on the convent of -Shrewsbury, as shown by the charter of William, archbishop of -York, as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The monks of Salop in the day of my ancestors were often making complaints -that their church was unjustly robbed of the church of Kirckaham, because it had -been legally bestowed upon it by Roger, count of Poictou, and confirmed by -Thomas, archbishop, by authority of grants under seal. At length they have come -before us to state their complaints; and we, thus constrained and by the command -of lord Henry, legate of the apostolical see, committed their cause to be laid before -the synod of York.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The archbishop Thomas here mentioned died either in 1100 or -1113, whilst William, the writer of the charter, died in 1154. -The York tribunal decided, after seeing the writings touching -the confirmation of the grant of the church of Kirkham to the -Shrewsbury convent, which the monks of Salop had sealed with -the seal of Thomas, the archbishop, that “the aforesaid church -should be restored to the church of Peter of Salop.”</p> - -<p>In 1195 “a great controversy arose between Theobald Walter, on -the one part, and the abbot of Shrewsbury, on the other, concerning -the right of patronage of the church, which was thus settled: a -certain fine was levied in the king’s court that the abbot and his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_366"></a>[366]</span> -successors should receive from the church of Kirkham a pension -of twelve marks a year, and Theobald himself should for ever -remain the true Patron of the said church.”<a id="FNanchor_135" href="#Footnote_135" class="fnanchor">[135]</a></p> - -<p>After the death of Theobald Walter, king John, who had the -guardianship of that nobleman’s heir, gave two parts of the church -to Simon Blund,<a id="FNanchor_136" href="#Footnote_136" class="fnanchor">[136]</a> and later, in 1213, he bestowed the church upon -W. Gray, chancellor, for life.<a id="FNanchor_137" href="#Footnote_137" class="fnanchor">[137]</a> Edward I. conferred the advowson -of the church of Kirkham upon the abbey of Vale Royal, a -monastic house founded by him in Cheshire; but the grant was -not made without strenuous opposition on the part of Sir -Theobald Walter or le Botiler,<a id="FNanchor_138" href="#Footnote_138" class="fnanchor">[138]</a> a descendant of the Theobald -specified above, who maintained that the king had no legal -right to the advowson, which belonged to him as heir-at-law and -descendant of Theobald Walter, the first. A council assembled -to investigate the rival claims, and Edward, having asserted that -his father, Henry III., had granted the advowson to his clerk by -right of his crown, and not through any temporary power he -had as guardian of Theobald Walter’s heir, a statement which -Le Botiler’s attorney either could not or would not gainsay, the -advowson was adjudged to him, and Sir Theobald lay under -mercy.<a id="FNanchor_139" href="#Footnote_139" class="fnanchor">[139]</a> This dispute probably occurred in the 8th year of -Edward’s sovereignty, 1280, for we find from the Rot. Chart. that -at that date the advowson was granted by the monarch to the -abbey of Vale Royal.</p> - -<p>In 1286 Sir Otto de Grandison, who was ambassador at the -apostolic see, obtained a bull from the pope, Honorius IV., by -which the advowson of Kirkham was conferred upon the abbey -of Vale Royal for ever,<a id="FNanchor_140" href="#Footnote_140" class="fnanchor">[140]</a> and on the 27th of January in the ensuing -year, Edward I. confirmed his former grant.<a id="FNanchor_141" href="#Footnote_141" class="fnanchor">[141]</a></p> - -<p>In the fifty-fourth year of the reign of Henry III., 1269, power -was granted by royal charter to the manorial lord of Kirkham to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_367"></a>[367]</span> -hold a market and fair,<a id="FNanchor_142" href="#Footnote_142" class="fnanchor">[142]</a> and as such privileges were allowed at -that time to only a few other towns in the whole county of -Lancashire, we must conclude that even at such an early date -Kirkham possessed some special advantages or interest to be able -so successfully to press its claims to this signal favour. That such -important powers as the holding of markets and fairs were not -allowed to be exercised without due and proper authority -is proved by a warrant which was issued twenty-three years -later, in the reign of Edward I., against the abbot of Vale -Royal, to which convent the manor of Kirkham belonged, to -appear before a judicial court to show by what authority he held -those periodical assemblies of the inhabitants. He pleaded that -the right had been first conceded to his predecessors by Henry III., -and that subsequently the grant had been confirmed by the -present monarch, Edward I., in the fifteenth year of his dominion. -These assertions having been verified, the abbot was exculpated -from all blame, and orders were issued to the justices itinerant in -this county to the effect that they were in no way to interfere -with the exercise of those privileges, which were to be continued -exactly as they had been heretofore.<a id="FNanchor_143" href="#Footnote_143" class="fnanchor">[143]</a> From a copy of a document<a id="FNanchor_144" href="#Footnote_144" class="fnanchor">[144]</a> -framed four years later, in 1296, in which the whole of these rights -are embodied amongst other interesting matters, we learn that the -manor of Kirkham was granted to the abbot and convent of Vale -Royal in <i>frank-al-moigne</i>, that is, a tenure by which a religious -corporation holds lands for themselves and their successors for ever, -on condition of praying for the soul of the donor; that power was -given or confirmed to hold a fair of five days duration at the -Nativity of St. John the Baptist; that the borough of Kirkham, -which had been incorporated by the name of the burgesses of -Kirkham in the year 1282, the tenth of the reign of Edward I., -was to be a free borough; that the burgesses and their heirs were -to have a free guild, with all the liberties which belonged to a free -borough; that there was to be in the borough a pillory, a prison, -and a ducking stool, and other instruments for the punishment of -evil doers; and that there were to be assizes of bread and ale, -and weights and measures. Continuing the perusal of this -document we find that the abbot of Vale Royal consented that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_368"></a>[368]</span> -the burgesses should elect two bailiffs from amongst themselves -annually, and that these should be presented and sworn; on the -other hand, however, the convent reserved to itself the perquisites -arising from the courts, stallage, assizes of bread and ale, etc., and -annual rents due at the period of festival legally appointed as -above. The names of the following gentlemen are appended to -the deed as witnesses:—Radulphus de Mouroyd, William le -Botyler, Robert de Holonde, Henry de Kytheleye, John Venyal, -William de Clifton, Thomas Travers, and others.</p> - -<p>In 1327 an edict was published by the dean of Amounderness -in the church of Kirkham on behalf of the archbishop of York, -which commanded that the abbot or some one connected with the -convent of Vale Royal, should appear before that prelate at the -cathedral of his see on “the third lawful day after the Sunday on -which is sung <i>Quasi modo genite vira et munimenta</i>,”<a id="FNanchor_145" href="#Footnote_145" class="fnanchor">[145]</a> to show by -what right and authority the Cheshire convent held the church -just mentioned. In answer to this summons a monk, named -Walter Wallensis, from Vale Royal, appeared before the archbishop -on the day named, in 1328, and produced in proof of -the title of his monastery to the church, the charter of Edward -I., the bull of the pope, and letters from several archdeacons, -recognising the proprietorship of the convent. In addition he -brought four witnesses, viz., William de Cotton, advocate in the -court of York, who stated that for eighteen years the abbot and -convent of Vale Royal had supplied the rectors to the church of -Kirkham; John de Bradkirk, who said that he had known the -church for forty years as a parishioner, and had on many occasions -seen the charter confirming the grant of the advowson, etc., to -Vale Royal, as for fifteen years he had been in the service of that -monastery, and at the time when the present archbishop of York -farmed the church of Kirkham, twelve years ago, from the -convent of Vale Royal, had been the bearer of the money raised -from this church to that dignitary at York; Robert de Staneford, -of Kirkham, who gave similar evidence, and bore witness to the -existence of the charter of Edward I., which he had seen; and -Robert de Blundeston, of Vale Royal, who gave evidence as to the -genuineness of the documents produced having been admitted by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_369"></a>[369]</span> -Roger de Nasynton, public notary, etc. The result of these -attestations was that the case was dismissed against the abbot of -Vale Royal, and his right to the church of Kirkham, with all its -chapels, fruits, rents, etc, allowed to have been fully proved.<a id="FNanchor_146" href="#Footnote_146" class="fnanchor">[146]</a></p> - -<p>In 1334 a mandamus was issued by Edward III., at York, to -Robert Foucher, the sheriff of Lancashire, stating that, contrary -to a charter of Edward I., which prohibited the sheriffs from -making distraints on the rectors of churches or on estates with -which the churches had been endowed, he had “under pretext of -his office lately entered into the lands and tenements near Kirkham, -which are of the endowment of that church, and had -heavily distrained the abbot of Vale Royal, parson of that -church”; and ordering the said sheriff to abandon the claim, and -to make restitution of anything he might thus have illegally -obtained, and “by no means to attempt to make any distraint in -the lands and tenements which are of the endowment of the -aforesaid church,” at any future time.<a id="FNanchor_147" href="#Footnote_147" class="fnanchor">[147]</a></p> - -<p>Somewhere about the year 1332 a monk, named Adam de -Clebury, who held the temporalities of Shrewsbury Abbey, sued -Peter, the abbot of Vale Royal, for five hundred marks, which he -declared were the accumulated arrears of twelve marks, ordered to -be paid annually by Theobald Walter, to the former monastery, -out of the funds of the church of Kirkham, according to the -issue of a trial in the king’s court, between Theobald and the -convent of Shrewsbury, respecting the advowson, etc., of that -church in 1195. Peter is said, in the Harleian manuscript, from -which this account is taken, to have “redeemed that writ and -many others from the sheriff of Lancashire,” from which it may -be understood that he had paid the sum demanded, or in some -conciliatory way settled the case during his lifetime, for we hear -no more of the matter until shortly after his death in 1342, when -an action to enforce a similar payment was brought against his -successor, Robert de Cheyneston. This ecclesiastic, however, is -said to “have manfully opposed the abbot of Shrewsbury,” and -to have journied up to London to hold an interview with him on -the subject, at which, after “many allegations on each side, he -gave to the abbot of Shrewsbury £100 to pay his labours and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_370"></a>[370]</span> -expenses,” and in that manner the dispute was brought to a -termination about the year 1343.</p> - -<p>In 1337 Sir William de Clifton, of Westby, made an offer to -the abbot of Vale Royal to purchase certain tithes from him for -twenty marks, and on the ecclesiastic refusing to entertain this -proposition, the indignant knight became most unruly and -outrageous in his conduct, as shown by the following charge -which was that year preferred against him by the abbot, who -stated:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“That he had thrust with a lance at a brother of the monastery in the presence -of the abbot and convent; that he had retained twenty marks which he was -pledged and bound to pay to the abbot, in order to weary him with expenses and -labours; that it was the custom, from time immemorial, for the parishioners of -Kirkham to convey their tithe-corn to their barns, and there keep it until the -ministers of the rector came for it; but that he (Sir William Clifton), in contempt -of the church, had allowed his tithes and those of his tenants to waste and rot in -the fields, and very often by force and arms had driven away the tithe-collectors; -he also had compelled a cart of the rector, laden with hay, to remain on his land -for upwards of a month, and in derision had made the rector’s mare into a hunting -palfrey; he also had neglected to keep the tithes of his calves, pigeons, orchards, -huntings, and hawkings, and would not allow the procurator, under threat of -death, to enter his estate, but he and his satellites had irreverently burst into the -sanctuary of God, where they had assailed the priests and clerks, and impeded -them in the discharge of their duties. Moreover the aforesaid knight would not -permit any of his tenants who were living in flagrant sin, to be corrected or -punished by the ordinaries.”<a id="FNanchor_148" href="#Footnote_148" class="fnanchor">[148]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p>In concluding the above list of misdemeanours, the abbot complained -that Sir William had ordered a severe flagellation “even -to the effusion of blood,” to be inflicted on Thomas, the clerk, in -the town of Preston, and that this scourging had taken place as -directed, in the presence of the under-mentioned gentlemen, who -seemed to have been well pleased with the vigorous measures -adopted by the knight, and to have rendered him willing assistance -when called upon:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>Richard de Plumpton,</li> -<li>Nicholas Catford,</li> -<li>William the provost,</li> -<li>William Jordan, junr.,</li> -<li>John Dence,</li> -<li>Robert Carter,</li> -<li>John Garleigh,</li> -<li>Richard de Tresale,</li> -<li>Henry de Tresale,</li> -<li>William Sictore,</li> -<li>William Sictore, junr.,</li> -<li>Adam de Scales,</li> -<li>Richard Walker,</li> -<li>John Mydelar,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_371"></a>[371]</span></li> -<li>Henry Thillon,</li> -<li>William Randell,</li> -<li>John de Reste,</li> -<li>William de Morhouse,</li> -<li>Thomas Adekoe,</li> -<li>Adam del Wodes,</li> -<li>William de Mydelar,</li> -<li>Thomas de Wytacres,</li> -<li>And several others, including Adam, the harper.</li> -</ul> - -<p>This charge was laid before the lord abbot of Westminster by -the abbot of Vale Royal, and the former, after hearing the statement -of offences, commanded that Sir William de Clifton and others -enumerated therein, should appear before him to answer for their -misdeeds; but as neither Sir William nor any of his friends and -abettors took the least notice of the summons, it was decided that -an endeavour should be made to arrange the quarrel by arbitration. -To this the knight seems to have been favourable, and nominated -William Laurence, John de Crofton, and Robert Mareys to act -as his arbitrators; whilst those of the abbot were William -Baldreston, rector of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; Robert Baldreston, -his brother, and a rector also; and Richard de Ewyas, a monk -of Deulacres. The decision of the court thus constituted was that -Sir William de Clifton should acknowledge his guilt, and ask -pardon and absolution for the same from the abbot, unto whose -will and grace he should submit himself; in addition the knight -was ordered to pay a fine of twenty marks, and make good to -the abbot the tithes which he had destroyed or refused to pay. -Sir William accepted the verdict, and bound himself to fulfil its -conditions by oath; the rest were required to enter into a promise -to abstain in future from making any attempt to injure the church -of Kirkham, or anything connected with it, and to provide a large -wax candle, which was paraded round that church on the feast -of palms, and afterwards presented as a peace-offering to St. -Michael.<a id="FNanchor_149" href="#Footnote_149" class="fnanchor">[149]</a></p> - -<p>In 1357 Cardinal John Thoresby, archbishop of York, made a -new ordination of the vicarage of Kirkham, by which it was -decreed that, instead of the secular vicar appointed aforetime, the -abbot and convent of Vale Royal should select some one from -their own monastery to fill the office whenever a vacancy occurred. -By this fresh regulation the abbot and convent of Vale Royal were -bound to pay to the vicar forty marks per annum, and he on his -part was pledged to keep the parsonage house in proper repair and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_372"></a>[372]</span> -perform all ecclesiastical duties. Three years afterwards a vicar of -Kirkham was charged and convicted of having been guilty of -maladministration in his position as dean of Amounderness, but -subsequently he received a full pardon from King Edward III.</p> - -<p>In the year 1401, during the reign of Henry IV., the right to -hold a market and fair was again confirmed to the abbot and -convent of Vale Royal; subjoined is a translated copy of the -grant, which bore the date of the 2nd of July:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The king to all men greeting: We have inspected a charter made by our -progenitor, Lord Edward, formerly king of England, in these words:—‘Edward, -by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine, to -the archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, justices, sheriffs, provosts, -ministers, and to all his bailiffs and subjects, health. Know that we have granted -and by this our present charter confirm to our beloved in Christ the Abbot and -Convent of Vale Royal, that they and their successors for ever shall have a market -in each week on Thursday at their manor at Kirkham in the county of Lancaster, -and also in each year a fair at the same town of five days duration, that is on the -vigil, on the Day, and on the morrow of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, and -on the two days succeeding; unless the market and fair be found injurious to -neighbouring markets and fairs. Therefore we desire and firmly enjoin, both for -ourselves and our heirs, that the aforesaid Abbot and Convent and their successors -for ever shall have the aforesaid market and fair at the aforesaid manor with all -the liberties and free customs appertaining to similar institutions, unless such -market and fair be detrimental to neighbouring interests as aforesaid.</p> - -<p>“‘These being witnesses:—The venerable fathers Robert Bath and Wells, John -Winchester, and Anthony Durham, bishops; William de Valence, our uncle; -Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln; master Henry de Newark, archdeacon of -Richmond; master William de Luda, archdeacon of Durham; master William de -Cornere, dean of Wymburne; John de St. John; William de Latymer; and others.</p> - -<p>“‘Given under our hand at Bourdeaux on the 21st of January, in the 15th year -of our reign.’</p> - -<p>“Holding the aforesaid charter and all matters contained in it as authentic and -acceptable both for ourselves and our heirs, as far as our power extends, we accept, -approve, grant, and confirm to our beloved in Christ, the present Abbot and -Convent of the aforesaid place and their successors that the aforesaid charter be -considered just, also we affirm that the same Abbot and Convent and their -predecessors legally had and held the said market and fair before this date.</p> - -<p>“In testimony thereof, etc. Witness the king at Westminster on the 2nd of -July.”<a id="FNanchor_150" href="#Footnote_150" class="fnanchor">[150]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p>At the dissolution of monasteries the manor of Kirkham, -together with the advowson of the church, was transferred by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_373"></a>[373]</span> -Henry VIII. from the abbot and convent of Vale Royal to the -dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford.</p> - -<p>In 1560 Queen Elizabeth ratified and confirmed by letters -patent all former charters concerning Kirkham by a deed bearing -the date of July 2nd; and later, in 1619, the 17th year of the -reign of James I., a record of the Duchy Court of Lancaster states -that the bailiffs and burgesses of Kirkham presented a petition -praying that they might elect into their government some men -of account dwelling near the town, and that it might be declared -that the bailiffs had lawful power and authority to correct -all malefactors and offenders according to the laws and liberties of -the town, and to do and perform all other duties appertaining to -their office. They prefaced their prayer by asserting that “the -town of Kirkham had been used as an ancient market town and -that the inhabitants thereof had time out of mind been accounted -a Corporation, incorporated by the name of Bailiffs and Burgesses, -and that of late owing to some of the bailiffs being but simple and -weak men, and the inhabitants but poor and numerous, it had been -found impossible to govern in a proper and satisfactory manner -the large confluences of people at fair and market seasons,” for -which reason they were desirous of gaining an extension of their -existing powers as set forth in the plea. The court decreed that -“the then Bailiffs of Kirkham and the Burgesses of the same, and -their successors, for ever, should and might from thenceforth have -and enjoy their ancient usages and liberties by the name of the -Bailiffs and Burgesses of the Town of Kirkham, and that the -Bailiffs should yearly be chosen out of the Burgesses according -to the said usages, or as they in their discretion should think meet, -for the better government of the said Town and the people thereunto -resorting, also that the Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Inhabitants -should be guildable, and have in the said Town a prison, etc., as -had been heretofore, and that the Dean and Chapter and -their successors, farmers, and tenants, should and might from -henceforth have all their fairs, markets, liberties, privileges, -jurisdictions, Court Leets, Court Barons, Courts of Pleas, and the -Fair Court, as heretofore had been.” The foregoing was ordered -to be read in the parish church on the ensuing sabbath, and also -in the market place.</p> - -<p>From the following ancient and somewhat lengthy document<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_374"></a>[374]</span> -or lease, much interesting matter may be gleaned, and for that -reason it was deemed better to give it unabridged:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“To all Christian people to whom this present writing shall come the Dean -and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Christ of King Henry the eighth’s -foundation do send greeting in our Lord God everlasting: Whereas we the said -Dean and Chapter by our Indenture of Lease, sealed with our common Seal, -bearing date the sixteenth day of July, in the three and fortieth year of the reign -of our sovereign lady Elizabeth (1601), late Queen of England, &c., did, as much -as in us was, demise, grant, and to farm, lett unto Thomas ffleetwood, of Caldwich, -in the County of Stafford, esquire, all our Court Leets and view of franchpledge -within our parsonage and manor of Kirkham, in the County of Lancaster, or in -either of them, or to, or with them, or either of them used, occupied, incident, -or belonging appertaining, with all and every thing (singular) there appertaining, -also the keeping of the Court Barons there, and all waifs, strays, treasure -trove, deodands, felons’ and outlaws’ goods, forfeitures, fines, amercements, -serving and executing of writs and processes, and all royalties, liberties, -perquisites and profits of Court Leets, all commodities and advantages -whatsoever to the same Court Leets incident, due, or in any wise belonging, -or which heretofore have been, or of right ought to have been, had and -enjoyed by us, the said Dean and Chapter, or any of our predecessors, or -any other person or persons by or by means of our estate, right, or title to -the same or any part thereof, in as large and ample manner as we, the said -Dean and Chapter, or our successors, may or ought to have or enjoy, together -also with the Stewardship, office of Steward, or authority for appointing -the Steward for the keeping of the said Courts; And also the profits of all and -each of our fairs and markets to be kept at or within the said manor and parsonage -of Kirkham; The Courts of Pipowder; And all manner of Toll and -Stallage—That is to say, Turne-toll, Traverse-Toll, and Through-Toll, and all -manner of payments, fines, forfeitures, fees, sums of money, with all other kind -of profits and commodities whatsoever, which do or may lawfully accrue, arise, -come, or be due, unto us, the said Dean and Chapter, our successors, or assignees, -by reason of any fair or market, or fairs or markets, which hereafter shall be kept -within the manor or parish of Kirkham aforesaid; And half an Oxgang of Land, -called by the name of the old Eworth, with so much of the late improved Common -in Kirkham aforesaid as was allotted, used, or occupied, or ought to be used, -allotted, or occupied to or with the said half Oxgang; One Burgage house with -the appurtenances in Kirkham aforesaid, now in the tenure, holding, or occupation -of one Thomas Singleton and William Kitchen, or the one of them; One -Croft called the hemp garden, certain grounds, called the Vicar’s Carrs, set, lying, -and being in Kirkham aforesaid; One house built upon the waste in Kirkham -aforesaid, commonly called or known by the name of the moote hall, with all -shops underneath the said moote hall, and all the tythes of the new improvements -not formerly demised within the said manor or parish of Kirkham, or within the -liberties thereof; And all encroachments within the same manor—That is to say, -all such arable lands, meadow, pasture, woodlands, furzeland, heath, and marshland, -and all other such vacant and waste land, as is or hath been heretofore by any<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_375"></a>[375]</span> -man encroached or taken to his own use by the making of any hedge, pale, wall, -ditch, or other mound, out of the lands belonging to the manor of Kirkham -aforesaid, without the special license of the said Dean and Chapter, with all and -every ways, booth-places, stall-places, liberties, easements, profits, commodities, -and advantages to the said messuages, lands, tenements, houses, grounds, -encroachments, tythes, hereditaments, and also the premises or any of them -belonging or in any wise appertaining (except as in our said Indenture of Lease -is excepted and reserved). To have and to hold the said Court Leets and the -keeping of the Court Barons, profits of fairs and markets, messuages, lands, -tythes, and all and every other the before-recited premises by that our said -recited Indenture of Lease demised, or mentioned, or intended to be demised, -with their and every of their appurtenances (except as is aforesaid) from the feast -day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary last past before the date -thereof, for and during the tenure and unto the end and term of one and twenty -years then next following, fully to be completed and ended. In our said Indenture -of Lease (amongst other things therein contained) it is provided always that it -shall not be lawful to nor for the said Thomas ffleetwood, his executors, administrators, -or assignees, to lett, set, or assign over to any person or persons the -demised premises herein contained and specified, or any part or parcel of them -without the special license of us, the said Dean and Chapter, or our Successors, -in writing under our common Seal thereunto first had and obtained. The estate, -right, tythe, interest, and term of years yet in being of the said Thomas ffleetwood, -are now lawfully come unto the hands and possession of Sʳ Richard ffleetwood, of -Caldwich, knight baronet, and baron of Newton, within the said County of -Lancaster, son and heir, and also executor of the last will and testament of the -said Thomas ffleetwood, lately deceased. Know ye now that we, the said Dean -and Chapter, of our common assent and consent have licensed and granted, and -by these presents for us and our Successors do license and grant that from henceforth -it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Sʳ Richard ffleetwood, knight -baronet, his executors, administrators, or assignees, or any of them, to lett, set, or -assign over the said demised premises and every one of them and any or every -part or parcel of them with the appurtenances unto John Clayton, James Parker, -and John Wilding, of Kirkham, in the County of Lancaster, yeomen, their -executors, administrators, or assignees for and during all the residue of the said -term of years yet in being, to come, and unexpired, the said proviso, or anything -else, in our recited Indenture of Lease contained to the contrary, Provided always -that all and every other covenant, clause, article, exception, reservation of rent, -payment, condition, and proviso, in that our recited Indenture of Lease comprised -shall stand, remain, continue, and be in its, and their, full power, force, and -effect, as if this our present license or deed in writing had never been, had, nor -made. In Witness whereof we, the said Dean and Chapter, have hereunto put -our common Seal. Proven in our Chapter house at Oxford the fourth day of -December in the years of the reign of our sovereign lord James, by the Grace of -God king of England, Scotland, ffrance, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.—That -is to say, of England, ffrance, and Ireland the eleventh, and of Scotland the -seven and fortieth.”<a id="FNanchor_151" href="#Footnote_151" class="fnanchor">[151]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_376"></a>[376]</span></p> - -<p>There is an old deed in the bailiffs’ chest, bearing the date 1725, -and evidently a summary of charters, powers, etc., drawn up in -order to be submitted to the inspection of some legal authority, -whose opinions on different points are appended, from which it -appears that from the earliest incorporation of the town it had -been governed by two bailiffs and twelve burgesses in common -council assembled, who were annually chosen within the borough, -and that they “usually assessed such persons, not being free -burgesses in the same borough, as had come into and exercised -trades within the borough (whether they had served apprenticeships -to such trades or not), in and with such reasonable annual -payments to the Corporation as the bailiffs and burgesses thought -fit”; persons born in the borough were treated in a similar -manner. The bailiffs inflicted penalties on all breakers of the -peace, the amount of fine imposed being regulated according -to the condition of the offender, thus an esquire was mulcted -in 40s., a gentleman 10s., and anyone of an inferior grade 5s. -Profane cursing and swearing also came under their jurisdiction. -The collection of freedom money from traders commencing -business in Kirkham was a somewhat questionable act on the -part of the local rulers, and indeed they themselves were -evidently troubled with doubts as to their right to levy the tax, -for the muniment chest contains several opinions of eminent -counsel as to the validity of such a course. In 1738 a person -named William Marsden started as a tanner in Kirkham, and -obstinately refused to purchase his freedom or close his premises, -but, at the end of twelve months, the assembled bailiffs and -burgesses instructed and authorised the town or borough serjeant -to collect and levy the sum of two shillings and sixpence upon -the goods and chattels of William Marsden, by distress and sale. -This impost was abolished during the latter half of the eighteenth -century. The bailiffs formed part of the Court Leet held annually -in the seventeenth century and were elected from amongst the -jurors. Subjoined are a few extracts from the minute book of the -“Court leet of frank pledge of yᵉ foundation of Henry VIII.,” as it -is styled in one place:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“Oct. 1681.</p> - -<p>The court leet houlden at Kirkham yᵉ day above written by Tho. Hodgkinson -Stuart.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_377"></a>[377]</span></p> - -<p class="center">“Juriars</p> - -<ul> -<li>James Smith, junior.</li> -<li>John Hanson.</li> -<li>Geffery Wood.</li> -<li>James Lawson.</li> -<li>Tho. Tomlinson.</li> -<li>Alex. Lawder.</li> -<li>John Dickson.</li> -<li>Henry Smith.</li> -<li>Charles Fale.</li> -<li>Will. Butler.</li> -<li>James Hull.</li> -<li>Will. Hornby.</li> -<li>James Clayton.</li> -<li>George Whiteside.</li> -<li>Tho. Shardley.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">“Bayliffes</p> - -<ul> -<li>Geffrey Wood.</li> -<li>Tho. Tomlinson.</li> -<li>John Colly, serjeant.</li> -<li>James Hull, constable.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">(Here follow the ‘Gauldlayers,’ ‘Barleymen,’ ‘Prizards,’ ‘Leather searchards,’ -and ‘Flesh and Fish viewards’)</p> - -<p>“Wᵐ Hunt fined 1s. for keeping his geese in the loanes”</p> - -<p>“John Wilding for keeping a greyhound not being qualified” (Punishment?)</p> - -<p class="center">1682.</p> - -<p>“Presented that the earl of Derby, Mr. Westby, of Mowbrick, Mr. Hesketh, of -Mains, were constantly called at the court leet for the borough of Kirkham and -anciently did either appear or some assign for them, but now of late they do not -appear nor any assign for them.”</p> - -<p class="center">“4 May. 1683.</p> - -<p>“Recᵈ of Richard Riley for his fredom within the borow of Kirkham 16s.</p> - -<p>“May the 4th day Recᵈ of Rodger Taylor for his freedom in Kirkham £1.</p> - -<p>“Oct. 19th. Recᵈ of Thomas Sherdley for his freedom 2s.</p> - -<p>“Ordered that no person shall set or let any house or shop to Richarde -Blackburne or his wife that stands within the liberties in Kirkham in pain of -£2 0s. 0d.”</p> - -<p class="center">1685.</p> - -<p>“Ralph Rishton paid to John Wilding and Thomas Hankinson, the bailiffs, -for his freedom to trade in Kirkham £4.”</p> - -<p class="center">12 Oct. 1686.</p> - -<p>“Prudence Cardwell, presented for not making her bread sufficient in goodness -and weight, and fined in 12d.”</p> - -<p>Nov. 17. “It is ordered that Nicholas Wilkinson shall pay unto the bailiffs -13s. 4d. for one year’s trading in the town.”</p> - -<p class="center">30 April 1692.</p> - -<p>“Ordered that if any hereafter suffer their swine to ly out in the night time -they shall forfeit for every night 3s. 4d.”</p> - -<p class="center">26 April 1699.</p> - -<p>“Ordered that neither Wᵐ Boone nor Rowland Roberts maltmakers nor any -as they employ shall dry any malt or weete upon the Sabbath day for the time -to come in the pain of 20s.”</p> - -<p>13 Oct. “We present these persons for want of their appearance at court & so -fine every one of them 12d.</p> - -<ul> -<li>“Will. George Ric. Earl of Derby.</li> -<li>Tho. Westby, esq.</li> -<li>Thos. Hesketh, esq.</li> -<li>John Walker, esq.</li> -<li>Jennet Thompson, widow,</li> -<li>and Thomas Dickson.”</li> -</ul> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_378"></a>[378]</span></p> - -<p class="center">22 Aprill 1707.</p> - -<p>“Every person that shall carry away any fire thro’ the street to cover the same -close on penalty of 10s.</p> - -<p class="center">April 1713.</p> - -<p>“No person to water any sort of cattle at the bucket belonging to the town -well nor wash any skins at the trough.”</p> - -<p class="center">10 May 1715.</p> - -<p>“We find Charles Hardy for harbouring and lodging of vagrants and beggars -in this town in 13s. 4d.”</p> - -<p class="center">22 May 1726.</p> - -<p>“Mem. That the town of Kirkham was summonsed from house to house and -the inhabitants unanimously agreed to the setting up of a workhouse.”</p> - -<p class="center">30 Nov. 1728.</p> - -<p>“Ordered that a lamp should be fixed up in the middle of the borough of Kirkham -in some convenient place, and that the charge of it together with oyl necessary -for it be paid out of the town’s stock.”</p> - -<p>“All persons refusing to clean or cow (rake) the streets opposite their respective -houses to be fined 6d. after notice from the serjeant with his bell.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The official notice concerning the last resolution is still preserved, -and ran as under:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“To the Inhabitants of the Burrough of Kirkham.</p> - -<p>“You are hereby required forthwith to cleanse the Streets over against your -Dwelling Houses, Outhouses, and all other Buildings, together with all Frontsteads -whatsoever, on Penalty of Sixpence for each default.</p> - -<p>“You have also hereby notice to remove all the Dung-hills out of the Streets in -a month’s time or otherwise they will be removed for the use of the Burrough.</p> - -<p>“Likewise all the Rubbish out of the Streets on such Penalties as the Bayliffs -and Common Council shall think fit to inflict. Given under our Common Seal of -the Towne this first Day of December, 1728.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>At a later period the burgesses neglected to choose and appoint -bailiffs for many years, or to use their privileges; and apprehensive -at length that such remissions were tantamount to a forfeiture of -their charter by their own act, they determined to take legal -advice as to the most expeditious way to resume their powers. -It was given as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“If any of those acting Burgesses are alive I would advise them to assemble at -their former Gild or usual Place of meeting, and then and there choose other -Burgesses, after which they may elect from among them Two Bailiffs and make -an entry of such choice in one of the Old Books, and then proceed as formerly to -act in their corporate capacity; and let their first Punishment be inflicted on some -person unlikely to dispute their authority, for instance a woman drunkard may be -set in the stocks.</p> - -<p>“Having done as above directed they may for the better Government of the -town make some Byelaws, and enter them ffair into a Book to be kept for that -purpose, but let none of these new Laws be put in Execution till they are confirmed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_379"></a>[379]</span> -by the Chancelour, and that will be some foundation ffor a petition to that -Court.</p> - -<p>“But if all the Burgesses are dead I can see no Remedy whatsoever but by -obtaining a new Charter, which will be very Difficult if not Impracticable.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>A statement as to manorial extent of Kirkham at the latter -part of the seventeenth century is preserved amongst the records -of a court, further reference to which will be made anon, and -reads as here given:—“The lands lying within the manor of -Kirkham, belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church, -in Oxford, and to the burgesses inhabitants of the borough of -Kirkham, are bounded east by the lands of Edward Robinson and -George Brown, lying within Newton and Scales; westward by -the lands of Sir Thomas Clifton, within Westby, and the lands of -Christopher Parker, esq., lying in Ribby with Wrea; northwards -by the lands of Mrs. Dorʸ. Westby, of Mowbreck, and the lands of -Mr. Edward Fleetwood, of Wesham; and southwards by the lands -of Mr. George Sharples, of Freckleton.”</p> - -<p>It has already been shown that the manor was conveyed by the -authorities at Oxford to Thomas Fleetwood as fee-farmer in 1601, -and that the lease was subsequently renewed or confirmed to his -son and heir Sir Richard Fleetwood. Before 1700, however, -probably about 1650, from the contents of a petition presented by -the inhabitants to the dean and chapter in 1705, the Cliftons, of -Lytham, had the manor in a tenure similar to that of their predecessors, -and held each year, in the month of June, a court leet, -at which the two bailiffs were elected. The late Thomas Langton -Birley, esq., of Carr Hill, Kirkham, acquired the lordship by -purchase a short time previous to his death in 1874, when it -descended to his son and heir, Henry Langton Birley, esq. -Bailiffs still continue to be annually appointed, and have in their -hands several charitable bequests, the interest arising therefrom -being devoted to the service of the poor of the township, either in -the form of alms, or in maintaining some useful convenience, as -the parish pump, for their benefit. The property at present -belonging to the bailiffs consists of one meadow, situated behind -the Roman Catholic church; a garden in front of the same edifice; -a plot in the field called the “Iron Latch”; and a pew in the -parish church of Kirkham. In 1676 the bishop of Chester acceded -to a petition from the minister and churchwardens that a wainscot<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_380"></a>[380]</span> -might be placed so as to enclose the bailiffs’ pew, “which seat, for -want thereof, was pressed into and thronged by others to the -disturbance of the said officers.”<a id="FNanchor_152" href="#Footnote_152" class="fnanchor">[152]</a></p> - -<p>The Moot Hall, in which all business relating to the town was -transacted, stood in the Market-place until about the year 1790, -when it was accidentally burnt down. This building was erected -in two stories, the upper of which was divided into a small room, -used for flax dressing at the time the Hall was destroyed, and a -larger one, devoted to court meetings and other public matters, -which was separated from the remainder of the edifice insomuch -as it could only be entered from the outside by means of a flight -of stone steps. The ground floor or lower story was converted -into shops in the occupation of tradesmen of the town. The -original borough seal, which still exists, although somewhat -defective, represents a dove bearing an olive branch in its beak. -Notwithstanding that Kirkham was made a borough, during the -last years of the thirteenth century, it never appears upon any -occasion to have returned a Member of Parliament, and it may -safely be conjectured that no writ for that purpose was ever -issued to the burgesses, as the sheriffs exercised a discretionary -power in such matters, and consequently only those boroughs, -whose inhabitants seemed affluent enough to support the expenses -of an election, were selected for the honour, amongst which it is -scarcely likely Kirkham would be classed.</p> - -<p>A market cross stood in the centre of the town, near to the -ancient Moot Hall, about the beginning of this century, but has -now, like the stocks, which originally had their place in the -churchyard and afterwards were removed to a more public site, -been long numbered amongst the memories of a past and less -refined age. There is no allusion to a whipping post in any of -the old documents, but we have the authority of a gentleman who -witnessed the spectacle, that a man was publicly whipped in the -Market-place fifty years ago.</p> - -<p>The “Thirty Sworn men of Kirkham” was the name given to a -council which took cognizance of parochial affairs, and of certain -matters connected with the church, amongst other things -appointing the churchwardens. This assembly was composed of -representatives from the different sections of the parish, two<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_381"></a>[381]</span> -persons being elected from each of the fifteen townships as -under:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“Thirty Sworn Men in 1570.</p> - -<ul> -<li>Kirkham:</li> -<li class="isub1">James Baine.</li> -<li class="isub1">James Clayton.</li> -<li>Clifton:</li> -<li class="isub1">William Porter.</li> -<li class="isub1">Tho. Cardwell.</li> -<li>Freckleton:</li> -<li class="isub1">Henʳʸ Colbron.</li> -<li class="isub1">Rich. Browne.</li> -<li>Singletons:</li> -<li class="isub1">James Davy.</li> -<li class="isub1">Wᵐ Smith</li> -<li>Larbrick:</li> -<li class="isub1">Robt. Johnson.</li> -<li class="isub1">Will. Fletcher.</li> -<li>Thistleton:</li> -<li class="isub1">Joh. Smith.</li> -<li class="isub1">Robt. Cornay.</li> -<li>Warton:</li> -<li class="isub1">Wm. Platon.</li> -<li class="isub1">Robt. Fletcher.</li> -<li>Bryning:</li> -<li class="isub1">Robt. Croke.</li> -<li class="isub1">John Croke.</li> -<li>Ribby:</li> -<li class="isub1">⸺ Benson.</li> -<li class="isub1">Henry Shaw.</li> -<li>Wesham:</li> -<li class="isub1">Robt. Hornby.</li> -<li class="isub1">Henry Johnson.</li> -<li>Treales:</li> -<li class="isub1">Wᵐ Swarbrick.</li> -<li class="isub1">Tho. Porter.</li> -<li>Hambleton:</li> -<li class="isub1">Robt. Bradshaw.</li> -<li class="isub1">Wᵐ Bamber.”</li> -</ul> - -</div> - -<p>The oath taken by the “Sworn men” was administered by the -civil authorities, and their tenure of office was for life, or until -they thought proper to resign. The origin of “Sworn men,” or -at least of the name, dates from the fourteenth century, and the -institution itself seems to have been common in this part of -Lancashire; Preston, Lancaster, Garstang, and Goosnargh, having -had assemblies bearing similar titles and performing similar duties, -but consisting only of twenty-four men each.</p> - -<p>In 1636 a serious dispute arose between the Thirty-men and the -vicar, the Rev. Edward Fleetwood, owing to the latter requiring -the council to subscribe to the following conditions:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“1st. They shall lay no gauld themselves without the consent of the vicar.</p> - -<p>2nd. That the vicar shall have a negative voice in all their proceedings, and -that they shall determine nothing without the consent of the said vicar.</p> - -<p>3rd. They shall not put or elect any new 30-men without the vicar’s consent.</p> - -<p>4th. They shall not meet in the church upon any business whatever, unless -they acquaint the vicar before.</p> - -<p>5th. If there be any turbulent or factious person, that the rest of the company -shall join with the vicar and turn him out.”<a id="FNanchor_153" href="#Footnote_153" class="fnanchor">[153]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p>On the Thirty-men refusing to comply with his request, the -vicar excluded them “by violence” from their usual meeting-place<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_382"></a>[382]</span> -in the church, and on the 5th of November, 1638, when -they were called upon by the churchwardens to attend there in -order to lay the necessary taxes for the repair of the sacred -edifice, then much decayed, Mr. Fleetwood “locked himself in -the church, as before he had many times done,” and compelled -them to conduct their business without the building.</p> - -<p>Incensed at the persistent hostility of the vicar an appeal against -his conduct was made by the “men” to the archbishop of York, -and by him referred to the bishop of Chester, who replied:—“That -the corporation or company of 30-men, not having any -warranty from the king, was nothing in law; but if the parish or -township did delegate the power to the 30-men as to church -matters, then their acts relating thereunto were as effectual and -binding as if they had the king’s sanction; and wishing to know -the affection of the parishioners on this head, he issued an order on -22 Nov. 1638, that public notice shᵈ be given in the church for -all the parishioners to meet and give their voices whether they -chose that the custom of the 30-men representing the whole parish -two for every township, should continue, or they should be -dissolved.”<a id="FNanchor_154" href="#Footnote_154" class="fnanchor">[154]</a></p> - -<p>Mr. Fleetwood having ignored this order, the churchwardens -took upon themselves the duty of calling a general conference of -the parishioners; a great multitude assembled in the churchyard, -where the meeting was held, the vicar having locked the church -door, and declared in favour of their ancient custom being continued -and preserved to their posterity as it had come down to -them, freely giving “their power and strength to the said 30-men, -to confer and determine all church matters.”</p> - -<p>To this resolution were appended the signatures of four -hundred and ninety-four persons, amongst whom were Thomas -Clifton of Westby and Clifton, John Westby of Mowbreck, -Thomas Hesketh of Mains, Edward Veale of Whinney Heys, -John Parker of Bradkirk, and Edward Bradley of Bryning.</p> - -<p>The bishop of Chester, having received an official report of the -result of the meeting, communicated with the archbishop of -York, as below stated:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="right">“Chester palace, 14 Dec. 1638.</p> - -<p>“Seeing the vicar (whom I have used with all gentleness and lenity), continues<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_383"></a>[383]</span> -still in his contempt, and addeth daily more forwardness thereunto, I must return -the petitioners to my lord’s grace of York, to be ordered by the high commissioner -according to his grace’s intimation signified in his.... I wish well to -the sillie wilful man, but he makes himself incapable thereof.</p> - -<p class="right">“John Cestriensis.”<a id="FNanchor_155" href="#Footnote_155" class="fnanchor">[155]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p>This effort to obtain redress for their grievances does not -appear to have been attended with a success equal to the expectations -of the “thirty,” for a little later they instituted a suit in -the consistory court at Chester against the vicar, “and, having -proved their practice good, had sentence against him and -£20 7s. 6d. allowed towards their expenses.”<a id="FNanchor_156" href="#Footnote_156" class="fnanchor">[156]</a> The “Thirty-men” -were admitted into the church on Easter Tuesday, 1639.</p> - -<p>During the period that Edward Fleetwood was vicar of Kirkham -an event occurred in the parish which furnishes a forcible example -of the superstitious feeling in religious matters existing amongst -all ranks of the people at that time. The whole of the details of -the circumstance are embodied in a pamphlet entitled “Strange -Signs from Heaven,” and by way of an introduction, the tract -contains this certificate, “under the hand of Mr. Edward Fleetwood, -minister of Kirkham parish in Lancashire, concerning the -monster brought forth by Mrs. Haughton, a papist, living in that -parish:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“As we must tell no lie, so we should conceal no truth; especially when it tends -to God’s glory: There was a great papist, and of great parentage, within the -parish of Kirkham, and his wife’s mother, being of the same religion, did usually -scoff and mock the Roundheads, and, in derision of Mr. Prinne and others, cut off -the cat’s ears, and called it by his name: But behold an example of the justice -and equity of God in his judgements; as Adonibezec was repaid in his own kind; -Haman hanged upon the same gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai; and -Pharoah and all his host drowned in the sea, into which he had thought to have -driven the Israelites. And likewise one of the popish prelates, who said he -would not dine till Ridley and Latimer were burnt, was burnt in his own -entrails. So it fell out with this man’s wife, a popish creature, who being great -with child, when the time of her delivery came, she brought forth a monstrous -child without a head, ugly and deformed, myself eyewitness thereof.</p> - -<p class="right">Edward Fleetwood, pastor.</p> - -<p class="right">W. Greenacres, midwife.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The tract itself informs us that in the course of a conversation -with some gentlemen, Mrs. Haughton observed with great -warmth that “the Puritans and Independents deserved all to be -hanged,” and concluded her uncharitable remarks by uttering a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_384"></a>[384]</span> -fervent wish that neither she nor any one belonging to her might -ever become Roundheads; upon which “answer was made to her, -that her children, if she had any, might (if God so pleased) have -their eyes opened, and see that good which she was ignorant of. -Mrs. Haughton retorted in these words: <i>I pray God that -rather than I shall be a Roundhead, or bear a Roundhead, I -may bring forth a child without a head.</i>” In course of time, as -we learn from the pamphlet, she was delivered of a monster child, -being attended in her confinement by “widow Greenacres, the -midwife, formerly wife to Mr. Greenacres, some time vicar of this -parish,” who, “being a godly woman, could not be eased in her -mind until she had discharged her conscience in making it known -to Mr. Fleetwood.” “For better satisfaction Mr. Fleetwood -caused the grave to be opened, and the child to be taken out and -laid to view, and found there a body without a head, as the -midwife had said, only the child had a face on the breast of it, -two eyes near unto the place where the paps usually are, and a -nose upon the chest, and a mouth a little above the navel, and -two ears, upon each shoulder one.”</p> - -<p>The certificate of the vicar relating to this discovery, together -with a manuscript account of the circumstances connected with -it, were “brought up to London by Colonel Moore (of Liverpool) -a member of the House of Commons, and shewed to divers of the -House; who commanded the tract to be printed so that all the -kingdom might see the hand of God therein; to the comfort of -his people, and the terror of the wicked that deride and scorn -them.”<a id="FNanchor_157" href="#Footnote_157" class="fnanchor">[157]</a></p> - -<p>In the context are enumerated a few records of the “Thirty -men,” in order that the reader may have a clearer conception of -their duties, and gain some information, not devoid of interest, -respecting the more common-place matters associated with the -history and regulation of parochial and church affairs in the -town:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“1571.</p> - -<p>“Nov. 2. Recᵈ for burial of a child of Mr. Veale (of Whinney Heys) in the -church XIId.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_385"></a>[385]</span></p> - -<p>“Paid for a scholar verifying the ch’wardens’ acct.ˢ</p> - -<p>“The great bell taken down this year and a new one put up.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1577.</p> - -<p>“The churchwardens were ordered by the vicar and 30-men to continue in -office another year, by way of punishment, because they had not repaired the bells -or levied the gauld of xˢ per township.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1586.</p> - -<p>“Charge of the churchwardens for making the vicar a seat xiiᵈ.</p> - -<p>“An order that each householder having a youth with a plough having 4 beasts -shall pay ivᵈ.</p> - -<p>“Every one that married with another iiᵈ, and every cottage iᵈ.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1595.</p> - -<p>“The churchwardens charged xiiᵈ for tarrying with Mr. vicar when he gave -warning to all housekeepers not to sell ale during the time of service.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1603.</p> - -<p>“Rushes to strew the church cost ixˢ viᵈ. The churchwardens went through -the parish to warn the people to come to church.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1618.</p> - -<p>“Pᵈ to Isabel Birley 3 weeks diet for 3 slaters at iiiˢ ivᵈ per week, xxxˢ.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1634.</p> - -<p>“The church was flagged this year.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1643.</p> - -<p>“Pᵈ for slating Mʳ Clifton’s quire £1 5s. 3d., and for organ pipes which had -been pulled assunder by the souldiers, 3s. 4d.<a id="FNanchor_158" href="#Footnote_158" class="fnanchor">[158]</a> The churchwardens were -demanded to attend the prime sessions at Weeton. 12 June they were ordered -by the captains and other officers to make presentment of all recusants in the -parish. In August they were employed several days at the parish cost about the -covenant, and giving notice through the parish for them to take the covenant.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1666.</p> - -<p>“Spent on going perambulations on Ascension day, 1s. 6d.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1679.</p> - -<p>“The bishop ordered a bone-house to be built.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1683.</p> - -<p>“Spent upon the ringers upon the 9th of Sept., being thanksgiving day for his -majesty’s deliverance from the fanatick plot 2s. 6d.<a id="FNanchor_159" href="#Footnote_159" class="fnanchor">[159]</a></p> - -<p>“Paid for whip to whip dogs out of church, 2s. 0½d.</p> - -<p>“Paid for magpies and sparrow heads £10 12s. 4d.”</p> - -<p class="center">“1746.</p> - -<p>“28 March. Paid for hiding registers, vestments, plates, etc., at the rebels -coming 2s. 6d.; same day paid for ringing when the Duke of Cumberland came -to Preston, and when he retook Carlisle, 6s.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_386"></a>[386]</span></p> - -<p class="center">“1797.</p> - -<p>“Apr. 18. Ordered that the curates of Lund, Warton, Ribby, and Singleton -shall not exceed 2 qts. of wine each day they administer the sacrament until -further orders.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The first church of Kirkham is commonly said to have been -erected by the Saxons on Mill Hill, and subsequently rebuilt on -its present site, but as this statement is unsupported by any more -reliable evidence than tradition, we give it simply for what it is -worth. The earliest authentic word of Kirkham church is in -1512, when the edifice was in part rebuilt; and at that time, and -doubtless for centuries before, it occupied the same situation as -to-day. After the alterations and renewals had been completed, -the building comprised a nave, chancel, and side aisles, separated -by stone pillars, on which rested pointed arches. At the west -end of the church, throughout its entire width, was erected a -gallery, another of less extent being placed at the east end for -the accommodation of the organ. The north aisle contained a -small gallery belonging to the ffrance family, the private chapel -of the Westbys of Mowbreck, and a spacious room or vestry, in -which the “Thirty-men” held their meetings. In the south aisle -was located the private oratory of the Cliftons, of Westby and -Clifton. The chancel extended the width of the nave and south -aisle, and in 1780 the Clifton chapel was, with the consent of its -proprietor, enclosed within the communion rails. The reading -desk stood against the central pillar of the north side of the nave, -and immediately above it was placed the pulpit. The north wall -was low, and contained several large windows. The whole of -the building, with the exception of the chancel, which possessed a -double-gabled roof, was covered in by a single roof, which slanted -from the south to the north wall, and was pierced at each end -with dormer windows. The main entrance was protected by a -massive porch.</p> - -<p>The tower was probably erected but little later, if not, indeed, -at the time the church was rebuilding, as appears from the will -here quoted, bearing the date 29th of July, 1512:—“I, Cuthbert -Clifton, Squyer, desire to be buryed at Kirkham in the tombe -where Rychard Clifton, my great grandfather was buryed; I -bequeath £6 13s. 4d. towards buyldyng of the steple of the saide -churche.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_387"></a>[387]</span></p> - -<p>This tower was embattled with a short pinnacle at each corner, -and stood about sixty feet high; on a stone in one of the buttresses -were carved the arms and name of Cuthbert Clifton. In -the inside wall of the present tower there is fixed a stone bearing -traces of an inscription, and it is probable, from the remnant of a -name still discernible upon it, that this is the stone here referred -to.</p> - -<p>From the records of the “Thirty-men” are learnt several things -of interest with regard to the church, and amongst them, that -during the seventeenth century the edifice was used occasionally -for scholastic purposes, thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“1653-54.</p> - -<p>“6 Jan. It was agreed (by the “Thirty-men”) that no scriffener be suffered to -teach in the church, unless he procure some honest townsmen of Kirkham to -pass their word that whatsoever his scholars do, either in breaking glass or in -abusing men’s seats—and that they meddle not with the bells—he shall make -good what they abuse.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In 1662 a font was erected at a cost of £2 5s. 4d., and most -likely is the one now stationed in the tower entrance to the -church. A bone house was built in 1679 in the recess or corner -formed by the west wall of the north aisle and the north side of -the tower, in obedience to the order of the bishop of the diocese. -In 1724 gates were placed at the entrance to the churchyard, and -in 1799 the old tithe barn which formed the westerly boundary of -this plot of ground was blown down and destroyed; the stone for -the gate pillars was obtained from Ribchester. The following -lists of persons buried in the Clifton and Westby chapels, or -quyres, as they were called, were given in an old document which -was copied in 1790 by Mr. W. Langton, who described it as -“much defaced and torn:”—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“In the Clifton Quire.</p> - -<p>“1597, sir Geo Cowbrone and Mr. Cuthbert Clifton; 1598, Henry Colbron of -Frekleton; 1601, Mr. Skillicorne; 1604, ould Dorothie Skillicorne, Mr. Skillicorne’s -daughter; 1602, Mr. Skillicorne, his wiff, Mr. Skillicorne, his son, and -Henry Brown of Scales; 1604, Lawrence Cowbrone, eldest son of above; 1616, -Henry Porter of Treales; 1621, Mrs. Jane Anderton, died at Westby; 1625, -Mr. John Sharples, of Frekleton; 1630, uxor Arthur Sharples, and Matthew -Colbron of Frekleton.”</p> - -<p class="center">“In the Westby Quyre.</p> - -<p>“1605, Mr. Westby and Mr. John Westby (Mr. Thos. eldest brother); 1622, -ould Mr. Hesketh; 1623, Mr. Hesketh of Maines.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In a note we are told that when Mr. Skillicorne died in 1601,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_388"></a>[388]</span> -“and was to be buried, Seth Woods of Kirkham and another -with him stood at Mr. Clifton’s quyre dore to keep them from -making a grave, and William Hull of Singleton did run at the -door with wood and break it open—how it ended is forgotten, -but he was buried there.”</p> - -<p>In 1822 the nave of the church was pulled down and rebuilt by -aid of a rate imposed on all the townships; an inscription -commemorating this event was placed over the arch of the old -chancel. The tower and spire as they now exist were erected in -1844, whilst the present chancel was built in 1853. The spire -and tower together have an altitude of one hundred and fifty feet, -and the foundation stone of the latter was laid by Thomas Clifton, -esq., of Lytham, on the 21st of November, 1843. The tower -contains a peal of eight bells, but none of them are of ancient -date, those alluded to in the records of the “Thirty-men” having -been sold and replaced by fresh ones. The modern church of -Kirkham, which, like its predecessor, is dedicated to St. Michael, -is a large and handsome structure, built of Longridge stone, and -capable of holding about eighteen hundred persons; the chancel -is ornamented with a castellated parapet and fluted cornice. A -stone coffin, which may be seen outside the church at the east, -was taken out of the ground when the chancel was rebuilt. In -1725 the sum of £500 was left in trust by William Grimbaldson, -M.D., to be expended in the purchase of land and other property, -the income from which had to be devoted to providing a suitable -person or persons to read prayers twice every day of the week -except Sunday, in the parish church of Kirkham; in the event -of this condition of the bequest not being fulfilled, it was decreed -by the will that the annual interest of the money should be -distributed amongst the poor housekeepers of Treales; so far, -however, the requirement of the trust has been conformed to, and -prayers are still read twice daily in the church.</p> - -<p>Within the ancient church of Kirkham, doubtless in the Clifton -chapel, was a chantry founded during the fifteenth century by -Richard Clifton, of Clifton, who married Alice, the daughter of -John Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall; and called the chantry of the -“Holy Crucifix,” as well as that of “Our Blessed Laydy.” The -commissioners of Henry VIII. issued the following report concerning -it:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_389"></a>[389]</span></p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">“The Chauntrie in the paroche Church of Kirkeham.</p> - -<p>“Thomas Prymbet preyst Incumbent there of the foundation of the antecessors -of Sʳ Thomas Clifton, knight, to celebrate there for their sowles and all crysten -sowles.</p> - -<p>“The same is at the altar of our lady wᵗhin the paroche church of Kirkham, -and the said Incumbent doth celebrate there accordinglie.”</p> - -<table class="text" summary="Expenditure report"> - <tr> - <td>Sum totall of the rentall</td> - <td class="tdr">£6</td> - <td class="tdr">0s.</td> - <td class="tdr">11d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="4">“Whereof—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Payde to Sir Henry ffarington, knight, as farmour to the - kynge, our Sovereigne lord, of Penwarden fee, for chief rente - goynge forthe of the lands in ffryklyngton, by yere</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr">4d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Payde to the Kinges Majestie, to the handes of the receyvour - of his late Monasteyre of Vale Royall, goynge forthe of the - burgages in Kirkeham, by yere, in Christenmes and Mydsomur,</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr">7s.</td> - <td class="tdr">6d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Sum of the reprises</td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - <td class="tdr">7s.</td> - <td class="tdr">10d.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“And so remayneth</td> - <td class="tdr">£5</td> - <td class="tdr">13s.</td> - <td class="tdr">1d.”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - -<p>This chantry was in existence in 1452, for in that year, when -the abbot and convent of Vale Royal presented Dom. Edmund -Layche to the vicarage, the archdeacon instructed John Clarke, -the chaplain of the chantry, to induct him.<a id="FNanchor_160" href="#Footnote_160" class="fnanchor">[160]</a> Thomas Prymbett, -the officiating priest, was sixty years of age in 1548, and at that -date the town and parish of Kirkham contained 1700 “houselinge -people.” Five years later Thomas Prymbett received a pension of -£5.<a id="FNanchor_161" href="#Footnote_161" class="fnanchor">[161]</a> His death occurred in 1564.</p> - -<p>At the dissolution of monasteries, the chantry of Kirkham -church was mulcted in an annual rent of 6s. 2d., which was -ordered to be paid to the receiver of the Duchy. A lease of the -lands appertaining to the chantry was granted to Lawrence -Pembroke for a term of sixteen years.</p> - -<p>In 1291 the living of Kirkham church was estimated in the -<i>Valor</i> of Pope Nicholas at £160 per annum, but at the dissolution -aforesaid it was valued at no more than £21 1s. 0½d. per annum.</p> - -<p>In 1586 the advowson of the church was leased to James Smith, -yeoman, of Kirkham; and in 1591 it was granted for a period of -twenty-one years by the authorities of Christ Church, Oxford, to -John Sharpies, of Freckleton.<a id="FNanchor_162" href="#Footnote_162" class="fnanchor">[162]</a></p> - -<p>Within the church are several inscriptions, the oldest and -most curious of which is to be seen on a stone forming part of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_390"></a>[390]</span> -floor of the vestry, and covering the grave of vicar Clegg:—</p> - -<ul class="smaller"> -<li>“Rᵈ: Clegg came: V: M.: J666.</li> -<li>Began pooʳ loaves: E: J670.</li> -<li>Uxʳ Jennet nupᵗ E: j672.</li> -<li>Mary nᵗ 9ʳ: J673: nupᵗ, FEB: 96.</li> -<li>Doro nᵗ. M. j675: ob. j677.</li> -<li>Abraham. nᵗ: J: j677: ob. j677.</li> -<li>Doro: nᵗ: S: j678.</li> -<li>Henerey nᵗ: J: j680. ob. 1683.</li> -<li>Eliz: nᵗ: M: j685. nupᵗ Feb. 1713.</li> -<li>Rᵈ Clegg Vʳ. ob j720. Æt. 85.</li> -<li>W: Jennet ob: j7... Æt...”</li> -</ul> - -<p>Others are in memoriam of Thomas, the son of Sir Thomas -Clifton, of Lytham, died 1688, aged 20 years; the Rev. John -Threlfall, B.A., for “56 years head-master of Kirkham School,” -died 1801, aged 84 years; the Rev. Phipps Gerard Slatter, M.A., -“head-master of the Free School,” died 1815, aged 25 years; the -Rev. Charles Buck, M.A., for 27 years vicar of the parish, died -1717; the Rev. Humphrey Shuttleworth, vicar of Kirkham, died -1812, aged 76 years; Richard Bradkirk, esq., of Bryning Hall, -died 1813, aged 60 years; Henry Rishton Buck, B.A., “lieutenant -33rd Regiment, who fell in battle at Waterloo, June 18, 1815,” -aged 27 years; and James Buck, lieutenant 21st Light Dragoons, -died January 7, 1815, aged 19 years.</p> - -<p>In the church yard there are sundry inscribed stones, which, -although little interesting on the score of antiquity, are worthy -of mention as marking the burial places of persons of note in the -parish at one time; as—James Thistleton of Wrea, the founder -of Wrea school, who was interred on the 27th of February, 1693; -William Harrison of Kirkham, gent., interred January 12th, -1767, aged 60, who “left an ample fortune to poor relations, and -£140 to be vested in land, the yearly income to be distributed in -pious books to the poor of Kirkham, Little Eccleston, and -Larbrick: may the trustees dispense with integrity and effect the -sacred dole”; Edward King, esq., fourth son of the Very Rev. -James King, D.D., dean of Raphoe, “formerly bencher of the -honourable society of Gray’s inn, and for above twenty years -vice-chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster”; the “Rev. Charles -Buck of Kirkham, A.M., died 4 Jan. 1808. Aged 54,” also his -two sons; the Rev. Robert Loxham, vicar of Poulton, died in -1770, aged 80 years; and John Langton of Kirkham, died in -1762, aged 71 years; also many other members of the same family.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_391"></a>[391]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of vicars of Kirkham"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">VICARS OF KIRKHAM.<br /><span class="smcap">In the Deanery of Amounderness and Archdeaconry of Richmond.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1239</td> - <td>Dn’s Will de Ebor</td> - <td>Duke of Cornwall</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Between 1272 and 1307</td> - <td>Simon Alley</td> - <td>Convent of Vale Royal</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1354</td> - <td>William de Slayteburn</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1361</td> - <td>William Boulton</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1362</td> - <td>Phil de Grenhal</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Dn’s Roger Dyryng</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1377</td> - <td>Robert de Horneby</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1418</td> - <td>Dn’s Will Torfet</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1420</td> - <td>Dn’s John Cotun</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1450</td> - <td>John Hardie</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1452</td> - <td>Edmund Layche</td> - <td>Convent of Vale Royal</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1512</td> - <td>Thomas Smith</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1558</td> - <td>James Smith</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1586</td> - <td>James Smith</td> - <td>James Smith</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1591</td> - <td>James Sharples, B.A.</td> - <td>Christ Church, Oxford</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1594</td> - <td>Nicholas Helme, M.A.</td> - <td>John Sharples</td> - <td>Death of J. Sharples</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1598</td> - <td>Arthur Greenacres, M.A.</td> - <td>Cuthbert Sharple</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1627</td> - <td>John Gerrard, M.A.</td> - <td>Christ Church, Oxford</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1629</td> - <td>Edward Fleetwood, M.A.</td> - <td>Exchange with</td> - <td>John Gerrard</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1650</td> - <td>John Fisher</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1660</td> - <td>Richard Clegg, M.A.</td> - <td>Christ Church, Oxford</td> - <td>Death of J. Fisher</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1720</td> - <td>William Dickson, B.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of R. Clegg</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1744</td> - <td>Charles Buck, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of W. Dickson</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1771</td> - <td>Humphrey Shuttleworth, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of C. Buck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1813</td> - <td>James Webber, D.D.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of H. Shuttleworth</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1847</td> - <td>George Lodowick Parsons, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of J. Webber</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1852</td> - <td>Will. Law Hussey, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of G. L. Parsons</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1862</td> - <td>George Rich. Brown, M.A.</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td>Death of W. L. Hussey</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1875</td> - <td class="bb">Hen. William Mason, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Ditto</td> - <td class="bb">Death of G. R. Brown</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The parish registers furnish us with the subjoined information, -which has been arranged in a tabular form:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_392"></a>[392]</span></p> - -<table summary="Numbers of marriages, baptisms, and burials"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th colspan="2">1600-1601</th> - <th colspan="2">1700-1701</th> - <th colspan="2">1800-1801</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baptisms</td> - <td class="tdr">91</td> - <td class="tdr">103</td> - <td class="tdr">106</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - <td class="tdr">149</td> - <td class="tdr">139</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marriages</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">25</td> - <td class="tdr">40</td> - <td class="tdr">45</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burials</td> - <td class="tdr">69</td> - <td class="tdr">44</td> - <td class="tdr">103</td> - <td class="tdr">86</td> - <td class="tdr">157</td> - <td class="tdr">112</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Respecting Kirkham’s less antiquated days it may be stated -that Messrs. Thomas Shepherd, John Birley, and John Langton -were the earliest to commence manufacturing on any large scale -there, which they accomplished during the first half of the -eighteenth century by establishing conjointly the flax spinning -mill still existing, but with many additions, as the firm of John -Birley and Sons. John Langton was descended from John -Langton, of Broughton Tower, through his fourth son, John, -who resided at Preston, and of whom Cornelius Langton, of -Kirkham, was the third son. On the 31st of March, 1696, -Cornelius Langton paid 30s. for his trade freedom in Kirkham, -where he married Elizabeth, daughter of Zachary Taylor, M.A., -head-master of the Grammar School, by whom he had issue -John, Abigail, Zachary, and Roger. Abigail died in 1776; -Zachary entered the church, and espoused the daughter of -Alexander Butler, of Kirkland; Roger died in 1727; and John, -the eldest, opened, in conjunction with the two gentlemen just -named, a mercantile house in Kirkham, and left issue by his wife -Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Brown, of Ashtree Hall, Kirkham,—Anne, -Sarah, Cornelius, Thomas, of Kirkham, and five other -children. The children of Thomas Langton, by his wife Jane, -the eldest daughter of William Leyland, of Blackburn, were -Elizabeth, Leyland, Cornelius, Zachary, Cicely, and William, of -Kirkham, born 1758, died 1814. John Birley was the son of John -Birley of Skippool, and the ancestor of the large families of -Birley, at Kirkham, Manchester, etc. The mills at present -standing in the neighbourhood of Kirkham are the flax mill of -Messrs. John Birley and Sons, employing about 1,600 hands; -the weaving shed of Messrs. Walker and Barrett, 400 hands; the -cotton mill of Messrs. Harrison and Company, 150 hands; the -cotton mill of Messrs. Richards and Parker, 180 hands; the -weaving shed of Messrs. Richards Brothers, 84 hands; and the -Fylde Manufacturing Company in Orders Lane, a newly-established -concern. John Langton, who started in business at -Kirkham as a flax spinner, purchased, in company with Ann<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_393"></a>[393]</span> -Hankinson, in 1760, two years before his death, two closes of -land, with their appurtenances, in Freckleton, called Bannister -Flatt and Freckleton Croft, containing by estimate 1½ acres, and -12 beast-gates upon Freckleton Marsh, all of which they conveyed -by indenture in four months to John Dannet, Thomas Langton, -and William Shepherd, in trust for the educating, teaching, and -instructing, free from all charge, of such young girls within the -township of Kirkham, as they in their discretion should make -choice of, to read, knit, and sew; and that they should for that -purpose meet twice a year, on the 25th of December and the 24th -of June, at Kirkham, to make choice of proper subjects, and keep -a book, wherein should be entered the accounts of the receipts -and disbursements. During the ten years which elapsed after -1760 additional benefactions were received amounting to £440. -By indenture, dated 2nd of March, 1772, Joseph Brockholes and -Constantia, his wife, conveyed to William Shepherd and Thomas -Langton, trustees of the school, their heirs and assigns, for the -sum of £425, two cottages, with appurtenances, in Freckleton, -with a garden containing 36 perches; a parcel of ground in a -meadow in Freckleton, called Birl Brick Meadow, embracing 30 -perches; one cowgate in Freckleton Marsh; five closes in Freckleton, -named the Two Baker Meadows, the Two Lamma Leaches, -and the Bank, holding six acres of customary measurement. -From 1772 to 1813 further donations (£130) were received. The -trusteeship of the school appears to have descended in the -Langton family, and was held by the late Thomas Langton -Birley, esq., whose father, Thomas Birley, had married Anne, the -daughter and co-heiress of John Langton, of Kirkham. Clothing, -as well as education, is supplied gratuitously to the scholars, who -usually amount to 40, or thereabouts. A new building for the -purposes of the school was erected on a fresh site a few years ago, -in place of the former one, which had stood since 1761.</p> - -<p>The Roman Catholics, through the munificence of the Rev. -Thomas Sherburne, built a magnificent church at the Willows in -1844-5. The edifice comprises a nave, side aisles, chancel, south -porch, and an elegant spire, having an altitude of 110 feet. On -the south side of the chancel is the lady chapel, and opposite to it -that of the holy cross. The high altar is beautifully sculptured in -Caen stone, and the reredos and tabernacle are covered with rich<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_394"></a>[394]</span> -guilding. The walls contain several noble windows of stained -glass. This church superseded one which had been erected in -the same locality in 1809, anterior to which the chapel attached -to Mowbreck Hall had been used by the Romanists of the neighbourhood -for their celebrations and services. The Independents -and Wesleyans also have places of worship in the town, situated -respectively in Marsden and Freckleton Streets. The chapel of -the Independents was constructed about 1793, and rebuilt in 1818, -but that of the Wesleyans is of more recent origin. At the -Willows, it should be mentioned, there is a school, open to all -denominations, but under Roman Catholic supervision, which -was established about 1828. Kirkham was first illuminated with -gas in 1839. It contains a County Court House<a id="FNanchor_163" href="#Footnote_163" class="fnanchor">[163]</a> and the Workhouse -of the Fylde Union,<a id="FNanchor_164" href="#Footnote_164" class="fnanchor">[164]</a> in addition to several other public -buildings, as a Police Station, Waterworks’ Office, National and -Infant Schools, etc. The town is governed by a Local Board of -Health.</p> - -<p>No papers have so far been discovered throwing any light upon -the origin of the Free Grammar School, and the earliest intimation -of its existence is in 1551, when Thomas Clifton, of Westby, -bequeathed “towards the grammar scole xxˢ.” Thirty-four years -later it was arranged amongst the “Thirty-men” that “40s. taken -out of the clerk’s wages should be paid to the schoolmaster, and -that 4 of the 30-men in the name of the rest should take possession -of the school-house in right of the whole parish, to be kept -in repair by it and used as a school-house;” also that “Richard -Wilkins, now schoolmaster,” should be retained in his office for a -year or longer. In 1589 the above assembly “agreed that the 10s. -a year pᵈ by Goosnargh to the church shᵈ in future be paid to the -schoolmaster, and for every burial (except one dying in childbed) -he shᵈ have such sum as was agreed by the 30-men, and -also such sum as hath heretofore been paid for the holy loaf, -which is of every house 3d., every Sunday successively towards -repairs of the schoolhouse and help of his wages.” In 1592 this -order, as far as regards the holy-loaf contributions, was rescinded, -the money as in former times going to the vicar.</p> - -<p>The following is from the copy of an ancient manuscript<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_395"></a>[395]</span> -account of the school, from 1621 to 1663, formerly in the possession -of Thomas Martin, esq., of Lincoln’s Inn:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Isabell Birly, wife of Thomas Birly, born in Kirkham, daughter of John -Coulbron, an alehouse keeper all her life, and through that employment attayned -to a good personall estait above most in that towne of that calling, being moved -with a naturall compassion to pore children shee saw often in that towne, was -heard to say dyvers tymes she would doe something for their good, and in the -yeare 1621, having gotten a good stock of money in her hands, was moved to put -her sayings into action. The 30-men of the parish being assembled at the church, -she, with £30 in her apron, came to them, telling them she had brought that -money to give it towards the erecting of a free schole for pore children to be -taught gratis, whose parents were not able to lay out money for their teaching, -wishing them to take it and consider of it. They were the men especially trusted -by the parish for the common benefits of the church, and therefore were the most -like persons to move their severall townships to contribute every one something -towards the accomplishment of so charitable a work, and not doubting that their -good examples in their contributions would be a strong motive to excite others. -This gift was thankfully accepted, and wrought so with them that every one was -forward to promote it, especially Mr. Jno. Parker of Bredkirk, an eminent man in -the parish and one of that companie, being at that tyme one of the earl of Derbie’s -gentlemen and somewhat allied to the said Isabell; he forwarded it very much, -sparing neither his paynes of his bodie nor his purse; for that end he travelled all -the parish over to every particular towne and house earnestly persuading them to -contribute to so good an use. Sir Cuthbert Clifton gave £20, Maister Westby of -Moulbreck £10, Mr. Parker £5, Mr. Langtree of Swarbreck £5, Mr. Hesketh of -Maines 40s., Mr. Greenacres, vicar of Kirkham, £4, and the several townships in -the parish gave as followeth:—Kirkham near £30, but not out; Ribby and Wray -£3 8s. 6d.; Westby and Plumpton 16s. 4d.; Weeton £7 2s.; Singleton £1 13s. 6d.; -Little Eccleston and Larbrick 4s. 4d.; Greenall and Thistleton £4 16s.; Roseacre -£7 2s.; Wharles £1 13s.; Treales £8 4s.; Medlar and Wesham £1 5s.; Hambleton -4s. 6d.; Salwick £3 5s.; Clifton £3 7s.; Newton and Scales £3 5s.; Freckleton -£8; Warton £1 8s.; Bryning and Kellamer £4 13s.—in the whole £170 14s.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>When the time came for the selection of a suitable person to -undertake the charge and education of the pupils, it so happened -“that at that instant a young man, an honest, able scholar of good -gifts and parts, having a lingering sickness upon him, was come -over to Kirkham to Mr. William Armesteed (the curate of Kirkham), -his cozen, for change of air, his name being Thomas Armesteed, -and he was moved by some of the towne whether he would -accept to be schole master if suit were made to the 30-men to -elect him; he, in regard to the weakness of his bodie then yielded -to the motion, otherwise he was a man well qualified for the -ministery and a moving preacher.”<a id="FNanchor_165" href="#Footnote_165" class="fnanchor">[165]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_396"></a>[396]</span></p> - -<p>At the meeting of the “Thirty-men” to fill up the appointment -there were two candidates, Mr. Armesteed and Mr. Sokell, but -the former was elected. About the year 1628, when this gentleman -resigned, Mr. Sokell was elected to the vacancy after a -contest. Until 1628 the management of all matters connected -with the school had rested with the “Thirty-men,” but at that -date the Roman Catholic gentlemen, who had been most liberal -in their contributions, came to the conclusion that “it was not -for their reputation altogether to leave the care of it to others -and they to have no hand in it, therefore they took upon -them to have a hand about it, and upon their doing so the 30 -men, being tenants most of them to some of them, or dependant -someway upon them, left it to them; only Mr. Parker was not -bound to the <i>gentlemen</i>, and he joined in with them.”<a id="FNanchor_166" href="#Footnote_166" class="fnanchor">[166]</a></p> - -<p>Isabell Birley and others had brought out a candidate, named -Dugdall, at the recent election of schoolmaster, and were so -incensed at his defeat by Mr. Sokell, a Romanist, that they drew -up a petition to the bishop of Chester, complaining that “the -gentlemen of the parish, being recusants all saving Mr. Parker, -had intruded themselves to order all things” about the free school, -and begging his lordship to issue an order how the future election -of feofees for the school should be made, which he accordingly -did, as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="right">“Apud, Wigan, 31 July, 1628.</p> - -<p>“At which day and place diverse of the Town and Parish of Kirkham appeared -about the ordering of a schole master thereof for the time to come. At their -request it is therefore ordered that the whole parish, or as many as shall appear at -some day prefixed, after public notice given the Sunday before, shall elect six or -nine lawful and honest men feofees for that purpose, whereof a third part to be -chosen by the towne of Kirkham, and the two other parts by the parishioners -generally, of which feofees Isabell Wilding’s (late Birley) husband and her heirs, -because she gave £30 to the schole maister, shall be one.</p> - -<p class="right">“Johannes Cestrensis. Edwᵈ Russell.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The command of the bishop to call a public meeting was carried -out, and in answer to the summons, read in church as directed, -only seven persons presented themselves in “the parlour of Mr. -Brown the curate,” viz., Sir Cuthbert Clifton, knt., Mr. Thomas -Westby, Mr. Thomas Hesketh, Mr. Langtree, Mr. John Parker, -gentleman, and of the parishioners, “not one man saving Richard<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_397"></a>[397]</span> -Harrison of Freckleton, and John Wilding of Kirkham; and -then and there the gentlemen elected themselves feofees, as also -they elected Mr. Edward Fleetwood, the vicar.”<a id="FNanchor_167" href="#Footnote_167" class="fnanchor">[167]</a></p> - -<p>After the death of John Wilding in 1634, as his widow, Isabell, -found herself growing more infirm, she waited on the feofees with -the intention of supplementing her original donation of £30 with -an additional one of equal value, if she found them “favourable to -her in something she willed of them, whereas Mr. Clifton gave -her harsh words and such as sent her home with much discontent -and passion.” When she died in 1637, it was discovered, as the -manuscript from which we have been quoting informs us, that -she had “left the £30 by will to buy land with, and the yearly -rent to be divided to the poor of the town and parish of -Kirkham.”</p> - -<p>During the struggles between king and parliament, the school -was closed for several years, and re-opened with fresh governors -or feofees. At that epoch the inhabitants were kept in a state of -constant excitement and alarm by visits from either the royal or -parliamentary forces, but fortunately no collision ever took place -in the neighbourhood.<a id="FNanchor_168" href="#Footnote_168" class="fnanchor">[168]</a></p> - -<p>By the will, dated 1655, of Henry Colborne, of London, a native -of Kirkham, his trustees were requested to purchase the lease of -the rectory of this town, and invest the profits, with the exception -of £100 per annum, for sixteen years, in lands for the benefit of -schools; the purchases were to be settled on the Drapers’ Company -of London. In 1673, £69 10s. was obtained for the school, -being the rent of lands bought in the metropolis by the Colborne -trustees, £45 of which sum had to be paid to the head master, -who was required to be “a university man, and obliged to preach -once a month at least in the parish church or in some of the -chapels;” £16 16s. of the remainder was apportioned to the -second master; and £8 to provide an usher.<a id="FNanchor_169" href="#Footnote_169" class="fnanchor">[169]</a></p> - -<p>In 1673 it was decreed by the Court of Chancery that the -expense and duty of preserving the school-house in proper repair -should devolve upon the township of Kirkham, whilst the election -of masters should rest exclusively with the Drapers’ Company.<a id="FNanchor_170" href="#Footnote_170" class="fnanchor">[170]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_398"></a>[398]</span></p> - -<p>In that year also lands, etc., at Nether Methop in Westmoreland -to the value of £530 were purchased, according to the directions -of the will of the Rev. James Barker, rector of Thrandeston, -Suffolk, which required his executors to buy lands sufficient to -yield an annual rent of £30, and to settle such property on ten -trustees, elected by the bailiffs and principal burgesses of Kirkham; -the trustees were ordered to apply the rental to the following -uses:—£10 yearly to the schoolmaster; £12 yearly in half-yearly -instalments, as an “exhibition or allowance to such poor scholer -of the towne as shall then be admitted to the university,” such -exhibition to be open to any pupil born in Kirkham and educated -at the school, and in case no scholar was ready and fitted to take -advantage of it the sum was to be used in binding out poor -apprentices; £5 for the purpose of binding apprentices; and the -remainder to be expended in defraying the cost of an annual -dinner for the trustees when they met to “enquire concerning the -demeanure of the scholler at the univerty,” in whose case it was -appointed that if they should find him “to be riotously given, or -disordered and debauched, they should withdraw the exhibition.”</p> - -<p>In 1701, the Drapers’ Company issued the following order -touching the admission of girls to the benefits of the charity:— -“From henceforth no female sex shall have any conversation, or -be taught, or partake of any manner of learning whatsoever in -the free school at Kirkham, any former custom to the contrary -notwithstanding.”</p> - -<p>In 1725 £400 was bequeathed to the trustees of the school by -William Grimbaldson, M.D., to be invested in lands, and the -rental to be added to the stipend of the head-master, if “he -should be a scholar bred at Westminster, Winchester, or Eton, -and a master of arts,” but if not the rental to be devoted to -binding apprentices, for which purpose it is used at present. In -addition this physician left £50 to be similarly invested, and the -income to be spent in buying classical books for the school. The -management of the school has been in the hands of trustees from -the time of Barker’s bequest.</p> - -<p>Since the establishment of the exhibition under Barker’s trust -twenty-eight youths have been assisted in their university careers -by its means.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_399"></a>[399]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of head masters of the Grammar School"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">HEAD MASTERS OF GRAMMAR SCHOOL SINCE 1800.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Appointment.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th></th> - <th>By whom appointed.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1801 to 1806</td> - <td>Rev. Thos. Stevenson</td> - <td><i>pro. temp.</i></td> - <td>Company of Drapers</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1806</td> - <td>Jas. Thos. Halloway, D.D.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1808</td> - <td>Rev. Henry Dannett, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1814</td> - <td>Rev. Phipps Gerard Slatter, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1815</td> - <td>Rev. Jas. Ratcliffe, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1837</td> - <td>Rev. Richᵈ Martindell Lamb, M.A.</td> - <td><i>pro. temp.</i></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1837</td> - <td>Rev. Geo. Thistlethwaite, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1845</td> - <td>Rev. S. E. Wentworth, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1866</td> - <td>Rev. Jno. Burrough, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1874</td> - <td class="bb">Rev. J. Young, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb"></td> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto1">”</span></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>From the vestry book of Kirkham, we learn that the charity -known as “Bread Money” originated from the vicar and “Thirty-men,” -who, on the 5th of April, 1670, “with the consent and -countenance of some of the gentlemen and of the present churchwardens, -with some neighbours of repute in the respective -townships,” held a meeting, at which it was unanimously decided -to raise £80, such sum to be laid out on good security, and the -interest to be expended in providing “a dozen penny loaves for -every Sunday in the year, Christmas and the king’s birthday, and -for every other holiday, to be given to so many of such poor as -shall use to frequent the church and to those of distant townships.” -The resolution continued:—“These loaves shall not be -given to strangers or vagabonds, nor to children that shall but -play about the church till sermon be passed, and then come in for -a loaf, nor to any of the town of Kirkham in summer, but only -in winter.” In order to raise the fund agreed upon, it was -resolved that “what could be got by contribution of the communicants -at Easter should be thus employed;” vicar Richard -Clegg promised £5, and stated that if he remained at Kirkham -during the rest of his life, and had the means, he would at some -future time give £15 more for the same object, an intention -which appears subsequently to have been carried out by his -daughter, Mrs. Mary Nightingale, who some years after his -decease, contributed £20 towards the fund. £5 given for the use<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_400"></a>[400]</span> -of the poor by Jane, wife of John Clifton; arrears of rent due from -Goosnargh; and funeral doles were all devoted to this purpose. -In 1867 the fund amounted to £102 2s., yielding an annual -income of £5 13s. 3d.</p> - -<p>A sum of £12 was given by vicar Clegg, the interest to be paid -to the clergyman preaching a sermon in Kirkham church on -Easter Tuesday.</p> - -<p>Richard Brown, by indenture dated 1639, conveyed for a term -of 999 years a close called New Moor Hey with appurtenances, in -Kirkham, to James Smith, upon condition that he, his heirs and -executors, should pay the yearly rent of 20s. at Martinmas. “It -is witnessed, that the said Richard Brown, in consideration of the -good will he bore to the town of Kirkham, and the inhabitants -thereof, and out of his zeal to God, and the charitable relief of the -poor, needful and impotent people within the said town, granted -to William Robinson and three others, their heirs and assigns, -the said yearly rent of 20s., to hold the same upon trust, and to -dispose of it amongst so many of the people of the said town, as -the bailiffs thereof for the time being should, in their discretion, -think most needful, on St. Thomas’s day.”<a id="FNanchor_171" href="#Footnote_171" class="fnanchor">[171]</a></p> - -<p>By indenture, dated 1734, Joseph Hankinson, of Kirkham, in -consideration of £45 released and conveyed to Robert Hankinson, -and four others a close in Kirkham, called Swarbreck’s Old Earth, -containing, by estimate, 1½ acres, to hold the same to themselves -and their heirs for ever; and in the deed it was declared that the -consideration money belonged to the poor of the township, and -that the grantees were only trustees of the same, and had laid it -out by direction of the inhabitants for the benefit of the poor -according to the wish of the benefactors. The indenture is -endorsed:—“Conveyance of Swarbreck’s Old Earth, for the use -of the poor of Kirkham, purchased by monies given by Mrs. Clegg, -widow of the Rev. Richard Clegg, vicar, and Mrs. Phœbe Sayle, -wife of Mr. Charles Sayle, to wit £20 by the former, and £20 by -the latter.”</p> - -<p>Thomas Brockholes, by an indenture of 1755, conveyed for £50 -to John Langton and William Shepherd, their heirs and assigns, -a close called Moor Hey, with appurtenances; and subsequently<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_401"></a>[401]</span> -in 1768 William Shepherd conveyed the close then denominated -the Bailiffs’ Moor Hey to Henry Lawson, yeoman, of Kirkham, who -in the following year being moved by “divers good causes and -considerations” sold to the Rev. Charles Buck, vicar of Kirkham, -and twelve others, all of Kirkham, gentlemen, for the sum of five -shillings, two plots of land in Kirkham township, one of which, -called Moorcroft, contained a rood and four perches, and the other, -Swarbreck’s Old Earth, comprised an acre and an half. The -conditions were that all profits or income accruing from the lands -should be used for the relief of the poor of the aforesaid township.<a id="FNanchor_172" href="#Footnote_172" class="fnanchor">[172]</a></p> - -<p>On the 1st of December, 1739, a legacy of £40 was bequeathed -to trustees by Elizabeth Brown, to be invested, and the interest -applied to the relief of the poor and necessitous widows of -Kirkham, or the neighbouring townships, at Michaelmas.</p> - -<p>The sum of £140 was received under the will, dated 1767, of -William Harrison of Kirkham, to be invested, and the interest to -be expended in Common Prayer books, Bibles, etc., two-thirds of -which were to be given to the poor of this town, and the -remainder to the poor of Little Eccleston and Larbrick.<a id="FNanchor_173" href="#Footnote_173" class="fnanchor">[173]</a></p> - -<p>In 1816 Mrs. Mary Bradkirk placed £320 in the navy, five per -cents. in her own name and that of Zachary Langton, esq., of -Bedford Row, London; and subsequently trustees of this fund -were appointed, whose duty it was to distribute the interest as -follows:—</p> - -<p>That of £100 amongst five necessitous persons in the township -of Kirkham for life, and each vacancy to be filled up immediately -after the death of the former recipient.</p> - -<p>That of £20 to Joseph Brewer, then parish clerk of Kirkham, -for life, and after his demise to the person filling the office of -sexton at the same place.</p> - -<p>That of £100 to five poor persons of Ribby-with-Wrea, and -that of the last £100 to five poor persons of Bryning-with-Kellamergh, -the vacancies to be treated as in those of Kirkham.</p> - -<p>The only requirement on the part of the pensioners being that -they should be members of the Church of England. The income -of this charity, which amounts to more than £10 a year, like -those of the five preceding it, forms part of the bailiffs’ fund.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_402"></a>[402]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<span class="smaller">PARISH OF KIRKHAM.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Freckleton.</span></p> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-i.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">In the Domesday Book Freckeltun is stated to contain -four carucates of arable soil. During the reign of -Henry III. Richard de Freckleton, Allan de Singleton, -and Iwan de Freckleton, with three others, held land -in Freckleton from the earl of Lincoln. In 1311 the heirs of -Adam de Freckleton held Freckleton from Alice, the daughter -and heiress of the earl of Lincoln, shortly after which Ralph de -Freckleton was lord of the manor. Gilbert de Singleton had a -house with 12 acres of land and a mill there in 1325. In 1349 -the manor was held under the earl of Lancaster as follows:—Robert -de Freckleton, 1 messuage and 3 bovates; Nicholas le -Botiler, 1 messuage and 11 bovates; the heirs of Robert Sherburne, -2 bovates; the heirs of Sir Adam de Banastre, 2 bovates; -and Thomas de Singleton, 1 bovate. During the first half of the -16th century the Botilers or Butlers retained property in Freckleton, -whilst the Sherburnes held estates there until the early part -of the 17th century. Hugh Hilton Hornby, esq., of Ribby Hall, -is the largest territorial proprietor at present, but there are several -resident yeomen.</p> - -<p>In 1834 a temporary episcopal chapel was erected, and 5 years -later the existing church was built, being a neat brick edifice, -with a spire at the west end, and containing an ancient pulpit -from Kirkham church. The Rev. G. H. Waterfall, M.A., was -the earliest incumbent, and the Rev. Walter Scott, appointed in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_403"></a>[403]</span> -1861, is now in charge. In 1718 a Quakers’ burial ground was -opened, but was closed in 1811. A meeting house was also -established by the same sect in 1720, and pulled down after -standing nearly a century. A Wesleyan chapel was erected in -1814; and in 1862 the Primitive Methodists opened another. A -National school was built in 1839, and is supported mainly by -subscriptions.</p> - -<p>The village is long and irregular, but contains sundry better -class houses, and a cotton manufactory, belonging to Mr. Sowerbutts, -holding 320 looms. The inhabitants are chiefly employed -in making sacking, sailcloth, ropes, etc. There is also a -shipbuilding yard, of which Mr. Rawstorne is the proprietor, -where vessels, mostly for the coasting trade, are constructed.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF FRECKLETON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">561</td> - <td class="tdr">701</td> - <td class="tdr">875</td> - <td class="tdr">909</td> - <td class="tdr">995</td> - <td class="tdr">968</td> - <td class="tdr">879</td> - <td class="tdr">930</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The township comprises 2,659 statute acres.</p> - -<p>Andrew Freckleton and two more gave, about 1734, certain -sums of money for the poor of Freckleton, the interest from which, -together with 10s. per annum left by Lawrence Webster for the -same object, amounts to £2 5s. a year. The township shares in -a bequest of £5, with Clifton and Newton-with-Scales, from -Elizabeth Clitherall, of Clifton, for the use of the poor.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Warton.</span> Wartun is entered in the survey of William the -Conqueror as comprising four carucates, and later, when in the -fee of the earl of Lincoln, the township was held by the manorial -lord of Wood Plumpton. During the reign of King John, -Thomas de Betham had the third of a knight’s fee in Warton. -Sir Ralph de Betham held Warton in the time of Edward III., -and in 1296 Edmund Crouchback, earl of Lancaster, had a rent -charge of 3s. 4d. there. Gilbert de Singleton was possessed of a -messuage with six bovates of land in the township about 1325. -The manor was held by Johanna Standish and Richard Singleton -in 1515. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, is now the -most extensive owner of the soil.</p> - -<p>The church of Warton, dedicated to St. Paul, was completed in -1722, but not consecrated until 1725. Within recent years it -has been apportioned a distinct parochial district under Lord -Blandford’s act.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_404"></a>[404]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Warton"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF WARTON.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1773</td> - <td>Wilfred Burton</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1789</td> - <td>Charles Buck, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1790</td> - <td>James Fox</td> - <td>Resignation of C. Buck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1823</td> - <td>James Fox, B.A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> J. Fox</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1840</td> - <td>George Wylie, M.A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> J. Fox</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1844</td> - <td class="bb">Thos. Henry Dundas, B.A.</td> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto2">”</span> G. Wylie</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Warton school was built many years ago at the cost of the -township, and in 1810 the sum of £277 was raised by subscription -as an endowment. In 1809, William Dobson, of Liverpool, -bequeathed £500 to the trustees, and another sum of £500 was -also bequeathed by Mrs. Francis Hickson. In 1821 a new school-house -was built.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF WARTON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">376</td> - <td class="tdr">445</td> - <td class="tdr">468</td> - <td class="tdr">531</td> - <td class="tdr">522</td> - <td class="tdr">473</td> - <td class="tdr">446</td> - <td class="tdr">444</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township contains 3,939 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bryning-with-Kellamergh.</span> The earliest allusion to this -township occurs in 1200-1, when Matilda Stockhord and others -held two carucates in Briscath Brunn and one carucate in -Kelgmersberg. A few years later Robert de Stockhord had the -fourth of a knight’s fee there. In 1253 Ralph Betham held -Brininge, Kelgermsarche, etc.; and during the reign of Edward -III. Sir Ralph de Betham possessed the fourth of a knight’s fee -in the same places, at which time John de Damport also held an -eighth of a carucate. In 1311 John Baskerville had 3½ bovates, -and Thurstan de Norley 4 bovates, in the hamlet of Kilgremargh.</p> - -<p>In 1479 Sir Edward and William Betham had land in Bryning -and Kellamergh; and two years afterwards half of the manor was -granted by Edward IV. to Thomas Molyneux and his heirs. -Thomas Middleton held both Bryning and Kellamergh in 1641. -The Birley, Langton, Cross, and Smith families are now the chief -landowners in the township.</p> - -<p>Bryning Hall and Leyland House are the only places of interest -amongst the scattered habitations. The Hall, now a farm-house, -was formerly the seat of the Bradkirks, whilst Leyland House,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_405"></a>[405]</span> -also converted to farm uses, was the residence of the Leylands, -of Kellamergh, during the 17th and part of the 18th centuries.<a id="FNanchor_174" href="#Footnote_174" class="fnanchor">[174]</a></p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF BRYNING-WITH-KELLAMERGH.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">105</td> - <td class="tdr">131</td> - <td class="tdr">145</td> - <td class="tdr">164</td> - <td class="tdr">152</td> - <td class="tdr">126</td> - <td class="tdr">116</td> - <td class="tdr">115</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township in statute acres is 1,043.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ribby-with-Wrea.</span> In Domesday Book <i>Rigbi</i>, for Ribby, is -entered as comprising six carucates. Roger de Poictou gave the -tithes of “colts, calves, lambs, kids, pigs, wheat, cheese, and butter -of Ribbi and Singletone” to the priory of Lancaster to serve as food -to the monks who celebrated mass in that monastery. This grant -was afterwards confirmed by John, earl of Moreton.<a id="FNanchor_175" href="#Footnote_175" class="fnanchor">[175]</a> In 1201 Adam -and Gerard de Wra paid two marks to King John in order to gain -protection from the sheriff, who, it seems, was in the habit of -unjustly molesting them in their tenements.<a id="FNanchor_176" href="#Footnote_176" class="fnanchor">[176]</a> The manors of -Preston, Riggeby, and Singleton were presented by Henry III. to -Edmund, earl of Lancaster, who in 1286 became engaged in a -dispute with the abbot of Vale Royal, which ultimately led to a -mandate being issued by Edward I., at Westminster, to the -sheriff of Lancaster, commanding him to draw a proper and just -boundary line between the lands of the disputants, because -the abbot complained that the earl had taken more territory -than he was legally entitled to by his fee, thereby encroaching -on the conventual possessions in Kirkham parish.<a id="FNanchor_177" href="#Footnote_177" class="fnanchor">[177]</a> In 1297 earl -Edmund’s rents from Ribby-with-Wrea amounted in all to £19 -19s.<a id="FNanchor_178" href="#Footnote_178" class="fnanchor">[178]</a> per annum.</p> - -<p>During the life of the first duke of Lancaster, Ribby contained -twenty houses, and twenty-one and three-fourths bovates of land -held by bondsmen at a rental of £19 16s. 4d.; and at that time -there were the following tenants in Ribby and Wrea:—Adam, -the son of Richard the clerk, who held five acres, and paid 4d. -per annum; Adam, the son of Jordani, one acre for 12d.; Roger -Culbray, three acres for 9d.; Richard de Wra, half a bovate for -5d.; Adam de Kelyrumshagh, half a bovate for 4d.; William de -Wogher, six acres for 2d.; John de Bredkyrke, half a bovate for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_406"></a>[406]</span> -9d.; William le Harpour, one bovate for 15d.; Giles, two acres -for 10d.; John de Bonk, one bovate and one acre for 10d.; John -le Wise, eleven acres for 7d.; and Adam de Parys, two bovates, -which were those of John le Harpour, for 3s., of free farm and two -marks. After the demise of a tenant it was the recognised custom -for his successor to pay double rent.<a id="FNanchor_179" href="#Footnote_179" class="fnanchor">[179]</a> The rent days were the -feasts of the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary and of St. -Michael. H. H. Hornby, esq., of Ribby Hall, is the present -lord of the manor.</p> - -<p>The remains of the ancient manor house on Wrea Green are -now used as a cottage; Ribby Hall, the seat of the Hornbys, is a -modern mansion, and was erected rather more than half a century -ago. The church of Ribby-with-Wrea owes its origin to the -trustees of Nicholas Sharples’s charity, who purchased a piece of -ground on Wrea Green in 1721, and, having subscribed sufficient -funds amongst themselves, erected a small chapel upon it. The -following year they obtained a license to hold divine service in -the building, and on the 20th of June, 1755, it was consecrated -by the bishop of Chester. At that date the church was endowed -with £400, half of which came from Queen Anne’s bounty, and -the other in equal portions from the charities of Thistleton and -Sharples. In 1762 the whole of this fund was invested in land in -Warton, and other sums amounting to £600, including a legacy -of £100 under the will of Thomas Benson in 1761, and further -donations from the Royal bounty before mentioned, were -expended in the purchase of land at Thistleton.<a id="FNanchor_180" href="#Footnote_180" class="fnanchor">[180]</a></p> - -<p>In 1846 the township of Westby, with the exception of Great -and Little Plumptons, was joined, by order of Council, to that of -Ribby-with-Wrea, and the whole converted into an ecclesiastical -district. In 1869 the title of the incumbent was changed from -that of perpetual curate to vicar.</p> - -<p>The old church was pulled down and the foundation stone of -the existing structure laid in 1848, by the Rev. G. L. Parsons, -vicar of Kirkham. On the 23rd of September in the ensuing -year, it was opened for worship, but remained unconsecrated until -the 4th of May, 1855. The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_407"></a>[407]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Ribby-with-Wrea"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF RIBBY-WITH-WREA.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1733</td> - <td>Robert Willacy</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1756</td> - <td>Samuel Smith</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1762</td> - <td>James Anyon</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1770</td> - <td>⸺ Watts</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1791</td> - <td>John Thompson</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1823</td> - <td>James Fox</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1845</td> - <td>George Thistlethwaite, M.A.</td> - <td>Resignation of J. Fox</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1846</td> - <td>Stephⁿ Exuperius Wentworth, M.A.</td> - <td>Death of G. Thistlethwaite</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1866</td> - <td class="bb">Ralph Sadleir Stoney, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto2">”</span> S. E. Wentworth</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The Rev. George Thistlethwaite was the son of the Rev. T. -Thistlethwaite, incumbent of St. George’s, Bolton-le-Moors, and -in 1837 officiated <i>pro. temp.</i> as head master of Kirkham Grammar -School. The Rev. S. E. Wentworth held the headmastership of -the same school from 1845 to 1860, as well as his curacy.</p> - -<p>The free school of Ribby-with-Wrea owes its existence to the -frugality and benevolence of a tailor, named James Thistleton, of -Wrea, who, although his daily wages averaged no more than 4d. -and his food, managed, by great care and self-denial, to accumulate -a sufficient fund to establish a school at his native place, an object -to which he had in a great measure devoted his life. At his -death in 1693, it was found that, after a few small legacies, one -being “10s. to Mr. Clegg, vicar, to preach at my funeral,” and -another 6s. 8d. to each of the townships of Kirkham, Bryning, -and Westby, for the use of the poor, he had bequeathed the -remainder of his property “towards the making and maintaining -of a free school in the township of Ribby-cum-Wrea for ever,” -stipulating only that his surviving sister should receive annually -from the profits of his estate a sum of money sufficient for her -support during the rest of her life. The executors appointed -were Thomas Benson, Richard Shepherd, and Cuthbert Bradkirk, -whilst the money designed for the foundation of the school -amounted to £180.</p> - -<p>The work thus commenced by Thistleton received, a few years -later, substantial assistance under the will, dated 10th September, -1716, of Nicholas Sharples, who is described as a “citizen and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_408"></a>[408]</span> -innholder of London.” The bequest in this instance amounted -to £850, and the two executors, Richard Wilson and Robert -Pigot, were directed, “with all convenient speed to apply such -sum of money towards the building or finishing of a school-house -for educating of boys and girls in Ribby-cum-Wrea,” and in the -purchase of land for the benefit of such establishment, and the -remuneration of the master, “for educating such a number of boys -and girls as nine of the most substantial men, chosen and elected -out of Ribby-cum-Wrea for governors or elders, or the major -part of them, shall think fit;” also that his name should be -inscribed in some prominent place on one of the school walls.<a id="FNanchor_181" href="#Footnote_181" class="fnanchor">[181]</a></p> - -<p>In 1780 a girls’ school was established in a building separate -from that of the boys, but in 1847 the trustees of the foundation -gave the “materials of the boys’ school” and the plot of land as -a site for the new church, and in return the ecclesiastical party -erected, according to agreement, another school-house on a piece -of ground adjoining the girls’ school.<a id="FNanchor_182" href="#Footnote_182" class="fnanchor">[182]</a></p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF RIBBY-WITH-WREA.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">307</td> - <td class="tdr">398</td> - <td class="tdr">500</td> - <td class="tdr">482</td> - <td class="tdr">442</td> - <td class="tdr">406</td> - <td class="tdr">444</td> - <td class="tdr">446</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township amounts to 1,366 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Westby, with Great and Little Plumptons.</span> Gilbert de -Clifton held the manor about 1280, and subsequently his son -William de Clifton was in possession about 1292. During the reign -of Edward III. John Fleetwood was lord of Little Plumpton, -and in 1394 his descendant, John Fleetwood, resided there. John -Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, whose ancestor was the -Gilbert de Clifton just mentioned, holds the manor of Westby -with Plumpton, by right of inheritance.</p> - -<p>Bowen, the geographer, who wrote in 1717, alludes to a spa in -Plumpton, and states that it was impregnated with sulphur, -vitriol, ochre, iron, and a marine salt, united with a bitter purging -salt. The site of the spa has been lost in the lapse of time.</p> - -<p>Westby Hall, the seat of the Cliftons, has been supplanted by a -farm-house. The old chapel connected with it was opened in -1742 to the Romanists of the district, but closed about a century -later. The present Catholic chapel was built in 1861. In 1849<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_409"></a>[409]</span> -a school, free to all denominations, was established by Thomas -Clifton, esq., of Lytham, but there seems to have been such an -institution existing before, as Ann Moor, of Westby, bequeathed, -in 1805, £40 to Plumpton school, and the interest of £20 to the -poor of Great Plumpton.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF WESTBY-WITH-PLUMPTONS.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">623</td> - <td class="tdr">692</td> - <td class="tdr">771</td> - <td class="tdr">686</td> - <td class="tdr">643</td> - <td class="tdr">707</td> - <td class="tdr">601</td> - <td class="tdr">535</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township is 3,426 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Weeton-with-Preese.</span> On the arrival of the Normans -Weeton contained 300 acres of arable land. In the 9th year of -King John, Matilda, wife of Theobald Walter, obtained certain -inheritances in Weeton, Treales, and Rawcliffe. Theobald le -Botiler, or Butler, held Weeton in 1249; and in 1339, James, -son of Edmund le Botiler, earl of Ormond, had possession of it, -together with Treales, Little Marton, and Out Rawcliffe. The -manor descended in the same family until 1673, when it passed -to the 9th earl of Derby on his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter -of Thomas Butler, the Lord Ossory. The present earl of Derby -is now the lord of the soil, and holds a court baron by deputy. -There is a fair for cattle and small wares on the first Tuesday after -Trinity Sunday.</p> - -<p>Preese is the Pres of Domesday Book, and comprised at that -time two carucates. Henry, duke of Lancaster, held Preese at his -death in 1361. In the reign of Henry VIII. the manor was in -the hands of the Skilicornes, who for many generations were the -coroners of Amounderness. Preese Hall, the ancient seat of this -family, was much damaged by a fire in 1732, which destroyed the -private chapel. In 1864 that portion of the mansion, which had -survived the conflagration and been repaired, was pulled down. -The site is now occupied by a farm-house, belonging to T. H. -Miller, esq., of Singleton, who owns a large amount of the land.</p> - -<p>The church of Weeton is dedicated to St. Michael, and was -built in 1843 by subscription, to which the late earl of Derby -contributed generously. In 1852 the edifice was enlarged, and in -1861 the township of Weeton-with-Preese was united with the -Plumptons and Greenhalgh, to form an ecclesiastical parish. The -Rev. William Sutcliffe, when curate at Kirkham, performed the -duties at Weeton church, and was appointed incumbent there in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_410"></a>[410]</span> -1861. In 1862 he was succeeded by the present vicar, the Rev. -William Thorold. A National school was erected by subscription -and a grant from the National Society of £30, in 1845. A -Wesleyan chapel was built about 1827.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF WEETON-WITH-PREESE.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">384</td> - <td class="tdr">508</td> - <td class="tdr">473</td> - <td class="tdr">477</td> - <td class="tdr">545</td> - <td class="tdr">465</td> - <td class="tdr">465</td> - <td class="tdr">433</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township is 2,876 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Medlar-with-Wesham.</span> The abbot and brethren of Cockersand -Abbey became possessed of this township at an early date, and -retained it until the dissolution of monasteries, when the manor -of Medlar passed, by gift or purchase, to the Westbys, of -Mowbreck Hall. The estates of the Westbys were confiscated -by the Commonwealth, and only redeemed on the payment of -£1,000. The estate and Hall of Mowbreck are still held by -the same family.<a id="FNanchor_183" href="#Footnote_183" class="fnanchor">[183]</a> The mansion preserves many evidences of its -great antiquity, including the old chapel and priests’ room.</p> - -<p>Bradkirk, in Medlar, belonged to Theobald Walter in 1249, but -in the reign of Edward III. it was held by a family bearing the -name of Bradkirk, a title acquired from the estate. The Bradkirks -resided there as proprietors until somewhere about the opening of -the 17th century, when the earl of Derby had obtained the soil. -In 1723 Bradkirk was bought by John Richardson, of Preston, -from Thomas Stanley, of Cross Hall, in Ormskirk parish, who -held the manor by right of his wife Catherine, sister and heiress -of Christopher Parker, of Bradkirk, deceased, unmarried, a few -years before.<a id="FNanchor_184" href="#Footnote_184" class="fnanchor">[184]</a> From John Richardson the manor passed successively -by will to William Richardson, Edward Hurst, of Preston, -and James Kearsley, of Over Hulton, by the last of whom it was -sold in 1797 to Joseph Hornby, esq., of Ribby, and his descendant, -H. H. Hornby, esq., of Ribby Hall, is the present holder. The -original Bradkirk Hall, the seat of the Bradkirks and Parkers, has -long since disappeared, and the edifice now bearing the name was -erected or rebuilt by Edward Hurst in 1764.</p> - -<p>In 1864 an Independent Day and Sunday school was built by -Benjamin Whitworth, esq., M.P., of London, on land given by -R. C. Richards, esq., J.P., of Kirkham, and presented to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_411"></a>[411]</span> -trustees of the chapel belonging to that sect at Kirkham. The -railway station and several weaving sheds and cotton mills are -situated in this township.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF MEDLAR-WITH-WESHAM.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">216</td> - <td class="tdr">230</td> - <td class="tdr">215</td> - <td class="tdr">242</td> - <td class="tdr">209</td> - <td class="tdr">170</td> - <td class="tdr">563</td> - <td class="tdr">860</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="smcap">Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton.</span> Greenhalgh is stated in the -Domesday Book to contain three carucates of soil. The township -was held by the Butlers of the Fylde at an early epoch, and -retained until 1626 at least, when Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe, was -lord of Greenhalgh and Thistleton. During the sovereignty of -Edward I. the abbot of Cockersand had certain rights there, -including assize of bread and beer.</p> - -<p>Henry Colbourne, of London, bequeathed, in 1655, £5 10s. to -establish a school at Esprick in this township, but his wishes were -not properly carried out before 1679, at which date his legacy was -supplemented by gifts from 41 yeomen in the neighbourhood, and -a school erected to provide free education to the children of -Greenhalgh and Thistleton. Further endowments of £60 in -1766 from John Cooper, and £80 a little later by subscription, -were given to the institution; and in 1805 Mary Hankinson left -£200, and Richard Burch, of Greenhalgh, £200, to the same object. -The original school-house, formed of clay and thatched with -straw, has been pulled down, and a fresh one built. Subsequent -donations have been received under the wills of the Misses -Ellen and Hannah Dewhirst, the former of whom left £200, -in addition to a gift of £100 during her lifetime, and the latter -the residue of her estate.</p> - -<p>The interest of £20, bequeathed for that purpose by a person -named Lawrenson, is distributed annually to the poor of -Greenhalgh.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF GREENHALGH-WITH-THISTLETON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">378</td> - <td class="tdr">403</td> - <td class="tdr">409</td> - <td class="tdr">408</td> - <td class="tdr">371</td> - <td class="tdr">362</td> - <td class="tdr">383</td> - <td class="tdr">365</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The township embraces 1,821 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Great and Little Singletons.</span> At the Domesday Survey, -Singletun contained six carucates of arable land, the lord of the -manor being Roger de Poictou, who gave the tithes at the close -of the eleventh century to the priory of St. Mary’s, Lancaster;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_412"></a>[412]</span> -this grant was subsequently confirmed by John, earl of Moreton.<a id="FNanchor_185" href="#Footnote_185" class="fnanchor">[185]</a> -During the reigns of kings John and Henry III., Alan de Singleton -held a carucate of land in the township by serjeanty of the -wapentake of Amounderness.<a id="FNanchor_186" href="#Footnote_186" class="fnanchor">[186]</a> In 20 Edward I. (1292) Thomas -de Singleton, a descendant of Alan, proved to the satisfaction -of a jury, when his right to certain offices was called in question, -that the manor of Little Singleton had belonged to his family -from time immemorial, and that the serjeanty of Amounderness -with its privileges and duties, was annexed and appurtenant to -that manor. Thomas de Singleton admitted, however, when -called upon by the king’s attorney to show by what title he held -the manors of Singleton, Thornton, and Brughton, the same -having been amongst the possessions of Richard I. at his death, -that he did not hold the whole of Singleton, as Thomas de Clifton -and Caterina his wife had one third of two bovates there; and -urged this fact as a plea why he could not be summoned to answer -the demand as made on behalf of Edward I. His objection was -allowed.<a id="FNanchor_187" href="#Footnote_187" class="fnanchor">[187]</a> In 1297 Edmund, earl of Lancaster received annually -£21 from Singleton and 20s. from Singleton Grange. At the -opening of the fourteenth century Little Singleton had passed -into the hands of the Banastres, for the “hamlet of Singleton -Parva” was one of the estates of William Banastre at his death -in 17 Edward II. (1323-24).<a id="FNanchor_188" href="#Footnote_188" class="fnanchor">[188]</a> Towards the end of the reign of -Edward II. Thomas, the son of the notorious Sir Adam Banastre, -held little Singleton and the serjeanty of Amounderness, and by -the latter of these had a right to the services of two bailiffs and a -boy to levy executions within the wapentake.<a id="FNanchor_189" href="#Footnote_189" class="fnanchor">[189]</a></p> - -<p>The following notice of Singleton in the time of Henry, duke -of Lancaster, who died in 1361, occurs amongst the Lansdowne -manuscripts:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“In Syngleton there are 21 messuages and 26 bovates of land held by bondsmen, -who pay annually at the feasts of Easter and St. Michael £21 9s. 3d. And there -are 11 cottages with so many inclosures, and one croft, and one piece of land in -the hands of tenants-at-will, paying annually 21s. 6d. All the aforesaid bondsmen -owe talliage, and give marchet and heriot,<a id="FNanchor_190" href="#Footnote_190" class="fnanchor">[190]</a> and on the death of her husband -a widow gives one third part of his property to the lord of the manor, but more -is claimed in cases where the deceased happen to be widowers. And if any one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_413"></a>[413]</span> -possesses a male fowl it is forbidden to him to sell it without a license. The -duke of Lancaster owns the aforesaid tenements with right to hold a court. It is -to be noted that each of the above mentioned bovates of land is to pay at first -2s. 7d. per annum, with work at the plough and harrow, mowing meadows in -Ryggeby, and carrying elsewhere the lord’s provisions at Richmond, York, -Doncaster, Pontefract, and Newcastle, with 12 horses in Summer and Winter. -But afterwards the land was freed from this bondage, and paid per bovate -14s. 3d. ob.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The lands of Thomas Banastre, before named, in “Syngleton -Parva, Ethelswyk, Frekulton, Hamylton, Stalmyn,” etc., were -escheated to John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, in 1385, after the -death of Banastre.<a id="FNanchor_191" href="#Footnote_191" class="fnanchor">[191]</a></p> - -<p>Edmund Dudley, who was attainted in 1509 and afterwards -executed, held Little Singleton, as well as lands in Elswick, -Thornton, Wood Plumpton, Freckleton, etc.;<a id="FNanchor_192" href="#Footnote_192" class="fnanchor">[192]</a> and in 1521 -Thomas, earl of Derby, held the manor of Syngleton of -Henry VIII.<a id="FNanchor_193" href="#Footnote_193" class="fnanchor">[193]</a></p> - -<p>In the reign of James I. Great Singleton appears to have -belonged to the crown, for amongst a number of estates purchased -from the crown by Edward Badbie and William Weldon, of -London, for the sum of £2,000, is the “manor or lordship of -Singleton, alias Singleton Magna,” the annual rent of which is -stated to have been £16 17s. 0d. Subsequently the manor passed -to the Fanshaws, and from them to the Shaws; William Cunliffe -Shaw, of Preston, esq., sold it to Joseph Hornby, of Ribby Hall, -esq., and afterwards it was purchased by Thomas Miller, esq., of -Preston, who greatly improved the property by draining the low -lying lands known as Singleton Carrs, which in former days were -frequently in a state of partial or complete inundation. Thomas -H. Miller, esq., the present owner and eldest son of the late Thos. -Miller, esq., has recently erected a noble mansion on the estate, -where he resides during most of the year.</p> - -<p>The earliest notice to be discovered of Singleton Grange is in -an old schedule of deeds, in which the land is mentioned -as having been granted by King John in 1215. In 1297, during -the reign of Edward I., Edmund Crouchback, earl of Lancaster, -received yearly the sum of 20s. from the estate. Subsequently the -Grange passed into the possession of the abbot and convent of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_414"></a>[414]</span> -Cockersand;<a id="FNanchor_194" href="#Footnote_194" class="fnanchor">[194]</a> and at the dissolution of monasteries it became the -property of Henry VIII., who in 1543 granted it to William -Eccleston, of Eccleston, gentleman.<a id="FNanchor_195" href="#Footnote_195" class="fnanchor">[195]</a> The Grange descended to -Thomas, the son, and afterwards to Adam, the grandson, of -William Eccleston. Adam Eccleston died sometime a little later -than 1597. The estate after his decease passed through several -hands in rapid succession, and in 1614 was sold by William -Ireland, gent., to William Leigh, B.D., clerk in holy orders and -rector of Standish. Theophilus Leigh, the eldest son of that -gentleman, resided at Singleton Grange, and married Clare, -daughter of Thomas Brooke, of Norton, Cheshire, by whom he -had one son, named William. William Leigh succeeded to the -Grange on the death of his father in 1658, and espoused Margaret, -daughter of Edward Chisenhall, of Chisenhall, Lancashire, and -had issue, Charles and Edward.</p> - -<p>Charles Leigh, the elder of the two sons, became celebrated as -a physician and student of natural history and antiquities. He -was born at the Grange in 1662, and at the age of 21 graduated -as B.A. at the University of Oxford; afterwards he removed to -Cambridge to study medicine, and in 1690 obtained the degree of -M.D. In 1685 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. -He married Dorothy, daughter of Edward Shuttleworth, of -Larbrick, and practised as a physician both in London and in the -neighbourhood of his birthplace, on one occasion, according to his -own version, performing a wonderful cure on Alexander Rigby, -of Layton Hall. His published works were—<i>Physiologia Lancastriensis</i>, -in 1691, and the <i>Natural History of Lancashire, -Cheshire, and the Peak of Derbyshire, with an account of the -British, Phœnician, Armenian, Greek, and Roman Antiquities in -those parts</i>, in 1700, of which latter Dr. Whittaker remarks:—“Had -this doctor filled his whole book, as he has done nearly -one-half of it, with medical cases, it might have been of some -use; but how, with all possible allowances for the blindness -and self-partiality of human nature, a man should have thought -himself qualified to write and to publish critical remarks on a -subject of which he understood not the elementary principles, -it is really difficult to conceive.”<a id="FNanchor_196" href="#Footnote_196" class="fnanchor">[196]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_415"></a>[415]</span></p> - -<p>Somewhere before the commencement of the eighteenth -century, the estate of Bankfield was separated from the Grange, -which, during the latter portion, at least, of the lifetime of Dr. -Leigh, who died shortly after the publication of his “Natural -History,” was held by a person named Joseph Green. In 1701 -the executors of Joseph Green sold a portion of Singleton -Grange to Richard Harrison, of Bankfield, yeoman. The -remainder of the Grange land was held by widow Green until -her death, when it passed by her will, dated 1716, to her two -sons, Richard and Paul Green.<a id="FNanchor_197" href="#Footnote_197" class="fnanchor">[197]</a></p> - -<p>Richard Harrison, of Bankfield, obtained the whole of Singleton -Grange in 1738, and left it on his decease to his son Richard, -from whom it descended about 1836 to his only surviving child, -Agnes Elizabeth, the wife of Edwards Atkinson, of Fleetwood, -justice of the peace for the county of Lancaster. Mrs. Atkinson -died childless in 1850, and bequeathed Singleton Grange to her -husband, who in his turn entailed the estate upon his eldest son, -Charles Edward Dyson Atkinson, still a minor, the offspring of a -second marriage, with Anne, daughter of Christopher Thornton -Clark, of Cross Hall, Lancashire, by whom he had issue two sons -and a daughter,—Ann Elizabeth Ynocensia, John Henry Gladstone, -and the present heir. The old Hall of Singleton Grange -has been modernised and converted into a farm-house.</p> - -<p>It is very probable that there was a chapel in Singleton -during the earlier years of the fourteenth century, for in -1358-59, Henry, duke of Lancaster, granted to John de Estwitton, -hermit, the custody of the chapel of St. Mary, in Singleton; -and in 1440 a license was granted to celebrate mass to the -inhabitants of Singleton in the chapel at the same place for -one year. Twelve years afterwards another license was granted -by the archdeacon of Richmond for an oratory to be established -in the chapel for the use of the people of the township; -and in 1456 the license was renewed by archdeacon Laurence -Bothe to John Skilicorne, of Kirkham. The chapel, with -all its appurtenances, passed to the Crown at the Reformation; -and in the report of the Commissioners of Edward VI., it is -stated that “A Stipendarye is founded in the Chapelle of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_416"></a>[416]</span> -Syngleton, in Kirkeham, by vertue of a lease made out of the -Duchie to Sʳ Richarde Houghton, knight, the 26th day of -Februarie, in the ffirst yere of the raigne of our soveraign -lorde the kinge, that nowe is (1547), unto the ende of 21 yeres -the next following; wherein the said Sʳ Richarde covenanteth -to pay yerely duringe the said time to a Pryest celebrating -in the said Chapelle the sum of 49s. The said Chapelle is distant -from the parishe Church of Kirkeham 4 myles; Richarde Godson, -the Incumbent, of the age of 38 yeres, hath the said yerely salarie -of 49s.” Thomas Houghton, of Lea, the son of the knight, -appears to have had some difficulty in inducing sundry of the -Singleton tenants to recognise his right of proprietorship after -the death of his father, for we find him pleading in the duchy -court in 1560-61 that he held the “lands of the late kynge in -Singleton, also a house called the chapell house, with three -acres of land in the tenure of Wᵐ Yede, a chapell called Singleton -chapell, in Singleton aforesaid, with the chapell yarde thereunto -belonging, one house or cottage called Corner-rawe, and a windmill; -and that the tenants thereof, Robert Carter and James -Hall, had never paid any rent, and refused to do so.”<a id="FNanchor_198" href="#Footnote_198" class="fnanchor">[198]</a></p> - -<p>In 1562 the Charity Commissioners of Edward VI. founded a -“stipendarye in the Chapelle of Syngleton in Kyrkeham.”</p> - -<p>At the archiepiscopal visitation of the diocese of Chester in -1578, the following list of charges was brought against the curate -of Singleton:—“There is not servyse done in due tyme—He -kepeth no hous nor releveth the poore—He is not dyligent in -visitinge the sycke—He doth not teach the catechisme—There is -no sermons—He churcheth fornycatours without doinge any -penaunce—He maketh a donge hill of the chapel yeard, and he -hath lately kepte a typlinge hous and a nowty woman in it.”<a id="FNanchor_199" href="#Footnote_199" class="fnanchor">[199]</a></p> - -<p>From that time we hear no more of the old chapel of Singleton, -but the chapel-house, alluded to above, was at a later period -flourishing as an inn, and bearing the same name; at the -Oliverian survey, in 1650, it was stated that there was a newly -erected chapel at Singleton, but that it had no endowment or -maintenance belonging to it, and that the inhabitants prayed that -it might be constituted a parish church with a “minister and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_417"></a>[417]</span> -competent mayntenance allowed.”<a id="FNanchor_200" href="#Footnote_200" class="fnanchor">[200]</a> It is probable that after -the decline of the Commonwealth this chapel fell into the -hands of the Catholics, for Thomas Tyldesley, of Fox Hall, -a Romanist, in his diary of 1712, 13 and 14, speaks several times -of going “to Great Singleton to prayers”; and doubtless it is -the one alluded to in the following indenture, bearing the date -29th August, 1749:—“William Shaw, esq., lord of the manor of -Shingleton in yᵉ parish of Kirkham, gave a chapel belonging -to him at Shingleton aforesaid, then used as a popish chapel, to -be used for yᵉ future as a chapel of ease to yᵉ mother church of -Kirkham, for yᵉ benefit of yᵉ inhabitants of Shingleton and of the -adjacent townships; and that the said Wᵐ. Shaw proposed to give -£200, to be added to a similar sum from Queen Anne’s bounty, -for yᵉ endowment of yᵉ said chapel, in consideration whereof -Samuel, lord bishop of Chester as ordinary, the dean and chapter -of Christ Church, Oxford, as patrons, and Chas. Buck as incumbent, -by virtue of an act of George I., grant and decree that yᵉ said -William Shaw and his heirs and assigns for ever shall have yᵉ -nomination to and patronage of yᵉ said chapel, as often as it is -vacant.”</p> - -<p>This chapel was dedicated to St. Anne, and in 1756 it was -agreed “by all parties that the chapel of Singleton should be -always considered a place of public worship according to the -liturgy of the Church of England, and the chapel yard always -appropriated to the burying of the dead and the support of the -minister”; further, the chapel living was declared a perpetual -curacy, separate and independent of the mother church of -Kirkham, “save and except that the curate must assist the vicar -of the latter place on Christmas day, Easter day, Whitsunday, -Good Friday, and each sabbath when it is customary to administer -the sacrament; also the tythes, Easter dues, funeral sermons, and -all other parochial rights and duties belonged to the vicarage of -Kirkham.”<a id="FNanchor_201" href="#Footnote_201" class="fnanchor">[201]</a></p> - -<p>The above is an authentic record of the way in which the -chapel of Singleton passed out of the hands of the Romanists into -those of the Protestants, but the Rev. W. Thornber, to whom -this document was evidently unknown, has given in his <i>History<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_418"></a>[418]</span> -of Blackpool and its neighbourhood</i>, a different version of the -matter. He states, with apparently no greater authority than -tradition, that after the suppression of the rebellion of 1745, the -protestants of the village celebrated the 5th of November more -zealously than usual, raising contributions of peat at every house, -and amongst the rest had even the presumption to call at that of -the priest. The refusal of the ecclesiastic to provide his share of -fuel so incensed the villagers that they ejected him both from his -house and the church; and the lord of the manor seized this -opportunity to convert the chapel into a protestant place of worship.</p> - -<p>Singleton chapel was a low building with a thatched roof, the -eaves of which came within a short distance of the ground; the -priest’s house was attached to the chapel and communicated with -it by a door into the sacristy. In 1806 this ancient building, -having become much dilapidated, was pulled down and replaced, -through the liberality of Joseph Hornby, of Ribby, esq., by a neat -gothic structure, having a square tower at one end, in which was -placed a peal of six bells; in 1859 the latter edifice was levelled to -the ground, and the present handsome and commodious church -erected on the site, chiefly through the munificence of the late -Thomas Miller, esq. The few mural monuments within the -church are not of any great antiquity, and are <i>in memoriam</i> of -the Harrisons and Atkinsons, of Bankfield. There are no inscriptions -of interest in the churchyard, beyond those on the stones -surmounting the vault belonging to the Bankfield families just -named. In 1869 a separate district or parish was assigned to this -cure, and the present incumbent of the church acquired the title -of vicar.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Singleton"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">THE CURATES AND VICARS OF SINGLETON.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1545</td> - <td>Richard Godson</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1562</td> - <td>Thomas Fieldhouse</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1651</td> - <td>Cuthbert Harrison, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1749</td> - <td>John Threlfall, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1809</td> - <td>Thomas Banks</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1843</td> - <td>William Birley, M.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">In 1843</td> - <td class="bb">Leonard C. Wood, B.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of W. Birley</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_419"></a>[419]</span></p> - -<p>The Rev. Cuthbert Harrison was the son of Richard Harrison, -of Newton, in Kirkham parish, and appears to have been the -progenitor of the Harrisons, of Bankfield, being the first of the -name on record as holder of that property. It is doubtful -whether this minister was ejected from Singleton, as generally -believed, or not, for in 1662, the date of the Act of Uniformity -which drove so many of the clergy from their cures, he was in -Ireland, holding the office of minister at Shankel, near Lurgan; -so that if his ejection ever did take place from Singleton it must -have been anterior to, and consequently unconnected with, the -obnoxious Act. According to a letter from his son, however, he -was ejected from Shankel, and it is probably that circumstance -which has given rise to the supposition and assertion that he was -one of those who suffered in the Fylde for conscience’s sake in 1662. -After leaving Ireland he opened a meeting-house at Elswick in -1672 by royal license, for the use “of such as do not conform to -the Church of England and are of the persuasion commonly -called Congregational.” This place of worship was closed shortly -afterwards by a decree of parliament, and Cuthbert Harrison, to -escape persecution, was compelled to hold his services “very -privately in the night” in his own house, or in one belonging to -some member of his congregation. “He practysed physic,” says -his son, “with good success, and by it supported his family and -gained the favour of the neighbouring gentry. He baptized his -own children, with many others.”</p> - -<p>Vicar Clegg, of Kirkham, seems to have grown very wrathful -at what he doubtless regarded as the presumption of Cuthbert -Harrison, in taking upon himself the right to baptize children and -solemnize matrimony, and presented him before the ecclesiastical -court on a charge of “marrying one James Benson, of Warles, and -baptizing a child of his.” The inquiry resulted in both Harrison -and Benson being excommunicated; but the former was not -deterred by this ban from repairing to the church of Kirkham, -much to the indignation of Mr. Clegg, who on one occasion was -so much disturbed on seeing the irrepressible excommunicant in -the chancel, whilst he engaged with the sermon, that he lost the -thread of his discourse, and being unable to find the place -amongst his notes, “was silent for some time.” Smarting under -the additional annoyance the vicar ordered the churchwardens to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_420"></a>[420]</span> -eject Mr. Harrison from the building at once, but that gentleman -refused to leave unless Mr. Clegg in person performed the duty of -turning him out; incensed at his show of obstinacy, the vicar -appealed to Christopher Parker, esq., of Bradkirk Hall, a justice -of the peace, who was seated within six feet of Mr. Harrison, to -remove him, but the magistrate refused to act in the matter, and -Mr. Clegg was obliged to descend from the pulpit and undertake -the unpleasant task himself. He walked up to the offender, and, -taking him by the sleeve, desired him to go out from the church; -Mr. Harrison went peaceably with the vicar, but had no sooner -passed out through the chancel door than he exclaimed in a loud -voice “It is time to go when the devil drives.”</p> - -<p>Shortly after this episode Mr. Clegg sued Cuthbert Harrison for -the sum of 120s., being a fine of 20s. per month extending over -six months, for non-attendance at the parish church. The -defendant pleaded that when he had attempted to attend the -service at Kirkham he had been ejected from the church by the -plaintiff himself, and the judge who summed up the evidence in -favour of the defendant, remarked—“There is fiddle to be hanged -and fiddle not to be hanged.” The verdict went against Mr. -Clegg, who reaped only the payment of his own and defendant’s -costs from this piece of persecution.</p> - -<p>Cuthbert Harrison died in 1681, and “a great entreaty,” writes -his son, “was made to Mr. Clegg to suffer his body to be buried -in the church; he-was prevailed with, and Mr. Harrison was -interred a little within the great door, which has since been the -burial place of the family.” The first epitaph below is said, by -his son, to have been fixed upon “Cuth. Harrison’s grave by Mr. -Clegg”; the second one is a retaliation, reported to have been -substituted by some local rhymester, after effacing the original -one:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse center">1</div> - <div class="verse indent2">“Here lies Cud,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Who never did good,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But always was in strife;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Oh! let the Knave</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Lie in his grave,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And ne’er return to life.”</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse center">2</div> - <div class="verse indent2">“Here lies Cud,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Who still did good,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And never was in strife,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">But with Dick Clegg,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Who furiously opposed</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His holy life.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In 1768 another chapel was erected by the Romanists at -Singleton by subscription, and almost immediately the officiating<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_421"></a>[421]</span> -priest, the Rev. Father Watts, renounced his creed, publicly -recanting at Kirkham; he died in 1773, when minister at the -episcopal chapel of Wrea-green. According to Mr. Thornber, the -priests of Singleton could seldom assign a better reason for -desiring a removal to another sphere of labour, than that they -were surfeited with wild ducks from the “carrs.” The chapel was -rebuilt subsequently, but closed when the present one at Poulton -had been completed and opened a few years.</p> - -<p>Mains or Maynes Hall is situated in the manor of Little -Singleton, and appears on ancient maps as Monk’s Hall. The -original Hall was built in the form of a quadrangle, the chapel -being on the right and the kitchen on the left; the latter, taken -down rather more than half a century ago, was roofed with tiles, -about six inches square, piled thickly upon one another, and -contained several secret recesses or hiding places, one of which -was situated near the mantel-piece, and another, entered from the -floor above by means of a ladder, showed manifest evidences of -having been occupied. The present Hall is less antique in its -construction and arrangements than its predecessor. In 1745 a -party of Scotch rebels feasted there; and George IV., when -Prince of Wales, is said to have been an occasional visitor at the -mansion. The mantel-piece of the drawing-room was formerly -adorned with a family painting of the Howards, dukes of Norfolk; -and adjoining that spacious apartment is a small room, which -appears to have been an oratory, containing relics of distinguished -saints. The outside wall of the old chapel bears the date 1686, -and within are a gilded altar in a state of dilapidation, a large -picture of the ‘Virgin and Infant,’ a coat of arms, and various -scraps of scriptural texts and ordinances of the church of Rome.<a id="FNanchor_202" href="#Footnote_202" class="fnanchor">[202]</a></p> - -<p>Cardinal Allen, of Rossall Hall, the brother-in-law of William -Hesketh, who was living at Mains Hall at the opening of the -seventeenth century, is said to have frequently secreted himself -in the hiding places there, during the time he was engaged in -endeavouring to alienate the loyalty of the catholics of this -district, and induce them to assist the invasion of Philip of Spain, -whose forces were expected to land at Peel in Morecambe Bay.</p> - -<p>The Heskeths were the first tenants of Mains Hall of whom we -have any notice, and the above William was the first of the family<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_422"></a>[422]</span> -to reside there; a full account of the descent and intermarriages -of the Heskeths of Mains will be found in the chapter on ancient -families of the Fylde.</p> - -<p>The Hall and estate are now the property of Thomas Fitzherbert -Brockholes, of Claughton, esq.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF GREAT AND LITTLE SINGLETON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">325</td> - <td class="tdr">396</td> - <td class="tdr">501</td> - <td class="tdr">499</td> - <td class="tdr">391</td> - <td class="tdr">293</td> - <td class="tdr">338</td> - <td class="tdr">317</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township comprises 2,860 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Little Eccleston-with-Larbrick.</span> The <i>Testa de Nevill</i> records -that Adam de Eccleston and William de Molines, with three others, -had part of a knight’s fee in Eccleston and Larbrick, about 1300. -In 1500 Richard Kerston had 60 acres in Little Eccleston, a -portion of which passed on his death in 1546 to John ffrance, who -had married one of his daughters. The ffrances retained their -possessions until 1817, when they were bequeathed by the last of -the line to Thomas Wilson, of Preston, who adopted their surname.<a id="FNanchor_203" href="#Footnote_203" class="fnanchor">[203]</a> -Larbrick was held in 1336 by William de Coucy, of -Gynes, but in 1358 it belonged to Sir William Molyneux, of -Sefton, in whose family it remained until about 1601, at which -date William Burgh, of Burgh, near Chorley, died, holding it. -Subsequently the manor passed, through the daughter of -William Burgh, to Edward Shuttleworth, of Thornton Hall, -who had espoused her grand-daughter. The last proprietor -here named died in 1673, and the estate was divided, a -moiety going to Dr. Charles Leigh, who had married one of -his two daughters and co-heiresses, and the second mediety -to Richard Longworth, who was the husband of the other. Dr. -Leigh mortgaged his share, which eventually was obtained by -Richard Harrison, of Bankfield; whilst that of Richard Longworth, -passed, about 1700, to the Hornbys, of Poulton, and afterwards -to the Pedders, of Preston, who held it for more than a -century. Mr. Whiteside, who purchased it from the Rev. Jno. -Pedder, is now owner. Larbrick Hall, for long a seat of the -noble house of Molyneux, is at present represented by a farm-house. -Dr. Leigh mentions an extremely cold well in Larbrick, -in which fish were unable to survive beyond a few seconds.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_423"></a>[423]</span></p> - -<p>In 1697, William Gillow left 10s. a year, the rental of some -land, to be given to two or more poor persons of the township at -Christmas, and in 1720, a further annual sum of 20s. was left for -the same object by George Gillow.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF LITTLE ECCLESTON-WITH-LARBRICK.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">178</td> - <td class="tdr">192</td> - <td class="tdr">224</td> - <td class="tdr">230</td> - <td class="tdr">199</td> - <td class="tdr">215</td> - <td class="tdr">209</td> - <td class="tdr">192</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township is 1,198 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Clifton-with-Salwick.</span> As early as 1100 William de Clifton -had lands in Clifton and Salwick, and from that date to the -present time, with one short interval, the manors have descended -in the same family, of which Jno. Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham, -is the head.<a id="FNanchor_204" href="#Footnote_204" class="fnanchor">[204]</a> Clifton and Salwick Halls, the ancient residences of -the Cliftons, are now comparatively modern buildings. The -church of Lund is situated in Salwick, and possessed a chantry so -far back as 1516. The first notice of any connection between -Kirkham church and Lund chapel occurs amongst the records of -the “Thirty-men” in 1701, thus:—“Matt. Hall, ch warden, of -Kirkham, in 1688, set up a scandalous trough for a font in Lund -chapel; and 4 sackfuls of moss he then carried from the church -to repair the said chapel, and so it first began to be repaired at -the parish charge.” The old chapel was pulled down in 1824, -and a stone church erected. In 1852 a chancel was added, and -more recently a tower. Lund and Newton-with-Scales were -constituted an ecclesiastical parish in 1840. The church is -dedicated to St. John, and the dean and chapter of Christ -Church, Oxford, are the patrons.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Lund"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF LUND.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1648</td> - <td>Joseph Harrison</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1732</td> - <td>Thomas Cockin</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1769</td> - <td>Benj. Wright</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1790</td> - <td>Charles Buck, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1818</td> - <td>Thos. Stephenson</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">In 1820</td> - <td class="bb">Richard Moore, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Death of T. Stephenson</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The Rev. Jos. Harrison, brother to Cuthbert Harrison, was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_424"></a>[424]</span> -ejected in the year 1662, for refusing to comply with the Act of -Uniformity.</p> - -<p>Alice Hankinson, left in 1680, £5 for the use of the minister, -and Alice Clitherall a like sum for the same purpose. Thomas -Smith bequeathed, in 1685, the annual interest of £20 to Lund -chapel. The sum of £10 is received yearly under a trust of 1668, -50s. being for the vicar, and the surplus for the poor. The school -was established about 1682, by a legacy of £60 left by John -Dickson, half the interest to go to the minister of Lund chapel, -providing he belonged to the Church of England, and the other -moiety to the master of the school. The interest of £10, origin -unknown, is paid each year to the trustees of the school.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF CLIFTON-WITH-SALWICK.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">552</td> - <td class="tdr">575</td> - <td class="tdr">608</td> - <td class="tdr">508</td> - <td class="tdr">538</td> - <td class="tdr">471</td> - <td class="tdr">447</td> - <td class="tdr">447</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The township contains 3,776 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Treales, Roseacre, and Wharles.</span> The ancient manor of -Treales embraced the three estates of Treales, Roseacre, and -Wharles, being computed in the Domesday Book to contain two -carucates of arable soil. In 1207 Treales was granted to Robert -de Vavassour, the father-in-law of Theobald Walter, and subsequently -it descended in the Butler family until 1673, when the -9th earl of Derby acquired it with his wife, the daughter of -Thomas Butler, the lord Ossory. The present earl of Derby is -lord of the manor, and holds a court annually.</p> - -<p>The church, a plain stone building with nave and chancel only, -was erected in 1853, and endowed five years later by the dean and -chapter of Christ Church, Oxford. The Rev. J. Hodgkin is the -incumbent.</p> - -<p>William Grimbaldson, M.D., left £300 in 1725, the interest to -be used for binding out poor apprentices in Treales, whose parents -received no parish relief. Boulton’s and Porter’s charities are -rentals amounting to about £12 a-year, to be given to poor -persons of the township. Bridgett’s charity is the interest of £15 -for the poor of Wharles.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF TREALES, ROSEACRE, AND WHARLES.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">675</td> - <td class="tdr">671</td> - <td class="tdr">760</td> - <td class="tdr">756</td> - <td class="tdr">709</td> - <td class="tdr">696</td> - <td class="tdr">632</td> - <td class="tdr">625</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The township has an area of 4,015 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_425"></a>[425]</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Newton-with-Scales.</span> Newton appears in the Domesday Book -as containing two carucates. In 1324 William de Clifton had 60 -acres in Scales; and in 1354 Adam de Bradkirk held land in -Newton. John Hornby, of Newton-with-Scales, left in 1707, the -residue of his estate, after certain bequests, to six trustees to found -and endow the present Blue Coat School; and in 1809 the funds -of the institution were increased by a legacy of £800, under the -will of James Boys, of London, an old pupil. The principal soil -owners are the Rev. R. Moore, and the Westby, Swainson, -Bryning, Hornby, and Loxham families.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF NEWTON-WITH-SCALES.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">269</td> - <td class="tdr">336</td> - <td class="tdr">380</td> - <td class="tdr">381</td> - <td class="tdr">324</td> - <td class="tdr">299</td> - <td class="tdr">286</td> - <td class="tdr">292</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township is 1,525 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hambleton.</span> Hambleton was held during the reign of King -John by Geoffrey, the Crossbowman, or de Hackensall, from -whom it descended to his son-in-law Richard de Sherburne, and -afterwards to Robert de Sherburne, the son of the latter. The -manor was held successively by different members of the -Sherburne family until 1363, when it passed to Richard de -Bailey, who had married the daughter and heiress of the last -male Sherburne, and adopted the maiden surname of his wife. -Hence the title of the manorial lords remained unchanged -up to 1717, when the property became the possession of the -Duchess of Ormond, the sole child of Sir Nicholas Sherburne, -who died at that date. After the decease of the Duchess of -Ormond, without issue, Hambleton passed to Edward, the son of -William Weld, of Lulworth Castle, by his marriage with the -sister of Sir Nicholas Sherburne. The descendants of Edward -Weld still retain some portion of the soil, but a considerable -proportion has been sold in recent years.</p> - -<p>Bishop Gastrell affirms that the episcopal chapel of Hambleton -was consecrated in 1567. In 1650 the Parliamentary Commissioners -reported:—“There is no allowance to the minister, but -only £5 per an. payd by Richard Sherburne, esq., lord of the -manor, and £40 per an. by order from the committee for -plundered ministers. The inhabitants desire it may be made a -parish, and the township of Rawcliffe, lying within a myle of it -and four miles from their parish church, may be annexed to it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_426"></a>[426]</span></p> - -<p>The present church was erected in 1749, and is a plain whitewashed -building, without a tower or any attempt at architectural -display. Attached to the south wall within are three tablets -inscribed thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“Beneath this marble are deposited the remains of Mary Ramsden, daughter -and heiress of the rev. Christʳ. Westby Alderston, late vicar of St. Michael’s in -this county, and wife of Rowland Ramsden of Halifax. She was born Aug. 17ᵗʰ, -1768 and died Nov. 6ᵗʰ, 1764.”</p> - -<p>“Sacred to the memory of George Bickerstaffe of Hambleton, gent., died May -3ʳᵈ, 1766; Jenny Alderston, his granddaughter, died May 16ᵗʰ, 1770; and Agnes, -wife of the rev. Christʳ. Westby Alderston, widow of Richᵈ. Harrison of Bankfield, -and daughter of George Bickerstaffe, died March 14ᵗʰ, 1820.”</p> - -<p>“Sacred to the memory of the rev. Thomas Butcher, B.A., for 39 years the -respected incumbent of this chapel. Erected by the voluntary contributions of -his parishioners.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>On the aisles of the church are three gravestones, bearing the -following inscriptions:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“In this aisle lie the remains of the rev. John Field, B.A. and minister of this -place, who died 21st April, 1765; also his wife and children.”</p> - -<p>“Here lies the body of Dorothy, wife of Richard Carter of Hambleton, who -died 14th May, 1807.”</p> - -<p>“William, son of James Norris of Liverpool, buried the 29th of June 1692—Though -Boreas’ Blast and Neptune’s Waves have tost me to and fro, yet a spite -on both by God’s decree I harbour here below: Here at anchor I doe ride with -many of our fleet, yet once again I must set sail my Generall Christ to meet.”<a id="FNanchor_205" href="#Footnote_205" class="fnanchor">[205]</a></p> - -</div> - -<p>In earlier days, when the church was held by the Roman -Catholics, the burial ground was evidently of much greater extent -than at present, and surrounded by an immense moat, between -six and seven yards wide, and of a considerable depth. In a field -lying to the east of the church can now be seen the ancient limits -of the ground in that direction, bounded by a long stretch of the -old moat in a very fair state of preservation, but of course somewhat -contracted by accumulations of vegetation; and in another -plot of ground to the west, may be traced by a slight depression -the course of the same trench, marking the westerly extent of the -yard. The northerly length of the moat passed behind the -present churchyard, and a portion of it, about two yards wide, is -still to be seen there, the remainder of its breadth being filled in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_427"></a>[427]</span> -and included in the cemetery. The southerly stretch of this -ancient ditch or fosse ran just within the railings, protecting the -burial ground in front. When the existing walls were built -round the yard great difficulty was met with in forming a good -foundation over the site of the moat at different points, as it was -found to be filled in with fragments of bricks, mortar, and general -rubbish, which seems to indicate that it was abolished when the -church itself was in course of reconstruction, and that the old -building materials and <i>debris</i> were used for the purpose of raising -it to the common level, indicating that the work must have -been accomplished either at the rebuilding of 1749, or at some -previous and unrecorded one. The moat would be crossed by a -bridge of fair dimensions, which was probably situated on the -west side, as the sexton lately discovered the well-preserved -remains of a straight footpath, paved with long tiles, and -running from the church for some distance towards the site of -the moat in that direction; the path was between two and -three feet below the surface of the ground.</p> - -<p>The church was separated from the mother edifice of Kirkham, -and had an independent district assigned to it in 1846. The -incumbent has the title of vicar.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Hambleton"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF HAMBLETON.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1648</td> - <td>Robert Cunningham</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1662</td> - <td>William Bullock</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1725</td> - <td>William Whitehead, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1735</td> - <td>John Field, B.A.</td> - <td>Resignation of W. Whitehead</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1765-86</td> - <td>Mr. Parkinson</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1796</td> - <td>Thomas Butcher, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1835</td> - <td>Mr. Howard</td> - <td>Death of T. Butcher</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1836</td> - <td class="bb">William Hough</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of ⸺ Howard</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>An Independent chapel was erected by subscription a few years -since, and schools subsequently added.</p> - -<p>From the report of the Charity Commissioners, we learn that -long before the commencement of the nineteenth century there -was a school at Hambleton, but no attempt to elucidate more<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_428"></a>[428]</span> -particularly its origin or date of erection can be hazarded. In -1797 the only endowment it can boast of was left by Matthew -Lewtas, a native of Hambleton, and consisted of £200, the -interest of which had to be given to John, the son of -George Hall, of Hambleton, until he reached the age of -twenty-one; and if before or at that time he was appointed -master of the school he had to continue to receive the whole -of the income whilst he held such mastership, but if, although -he was willing to accept the post, some other person should -be selected for it, then when he came of age, half of the income -passed from him to the school, and he retained the other -moiety until his death, when it also went to increase the stipend -of the master. The other condition of the will applied to the -master, and obliged him in return for the interest or income of -the £200, to teach as many poor children of Hambleton as the -money would pay for. John Hall never obtained the appointment, -so that the present master receives the full interest of the bequest, -which is invested on mortgage.</p> - -<p>The poor of Hambleton have £2 annually distributed amongst -them through the generosity of Sir Nicholas Sherburne, of -Stonyhurst, who in 1706, when lord of the manor of Hambleton, -charged his estate of Lentworth Hall with this charity.</p> - -<p>The yearly interest of £10 was given for the benefit of poor -housekeepers in Hambleton by Mary, the daughter of vicar Clegg, -of Kirkham, and the wife of Emanuel Nightingale, of York, gent., -who was born in 1673.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF HAMBLETON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">252</td> - <td class="tdr">273</td> - <td class="tdr">338</td> - <td class="tdr">334</td> - <td class="tdr">349</td> - <td class="tdr">346</td> - <td class="tdr">366</td> - <td class="tdr">351</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The statute acres of the township amount to 1,603.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_429"></a>[429]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header5.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">PARISH OF LYTHAM.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Lytham.</span></p> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-a.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">At the commencement of the Norman dynasty, when -William I. instituted a survey of his newly-conquered -territory, the name of the town and parish which -will occupy our attention throughout the present -chapter was written <i>Lidun</i>, and was estimated to contain two -carucates of arable land. How long this orthography continued -in use is difficult to say, but it could not have been for much more -than a century, as amongst certain legal documents in the reign -of King John, the locality is referred to under the style of <i>Lethum</i>, -an appellation which seems to have adhered to it until comparatively -recent years. The derivation of the latter title is apparently -from the Anglo-Saxon word <i>lethe</i>, signifying a barn, and points -obviously to an agricultural origin, whilst the more antique name -of <i>Lidun</i> is possibly a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon <i>lade</i>, -implying a river discharging itself into the sea, that is, its mouth -or estuary, and <i>tun</i>, a town.</p> - -<p>Shortly before the termination of the reign of Richard I. in -1199, Richard Fitz Roger, who is supposed to have belonged to -the Banastre family, gave all his lands in Lethum, with the -church of the same vill, and all things belonging to the church, -to God, and the monks of Durham, that they might establish a -Benedictine cell there to the honour of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert.<a id="FNanchor_206" href="#Footnote_206" class="fnanchor">[206]</a> -The following is a copy of the document by which the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_430"></a>[430]</span> -transfer was effected:—“Richard Fitz Roger, to all men, both -French and English, who may see this letter, greeting: Let all -and each of you know, that I, with the consent and wish of my -wife, Margaret, and my heirs, for the Salvation of my lord, Earl -John, and for the souls of my Father and Mother, and mine and -my heirs, have given and granted, and with these presents confirm -as a pure and perpetual offering to God and the Blessed -Mary and St. Cuthbert, and the monks of Durham, all my estate -of Lethum, with the church at the same vill, with all things -appertaining to it, in order to build a house of their own order; -namely, within these divisions—From the ditch on the western -side of the cemetery of Kilgrimol (Lytham Common) over which -I have erected a Cross, and from the same ditch and Cross eastward, -going along the Curridmere (Wild Moss or Tarns) beyond -the Great Moss, and the brook, as far as Balholme (Ballam), which -brook runs towards Snincbrigg (Sluice Bridge). Likewise from -Balholme directly across the moss, which my lord John, earl of -Moreton, divided between himself and me, as far as the -northern part of Estholmker (Estham), going eastward as far as -the division of the water which comes from Birckholme (Birks), -and divides Etholmker and Brimaker (Bryning), following this -division of water southward as far as the middle point between -Etholme and Coulurugh (Kellamergh), and thus returning -towards the west and going southward across the Moss as far as -la Pull from the other side of Snartsalte (Saltcoats), as it falls -upon the sand of the sea, and thus going southward across to -Ribril to the waterside, and thus following the line of the water -to the sea on the west, and so to the ditch and across aforementioned,” -etc., etc. In a charter dated 1200-1, it is specified that -the whole of the lands of Lytham, amounting to two carucates, -had been presented by King John when earl of Moreton, to -Richard Fitz Roger, by whom, as just shown, they were immediately -conveyed to the monks of Durham.</p> - -<p>There are unfortunately no means of ascertaining the extent or -appearance of the Benedictine cell established at Lytham, but its -site would seem to have been that now occupied by Lytham Hall, -in the walls of some of the offices attached to which remains of -the ancient monastic edifice have been incorporated. Dr. Kuerden -alludes, in a manuscript preserved in the Chetham library, to an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_431"></a>[431]</span> -undated claim of feudal privileges in Lytham, by which the prior -of Durham asserted his right to have view of frankpledge in his -manor of Lytham, with waif, stray, and infangthefe<a id="FNanchor_207" href="#Footnote_207" class="fnanchor">[207]</a>; emendations -of the assize of bread and beer; wrecks of the sea; exemption for -himself and tenants in Lytham from suit to the county and -wapentake, and from fines and penalties; to have soc, sac, and -theam;<a id="FNanchor_208" href="#Footnote_208" class="fnanchor">[208]</a> and finally, to have free warren over all his lands in -Lytham, and all royal fish taken there. During the reign of -Edward I. the legality of the ecclesiastic’s assumption of the sole -right to wreckage was called in question, ultimately ending in -litigation, and at Trinity Term, York, the verdict of the jury was -given against him. In the twenty-third year of his sovereignty, -Edward I. granted the wreck, waif, and stray of Lytham to his -brother Edmund, the earl of Lancaster. Amongst the Rolls of -the Duchy is the record of an agreement, entered into in 1271, -between Ranulphus de Daker, sheriff of Lancaster, Richard le -Botiler, and others, for arranging and fixing, with the consent and -approval of Stephen, the prior of Lytham, the boundaries between -the land of Lytham and Kilgrimol, and that of Layton. The -priors of Lytham were entirely dependent on the parent house -until 1443, when they solicited and induced Pope Eugenius to -issue an edict declaring the prior of that date and his successors -perpetual in their office and no longer removable at the will and -dictation of the monks of Durham. Afterwards, in the same year, -letters patent were received at the Lytham cell, pardoning the -application to the papal See and granting the request;<a id="FNanchor_209" href="#Footnote_209" class="fnanchor">[209]</a> but the -union between the two houses was not absolutely dissolved, for we -find that, in addition to the various properties at Lytham and -Durham continuing to be valued together, the cell and domain -of the former place were granted in 2 Mary, 1554, to Sir Thomas -Holcroft as part of the possessions of the Durham convent. In<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_432"></a>[432]</span> -1606 the knight transferred his rights and lands in Lytham to -Sir Cuthbert Clifton, in exchange for certain estates on the -opposite side of the river Ribble. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of -Lytham Hall, a descendant of the latter gentleman, is the present -lord of the manor. Reverting to the Benedictine cell it is seen -from an ecclesiastical valuation, taken in the reign of Henry VIII., -probably about the time of the Reformation, that the annual -income of the institution was derived from the following sources:—</p> - -<p class="center90">“Cella de Lethum in com’ Lancastr’<br /> -Rad’us Blaxton prior Ibd’m</p> - -<table summary="Sources of the income of the Benedictine cell"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th>£</th> - <th>s.</th> - <th>d.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Situ celle pdce cum pt’ pastur’ & terr’ arabilib 3 p annu</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">0</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Redd’ & firmis in divs’ villis viz—villa de Lethum, £21 11s. 0d.; - Esthowme, £3 7s. 0d.; Medholm, £7 2s. 8d.; Pilhowes cum Bankehousse, - 12s. 11d.; Frekkylton cum Ranklysse, 7s. 3d.; Bylsborrow cum Carleton, - 13s. 0d.; Warton, Goosenargh & Kyllermargh, £1 1s. 8d.</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="fraction">6</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">Total</td> - <td class="tdr bt">£43</td> - <td class="tdr bt">3</td> - <td class="tdr bt">6”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>It is evident from the wording of the foundation-charter of the -cell of Lytham that a church existed there at that date, and -Reginald of Durham affirms that the grand-father of Richard -Fitz Roger pulled down the original church of Lytham, which -had been built of shingle, and erected another of stone, dedicating -it to St. Cuthbert.<a id="FNanchor_210" href="#Footnote_210" class="fnanchor">[210]</a> This event must have taken place anterior to -the establishment of the Benedictines in the locality, and is possibly -related by the Durham ecclesiastic as a brief account of the stone -church standing there when the grant of lands, etc., was made to -his monastery by Fitz Roger. Amongst the number of historical -fragments collected by Gregson is a notice to the effect that -Thomas de Thweng was rector of the church of Lytham in -22 Edward III. (1349), and founded a chantry of twelve in the -parish church “to pray for the good estate of himself and Henry, -Lord Perci, and for the souls of their ancestors.” Thomas de -Thweng was descended from Lucy, granddaughter of Helewise, -the eldest sister of William de Lancaster, and in 1374, very likely -the year of his death, held the manor of Garstang.<a id="FNanchor_211" href="#Footnote_211" class="fnanchor">[211]</a> The edifice -existing until 1770, when another church, also dedicated to -St. Cuthbert, was erected on its site, was a low building, constructed -of cobble stones, the walls being more than a yard in -thickness and penetrated by five windows, one of which was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_433"></a>[433]</span> -situated at the east end, and the others at the sides. The main -entrance was protected by a porch. From the scanty description -preserved of the general features of this antique specimen of -ecclesiastical architecture, it has been conjectured that its origin -might be traced back to the time of Henry VIII. Within the -erection the seats, which were of black oak, ornamented with -scrolls, were arranged in four rows, two running down the centre -and one down each side, whilst the north side of a small chancel -was set apart for the choristers. The pulpit was fixed against the -south wall; and the Cliftons possessed an old canopied seat, the -precise station of which cannot be ascertained.</p> - -<p>On the demolition of this church in 1770, its successor arose -with a somewhat more pretentious exterior, having a low tower -abutting the west extremity. The interior of the latter structure -contained several objects of interest, amongst which may be -noticed two tables fastened to the wall and inscribed as under:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">FIRST TABLE.</p> - -<p class="center">“Charities to Lytham church.</p> - -<p class="center">“1765.</p> - -<p>“The honourable Countess Dowager Gower, one hundred and fifty pounds. -Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty, two hundred pounds.</p> - -<p class="center">“1768.</p> - -<p>“Ryheads in Goosnargh, purchased with the above four hundred pounds. -Thomas Clifton, Esq., added seven pounds per annum, to be paid of Bamber’s -estate in Layton, to the old stipend of twenty pounds per annum. Governors of -Queen Anne’s Bounty purchased six acres and three perches of land with the -above two hundred pounds, from Barker’s estate; it adjoins Ryheads.</p> - -<p class="center">“1770.</p> - -<p>“This church was rebuilded. John Gibson, minister. William Silcock and -William Gaulter, churchwardens.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">SECOND TABLE.</p> - -<p class="center">“1801.</p> - -<p>“Subscriptions in the parish, two hundred pounds. Governors of Queen -Anne’s Bounty laid out the above two hundred pounds in the purchase of a rent -charge of five per cent. per annum, payable off Bamber’s estate in Layton.</p> - -<p class="center">“1814.</p> - -<p>“John Clifton, Esq., one hundred and thirty-one pounds. William Hornby, -Esq., sixty-five pounds eight shillings. Joseph, Thomas, and John Hornby, -Esqs., ten pounds each, making thirty pounds. Rev. Robert Lister, fifty pounds. -L. Webbe, Esq., ten pounds. Joseph Benbow, five pounds. Captain Thomas -Cookson, ten pounds. Richard Cookson, ten pounds. Cornelius Crookall, ten -pounds. John Cardwell, ten pounds.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_434"></a>[434]</span></p> - -<p>“Smaller subscriptions in the parish, sixty-eight pounds twelve shillings. -Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty, six hundred pounds.</p> - -<p class="center">“Total amount, one thousand pounds.</p> - -<p>“Purchased five acres, one rood, and two perches of land, of eight yards to the -perch, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, with the above one thousand pounds.</p> - -<p class="center">“Rev. Robert Lister, B.A., minister. Thomas Cookson and John Cookson, -churchwardens.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>On each side of the altar, at the east end of the church, were -several mural marble monuments erected in memory of certain -members of the Clifton family, whose remains had been interred -within the walls of the sacred edifice. Thomas Clifton was the -first of this family buried at Lytham, and on his tomb was inscribed:—“Here -lie interred the mortal remains of Thomas Clifton, of -Lytham, esquire; who died on the 16th of Dec., 1784, in the 38th -year of his age. Requiescat in pace.”</p> - -<p>Another monument, near to the former one, bore the following -inscription:—“D.O.M. Here lies dead the body of Ann Clifton, -wife of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, esq.; daughter of Sir Carnaby -Haggerstone, Baronet: but her name will live to future ages. -Wonder not, reader; in her was seen whatever is amiable in a -daughter, wife, mother, friend, and Christian. Admire her, man; -a pattern to her sex. O! woman, imitate. She died in the 37th -year of her age, on the 22nd day of February, 1760. Requiescat -in pace.”</p> - -<p>The memorial writing over a third tomb ran thus:—“Here lies -the body of Thomas Clifton, of Lytham, esq.; who departed this -life in the 56th year of his age, on the 11th day of May, 1783. -R.I.P.;” whilst a fourth monument had these lines upon it:—“Here -lies the body of Jane Clifton, wife of Thomas Clifton, of -Lytham, Esq.; daughter of the Right Hon. the Earl of Abingdon, -who departed this life in the 61st year of her age, on the 14th -day of Feb., 1791. R.I.P.”</p> - -<p>A white marble tablet fixed against the south wall, contained -the annexed notice:—“In memory of Elizabeth Clifton, wife of -John Clifton, of Lytham, Esq.; and daughter of Thomas Horsley -Widdrington Riddell, of Swinburne Castle, in the county of -Northumberland, esq.; who departed this life in the 63rd year of -her age, on the 19th day of November, 1825. Requiescat in -pace.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_435"></a>[435]</span></p> - -<p>Sixty-four years from the date of its erection this church was -also pulled down, having become unable to accommodate the -increasing influxes of visitors during the summer; and on the -20th of March, 1834, the foundation stone of the existing pile -was laid by the late Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, who -contributed £500 towards the cost of the building. Mrs. Fisher, -the widow of a local physician, contributed £300, and the -subscriptions for the necessary work were further augmented by -a grant from the Church Building and Extension Society. The -church, which comprises nave, side aisles, chancel, and embattled -tower, contains the monuments of the Cliftons already enumerated, -and three additional marbles, one of which, at the entrance to the -chancel, records that “in the family vault near this place lies the -body of Hetty, daughter of Pelegrine Treves, esq., and widow of -the late Thomas Clifton, esq., of Clifton and Lytham; she died -on the 4th of June, 1864, aged 68 years.” The other attached to -the opposite side of the entrance is <i>in memoriam</i> of “Thomas -Clifton (eldest son of John Clifton, esq., by Elizabeth, his wife) of -Clifton and Lytham, who died 17th February, 1851, aged 63 -years”; whilst the third, in the chancel itself, is to the memory -of “John Clifton, of Lytham, esq., who departed this life on the -25th of March, 1832, aged 68 years. Requiescat in Pace.” -Against the wall of the south side aisle is a tablet surmounted -by a cross and inscribed thus:—“In memory of Richard Barton -Robinson, born July 28: A: D: 1804, died August 9: A: D: -1872, vicar of Lytham for 36 years. This cross is gratefully -erected by his parishioners, A.D. 1875.” A similar tablet in the -north aisle is erected to the “memory of Edward and Sarah Jane -Houghton, by their only surviving son. E. H. born April 23: -1807: died December 15: 1869. S. J. H. born September 26: -1803: died April 21: 1872.” The east window, beautifully -emblazoned, “is dedicated by her friends and neighbours, to the -memory of Ellen Fisher,” born 1759, died 1837. Similar windows, -north and south, in the chancel, were given by Thomas Clifton, -esq., in 1845, also a second, on the south side, by Lady Eleanor -Cecily Clifton, in 1871. The north side aisle contains six handsome -windows inserted respectively to the memories of Anne Shepherd -Birley, died 1872; James Fair, died 1871, by J. T. Clifton, esq.; -Sarah Agnes, wife of W. C. Dowding, clerk, M.A., died 1869, by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_436"></a>[436]</span> -her maternal aunt, Agnes Newsham; her mother and sisters, by -Anne Wilson, 1871; Margaret Hornby, died 1866; William and -Agnes Birdsworth and of their father and mother, by their -surviving relatives. In the south side aisle are two memorial -windows, one being to Henry Miller, died 1859, aged 46 years, -and his infant son, died 1852, by his wife Caroline A. Miller; and -the other to John Stevenson, died 1872, aged 78 years; Jane -Stevenson, died 1872, aged 64 years; William Elsworth Stevenson, -died 1869, aged 31 years; and Jane Stevenson, died 1872, aged 25 -years. The clerestory of the church is lighted by twelve single -windows, each bearing the representation of a saint, all of which -were presented by private individuals.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of perpetual curates and vicars of St. Cuthbert’s"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">PERPETUAL CURATES AND VICARS OF ST. CUTHBERT’S.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>On whose Presentation.</th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1379</td> - <td>William de Aslaby, monk</td> - <td>Prior and Chapter of Durham</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1413</td> - <td>William Patrick, monk</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1678</td> - <td>James Threlfall</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1701</td> - <td>Josiah Birchall</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1717</td> - <td>Timothy Pollard</td> - <td>Chancellors, Masters, and Scholars of Cambridge</td> - <td>Death of Josiah Birchall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1741</td> - <td>Ashton Werden</td> - <td>Alexander Osbaldeston, of Preston, esq.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1743</td> - <td>Robert Willasey</td> - <td>Ditto</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Thomas Place</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1760</td> - <td>John Gibson</td> - <td>Abigail Clayton, of Larkhill, Blackburn, relict and executor of Thomas Clayton, who was surviving executor of Alexander Osbaldeston, of Preston, esq.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1800</td> - <td>Robert Lister, B.A.</td> - <td>John Clayton, of Little Harwood, esq.</td> - <td>Resignation of John Gibson</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>1834</td> - <td>Richard Barton Robinson, M.A.</td> - <td>Thomas Clifton, esq.</td> - <td>Resignation of Robt. Lister</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb">1870</td> - <td class="bb">Henry Beauchamp Hawkins, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">John T. Clifton, esq.</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of R. B. Robinson</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In 1872 the chancel was enlarged and a new vestry erected, -whilst the solitary gallery at the west end, formerly used<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_437"></a>[437]</span> -for the choir, was converted into commodious sitting accommodation -for the congregation. During the same year half an -acre was added to the north of the burial ground, and a fresh -boundary wall, facing Church Road completed, the iron work -being given by the late John Stevenson, J.P., of West Beach, -and the stone work by the late John Knowles, proprietor of -the Clifton Arms Hotel. The tower contains a peal of eight -bells. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, is the patron -of the living. The parish register begins in 1679.</p> - -<p>The churchyard, which is encircled by a thick plantation of -trees, possesses many very handsome monuments, but none of -historical importance. The oldest gravestone still legible lies in -close proximity to the ancient sun-dial, and bears the date 1672. -The parish schools, erected in 1853, stand in Church Road.</p> - -<p>Dodsworth informs us that in the neighbourhood of Lytham -there existed, in 1601, a village called Waddum Thorp, and that -eleven years previously the Horsebank was a green pasture for -cattle. Dr. Leigh affirms that the hamlet in question was -peopled by some Saxon fishermen. The locality alluded to in -the foundation document as Snartsalte is now denominated -Saltcoats, and was, like several neighbouring places, the site of a -salt manufactory in remote days. Geoffrey Gillet worked the -Saltcoats manufactory. Cambden in describing the extractive -process says:—“They pour water from time to time upon heaps -of sand till it grows brackish, and then with a turf fire they boil -it into a white salt.” Bowden wrote, in 1722, concerning the -same subject:—“On many places on the coast the inhabitants -gather heaps of sand together which, having lain some time, they -put into troughs full of holes at the bottom, pour water upon -them, and boil the lees into white salt.”</p> - -<p>About 1800 the hamlet comprised several mud and thatch -cottages, interspersed here and there with a fair number of habitations -of recent origin, built with bricks and slated. There were -also two inns in existence, the Wheat Sheaf and the Clifton Arms, -besides two small licensed houses. The Wheat Sheaf was erected -in Clifton Street during the year 1794, and almost simultaneously, -but a little later, the Clifton Arms arose on the opposite side of -the thoroughfare, facing the sea. There were several shops in -the village, and in Douglas Street a house of confinement, containing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_438"></a>[438]</span> -separate cells, for the detention and punishment of any -offenders against the law. The most pretentious dwellings stood -upon the northern portion of the tract known as the Marsh, and -all of them were newly constructed. One near the western -extremity was a substantial house with gardens and plantation, -inhabited by the clergyman of the parish, the Rev. Robt. Lister. -In close proximity was a marine villa with a Chinese porch, -belonging to William Hornby, esq., of Kirkham; and a row of -white cottages, called Lizmahago, after a race horse of John -Clifton, esq., who had erected them for the accommodation of -visitors. A pretty white villa was placed more to the rear, and -several well-constructed lodging-houses studded the ground -between those just mentioned and the old village, where clay and -straw had been the time-honoured building materials. The -beach afforded no more than three bathing machines, but sundry -improvements, both in multiplying the vans and in the establishment -of a warm sea-water bath, were in contemplation. No elegant -promenade with its expansive sward, as at present, defined the landward -margin of the beach, but the whole space, at one end of which -Mr. Cookson had erected a windmill, was covered with miniature -sand-hills and star-grass, unfolding a most uninviting and deterring -aspect to the pedestrian. The church of St. Cuthbert’s was built -of rubble, rough cast and whitened, and certainly possessed, both -externally and internally, no very extensive claims to architectural -beauty. The instrumental part of the service was accomplished -by means of a clarionet and a bass fiddle. The religious edifice -stood in the midst of fields, and was approached by a footpath, -sufficiently wide to admit the passage of bathing vans, which were -occasionally had recourse to by visitors on wet Sundays, in order -to attend the service with dry garments, being then, and for some -time afterwards, the only covered vehicles in the place. Lytham -Hall, embosomed in lofty trees and plantations, formed an imposing -object, being situated half a mile inland, between the village and -the church. This noble mansion, comprising three fronts, of -which the east is the principal, was commenced in 1757 and -completed in 1764, by Thomas Clifton, esq., and superseded the -original Hall, erected about 1606, by Sir Cuthbert Clifton. At -the date now under examination, its possessor, John Clifton, esq., -had laid out a race-course for training purposes, of three miles<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_439"></a>[439]</span> -and a quarter in circumference, in the fields to the north-west of -the church; and close at hand were excellent paddocks and stables, -filled with a considerable stud of fine blood horses. The residence -of the trainer was an elegant villa near the stables, surrounded -with a shrubbery. Two steamers plied daily in the season between -Preston and Lytham, but the larger share of the company -arrived by the road, the journey having a few years previously -been rendered more direct by the opening of a route across the -marshes, past Freckleton, instead of the former circuitous one -through Kirkham. In 1801 the population amounted to 920 -persons.</p> - -<p>During the ensuing twenty years Lytham made steady, if not -rapid, progress. Buildings of modern and pretty designs sprang -up along the beach, whilst others of substantial workmanship -were visible in the lines of various thoroughfares, especially in -Clifton Street. The two hotels already specified, underwent -enlargements, owing to the growing pressure on their accommodation, -and a fresh inn, the Commercial, was erected on the -land behind the present Market Hotel, the front and main -entrance of the house having an easterly aspect, overshadowed -by several lofty trees. A little beyond the north gable end of the -inn, in a westerly direction, were the old gates of the park -attached to Lytham Hall, near to which, on the road side, -was stationed the pinfold, constructed of cobble stones, in a quadrangular -form, with an embattled tower rising about eight feet -above the height of the walls. A small Baptist chapel, having a -school-room connected with it, also existed, standing on part of -the ground now occupied by the premises of Mr. Edmondson, -draper, the remaining portion being covered by the residence and -shop of that gentleman’s father, who owned the chapel, and acted -as its minister. The chapel would hold about thirty worshippers, -and contained three or four rows of forms and a pulpit; whilst -the school-room, of equal dimensions, was let to a person for a -private day seminary.</p> - -<p>During the summer months, hundreds of day visitors, in -addition to the more permanent ones who constituted the company, -found their way in carts, waggons, or lighter vehicles, to the -coast at Lytham, from Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, and other -inland towns, for the pleasure of enjoying once, at least, a year,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_440"></a>[440]</span> -an invigorating bath in the sea. The fortnightly spring tides -were the signals which foretold the advent of these huge pic-nic -parties, for such it seems appropriate to style them, who flocked -down to the shore, generally bringing their own provisions with -them, and after disporting themselves amidst the waves, and procuring -amusement in various ways during the day, returned quietly or -hilariously home to their several destinations, in the evening or following -morning, in the manner they had arrived. Some from -the more remote places prolonged their sojourn for three days. -Races for the better class of farmers’ horses were held annually -on Wit-Monday, over the sward which runs from the windmill to -the site of an old lime kiln about one mile distant, in the direction -of Saltcoats, the course being round that spot to the starting -point. These races, which are described as having been very fair -contests, were kept up for many years. The prizes competed for -were saddles, bridles, whips, etc. The bowling greens of Lytham -amounted to two, which were attached to the Clifton Arms and -Commercial Hotels, and were well patronised.</p> - -<p>The following description of the attractions of Lytham, published -in 1821, furnishes a pretty correct idea of the recreations -afforded by the watering-place about that date:—“Lytham is a -very salubrious place; its walks are pleasant and diversified. You -may walk for miles on the sand westward. You may trip to the -Hey-houses and get bad ale. Common-side offers a journey, -which, if you please, ends at Blackpool. The walks are many and -various for those who love exercise; the lazy will soon tire here, -but the active will never be at a loss. The sands are fine—the -sea breeze pleasant—the air is impregnated with health. Sailing -may be had at tide time; boats are occasionally going to Preston -and over the water to Southport. There are baths, shower, cold, -and warm for invalides. Old Hugh Holmes, the shaver, doctor, -and shopkeeper, is an old man, thin and meagre, conceited to a -tittle, and remarkably fond of chit-chat. The people here bathe -not at all, whilst those from a distance think it a blessing. -Holmes, the barber, said he had never bathed in his life, nor -could I persuade him to do so. He said that he was sound in -body, and if so, why dip in the briny sea at all.”</p> - -<p>In 1821 the population of Lytham amounted to 1,292 persons, -consisting of 258 families; and in 1825 the parish contained 258<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_441"></a>[441]</span> -houses, the occupants of 75 of which were employed chiefly in -agriculture, and of 55 in trade, fishing, or handicraft, those of the -remaining 128 being unclassified. Three years later the Wheat -Sheaf Inn and a wide range of thatched buildings adjoining -were demolished, and after leaving the spacious opening, called -Dicconson Terrace, leading down to the beach, several improved -dwellings and a billiard-room were placed on the remainder of -the ground. The greater part of the marine frontage had been -levelled, and efforts commenced to lay out a species of walk or -promenade. The houses standing along the shore line were -usually hired furnished by families for varying periods, at prices -from one and a half to three guineas per week, their value being -estimated by the number of bed-rooms, each of which represented -ten shillings and sixpence a week. Other villas in the watering-place -were similarly let, but lodgings could be procured amongst -the humble cottages on a weekly payment of four shillings and -sixpence by each individual. The prices at the hotels for board -and lodging, exclusive of wine and liquors, were—at the Clifton -Arms, seven shillings a day in private, and six shillings in public; -the Commercial, five shillings and sixpence; and the Ship, a new -inn erected since 1820, three shillings and sixpence. Of trades -and professions in the village there were three milliners, six -drapers, three boot and shoe makers, five joiners and cabinet -makers, one druggist, two blacksmiths, one ship carpenter, one -custom-house officer, one tide-waiter, one corn miller, three -butchers, five grocers, two coal dealers, one confectioner, one -surgeon, one attorney, and one clergyman. In addition it should -be mentioned that a solitary ladies’ seminary had been established -within the previous twelve months. “I recollect,” says Mr. -Whittle, in his <i>Marina</i>, “visiting Lytham during July, 1824, -when Mr. Lardner’s troop of comedians were performing in -what was termed the ‘New Theatre, Lytham,’ Cibber’s admired -comedy of a ‘Journey to London, or a Bold Push for a Fortune,’ -and the laughable farce of the ‘Irish Tutor, or New Lights.’ -The chief of the stage business was done by the Lardners, -consisting of father, mother, son, and daughter. Likenesses were -also taken in miniature by Mr. Lardner, senior, at from two to -five guineas each! and the polite art of dancing taught by -Lardner, junior. We saw in succession performed Morton’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_442"></a>[442]</span> -comedy of ‘Speed the Plough, or the Farmer’s Glory;’ ‘Lovers’ -Vows, or the Child of Love’; and Coleman’s admired and -excellent comedy of the ‘Poor Gentleman’; all of which were -tolerably got up, but the scenery was not of that kind which -befitted a place of dramatic exhibition.” During the season three -coaches ran regularly from Preston to Lytham and returned, -their times of departure being—from Preston, at 12 noon, 5 in -the evening, and 7 in the evening; and from Lytham, at 6 in the -morning, 9 in the morning, and half-past 4 in the afternoon. In -addition to these coaches, occasional public conveyances and many -private vehicles brought their loads of pleasure-seekers to the -village, especially during Easter and Whit-tides. Letters arrived -at half-past 9 in the morning and were despatched at 4 in the -afternoon. In 1828 the buildings situated in the vicinity of the -beach were, commencing at the eastern extremity of the line and -travelling westward, a house, occupied by Miss Dennett, Rimmer’s -and Butcher’s cottages, the Baths with a house adjoining, two -newly erected dwellings, Cookson’s cottages, Rawstorne’s Marine -Cottage, Craven’s and Hampson’s cottages, Clifton Place, Buck’s -cottages, Silcock’s and Miller’s cottages, Townend’s and Captain -Cookson’s residences, Mr. Barton’s house, Captain Fell’s and Mrs. -Birdworth’s residences, Mr. Fisher’s house, Lizmahago houses, -Hornby’s Chinese villa, the Parsonage, in the occupation of the -Rev. Robert Lister; the Parish Church, situated more inland, -and Church-house, a rural place. Mr. Corry, in his History of -Lancashire, published about that time, states:—“That the -increase of Lytham has not been so rapid as in many villages, -where the people are engaged in manufacture; but a considerable -part of the visitors and settlers within the last twenty years have -been opulent individuals, who were induced by the beauty of the -spot and the benefit derived from bathing in the sea water, to -resort to this pleasing village.” The houses were unnumbered -and recognised by the titles bestowed upon them, or the names of -their owners. Lamps for the autumn and winter evenings were -unknown in the streets, whilst libraries, news-rooms, and livery -stables were things of the future. The Clifton Arms Hotel had -recently been overlaid with a thick coating of cement resembling -stone, and the Commercial Inn had undergone sundry enlargements. -An ornamental enclosure or garden had been formed on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_443"></a>[443]</span> -the land of the present Market-house, surrounded by a palisading -and planted with flowers and shrubs. A carriage road also had -been lately made from the village to the church of St. Cuthbert.</p> - -<p>In 1831 the census of Lytham showed a total of 1,523 residents, -being an increase of 231 over the population ten years before; and -three years subsequently the ancient church of the parish was -levelled to the ground and the erection of the present edifice -commenced. The early growth of the summer resort was much -retarded by the exceedingly short terms upon which building -leases were granted. Previous to 1820 all land reverted to the -lord of the manor forty years after its provisional purchase had -been effected, so that there was little inducement for either the -speculative or private individual to upraise habitations where the -tenure was so unsatisfactory. About that date the duration of -leases was extended to sixty years, and even this slight advance in -a more liberal direction was not without influence in promoting -the development of the place, but no great rapidity characterised -the multiplication of houses until a later epoch, when periods of -99 and 999 years were offered to purchasers. In 1839 the Roman -Catholics erected a chapel, dedicated to St. Peter, at the east -corner of Clifton Street. Previously the members of this sect -had worshipped in a small chapel belonging to Lytham Hall, -which had superseded the domestic oratory of the Cliftons, in -the days when they professed the Romish creed. The edifice in -Clifton Street is of brick and has a priests’ residence and schools -attached, the whole being prettily encircled by willow trees and -a low wall.</p> - -<p>The returning seasons brought increasing streams of visitors -to the shores of Lytham, and practically proved that the -delightful and invigorating influences of the climate and sea -were well and widely appreciated by the populace of the large -inland towns. The marine esplanade and the firm sands left by -the receding tide were ever alive with crowds of people, who either -for health or pleasure, or a combination of the two, had arrived in -the watering-place. The bathing vans were still unequal to the -demands on their accommodation, and many were compelled to -dispense with their decorous shelter, and unrobe themselves on the -more secluded parts of the beach. To have returned home again -without immersing their body in the buoyant sea would to most<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_444"></a>[444]</span> -of them have been to omit the chief object of their journey, many, -indeed, having such an exalted idea of the remedial and hygienic -properties of the water that they imbibed huge draughts, and even -filled bottles with it, for future use, or for friends who had been -unable to come themselves. There were few amusements for the -visitors beyond those enumerated earlier, but had there been none -other, the exhilarating breeze and bath, coupled with the novel -surroundings, would have possessed sufficient charm to insure a -thronged season year after year.</p> - -<p>In 1841 the population numbered 2,047 persons, being a rise of -no less than 524 in the inhabitants during the preceding ten -years, more than double the excess observed in the census of 1831 -over its antecessor. During the previous twelve months the -Clifton Arms Hotel, in Clifton Street, had been abolished and a -stately building, bearing the same name, erected on the front, -where it now stands, very considerable enlarged and beautified -under the proprietorship of the late Mr. John Knowles, who -purchased it on lease from the lord of the manor, and by whose -representatives the Hotel and appurtenances were sold to a -company of gentlemen in 1875.</p> - -<p>The 16th of February, 1846, initiated a new era in the history -and progress of Lytham, for on that day the branch line connecting -this popular resort with the Preston and Wyre Railway -was formally opened. At an early hour the town evinced -manifest signs that the inhabitants were bent on doing full -honour to the introduction of their invaluable ally; flags and -banners floated from the church and the residences of many of -the inhabitants, and later in the day the streets were thronged -with processions and spectators of all grades. The directors and -a large party of the neighbouring gentry assembled by invitation -at Lytham Hall, and after partaking of luncheon proceeded to the -newly erected station, where the “opening train,” consisting of -an engine, gaily decorated, and fourteen carriages, awaited their -arrival. Amongst the gentlemen who accompanied Thomas -Clifton, esq., and Mrs. Clifton, on the formal trip to Kirkham and -back, were John Laidlay, W. Taylor, J. Dewhurst, T. W. Nelson, -Frederick Kemp, C. Swainson, James Fair, E. Houghton, W. H. -Hornby, T. R. W. ffrance, P. Rycroft, W. Royds, and William -Birley, esquires, the Revs. R. Moore and W. Birley, and Colonel<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_445"></a>[445]</span> -Rawstorne. The train departed amid a volley of cheers and -discharge of cannon, and proceeded to Kirkham; the return -journey was performed in fifteen minutes. The carriage station -was 140 feet long by 53 feet wide, and covered by a somewhat -unique roof of twelve wooden arches, put together in segments -and secured by nuts and screws, all the timber ends butting upon -each other like the stones of an arch, but as solid, from their -peculiar construction, as if the whole had been cut out of a single -block of timber. The Lytham line diverged from the main railway -at a point about a mile to the north-west of Kirkham, and was -nearly five miles in length. It passed within a short distance of the -village of Wrea, where a station was built, and terminated in the -immediate vicinity of the Roman Catholic chapel in this town.</p> - -<p>The impetus given to the building trade of Lytham by the -opening of the railway and the almost simultaneous extension of -ground leases was soon visible in the erection of numerous houses. -A Wesleyan chapel, capable of holding 200 hearers, was built, before -the close of the year, in Bath Street; but this structure having, as -time progressed, become inadequate to the wants of the congregation, -the foundation stone of a new one was laid on the 12th of -September, 1867, by T. C. Hincksman, esq., of Lytham, at the -corner of Park and Westby Streets, service being first conducted -there on the 23rd of September in the ensuing year, by the Rev. -John Bedford, of Manchester. The chapel is faced with Longridge -stone and white brick. In front are stone columns and pilasters -nearly thirty feet high, surmounted by Corinthian caps, massive -cornice, parapet, pediment, etc. It contains seats for about 500 -persons. The old Wesleyan chapel is now used as a literary and -social Institute, established in 1872. In 1847 the growth and -prosperity of Lytham rendered it necessary that some form of -local government should be adopted, and the inhabitants applied -for and obtained an Improvement Act, by which the regulation of -all public matters was placed in the hands of a board of commissioners -elected from amongst the ratepayers. On the 13th of -May in that year, the corner stone of a substantial lighthouse was -laid on the “Double Stanner” bank, by Peter Haydock, esq., -chairman of the Ribble Navigation Company, at whose expense -the work was accomplished; but on the 20th of January, 1863, a -heavy storm swept over the coast, and amongst other damages<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_446"></a>[446]</span> -effected by its fury was the overthrow of this pile, which was -subsequently re-erected on the Star Hills, far removed from the -destructive influence of the waves, and perhaps more efficacious, -from its greater elevation, as a beacon. During the year 1848 a -Market Hall was built on an open space, formerly the ornamental -garden referred to in a late page. In the month of June the -edifice was completed and ready for use, being constructed of -brick and supplied with stalls for various articles, such as fish, -vegetables, toys, etc. The tower was elevated in 1872 to receive -a large clock, the gift of Lady Eleanor Cecily Clifton, and during -the following twelve months additional dials and illuminative -power were added. The Hall is prettily situated in an enclosure -of elm trees.</p> - -<p>Another church, dedicated to St. John, was erected on the east -beach in 1848-9, and consecrated on the 11th September, 1850. -The site was granted by John Talbot Clifton, esq., who retains -the patronage of the living, and the expense of construction -defrayed by subscription. The edifice is of stone, and includes a -nave, side aisles, transepts, chancel, porch, and tower, surmounted -by a lofty spire. The side aisles are separated from the nave by -pointed arches on circular columns. The chancel has since been -enlarged. Within the church are several memorial windows, one -of which, in the west end, is in memory of “James and Elizabeth -Fair, who died August 16, 1871, and July 27, 1867,” inserted by -their children. By the side of this is a smaller stained window to -Mr. Bannerman by his widow. The east window of the chancel -is magnificently illuminated, and another, lighting the scholars’ -chapel on the south of that part, was placed by the Rev. W. H. -Self “to his wife, Mary, ob. 1859.” The windows in the north -and south transepts are, respectively, to “Thomas Miller, ob. -1865,” and “Thomas Clifton, ob. 1851.” There are no mural -tablets. The organ was presented by William Bradshaw Swainson, -esq., of Cooper Hill, near Preston, “as a tribute of affection, -in memory of his mother, Catherine Swainson, who died at -Lytham on the 1st of February, 1848.” The instrument was -enlarged by the aid of public contributions in 1874. The lectern -was presented by Margaret Ellen Clifford, the second wife of the -Rev. W. H. Self, <i>in memoriam</i> of her mother, Mrs. Hannah -Biddell, in 1867. The tower contains a peal of six bells. An<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_447"></a>[447]</span> -ecclesiastical parish was apportioned to the church of St. John in -1870. The Rev. William Henry Self, M.A., was the earliest -incumbent and subsequently became the first vicar. The Rev. -Gregory Smart, M.A., is the present vicar. The graveyard is a -spacious area defined by a neat stone wall, and contains numerous -elegant monuments. The vicarage house stands a very little -distance to the east side of the church, and is a handsome villa -residence. To the rear of the burial ground, and separated therefrom -by a narrow street, are the parish schools erected in 1851 by -subscription, and grants from the Council of Education and the -National Society.</p> - -<p>The want of proper illumination along the thoroughfares of -Lytham during the long evenings of the autumn months, was a -source of considerable inconvenience to the visitors, and induced -many to vacate the place earlier than otherwise they would have -done, so that the commissioners determined to erect gas works by -loans on the security of the rates, and remedy the evil as soon as -possible. On the 28th of October, 1850, the streets were lighted -for the first time with gas. In 1851 the residents of Lytham -amounted to 2,695, showing an increase of 648 persons since 1841. -It was about this time that a lifeboat was stationed at Lytham, -purchased by subscription, and named the “Eleanor Cecily,” out -of compliment to the lady of the manor. The boat-house stands -on the promenade to the east, in close proximity to the old windmill, -and is now occupied by a new and larger craft, presented by -Thomas Clayton, esq., of Wakefield, in 1863.</p> - -<p>Throughout the succeeding ten years the area of the town -continued to expand with fair rapidity. Many graceful villas -were added to those already existing on the front, whilst fresh -shops and lodging houses arose along the different thoroughfares, -plainly evincing a determination on the part of the inhabitants to -keep pace with the spreading popularity of the place by creating -ample accommodation for the crowds of visitors. A corps of -Volunteer Riflemen was enrolled under Captain Lennox in 1860, -during the month of January. The census of 1861 furnished a -total of 3,189 residents.</p> - -<p>The advisability of connecting the two watering-places of -Blackpool and Lytham by a coast railway was now freely<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_448"></a>[448]</span> -discussed, and the scheme having been favourably entertained by -a number of affluent gentlemen, the requisite powers were sought -from Parliament for its formation. In May, 1861, the desired act -received the royal assent, and on the ensuing 4th of September -the first sod of the new line was cut by T. H. Clifton, esq., M.P., -the son and heir of the lord of the manor, in Lytham Park. The -directors of the company were E. C. Milne, esq., (chairman), of -Warton Lodge; John Talbot Clifton, T. Langton Birley, Charles -Birley, James Fair, Robert Rawcliffe, and Thomas Fair, esqrs. -The distance, about 7½ miles, was spanned by a single line, -stations being placed at the two termini and at South Shore, in -addition to which there was a gate-house at Andsell’s road, near -the town, where it was proposed to have a booking office. The -railway was virtually finished in the autumn of 1862, but the -formal opening was postponed until the 4th of April, 1863. At -that date, which occurred on Saturday, flags and banners floated -from many of the windows, whilst the bells of St. Cuthbert’s -church rang out merry peals at intervals throughout the day. -No further ceremony, however, was observed on the occasion, -than the running of a train to Blackpool and back with a select -party of invited guests. Regular public traffic commenced on -Monday. During 1871 this line was amalgamated with the -Preston and Wyre, of which the Lancashire and Yorkshire, and -the London and North Western Railway Companies are the -lessees. The track was doubled in 1874, by laying down another -length of metals, and connected with the Kirkham and Lytham -branch. In the same year on the 1st of July, a spacious and -handsome station which had been erected according to the design -of C. Axon, esq., of Poulton, was brought into service, and the use -of the original one belonging to the branch just specified discontinued -for passenger traffic, the whole of which, both from Kirkham -and Blackpool, is now directed to the recently built central edifice. -It is expected that in course of time the coast line thus established -from Preston through Kirkham, Lytham, St. Anne’s, South Shore, -to Blackpool will supersede the old route through Poulton to the -last named resort for the conveyance of passengers. Important -alterations, it should be noted, were effected in the course of the -branch from Kirkham to Lytham immediately preceding its -junction with the Blackpool and Lytham line, by which the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_449"></a>[449]</span> -corner lying north of and between Kirkham and Wrea was cut -off. The rails were also doubled.</p> - -<p>Reverting to the town itself, we find that the day which gave -the small coast communication between Blackpool and Lytham -to the public use, also witnessed another event—the opening of -the Baths and Assembly Rooms, situated on the beach, about -midway between the Clifton Arms and the Neptune Hotels. The -building is of brick, with stone dressings, and presents an elegant -and rather imposing appearance. It comprises private and -swimming baths for both sexes; dressing-rooms, retiring-rooms, -news and general reading-room, and a capacious saloon, able to -contain 350 persons, used for concerts, balls, and other entertainments. -Early in the same year a Congregational Church was -completed in Bannister Street, the corner stone of which had -been laid on the 17th of October, 1861, by Sir James Watts, of -Manchester. The edifice is formed of Longridge stone, in the -ornamental Gothic style of architecture, with a spire, and will -hold about 500 worshippers. Within the enclosure wall surrounding -the church are the Sunday schools connected with it. -The first pile of the marine pier, extending into the estuary of -the Ribble from the promenade, was screwed into the ground on -the 8th of June, 1864. The structure was designed by E. Birch, -esq., C.E., and is supported on hollow cylindrical columns, -arranged in clusters. The length of the deck is 914 feet, the -whole of which is encircled by a continuous line of side seats, -whilst a lounging or waiting-room is stationed on the head. -The entrance is protected by gates and toll-houses. Easter -Monday, the 17th of April, 1865, was the day set apart for the -ceremonious opening of the new erection. The town was gaily -decorated with the bunting, and no efforts were spared to do full -justice to the importance of so auspicious an event. Immense -confluences of people arrived in excursion trains, running at -greatly reduced fares, from the business centres of Lancashire and -Yorkshire, and the streets and esplanade were literally inundated -with spectators from all grades of society. To Lady Eleanor -Cecily Clifton was delegated the honourable duty of declaring the -pier accessible to promenaders, and at the selected time, that lady, -accompanied by her son, T. H. Clifton, esq., proceeded to the -spot, where the necessary form was gone through; a large procession,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_450"></a>[450]</span> -headed by a marshall, and consisting of the mayor and -corporation of Preston, the directors of the Ribble Navigation -Company, naval and military officers, clergy, the several directors -of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, the Lytham and -Blackpool Railway, the Blackpool and the Southport Pier -Companies, and numerous gentry. Unabated prosperity continued -to shine on the watering-place, whose limits were annually -extended by additional buildings, and in all parts there was to be -observed that aspect of recent improvements and embellishments -which is ever indicative of a propitious fortune.</p> - -<p>The population in 1871 had reached the high figure of 7,902, -having more than doubled during the previous ten years, and if -further evidence were required of the development of Lytham, -none more irrefutable and convincing could be given than this -wonderful multiplication of the inhabitants. On the 3rd of -August, 1871, a neat Gothic cottage hospital, erected at the east -end of the resort, in Preston Road, at the sole expense of the lord -of the manor, was pronounced open for the reception of patients, -and transferred to a committee of management. The building -stands in three acres of land tastefully laid out, and comprises a -central portion of two stories, with a wing on either side, containing -two large wards (each with four beds), two sitting-rooms, -surgery, bath-rooms, and laundry, on the ground floor; upstairs -are four beds for invalids and a sleeping apartment for the matron. -The hospital is intended for the poor labouring under disease or -accidents. Luke Fisher, esq., M.D., is the physician in charge. -From 1871 up to the present date (1876), there is nothing calling -for separate comment beyond those matters in connection with -the railway and station already noticed, with the exception of the -beautiful park-garden, occupying the land formerly known as -Hungry Moor, and instituted through the liberality of J. T. -Clifton, esq., who bestowed the name of the Lowther Gardens on -the enclosure so gracefully designed and planted, and gave free -access to the public on its completion, about three years ago. -The progress of the town within the short interval at present -under consideration, has been marked by even greater rapidity -than that which shed such a halo of prosperity around the period -more immediately preceding; and there is no apparent prospect -that the powerful impetus which has thus far exerted its beneficial<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_451"></a>[451]</span> -influence on the place is likely to experience any diminution. -Indeed it may with reason be anticipated that when passenger -traffic is more thoroughly established along the coast line from -Preston to Blackpool, the demand for residential accommodation -will be still greater than that which supplies abundant occupation -to the builders to-day.</p> - -<p>The original endowment of Lytham Free School was derived -from the following sources:—In 1702, the Rev. James Threlfall, -of St. Cuthbert’s church, gave £5; and somewhere about the -same time, William Elston, who died in 1704, presented £3 3s. 0d., -for the use of the parish. Subsequently these sums of money -were supplemented by a grant of £10 from John Shepherd, of -Mythorp, and the whole invested, the interest being applied to -local charitable purposes. The benefaction of John Shepherd -was bestowed in trust upon Thomas Shepherd and his heirs, to -the intent that the interest should be applied to the “use of such -poor children’s schooling, as they, with two or three of the most -substantial men of the parish, whom they chose to consult, should -think fit;”<a id="FNanchor_212" href="#Footnote_212" class="fnanchor">[212]</a> but it is doubtful how it was disposed of until 1720, -when the three separate sums mentioned were incorporated, for -a motive stated directly, with a collection made in aid of those -who had suffered damage from a serious inundation in that year. -The inhabitants were unable to agree upon an equable distribution -of the collection specified, and decided, by way of settling -the affair, to “make a free school,”<a id="FNanchor_213" href="#Footnote_213" class="fnanchor">[213]</a> with it and the other sums. -The total capital thus acquired amounted to more than £100. -In 1728 £60 was derived from the residue of John Harrison’s -estate, by the direction of his will. William Gaulter gave to -Lytham school in 1745 several securities for money, amounting in -all to £99, and three years later bequeathed the residue of his -personal estate, except 20s., to the same object, making a total -benefaction of £335. The whole of the endowment fund has -been invested in land, and the school has always been in the -hands of trustees, who have control over the teachers and all -matters affecting its interest and government.</p> - -<p>Cookson’s Charity is the interest of £10 bequeathed by Thomas -Cookson at an unknown date before 1776, to purchase books for -the poor children of the parish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_452"></a>[452]</span></p> - -<p>Leyland’s Charity represents the sum of £60 left by Elizabeth -Leyland to trustees, in 1734, in order that it might be laid out, -and the annual revenue therefrom devoted to the assistance of -the poor, either in relieving the elderly, or providing instruction -for the young.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">St. Annes-on-the-Sea.</span> The locality in which the new -watering-place is rapidly developing was indicated in the -foundation charter of the Lytham Benedictine Cell as Kilgrimol. -It has been suggested that the peculiar orthography of the word -Kilgrimol points to there having been at some era a religious -settlement, presided over by Culdees, the priests of Columba,<a id="FNanchor_214" href="#Footnote_214" class="fnanchor">[214]</a> -but it is more probable that the name is derived from the two -British words <i>kilgury</i>, a corner, and <i>mul</i> or <i>meol</i>, a sand-hill. At -a later epoch the district was known as Cross or Churchyard Slack, -and tradition records that an oratory existed there until such time -as it was swallowed up by an earthquake, long years ago. Mr. -Thornber, in discussing the statement, advances the following fact -as some evidence in favour of its veracity:—“Churchyard Slack -is situated in a hollow, having on the north side a rising ground -called Stony-hill, and at the distance of three-quarters of a mile a -similar elevation, though not so marked. On these ridges are -found innumerable small boulders of grey granite, having apparently -been acted upon by fire; but it is particularly remarkable -that not one can be found amongst them entirely whole. Similar -stones in less quantities are discovered in the intervening space, -all more or less broken.”</p> - -<p>On the immediate outskirts of the embryo town is the small -hamlet of Heyhouses, at which a school was established in 1821, -and enlarged in 1853; and it was there that Lady Eleanor Cecily -Clifton erected a church, in memory of the late James Fair, esq., -of Lytham, on a site presented by her husband, the lord of the -manor. The foundation stone of the edifice was laid in June, -1872, and on Wednesday, the 6th of August, in the ensuing year, -the church and burial ground, occupying jointly 2½ acres, were -consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Manchester. The interior -contains accommodation for 300 persons, 145 seats being appropriated, -and 155 free. The roof is of red tiles instead of slates.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_453"></a>[453]</span> -The building is at present a chapel of ease to St. Cuthbert’s, -Lytham, but will, when occasion requires, have a separate -ecclesiastical parish of its own.</p> - -<p>The whole of the land of St. Annes-on-the-Sea was leased to a -company of gentlemen for a term of 1,100 years by John Talbot -Clifton, esq., and on the 31st of March, 1875, the formality of -laying the first stone of the future watering-place was gone -through by Master John T. Clifton, the eldest son of T. H. Clifton, -esq., M.P. The ceremony was accomplished amidst a large -concourse of people, and was in fact the commencement of the -handsome and commodious hotel near to the railway station, -which has since been completed. The estate has been judiciously -and tastefully arranged by Messrs. Maxwell and Tuke, architects, -of Bury, and is intersected by broad streets with gentle curves. -The houses are intended to be built either singly or in pairs with -few exceptions, but in no case will any group comprise more than -six; gardens in each instance are to front the dwellings. A -promenade, 3,000 feet in length and 180 feet in width, has been -formed with asphalt along the marine aspect, and already between -twenty and thirty villas have been raised on the sides of the -recently made thoroughfares. A public garden with conservatories -is also in course of formation, as well as efficient gas-works -and other requisites.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_454"></a>[454]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header3.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<span class="smaller">PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL’S-ON-WYRE.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre.</span></p> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-i.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">In the Domesday Book no less than three Rawcliffes -are mentioned, and have been identified, respectively, -with Upper, Middle, and Out Rawcliffes, the last being -stated to contain three carucates, and the others two -carucates each. In the <i>Testa de Nevill</i> it is entered that the -grandfather of Theobald Walter gave four carucates of land in -(Upper) Rawcliffe, Thistleton, and Greenhalgh, to his daughter -Alice, on her marriage with Orm Magnus. William de Lancaster -held Upper Rawcliffe at the time of his death in 1240; and in -1248 Theobald Walter, or le Botiler, had lands in Upper Rawcliffe -and Mid Rawcliffe, as well as the manor of Out Rawcliffe, the -principal portion of which had doubtless descended to him from -his ancestor alluded to above.<a id="FNanchor_215" href="#Footnote_215" class="fnanchor">[215]</a> An inquiry was instituted in 1322, -during the reign of Edward II., concerning the possessions in land -and mills of John de Rigmayden in Upper Rawcliffe, Wyresdale, -and Garstang; and a similar inquisition, with the exception of -Garstang, was made, three years later, in the case of widow -Christiana de Coucy de Guynes.<a id="FNanchor_216" href="#Footnote_216" class="fnanchor">[216]</a> In the succeeding few years -Joan, the daughter and heiress of John de Rigmayden, and John -de Coupland held Upper Rawcliffe between them. John de -Coupland had married the widow of Sir William de Goucy, and -was the gallant soldier who captured David II., king of Scotland,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_455"></a>[455]</span> -on the battle field at Durham, and was rewarded for his bravery -by Edward III., with the rank of knight-banneret and a grant of -land. Joan de Rigmayden, the heiress, probably married William -Southworth, as he is described as lord of Upper Rawcliffe a little -later; Ellen, the sole child and heiress of William Southworth, -became the wife of Robert Urswick, of Urswick, and their second -son, Thomas, who succeeded to the estates of Rawcliffe, etc., and -was knighted, left at his decease a daughter, who espoused, about -1430, John, the third son of Sir Richard Kirkby, of Kirkby. -John Kirkby resided at Upper Rawcliffe Hall,<a id="FNanchor_217" href="#Footnote_217" class="fnanchor">[217]</a> or White Hall, as -it was subsequently designated, and was succeeded by his eldest -son, William, who in his turn left the lands and mansion to his -heir and offspring John Kirkby. The eldest son of the last -gentleman, by his wife, the daughter of—Broughton, was -William Kirkby; and he, in course of time, inherited the -property, and married, in 1507, Elizabeth, the daughter of -William Thornborough, of Hampsfield, by whom he had issue -John, George, William, Richard, Henry, Anne, Elizabeth, and -Jane. John Kirkby, the heir, was living in 1567, but died -without offspring, as also did his brother George, so that Upper -Rawcliffe Hall and estate passed to the third son, William Kirkby, -who married Isabell, the daughter of John Butler, of Kirkland.<a id="FNanchor_218" href="#Footnote_218" class="fnanchor">[218]</a> -The Kirkbys continued in sole possession of the township until -1631, when Thomas Westby, of Mowbreck, purchased from them -Upper Rawcliffe Hall and the estate attached, both of which he -settled upon Major George Westby, the eldest son of his second -marriage with Elizabeth, the daughter of Thomas Preston, of -Holkar, and widow of Thomas Lathom, of Parbold. George -Westby resided at White Hall, as the manor house was now called, -and was twice married, being succeeded by John, the only child -by his first wife, Margaret, the daughter of Thomas Hesketh, of -Mains. Both George Westby and his third brother, Bernard, -were royalist officers. John Westby, of Upper Rawcliffe, espoused, -in 1684, Jane, the daughter of Thomas Bleasdale, of Alston, and -had issue John, Joseph, James, and Alice, who became the wife of -Thomas Gilibrand, of Dunken Hall, near Chorley. John Westby<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_456"></a>[456]</span> -the eldest son, inherited the mansion and land on the death of his -father in 1708, and married, in the following year, Mary, the -daughter of Thomas Hawett, of Ormskirk, by whom he had Thomas; -George, who died in 1776, leaving several children by his wife -Mary, the daughter of ⸺ Field; John, died unmarried; Cuthbert, -died childless; and Jane. Thomas Westby came into the estate -in 1745, when his father was accidentally killed, and espoused -Margaret, the daughter and heiress of William Shuttleworth, of -Turnover Hall, and Bridget, his wife, who was one of four -daughters, the sole offspring of John Westby, of Mowbreck. The -children of Thomas Westby, of White Hall, and, ultimately, of -one fourth of Mowbreck, were John, who died unmarried in 1811; -William, died unmarried in 1811, just before his brother; Joseph, -died young; Robert, died childless in 1800; Thomas; Bridget, -an abbess at Liege; and two Marys, one of whom died in infancy. -Thomas, the fifth son, held Mowbreck, White, and Turnover Halls -and estates, on the decease of his eldest brother, and at his own -death in 1829, without issue, was succeeded, in Turnover, by Thomas -the only surviving son of his uncle, George Westby, whose death -occurred in 1776; whilst he bequeathed Mowbreck and White Hall -to George, the eldest son of this Thomas Westby, by his wife -Anne, the daughter of John Ashley, of London. The Westbys, -of White Hall and Mowbreck, sold their property at the former -place in recent years to the late John Stevenson, esq., of Preston -and Lytham. Reverting to the earlier Westbys, we find that the -active parts played by George and Bernard Westby in the Civil -Wars resulted in the confiscation of the White Hall estate by -Parliament; and in 1653 it was sold by the Commissioners of -State, being purchased for the Westbys again by, and in the -names of, some of their Protestant friends.</p> - -<p>Upper Rawcliffe Hall was rebuilt about the time of its purchase -by the Westbys, who conferred upon it the new title of White -Hall. This mansion stood by the side of the river Wyre, and was -approached through a noble gateway. The windows were mullioned, -and two bays projected from the north-west front; within -were secret chambers and a private chapel. The Hall is now a -farm house. Turnover Hall, the ancient seat of the Shuttleworths, -and afterwards one of the mansions of the Westbys, as -already shown, presents nothing of special interest to our notice.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_457"></a>[457]</span> -St. Michael’s Hall, the residence of the Longworths<a id="FNanchor_219" href="#Footnote_219" class="fnanchor">[219]</a> during the -seventeenth century, and probably of the Kirkbys before them, -has since been rebuilt in an antique style, and converted into a -farm house.</p> - -<p>Tarnacre was claimed, amongst other places, by the abbot of -Cockersand in 1292, during the reign of Edward I., and was, -with Upper Rawcliffe, in early days, a feudal appendage of -Garstang.</p> - -<p>The township of Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre contains the -ancient parish church of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, which occupies -a prominent and picturesque station on the banks of the narrowed -Bleasdale stream, in the midst of the rural village, to which its -title has been extended. St. Michael’s church, or <i>Michelescherche</i>, -as it appears in the Survey of William the Conqueror, was -obviously standing on the arrival of that warrior in 1066, being, -with the exception of a similar structure at Kirkham, the only -edifice of its kind existing in the Fylde at that time. There are -no records amongst the meagre annals of Amounderness during -the Saxon era, to assist us in establishing beyond question the -antiquity of this church, but it may reasonably be supposed that -its erection took place at no long interval after the year 627, when -Paulinus was appointed bishop of the province of Northumbria, -in which St. Michael’s was situated. The zeal and piety displayed -by Paulinus are said to have exercised an important influence in -overcoming the pagan tendencies of the inhabitants of Lancashire, -and although it is far from probable that the whole of the people -of the Fylde at once became converts to Christianity, and -renounced their heathenish and superstitious ritual, still it would -be idle to deny that the ministrations of so earnest a prelate as -Paulinus were fruitful to a considerable degree in our district, -more especially when history proclaims the success of his efforts -in other portions of his diocese. The small band of professed -Christians would gradually extend their circle, and at no remote -date a building would become necessary where divine worship -could be conducted in a decent and orderly manner, according to -the direction of the newly-adopted creed; and it was, we opine, -at such an epoch that the church of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_458"></a>[458]</span> -first called into being. After the Norman Conquest the church -formed an item of the princely estate of Roger de Poictou, -acquired through the partial munificence of William I.; and possibly -in 1094, or thereabouts, was conferred by him upon the priory -of St. Mary’s, at Lancaster, in like manner to similar ecclesiastical -possessions which he held in Kirkham and Poulton. However -that may be, it is learnt from the <i>Testa de Nevill</i> that rather more -than a century after the foundation of the monastic house in the -year just named, the advowson of St. Michael’s was vested in -King John, who presented Master Macy to the living,<a id="FNanchor_220" href="#Footnote_220" class="fnanchor">[220]</a> then -valued at £66 13s. 4d. per annum. In 1326, William de -Walderston, rector of the church of St. Michael’s, and the prior -of Lancaster, were engaged in a controversy before the authorities -of Richmond, respecting the forest and other tithes of Myerscough, -and those of a place called Migchalgh, the suit being -decided at Lancaster on the 13th of October against the rector.<a id="FNanchor_221" href="#Footnote_221" class="fnanchor">[221]</a> -Nineteen years later, Henry, earl of Lancaster, was patron of the -living, and in 1411 Henry IV., duke of Lancaster, who had claimed -and obtained the crown resigned by Richard II., conveyed St. -Michael’s church to the Master and Brethren of the College or -Chantry of the Blessed Mary Magdalen, at Battlefield, near -Shrewsbury, nominally established by himself.<a id="FNanchor_222" href="#Footnote_222" class="fnanchor">[222]</a> The letters-patent -by which the transfer was effected, bore the Duchy seal, -and stipulated that Roger Yve, of Leeton, Keeper and Master of -the College concerned (really its founder), and his successors, -should, in return for the grant, make the following provision for -the maintenance of a vicar at the church of St. Michael’s:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“The Vicar and his Successors to receive, have, and possess, the offerings and -revenues which are and belong to the church of Michaelskirk, together with the -fruits and offerings arising from Hay and Revenues; the Tenth of Gardens dug -with the foot, of Lambs, Calves, Young Foals, Poultry, Young Pigs, Geese, Eggs, -Milk, Wool, Flax, Hemp, Mills, Apples, Garlick, Onions, Fishes, and Pigeons; -the first fruits of the Dead, otherwise called Mortuaries, whether they consist of -Animals, Clothes, or any other thing whatsoever, together with our Pool and -Mill, and also the Pool upon Wyre near the Rectory of Michaelskirk; and -further, the same Vicar and his Successors to have for their Dwelling the straw-thatched -Porch below the Rectory, and the Door and House adjoining, with the -Dovecote and Orchard near the Porch, and the Fishponds and Moats.”</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_459"></a>[459]</span></p> - -<p>The vicar on his part was required to pledge himself to pay all -ordinary taxes and expenses incumbent upon the church, excepting -“the covering of the chancel of the church, the payment of -40s. to the Archdeacon of Richmond, and the Tenths payable to -the King for ever,” for which the Master of the College agreed -on behalf of himself and his successors to be answerable.<a id="FNanchor_223" href="#Footnote_223" class="fnanchor">[223]</a> The -foregoing grant and regulations were confirmed in 1425 and 1485 -by Henry VI. and Henry VII. respectively. After the Dissolution -the right of presentation was exercised by King Charles in 1629, -who appointed Nicholas Bray to the vicarage. Subsequently the -patronage of the living has descended through several private -individuals, and is now centred in the present vicar, the Venerable -Archdeacon Hornby.</p> - -<p>The parish church of St. Michael’s contained two chantries, -one of which, dedicated to St. Katherine, occupied the chapel -still existing in the north aisle. This chantry was founded some -time about the middle of the fifteenth century by John Botiler, or -Butler, lord of the manor of Out Rawcliffe. Canon Raines says -that a portion of the body armour either of him or one of his -immediate descendants remained suspended in the chapel until -long after 1700.</p> - -<p>Alice Butler, the daughter of Sir Thomas Radcliffe, and widow -of Nicholas Butler, the eldest son of the founder, bequeathed by -will, dated the 20th of November, 1504, “her sowll to God and -hys Blessyd Mother and all the holye Cumpanie of heven, and -her bodye to be beryd in Christian wyse in Saynt Katrine’s -chapel, where her husband laye;” also “to the lyght brenning -there 20d; to Thomas Walton, or some wel dysposed priest to -synge for my sowll for one yeare £1 13s. 4d., solemn mass of -requiem, and other obsequies to be done as becometh one of my -degree, but not too moche expendsive so that my executors let -not (hinder not) my dowters advancement in marryage; and -to Sʳ John Butler, Clerk, 40s. a yeare togider with meate and -drynke whiles he is on lyfe.”<a id="FNanchor_224" href="#Footnote_224" class="fnanchor">[224]</a> In the reign of Henry VIII., -William Harrison was the officiating priest of this chantry, and -at that time its tenants, possessions, and annual rentals were, one<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_460"></a>[460]</span> -tenement lying in Esprick, held by Thomas Dawson at 20s. per -annum; another tenement in the same place held by William -Hall at 19s.; a windmill in Stainall at 26s. 8d., and several parcels -of ground amounting to about an acre at 2s., held by Ralph Hull; -one tenement in Stainall with appurtenances held by Ralph -Hodgeson at 12s.; an acre of ground lying in a field at Stainall -held by William Hull at 2s. 8d.; two roods of land in Stainall -held by the wife of Christopher Hull at 12d.; divers plots of -ground estimated to comprise four acres in the same township -held by William Hull, the elder, at 19s.; one tenement with -appurtenances in Great Eccleston held by the wife of William -Stiholme at 13s. 4d.; and one tenement in Little Eccleston held -by Henry Wilkinson, at 20s. Hence it seems that the gross -rentals amounted to £5 15s. 8d., out of which 5s. per annum was -paid to the wife of Robert Stannall for her jointure, leaving £5 -10s. 8d. the actual yearly revenue of the chantry from its endowment.<a id="FNanchor_225" href="#Footnote_225" class="fnanchor">[225]</a> -At the accession of Edward VI., Henry Harrison was -the “Priest Incumbent at St. Katherine’s Altar, being 54 years -old, and he taught a Grammar School according to his foundation.” -When chantries were suppressed the educational -institution here alluded to was probably abandoned for want of -funds and a master; in any case it ceased to exist about that -time. On the 29th of November, 1606, James I. granted to -Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, “all that Late Chantrie of the -ffoundation of John Butler, at the Aulter of the Blessed -Katherine within the Parishe Churche of St. Michaell-upon-Wyre, -in the Countye of Lancaster, lately dissolved, and all the -lands appertaining thereto.”</p> - -<p>The second chantry in St. Michael’s church was founded -sometime during the fifteenth century by one of the earlier -Kirkbys, of Upper Rawcliffe, and in the reign of Edward VI. its -annual income from endowment property was £4 13s. 10d., -Thomas Crosse, of the age of 40 years, being the priest who -celebrated there and “assisted the Curate.” Nothing more -precise concerning the origin of this chantry can be ascertained, -and even the situation it occupied in the church is unknown. In -1553 Thomas Crosse received a pension of £4 13s. 10d. a year.<a id="FNanchor_226" href="#Footnote_226" class="fnanchor">[226]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_461"></a>[461]</span></p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of vicars of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre"> - <tr> - <th colspan="4">VICARS OF ST. MICHAEL’S-ON-WYRE.<br /><span class="smcap">In the Deanery of Amounderness and Archdeaconry of Lancaster.</span></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>By whom Presented.</th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1200</td> - <td>Master Macy</td> - <td>King John</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1377</td> - <td>William de Horneby</td> - <td>Duke of Lancaster(?)</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1411</td> - <td>Johannes de Daleby</td> - <td>College of Battlefield</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1549</td> - <td>Michael Thorneborrow</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1549</td> - <td>Thomas Crosse</td> - <td>G. Kirkby and Nich. Lawrenson, gents., patrons on this occasion only, by consent of John Hussey, master, and the Fellows of Battlefield College</td> - <td>Death of M. Thorneborrow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1628</td> - <td>Robert Carr</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1629</td> - <td>Nicholas Bray</td> - <td>King Charles I.</td> - <td>Resignation of R. Carr</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1650</td> - <td>William Bray</td> - <td>King Charles I.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About 1653</td> - <td>Nathaniel Baxter</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1715</td> - <td>Thomas Robinson</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1715</td> - <td>Richard Crombleholme</td> - <td>Thomas Clitherall</td> - <td>Death of T. Robinson</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1729</td> - <td>William Crombleholme</td> - <td>Edward Crombleholme</td> - <td>Death of R. Crombleholme</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1765</td> - <td>Robert Oliver</td> - <td>Richard Whitehead</td> - <td>Death of W. Crombleholme</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1768</td> - <td>Anthony Swainson, M.A.</td> - <td>Richard Whitehead</td> - <td>Cession of R. Oliver</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1784</td> - <td>Charles Buck, M.A.</td> - <td>John Swainson</td> - <td>Death of A. Swainson</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1789</td> - <td>Hugh Hornby, M.A.</td> - <td>Joseph Hornby</td> - <td>Resignation of C. Buck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1847</td> - <td class="bb">William Hornby, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Himself</td> - <td class="bb">Death of H. Hornby</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The Rev. Hugh de Horneby was the brother of Robert de -Horneby, vicar of Kirkham, and it may fairly be inferred that -they belonged to the family of Hornbys, whose descendants are -now settled at St. Michael’s, Ribby, and Winwick, but lapse of -time has obliterated the connecting links. The Rev. Nathaniel -Baxter was ejected in 1662, for refusing to take the oath -required by the Act of Uniformity. Little only can be ascertained -concerning the Crombleholmes, but it is conjectured that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_462"></a>[462]</span> -they were associated with the branch of that name seated at -Goosnargh. The Rev. Richard Crombleholme had two sons—Edward -and William, by the latter of whom he was succeeded in -the vicarage, whilst to the former seems to have descended the -patronage, acquired by purchase. The Rev. William Crombleholme -married the daughter of Alexander Butler, of Kirkland, -and possibly had no offspring beyond the Elizabeth Crombleholme, -to whose memory the mural monument shortly to -be noticed, was erected. The Rev. Anthony Swainson was -the son of the Rev. Christopher Swainson, B.A., incumbent -of Copp, and Elizabeth, his wife; he was a Fellow of -Worcester College, Oxford. The Rev. Charles Buck was -the son of the Rev. Charles Buck, M.A., vicar of Kirkham; -he was afterwards curate of Warton and Lund. The Rev. Hugh -Hornby was the sixth son of Hugh Hornby, esq., of Kirkham, -whose eldest son was Joseph Hornby, esq., D.L., of Ribby Hall. -He married Ann, daughter and co-heiress of Joseph Starky, M.D., -of Redvales, and had issue, one son, William, now the Venerable -Archdeacon Hornby, who succeeded him in the living, and is the -present vicar and patron. The Ven. Archdeacon Hornby is an -honorary canon of Manchester, and has been twice married, but -further information respecting the family will be found in the -pedigree of “Hornby of Ribby Hall.”</p> - -<p>The present church is a broad low building of rough stone, with -a tower of similar character at the west end. Both the tower and -church are surmounted and surrounded by a castellated stone -parapet and ornamental pinnacles of the same material. The porch -and the tower bear the date 1611 and initial letters H:B. upon their -exteriors, but it is evident that much of the edifice can boast a -considerably greater antiquity than that indicated by the corresponding -inscriptions. It is also obvious from the varieties -displayed in the architecture of different portions, more -especially the windows, that the rebuilding of the church has -not been accomplished all at once, but carried on at pretty long -intervals, extending back certainly to the time of Henry VIII., and -perhaps further. Within, the south side aisle is separated from -the nave by a succession of stone arches running from east to -west, whilst the north side aisle contains the chapel in which was -placed the altar of St. Katherine, and where now is the following<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_463"></a>[463]</span> -inscription:—“This Oratory, known before the Dissolution to -have been a Chantry dedicated to Saint Katherine, and -competently endowed with lands in the neighbouring townships, -was repaired by John ffrance, esq., of Rawcliffe Hall, A.D. 1797, -being an appendage to that ancient manor house.” The tower -opens directly into the nave without even the semblance of a -partition, and on one wall is fixed a brass plate intimating that -the large clock, whose huge pendulum vibrates opposite, and -whose dials are visible without, was presented, in 1850, to the -Ven. Archdeacon Hornby by his parishioners, as a mark of esteem. -The mural tables occupying stations within the aisles and nave -are erected to the memories of Edward Greenhalgh, of Myerscough -Hall, died in 1823, aged 53, and Margaret, his widow, died in 1853, -aged 92, also Mary, died in infancy, and Charlotte, died in 1823, -aged 29, their daughters; Thomas Westby, of White Hall, died -in 1762, aged 47, and Margaret, his widow, died in 1802, aged 82, -also their children—Mary, died in infancy, Joseph, in 1769, aged -16, Bridget, in 1786, aged 37, Robert, in 1800, aged 45, Mary, in -1805, aged 45, William, in 1811, aged 60, and John, in 1811, aged -65—Thomas, the only surviving child being the erector of the -monument in 1812; Hugh Hornby, M.A., 56 years vicar of the -parish, died in 1847, aged 81, and Anne, his widow, died in 1850, -aged 81 years, also Joseph Starkey Hornby, born in 1839, died in -1858, and William Hornby, born in 1845, died in 1858—“They -were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they -were not divided”; Henry Hornby, late Captain in the East -India Service, died in 1794, aged 54, “also near this place were -interred the remains of his late father, Thomas Hornby, of St. -Michael’s, who died Mar. 8, 1785, aged 76, likewise Elizabeth, wife -and mother to the above, who died May 14th, 1798, aged 84”; -Elizabeth Crombleholme, daughter of the Rev. William Crombleholme, -formerly vicar of the parish, “whose mortal remains were -deposited in the graveyard of this church near those of her beloved -parents on the 21st of May, 1817—Erected as a tribute of esteem -by her affectionate relative Thomas Butler Cole, of Kirkland Hall.” -The Baptistry was restored in 1852 by the surviving children of -John and Susannah Swainson, of Preston, and contains several -tablets affixed to the north wall in memory of numerous members -of that family, amongst whom may be mentioned the Revs.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_464"></a>[464]</span> -Christopher Swainson, B.A., incumbent of Copp, died in 1775; -Anthony Swainson, M.A., vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, died -1784, aged 42; and Christopher Swainson, M.A., prebendary of -Hereford, and vicar of Clun, Salop, died in 1854. The burial -ground surrounding the church presents nothing of much interest -to the antiquarian beyond an old sun-dial, and the Crombleholme -grave lying under the shadow of the east wall. The living is a -discharged vicarage.</p> - -<p>The following extracts from the ancient vestry books will -doubtless be interesting to our readers, although not of much -importance as parish records:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“April, 1683: To Ann Raby for washing surplice, 4s.; to John Fisher for work -for clock and bells, 8s. 6d.</p> - -<p>“Ordered this 21st of June, 1683, that no person or persons for the future be -admitted to bury any dead corpse in the church unless he or they, at whose -instance such corpse shall be buried, do in hand pay to the sexton of the parish -for the same, being 12 pence for the use of the parish, or sufficiently secure the -same to him, the corpses of women dying in childbed only excepted, which are -hereby intended to be free, as is usual in other parishes.—Thos. Robinson, vicar; -Rich. Longworth, Thos. White, gents.; Jas. Raby, Rich. B. Hornby, Rich. -Wilding, George Bennet, churchwardens.”</p> - -<p>“May 18, 1688: It is ordered that the two former orders made, the one ffor -destroying Magpie and Sparrow heads, and the other for allowing the churchwardens -to pay ... out of the parish money, be for the future -suspended.”</p> - -<p>“July 4, 1729: To ring one Bell at 7.0; to ring 2 Bells at 8.0; to ring and -chime for Service in summer from half an hour past 10 o’clock, and in winter -from Ten till half an hour after.”</p> - -<p>“Aug. 25, 1736: It was ordered by ye Vicar and gentlemen of ye parish that -another church lay after ye rate of 12d. in £1, besides ye 3 church lays before -mentioned, be forthwith collected and gathered for repairing ye church. N.B.: -This church lay is collected for laying a new beam and erecting a new pair of -principals between ye church and ye chancel at the joint charges of ye parish and -Allen Johnson, esq., owner of ye chancel.”</p> - -<p>May 5, 1745: Be it known that John Lewtas has cleared up ye difficulties -about ye quakers’ taxes for Rawcliffe.</p> - -<p>“1746: Ringers’ salary, 15s.; for 5th of November, 6s.; for sanding churchyard, -1s.</p> - -<p>“November 6, 1780: Agreed by the Vicar and gentlemen of the Vestry of St. -Michael’s, that each Ringer attending the church shall be allowed two tankards -of ale, and each singer one tankard, together with each one their dinner.”</p> - -<p>“November 6, 1792: It was determined by a majority of the gentlemen of -the Vestry to raise the dues for opening a grave in the inside of the church to -6s. 8d.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_465"></a>[465]</span></p> - -<p>“1796: At a meeting of the Vestry of this church it was unanimously resolved -that the remainder of the profits arising from the estate called Terleways and the -garden in Upper Rawcliffe, after defraying the expenses of a dinner and a quart -of ale to each vestryman, churchwarden, the curate of Copp, and clerk of St. -Michael’s, at the respective days of Easter Tuesday and the 5th of November for -7 years ensuing, commencing with the present day (March 29, 1796), shall be -suffered to accumulate during the above period towards purchasing an Organ for -the Church of St. Michael’s; and that every Stranger introduced on the forementioned -days at dinner, except it be on business of the parish, shall be paid for -by the person introducing him.”</p> - -<p>“July 15, 1799: To a Finger and Barrel Organ with the following stops—Open, -Diapason, Stop do., Principal, Twelfth, Fifteenth, Sesqualtra, and -Mixture,—£183 15s. 0d.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In 1708 Richard Cornall gave £40 to be invested, and the -interest applied towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster for -Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre, and in 1808 Joseph Fielding, of -Catterall, was the sole remaining trustee of a sum of money, -amounting to £60, of which the £40 doubtless formed part, for -educational purposes. At that date Joseph Fielding induced the -Rev. Hugh Hornby, vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, and William -Harrison, of Upper Rawcliffe, to undertake the trust with him on -a fresh deed, the old one having been lost. A new schoolhouse -was shortly erected on the site of the former building, and is now -governed by the representatives of the trustees named. In 1813 -Mrs. Elizabeth Crombleholme left £200 in trust to be invested, -and the annual income therefrom paid to the master of -St. Michael’s-on-Wyre school for teaching three poor children of -the parish to read, write, and cast accounts.</p> - -<p>Bread-money was probably established during the lifetime of -John ffrance, of Rawcliffe Hall, and arises from “two-sevenths of -the clear rent of a close of ground lying in Kirkham, purchased -with £20, to be distributed to the poor attending divine service -in the parish church of St. Michael’s, at the direction of John -ffrance, esq., and his heirs; Thomas Langton, gent., and his heirs; -and the vicar of St. Michael’s for the time being.”<a id="FNanchor_227" href="#Footnote_227" class="fnanchor">[227]</a></p> - -<p>Ralph Longworth, esq., of St. Michael’s Hall, left £5 per annum -to the vicar, and £2 10s. to the poor of Upper Rawcliffe.</p> - -<p>Thomas Knowles, gent., left £2 10s., and John Hudson, gent., -£2 a-year to the poor of the same township.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_466"></a>[466]</span></p> - -<p>The Terleway’s Lands were given by some one unknown at a -very early date “for the use of the parish, as the vicar and vestry -shall direct,” and consist of lands in Claughton and a garden in -Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre.<a id="FNanchor_228" href="#Footnote_228" class="fnanchor">[228]</a></p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF UPPER RAWCLIFFE-WITH-TARNACRE.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">494</td> - <td class="tdr">617</td> - <td class="tdr">643</td> - <td class="tdr">665</td> - <td class="tdr">671</td> - <td class="tdr">697</td> - <td class="tdr">682</td> - <td class="tdr">700</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township embraces 3,743 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Great Eccleston.</span> Great Eccleston was anciently held by -William de Lancaster as an appendage of the fee of Wyresdale. -William de Lancaster died without issue, and Wyresdale, with -its dependency Great Eccleston, passed to Walter de Lindsay, the -eldest son of his second sister, Alice. The Lindsay line terminated -in the heiress Christiana de Lindsay, living in 1300, who married -Ingelram de Guynes, Lord of Coucy, in France, whose eldest son -was created earl of Bedford in 1336, and whose second and third -sons, Sir William de Coucy and Robert de Coucy, held Great -Eccleston as part of Wyresdale, their inheritance, in 1346. -The widow of Sir William de Coucy conveyed her portion -of Great Eccleston in marriage to Sir John de Coupland, and the -remainder was then held by Baldwin de Guynes and Joan, the -heiress of John de Rigmayden. The whole of the township, with -the exception of certain lands rented by the convent of Deulacres,<a id="FNanchor_229" href="#Footnote_229" class="fnanchor">[229]</a> -descended in the manner above described from William de -Lancaster, through the Lindsays and Guynes or Coucys, to -Coupland, Baldwin de Guynes, and Joan Rigmayden, and subsequently -to their heirs. Amongst the <i>Familiæ Lancastrienses</i> -there are two families of Ecclestons, one of which is described as -of Eccleston, near Preston, and the other of Eccleston simply, the -latter doubtless being the Ecclestons who were seated at Great -Eccleston Hall anterior to the Stanleys, the occupants in the -seventeenth century, whose pedigree will be found, with others, in -a former chapter of this volume. The Ecclestons, of Eccleston, -near Preston, would belong to the place of that name in the -Hundred of Leyland. Thomas Stanley, an illegitimate son of -the fourth earl of Derby, settled, about 1600, at Great Eccleston -Hall, which, together with the estate, was probably purchased;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_467"></a>[467]</span> -his descendants remained there until the death of Richard -Stanley, in 1714, when Thomas Westby, of Upper Rawcliffe, -obtained possession of the land and mansion, both of which have -since descended in his line.</p> - -<p>An Episcopal chapel was erected, in 1723, on the summit of a -hill at Copp, almost a mile from the village of Great Eccleston, -and near to Elswick chapel, “which,” says Bishop Gastrell, “being -never consecrated and in the possession of the Dissenters, it was -thought more proper to build a new one there than to seize upon -that.” Subjoined is a letter from John ffrance, of Little -Eccleston Hall, to William Stafford, Commissary of Richmond, -and Secretary to Bishop Gastrell, called forth by sundry matters -in connection with the newly completed place of worship:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="right">“Eccleston parva, Aug. 3, 1724.</p> - -<p>“Upon some discourse with Mr. Dixon (vicar of Kirkham) about Cop Chapell -I will give you the trouble of this. When Subscriptions were desired towards -building the said Chapell it was proposed and intended to be not only for the use -of the Inhabitants of St. Michael’s, but likewise for the use of several townships, -which lye in the Parish of Kirkham, remote from their Parish Church; and the -Inhabitants of this township (Little Eccleston-with-Larbrick) have contributed -more towards the Building than those of St. Michael’s, and would have erected -it within Kirkham Parish, if the situation had been thought equally convenient. -And likewise the person, who promised to pay the hundred pounds towards the -Queen’s Bounty, gave a note touching the same, with conditions in favour of -Kirkham Parish.</p> - -<p>“Before the Chapell was erected the two Vicars of the Parishes aforesaid were -together, seemed to encourage our proceedings, and talked amicably and agreeably -about Nomination, etc.; but since the Chapell was built several proposals have -been made to which the Vicar of Kirkham has consented, but the Vicar of St. -Michael’s seems to dislike them. One of the proposals was that the determination -of the affair might be referred to the Bishop of Chester, whose generous offer to -procure £100 towards the Endowment of this Chapell gave great encouragement -to our undertaking the building thereof. Some people have refused to pay their -Subscriptions on pretence that the Vicar of St. Michael’s has departed from -former proposals; but we hope (if these differences could be amicably settled to -the satisfaction of the neighbourhood) that not only the old, but likewise several -new Subscriptions might be procured, especially if our grateful behaviour for -by-past favours may continue his Lordship’s Countenance and Encouragement; -and we desire you to represent the matter to him as favourably as you think it -will bear.”</p> - -<p class="center">(Signed)</p> - -<p class="right">John ffrance.</p> - -</div> - -<p>The chapel was a small plain brick building, dedicated to -St. Anne, but in 1841 a tower was added, and at the same time -a burial ground was enclosed and licensed in connection with it.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_468"></a>[468]</span> -Great Eccleston, Elswick, and Little Eccleston-with-Larbrick -townships were, in 1849, constituted a separate ecclesiastical -district, known as the parish of Copp, of which this chapel is -the parochial church. There is a vicarage house.</p> - -<table class="borders" summary="List of curates and vicars of Copp"> - <tr> - <th colspan="3">CURATES AND VICARS OF COPP.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Date of Institution.</th> - <th><span class="smcap">Name.</span></th> - <th>Cause of Vacancy.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Before 1775</td> - <td>Christopher Swainson, B.A.</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1841</td> - <td>Reginald Sharpe</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In 1841</td> - <td>Thomas Hathornthwaite, L.L.D.</td> - <td>Resignation of R. Sharpe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto">”</span> 1864</td> - <td>William C. Dowding, M.A.</td> - <td>Resignation of T. Hathornthwaite</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="bb"><span class="ditto">”</span> 1870</td> - <td class="bb">William Bateson, M.A.</td> - <td class="bb">Resignation of William C. Dowding</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>A new Catholic chapel was completed in 1835, and superseded -one of considerable age. Three fairs are held each year on -March 14th, April 14th, and November 4th, for cattle.</p> - -<p>The origin of the free school at Copp has not been discovered, -but the earliest endowment to be found dates from 1719, when -William Fyld, yeoman, of Great Eccleston, left the remainder of -his personal estate, amounting to about £250, to be invested in -trustees, and the interest to be paid yearly “for a Master to teach -Poor Children here, or in some other part of the township.” By -his will, dated 1st of April, 1748, William Gaulter bequeathed -£242 14s. to certain trustees to augment the stipend of the -master of this school, and directed that in case the educational -establishment should ever be abandoned, or the terms of the will -not be observed, the annual income derived from his bequest -should be distributed amongst the poor inhabitants of the -neighbourhood. In 1866 the school was temporarily closed, whilst -the charity was under the revision of the Charity Commissioners; -and in 1871 a new and more commodious building was erected. -There is also another school in this township, called Lane Head -school, held in a building erected by subscription on the site of -the original one, which had collapsed through age. The only -endowment is a rent charge of £5 supposed to have been left by -Thomas Clitherall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_469"></a>[469]</span></p> - -<p>William Fyld, of Great Eccleston, bequeathed £2 annually to -the poor of that township.</p> - -<p>Ellen Longworth left the interest of £20 to be distributed in -bread to the poor people attending divine service at Copp church.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF GREAT ECCLESTON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">455</td> - <td class="tdr">540</td> - <td class="tdr">648</td> - <td class="tdr">624</td> - <td class="tdr">661</td> - <td class="tdr">631</td> - <td class="tdr">641</td> - <td class="tdr">565</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township in statute acres is 1,412</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Out Rawcliffe.</span> The manor of Out Rawcliffe was presented -to Theobald Walter by Richard I., and from that time to 1715 -remained in the hands of the same family. Theobald Walter, -the son of the above-named gentleman, and <i>Butler</i> of Ireland, -a title which, as elsewhere stated, he adopted as a surname, -gave the whole of Out Rawcliffe, and one carucate of land in -Stainall, to his relative, perhaps son, Sir Richard Butler, -and from him sprang the long line of Butlers of Rawcliffe.<a id="FNanchor_230" href="#Footnote_230" class="fnanchor">[230]</a> In -1627 the inquisition <i>post mortem</i> of Henry Butler, of Rawcliffe -Hall, revealed that his possessions consisted of the two manors of -Out and Middle Rawcliffes, and of lands in Upper Rawcliffe.<a id="FNanchor_231" href="#Footnote_231" class="fnanchor">[231]</a> -Henry and Richard Butler of Rawcliffe, father and eldest son, -joined the ranks of the insurgents in 1715, and after the suppression -of the rebellion, their estates were confiscated; Henry -escaped, but Richard was seized, and died in prison at London in -1716, before the day appointed for his execution. The sale of -Out Rawcliffe by Government was enrolled on the 19th of -September, 1723, the purchasers being the Rev. Richard Crombleholme, -(vicar of St. Michael’s), John Leyland, Cornelius Fox, -and James Poole; and in the diary of the Rev. Thos. Parkinson, -curate of Garstang, reference is made to the completion and -terms of the transfer as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“April 1723.— ... At night I preached for T. Raby, of Tarnacre, at -St. Michael’s. His son paid me 10s. Mr. Crombleholm, the vicar there, came -from London, whilst I was there, who, in conjunction with three more, had -bought Rawcliffe demain and tenants, paying to the board £11,260. It cost -them near £1,000 more in hush money, as they call it.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>In 1729 the Rev. Richard Crombleholme, who seems to have -bought up the shares of his co-investors, died, and five years later -his heir, Edward Crombleholme, disposed of the lordship of Out<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_470"></a>[470]</span> -Rawcliffe, with its courts, fishing in the Wyre, rents, etc., to -Thomas Roe, whose only child and heiress married John ffrance, -of Little Eccleston Hall. The only son and heir of John ffrance, -of Rawcliffe and Little Eccleston, also called John, became lord -of the manor on the decease of his father in 1774. He espoused -Margaret, the daughter and heiress of ⸺ Rigg, of Lancaster, -and, dying without issue, devised his property, after the death of -his widow, to Thomas Wilson, of Preston, whose wife, the -daughter of ⸺ Cross, of Shaw Hall, Chorley, was his nearest -relative. Thomas Wilson assumed the surname of ffrance in -addition to his own, and was succeeded, under the will of John -ffrance, by his son, Thomas Robert Wilson-ffrance, who effected -great improvements on the land by draining and re-covering the -mosses, thereby increasing the value of the estate considerably. -T. R. Wilson-ffrance died in 1853, and Rawcliffe descended to -his only son, Robert Wilson-ffrance, who lived but six years -afterwards, and bequeathed his estates to his sole offspring, -Robert John Barton Wilson-ffrance, esq., at that time an infant, -and now in possession. Rawcliffe Hall lies on the south of the -township, in a park-like enclosure, leading to the banks of the -river Wyre. The present mansion was built in the 17th century, -but during more recent years has undergone material alterations. -The remains of the Catholic chapel attached to it are situated at -the rear.</p> - -<p>The church of Out Rawcliffe was consecrated in 1837, and was -erected by subscription and a donation from the late T. R. -Wilson-ffrance, esq., who also gave the site, and retained the -patronage. The style of architecture is said to resemble some -portions of the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, with a fine Norman -arch over the west end. There are 250 sittings, of which 150 are -free. The first incumbent was the Rev. W. Chadwick, who was -succeeded by the Rev. Joshua Waltham. The Rev. James C. -Home, M.A., is the third and present holder of the living.</p> - -<p>There is a good day-school supported out of the Rawcliffe estate.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF OUT RAWCLIFFE.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">413</td> - <td class="tdr">484</td> - <td class="tdr">598</td> - <td class="tdr">575</td> - <td class="tdr">728</td> - <td class="tdr">791</td> - <td class="tdr">771</td> - <td class="tdr">832</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area in statute acres of Out Rawcliffe is 4,340.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_471"></a>[471]</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Elswick.</span> From the <i>Testa de Nevill</i> it appears that about -1400 Warin de Wytingham and Alin de Singilton held respectively -the eighth and sixteenth parts of a knight’s fee in Elswick -from the Earl of Lincoln. Edmund Dudley had the manor -until his attainder at the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII.; -and in 1521, Thomas, earl of Derby, held it of that monarch. -The soil is now in the possession of several landowners.</p> - -<p>In 1650 the Parliamentary Commissioners of the Commonwealth -reported that the inhabitants, “being fifty families, and -five miles from their parish church, had lately, with the voluntary -and free assistance of some neighbouring towns, erected a chapel.” -The Rev. Cuthbert Harrison, who had been ejected from his -benefice in Ireland for refusing the oath of Uniformity, procured -a license from Charles II. in 1672 for the same chapel, “for the -use of such as did not conform to the Church of England, commonly -called Congregational.” Parliament, however, decreed -that the King’s authority was insufficient, and forbade divine -service to be held there a short time later. In 1702 the chapel -seems to have been again opened, and continued in use amongst -the Independents until 1753, when it was superseded by a new -one, enlarged in 1838. The memorial stone of the present chapel, -erected to commemorate the persecutions under the Five Mile -Act of two centuries ago, was laid by Sir James Watts, of Manchester, -on the 30th of July, 1873, and the building completed -with all expedition. The chapel stands on a plot of ground presented -by Mrs. Harrison, of Bankfield, adjoining the site of the -former edifice, and is a handsome stone Gothic structure. The -mortuary, with tower and spire, was given by R. C. Richards, -esq., J.P., of Clifton Lodge, in memory of certain members of -his family.</p> - -<p>Elizabeth Hoole, by will dated 26th of April, 1727, charged a -meadow in Elswick, which she gave to the Roman Catholic -chapel of Great Eccleston, with the annual payment of £3 to the -poor of Elswick.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF ELSWICK.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">232</td> - <td class="tdr">256</td> - <td class="tdr">290</td> - <td class="tdr">327</td> - <td class="tdr">303</td> - <td class="tdr">307</td> - <td class="tdr">290</td> - <td class="tdr">254</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township includes 1,009 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_472"></a>[472]</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wood Plumpton.</span> In the Domesday Book Pluntun is entered -as comprising two carucates of arable land. Robert de Stokeport -died possessed of the manor in 1248, and his daughter and heiress -married Nicholas de Eton as her first husband, and John de -Arderne as her second. Robert de Eton, a descendant of her -first marriage, obtained Wood Plumpton in 1340. Cecily de -Stokeport, heiress of the Etons, conveyed the manor to Sir -Edward Warren, of Poynton, in which family it remained until -transferred, in 1777, to Viscount Thomas James Bulkeley on his -marriage with Elizabeth Harriet, only child of Sir George -Warren. The Bulkeley property ultimately passed to the -Fleming-Leycesters, whence Lord de Tabley obtained the lordship. -Charles Birley, esq., of Bartle Hall, is the present possessor of the -manor. Wood Plumpton Hall was anciently the seat of the -Warrens, whilst Ambrose Hall was occupied by a family of the -same name, from which descended the Rev. Isaac Ambrose, who -was ejected from Garstang by the Act of Uniformity. Richard -Ambrose, of Ambrose Hall, left a son and heir, William, who -married the daughter of ⸺ Curwen of Lancaster, and had issue -a son, Nicholas. Nicholas Ambrose espoused Jane, daughter of -John Singleton, of Gingle Hall, Lancashire, and left six sons and -a daughter, the eldest of whom, William, resided at Ambrose Hall -in 1567, and was twice married, first to Anne, widow of Lawrence -Cotham, of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, and after her decease to -Margaret, widow of Sir Richard Houghton. Flower’s heraldic -visitation, from which the foregoing is extracted, was made in -1567, and consequently the pedigree cannot be traced further.</p> - -<p>The church of Wood Plumpton is very ancient, being probably -in existence during the earlier years of the 14th century. It was -rebuilt in 1630, and has subsequently undergone numerous -alterations, consisting now of nave, chancel, and two aisles. The -communion table has the date and initials “W. A. 1635” upon -it, and a beam in the roof is carved with the year “1639.” An -organ was obtained in 1849. The principal window, the gift of -R. Waterworth, esq., of Preston, is beautifully emblazoned, in -addition to which there are several other richly stained windows. -A handsome monument of marble, representing a sailor mourning, -is situated in the north aisle, and was erected in memory of -Henry Foster, R.N., F.R.S., son of a former incumbent who was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_473"></a>[473]</span> -drowned in 1831, in the river Chagres, Gulf of Mexico. The -church is dedicated to St. Anne, and the Rev. Isaac Mossop is the -present vicar.</p> - -<p>There is a Roman Catholic chapel at Cottam, erected in 1793. -The date of the original one is unknown, but in 1768 it was -almost completely destroyed by an election mob. A Wesleyan -chapel was built in 1815, and another for the Primitive Methodists -about 1819.</p> - -<p>The township contains an auxiliary workhouse, connected with -the Preston Union, which was erected in 1823. Annual courts -are held for the manor of Wood Plumpton, which includes the -hamlets of Catforth, Eaves, Bartle, and Wood Plumpton.</p> - -<p>The school at Catforth was established by Alice Nicholson, of -Bartle, who gave in 1661 the sum of £100 in trust for the maintenance -of a free school within the manor of Wood Plumpton. -Subsequent benefactions have been received as follows:—The -same Alice Nicholson £10 by will, in 1664; John Hudson, of -Lea, £20 by will, in 1676; John Hall, of Catforth, £20 by deed, -in 1732; James Hall, of Catforth, £10 by will, in 1741; Richard -Eccles, £100 by will, in 1762; Elizabeth Bell, £100 by deed, in -1813; Richard Threlfall, £20 by deed in 1813; and Ann Robinson, -£90 by will in 1817. The total endowment up to 1813, -amounting to £380, was invested on the 21st of April in that -year, in the navy five per cents., in the name of the trustees. -The further bequest of £90 was placed out at interest.</p> - -<p>In 1817, Ann Robinson, the benefactress just mentioned, also -left £90 in trust, the interest to be given to the master teaching -the Sunday school at Wood Plumpton church.</p> - -<p>Thomas Houghton gave, in 1649, the fourth part of the rental -of an estate in Wood Plumpton to the poor of that township.</p> - -<p>It is recited in an indenture, dated 9th January, 1709, that -George Nicholson bequeathed the rents of several closes of land, -which he stood possessed of for a certain term of years, in trust, -for the poor of Wood Plumpton, and also left for the same -charitable object, the sum of £200, to be retained by his executors, -and the interest only distributed, until the expiration of the above -term, when the sum should be paid to the churchwardens and -overseers, and used as heretofore. The indenture further recites -that on the death of George Nicholson in 1672, a Chancery suit<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_474"></a>[474]</span> -arose out of the will, the result being that the poor were awarded -£210 as a settlement of their legal claims upon the property of -the deceased. The money was ordered to be invested, and the -annual income bestowed as directed by the testator.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF WOOD PLUMPTON.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1,197</td> - <td class="tdr">1,397</td> - <td class="tdr">1,635</td> - <td class="tdr">1,719</td> - <td class="tdr">1,688</td> - <td class="tdr">1,574</td> - <td class="tdr">1,462</td> - <td class="tdr">1,290</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The township comprises 4,722 statute acres.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Inskip-with-Sowerby.</span> In the Domesday volume this township -appears as containing three carucates of arable soil. Richard -Butler, of Rawcliffe Hall, obtained the manor of Inskip in 1281 -as the dowry of his bride Alicia, daughter of William de Carleton. -Inskip was held by Cuthbert Clifton, of Clifton, in 1512, from -whom it descended to Sir W. Molyneux, of Larbrick and Sefton, -who had espoused his sole child and heiress. In 1554-68 it was -in the possession of Henry Kighley, and afterwards passed to -William Cavendish, earl of Devonshire, on his marriage with the -daughter and co-heiress of that gentleman.</p> - -<p>The fishery of “Saureby Mere” belonged to William Hoghton -in 1519, at which epoch Thomas Rigmayden and the earl of Derby -had lands in Sowerby. The Stanleys have for long been lords of -Sowerby and continue to hold a court-baron there. In Inskip -also a court-baron takes place each year in June.</p> - -<p>A church, dedicated to St. Peter, was erected in 1848 at the -joint expense of the earl of Derby and the Ven. Archdeacon -Hornby, vicar of St. Michael’s-on-Wyre. The living, now a -vicarage, is endowed with £100 per annum out of the corn rents. -The Rev. A. Sharples, B.A., appointed shortly after the church -was built, is the present vicar.</p> - -<p>One-fourth of the rentals from certain lands in Goosnargh and -Chipping was given by Thomas Knowles in 1686 to the poor of -Inskip.</p> - -<p>In 1750 John Jolly bequeathed the residue of his estate in -trust, for the use of such poor housekeepers of Inskip-with-Sowerby -as received no parochial relief.</p> - -<p class="center90">POPULATION OF INSKIP-WITH-SOWERBY.</p> - -<table class="population" summary="Population figures from the census"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">1801.</td> - <td class="tdc">1811.</td> - <td class="tdc">1821.</td> - <td class="tdc">1831.</td> - <td class="tdc">1841.</td> - <td class="tdc">1851.</td> - <td class="tdc">1861.</td> - <td class="tdc">1871.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">635</td> - <td class="tdr">647</td> - <td class="tdr">739</td> - <td class="tdr">798</td> - <td class="tdr">735</td> - <td class="tdr">680</td> - <td class="tdr">663</td> - <td class="tdr">593</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The area of the township in statute acres amounts to 2,888.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_475"></a>[475]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header4.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<span class="smaller">PAUPERISM AND THE FYLDE UNION.</span></h2> - -</div> - -<div> -<img class="dropcap" src="images/dropcap-i.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it was not -customary to recognise the pauper as a person -whose misfortunes, however brought about, called -for charitable aid, but all legislature was directed -against his class under the common title of vagabonds. A statute -of 1384 decreed that all vagrants should be arrested and either -placed in the stocks, or imprisoned until the visit of the justices, -who would do with them whatever seemed best by law; and in -1496 the punishment of incarceration was abolished, but the -stocks were retained. The sixteenth century initiated a little -more considerate state of things, and justices of the peace were -authorised in 1531 to grant begging licenses to any necessitous -persons in their districts unable to work for a livelihood. An act -of 1547 ordained that any vagabond, not incapacitated by old age -or illness, loitering and not seeking work for three days should be -brought before a magistrate, who was directed to adjudge such -vagrant to be, for two years, the slave of the person by whom he -had been apprehended, in addition to which he had to be branded -with the letter V on the breast. In case he ran away the law -ordered that a further branding of the sign S should be inflicted, -this time on his forehead or the ball of his cheek, and that slavery -should be his perpetual portion. A third escape entailed death -when re-captured. This enactment was never really enforced -as popular indignation at its extreme severity was aroused at -once, and after lingering two years it was repealed in favour<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_476"></a>[476]</span> -of the stocks-legislature. In 1551 it was decreed that a register -of destitute persons should be kept in each parish, and that alms -should be collected in Whit-week, whilst on the Sunday following, -during divine service at church, “the collectors should gently ask -and demand of every man and woman what they of their charity -would give weekly towards the relief of the poor.” The funds so -obtained were to be distributed amongst the poor “after such sort -that the more impotent might have the more help, and such as -could get part of their living the less.” Eleven years later a -statute ordained that if any person refused to contribute alms -when called upon he should be summoned before a justice, who -would determine the amount he had to pay, and commit him to -gaol in case of further refusal. The legislative body of Queen -Elizabeth passed “An Act for the punishment of vagabonds and -the relief of the poor and impotent,” by which justices of the -peace were instructed to register the names of all the impotent -poor who had been born within their several districts, or been -existing there on alms within the three preceding years; to assign -to them convenient places for dwellings or lodgings, in case the -parish had not already undertaken that duty of its own free will; -to assess the inhabitants to a weekly charge; and to appoint -overseers of the poor, having authority to exact a certain amount -of work from those candidates for relief who were not entirely -disabled from labour by age, sickness, or deformity. In 1575-6 it -was ordered that a stock of wool or hemp should be provided in -the different parishes for the purpose of “setting the poor at -work,” and that “Houses of Correction” should be established, in -which vagrants or tramps were to be detained, the able-bodied -being furnished with employment until a service was found for -them, and the infirm transferred to an alms-house as soon as -practicable. The “Houses of Correction,” the origin of our -workhouses, were directed to be built in large cities, or in the -central towns of wide districts, thus the one for the Fylde was -situated at Preston, an old college of Grey Friars lying to the -south of Marsh Lane being converted to that use. Dr. Kuerden -described this building more than two centuries ago as the “old -Friary, now only reserved for the reforming of vagabonds, sturdy -beggars, and petty larcenary thieves, and other people wanting -good behaviour; it is the country prison to entertain such persons<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_477"></a>[477]</span> -with hard work, spare diet, and whipping, and it is called the -House of Correction.” The present gaol of Preston was not -completed until 1789, and by force of habit the expressive title -of its predecessor has clung to it.</p> - -<p>In 39 Elizabeth, 1597, an act came into force by which all -previous legislation on the subject under consideration was -repealed, and which decreed that overseers of the poor should be -appointed in every parish, whose duty it should be to levy a rate -upon the inhabitants for the support of the indigent, under the -direction and with the approval of the local magistrates; in -addition there were special regulations for the treatment of -rogues, vagrants, and able beggars, for whom whipping and the -stocks were ordered, after undergoing which punishments these -idlers were to be returned at once to their native parishes and -placed under the guardianship of the local authorities there.</p> - -<p>Four years later certain modifications were made in the early -part of the last statute, but the main principle of individual -taxation by overseers, under the superintendence of justices of -the peace, was retained unaltered. The chief objects of the law -as it stood at the end of 1601 were—to relieve the lame, sick, aged, -impotent, and blind; to compel others of the poor to work, and -to put out their children as apprentices.</p> - -<p>At that time any one leaving his employment and wandering -beyond the boundaries of his parish without any ostensible means -of gaining a livelihood was liable to be arrested and punished as a -vagabond, in addition he was compelled to return to his own -district in disgrace; so that whether a law confining labourers to -their own neighbourhoods existed then or not, it is certain that -they had little inducement to venture forth amongst strangers.</p> - -<p>In 1662, during the reign of Charles II., the Law of Settlement -was passed, by which all members of such classes as were likely -to become at some period or other chargeable to the parish rates, -were compelled to settle themselves on the parochial district to -which they were connected by birth, marriage, apprenticeship, or -similar ties; and upon which parish alone they would subsequently -have any claim. In this way the unfortunate peasantry -and labouring population were more securely than ever imprisoned -within their parishes, for if they escaped the fate of the -rogue and vagabond, and obtained work in another part of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_478"></a>[478]</span> -country, they were generally hunted out and driven home for -fear they should become burdens on rates to which they had no -title. Such a condition of things went on with little change -for nearly two centuries, but the causes which finally brought -about a material alteration in the arrangement of pauper relief -will be noticed in the context. The erection of workhouses for -the different parishes of the kingdom was sanctioned in 1723 by -the legislature, and three years later, as learnt from the following -extract out of the minute book of the bailiffs of Kirkham, the -inhabitants of that town determined to establish one:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“22 May, 1726:—Mem. That the town of Kirkham was summonsed from -house to house, and the inhabitants unanimously agreed to the setting up of a -workhouse.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>The act which decreed the building of workhouses for the -employment of the poor, stated that if any one refused to enter -those houses, or objected to perform his share of labour, no relief -should be apportioned to him. There can be little doubt that -workhouses sprang up at Poulton and in the other parishes of the -Fylde about that date, as well as at Kirkham, but in their cases -there are no bailiffs’ registers, or similar records, to fall back upon -for proof as to the accuracy of the surmise, and consequently we -are unable to speak with absolute certainty. In the twenty-second -year of the reign of George III. (1782), it was enacted that -the guardians of the poor should employ the paupers of their -separate parishes in labour on the land at small remuneration, -and that the poor rate should be used only to increase the payment -to a sum large enough for the subsistence of each pauper -thus employed. Country justices, desirous of standing well in -the opinion of the peasantry, were not over scrupulous in the -discharge of their supervisionary functions, and granted or -sanctioned the granting of relief orders without any minute -inquiry into the merits of the cases. Immorality was encouraged -by an allowance from the poor-rate to the mother for each -illegitimate child. Practical responsibility for the proper -administration of the fund rested on no one, and about 1830 -“the poor-rate had become public spoil, the ignorant believed it -an inexhaustible source of wealth, which belonged to them; the -brutal bullied the administrators to obtain their share; the -profligate exhibited their bastards, which must be fed; the idle<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_479"></a>[479]</span> -folded their arms and waited till they got it; ignorant boys and -girls married upon it; country justices lavished it for popularity, -and guardians for convenience.”<a id="FNanchor_232" href="#Footnote_232" class="fnanchor">[232]</a></p> - -<p>In 1832 a Royal Commission was appointed to visit the different -parishes, and investigate the abuses which were being universally -carried on; and in 1834 a bill was brought in to amend the laws -relative to the Relief of the Poor in England and Wales, and -passed that year, some of the main clauses being—an acknowledgment -of the claims to the relief of the really necessitous, the -abolition of settlement by hiring and service, and of all out-door -relief to the able-bodied. The enactment provided for the union -of small and neighbouring parishes, the rating and expenditure of -the rates remaining a distinct and separate matter; each union -was to have a common workhouse for all its parishes, in which -the men, women, children, able-bodied, and infirm must be -separated, and where the able-bodied inmates should do a certain -amount of work for each meal. The distribution of relief was -left to the guardians and select vestries, and to the overseers in -their absence. The whole system of unions and parish relief was -placed under the control of a Central Board, by whom everything -was arranged and settled, and to whom any appeals were to be -directed.</p> - -<p>Shortly after the passing of this act, the following twenty-three -townships of the Fylde were banded together for parochial purposes, -and denominated the Fylde Union:—Bispham-with-Norbreck, -Bryning-with-Kellamergh, Carleton, Clifton-with-Salwick, -Little Eccleston-with-Larbrick, Elswick, Freckleton, Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton, -Hardhorn-with-Newton, Kirkham, Layton-with-Warbreck, -Lytham, Marton, Medlam-with-Wesham, Newton-with-Scales, -Poulton, Ribby-with-Wrea, Singleton, Thornton, -Treales, Roseacre, Wharles, Warton, Weeton-with-Preese, and -Westby-with-Plumptons. In 1844 the guardians erected the -Union Workhouse at Kirkham, at a cost of about £5,400, and in -1864 the building was enlarged so as to be able to accommodate -250 paupers. All small, local workhouses in the districts comprised -in the union were of course closed on the opening of the -central one. The guardians of the different townships constitute<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_480"></a>[480]</span> -a board, in whose hands rests the regulation of all matters concerning -the union.</p> - -<p>By a subsequent act, the original Central Board of Poor Law -Commissioners was superseded by a controlling board composed -of four members of the government, <i>ex officio</i>, and certain -other commissioners appointed by Her Majesty in council, the -inspectors, whom, it should have been mentioned, were provided -under the previous act, were now invested with more -extended powers; workhouse visitors were appointed; annual -reports were ordered to be issued; and a clause forbidding the -cohabitation of man and wife in the workhouses was dispensed -with after the parties had arrived at sixty years of age.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;"> -<img src="images/footer2.jpg" width="475" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">FOOTNOTES</h2> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> William Camden was born in London in 1551. His most celebrated -publication is entitled “Britannia,” and consists of a survey of the British isles, -written in elegant Latin. He died in 1623, at Chiselhurst, in Kent.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> The reader must not confound these canoes with some others found in -Martin Meer, North Meols.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> Cæsar’s Bell. Gall., v. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> Ptolemy was a native of Egypt, and lived at Alexandria during the first -half of the second century. He was an astronomer, chronologer, and geographer. -His geographical work was in use in all schools until the 15th century, when it -was supplanted by another treatise containing the more recent discoveries of -Venetian and other navigators.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> Mr. Thornber mentions this path in his History of Blackpool.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[6]</a> “In the memory of man large portions of Kate’s Pad existed with various, -but irregular interruptions: these, however, the moss cutter yearly removes, and -shortly no remains of it will be found.”—Rev. W. Thornber, Blackpool, 1837.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[7]</a> Gildas, the wise, as he was styled, was the son of Caw, Prince of Strathclyde, -and was born at Dumbarton.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[8]</a> Bede died in A.D. 734. His chief work was an Ecclesiastical History.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[9]</a> History of Blackpool and Neighbourhood.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[10]</a> Alfred’s Preface, p. 33.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[11]</a> History of the Anglo-Saxons.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[12]</a> Saxon Chronicle.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">[13]</a> Ptolemy gives the longitude as ten minutes, but at such a height a minute -would scarcely represent a mile.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">[14]</a> The Welsh language is the oldest of all living languages, and is of Celtic -origin, being in fact the tongue spoken by the ancient Britons but little altered -by modern innovations.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">[15]</a> An Honor has a castle or mansion, and consists of demesnes and services, -to which a number of manors and lordships, with all their appurtenances and -other regalities, are annexed. In an Honor an Honourable Court is held once -every year at least.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">[16]</a> A Manor is composed of demesne and services, to which belong a three -weeks Court, where the freeholders, being tenants of the manor, sit covered, and -give judgement in all suits that are pleading. To every manor a Court Baron is -attached.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">[17]</a> A <i>carucate</i> was generally about one hundred acres of arable soil, or land in -cultivation; this word superseded the Saxon <i>hyde</i>, which signified the same thing.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">[18]</a> The whole of the <i>vills</i> of Amounderness, here signified, amounted to sixty-one.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">[19]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">[20]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">[21]</a> Held in the reign of Henry I., 1100-1135.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">[22]</a> Held in the reigns of Stephen and Henry II., 1135-1189.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">[23]</a> Duchy Rolls, Rot. f. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">[24]</a> To rise at five, to dine at nine, to sup at five, to bed at nine, makes a man -live to ninety-nine.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">[25]</a> Although England had been divided into counties the different districts were -for long classified under the names of the old provinces or petty kingdoms of -the Heptarchy.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">[26]</a> Vale Royal, Cheshire, obtained a grant of the manor, etc., of Kirkham in 1296.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">[27]</a> £13 6s. 3d.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">[28]</a> £20 0s. 0d.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">[29]</a> £53 6s. 8d.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">[30]</a> Knights banneret were so called from a privilege they possessed of carrying -a small banner. This privilege and the title of “Sir” were conferred as a reward -for distinguished military service, and were usually accompanied by a pecuniary -provision.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">[31]</a> Harl. MSS. cod. 1926, fol. 4 b.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">[32]</a> Alexander Rigby was related to the branch of that family residing at Layton -Hall.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">[33]</a> Harl. MSS. cod. 1926, fol. 80.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">[34]</a> See “Allen of Rossall,” in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">[35]</a> Table forks were introduced into England from Italy at the close of the -Tudor dynasty; previously the people of all ranks used their fingers for the -purposes to which we now apply a fork. A kind of fork was used as far back as -the Anglo-Saxon times, but only to serve articles from the dish.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">[36]</a> Harl. MSS.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">[37]</a> This Alex. Rigby must not be confounded with the gentleman of that name -mentioned in the former chapter, and who in the civil contests was a parliamentary -general. A. Rigby here denoted, was a royalist officer.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">[38]</a> A Discourse of the Warr in Lancashire, edited by William Beamont (Cheetham -Society.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_39" href="#FNanchor_39" class="label">[39]</a> A Discourse of the Warr in Lancashire, edited by William Beamont.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_40" href="#FNanchor_40" class="label">[40]</a> A discourse of the Warr in Lancashire, edited by William Beamont.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_41" href="#FNanchor_41" class="label">[41]</a> Hist. Collect. P. 4, vol. I, p. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_42" href="#FNanchor_42" class="label">[42]</a> Tour, p. 20.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_43" href="#FNanchor_43" class="label">[43]</a> From a M.S. of Peter Le Neve., Norroy, among the collection of Mr. Joseph -Ames. The knights of this order were to wear a silver medal ornamented with a -device of the King in the Oak, suspended by a ribbon from their necks. The -following is a list of persons in the county of Lancashire who were considered fit -and qualified to be made Knights of this Order with the value of their estates:—</p> - -<table summary="Persons in the county of Lancashire who were considered fit -and qualified to be made Knights of this Order with the value of their estates"> - <tr> - <td>Thomas Holt</td> - <td class="tdc">per annum</td> - <td class="tdr">£1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thomas Greenhalgh</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Colonel Kirkby</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Robert Holt</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Edmund Asheton</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Christopher Banister</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Francis Anderton</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Col. James Anderton</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Robert Nowell</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Henry Norris</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1200</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>John Girlington</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thomas Preston</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">2000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thomas Farrington of Worden</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thomas Fleetwood of Penwortham</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>William Stanley</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Edward Tyldesley</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thomas Stanley</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richard Boteler (Butler)</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>John Ingleton, senior</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>⸺ Walmsley of Dunkenhalgh</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">2000</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_44" href="#FNanchor_44" class="label">[44]</a> “This year (1715) provisions were plentiful and cheap, as also corn and hay”—the -Journal of W. Stout of Lancaster.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_45" href="#FNanchor_45" class="label">[45]</a> A tract in the library of the British Museum, entitled “Catholic Chapels, -Chaplains.” etc., and bearing the date 1819.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_46" href="#FNanchor_46" class="label">[46]</a> A kind of Ducking Stool.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_47" href="#FNanchor_47" class="label">[47]</a> A bear was baited at Weeton fair less than a century ago.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_48" href="#FNanchor_48" class="label">[48]</a> 25 Henry VIII. c. 13, and 31 Elizabeth, c. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_49" href="#FNanchor_49" class="label">[49]</a> 39 Elizabeth, c. 1.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_50" href="#FNanchor_50" class="label">[50]</a> Gay.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_51" href="#FNanchor_51" class="label">[51]</a> Gay. The Spell.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_52" href="#FNanchor_52" class="label">[52]</a> Hist. of Blackpool and Neighbourhood, by W. Thornber, B.A.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_53" href="#FNanchor_53" class="label">[53]</a> Gay.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_54" href="#FNanchor_54" class="label">[54]</a> This high price was owing to an almost complete failure in the potatoe crops.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_55" href="#FNanchor_55" class="label">[55]</a> Obtained by striking an average of the weekly market quotations in the local -periodicals, published weekly during the respective years.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_56" href="#FNanchor_56" class="label">[56]</a> Faerie Land, Song, edit. A.D. 1622.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_57" href="#FNanchor_57" class="label">[57]</a> This is incorrect, as the Ribble and not the Darwent separates the Hundreds -of Leyland and Amounderness.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_58" href="#FNanchor_58" class="label">[58]</a> Record Office, 28 Henry VIII., V. S., c. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_59" href="#FNanchor_59" class="label">[59]</a> This Sir William de Clifton was accused in the year 1337 of having taken -possession of twenty marks belonging to the Abbot of Vale Royal, and of having -forcibly obstructed the rector in the collecting of tithes within the manors of -Clifton and Westby; also with having inflicted certain injuries upon the hunting -palfrey of the latter gentleman.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_60" href="#FNanchor_60" class="label">[60]</a> Sir Cuthbert Clifton espoused as his second wife, Dorothy, daughter of Sir -Thomas Smyth, of Wotton Walwyns, in Warwickshire, and had three sons, -Lawrence, Francis, and John, captains in the royal army, and slain in the civil -war, besides seven other children. Sir Cuthbert purchased Little Marton and the -monastic portion of Lytham from Sir John Holcroft in 1606. He was knighted -by James I. at Lathom House.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_61" href="#FNanchor_61" class="label">[61]</a> See Out Rawcliffe in <a href="#CHAPTER_XV">the chapter on St. Michaels’ parish</a> for the Wilson-ffrance -descent.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_62" href="#FNanchor_62" class="label">[62]</a> See <a href="#Page_72">page 72.</a></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_63" href="#FNanchor_63" class="label">[63]</a> Dugdale’s Visitation.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_64" href="#FNanchor_64" class="label">[64]</a> Richard Longworth, of St. Michael’s Hall, a justice of the peace.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_65" href="#FNanchor_65" class="label">[65]</a> The small Lᵈ of Roshall was Edward Fleetwood, of Rossall Hall, who at -this time was thirty years of age.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_66" href="#FNanchor_66" class="label">[66]</a> John Westby, of Mowbreck, was probably the builder or purchaser of Burn -Hall about the middle of the sixteenth century. See pedigree above at that date.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_67" href="#FNanchor_67" class="label">[67]</a> Pawnage, or Pannage, signified the food of swine to be found in woods, such -as acorns and beech-mast, etc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_68" href="#FNanchor_68" class="label">[68]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. MS. fol. 1.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_69" href="#FNanchor_69" class="label">[69]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. fol. 77.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_70" href="#FNanchor_70" class="label">[70]</a> Regist. of Cockersand Abbey, and S. Mariæ de Lanc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_71" href="#FNanchor_71" class="label">[71]</a> Baines’s Hist. of Lanc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_72" href="#FNanchor_72" class="label">[72]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_73" href="#FNanchor_73" class="label">[73]</a> John Hull, M.D., F.L.S., commenced his professional education at Blackburn -in 1777; and in 1791, after graduating in medicine, settled at Manchester, -where he attained to considerable eminence both as a physician and writer on -botanical and medical subjects. He retired from practice to his native town of -Poulton in 1836, and remained there until his demise.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_74" href="#FNanchor_74" class="label">[74]</a> “Enter and pray, if you have raised to heaven your open palms you will -have performed sacred duties, and will fly from evil things.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_75" href="#FNanchor_75" class="label">[75]</a> Mr. Rudhall, as we learn from the following entry in the registers of the -30 men of Kirkham, was in business at Gloucester:—“1749, April 14. Paid old -Mr. Rudhall for coming from Gloucester to take notes of the bells when the 2nd. -was recast, £3 3s. 0d.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_76" href="#FNanchor_76" class="label">[76]</a> The Pancake Bell is usually rung by an apprentice of the town as a signal -for his <i>confreres</i> to discontinue work for that day, but strange to say on a late -occasion not one apprentice could be found in the whole of Poulton, and consequently -the duty was performed by the ordinary bell-ringer.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_77" href="#FNanchor_77" class="label">[77]</a> In all previously issued lists of vicars, Richard Fleetwood has erroneously -been named as patron in this instance. There was no Rich. Fleetwood of Rossall -at that time, and Edward, who had been patron at the former institution, was probably -still alive as he had no son and but one daughter, who married Roger -Hesketh, the next patron in right of his wife.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_78" href="#FNanchor_78" class="label">[78]</a> In 1876 a brass plate was found in Poulton church, near the site of the old -communion table, inscribed:—“Here lies the body of Anne, wife of Richard -Harrison, vicar of Poolton, who dyed the 24th of December, 1679, aged 55 -years.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_79" href="#FNanchor_79" class="label">[79]</a> From these entries it would seem that the regulation of 1782 soon became a -dead letter, if indeed it were ever carried into practice.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_80" href="#FNanchor_80" class="label">[80]</a> The Battle and Victory of the Nile.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_81" href="#FNanchor_81" class="label">[81]</a> Visitation of St. George.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_82" href="#FNanchor_82" class="label">[82]</a> For a full description of the direction taken by this road, see <a href="#Page_7">page 7</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_83" href="#FNanchor_83" class="label">[83]</a> The Rev. G. Y. Osborne resigned the living of Fleetwood on being -appointed vicar of St. Thomas’s, Dudley, which cure he held up to the date of -his decease.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_84" href="#FNanchor_84" class="label">[84]</a> A second line was laid on this length in 1875 for the first time.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_85" href="#FNanchor_85" class="label">[85]</a> Coastguards were first located at Fleetwood in 1858, and consisted of six men -and an officer. Their present station in Abbot’s Walk was erected in 1864, and -comprises cottage accommodation for six men, and another residence for the -officer in command.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_86" href="#FNanchor_86" class="label">[86]</a> Newly-built vessels registered for the first time, the other vessels belonging -to the harbour being transferred from other parts and re-registered here.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_87" href="#FNanchor_87" class="label">[87]</a> Rot. Lit. Claus. 16 John, m. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_88" href="#FNanchor_88" class="label">[88]</a> Rot. Finium 5 Henry III. m. 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_89" href="#FNanchor_89" class="label">[89]</a> Escaet. 42 Henry III. m. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_90" href="#FNanchor_90" class="label">[90]</a> Survey of Lancashire ending in 1346.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_91" href="#FNanchor_91" class="label">[91]</a> Visitation of St. George.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_92" href="#FNanchor_92" class="label">[92]</a> Placit de Quo Warr. 20 Edw. I. Lanc. Rot. 13d.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_93" href="#FNanchor_93" class="label">[93]</a> An oxgang is as much land as an ox can plough in a year, something considerably -less than a carucate, which is estimated at one hundred acres.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_94" href="#FNanchor_94" class="label">[94]</a> Chethem Soc. Series, No. lxxiv. p. 57.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_95" href="#FNanchor_95" class="label">[95]</a> For “Westby of Burn Hall” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_96" href="#FNanchor_96" class="label">[96]</a> “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in -the tents of wickedness.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_97" href="#FNanchor_97" class="label">[97]</a> Charity Commissioners’ Report.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_98" href="#FNanchor_98" class="label">[98]</a> Rot. Lit. Clause 5 Henry III., p. 474.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_99" href="#FNanchor_99" class="label">[99]</a> Rot. Chart. 12 Henry III., m. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_100" href="#FNanchor_100" class="label">[100]</a> Placit de Quo. Warr. 20 Edward I.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_101" href="#FNanchor_101" class="label">[101]</a> See “Allen of Rossall” in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_102" href="#FNanchor_102" class="label">[102]</a> See “Fleetwood of Rossall” in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">ditto</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_103" href="#FNanchor_103" class="label">[103]</a> Placit. coram Consil. in Octab. S. Hyll. 38 Hen. III. Lanc. Ror. 5, in dorso.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_104" href="#FNanchor_104" class="label">[104]</a> Duc. Lanc. vol. iii. n. 49.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_105" href="#FNanchor_105" class="label">[105]</a> Dr. Kuerden’s MSS. vol. iv. c. 1 b.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_106" href="#FNanchor_106" class="label">[106]</a> Duc. Lanc. vol. iv. n. 71.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_107" href="#FNanchor_107" class="label">[107]</a> Harl. MSS. cod 607, fol. 101 b.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_108" href="#FNanchor_108" class="label">[108]</a> Dr. Kuerden’s MSS. ibid.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_109" href="#FNanchor_109" class="label">[109]</a> Dr. Kuerden’s MSS.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_110" href="#FNanchor_110" class="label">[110]</a> Whittaker’s History of Whalley.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_111" href="#FNanchor_111" class="label">[111]</a> Testa de Nevill, fol. 403.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_112" href="#FNanchor_112" class="label">[112]</a> Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_113" href="#FNanchor_113" class="label">[113]</a> Rot. Lit. Clause 9 John, m. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_114" href="#FNanchor_114" class="label">[114]</a> Escaet. 33 Henry III., n. 49.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_115" href="#FNanchor_115" class="label">[115]</a> Escaet. 16 Edward II., n. 59.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_116" href="#FNanchor_116" class="label">[116]</a> Escaet. 4 Edward III., n. 100.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_117" href="#FNanchor_117" class="label">[117]</a> Lansd. MSS. 559, fol. 36.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_118" href="#FNanchor_118" class="label">[118]</a> Dodsworth’s MSS., c. xiii., p. 161. These traces which were fairly evident -forty years ago, have been in a great measure obliterated in more recent days.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_119" href="#FNanchor_119" class="label">[119]</a> Parl. Ing. Lamb. Libr. vol. ii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_120" href="#FNanchor_120" class="label">[120]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. MSS. fol. 77.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_121" href="#FNanchor_121" class="label">[121]</a> Dugd. Monast. vol. v. p. 630.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_122" href="#FNanchor_122" class="label">[122]</a> Monast. Anglic. vol. v. p. 530.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_123" href="#FNanchor_123" class="label">[123]</a> Duc. Lanc. vol. xii., Inq. n. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_124" href="#FNanchor_124" class="label">[124]</a> Charity Commissioners’ Report.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_125" href="#FNanchor_125" class="label">[125]</a> Charity Commissioners’ Report.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_126" href="#FNanchor_126" class="label">[126]</a> See ‘Rigby of Layton Hall,’ in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_127" href="#FNanchor_127" class="label">[127]</a> See ‘Veale of Whinney Heys,’ in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_128" href="#FNanchor_128" class="label">[128]</a> History of Blackpool and Neighbourhood.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_129" href="#FNanchor_129" class="label">[129]</a> The following is extracted from a paper, written by Mr. Henry Moon, of -Kirkham, about 1783, and refers to this pool:—“The liquid is of a chocolate or -liver colour, as all water must be which passes through a peaty soil, so that the -place might, with as much propriety, bear the name of Liver-pool, as Black-pool.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_130" href="#FNanchor_130" class="label">[130]</a> For a list of the Knights of the Royal Oak, and other matters concerning -that Order see <a href="#Page_72">page 72</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_131" href="#FNanchor_131" class="label">[131]</a> Black-pool.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_132" href="#FNanchor_132" class="label">[132]</a> See ‘Tyldesley of Fox Hall’ in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_133" href="#FNanchor_133" class="label">[133]</a> A couplet extracted from some lines descriptive of Blackpool and its -accommodation, etc., in 1790, written by a visitor about that date.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_134" href="#FNanchor_134" class="label">[134]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ Lanc. MS.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_135" href="#FNanchor_135" class="label">[135]</a> Harl. MSS., No. 2064, f. 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_136" href="#FNanchor_136" class="label">[136]</a> Testa de Nevill, fol. 371.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_137" href="#FNanchor_137" class="label">[137]</a> Rot. Chart. 15 John. m. 3, n. 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_138" href="#FNanchor_138" class="label">[138]</a> Theobald Walter, the 2nd, adopted the surname of Botiler, or Butler, on -being appointed chief Butler of Ireland; this titular surname was retained by his -descendants.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_139" href="#FNanchor_139" class="label">[139]</a> This account occurs in the Register of Vale Royal, and is endorsed—“Of the -church of Kyrkham, how the king had conferred it upon this monasterie,” etc.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_140" href="#FNanchor_140" class="label">[140]</a> Monast. Anglic. vol. II. p. 925. Ellis’ edit. Harl. MSS. No. 2064. f. 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_141" href="#FNanchor_141" class="label">[141]</a> Rot. Chart., 15 Edw. I., No. 8, m. 3.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_142" href="#FNanchor_142" class="label">[142]</a> Placito de Quo Warranto, Lane. Rot., 10d.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_143" href="#FNanchor_143" class="label">[143]</a> Ibid.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_144" href="#FNanchor_144" class="label">[144]</a> Discovered in the old chest at Kirkham amongst the archives of the bailiffs.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_145" href="#FNanchor_145" class="label">[145]</a> That is, the Sunday after Easter.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_146" href="#FNanchor_146" class="label">[146]</a> Harl. MSS., No. 2064, f. 25 and 25b.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_147" href="#FNanchor_147" class="label">[147]</a> Harl. MSS., No. 2064, f. 27.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_148" href="#FNanchor_148" class="label">[148]</a> Fishwick’s History of Kirkham—from the Harl. MSS.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_149" href="#FNanchor_149" class="label">[149]</a> Vale Royal ledger.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_150" href="#FNanchor_150" class="label">[150]</a> Pat. Rolls. 2. Hen. iv., p. 3, m. 5 n. (Duchy Office.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_151" href="#FNanchor_151" class="label">[151]</a> Original lease in Bailiffs’ Chest.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_152" href="#FNanchor_152" class="label">[152]</a> Paper in Bailiffs’ Chest, dated 23rd October, 1676, and signed John Cestriens.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_153" href="#FNanchor_153" class="label">[153]</a> Records of the “Thirty-Men.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_154" href="#FNanchor_154" class="label">[154]</a> Records of the “Thirty-Men.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_155" href="#FNanchor_155" class="label">[155]</a> Records of the Thirty-Men.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_156" href="#FNanchor_156" class="label">[156]</a> Ibid.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_157" href="#FNanchor_157" class="label">[157]</a> According to the <i>Parliamentarie Chronicle</i>, “Mistress Haughton was the wife -of Master William Haughton of Prickmarsh in Kirkham, the Fylde,” and the -child was born on the 20th of June, 1643.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_158" href="#FNanchor_158" class="label">[158]</a> During the war between King and Parliament.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_159" href="#FNanchor_159" class="label">[159]</a> The Rye-house Plot.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_160" href="#FNanchor_160" class="label">[160]</a> Canon Raine’s Hist. of Lanc. Chantries.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_161" href="#FNanchor_161" class="label">[161]</a> Willis’s Hist. Mitr. Abb. vol. ii., p. 108.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_162" href="#FNanchor_162" class="label">[162]</a> Records of the Dean and Chapter, Christ Church, Oxford.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_163" href="#FNanchor_163" class="label">[163]</a> See Court of Requests page 209.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_164" href="#FNanchor_164" class="label">[164]</a> See <a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Chapter XVI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_165" href="#FNanchor_165" class="label">[165]</a> Ancient Manuscript.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_166" href="#FNanchor_166" class="label">[166]</a> Ancient Manuscript.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_167" href="#FNanchor_167" class="label">[167]</a> Ancient Manuscript.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_168" href="#FNanchor_168" class="label">[168]</a> See pages <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, and <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_169" href="#FNanchor_169" class="label">[169]</a> Charity Commissioners’ Report.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_170" href="#FNanchor_170" class="label">[170]</a> Ibid.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_171" href="#FNanchor_171" class="label">[171]</a> Indenture in Bailiffs’ Chest.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_172" href="#FNanchor_172" class="label">[172]</a> Deed in Bailiff’s Chest.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_173" href="#FNanchor_173" class="label">[173]</a> Report of Charity Commissioners, 1824.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_174" href="#FNanchor_174" class="label">[174]</a> For “Leyland of Leyland House” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_175" href="#FNanchor_175" class="label">[175]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ Lanc. MS. fol. 1 and 4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_176" href="#FNanchor_176" class="label">[176]</a> Rot. Cancell. 3 John. m. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_177" href="#FNanchor_177" class="label">[177]</a> Harl. MSS. No. 2064.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_178" href="#FNanchor_178" class="label">[178]</a> Escaet. 25 Edw. I. n. 51.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_179" href="#FNanchor_179" class="label">[179]</a> Lansd. MSS. No. 539. f. 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_180" href="#FNanchor_180" class="label">[180]</a> MS. Church Records.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_181" href="#FNanchor_181" class="label">[181]</a> Vestry Book.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_182" href="#FNanchor_182" class="label">[182]</a> Ibid.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_183" href="#FNanchor_183" class="label">[183]</a> For “Westby of Mowbreck” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_184" href="#FNanchor_184" class="label">[184]</a> For “Parker of Bradkirk” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_185" href="#FNanchor_185" class="label">[185]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ, Lanc. MS. fol. 1-4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_186" href="#FNanchor_186" class="label">[186]</a> Testa de Nevill. fol. 372.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_187" href="#FNanchor_187" class="label">[187]</a> Placita de Quo Warr. 20 Edw. I. Lanc. Rot., 13a.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_188" href="#FNanchor_188" class="label">[188]</a> Escaet. 17 Edw. II. n. 45.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_189" href="#FNanchor_189" class="label">[189]</a> The Birch Feodary.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_190" href="#FNanchor_190" class="label">[190]</a> Ancient feudal taxes.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_191" href="#FNanchor_191" class="label">[191]</a> Duchy Rolls.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_192" href="#FNanchor_192" class="label">[192]</a> Duc. Lanc. vol. iv. Inq. n. 13.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_193" href="#FNanchor_193" class="label">[193]</a> Ibid, vol. v. n. 68.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_194" href="#FNanchor_194" class="label">[194]</a> Baines’s Hist. of Lancashire.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_195" href="#FNanchor_195" class="label">[195]</a> Duchy Records.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_196" href="#FNanchor_196" class="label">[196]</a> History of Whalley.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_197" href="#FNanchor_197" class="label">[197]</a> Title Deeds.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_198" href="#FNanchor_198" class="label">[198]</a> Record Office. Pleadings, 3 Eliz.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_199" href="#FNanchor_199" class="label">[199]</a> Church Presentments at York.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_200" href="#FNanchor_200" class="label">[200]</a> MSS. Lamb library.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_201" href="#FNanchor_201" class="label">[201]</a> Records of the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_202" href="#FNanchor_202" class="label">[202]</a> This description is of Mains Hall forty years ago, as seen by Mr. Thornber.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_203" href="#FNanchor_203" class="label">[203]</a> For “ffrance of Little Eccleston” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_204" href="#FNanchor_204" class="label">[204]</a> For “Clifton of Lytham” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_205" href="#FNanchor_205" class="label">[205]</a> This stone was in the yard until the rebuilding of the church, when it was -enclosed within the new and more extensive edifice; it is supposed to mark the -grave of a sailor washed up on the banks of the river Wyre.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_206" href="#FNanchor_206" class="label">[206]</a> Richmondshire, vol. ii. p. 440.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_207" href="#FNanchor_207" class="label">[207]</a> Infangthefe.—The power of judging of theft committed within the manor of -Lytham.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_208" href="#FNanchor_208" class="label">[208]</a> Soccum.—The power and authority of administering justice.</p> - -<p>Saccum.—The power of imposing fines upon tenants and vassals within the -lordship.</p> - -<p>Theam.—A royalty granted for trying bondmen and villeins, with a sovereign -power over their villein tenants, their wives, children and goods, -to dispose of them at pleasure. This badge of feudal slavery -was abolished in England during the reign of Charles II.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_209" href="#FNanchor_209" class="label">[209]</a> Rot. Lit. Pat. 22 Hen. vi. p 1, m. 6.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_210" href="#FNanchor_210" class="label">[210]</a> Chet. Soc. Series, No. xxx. Penwortham.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_211" href="#FNanchor_211" class="label">[211]</a> Escaet. 49 Edw. III. n. 28.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_212" href="#FNanchor_212" class="label">[212]</a> Charity Commissioners Report.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_213" href="#FNanchor_213" class="label">[213]</a> Ibid.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_214" href="#FNanchor_214" class="label">[214]</a> See pages <a href="#Page_15">15</a> and <a href="#Page_16">16</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_215" href="#FNanchor_215" class="label">[215]</a> Escaet. 33 Hen. <span class="allsmcap">III.</span> n. 49.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_216" href="#FNanchor_216" class="label">[216]</a> Inq. ad Quod. Damnum, 16 & 19 Edward II.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_217" href="#FNanchor_217" class="label">[217]</a> St. Michael’s Hall also belonged to the Kirkbys, and it is probable that one -of the junior branches resided there before the Longworths of St. Michael’s.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_218" href="#FNanchor_218" class="label">[218]</a> Flower’s Visitation.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_219" href="#FNanchor_219" class="label">[219]</a> See “Longworth of St. Michael’s Hall” in <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_220" href="#FNanchor_220" class="label">[220]</a> Fol. 401.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_221" href="#FNanchor_221" class="label">[221]</a> Regist. S. Mariæ de Lanc. M.S. fol. 68.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_222" href="#FNanchor_222" class="label">[222]</a> Rot. Pat. 4 Hen. VI. m. 10 per Inspec. Linc. Hen. IV.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_223" href="#FNanchor_223" class="label">[223]</a> A copy of “The appropriation of the Vicarage of Michaelskirk,” dated 1411, -and now in the possession of the Ven. Archdeacon Hornby.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_224" href="#FNanchor_224" class="label">[224]</a> E. Reg. Richmond.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_225" href="#FNanchor_225" class="label">[225]</a> Commissioners’ Report before the Dissolution of Monasteries.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_226" href="#FNanchor_226" class="label">[226]</a> Willis’s Hist. Mitr. Abb. vol. ii p. 108.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_227" href="#FNanchor_227" class="label">[227]</a> List of Benefactions within the Church of St. Michael’s.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_228" href="#FNanchor_228" class="label">[228]</a> List of Benefactions within the Church of St. Michael’s.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_229" href="#FNanchor_229" class="label">[229]</a> Dugdale’s Monasticon, vol. v., p. 630.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_230" href="#FNanchor_230" class="label">[230]</a> For “Butlers of Rawcliffe” see <a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_231" href="#FNanchor_231" class="label">[231]</a> Duc. Lanc. vol. xxvi. n. 36.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_232" href="#FNanchor_232" class="label">[232]</a> History of England, by H. Martineau.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_481"></a>[481]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header6.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">INDEX.</h2> - -</div> - -<ul> - -<li class="ifrst">Agricola, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_9">9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Agriculture, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Allen, cardinal, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_152">152</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Allen of Rossall Hall,” <a href="#Page_151">151</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Alfred the Great, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li class="indx">All-Hallows’ Eve, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li class="indx">All-Souls’ Day, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ambroses, of Ambrose Hall, <a href="#Page_472">472</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ambrose, Rev. Isaac, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ambrose, John, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Amounderness, derivation, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">forests, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Ripon grant, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">See of York, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Wapentake, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Earl Tosti, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Roger de Poictou, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Theobald Walter, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Edmund Crouchback, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">John of Gaunt, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">military musters, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">tax of provisions, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Cambden’s description, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Anglo-Saxons, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Anlaf, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Armada, Spanish, <a href="#Page_50">50</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ashton, Col., <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Athelstan, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bankfield, <a href="#Page_415">415</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Baxter, Rev. Nathaniel, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bailiffs of Kirkham, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Banastre, Sir Adam, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bede, the venerable, <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Belisama Æstuarium, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bispham-with-Norbreck, <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bispham church, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>, <a href="#Page_299">299</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Birds, <a href="#Page_127">127</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blackpool, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blackburne, family of, <a href="#Page_141">141</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bolton, siege of, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Botany, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brunandune, battle of, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brigantes, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bradkirk, <a href="#Page_410">410</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brank or Scolds’ Bridle, <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bryning-with-Kellamergh, <a href="#Page_404">404</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bryning Hall, <a href="#Page_404">404</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bullock, Rev. W., <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bull and Bear-baiting, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burn, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burn Hall, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Butler of Rawcliffe Hall,” <a href="#Page_153">153</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Camden, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cairn near Weeton, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Catholic chapels, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Carling Sunday, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cart-Ford, <a href="#Page_137">137</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Carleton, Great and Little, <a href="#Page_280">280</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Carleton Hall, <a href="#Page_281">281</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Carletons, family of, <a href="#Page_280">280</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Campion, Father Edm., <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Christianity introduced, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charles II., <a href="#Page_70">70</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Christmas customs, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chantries, closure of, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Civil wars, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Clifton of Clifton, Lytham, etc.,” <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Clifton, Sir Willm. de, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Clifton, Sir Thomas, <a href="#Page_75">75</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Clifton, Capt., <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Clifton-with-Salwick, <a href="#Page_423">423</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Classis, Presbyterian, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cock-fighting, <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Columba, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Commissions of Inquiry, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Coins, near Rossall, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Condition, customs, etc., <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Copp church, <a href="#Page_467">467</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Costumes, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Country of the Fylde, <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Court of Requests, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li> - -<li class="indx">County Court, <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Coupland, Sir Jno. de, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cromwell, Oliver, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Crouchback, Edmund, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Crustaceæ, <a href="#Page_150">150</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Culdees, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_482"></a>[482]</span>Cuck-stool, <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Danish settlements, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Danish invasions, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Danish insurrections, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Danes, massacre of, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Danes’ Pad, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_20">20</a></li> - -<li class="indx">David II. of Scotland, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Derby, earl of, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_70">70</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dock, Lytham, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dock, Fleetwood, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Domesday Book, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Drayton, the poet, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Druids, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Druids’-eggs, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ducking-stool, <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dudley, Edmund, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Eccleston, Great, <a href="#Page_466">466</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Eccleston, Little, <a href="#Page_422">422</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Elswick, <a href="#Page_471">471</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Estates, compounders for, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Esprick school, <a href="#Page_411">411</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ethelwerd’s Chronicle, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fairies, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fast, a general, <a href="#Page_84">84</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fenny-farm, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“ffrance of Little Eccleston Hall,” <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fleetwood, town of, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_218">218</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fleetwood, church of, <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fleetwood, harbour of, <a href="#Page_251">251</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Fleetwood of Rossall Hall,” <a href="#Page_158">158</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fleetwood, Sir P. H., <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fleetwoods, of Little Plumpton, <a href="#Page_158">158</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Flodden Field, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fox Hall, <a href="#Page_312">312</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Freckleton marsh, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Freckleton, <a href="#Page_402">402</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Free-tenants, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fylde, present extent, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">original extent, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">definition, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">aborigines, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Celtic relics, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Roman road or Dane’s Pad, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Roman relics, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Kate’s Pad, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Christianity, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">churches built, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Danes, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Roman station, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Anglo-Saxon towns, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">dialect, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">wild animals, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Domesday survey, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">churches in <span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1080, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">members of parliament, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">extracts from Duchy Rolls, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">High-sheriffs, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">poverty, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">complaints and petitions, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">plague, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">recruiting, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fylde Union, <a href="#Page_475">475</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gaunt, John of, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gentry, list of, <a href="#Page_74">74</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Geoffrey, the crossbowman, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton, <a href="#Page_411">411</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Greenhalgh Castle, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gregory the Great, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gynn-house, <a href="#Page_318">318</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hackensall Hall, <a href="#Page_138">138</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hambleton, <a href="#Page_425">425</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hardhorn-with-Newton, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Harleian Collection, extracts from, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Harrison, the topographer, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Harrison, Rev. Cuthbert, <a href="#Page_419">419</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Harrison, Rev. Joseph, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Heptarchy, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Heskeths of Little Poulton Hall, <a href="#Page_213">213</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Hesketh of Mains Hall,” <a href="#Page_162">162</a></li> - -<li class="indx">High Sheriffs, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Holinshed, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Hornby of Poulton,” <a href="#Page_164">164</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Hornby of Ribby Hall,” <a href="#Page_164">164</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Horse-bridge, <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hundreds, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Incorporation of Kirkham, <a href="#Page_367">367</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Incorporation of Blackpool, <a href="#Page_354">354</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Inskip-with-Sowerby, <a href="#Page_474">474</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Jacobite plot, <a href="#Page_74">74</a></li> - -<li class="indx">James I., <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="indx">James II., <a href="#Page_74">74</a></li> - -<li class="indx">John, King, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Kate’s Pad, <a href="#Page_9">9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">King John, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Kirkham, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Kirkham church, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_386">386</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Kirkham grammar school, <a href="#Page_394">394</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Knots, Great and Little, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lambert Simnel, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lancashire, inhabitants, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">houses and inns, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">regiment, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lancaster, honor, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">bay, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">earl, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">duke, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">town, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Landowners, Catholic, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Larbrick Hall, <a href="#Page_422">422</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Layton-with-Warbreck, <a href="#Page_306">306</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Layton Hall, <a href="#Page_308">308</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Layton Hawes, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>, <a href="#Page_316">316</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Layton miser, <a href="#Page_309">309</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Leigh, Dr. Charles, <a href="#Page_414">414</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Leckonby of Leckonby House,” <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Leyland of Leyland House,” <a href="#Page_168">168</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Leyland, the antiquary, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_52">52</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Leyland House, <a href="#Page_404">404</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lifting at Easter, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Linen burial act, <a href="#Page_73">73</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Little Poulton Hall, <a href="#Page_213">213</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Longworth of St. Michael’s Hall,” <a href="#Page_168">168</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lune, river, <a href="#Page_26">26</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Lune Deep,” <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lund, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lund church, <a href="#Page_423">423</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lytham, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_429">429</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lytham churches, <a href="#Page_432">432</a>, <a href="#Page_446">446</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lytham Dock, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_483"></a>[483]</span>Lytham Hall, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_438">438</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mains Hall, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>, <a href="#Page_421">421</a></li> - -<li class="indx">May Day, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marton, Great and Little, <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marton church, <a href="#Page_288">288</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marton Mere, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marton Moss, <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Medlar-with-Wesham, <a href="#Page_410">410</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Military musters, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Midsummer’s Eve, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ministers ejected, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Molluscs, <a href="#Page_150">150</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Monasteries, suppression of, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Moot Hall of Kirkham, <a href="#Page_380">380</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Moot Hall of Poulton, <a href="#Page_204">204</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Morecambe Bay, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Moricambe Æstuarium, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Moreton, earl of, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mowbreck Hall, <a href="#Page_410">410</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Myerscough Lodge, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">National language, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Newton-with-Scales, <a href="#Page_425">425</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Newton, Hardhorn-with, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx">New Year’s Day, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Norman Conquest, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Northumbria, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Out-Rawcliffe, <a href="#Page_469">469</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pace-egg mummers, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Parker of Bradkirk Hall,” <a href="#Page_169">169</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Parrox Hall, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Parliament, members of, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Parliamentary army, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pastimes, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Paulinus, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Peel, hamlet of, <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Peel, in Morecambe Bay, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_50">50</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pedigrees of ancient families, <a href="#Page_151">151</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Penny Stone, <a href="#Page_328">328</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Petitions and prayers, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Picts and Scots, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Plague at Kirkham, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Plough Monday, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Plunderings, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Portus Setantiorum, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poulton, town of, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poulton church, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poulton free school, <a href="#Page_215">215</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poulton, assault near, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poulton, port of, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Preese Hall, <a href="#Page_409">409</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Preston, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Priests, dress of, <a href="#Page_52">52</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pretender, the first, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pretender, the young, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Provisions, prices of, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ptolemy, <a href="#Page_6">6</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Raikes Hall, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Railway, Preston and Wyre, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Railway, Lytham and Blackpool, <a href="#Page_448">448</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rawcliffe, Out, <a href="#Page_469">469</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rawcliffe, Upper, <a href="#Page_454">454</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rawcliffe Hall, <a href="#Page_470">470</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Recruiting, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rebellion of 1715, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rebellion of 1745, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Relics and traces, Celtic, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Roman, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Danish, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Anglo-Saxon, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Reformation, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ribble, river, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ribby-with-Wrea, <a href="#Page_405">405</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ribby Hall, <a href="#Page_406">406</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rigodunum or Ribchester, <a href="#Page_26">26</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Rigby of Layton Hall,” <a href="#Page_170">170</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ripon, monastery of, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Roger de Poictou, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Royal Army, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Royal Oak, order of the, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Romans, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Roman stations, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_22">22</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Roman roads, <a href="#Page_7">7</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Roseacre, <a href="#Page_424">424</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rossall, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rossall Hall, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rossall School, <a href="#Page_276">276</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Salmon fishery act, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Salt manufactories, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>, <a href="#Page_437">437</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Saxon Chronicle, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Saxon deities, <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Saxons, arrival of, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Seaweeds, <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sea, the Irish, <a href="#Page_146">146</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sea, encroachments of, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_327">327</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Seteia Æstuarium, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Setantii, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Severus, <a href="#Page_9">9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Shard, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Shrove Tuesday, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Singleton Thorp, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>, <a href="#Page_328">328</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Singletons, Great and Little, <a href="#Page_411">411</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Singleton church, <a href="#Page_415">415</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Singleton grange, <a href="#Page_413">413</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Singleton of Staining Hall,” <a href="#Page_172">172</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Simnel, Lambert, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Skippool, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></li> - -<li class="indx">South Shore, <a href="#Page_360">360</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Staining, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Staining Hall, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Stanley of Great Eccleston Hall,” <a href="#Page_173">173</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stang, riding, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx">St. Annes-on-the-Sea, <a href="#Page_452">452</a></li> - -<li class="indx">St. Michael’s-on-Wyre, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_457">457</a></li> - -<li class="indx">St. Michael’s-on-Wyre church, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_457">457</a></li> - -<li class="indx">St. Mary’s of Lancaster, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> - -<li class="indx">St. Wilfred, <a href="#Page_16">16</a></li> - -<li class="indx">St. Valentine’s Day, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_484"></a>[484]</span>Superstitions, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Tarnacre, <a href="#Page_457">457</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Taxes, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Testa de Nevill, extracts from, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thurland Castle, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thornton, <a href="#Page_268">268</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thornton Church, <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thornton Hall, <a href="#Page_269">269</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Theobald Walter, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thirty-men of Kirkham, <a href="#Page_380">380</a>, <a href="#Page_384">384</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tithings, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tosti, earl, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Treales, Roseacre, and Wharles, <a href="#Page_424">424</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Tyldesley of Fox Hall,” <a href="#Page_175">175</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tyldesley, Sir Thos., <a href="#Page_62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>, <a href="#Page_176">176</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tyldesley, Edward, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_312">312</a>, <a href="#Page_314">314</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tyldesley, James, <a href="#Page_79">79</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tyldesley, Thomas, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Uniformity, act of, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Upper Rawcliffe-with-Tarnacre, <a href="#Page_454">454</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">“Veale of Whinney Heys,” <a href="#Page_181">181</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Victoria, Queen, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_235">235</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Waddum Thorp, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>, <a href="#Page_437">437</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wages, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Walter, Theobald, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wapentake, <a href="#Page_16">16</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Warbreck, Layton-with, <a href="#Page_306">306</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wardleys, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wars, civil, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Warton, <a href="#Page_403">403</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Water and wind-mills, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Waterworks, the Fylde, <a href="#Page_85">85</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Weeton-with-Preese, <a href="#Page_409">409</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Westby-with-Plumptons, <a href="#Page_408">408</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Westby of Mowbreck Hall,” <a href="#Page_183">183</a></li> - -<li class="indx">“Westby of Burn Hall,” <a href="#Page_183">183</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Westbys, of White Hall, <a href="#Page_455">455</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wharles, <a href="#Page_424">424</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Whinney Heys, <a href="#Page_309">309</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wigan-lane, <a href="#Page_70">70</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wild animals, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wood Plumpton, <a href="#Page_472">472</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wyre, river, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>, <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li> - -</ul> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/footer4.jpg" width="500" height="150" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">FLEETWOOD AND BLACKPOOL; PRINTED BY W. PORTER AND SONS.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 375px;"> -<img src="images/footer3.jpg" width="375" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.</h2> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/footer1.jpg" width="400" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_i"></a>[i]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/header1.jpg" width="500" height="120" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h3>LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.</h3> - -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"> -<img src="images/line.jpg" width="150" height="30" alt="" /> -</div> - -<table summary="List of subscribers"> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Abbott, Christopher</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Abbott, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Abbott, Chris., jun.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ackroyd, Miss Annie</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Adams, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Adamson, William</td> - <td>Liverpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Adcock, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Addey, Jacob</td> - <td>Chorlton-cum-Hardy</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Akroyd, James</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Allmark,</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anderson, Councillor</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anderton, Robert</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Anderton, William</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Andrews, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Archer, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Archer, William</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Armstrong, John</td> - <td>Claughton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Armytage, Rev. J.</td> - <td>Elswick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arthur, Christopher</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ascroft, Alfred</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ashforth, George</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ashworth, John J.</td> - <td>Pendleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ashworth, J. W.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ashworth, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ashton, J. F.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ashurst, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Aspden, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Aspden, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Atherton, Charles</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Atherton, Daniel</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Atkinson, James</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Atkinson, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Atkinson, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Atkinson, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Axon, Charles H.</td> - <td>Blackburn</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Bailey, Councillor</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Balderson, J.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ball, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ball, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ball, William</td> - <td>Westby</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, George</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, James A.</td> - <td>Layton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, Joseph</td> - <td>Thistleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, Nicholas</td> - <td>Greenhalgh</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, Lawrence</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bamber, W. F.</td> - <td>Stoke-u-Trent</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bainbridge, John</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Banks, Henry</td> - <td>Little Carleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Banks, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Banks, W. B.</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bannerman, Charles A.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barber, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baron, Henry</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baron, J.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baron, Robert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baron, Mrs. E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barrow, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barrett, G. C.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barton, Grimshaw</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barton, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barton, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barton, Henry T.</td> - <td>Stalmine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barton, Benjamin G.</td> - <td>Skippool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bates, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bates, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bees, Enock</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bell, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bell, Matthew</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bennett, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bennett, Miss B.</td> - <td>Rock Ferry</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bennett, Miss E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bennett, William</td> - <td>Treales</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bennett, James</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Benson, William</td> - <td>Catterall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Berry, Charles J.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Best, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bickerstaffe, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bickerstaffe, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bickerstaffe, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bickerstaffe, Councillor</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Billington, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Billington, Thomas</td> - <td>Wrea Green</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bilsbury, Miss</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Birch, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Birch, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bird, Henry</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bird, P. H., F.R.C.S., F.L.S.</td> - <td>Lytham<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ii"></a>[ii]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Birley, A. Leyland</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blackurst, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blackburn, Agnes</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blackburn, Edward</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blackburn, Mrs.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bleasdell, Rev. Canon W. M.A.</td> - <td>Kingston, Ontario</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Blundell, W. B.</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Boardman, George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Boardman, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Boardman, William</td> - <td>Great Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bolton, George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bond, Miss A.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bond, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bond, Charles</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bond, Whittaker</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bone, John W. Crombleholme, B.A., F.S.A.</td> - <td>London</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bonny, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bonny, Councillor</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bonny, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bonny, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bottomley, Wm. H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bourne, Col. James M.P., J.P., D.L.</td> - <td>Heathfield (3)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bourne, Capt. J. Dyson 5th Dragoon Guards</td> - <td>London</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bourne, Lady Marion</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bourne, Thomas R.</td> - <td>Bristol</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler-Bowden, Lieut.-Col.</td> - <td>Pleasington Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bowers, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bowdler, Wm. H.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bowker, George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bowman, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bowman, Richard</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bowness, R. H., M.D.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Boys, William</td> - <td>Catterall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brade, John</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradley, Robert</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradley, James</td> - <td>Weeton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradley, John</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradley, Miss</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradshaw, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradshaw, Alice</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bradshaw, Matthew</td> - <td>Elswick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Braithwaite, Councillor</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Braithwaite, Ralph W.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brandon, Edward J.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brearley, Martha Ann</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Breckell, Edmund</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brenerd, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brewer, Miss</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brewster, Charles</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bridge, James</td> - <td>Cheetham Hill</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brooks, A. Mrs.</td> - <td>Bournemouth</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brooks, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brook, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brown, William J.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brown, Jonathan</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bryne, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bryning, John</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bryning, Edward</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bryning, John, J.P.</td> - <td>Newton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burdekin, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burns, Rev. William</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burridge, Stephen</td> - <td>Ardwick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burton, Edward</td> - <td>Norbreck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, Paul</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, R.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, William</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butcher, Thomas</td> - <td>Great Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, James</td> - <td>Thistleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, James S.</td> - <td>Poulton (2)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Butler, Richard</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Callund, Alfred, J.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Camotta, Josephine</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cannon, Joseph Lee</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, Edward</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, Gilbert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, W. and Bros.,</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, E.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, William</td> - <td>Revoe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, Robert</td> - <td>Little Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carr, Thomas H.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carson, Alexander</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carson, Samuel</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, John</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, T.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, Thomas</td> - <td>Larbrick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, Miss A.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, Mrs. E.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Carter, Miss</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cartmell, N.</td> - <td>Westby</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cartmell, Richard</td> - <td>Little Carleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cartmell, George</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cartmell, James</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cardwell, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catlow, Mrs. Sarah A.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Caton, Richard</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catterall, James</td> - <td>Larbrick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catterall, Sarah A.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catterall, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catterall, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Catterall, William</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Causton, H. K.</td> - <td>Brigton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charlton, Robert</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Charnley, William M.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chew, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarke, John</td> - <td>Little Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarke, D.</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarke, Robert</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarke, Thomas R.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarkson, John</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarkson, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iii"></a>[iii]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarkson, James</td> - <td>Carleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarkson, Mrs. Mary</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarkson, Robert</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clarkson, Henry</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clegg, Matthew</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clegg, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clifton, John Talbot</td> - <td>Lytham Hall (3)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cook, George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cookson, Richard</td> - <td>Wrea Green</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cookson, Mrs. R.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cookson, Thomas</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cookson, Helen</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cookson, Miss</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cookson, William</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cooksley, Mrs.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crabtree, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cragg, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crestadoro, A., P.H.D.</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crippin, William</td> - <td>Old Trafford</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Critchley, P.</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crombleholme, R. A.</td> - <td>Halifax</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cross, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crossley, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crossfield, W. P.</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Croxall, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crozier, Robert</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crookall, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crookall, John</td> - <td>Springfield</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coop, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coop, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cooper, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cooper, Jane Miss</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cocker, Ald. Wm. H., J.P., Mayor of</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cockhill, Tom</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Collins, George</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Collinson, Joseph</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Collinson, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Barrow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cornall, Cuthbert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cornall, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cornall, Robert</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Corless, Thomas</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coulston, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coulston, Councillor</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cowl, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cowell, Joshua</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cowell, David</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crompton, Robert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Croft, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Croft, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Croft, Mary Ann</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crook, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crook, Robert A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crook, H. M.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crook, H.</td> - <td>Newton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crook, Thomas</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crook, Thomas</td> - <td>Inskip</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Crookshank, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cumming, W. C.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cunningham, J., J.P.,</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cunliffe, Ellis, J.P.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cunliffe, Mary</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Curtiss, Lawrence</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Currie, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Curwen, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Curwen, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Curwen, Ann Miss</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Curwen, Robert</td> - <td>Birkenhead</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Curwen, Henry</td> - <td>Liverpool</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Dagger, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dagger, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dagger, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dakin, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dalby, George B.</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Daniels, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Darlow, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Davenport, Mrs</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Davies, T. R.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Davies, Alexander</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Davies, James N.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Davies, William</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Danson, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deakin, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dean, C.A.</td> - <td>Glasgow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Derby, the Right Hon. Earl of</td> - <td>Knowsley Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Desquesnes, B.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Devonshire, His Grace the Duke of</td> - <td>London</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dewhurst, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dewhurst, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dewhurst, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dewhurst, William</td> - <td>Great Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dickinson, Mrs</td> - <td>Rock Ferry</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dickinson, Robert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dickson, W. J.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dickson, William</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dickson, J.B.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dickson, William</td> - <td>Bryning</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dixon, Mrs</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dixon, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dixon, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dobson, John</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dobson, Miss</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dodgson, William</td> - <td>Westby</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dodgson, Brian</td> - <td>Catterall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Douglas, Robert</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Drewry, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Drewry, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Drummond, Thomas A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dudley, Mrs E.</td> - <td>Kingswinford</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dugdale, Richard</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dunderdale, R., J.P.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dunkerley, John W.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Eastham, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eaton, Ellen</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eaves, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iv"></a>[iv]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eaves, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eaves, Edward</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eaves, Henry</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eaves, Thomas</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Edmondson, Oswald R.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Edmondson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Edmondson, Margaret</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Edmondson, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Entwistle, James</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Fagg, L.</td> - <td>Davyhulme</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fair, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fair, Thomas, J.P.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fairclough, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fairclough, Richard</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fairclough, James</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fairhurst, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fairhurst, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fairweather, Wm.</td> - <td>Ardwick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fallows, Margaret</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Farrar, William</td> - <td>Withington</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Farrington, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Faulkner, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Featherstonhaugh, H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Featherstonhaugh, Mrs.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fenton, Mrs.</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fenton, Richard</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Field, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fielden, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fish, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fish, B.</td> - <td>Barrow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fish, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fish, Edward</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fish, Jane</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fish, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, Councillor J. B.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, H. Mus. B., Can.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, Councillor J.</td> - <td>Layton Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, Mrs.</td> - <td>Layton Lodge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, Edward</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, Joseph</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, Luke, M.D.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fisher, S.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fitton, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fleetwood, Baron Axel</td> - <td>Sweden</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fleming, Hugh</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fletcher, M.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fletcher, James</td> - <td>Southport</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ford, Isaac</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Foster, George</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox, Henry</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox, Miss Janet</td> - <td>Upper Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox, J. S.</td> - <td>Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox, Matthew</td> - <td>Westby</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox, Thomas</td> - <td>Avenham Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Freeman, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Furness, John</td> - <td>Fulwood</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Garlick, Edward, J.P.</td> - <td>Greenhalgh</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garlick, Ambrose</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garlick, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garlick, George</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garnett, James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gardner, C.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gardner, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gardner, R. C., J.P.</td> - <td>Lune Bank</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gardner, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gardner, John</td> - <td>Layton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gartside, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gartside, J. S.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garstang, James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaskell, T. J.</td> - <td>Stalmine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaskell, Mrs.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaskell, David</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaskell, George</td> - <td>Stockport</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaulter, John</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaulter, Cuthbert</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gill, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gillett, Agnes</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gibson, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gibson, Anne</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gleave, Mary</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gorst, Richard</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gore, John</td> - <td>Weeton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gornall, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gornall, James</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gornall, James</td> - <td>Barrow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Green, Henry J.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Green, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Green, James</td> - <td>Barrow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gratrix, Samuel</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Greenwood, J. B.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Greenwood, John</td> - <td>Eccles</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Greenwood, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregson, W.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregson, E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregson, John</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregson, Thomas</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregson, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregson, Mrs.</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Greenhalgh, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Greenhalgh, Richard</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregory, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gregory, I., F.R.G.S.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Harper, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Haigh, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harcourt and Foden</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hall, James</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hall, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hall, Richard</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hall, Councillor L.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hall, Lawrence</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hall, Thomas</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hargreaves, Josiah</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hargreaves, Robert</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hargreaves, Edward H.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hargreaves, John</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hargreaves, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hammond, Mr.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hardhern, Mrs.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hardman, James</td> - <td>Thornton<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_v"></a>[v]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hardman, Ald., J.P.</td> - <td>South Shore (2)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hardman, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hardman, John</td> - <td>Little Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, J.</td> - <td>St. Michaels</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, Ainsworth</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, Edward</td> - <td>Norbreck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, William F.S.A., D.L., J.P.</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, R. B.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, Matthew</td> - <td>Catterall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrison, William</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harrop, Miss A.</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Halstead, Robert</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hanby, Richard</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hawkins, Rev. H. B.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harris, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Handley, Joseph</td> - <td>Bury</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Handley, Richard</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hayhurst, John</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hayhurst, Thomas</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Haslem, D.</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hatton, G. jun.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hankinson, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hayworth, L.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hayes, Mr.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Heap, Thomas H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Heath, Edward</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hemmingway, Edward</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesketh, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesketh, R.</td> - <td>Treales</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hesketh, James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hedges, David</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Heaton, T. W.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hermon, Edward, M.P.</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Higginson, John</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Higginson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hill, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hill, Samuel</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hines, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hines, Rev. Frederick</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hopwood, W. B.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holt, Alfred</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hooton, William A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holmes, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hogarth, Thomas</td> - <td>Revoe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hogarth, James</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holgate, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holmes, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Home, Rev. J. C.</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hodgson, James</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hodgson, W. S.</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hodgkinson, T.</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hodgkinson Thomas</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hough, Rev. William</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holden, James</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holden, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holden, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holden, Thomas</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hosker, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Horsfall, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holt, Richard</td> - <td>Roa Island</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holt, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Holt, John W.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Howson, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Howson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Howson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hornby, Archdeacon</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hornby, Mr.</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hornby, William</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hornby, John</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hope, Rev. S.</td> - <td>Southport</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hope, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Houghton, William</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Houghton, Thomas</td> - <td>Stalmine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Houghton, Adam</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hoyles, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Howard, Thomas</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hutchinson, William</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, Richard</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, Thomas</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, Mrs.</td> - <td>Higher Lickow</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, Rev. John, hon. canon of Manchester</td> - <td>Yarm</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hull, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Humphrys, G. M.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hunt, John</td> - <td>Cleveleys</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hughes, Rev. R. J.</td> - <td>Rossall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hughes, W. H.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Ibbison, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ingham, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ireland, Thomas</td> - <td>Westby</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Jackson, John</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, William</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Joseph</td> - <td>Garstang</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Thomas</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Mrs.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Robert</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, James</td> - <td>Stalmine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Richard</td> - <td>Newton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, James</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, Jonathan</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jackson, James</td> - <td>Garstang</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jacson, C. R., J.P.</td> - <td>Barton Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jameson, J. M.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jenkinson, William</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jenkinson, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jenson, Evan</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jeffrey, Rev. N. S.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jeffery, Ann</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Johnson, Richard</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Johnson, John</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Johnstone, Margaret</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Johns, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vi"></a>[vi]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, John</td> - <td>Wrea Green</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, John</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, Miss</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, John</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, Elizabeth</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, Margaret E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, Edward G.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, William</td> - <td>Elswick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jolly, James</td> - <td>Staining</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Kay, Henry</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kay, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool (3)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kay, William</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kay, Andrew</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kenworthy, E. E.</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kenyon, Betsy</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Keighley, Benjamin</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kettlewell, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kemp, Frederick, J.P.</td> - <td>Bispham Lodge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kemp, B.</td> - <td>Working</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kendal. Rev. James</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kerr, J.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>King, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Elswick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>King, James</td> - <td>Rochdale</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kirkham, Robert</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kirkham, Thomas</td> - <td>Clifton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kirkham, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kirtland, James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knight, Robert</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knowles, John</td> - <td>Heaton Grange</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knowles, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knowles, Mrs. Richard</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knowles, Mrs.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knipe, Miss</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Lane, Edwin</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lazonby, R. E.</td> - <td>Didsbury</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lawrenson, Wm.</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lawrenson, John</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lawrenson, Peter</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lawson, John</td> - <td>Little Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lennard, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lewtas, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lewtas, Thomas C.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lewtas, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lewtas, Misses J. & C.</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lee, Thomas</td> - <td>Packington</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lees, Joseph</td> - <td>Oldham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leech, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leadbetter, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leadbetter, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leadbetter, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leake, Robert</td> - <td>Whitefield</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lindley, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lister, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Livesey, Howard</td> - <td>Lancaster</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Linaker, Peter</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Longworth, David</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Loxham, J. Walton</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lord, Mrs. Catherine</td> - <td>Hgr Broughton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lodge, Matthew</td> - <td>Prestwich</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lowe, George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lund, Richard</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lund, Mary</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Mather, R. B.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mather, Councillor</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Maybury, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Masheter, Alderman</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Markland, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Macfadin, F. H. Surgeon-Major</td> - <td>47th Regiment</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marquiss, John</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marquiss, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marquiss, James</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marsden, James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Martin, Jonathan</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mason, Thomas</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mason, Richard</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mason, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mason, John</td> - <td>Layton Hawes</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mayor, Charles</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>McNaughtan, Ald., M.D.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>McNeal, Miss</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>McMurtrie, William</td> - <td>Lwr Broughton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Melling, Mrs.</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Memory, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Meredith, Charles</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Meadows, Rev. T.</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Miller, Mr.</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Miller, William P.</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Miller, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Miller, Mary</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Miller, T. H.</td> - <td>Singleton Park</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Miller, Mrs.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Milner, Thomas</td> - <td>Inskip</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Milner, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mitchell, Rev. W. W.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mitchell, Mrs. S.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moss, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moore, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moore, Alfred</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moore, Alexander</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moore, C. E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moore, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Morris, Miss Louisa</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Morris, C. H., M.D.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Morris, Edward</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Morris, Joshua</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Monk, Josiah</td> - <td>Padiham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Monk, Esau C.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moon, Robert</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moon, Robert</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Moon, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Morrison, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Morgan, A. F.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mossop, Rev. Isaac</td> - <td>Woodplumpton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Munn, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Murdock, James D.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mycock, Councillor</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vii"></a>[vii]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Myres, J. J. junr.</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Myres, J. J.</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Newsham, Joseph F.</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Newby, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Newall, J. H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, Mary</td> - <td>Salwick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, Joseph</td> - <td>Ballam</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, Squires</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nickson, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nicholson, Thomas</td> - <td>Pilling</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nicholl, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Noblett, Miss Dorothy</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Noblett, John</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nutter, Mrs. Elizabeth</td> - <td>Accrington</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nutter, Wm. H.</td> - <td>St. Annes-on-the-Sea</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nuttall, Ann</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nuttall, John</td> - <td>Lees</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nuttall, Richard</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>O’Donnell, Michael</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ormerod, Councillor</td> - <td>Newton Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Orr, J. A., M.D.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Oswin, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Pakes, Rev. C.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parsons, Mrs.</td> - <td>Nantwich</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parnell, Alderman</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, Peter</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, Adam</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parker, Michael</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Nicholas</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Robert</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Richard</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, James</td> - <td>Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, James</td> - <td>Layton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Robert</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parkinson, Miss</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parr, Thomas E.</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pearson, Rev. James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pearson, J. E. H.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pearson, John</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Phipps, Emma M.</td> - <td>Great Eccleston (2)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Phillips, Charles</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Phillips, Rev. S. J.</td> - <td>Rossall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pickup, Miss E.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pickup, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pickup, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pickop, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pilling, Rev. W.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pilling, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool (2)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Poole, W. H.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Poole, John</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Poole A. M.</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, Robert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, J. E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, William</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, Edward</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, Ralph</td> - <td>Dowbridge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, James</td> - <td>Wigton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, Edmund</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, Miss</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porter, William</td> - <td>Rossall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pollitt, J. B.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pountney, W. E., M.B.M.C.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pollard, Miss</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pratt, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, Emma</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, Daniel</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, Mrs</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Prince, Daniel</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Price, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, George</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, Joseph</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, Henry</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Preston, James</td> - <td>Elswick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Proctor, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pye, Edward</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Rawcliffe, Alexander</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ray, John</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ramsbottom, James</td> - <td>Castle Hill</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Raby, Benjamin</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Radford, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Redman, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Reynolds, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Reynolds, W. H.</td> - <td>Grappenhall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Read, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Read, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Read, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rennison, Sarah</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Reason, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ripus, D.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rigby, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rigby, John</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ridgway, Squire</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Riley, Thomas</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Riley, P. D.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Riley, Mr.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Riley, John, J.P.</td> - <td>Oldham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rimmer, John, jun.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rimmer, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_viii"></a>[viii]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rimmer, Samuel</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richards, R. C., J. P.</td> - <td>Clifton Lodge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richardson. Rev. W.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richardson, John</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richardson, Edward</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richardson, Robert</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Richmond, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Roskell, Robert</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Roskell, Robert</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Roskell, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rossall, Richard</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rossall, Robert</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rossall, William</td> - <td>Little Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rossall, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Robinson, Roger</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Robinson, J. H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Robinson, T. G.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rowley, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rowcroft, William</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Royles. Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Roe, Miss</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ross, Thomas</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rossall, Richard</td> - <td>Little Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rushton, Theodica</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rushton, R.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rymer, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rymer, Thomas</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Sanderson, William</td> - <td>Carleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sanderson, William</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sanderson, Peter</td> - <td>Carleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sanderson, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Salthouse, Thomas</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Salthouse, Ezekiel</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sandham, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scott, Thomas</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scott, John</td> - <td>Clifton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scott, Rev. Walter</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Seed, Mrs. James</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Seed, James</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Seed, G. L.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Seed, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Seed, Thomas</td> - <td>Liverpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Seddon, Mrs</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sedgwick, Elizabeth</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shepherd, William</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shepherd, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sharples, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sharples, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sharples, Councillor</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shaw, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sharp, Henry</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shee, Michael</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shaw, Robert, J. P.</td> - <td>Colne Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sharp, John</td> - <td>Lancaster</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shorrocks, James</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shawcross, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shorrocks, Miss E. S.</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sheffington, Edward</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, William</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, Richard</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, George</td> - <td>St. Michaels</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, Joseph</td> - <td>Layton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, James</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, Richard</td> - <td>Wardleys</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, John</td> - <td>Heyhouses</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, John</td> - <td>Stalmine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Singleton, Richard L.</td> - <td>Poulton Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Simpson, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Simpson, W. E.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Simpson, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Silcock, Richard</td> - <td>Thornton Hall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Simmons, Rev. J. F.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Silverwood, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Skelton, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Slater, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Slater, James</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smith, Mrs.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smith, Robert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smith, T. H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smith, Christopher</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smith, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smith, John L</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Smelt, Thomas</td> - <td>Old Trafford</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Snalam, George</td> - <td>Thistleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sowerbutts, H. E.</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Southward, Ambrose</td> - <td>Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Southward, John</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Speakman, Thomas</td> - <td>Higher Broughton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Speak, W.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Speak, William</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spencer, James</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stanton, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stanley, Isaac</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stephenson, Mrs</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stead, Edward George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stirzaker, Matthew</td> - <td>Little Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Strickland, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Strickland, Henry</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Strickland, John</td> - <td>Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>St Clair, J., M. B., C. M.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stott, Samuel</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Standish, Mrs</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Standish, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stoba, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stafford, Thomas</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stewart, Thomas</td> - <td>St Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sumner, John</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sumner, Joseph</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sunderland. T.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sutcliffe, Gill</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swarbrick, George</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swarbrick, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swarbrick, Edward</td> - <td>Great Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swarbrick, John</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swarbrick, James G.</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swallow, George</td> - <td>Cheetham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swann, Robert</td> - <td>Wesham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swan, John</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swain, James</td> - <td>Fleetwood<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ix"></a>[ix]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Swift, James</td> - <td>Warbreck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, James, jun.</td> - <td>Liverpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, Isaac</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, Robert</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, B. Corless</td> - <td>Seaforth</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, James Albert</td> - <td>Liverpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, Thomas B.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, James</td> - <td>Breck House</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sykes, Benjamin</td> - <td>Preston</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Taylor, Miss N.</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, Mr</td> - <td>Southport (2)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, William</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, Rev. Roger</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, Miss E.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, A.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Taylor, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Talbot, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Terry, W. H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, William</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, Joseph</td> - <td>Elswick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, Christopher</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, Wm. C.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, James</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, James</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thompson, Stephen</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thornton, Mrs</td> - <td>Preesall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thornber, P. Harrison</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Threlfall, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Threlfall, Richard</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Threlfall, George</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Threlfall, Richard</td> - <td>Rossall</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Topping, Edward</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Townson, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Todd, Eave</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Towers, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Topham, John</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tomlinson, Richard</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turner, Philip</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turner, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turner, Mrs.</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turner, Capt. Henry</td> - <td>Stockport</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turnbull, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tunstall, James</td> - <td>St. Michael’s</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Twigg, J. B.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tyler, Robert</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Ulyeat, William</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Underwood, Thomas H.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Upton, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Valiant, Robert</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Valiant, James</td> - <td>Skippool</td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Ward, Robert</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ward, John</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ward, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ward, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walsh, Richard</td> - <td>Wardleys</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walsh, John</td> - <td>Upper Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wade, Mrs. I.</td> - <td>Hambleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wade, Elizabeth M.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wade, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wade, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Waring, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Waring, Robert</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ware, Titus Nibbert</td> - <td>Bowden</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Watts, Edward</td> - <td>Longsight</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Warbrick, Richard</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Warbrick, John</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Warbrick, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walmsley, Fred</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walmsley, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walmsley, Joseph</td> - <td>Carleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walmsley, Joseph</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Waddington, Miss M</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walker, Dr. J. D.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walker, Thomas</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walker, William</td> - <td>Arbroath</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walker, Joseph</td> - <td>Eccles</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walker, Miss Alice</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wainwright, Rev. C. H.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Waite, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wayman, Rev. James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whatmough and Wilkinson</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Weston, D.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wartenberg, Siegfried</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Westhead, Mrs.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, John</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, John, jun.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, John</td> - <td>Larbreck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, John</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Robert</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, George</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Jane</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Ann</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Charlotte</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Robert</td> - <td>Ballam</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Robert</td> - <td>Marton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Thomas</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, William</td> - <td>Westby</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Thomas</td> - <td>Ballam</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, George</td> - <td>Larbrick</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, Thomas</td> - <td>Little Eccleston</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, John</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whiteside, John J.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>White, Ann</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>White, Evan</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whittington, Mr.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whittaker, James</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whittaker, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whittaker, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whittaker, Henry</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whitworth, John</td> - <td>Alderley Edge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whitworth, Robert</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whitworth, Alfred</td> - <td>Rusholme</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whitworth, B., M.P.</td> - <td>London (3)<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_x"></a>[x]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whitworth, Thomas</td> - <td>Withington (3)</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whalley, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whalley, Henry</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whalley, Charles</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Whitehead, Edward</td> - <td>Bolton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wild, James</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilson, Henry T.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilson, William R.</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilson, George</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilson, Thomas</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilson, Edward</td> - <td>Norbreck</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilton, John</td> - <td>Freckleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wiggins, W.</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Williamson, Robert</td> - <td>Out Rawcliffe</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Williamson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Williamson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilkinson, Miss Ellen</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilkinson, Thomas</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilkinson, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilkinson, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wildman, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilde, Isaac</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilding, Richard</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilkinson, George</td> - <td>Bispham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilkinson, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wilks, Christopher</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Winterbottam, Dr.</td> - <td>Manchester</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wignall, John, J.P.</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, George</td> - <td>Lytham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, William</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, W. H.</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, Thomas</td> - <td>Poulton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, John</td> - <td>Warton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, Thomas</td> - <td>Trenton, Ontario</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, James</td> - <td>Stockport</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Worthington, Henry</td> - <td>South Shore</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wood, Rev. L. C.</td> - <td>Singleton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woods, Richard</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woods, George Butler</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wood, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodcock, Miss</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodcock, Elizabeth</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodcock, J. & M.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wolstenholme Bros.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodley, Mrs. Jane</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodhead, Miss M. A.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodhall, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodhouse, John</td> - <td>Stalmine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodhouse, Charles</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, John</td> - <td>Thornton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, Joseph</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, William</td> - <td>Fleetwood</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, Sarah</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, G.</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, Rev. Adam</td> - <td>Gilsland</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wright, Miss Jane</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wray, John</td> - <td>Blackpool</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wray, John</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wylie, Robert</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wylie, Jonathan</td> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span></td> - </tr> - <tr class="ltr"> - <td>Young, John</td> - <td>Kirkham</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE FYLDE OF LANCASHIRE***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 65919-h.htm or 65919-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/5/9/1/65919">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/5/9/1/65919</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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