In Newton exchange of land to provide access is exem¬plified in the early 14th century, when in 1314-15 William Moscul of Burtonwood is recorded as exchang¬ing an acre of land with William of Newton (Raines 38. 129), although the motives behind this are not explicit in the documents. The survey of 1465 records that the ancestors of Peter Legh had exchanged a parcel of land in Greeneghes which now belonged to the lord of the manor, Henry Langton, for land which would provide access to the mill at Bradleigh on the Sankey Brook. - ref.E17/126/6 Warrington & Newton Extension Railway FILE-Land leased in Warrington and Earlestown About half a mile (0.8 km) northward of the town are the remains of an ancient barrow, called Castle Hill, the sides and summit of which are crowned with venerable oaks; it is from eight to nine yards high (7 to 8 metres), and twenty-five yards (23 metres) in diameter. A whetstone, encased in wood, was discovered in sinking a coal-pit in this neighbourhood, in 1822, about thirty yards (27.5 metres) below the surface of the earth. At Newton there seems to have been an old road running from Haydock to Lowton. From Haydock it ran past Hall Meadow, down Townfield Lane and crossing the modern A49, it went towards Castle Hill and on towards Lowton. Townfield Lane is six feet (1.8 metres) below the level of the ground next to it, and is probably an ancient British lane. It has been found that where the Roman road between Warrington and Wigan crosses this old lane, it slopes down to it on both sides, clearly showing that it was there before the Roman road.. Roman Roads After the Romans invaded Britain, they built a network of roads to help conquer and subdue the native population, routes which were later extended as they conquered more of the country. These roads were completely different from any which had been seen in this country before. Older roads just developed, almost as part of the landscape and tended to wind about, perhaps from village to village, avoiding even only small features in the landscape. The Roman roads, however, were planned and built wherever possible in straight lines and sometimes even went over low hills instead of around them. This was mainly for the benefit of the legions in the Roman army, to help them move quickly around the country. One of these Roman roads extended from the south, connecting with Chester (which was an important Roman city called Deva) to the south-west and with Condate (now called Kinderton, near Middlewich) to the south-east and eventually with London (Londinium). The road crossed the Mersey by a ford at Wilderspool, now part of Warrington (Veratinum), and went on north, through Newton, Wigan (Coccium) and Preston, to Lancaster and probably beyond. It used to be thought that the Roman road through Newton was a later addition to the network of roads, built around AD 85 to AD 117, but more recent discoveries have led to a date around AD 69 to AD 77 being thought more likely. If this is true, then the Roman road through Newton would have been part of the main route, built to help in the conquest of the north-west. The Roman road at Newton seems to have been constructed first of a thin layer of small-stoned gravel and sand, then sandstone blocks about eight inches (20 cms) across and four and a half inches ( ll cms) thick, with a layer of larger-stoned gravel (up to 2 inches across) (5 cms) as the top layer. There have been several archaeological investigations of the road in the Newton area, the most recent being in November 2001 when a small team from the Liverpool Museum excavated two sections at Cole Avenue. . Anglo-Saxon times, including St.Oswald In A.D. 409 Britain rebelled against Roman rule, but otherwise life continued much as before. However, with the Roman legions leaving Britain, it left the country open to invaders, from the north, west and east. Those from the east came over the sea from what is now northern Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. These were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, and together they came to be called the Anglo-Saxons. The strongest of these in number, the Angles, or English, gave their name to England as a whole. They were Pagans, meaning not Christian, and having their own gods and goddesses. Examples of these can still be seen today in the days of the week, which were named after them, such as Tuesday after the god Tiw, Wednesday after the god Woden, Thursday after the god Thor and Friday after the goddess Freya. Some of the Anglo-Saxons were invited to come as mercenaries, to fight against the invaders from the north who were the Picts, and from the west, the Scots, who came from Ireland (and who gave their name to Scotland after becoming more powerful than the Picts). Many more of the Anglo-Saxons came later as invaders themselves. They soon established several independent kingdoms, but in time these came together as larger kingdoms, such as Wessex in the south-west (named after the West Saxons), East Anglia in the east (after the East Angles), Mercia in the Midlands, and Northumbria in the north (meaning north of the Humber Estuary). Place names can also give clues to the history of settlement in an area. It seems that around Newton several places kept their old British or Celtic names, instead of having been given Anglo-Saxon ones. Examples of these Celtic names are Haydock, Culcheth, Kenyon, Penketh, Bryn, Ince and even Wigan. The name Newton is Anglo-Saxon, meaning -new town-. Other Anglo-Saxon place names in the area include Winwick, Burtonwood (originally just -Burton-), Sutton, Parr, Ashton, Golborne and Lowton. Although the Anglo-Saxons were at first Pagan, Christianity stayed in Britain in the places where the original British inhabitants remained in power, especially Wales. In AD 597 the Pope in Rome sent a mission, led by St. Augustine, to convert England to Christianity. The full conversion of England took many years. In AD 627 King Edwin of Northumbria was converted by Paulinus, another missionary from Rome. Edwins successor, King Oswald, tried to spread Christianity in the parts of England which were still Pagan. Penda was king of Mercia, and he was a Pagan. A war broke out between them and in the end Oswald was killed in battle by Penda in the year 642. This happened at a place called Maserfeld. There is still an argument about where this was, but one theory is that it was Makerfield, the area around Newton. Because Oswald was a Christian king who died fighting against a Pagan, he was declared a Saint by the Church. There is a local tradition that at the place where King Oswald was killed, people used to take away a little of the earth because they considered it was holy, and eventually it made a hole in which water welled up. This was lined with stone and became known as St. Oswald-s Well. It still exists today and is now a -listed building-. lt;br> Another local link with Oswald is the Parish Church at Winwick, which is dedicated to St. Oswald, and the origins of this church do go back to Anglo-Saxon times. The cross-bar of a stone cross from this period was found in the 19th century, and is now inside the church. It was a very large cross, as the cross-bar is 5 feet in length (l.5 metres). It is carved with typical Anglo-Saxon decoration. There is also an inscription in Latin on the south side of the church, which can be translated as: This place of old did Oswald greatly love, Northumbria- s king, but now a saint above; Who in Marcelde-s field did fighting fall; O, blest one, hear, when here on thee we call. (one line here is too badly worn to read) In fifteen hundred and three times ten Sclater restored and built this wall again, And Henry Johnson here was curate then. Although this inscription was carved in 1530 the first part seems to be a copy of an older one, possibly very old, and might preserve a piece of historical fact about Oswald, his love of the place and his falling in battle at Makerfield (here called Marcelde). Domesday Book and Newton Hundred In 1066 King William of Normandy conquered England, having killed King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Twenty years later, in 1086, King William ordered a detailed survey to be made of the whole of the country he had conquered. No other country in Europe produced any document like this until several hundred years later. Although it was kept for centuries at Winchester, the original book still survives in the Public Record Office in London. It was called the Domesday Book (meaning the same as -doomsday-) comparing it with the Day of Judgement, against which nobody could appeal. It was written in Latin, which was then the official language for documents (not only in England but all over Western Europe). Lancashire did not exist as a county until 1182, and was listed as two separate areas in the Domesday Book, Newton appearing in the part called -between the Ribble and the Mersey.- Translated into English the entry reads: In Newton, in King Edward-s time, there were five hides. Of these one was in the demesne. The church of the same manor had one carucate of land, and Saint Oswald of the same vill had two carucates of land free of everything. The other land of this manor 15 men, called Drenghes, held for 15 manors, which were berewicks of this manor; and, among them all, these men rendered 30 shillings. There is a wood there 10 leagues long and 6 leagues and 2 furlongs broad, and there are a hawk-s aeries. All the free men of this hundred, except 2, had the same custom as the men of Derbyshire (meaning West Derby Hundred); but in August they mowed 2 days more than they on the King-s tillage lands. The two (excepted men) had 5 carucates of land, and had the forfeitures for bloodshed and rape and pannage (in the woods) for their men. The rest were the King-s. This whole manor rendered to the King a farm of 10 pounds 10 shillings. There are now there 6 Drenghes and 12 villeins and 4 bordars, who have 9 carucates amongst them. The demesne is worth 4 pounds. As can be seen, even in an English translation this is still quite difficult to understand, but it is interesting to read what was written about our area almost a thousand years ago. It actually refers to what was then known as Newton Hundred. Newton gave its name to the local administrative unit called a Hundred. These dated back to Anglo-Saxon times, and it is thought that they were so called because originally they were ruled by meetings consisting of a hundred armed men. Later on, Newton became part of West Derby Hundred, which continued as a unit of local government right up until the Local Government Act of 1894. Before the Conquest, most of Newton Hundred had directly as its lord, King Edward the Confessor (King Harold ruled only for a few months), possibly in succession to Oswald. The land not directly under the King-s lordship, 15 -berewicks- or subordinate manors, was held under him by 15 -drenghes- or vassals. Two churches are mentioned, one being St. Oswald-s (Winwick Parish Church) and the other is thought to have been Wigan, so in those days perhaps Wigan came under Newton! St. Oswald-s was a greatly favoured church, its endowment being two carucates of land, which was double that of Warrington, Walton (the mother-church of Liverpool) or Manchester. Another sign of the favour shown to the church of St. Oswald is that it had its own manor, which was free of all taxes. Only one other church in Lancashire (Whalley) had this tax exemption. The reference to a hawk-s aeries, or nesting-places, is interesting, as hawks were considered to be quite a luxury, as they were used in hunting by the nobility. Fee of Makerfield After the Norman Conquest, land was usually allocated by King William to his noblemen. In the case of Newton Hundred, it was given to Count Roger of Poictou in return for his services at the Battle of Hastings. Roger later gave the church and village of Winwick to the newly-founded (in 1100) Priory of St. Oswald at Nostell in Yorkshire, and the rest of the Hundred to another Norman, Robert Banastre. This was given, as was the custom of the so-called Feudal System of that time, as a -fee,- in this case being called the Fee of Makerfield. It was made up of 18 townships altogether: Newton, Wigan, Lowton, Golborne, Haydock, Ince, Pemberton, Billinge, Winstanley, Orrell, Hindley, Abram, Kenyon, Ashton, Southworth with Croft, Middleton and Arbury, Woolston with Martinscroft, and Poulton with Fearnhead. Some of these places to this day are still called -in Makerfield-: Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, as well as Newton-in-Makerfield (the town has been called Newton-le-Willows since 1939, but St. Peter-s Church is still called the Church of St. Peter in Newton-in-Makerfield). Under the Feudal System, Roger de Poictou and Robert Banastre were Lords of the Manor (the area covered by the Fee of Makerfield), otherwise known as Barons. In Newton, there were two courts under the Lord of the Manor: the Court Leet and the Court Baron. The first dealt with general matters of law and order, while the second dealt with cases relating to the Manor. Lancashire did not exist as a county until 1182, and was listed as two separate areas in the Domesday Book, Newton appearing in the part called -between the Ribble and the Mersey.- Translated into English the entry reads: In Newton, in King Edward-s time, there were five hides. Of these one was in the demesne. The church of the same manor had one carucate of land, and Saint Oswald of the same vill had two carucates of land free of everything. The other land of this manor 15 men, called Drenghes, held for 15 manors, which were berewicks of this manor; and, among them all, these men rendered 30 shillings. There is a wood there 10 leagues long and 6 leagues and 2 furlongs broad, and there are a hawk-s aeries. All the free men of this hundred, except 2, had the same custom as the men of Derbyshire (meaning West Derby Hundred); but in August they mowed 2 days more than they on the King-s tillage lands. The two (excepted men) had 5 carucates of land, and had the forfeitures for bloodshed and rape and pannage (in the woods) for their men. The rest were the King-s. This whole manor rendered to the King a farm of 10 pounds 10 shillings. There are now there 6 Drenghes and 12 villeins and 4 bordars, who have 9 carucates amongst them. The demesne is worth 4 pounds. As can be seen, even in an English translation this is still quite difficult to understand, but it is interesting to read what was written about our area almost a thousand years ago. It actually refers to what was then known as Newton Hundred. Newton gave its name to the local administrative unit called a Hundred. These dated back to Anglo-Saxon times, and it is thought that they were so called because originally they were ruled by meetings consisting of a hundred armed men. Later on, Newton became part of West Derby Hundred, which continued as a unit of local government right up until the Local Government Act of 1894. Before the Conquest, most of Newton Hundred had directly as its lord, King Edward the Confessor (King Harold ruled only for a few months), possibly in succession to Oswald. The land not directly under the King-s lordship, 15 -berewicks- or subordinate manors, was held under him by 15 -drenghes- or vassals. Two churches are mentioned, one being St. Oswald-s (Winwick Parish Church) and the other is thought to have been Wigan, so in those days perhaps Wigan came under Newton! St. Oswald-s was a greatly favoured church, its endowment being two carucates of land, which was double that of Warrington, Walton (the mother-church of Liverpool) or Manchester. Another sign of the favour shown to the church of St. Oswald is that it had its own manor, which was free of all taxes. Only one other church in Lancashire (Whalley) had this tax exemption. The reference to a hawk-s aeries, or nesting-places, is interesting, as hawks were considered to be quite a luxury, as they were used in hunting by the nobility. Early Charters (including Market and Fair) From time to time the King granted certain rights to individuals, groups of people, or even towns or cities, and these were laid down in the form of charters, which were legal documents written on parchment and bearing the King-s Great Seal in green wax, the colour of perpetuity. There were possibly older charters relating to Newton, but the oldest to survive is that granted to Robert Banastre by King Henry III. This occurred in 1257, and covered the right of free warren, or the license to raise and hunt game. To hunt without permission in a royal forest could result in the death penalty. In the following year, 1258, another Charter was granted, for a Fair and a Market at Newton. In 1302, King Edward I confirmed these two charters, for a Market and Fair and for free warren. Earlestown Market is still held today under this right, from 700 years ago, although the right to a fair was finally abolished in 1916. In 1284, Robert Banastre obtained from the Prior of the Friary of St. Oswald at Nostell in Yorkshire, (to which Winwick Church had been given in 1100), the privilege of having a chantry in his chapel at Rokeden, because of the distance of Newton from the mother church at Winwick. This tells us that Newton already had a chapel, at a place called Rokeden. This is sometimes taken to mean the area around the former Dean School in Rob Lane, but other historians say this is more likely to be the site of the present church of St. Peter. From time to time the King granted certain rights to individuals, groups of people, or even towns or cities, and these were laid down in the form of charters, which were legal documents written on parchment and bearing the King-s Great Seal in green wax, the colour of perpetuity. There were possibly older charters relating to Newton, but the oldest to survive is that granted to Robert Banastre by King Henry III. This occurred in 1257, and covered the right of free warren, or the license to raise and hunt game. To hunt without permission in a royal forest could result in the death penalty. In the following year, 1258, another Charter was granted, for a Fair and a Market at Newton. In 1302, King Edward I confirmed these two charters, for a Market and Fair and for free warren. Earlestown Market is still held today under this right, from 700 years ago, although the right to a fair was finally abolished in 1916. In 1284, Robert Banastre obtained from the Prior of the Friary of St. Oswald at Nostell in Yorkshire, (to which Winwick Church had been given in 1100), the privilege of having a chantry in his chapel at Rokeden, because of the distance of Newton from the mother church at Winwick. This tells us that Newton already had a chapel, at a place called Rokeden. This is sometimes taken to mean the area around the former Dean School in Rob Lane, but other historians say this is more likely to be the site of the present church of St. Peter. Early Charters (including Market and Fair) From time to time the King granted certain rights to individuals, groups of people, or even towns or cities, and these were laid down in the form of charters, which were legal documents written on parchment and bearing the King-s Great Seal in green wax, the colour of perpetuity. There were possibly older charters relating to Newton, but the oldest to survive is that granted to Robert Banastre by King Henry III. This occurred in 1257, and covered the right of free warren, or the license to raise and hunt game. To hunt without permission in a royal forest could result in the death penalty. In the following year, 1258, another Charter was granted, for a Fair and a Market at Newton. In 1302, King Edward I confirmed these two charters, for a Market and Fair and for free warren. Earlestown Market is still held today under this right, from 700 years ago, although the right to a fair was finally abolished in 1916. In 1284, Robert Banastre obtained from the Prior of the Friary of St. Oswald at Nostell in Yorkshire, (to which Winwick Church had been given in 1100), the privilege of having a chantry in his chapel at Rokeden, because of the distance of Newton from the mother church at Winwick. This tells us that Newton already had a chapel, at a place called Rokeden. This is sometimes taken to mean the area around the former Dean School in Rob Lane, but other historians say this is more likely to be the site of the present church of St. Peter. In 1286 the Langton family took over the Manor of Newton. Robert Banastre-s heiress, Alice, married John Langton who became the Lord of the Manor, and it was he who obtained the charter of 1301 from King Edward I. The Langtons held the manor of Newton for over 300 hundred years, except for a brief time when they were punished for supporting the wrong side in the Wars of the Roses. In 1604 the Langtons were succeeded by the Fleetwoods who only held the Manor for 56 years. From time to time the King granted certain rights to individuals, groups of people, or even towns or cities, and these were laid down in the form of charters, which were legal documents written on parchment and bearing the King-s Great Seal in green wax, the colour of perpetuity. There were possibly older charters relating to Newton, but the oldest to survive is that granted to Robert Banastre by King Henry III. This occurred in 1257, and covered the right of free warren, or the license to raise and hunt game. To hunt without permission in a royal forest could result in the death penalty. In the following year, 1258, another Charter was granted, for a Fair and a Market at Newton. In 1302, King Edward I confirmed these two charters, for a Market and Fair and for free warren. Earlestown Market is still held today under this right, from 700 years ago, although the right to a fair was finally abolished in 1916. In 1284, Robert Banastre obtained from the Prior of the Friary of St. Oswald at Nostell in Yorkshire, (to which Winwick Church had been given in 1100), the privilege of having a chantry in his chapel at Rokeden, because of the distance of Newton from the mother church at Winwick. This tells us that Newton already had a chapel, at a place called Rokeden. This is sometimes taken to mean the area around the former Dean School in Rob Lane, but other historians say this is more likely to be the site of the present church of St. Peter. In this year the cross featured in a medieval ghost story. Lords of the Manor and Manorial Courts Under the Feudal System, Roger de Poictou and Robert Banastre were Lords of the Manor, or Barons of the area covered by the Fee of Makerfield. There were two courts which were held in Newton, as in certain other manors. Here is an explanation of them by a lawyer named Fineux, writing in about 1496: The Court Leet was ordained for the punishment of enormities and nuisances against the public weal.......And it is called the -View of Frank-pledge-, because the king may there have ascertained by view of the steward, how many people are within any leet; and thus have account and view, by the steward, of their good government and behaviour in any leet. And also the leet was ordained to have every person of the age of twelve years who has dwelt therein a year and a day, to be sworn to be faithful and loyal to the king. The Court Baron was ordained to determine as to injuries, trespasses, debts, and other actions.......where the debt or damages were under 40 shillings. And also, because the lords of Manors and Courts Baron have given their tenants their lands and tenements.......to hold of them. For this also, homage of court ought to be inquired into in this court, that the lords may not lose their services, customs or duties. And also it was ordained (for tenants) to make their suits there, and thus to show themselves obedient to their lords. And that nothing might be done within the manor noisant or hurtful to the inheritance of the lords of the manors, which shall not be inquired into and presented for the lords of the manor. Newton-s first MPs At the Parliament which met at Westminster on 13th November 1295, the representation for each county was two knights from each shire, two citizens from each city and two burghers from each borough. From Lancashire, there were two knights for the shire and two burghers each for the boroughs of Lancaster, Preston, Wigan and Liverpool. At that time there were no cities in Lancashire. These boroughs did not continue to send representatives to Parliament however, because with the privilege came expenses which were considered too great, and for two centuries, Lancashire was represented in Parliament only by the two knights of the shire. In the first Parliament of Edward VI, in 1547, the four boroughs again sent two burghers each, and in the first Parliament of Elizabeth I-s reign, in 1559, Clitheroe and Newton were added, making, with the two knights of the shire, fourteen representatives from Lancashire. The first two Members for the Borough of Newton, in 1559, were Richard Chetwood and Sir George Hawarde, who was probably the same George Howard who was the brother of Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. With a brief interlude during the Commonwealth in the 1650s, this Parliamentary Representation for Lancashire continued until the Reform Act of 1832. In 1651 and 1656, the system was changed and there were four members for the county and one each for Lancaster, Preston, Liverpool, Wigan and Manchester. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the system reverted to how it was before the Commonwealth, and Newton again sent two Members to Parliament, and Manchester sent none until the Reform Act of 1832 The Barony of Newton was bought by Thomas Fleetwood from Thomas Langton. In 1604 the Langtons were succeeded by the Fleetwoods as Lords of the Manor, The Fleetwoods Family only held the Manor for 56 years. Newton Hall was built by Thomas Blackburne (demolished in 1965). The Civil War. (sometimes called the Battle of Red Bank) in which Oliver Cromwell-s Parliamentary Forces defeated -the whole Army of the Scots-, under the command of the Duke of Hamilton, killing about 1000 men and taking about 2000 prisoners. The English Civil War occurred between 1642 and 1649, and while there were many reasons for this event, it was largely a struggle for power between King and Parliament. Early in the war, Warrington was held for the King by forces of the Earl of Derby. In 1643, Parliamentary forces laid siege to the town, in the process capturing Winwick Church, which was used as a small fortress. Later in the war, in 1648, the Duke of Hamilton advanced into Lancashire with an army of Scottish soldiers. In a letter from Oliver Cromwell to William Lenthall, Speaker of the House of Commons, he described what has become known as either the Battle of Red Bank or the Battle of Winwick Pass, and which took place between Newton and Winwick: We could not engage the enemy until we came within three miles of Warrington, and there the enemy made a stand at a passe near Winwicke. We held them in some dispute till our army came up, they maintaining the passe with great resolution for many hours, ours and theirs coming to push of pike and very close charges, and forced us to give ground, but our men, by the blessing of God, quickly recovered it, and charging very home upon them, beat them from their standing, where we killed about a thousand of them, and tooke (as we believe) about two thousand prisoners, and prosecuted them home to Warrington town, where they possessed the bridge, which had a strong barricado and a work upon it, formerly made defensive. As soon as we came thither I received a message from Lieutenant-General Baily, desiring some capitulation to which I yielded, considering the strength of the passe, and that I could not goe over the river within ten miles of Warrington with the army. I gave him these termes, that he should surrender him-self and all his officers and souldiers prisoners of war, with all his Arms and Ammunition and horse to me, I giving quarter for life, and promising civill usage, which accordingly is done, and the commissioners deputed by me have received, and are receiving all the Armes and Ammunition, which they tell me, about foure thousand compleat Armes, and as many prisoners, and thus you have their infantry totally ruined. What Colonells and Officers are with Lieutenant-General Baily, I have not yet received the list. The Civil War Ends. The Legh Family Richard Legh of Lyme Hall in Cheshire became Lord of the Manor by buying it from the Fleetwoods in 1660. Upon taking over the Manor, Richard Legh granted the town of Newton the crest from his coat of arms. The description is (translated from Norman French, which is still used officially in heraldic descriptions): Out of a ducal coronet a ram-s head, holding an elm sprig in its mouth. The title of Lord of Manor of Newton still exists, and Richard Thomas Legh holds the title of Baron Newton, although the ancestral home, Lyme Hall, is now a National Trust property. Dean School was built. First known mention of Newton Racecourse, although it may be older. Peter Legh, aged only 16, elected as Member of Parliament (together with Sir John Chicheley). In 1695 a Doctor Kuerden described a journey through Winwick Parish (including Newton): Entering a little hamlet called Hulme you leave on the left a deep and fair stone quarry fit for building. You meet with another crossway on the right. A mile (1.6 km) farther stands a fair-built church called Winwick church, a remarkable fabric.....Leaving the church on the right about a quarter of a mile (0.4 km) westwards stands a princely building, equal to the revenue, called the parsonage of Winwick; and near the church on the right hand stands a fair-built schoolhouse. By the east end of the church is another road, but less used, to the borough of Wigan. Having passed the school about half a mile (0.8 km) you come to a sandy place called the Red Bank, where Hamilton and his army were beaten. Here, leaving Bradley park, and a good seat belonging to Mr. Brotherton of Hey (a member of Parliament for the borough of Newton) on the left hand, and Newton park on the right, you have a little stone bridge over Newton Brook, three miles (4.8 km) from Warrington. On the left hand close by a water mill appear the ruins of the site of the ancient barony of Newton, where formerly was the baron-s castle. Having passed the bridge you ascend a rock, where is a penfold cut out of the same, and upon the top of the rock was lately built a court house for the manor, and near to it a fair re-edified chapel of stone built by Richard Legh, deceased. father to Mr. Legh, the present titular baron of Newton. There stands a stately cross, near the chapel well, adorned with the arms belonging to the present baron. Having passed the town of Newton you leave a cross-road on the left going to Liverpool by St. Helen-s chapel. You pass in winter through a miry lane for half a mile; (0.8 km) you leave another lane on the left passing by Billinge.... Then passing on a sandy lane you leave Haydock park, and (close by the road) Haydock lodge, belonging to Mr. Legh, and going on a half a mile (0.8 km) you pass by the chapel and through the town of Ashton, standing upon a rocky ground, which belongeth to Sir William Gerard, bart., of Brynn, who resides at Garswood, about a mile (1.6 km) to the east (although this is in fact to the west). Having passed the stone bridge take the left hand way, which though something fouler is more used. You then pass by Whitledge Green, a place much resorted to in summer by the neighbouring gentry for bowling. Shortly after you meet with the other way from Ashton bridge by J. Naylor-s, a herald painter and an excellent stainer of glass for pictures or coats of arms. Through a more open coach-way passing on upon the right leave the Brynn gate, a private way leading to the ancient hall of Brynn, and upon the left another road by Garswood to the Hall of Parr, a seat belonging to the Byroms, and to St. Helen-s chapel; and thence past Hawkley to Wigan. The Entry for Newton, from a book called -England Illustrated, a Compendium of the History, Topography, Antiquities, Etc.- published in 1764, reads: Newton is distant from London 187 miles (300 km), and is an ancient borough, by prescription, governed by a steward, bailiff, and burgesses. This town once had a market; but that is disused; and is now remarkable only for chusing two members of parliament, who are returned by the steward of the lord of the manor, and for a charity school, founded in 1707, by one Hornby, a yeoman of this place, and endowed with 2000 l (?2000) where children are taught to read, write, and cast accompts, and allowed a dinner every school day; and there are ten boys and ten girls lodged in a neighbouring hospital, where they are provided with all sort of necessaries till they are fourteen years old. In the -Topographical Dictionary of England-, by Samuel Lewis, published in 1831, appears the following entry about Newton, although it seems a little out of date, as it does not mention the Liverpool to Manchester Railway which was opened in 1830: NEWTON in MACKERFIELD a borough (formerly a market town) and chapelry, in the parish of WINWICK, hundred of WEST DERBY, county palatine of LANCASTER, 47 miles (S. by E.) from Lancaster, and 192 1/2 (N. W. by N.) from London, containing 1643 inhabitants. During the parliamentary war, and about the month of August, 1648, some Highlanders having been defeated and made prisoners by the parliamentary forces, at Red Bank, near this place, were hanged in an adjacent field, which still retains the appellation of Gallows Cross. The town consists chiefly of one broad street; and there are an ancient court-house, and a handsome assembly-room. The manufacture of fustians is the principal branch of business, and spinning and dyeing cotton is also carried on. The market has long been discontinued, but the cross is standing. Fairs are held on May 17th and August 12th for horses. Newton, anciently the head of a barony, is a borough by prescription, and has returned two members of parliament ever since the first year of the reign of Elizabeth; the right of election is in the free-holders to the value of forty shillings and upwards: the number of voters is about sixty: the steward of the borough, and the bailiff of the manor, are the returning officers; and the influence of Thomas Legh, Esq., is predominant. Courts leet and baron are held three times a year, at which small debts are recoverable. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chester, endowed with ?200 private benefaction, ?400 royal bounty, and ?600 Parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of Richard Legh Esq.: the burial-ground has been recently enlarged, and enclosed with a stone wall and palisades, by the patron. A free school is kept in the court-house for the instruction of poor children; the average number is from seventy to one hundred: the master receives about ?55 per annum, arising from the proceeds of certain enclosures of Leyland common, and the rental of a messuage called Dean school. Upwards of four hundred children are instructed in the Sunday schools, which were established in 1823. About half a mile (0.8 km) northward of the town are the remains of an ancient barrow, called Castle Hill, the sides and summit of which are crowned with venerable oaks; it is from eight to nine yards high (7 to 8 metres), and twenty-five yards (23 metres) in diameter. A whetstone, encased in wood, was discovered in sinking a coal-pit in this neighbourhood, in 1822, about thirty yards (27.5 metres) below the surface of the earth. In the 1849 edition of the same -Topographical Dictionary-, it can be seen how Newton developed since the 1831 edition (note also how the spelling has changed from -Mackerfield- to -Makerfield-): NEWTON-in-MAKERFIELD, a market-town, and parish, in the union of WARRINGTON, hundred of WEST DERBY, S. division of LANCASHIRE, 4 miles (N.) from Warrington, 15 miles (E. by N.) from Liverpool, 47 (S. by E.) from Lancaster, and 192 1/2 (N. W. by N.) from London; containing 3126 inhabitants. This place was at a very early period of sufficient importance to give name to one of the hundreds of the county, but the distinction has been lost for many centuries. During the civil war, and in or about the month of August 1648, a skirmish took place at Red Bank, near the town, between the parliamentary forces and a party of Highlanders, the latter of whom being defeated and made prisoners, were hanged in a field (through which the turnpike-road now passes) that retains to this day the name of the Gallows Croft. The TOWN consists chiefly of one broad street with some respectable houses, and many important works are carried on in its vicinity. Two large foundries for locomotive-engines and iron-work of almost every description, employ between 700 and 800 hands. The extensive alkali-works of Messrs. James Muspratt and Sons employ nearly 300 hands; and this firm also, commenced here in 1845 the manufacture on a considerable scale of Baron Liebig-s patent manure. Messrs. Ackers and Company have an establishment for the manufacture of crown-glass. A large hotel has been built adjoining the Liverpool and Manchester railway station at this place, which is about halfway between those two towns; and the North-Union and Birmingham railways form a junction near the town, with the Liverpool and Manchester line. It was at the Parkside station, in the parish, on the occasion of opening the last-mentioned railway, in Sept. 1830, that the Rt. Hon. William Huskisson met with the accident which caused his death; and a tablet to his memory has been erected near the spot. Races annually take place, in July, on a large common within a short distance of the town; a fine course has been formed at the cost of Thomas Legh, Esq., lord of the manor, and owner of five-sixths of the parish, and that gentleman has also built a grand stand of elegant design besides which, is a range of substantial stands of brick, commanding a view of the whole course. A branch from the Birmingham railway, directly to the course, affords facility for visiters to it, from the neighbouring towns and almost any part of the kingdom. A market-house was erected in 1840, by Mr. Legh. Fairs are held on May 17th and August 11th for horned cattle, and on May 18th and August 12th for horses. Newton, the head of a barony, and formerly a borough by prescription, returned two members to parliament from the first year of the reign of Elizabeth to the 2nd. of William 1V., when it was disfranchised. Courts leet and baron for the ancient fee of Makerfield are held three times a year, at which small debts are recoverable. The parish comprises 3101 acres (1255 hectares), whereof about 697 acres (232 hectares) are arable, 1958 acres (732 hectares) meadow and pasture, 28 acres (11 hectares) wood, and the remainder villages, roads, and waste or common. The district is delightful and healthy, and the land very fertile, the soil being one-third clay loam and two-thirds loam, with a substratum of the new red-sandstone formation, of which there are excellent quarries. Newton Hall, a venerable building of lath and plaster, stands on the south side of the town; the vestiges of a moat, formerly visible, have merged in the adjacent brook, and the ancient mount or tumulus, with its subterraneous passages and walls, now forms part of the embankment of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. The late John Blackburne, Esq., M.P. for Lancashire, sold this Hall and estate to Mr. Legh. Oak-tree House at the northern extremity of the town, is another fabric of frame-work; the Brotherton family were the ancient proprietors, and sold it to the Leghs. Hey, in Newton, consists of two farms; Old Hey was the mansion of the Brothertons, by whom the property was sold to the Leghs at the beginning of the present century. Newton was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Winwick, but was erected into a district parish, by act of parliament, in 1844. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of the Earl of Derby: the tithes have been commuted for ?300, and there are two acres of glebe land, and a glebe-house. The parish church, situated at Wargrave, and dedicated to Emmanuel, was built in 1841, and is a neat stone structure in the early English style, with a spire, forming a commanding object in the scenery: the cost of its erection was defrayed by the rector of Winwick. The old chapel, which was dedicated to St. Peter, was built in 1682, by Richard Legh, Esq., and rebuilt in 1834; it is also in the pointed style, and of red-sandstone. After the creation of the Parish of Newton, it was made a district church. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, ?114; patron, Mr. Legh. The burial-ground has been extended, and inclosed with a stone wall and iron palisades, by the patron; it contains an obelisk formed of one very large block of stone (brought from Lyme Park, in Cheshire), in lieu of an ancient cross. There is a free school, the master of which receives about ?50 per annum, arising from proceeds of certain inclosures of Leyland common, and the rent of a messuage called Dean-school; and national schools, adapted for 400 children, have been built by government grants and private subscription, on a site given by Mr. Legh, from the designs of his agent, Mr. Mercer. About half a mile (0.8 km) northward of the town are the remains of a barrow, supposed to be of great antiquity, named Castle Hill; it is from eight to nine yards (8 metres) in height and about 25 yards (23 metres) in diameter, and beautifully situated on a high bank near the confluence of a small brook with the river Dean; the sides and summit of this barrow are covered with venerable oaks. At the distance of about a quarter of a mile (0.4 km) south of the town, in the footpath of the turnpike-road leading to Warrington, is a large stone laid in the pavement, called the Bloody Stone, on which the peasantry of the surrounding country invariably spit when passing. The legend is, that on this stone, the Welsh knight who had married Lady Mabel Bradshaigh, of Haigh Hall, on the supposed death of her husband, Sir William, in the Holy wars, fell murdered by the latter, who had been taken prisoner in Palestine, and returned after a long captivity Early descriptions of Newton In 1536, John Leland, on his travels around Lancashire, described our town as: Newton on a Brooke a little poore Market, whereof Mr. Langton hath the Name of his Barony. Syr Perse Lee (or Legh) of Bradley hath his place at Bradley in a Parke a ii miles (2 miles, or 3km) from Newton. A School at Newton was founded by Peter Legh, and endowed with the sum of ?55, 10 shillings The Warrington to Wigan Turnpike Trust was set up by Act of Parliament. There is a Legh estate Map of Newton in Makerfield in exhistance that dates from 1745. Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through Newton with his army of rebellion, on his way to London (although he only got as far as Derby). In the mid 1750-s the growing port of Liverpool was faced with ever increasing costs of coal, both for its developing industries, and for use in homes for heating and cooking. The situation became so bad that there were riots in the streets in protest at the high prices. These in turn were a result of the problems of transport. Even though the closest collieries were quite near by today-s standards - around Prescot and Whiston - coal had to be carried to Liverpool by pack-horse or by waggons. These methods of transport varied from difficult to impossible, depending on the season. Another major user of coal was the Cheshire salt industry, based in Northwich, and supported by many Liverpool merchants. It had long been realised that water transport was more efficient, and many rivers had been widened and straightened to form what were called -Navigations-. Investigations were made to find a suitable water transport link between Liverpool and the south Lancashire coalfield, and the Sankey Brook was chosen for this purpose. In 1754 a petition was sent to the House of Commons: The said towns of Liverpool and Northwich have generally been supplied with coal from the coal works and coal pits at and near Prescot and Whiston....but such coal hath of late years become scarce and difficult to be got and is become very dear to the great discouragement of the trade and manufactories of the said places. Sankey Canal - planning and building The Sankey Brook was chosen to transform into a -Navigation-, and an Act of Parliament was passed in 1755 -for making navigable the Sankey Brook-. A company had been set up and an engineer appointed for the project. He was Henry Berry, who was born in Parr, and became a Liverpool dock engineer under Thomas Steers. Berry took advantage of a clause in the Act of Parliament which allowed the excavation of artificial channels where necessary, and actually dug a new channel for the whole length of the waterway, thus creating the first English -dead water- canal (meaning not flowing as a river does) of the industrial age. Henry Berry was allowed by his employers, the Common Council of Liverpool, two days leave a week from his dock duties to work on the Sankey Navigation. Hundreds of workers were involved, including carpenters, masons and labourers. The labourers came to be called -navvies-, from the word -navigators-, as they were digging navigations. All digging had to be done by hand, using picks, shovels and barrows, which were pulled up on planks by horses. To make the sides and bottom of the canal watertight, -puddle clay- (clay mixed with water to make it more pliable) was applied in layers, As the water in the canal had to be level, locks had to be constructed by the masons and carpenters, to raise or lower the boats from one level to another. At the St. Helens end the canal was below the level of the Sankey Brook-s tributaries, allowing water to flow in from these. Further downstream the brook was below the level of the canal, so excess water could be drained off there. At one point at Blackbrook two locks were needed, and the so-called -Old Double Locks- were built, the first double or staircase locks in Britain. There were three locks at Newton: Newton Common Lock, Bradley Lock and Hey Lock. The Sankey Canal was opened in 1757, and there were extensions to Blackbrook in 1770, to Ravenhead in 1772 and to Widnes in 1830. The Bolton and St. Helens Turnpike Trust was set up by Act of Parliament, with three sections: Bolton to Newton Bridge, Newton to Parr, and Golborne Dale to Winwick. Turnpike Roads The first Turnpike Act was passed as early as 1663, but this was only -an Act for repairing the highways within the counties of Hertford, Cambridge and Huntingdon- (which included part of the Great North Road). Other Turnpike Acts were passed over the years, relating to other parts of the country. Turnpike trusts were private companies which were granted the right to put up toll gates and to charge road users for the right to travel or to drive their livestock along the section of road for which the trust had responsibility. In return the trusts had to improve, maintain and enclose by fences or hedges these sections of highway. The trustees were mainly local landlords, and they were granted their powers, usually for a period of 21 years, at the end of which they had to apply for a new Act of Parliament. Sometimes the turnpike trusts built completely new sections of road, by-passing awkward stretches of the old road. Turnpike trusts were awarded the right to statutory labour, or payment from the parish highway rates. Stretches of road not covered by the trusts continued to be covered by the old system. A Turnpike Act was passed in 1726, covering the road out of Liverpool towards London, but only as far as Prescot. Improvements, including new sections of road, were completed by 1732, while the route was extended, by further Acts, to St. Helens after 1746, and to Ashton-in-Makerfield and Warrington after 1753. These stretches of road came close to, but not actually through Newton. Meanwhile, the Warrington to Wigan Turnpike Trust had been set up by Act of Parliament in 1726. This section passed through Newton, and largely followed the old medieval route to the north, which in turn more or less followed the old Roman road, and nowadays is called the A49 road. By 1750 this Turnpike had been extended north as far as Westmorland. In 1762 another local turnpike trust was established by Act of Parliament, this being the Bolton and St. Helens Trust. There were three sections: Bolton to Newton Bridge, Newton to Parr, and Golborne Dale to Winwick. In 1788 the Golborne Dale to Winwick section was excluded from the Act, but the remaining two sections continued under the responsibility of the trust. Major users of the turnpikes were the stage coaches and stage waggons, which developed their routes during the 18th century. These were largely eclipsed from 1830 onwards by the railways. As a result, just as the turnpike trusts were set up one by one on different stretches of road in different parts of the country, so they declined in a similar piecemeal way. The system of statute labour, dating from 1555, and the parish rates which gradually replaced them from the mid 17th century, were finally abolished by the General Highway Act in 1835. This also removed the right of turnpike trusts to statute labour or income from the parish rates. This was a major blow for the trusts, on top of the increasing competition from the railways. By 1848 the money collected from tolls on all the turnpikes had fallen by a quarter. This meant that often they were unable to keep their roads in good repair. Locally, the Warrington Turnpike Trust finally expired in 1877. This meant simply that the trust was not renewed when its latest period of 21 years or so expired. Two years later, in 1879, the Bolton and St. Helens Trust also expired. During this period from 1871 to 1880, the number of trusts nationally fell from 854 to 184. The last turnpike trust in the country was finally abolished in 1895 (in Anglesey), at about exactly the same time as the first car appeared on the roads. A very early example of an alternative form of propulsion was the steam boat which was invented and built by John Smith of St. Helens. There are two accounts of this boat on the canal. The first is in a letter written many years later, in 1832, from a St. Helens coal owner to the editor of the Liverpool Mercury: The engine in the boat alluded to, and which is generally supposed to be the first invented, was constructed for propelling boats by steam, as before stated, by Smith of St. Helens, in the year 1793, and her first excursion was down the Sankey to Newton Races, in June the same year, laden with passengers. On the Saturday following she sailed to Runcorn, from thence down the Duke of Bridgewater-s Canal to Manchester. On her arrival there, such was the curiosity at this wonderful, and some would have it, this mad idea, that thousands of the people came from all directions to see what their eyes could not believe, nor their senses understand; and, indeed, such were the numbers, and such the curiosity that this vessel excited, that Smith was obliged, for the safety of his property, to give notice that no one would be allowed to come on board of her, excepting those who paid a certain sum. This exasperated the populace to such an extent, that a party of mechanics immediately got possession of, and almost destroyed her. Amongst the visitors was Mr Sherratt, of the firm of Bateman and Sherratt, of Manchester; also several other respectable engineers of the same place, whom it is unnecessary to name. So far as memory serves me (after a lapse of 39 years) the following is a short description of this wonderful discovery, but having made no memorandums at the time, and, I may say, being then very young, and to a certain extent, like the rest of my friends, incredulous, I never anticipated what is almost to everyone at the present day, so common. The vessel had on her an engine on the old atmospheric principle, was worked with a beam, connecting-rod, double-crank in a horizontal line, and with seven paddles on each side, which propelled her after the rate of about two miles (3 k.p.h) an hour. John Smith was a rude, self-taught mechanic, and was supported by a Thomas Baldwin, at that time of St. Helens, and was the first aeronaut (i.e Baldwin) who ever ascended in a balloon, either in this or the adjoining counties. Perhaps, I may observe, that the vessel or boat was purchased at Liverpool, and on Smith-s informing the parties from whom he bought it, what his intentions were, he was treated as an insane person; he was laughed at by one, insulted by another, and pitied generally; but having money with him, he was allowed to purchase her. On being questioned and laughed at by a merchant at the time the purchase was made, he replied, -those may laugh who will, but my opinion is, before twenty years are over, you will see this river (Mersey) covered with smoke-. I feel pleasure in giving you these particulars, and the substance of the remarks I can vouch for as being correct, having been an eye-witness to most of them, and one of the party who took the first excursion. The second account refers to a later date, although written soon after the event. It is from a paper called Billinge-s Advertiser, of 26th June 1797: An unusual occurrence took place at Newton Common, on Friday the 16th inst.: being the last day of the races there - a vessel, heavily laden with copper slag, passed along the Sankey Canal, without the aid of hawlers or rowers; the oars performing 18 strokes a minute, by the application of steam only. On enquiry since made, it appears that the vessel, after a course of ten miles (16 km), returned the same evening to St. Helen-s, whence it had set out. The form and motion of the oars is not easily described, but it bids fair to be ranked among the most useful of modern inventions. For some reason, perhaps technical or economic or both, steam power did not catch on until much later on the canal. Later this was replaced by the internal combustion engine. St. Peter-s Church was enlarged, and the old market cross beside it was taken down and replaced by the obelisk (which was moved to Earlestown in 1870). Under the entry for -Newton-in-Makerfield- in the -History, Directory and Gazetteer of the county Palatine of Lancaster- by Edward Baines, published in 1825, there is a summary of the coaches running from Newton: COACHES. From the Horse & Jockey, to Liverpool every morning at 8, & to Bolton every evening at 1/4 past 6. From the Bull Inn, to Liverpool at 1/2 past 4 afternoon & to Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, & Leeds, at 9 morning daily. A Market Coach to Warrington every Wed. at 9 morning and to Wigan same evening at 1/2 past 5. A Coach to Warrington, every Wed. at 9 morning and to Bolton same evening at 1/2 past 5. There is also an entry under -Carrier-: John Hargreaves, (from the Bull) daily to Wigan at 4 afternoon & to Warrington at 1/2 past 8 night; and goods forwarded by J.H. to all parts of the kingdom. An Act of Parliament was passed for the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. A Company was formed for this purpose, and George Stephenson was appointed as Engineer. Work began on the Railway. Early railways around Newton In the 1820s Newton was only what we would think of today as a village. In the Census of 1821 the population was only 1,643. Newton owes its importance in railway terms to its position halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. With the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, Newton became destined to play a major role in the development of the U.K.-s railway system. The first railway in Newton, however, was several years before 1830. Coal used to be taken in horse-drawn wagons running on rails, from collieries in Haydock to a shipping wharf on the St.Helens Canal at Newton. When the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was being built, a flat crossing had to be made for the colliery line, and two cottages built for men to -police- the crossing. In constructing the Liverpool and Manchester Railway the Chief Engineer, George Stephenson, recruited in 1826 a group of resident assistants, four young men who had been apprenticed to him and employed by his own contracting company. Joseph Locke, who was made responsible for the western end of the line. William Allcard, entrusted with the preliminary drainage of Chat Moss, before moving to the central section of the line. John Dixon, at 30 years the oldest of the four, looked after the eastern end of the line, including Chat Moss. Thomas Gooch, 18 years old, made nearly all the plans and working drawings for the line at the Railway-s office in Clayton Street, Liverpool, and acted as Stephenson-s secretary. The men who built the Railway were either local or Irish. The supervisors mainly came from the north-east. They had been engaged in the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Construction work began in 1826. By 1827, the main earthworks were started. During this time, Stephenson lived for a time in a cottage within sight of the Sankey Valley Viaduct which was then being built. Locally this viaduct, fourteen miles (22.5 km) east of Liverpool, is the most spectacular engineering feature on the Railway. The chosen route of the Railway involved crossing the valley, through which passed the St.Helens Canal and the Sankey Brook. The engineers faced the problem of how to carry the Railway over the valley without disrupting traffic on the canal and avoiding steep gradients. The solution was to form an embankment over the western half of the valley, starting near Collins Green station and running nine hundred yards (820m) east, rising to a height of sixty feet (18 m). From this embankment the line continued over the nine arch viaduct. In June, 1827 work began on the western embankment. The contractor was a Mr. Greenshields. 100,000 tons (101,6000 tonnes) of marl and moss, compacted with brushwood, were used in the construction, handled and transported with the simplest mechanical aids. The embankment was later planted with trees to blend it naturally into the surrounding countryside. In Spring, 1828, work began on the Viaduct itself, with the sinking of 200 piles, driven between 25 feet (7.5 m.) and 30 feet (9 m.) in depth, to provide a solid foundation for 10 piers. Nine semi-circular arches, each of 50 feet (15 m) span, were built of brick faced with stone, laid on sandstone slabs. It was joined to the embankment by retaining walls. The construction was later strengthened by stay bolts extending through the embankment and fastened outside each retaining wall. The width between the parapets on the top of the Viaduct is 25 feet (7.5 m). This was the first crossing in the world of a commercial waterway by a commercial mainline railway. To accommodate the Viaduct a loop in the canal was eliminated and the curve of the waterway altered to a constant radius. The general design was by George Stephenson, Chief Engineer. Architectural features were by Thomas Gooch, Chief Draughtsman. The Resident Engineer was Mr. Holkyard, and his assistant was a Mr. Fife. In the Summer of 1829 the piers were completed. The parapet walls were finished by February, 1830. The majestic Viaduct was now virtually finished, carrying the double track 70 feet (21 m) above the valley floor. Excursion trains were run from both ends of the line, to enable passengers to view the Viaduct before the Railway was officially opened. The Viaduct was not in fact fully completed until July, 1833 (3 years after the Railway opened) with the addition of coping on to the parapet walls. The total cost of construction was £45,208 18s. 6d. The Sandy Mains or Newton Embankment carried the line out of the valley, 40 feet (12 m) high towards Newton. Further east Newton Bridge was built, comprising four arches, each with a span of 30 feet (9 m), and 27 feet (8 m) high, built like the Sankey Viaduct of stone-faced brickwork and it spanned the Warrington to Wigan Turnpike ( the present day A49 road). A fifth, much smaller arch spanned Newton Brook where it became the old mill dam. It was completed in 1828. It gave the engineers valuable experience before completing the much larger Sankey Viaduct. At this point, Colonel Legh built a hotel, the Legh Arms, as part of the first Newton Station, to provide accommodation and refreshment for passengers halfway along the Railway. This was a different building from the present Legh Arms, which was built on another site in 1852. Early locomotives were unable to complete the full journey between Liverpool and Manchester without stopping to refill with coal and water. Parkside, to the east of Newton became a halt where engines could be serviced. This was also the location of the accident on the opening day of the Railway, on 15th September, 1830, when William Huskisson, the M.P. for Liverpool was fatally injured. The incident is commemorated by a trackside memorial, which has been completely refurbished and was re-dedicated in June, 2001. The Kenyon Cutting is the greatest single earthwork on the line. Construction began in May, 1827. Nearly 3/4 of a million cubic yards (575,000 cu.m) of material were excavated, much of it used to form the nearby Newton and Brosley embankments. Another railway line was built soon afterwards. This was the Warrington and Newton Railway, completed in June, 1831. This provided a link with both the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Haydock Colliery Railway, enabling coal to be carried quickly to Warrington. The meeting with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway created the world-s first railway junction. A station, originally known as Newton Junction or Warrington Junction (later, Earlestown Junction), was built at this point. The original station building still stands, and is now known as Earlestown Station. This junction was constructed with a much tighter curve than became usual later. An extract from the -General Regulations Applicable to all Servants of the London and North-Western Company-, dated 1847, reads: All trains passing from or to Liverpool, Manchester, and the Grand Junction Railway at Newton, are to slacken speed so that the same shall not exceed five miles (8 k.p.h) an hour before passing from one line to the other. There were further railway developments at Newton. In 1832 the North Union Railway linked the L and M Railway with Wigan, with another junction at Parkside. The triangular layout of lines at Newton Junction (later Earlestown) was completed by the construction of the east curve in 1837. The triangular layout at Parkside was completed by the construction of the west curve in 1847. In 1845, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway became part of the Grand Junction Railway. This merged with the London and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in July, 1846. Later, in 1864 a -cut off- line was opened, linking Winwick Junction with Golborne Junction. The Rainhill Locomotive Trials where in this year, and the Newton Bridge, over Mill Lane, was built. Early railways around Newton In the 1820s Newton was only what we would think of today as a village. In the Census of 1821 the population was only 1,643. Newton owes its importance in railway terms to its position halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. With the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, Newton became destined to play a major role in the development of the U.K.-s railway system. The first railway in Newton, however, was several years before 1830. Coal used to be taken in horse-drawn wagons running on rails, from collieries in Haydock to a shipping wharf on the St.Helens Canal at Newton. When the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was being built, a flat crossing had to be made for the colliery line, and two cottages built for men to -police- the crossing. In constructing the Liverpool and Manchester Railway the Chief Engineer, George Stephenson, recruited in 1826 a group of resident assistants, four young men who had been apprenticed to him and employed by his own contracting company. Joseph Locke, who was made responsible for the western end of the line. William Allcard, entrusted with the preliminary drainage of Chat Moss, before moving to the central section of the line. John Dixon, at 30 years the oldest of the four, looked after the eastern end of the line, including Chat Moss. Thomas Gooch, 18 years old, made nearly all the plans and working drawings for the line at the Railway-s office in Clayton Street, Liverpool, and acted as Stephenson-s secretary. The men who built the Railway were either local or Irish. The supervisors mainly came from the north-east. They had been engaged in the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Construction work began in 1826. By 1827, the main earthworks were started. During this time, Stephenson lived for a time in a cottage within sight of the Sankey Valley Viaduct which was then being built. Locally this viaduct, fourteen miles (22.5 km) east of Liverpool, is the most spectacular engineering feature on the Railway. The chosen route of the Railway involved crossing the valley, through which passed the St.Helens Canal and the Sankey Brook. The engineers faced the problem of how to carry the Railway over the valley without disrupting traffic on the canal and avoiding steep gradients. The solution was to form an embankment over the western half of the valley, starting near Collins Green station and running nine hundred yards (820m) east, rising to a height of sixty feet (18 m). From this embankment the line continued over the nine arch viaduct. In June, 1827 work began on the western embankment. The contractor was a Mr. Greenshields. 100,000 tons (101,6000 tonnes) of marl and moss, compacted with brushwood, were used in the construction, handled and transported with the simplest mechanical aids. The embankment was later planted with trees to blend it naturally into the surrounding countryside. In Spring, 1828, work began on the Viaduct itself, with the sinking of 200 piles, driven between 25 feet (7.5 m.) and 30 feet (9 m.) in depth, to provide a solid foundation for 10 piers. Nine semi-circular arches, each of 50 feet (15 m) span, were built of brick faced with stone, laid on sandstone slabs. It was joined to the embankment by retaining walls. The construction was later strengthened by stay bolts extending through the embankment and fastened outside each retaining wall. The width between the parapets on the top of the Viaduct is 25 feet (7.5 m). This was the first crossing in the world of a commercial waterway by a commercial mainline railway. To accommodate the Viaduct a loop in the canal was eliminated and the curve of the waterway altered to a constant radius. The general design was by George Stephenson, Chief Engineer. Architectural features were by Thomas Gooch, Chief Draughtsman. The Resident Engineer was Mr. Holkyard, and his assistant was a Mr. Fife. In the Summer of 1829 the piers were completed. The parapet walls were finished by February, 1830. The majestic Viaduct was now virtually finished, carrying the double track 70 feet (21 m) above the valley floor. Excursion trains were run from both ends of the line, to enable passengers to view the Viaduct before the Railway was officially opened. The Viaduct was not in fact fully completed until July, 1833 (3 years after the Railway opened) with the addition of coping on to the parapet walls. The total cost of construction was ?45,208 18s. 6d. The Sandy Mains or Newton Embankment carried the line out of the valley, 40 feet (12 m) high towards Newton. Further east Newton Bridge was built, comprising four arches, each with a span of 30 feet (9 m), and 27 feet (8 m) high, built like the Sankey Viaduct of stone-faced brickwork and it spanned the Warrington to Wigan Turnpike ( the present day A49 road). A fifth, much smaller arch spanned Newton Brook where it became the old mill dam. It was completed in 1828. It gave the engineers valuable experience before completing the much larger Sankey Viaduct. At this point, Colonel Legh built a hotel, the Legh Arms, as part of the first Newton Station, to provide accommodation and refreshment for passengers halfway along the Railway. This was a different building from the present Legh Arms, which was built on another site in 1852. Early locomotives were unable to complete the full journey between Liverpool and Manchester without stopping to refill with coal and water. Parkside, to the east of Newton became a halt where engines could be serviced. This was also the location of the accident on the opening day of the Railway, on 15th September, 1830, when William Huskisson, the M.P. for Liverpool was fatally injured. The incident is commemorated by a trackside memorial, which has been completely refurbished and was re-dedicated in June, 2001. The Kenyon Cutting is the greatest single earthwork on the line. Construction began in May, 1827. Nearly 3/4 of a million cubic yards (575,000 cu.m) of material were excavated, much of it used to form the nearby Newton and Brosley embankments. Another railway line was built soon afterwards. This was the Warrington and Newton Railway, completed in June, 1831. This provided a link with both the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Haydock Colliery Railway, enabling coal to be carried quickly to Warrington. The meeting with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway created the world-s first railway junction. A station, originally known as Newton Junction or Warrington Junction (later, Earlestown Junction), was built at this point. The original station building still stands, and is now known as Earlestown Station. This junction was constructed with a much tighter curve than became usual later. An extract from the -General Regulations Applicable to all Servants of the London and North-Western Company-, dated 1847, reads: All trains passing from or to Liverpool, Manchester, and the Grand Junction Railway at Newton, are to slacken speed so that the same shall not exceed five miles (8 k.p.h) an hour before passing from one line to the other. There were further railway developments at Newton. In 1832 the North Union Railway linked the L and M Railway with Wigan, with another junction at Parkside. The triangular layout of lines at Newton Junction (later Earlestown) was completed by the construction of the east curve in 1837. The triangular layout at Parkside was completed by the construction of the west curve in 1847. In 1845, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway became part of the Grand Junction Railway. This merged with the London and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in July, 1846. Later, in 1864 a -cut off- line was opened, linking Winwick Junction with Golborne Junction. Early railways around Newton In the 1820s Newton was only what we would think of today as a village. In the Census of 1821 the population was only 1,643. Newton owes its importance in railway terms to its position halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. With the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, Newton became destined to play a major role in the development of the U.K.-s railway system. The first railway in Newton, however, was several years before 1830. Coal used to be taken in horse-drawn wagons running on rails, from collieries in Haydock to a shipping wharf on the St.Helens Canal at Newton. When the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was being built, a flat crossing had to be made for the colliery line, and two cottages built for men to -police- the crossing. In constructing the Liverpool and Manchester Railway the Chief Engineer, George Stephenson, recruited in 1826 a group of resident assistants, four young men who had been apprenticed to him and employed by his own contracting company. Joseph Locke, who was made responsible for the western end of the line. William Allcard, entrusted with the preliminary drainage of Chat Moss, before moving to the central section of the line. John Dixon, at 30 years the oldest of the four, looked after the eastern end of the line, including Chat Moss. Thomas Gooch, 18 years old, made nearly all the plans and working drawings for the line at the Railway-s office in Clayton Street, Liverpool, and acted as Stephenson-s secretary. The men who built the Railway were either local or Irish. The supervisors mainly came from the north-east. They had been engaged in the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Construction work began in 1826. By 1827, the main earthworks were started. During this time, Stephenson lived for a time in a cottage within sight of the Sankey Valley Viaduct which was then being built. Locally this viaduct, fourteen miles (22.5 km) east of Liverpool, is the most spectacular engineering feature on the Railway. The chosen route of the Railway involved crossing the valley, through which passed the St.Helens Canal and the Sankey Brook. The engineers faced the problem of how to carry the Railway over the valley without disrupting traffic on the canal and avoiding steep gradients. The solution was to form an embankment over the western half of the valley, starting near Collins Green station and running nine hundred yards (820m) east, rising to a height of sixty feet (18 m). From this embankment the line continued over the nine arch viaduct. In June, 1827 work began on the western embankment. The contractor was a Mr. Greenshields. 100,000 tons (101,6000 tonnes) of marl and moss, compacted with brushwood, were used in the construction, handled and transported with the simplest mechanical aids. The embankment was later planted with trees to blend it naturally into the surrounding countryside. In Spring, 1828, work began on the Viaduct itself, with the sinking of 200 piles, driven between 25 feet (7.5 m.) and 30 feet (9 m.) in depth, to provide a solid foundation for 10 piers. Nine semi-circular arches, each of 50 feet (15 m) span, were built of brick faced with stone, laid on sandstone slabs. It was joined to the embankment by retaining walls. The construction was later strengthened by stay bolts extending through the embankment and fastened outside each retaining wall. The width between the parapets on the top of the Viaduct is 25 feet (7.5 m). This was the first crossing in the world of a commercial waterway by a commercial mainline railway. To accommodate the Viaduct a loop in the canal was eliminated and the curve of the waterway altered to a constant radius. The general design was by George Stephenson, Chief Engineer. Architectural features were by Thomas Gooch, Chief Draughtsman. The Resident Engineer was Mr. Holkyard, and his assistant was a Mr. Fife. In the Summer of 1829 the piers were completed. The parapet walls were finished by February, 1830. The majestic Viaduct was now virtually finished, carrying the double track 70 feet (21 m) above the valley floor. Excursion trains were run from both ends of the line, to enable passengers to view the Viaduct before the Railway was officially opened. The Viaduct was not in fact fully completed until July, 1833 (3 years after the Railway opened) with the addition of coping on to the parapet walls. The total cost of construction was ?45,208 18s. 6d. The Sandy Mains or Newton Embankment carried the line out of the valley, 40 feet (12 m) high towards Newton. Further east Newton Bridge was built, comprising four arches, each with a span of 30 feet (9 m), and 27 feet (8 m) high, built like the Sankey Viaduct of stone-faced brickwork and it spanned the Warrington to Wigan Turnpike ( the present day A49 road). A fifth, much smaller arch spanned Newton Brook where it became the old mill dam. It was completed in 1828. It gave the engineers valuable experience before completing the much larger Sankey Viaduct. At this point, Colonel Legh built a hotel, the Legh Arms, as part of the first Newton Station, to provide accommodation and refreshment for passengers halfway along the Railway. This was a different building from the present Legh Arms, which was built on another site in 1852. Early locomotives were unable to complete the full journey between Liverpool and Manchester without stopping to refill with coal and water. Parkside, to the east of Newton became a halt where engines could be serviced. This was also the location of the accident on the opening day of the Railway, on 15th September, 1830, when William Huskisson, the M.P. for Liverpool was fatally injured. The incident is commemorated by a trackside memorial, which has been completely refurbished and was re-dedicated in June, 2001. The Kenyon Cutting is the greatest single earthwork on the line. Construction began in May, 1827. Nearly 3/4 of a million cubic yards (575,000 cu.m) of material were excavated, much of it used to form the nearby Newton and Brosley embankments. Another railway line was built soon afterwards. This was the Warrington and Newton Railway, completed in June, 1831. This provided a link with both the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Haydock Colliery Railway, enabling coal to be carried quickly to Warrington. The meeting with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway created the world-s first railway junction. A station, originally known as Newton Junction or Warrington Junction (later, Earlestown Junction), was built at this point. The original station building still stands, and is now known as Earlestown Station. This junction was constructed with a much tighter curve than became usual later. An extract from the -General Regulations Applicable to all Servants of the London and North-Western Company-, dated 1847, reads: All trains passing from or to Liverpool, Manchester, and the Grand Junction Railway at Newton, are to slacken speed so that the same shall not exceed five miles (8 k.p.h) an hour before passing from one line to the other. There were further railway developments at Newton. In 1832 the North Union Railway linked the L and M Railway with Wigan, with another junction at Parkside. The triangular layout of lines at Newton Junction (later Earlestown) was completed by the construction of the east curve in 1837. The triangular layout at Parkside was completed by the construction of the west curve in 1847. In 1845, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway became part of the Grand Junction Railway. This merged with the London and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in July, 1846. Later, in 1864 a -cut off- line was opened, linking Winwick Junction with Golborne Junction. The Warrington and Newton Railway was opened. Newton Junction Station (later called Earlestown Station) was probably built at this time. The population figures for Newton-le-Willows, taken from the National Census from 1801, are as follows: 1801 1,455 1811 1,589 1821 1,643 1831 2,139 1841 3,126 1851 3,719 1861 5,909 1871 8,244 1881 10,580 1891 12,861 1901 16,699 1911 18,451 1921 18,772 1931 20,152 1941 ---- 1951 21,862 1961 21,768 1971 22,080 1981 19,723 1991 19,198. In 1536, John Leland, on his travels around Lancashire, described our town as: Newton on a Brooke a little poore Market, whereof Mr. Langton hath the Name of his Barony. Syr Perse Lee (or Legh) of Bradley hath his place at Bradley in a Parke a ii miles (2 miles, or 3km) from Newton. In 1695 a Doctor Kuerden described a journey through Winwick Parish (including Newton): Entering a little hamlet called Hulme you leave on the left a deep and fair stone quarry fit for building. You meet with another crossway on the right. A mile (1.6 km) farther stands a fair-built church called Winwick church, a remarkable fabric.....Leaving the church on the right about a quarter of a mile (0.4 km) westwards stands a princely building, equal to the revenue, called the parsonage of Winwick; and near the church on the right hand stands a fair-built schoolhouse. By the east end of the church is another road, but less used, to the borough of Wigan. Having passed the school about half a mile (0.8 km) you come to a sandy place called the Red Bank, where Hamilton and his army were beaten. Here, leaving Bradley park, and a good seat belonging to Mr. Brotherton of Hey (a member of Parliament for the borough of Newton) on the left hand, and Newton park on the right, you have a little stone bridge over Newton Brook, three miles (4.8 km) from Warrington. On the left hand close by a water mill appear the ruins of the site of the ancient barony of Newton, where formerly was the baron-s castle. Having passed the bridge you ascend a rock, where is a penfold cut out of the same, and upon the top of the rock was lately built a court house for the manor, and near to it a fair re-edified chapel of stone built by Richard Legh, deceased. father to Mr. Legh, the present titular baron of Newton. There stands a stately cross, near the chapel well, adorned with the arms belonging to the present baron. Having passed the town of Newton you leave a cross-road on the left going to Liverpool by St. Helen-s chapel. You pass in winter through a miry lane for half a mile; (0.8 km) you leave another lane on the left passing by Billinge.... Then passing on a sandy lane you leave Haydock park, and (close by the road) Haydock lodge, belonging to Mr. Legh, and going on a half a mile (0.8 km) you pass by the chapel and through the town of Ashton, standing upon a rocky ground, which belongeth to Sir William Gerard, bart., of Brynn, who resides at Garswood, about a mile (1.6 km) to the east (although this is in fact to the west). Having passed the stone bridge take the left hand way, which though something fouler is more used. You then pass by Whitledge Green, a place much resorted to in summer by the neighbouring gentry for bowling. Shortly after you meet with the other way from Ashton bridge by J. Naylor-s, a herald painter and an excellent stainer of glass for pictures or coats of arms. Through a more open coach-way passing on upon the right leave the Brynn gate, a private way leading to the ancient hall of Brynn, and upon the left another road by Garswood to the Hall of Parr, a seat belonging to the Byroms, and to St. Helen-s chapel; and thence past Hawkley to Wigan. The Entry for Newton, from a book called -England Illustrated, a Compendium of the History, Topography, Antiquities, Etc.- published in 1764, reads: Newton is distant from London 187 miles (300 km), and is an ancient borough, by prescription, governed by a steward, bailiff, and burgesses. This town once had a market; but that is disused; and is now remarkable only for chusing two members of parliament, who are returned by the steward of the lord of the manor, and for a charity school, founded in 1707, by one Hornby, a yeoman of this place, and endowed with 2000 l (?2000) where children are taught to read, write, and cast accompts, and allowed a dinner every school day; and there are ten boys and ten girls lodged in a neighbouring hospital, where they are provided with all sort of necessaries till they are fourteen years old. In the -Topographical Dictionary of England-, by Samuel Lewis, published in 1831, appears the following entry about Newton, although it seems a little out of date, as it does not mention the Liverpool to Manchester Railway which was opened in 1830: NEWTON in MACKERFIELD a borough (formerly a market town) and chapelry, in the parish of WINWICK, hundred of WEST DERBY, county palatine of LANCASTER, 47 miles (S. by E.) from Lancaster, and 192 1/2 (N. W. by N.) from London, containing 1643 inhabitants. During the parliamentary war, and about the month of August, 1648, some Highlanders having been defeated and made prisoners by the parliamentary forces, at Red Bank, near this place, were hanged in an adjacent field, which still retains the appellation of Gallows Cross. The town consists chiefly of one broad street; and there are an ancient court-house, and a handsome assembly-room. The manufacture of fustians is the principal branch of business, and spinning and dyeing cotton is also carried on. The market has long been discontinued, but the cross is standing. Fairs are held on May 17th and August 12th for horses. Newton, anciently the head of a barony, is a borough by prescription, and has returned two members of parliament ever since the first year of the reign of Elizabeth; the right of election is in the free-holders to the value of forty shillings and upwards: the number of voters is about sixty: the steward of the borough, and the bailiff of the manor, are the returning officers; and the influence of Thomas Legh, Esq., is predominant. Courts leet and baron are held three times a year, at which small debts are recoverable. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chester, endowed with ?200 private benefaction, ?400 royal bounty, and ?600 Parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of Richard Legh Esq.: the burial-ground has been recently enlarged, and enclosed with a stone wall and palisades, by the patron. A free school is kept in the court-house for the instruction of poor children; the average number is from seventy to one hundred: the master receives about ?55 per annum, arising from the proceeds of certain enclosures of Leyland common, and the rental of a messuage called Dean school. Upwards of four hundred children are instructed in the Sunday schools, which were established in 1823. About half a mile (0.8 km) northward of the town are the remains of an ancient barrow, called Castle Hill, the sides and summit of which are crowned with venerable oaks; it is from eight to nine yards high (7 to 8 metres), and twenty-five yards (23 metres) in diameter. A whetstone, encased in wood, was discovered in sinking a coal-pit in this neighbourhood, in 1822, about thirty yards (27.5 metres) below the surface of the earth. Reform Act By the Reform Act of 1832, the Parliamentary Representation of Lancashire changed to two knights for the Northern Division of the county and two for the Southern Division. There were also twenty-two other Members from Boroughs, some sending one Member and some sending two. Newton was no longer to send any, although it did become an important Polling Station in the South Lancashire Division, and the Return of Members was made from Newton. This was before the modern system of the secret ballot was introduced. The -hustings- (or stage) at Newton where people voted in the election of 1844 can be seen in an engraving in an edition of the Illustrated London News. One of the intentions of the Reform Act was to take away the power of the so-called -Rotten Boroughs-, each of which was under the control of a local family who -rigged- the elections to make sure their candidate was elected. In Newton-s case this is what happened for hundreds of years, until in 1797 there was a challenge by Mr Langford Brooke, who became the MP. His triumph was short-lived, for a petition was made against him, and in the House of Commons a number of votes were struck off each side which gave a majority of six for his opponent, Colonel Patten, who was given the seat. The Rotten Boroughs sent Members to Parliament even though they were usually small, insignificant places. Exactly at this time, the 1830s, Newton was becoming not so insignificant, but it still lost its MP. Another example of a Rotten Borough was Dunwich in Suffolk which was a cathedral city in Anglo-Saxon times and a large and prosperous port in the Middle Ages, most of which had disappeared by 1832 because of erosion by the Sea!. Messrs. Muspratt and Co Vitriol Works were built, on the north side of the Sankey Canal. The first two locomotives built at the Vulcan Foundry, the -Tayleur- and the -Stephenson-, were delivered to the North Union Railway at Bolton. The first locomotive exports were made from Vulcan, to the USA: two bogie engines, the -Fire Fly- and -Red Rove. The Viaduct Foundry was established, by Messrs. Jones, Turner and Evans. Among the early products were locomotives and mine pumping machinery. A market-house was erected in 1840, by Mr. Legh. Fairs are held on May 17th and August 11th for horned cattle, and on May 18th and August 12th for horses. Newton, the head of a barony, and formerly a borough by prescription, returned two members to parliament from the first year of the reign of Elizabeth to the 2nd. of William 1V., when it was disfranchised. Courts leet and baron for the ancient fee of Makerfield are held three times a year, at which small debts are recoverable. The Winwick Rectory Act was passed, creating for the first time a separate Parish for Newton (the Parish Church was not, however St. Peter-s, but Emmanuel, Wargrave). soon becoming the leading printer nationally for railway timetables and stationery. In the 1849 edition of the same -Topographical Dictionary-, it can be seen how Newton developed since the 1831 edition (note also how the spelling has changed from -Mackerfield- to -Makerfield-): NEWTON-in-MAKERFIELD, a market-town, and parish, in the union of WARRINGTON, hundred of WEST DERBY, S. division of LANCASHIRE, 4 miles (N.) from Warrington, 15 miles (E. by N.) from Liverpool, 47 (S. by E.) from Lancaster, and 192 1/2 (N. W. by N.) from London; containing 3126 inhabitants. This place was at a very early period of sufficient importance to give name to one of the hundreds of the county, but the distinction has been lost for many centuries. During the civil war, and in or about the month of August 1648, a skirmish took place at Red Bank, near the town, between the parliamentary forces and a party of Highlanders, the latter of whom being defeated and made prisoners, were hanged in a field (through which the turnpike-road now passes) that retains to this day the name of the Gallows Croft. The TOWN consists chiefly of one broad street with some respectable houses, and many important works are carried on in its vicinity. Two large foundries for locomotive-engines and iron-work of almost every description, employ between 700 and 800 hands. The extensive alkali-works of Messrs. James Muspratt and Sons employ nearly 300 hands; and this firm also, commenced here in 1845 the manufacture on a considerable scale of Baron Liebig-s patent manure. Messrs. Ackers and Company have an establishment for the manufacture of crown-glass. A large hotel has been built adjoining the Liverpool and Manchester railway station at this place, which is about halfway between those two towns; and the North-Union and Birmingham railways form a junction near the town, with the Liverpool and Manchester line. It was at the Parkside station, in the parish, on the occasion of opening the last-mentioned railway, in Sept. 1830, that the Rt. Hon. William Huskisson met with the accident which caused his death; and a tablet to his memory has been erected near the spot. Races annually take place, in July, on a large common within a short distance of the town; a fine course has been formed at the cost of Thomas Legh, Esq., lord of the manor, and owner of five-sixths of the parish, and that gentleman has also built a grand stand of elegant design besides which, is a range of substantial stands of brick, commanding a view of the whole course. A branch from the Birmingham railway, directly to the course, affords facility for visiters to it, from the neighbouring towns and almost any part of the kingdom. A market-house was erected in 1840, by Mr. Legh. Fairs are held on May 17th and August 11th for horned cattle, and on May 18th and August 12th for horses. Newton, the head of a barony, and formerly a borough by prescription, returned two members to parliament from the first year of the reign of Elizabeth to the 2nd. of William 1V., when it was disfranchised. Courts leet and baron for the ancient fee of Makerfield are held three times a year, at which small debts are recoverable. The parish comprises 3101 acres (1255 hectares), whereof about 697 acres (232 hectares) are arable, 1958 acres (732 hectares) meadow and pasture, 28 acres (11 hectares) wood, and the remainder villages, roads, and waste or common. The district is delightful and healthy, and the land very fertile, the soil being one-third clay loam and two-thirds loam, with a substratum of the new red-sandstone formation, of which there are excellent quarries. Newton Hall, a venerable building of lath and plaster, stands on the south side of the town; the vestiges of a moat, formerly visible, have merged in the adjacent brook, and the ancient mount or tumulus, with its subterraneous passages and walls, now forms part of the embankment of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. The late John Blackburne, Esq., M.P. for Lancashire, sold this Hall and estate to Mr. Legh. Oak-tree House at the northern extremity of the town, is another fabric of frame-work; the Brotherton family were the ancient proprietors, and sold it to the Leghs. Hey, in Newton, consists of two farms; Old Hey was the mansion of the Brothertons, by whom the property was sold to the Leghs at the beginning of the present century. Newton was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Winwick, but was erected into a district parish, by act of parliament, in 1844. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of the Earl of Derby: the tithes have been commuted for ?300, and there are two acres of glebe land, and a glebe-house. The parish church, situated at Wargrave, and dedicated to Emmanuel, was built in 1841, and is a neat stone structure in the early English style, with a spire, forming a commanding object in the scenery: the cost of its erection was defrayed by the rector of Winwick. The old chapel, which was dedicated to St. Peter, was built in 1682, by Richard Legh, Esq., and rebuilt in 1834; it is also in the pointed style, and of red-sandstone. After the creation of the Parish of Newton, it was made a district church. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, ?114; patron, Mr. Legh. The burial-ground has been extended, and inclosed with a stone wall and iron palisades, by the patron; it contains an obelisk formed of one very large block of stone (brought from Lyme Park, in Cheshire), in lieu of an ancient cross. There is a free school, the master of which receives about ?50 per annum, arising from proceeds of certain inclosures of Leyland common, and the rent of a messuage called Dean-school; and national schools, adapted for 400 children, have been built by government grants and private subscription, on a site given by Mr. Legh, from the designs of his agent, Mr. Mercer. About half a mile (0.8 km) northward of the town are the remains of a barrow, supposed to be of great antiquity, named Castle Hill; it is from eight to nine yards (8 metres) in height and about 25 yards (23 metres) in diameter, and beautifully situated on a high bank near the confluence of a small brook with the river Dean; the sides and summit of this barrow are covered with venerable oaks. At the distance of about a quarter of a mile (0.4 km) south of the town, in the footpath of the turnpike-road leading to Warrington, is a large stone laid in the pavement, called the Bloody Stone, on which the peasantry of the surrounding country invariably spit when passing. The legend is, that on this stone, the Welsh knight who had married Lady Mabel Bradshaigh, of Haigh Hall, on the supposed death of her husband, Sir William, in the Holy wars, fell murdered by the latter, who had been taken prisoner in Palestine, and returned after a long captivity. Eight passenger locomotives were exported from the Vulcan Foundry, for the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, whose Bombay to Thana section, opened in 1853, was the first main line railway in India. Newton Mere was created by the damming of Newton Brook. The Dam was refurbished in 2000. Viaduct Works On 1st March 1853, the London and North Western Railway, under the direction of Sir Hardman Earle, leased from Messrs. Jones & Potts a small works known as the Viaduct Foundry, so named for its proximity to Stephenson-s famous viaduct carrying the Liverpool and Manchester Railway over the St. Helens Canal. The Viaduct Foundry was a small engineering works originally set up by Messrs Jones, Turner & Evans in 1833, and amongst other products they built at least one locomotive named -Black Diamond- for use at the nearby Haydock Collieries, in which Evans had a major interest. Pumping machinery for the mines was also manufactured. The Foundry had rail connections at the easterly end of the Sankey Viaduct, and it is claimed locally that the -Rocket- was serviced and watered in the works; proof of this claim is lacking, but excavations under the floor of the -Square Smithy- on the spot where the watering is said to have taken place revealed a line of stone blocks with cast iron rail chairs with chair bolts set in lead, presumably the early Liverpool and Manchester -permanent way-. Towards the end of 1852, the locomotive shops at Crewe were inadequate for the number of repairs currently required and it was decided in January 1853, that the Edge Hill shops at Liverpool should concentrate wholly on locomotive work. Additional accommodation would have to be found for the operations of the Wagon Department of the Northern Division of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and negotiations were entered into with Jones & Potts. They were prepared to lease the foundry for two years at ?650 per annum or for seven years at ?600 per annum. This would provide accommodation for building 1000 wagons and 50 engines every year, and the premises to be let included: one 24 horse engine, one 18 horse engine, 40 smiths- fires, one large hooping furnace, one foundry, three cupolas, one brass foundry, gas apparatus, one office and drawing room, warehouse, dining room for 200 men and stables for eight horses. The tenancy was approved on 12th February 1853, and the lease of the property dated from 1st March 1853. At the end of the seven year lease the property was bought for ?15,000. By 1853 the works covered about eight acres and included some 33 workers- cottages (Owen and Norris Streets), all of which were later demolished to make way for the development of the factory under the railway management. The country lane giving access to the foundry was originally called Pepper Alley Lane, but was renamed Earle Street as a compliment to Sir Hardman Earle, the LNWR Director under whose guidance the company bought and developed the Works. His name is also commemorated in the name of Earlestown, the settlement for the employees which was built close to the Works by the Railway Company. Turning to the history of the years of railway ownership, and recalling the growth of the works and the activities carried on, there are three distinct phases which can be clearly seen: 1. The period of expansion from 1853 to 1903, when the factory grew in size from the original small foundry to the substantial large industry of a hundred years later. This took place almost wholly under the direction of J. Watson Emmett who was the Superintendent for no less than 36 years, from 1867 to 1903, and during whose time the potential of the factory as the principal wagon manufacturing and repairing works on the LNWR was built up and consolidated. (Emmett-s Brow, in Earle Street, is named after him, as his house stood at the top of the brow, or hill.) 2. The period from 1903 to 1931, when it was a completely self-supporting works, where the construction and heavy maintenance of the LNWR freight stock was continued, as well as manufacturing and maintenance of the LNWR fleet of road vehicles in the northern area. 3. The period from 1931 to 1948, when rationalisation took place, following on from the grouping of the railways in 1923. This resulted in the centralisation of certain types of work in the factories best suited to the policy of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), and this radically affected the Viaduct Works. When the Foundry was taken over by the LNWR in 1853 and additional staff was transferred from Ordsall Lane in Salford, the expansion began, and apart from the extra workshops which were constructed it was necessary to provide housing adjacent to the Works and so Chandos, Booth, Lawrence and Rathbone Streets were built, together with Haydock Place and Newton and Sankey Terraces, forming the nucleus of the housing, and Earlestown began to take shape. A rapid expansion of the Works was begun by Mr. Owen Owens between 1853 and 1867. This was continued by Mr. Emmett, under whom practically three quarters of the workshops were built, although some of them have had several uses since that time. To accommodate the work a new wagon shed was authorised early in 1854, on additional land which had already been purchased next to the Long Smithy. By 1864 wagon production was in full swing and Mr. Owens reported that production for the first half of that year was 652 new vehicles and 180 vehicles repaired; for the second half, 529 new vehicles and 202 repaired. This made a total of 1,552 rail vehicles and 11 road vehicles. The production of new vehicles varied with the orders placed. At the same time the Works were engaged on heavy repairs to wagons and the manufacture of wheels, iron and brass castings and wrought iron parts. These were both for use at the Works and to be dispatched to other repair depots in the northern district. In 1867 Mr. J. Watson Emmett succeeded Mr Owens as Works Superintendent and was faced with a wholesale reduction in the building programme, resulting in 124 of the staff being discharged. Fortunately this phase did not last long and by the beginning of 1869 orders had been received to build 1,560 new wagons. The pace of the development is shown by the following extracts of the Minutes of the Northern Section of the Locomotive & Engineering Committee: February 1868 - LNWR Chairman visited the works and agreed Mr. Emmett-s proposal to build a new shed for the tyre press at ?460. Alterations to old Smithy ?300. October 1868 - New Spring Shop and furnace ordered. February 1869 - Shop heating installed to Fitting, Carpentering and Wood Machine Shops. January 1870 - Wheel making plant authorised. April 1870 - Plans for new stores authorised. July 1871 - Timber shed approved ?7,800. June 1872 - New Wagon Shop ?8,500. The growing community and the need for some local centre for relaxation and recreation was recognised, and in June 1873 plans were approved for a two-storey building, to serve as a dining room for the staff on the ground floor, and a library and reading room on the upper floor, to be built close to the Works. This building was opened in 1877 and the Viaduct Institute was established. The personnel of the Works contributed a penny a week for those with earnings over 10 shillings per week and a halfpenny for those earning less. The importance of the Earlestown works as the principal wagon works of the LNWR was recognised in 1895 when it was visited by the International Railway Congress on 28th June. The personnel employed in the works in 1901 was about 2,000 and its capacity reported at the time was 4,000 new wagons, 13,000 heavy repairs and 300 new horse drawn-vehicles of various types. The period from 1903 to 1923 was not remarkable for great changes, but nevertheless steady improvement took place in keeping with production requirements. About 1890 the old Griffin Hotel had been demolished (formerly Mr. Jones-s House), and the new Griffin constructed in 1891. This made way for further development at the extreme easterly end of the works. In 1913-14 the White Shop was built. It was so named as it was constructed from reinforced concrete and steel which was a departure from tradition as the rest of the works was built in local red brick. The Institute had also expanded, providing recreation facilities with three bowling greens, a first class cricket pitch, three tennis courts and an athletic track. A number of small buildings and pavilions allocated to the various sections provided adequate amenities. An outstanding feature of the Institute-s activities was the pensioner-s section with an excellent pavilion built in 1923 and named -Warneford Hall- after Mr. W.H. Warneford, Works Superintendent from 1916 to 1924. Under the grouping of Main Line Railways the LNWR became one of the constituent companies forming the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). The Works became the principal LMS factory for heavy repairs to wagons and the manufacture and repair of door to door containers of all types. The repair of road vehicles, horse-drawn and motor was maintained, and manufacture of wagon laminated springs and three-link couplings for the whole system was concentrated at the Viaduct Works. Under new management shortly after the grouping Mr. (later Sir) Ernest Lemon became Superintendent of both Earlestown Works and Newton Heath Works, Manchester. He introduced new methods of construction of wagons at Earlestown, and standard wood framed open goods wagons were produced by mass production methods on a production line system. At the same time the -Arcade- was converted into a wheel assembly and wheel dismantling shop. In 1931 Mr. Anthony became the Works Superintendent and the task fell to him to repair wagons on progressive lines and to reorganise the Works to accommodate wagon, lorry and road motor body repairs transferred from Newton Heath, which took the place of new work lost at the Earlestown Works. The progressive system was applied, which necessitated the introduction of power-operated hand tools, both electric and compressed air. The thirties saw the abolition of the Stamping shop, Bolt shop, Forge, Rolling Mill and the Iron and Brass Foundries, although their names lingered on for many years. In October 1943 the old method of manufacturing three-link wagon couplings by hand forging was discontinued and an electric flash-butt welding process was brought into use. The main sawmill supplied the needs of the factory and out-stations in milled timber of all descriptions. On the retirement of Mr. Anthony in 1946, Mr. A .E. Bates was appointed and made changes in Shop layouts. This meant that the large numbers of wagons which were standing idle awaiting repair owing to the after-effects of the war, as well as the increasing number of steel-frame and all-steel wagons, could be dealt with more easily. In 1952 the workforce was about 1,900, of whom 1,700 were actually employed in the workshops. It is sad to say that in 1964 the Viaduct Works closed following the controversial Beeching Report on British Railways. However, many memories live on of the Works that was the very foundation of Earlestown nearly 150 years ago. The Vitriol Works were finally given up, following lawsuits because of pollution, and the business removed to Flint in North Wales. Evidence of the works can still be seen in their refuse heap, known locally as the -Mucky Mountain. The New Legh Arms Hotel was Constructed at the end of the High St at Bridge Foot, the older Legh Arms Hotel stood at the top of the hill beside the station, and was destroyed by fire along with part of the Print works. The modern system of local government outside the Municipal Boroughs can be said to date back to 1848. In this year the first Public Health Act was passed, and this enabled -Improvement Commissions- to be set up to improve local facilities. In 1855 an Act of Parliament was passed, called -An Act for the Improvement of the Town of Newton in Mackerfield and Neighbourhood in the County of Lancaster-. The preamble of the Act begins as follows: