Category: Local History

The parish of Winwick

Steven Dowd

The ancient parish of Winwick lies between Sankey Brook on the south-west and Glazebrook and a tributary on the north and east, the distance between these brooks being 4½ or 5 miles. The extreme length of the parish is nearly 10 miles, and its area 26, 502 acres. The highest ground is on the extreme north-west border, about 350 ft.; most of the surface is above the 100 ft. level, but slopes down on three sides to the boundaries, 25 ft. being reached in Hulme in the south. The geological…

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1865: GREAT FIRE AT NEWTON PRINTING WORKS.

Steven Dowd
Old Legh Arms Hotel - McCorquodales Printing

Manchester Courier – Saturday 18 February 1865 That portion of the railway and general printing works of Messrs. McCorquodale and Co., known as the old Legh Arms Hotel, Newton-le-Willows, and close to the Newton Station, was destroyed by fire on Thursday. Fortunately, the fire, though most destructive, did not reach the adjoining building, so well known in past years as the Old Conservative Hall, in which and adjoining is carried on a most extensive printing, binding, and stereotyping business, employing nearly 300 hands. The fire was discovered at about forty-five…

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1891: THE SANKEY VIADUCT DIVE.

Steven Dowd
Sankey Viaduct - Tommy Burns

TOMMY BURNS’ ATTEMPTED DIVE: Completed by local Collier.Newton and Earlestown Guardian – Friday 13 November 1891 The inhabitants of Earlestown, Newton and surrounding district were considerably moved last week end by the startling announcement that Tommy Burns, the champion diver, who has gained such notoriety around Liverpool, Runcorn and district by his swimming and diving feats, would dive off the Viaduct Bridge or “Nine Arches,” on Saturday afternoon at three o’clock. The bridge is nearly 70 feet high, while the water in the canal is only about seven feet deep,…

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Burtonwood: THE LIMERICK HOTEL

Steven Dowd
The Limerick Hotel

With some historical gleanings from the archives. The Limerick was a pub located at the very end of runway 22 on the north east of the airfield fronting onto Cow Lane (now Burtonwood Road). It was a typical country pub with few home comforts but served a good pint of Burtonwood beer and basic food was sometimes available. It was frequented by the local farmers and villagers from Burtonwood and suddenly burst into life when RAF Burtonwood was built. Initially the Irish navvies who built the base went there for…

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1934: NEWTON-IN-MAKERFIELD’S INCORPORATION EFFORT

Steven Dowd
Newton-in-Makerfield 1934

PURSUING BOROUGH STATUS: The pursuit of borough status by town councils in the early 20th century reflects a moment of civic ambition and a desire for self-determination within growing communities. For towns like Newton-in-Makerfield, which lay between two industrial powerhouses, the application for incorporation as a borough in 1934 was not only about acquiring a charter but also about asserting its identity, securing greater autonomy, and enhancing its position within the wider region. At the heart of this drive for borough status was the belief that such a change would…

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1889: A “SMALL RIOT” AT BURTONWOOD.

Steven Dowd

Leigh Chronicle – Friday 20 December 1889 Nine boys named Schofield Jackson, Charles Jackson, Thomas Haverty, James Haverty, Henry Dalton, James Dalton, Joseph Dalton, James Millington, and Ernest Naylor, were charged with assaulting Thomas Dutton at Burtonwood by throwing stones on the 17th ult. Mr. H. L. Riley prosecuted, and Mr. Jenkins defended. Mr. Riley stated that his client had been a witness in several cases in which Burtonwood boys were interested, and in consequence of that he seemed to have become obnoxious to the boys who formed something like…

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1880: A walk around the Newton-le-Willows Neighbourhood.

Steven Dowd
Warrington Examiner

Letters to the Editor…Warrington Examiner – Saturday 24 April 1880 Sir, As “the mild season, that time when rain from above falling makes all things green, and springing flowers awake from sleep and hail the wished-for day,” invited to take a walk, and the time being convenient, I strolled into Burtonwood, or, as perhaps it ought to be called, Bowyer-town-wood, passing the ruins of the mill erected by T.P.L., 1793, and under the viaduct, a picturesque object, as seen from Newton Common, and on to Bradley Hall (similar in name…

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1875: St Johns, A New Church for Earlestown

Steven Dowd

With the church approaching it’s 150th year, I thought this newspaper account from its foundation stone ceremony would be of interest Liverpool Weekly Mercury – Saturday 07 August 1875 LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE. On Wednesday, the little town of Earlestown, in the parish of Newton-in-Makerfield, was the scene of no little excitement, being the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of a new church, to be called St. John the Baptist’s, which is about to be erected in the locality. The day was observed as a general…

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Annals of the Lords of Warrington

Steven Dowd
Annals of the Lords of Warrington and Bewsey

The following chronological list is derived from the 1873 book titled “Annals of the Lords of Warrington,” a historical account that delves into the centuries following the Norman Conquest of England. This compilation provides a detailed exploration of significant events, land transactions, and the involvement of notable families in the regions surrounding Warrington, including Newton-in-Makerfield, Burtonwood, Haydock, Parr, Winwick, Bradley Park, Bewsey, Culcheth, Great Sankey, and Lower Sankey. These records shed light on the development of these localities from the 11th century onwards, highlighting their strategic importance, social structures, and…

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THE EARLY HISTORY OF WARRINGTON

Steven Dowd
Dr James Kendrick 1909-1882 Warrington

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EARLY HISTORY OF WARRINGTON. by Dr James Kendrick. Transcribed from the newspaper: Manchester Courier Published: Serialised Weekly from 8th Jan 1842 through to the 11 June 1842 The author of the following “Contributions” has few preliminary remarks to offer. He has been urged to their publication by many of his friends, who felt an interest in them when brought forward, a short while since, in the form of lectures. Wanting both leisure and inclination to compile distinct volume on the subject, he has selected a periodical of…

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1811: WINWICK BROAD OAK, BATTLE OF LISSA

Steven Dowd
Winwick Broad Oak

The above illustration, which is reproduced from an old print kindly lent to us by Miss Calvert of Warrington, represents a memorable event in the history of the quaint village of Winwick, which occurred on August 26, 1811. Beneath the branches of the giant tree—the Winwick Broad Oak—a public dinner was held in honor of Captain, later Admiral, Sir Phipps Hornby, who had just returned to his native village after distinguishing himself in a decisive engagement with the French fleet in the Adriatic. At the present time, when the whole…

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Burtonwood Parish

Steven Dowd

“Warrington Church Notes” by William Beamont, published in 1878, is a historical account focusing on the Parish Church of St. Elfin in Warrington, England, along with other churches in the parish. William Beamont was a noted historian and antiquarian of the 19th century, particularly well-regarded for his contributions to the local history of Warrington and the surrounding areas. In this publication, Beamont documented the history, architecture, and significant events associated with the churches in the different Warrington parish’s. This is what he wrote about the history of the Burtonwood Parish.…

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RAILWAY BETWEEN MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL.

Steven Dowd
Liverpool and Manchester Railway Share Certificate

While searching for some details in old newspapers concerning the Sankey Viaduct, I read quite a few articles from 1824 onwards related to the efforts and construction of the LMR which help set the scene and show just some of the massive efforts made to its eventual opening. There’s lots online about the Rainhill Trials and the Opening day which unfortunatly saw the accident and death of Mr Huskisson, but not so much about the lead up to the opening, the construction, or even that Mr Huskisson had already travelled…

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Sankey Canal & Viaduct 1881

Steven Dowd

VIEW OF THE VIADUCT OVER THE SANKEY CANAL. PLATE II. Through the valley of Sankey, about half way between Liverpool and Manchester, was cut the first canal for hydraulic conveyance in England; and through it also flows a small river. From the locks of the canal, the Railway Viaduct is seen to the best advantage, and from this point was the view taken; but the effect from every part here is truly delightful. Over this valley—its rivulet and canal—and the topmasts and high peaks of the barges—is carried the Railway,…

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1861: Burtonwood Census

Steven Dowd
Burtonwood 1861 Census

While I was doing some family history, and searching for a few relatives from Burtonwood, I decided it would be simpler to keep a record of the 1861 census for my future searches, so have transcribed the data, hope it proves useful Name Birth Residence Parents Siblings Spouse Children Relation to Head Jane Whitfield c1821 – Burtonwood, Lancs Broad Lane, Burtonwood, Lancs Ellen Whitfield Margaret WhitfieldPeter Whitfield Thomas Fairclough c1799 – Sankey, Lancs Cawsey Bridge Farm, Burtonwood, Lancs Mary Fairclough Thomas FaircloughSamuel FaircloughBetsey Jane Fairclough James Dennett c1836 – Sankey,…

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