Earlestown – Newton-le-Willows

Steam-Boiler Explosion at Newton

28 December 20134 July 2020 Steven Dowd

There was a Great Loss of Life by a Steam-Boiler Explosion at Newton.. 22nd Sept 1838 We regret to inform that the Viaduct Foundry on the Manchester & Liverpool Line of Railway at Newton in the Willows, the property of Messrs, Jones, Turner, and Evens, was on MOnday morning last the scene of a dreadful and fatal steam-boiler explosion, by which eight persons are already dead, and two others are lying without much hope of recovery. It appears that Messrs Jones & Co. employ about 200 men, and in the…

Earlestown War memorial – unveiled by Lord Newton.

28 December 201328 December 2013 Steven Dowd

On Saturday afternoon, at Earlestown, Lord Newton unveiled a memorial of the South African war, which has been erected outside the Town Hall in honour of fifty men of Newton-in-Makerfield who volunteered for service in that historic struggle. The cost of the monument, about £360, is defrayed out of the local fund started in 1899 for the relief of necessitous cases arising out of such service. Much of the money was contributed by working men, and happily out of £991 raised it was found necessary to distribute only £215 in…

Autobiography of Garret Ronayne

6 September 201322 December 2013 Steven Dowd

An old Indian Mutiny Veteran, who served diligently and faithfully throughout the mutiny of 1857-1858. Having been asked by several, of my friends to give a short sketch of my eventful career, I have pleasure in dedicating to them my autobiography in the hope that they will at last confirm a statement I have often made, that I am a most singular man. As it is about fifty-eight years ago since my enlisting in the army, I must respectfully request that my readers will forgive me for any mistakes I…

Crow Lane Hall & Newton Serjeants

14 April 201322 December 2013 Steven Dowd

This building, probably the oldest in the township, was formerly a moated grange, vestiges of the moat being visible in the boyhood days of some of our septuagenarian residents. It is said to have been the abode of the serjeant (or bailiff) of the lord of the manor, a post of great importance in olden days, and corresponding to that of sheriff of more recent times. Its very probable that the Serjeants (or Sergeants as the name later became), who resided at Crow Lane Hall in the 15th, 16th, and…

Everton V Earlestown

1 January 201322 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Here are a few more facts about Earlestown FC 1899-00 Joined Lancashire League 1903 Lancashire League closed down 1903-04 Joined Lancashire Combination as founder members of new Division 2 Lancashire Combination Division Two runner-up Promoted to Division One 1906 Relegated to Division Two 1906-07 Lancashire Combination Division Two runner-up Promoted to Division One SEASON LEAGUE P W D L F A P POS 1899-00 LANCS 28 7 5 16 40 64 19 11/15 1900-01 LANCS 20 8 3 9 31 45 19 8/11 1901-02 LANCS 24 12 5 7 54…

Some Earlestown Sporting History

21 August 201222 December 2013 Steven Dowd

My father, a supporter in the 1880s often spoke to me about the team in those early days. The playing field was at the back of the Swan Hotel, on Newton Common. He was present on this ground when the famous Preston North End Invincibles played Earlestown and beat the local team 19-0. I understand the record score for the Noah End was beating Hyde 26-0.! Earlestown also played Everton in the 1880s can you imagine it? A team from Earlestown playing against Everton in a cup final. Well, that…

Newton & Earlestown in 1895

15 August 201222 December 2013 Steven Dowd

I do not guarantee that my transcription doesn’t include some pretty basic mistakes, apart from my poor typing ability and bad spelling, some pages were very marked making them hard to read. I hope this transcribed text will be well received, its easily searched with the find on page facility included with most any web browsers from the browsers edit menu. There are two sections to this article, Newton-le-Willows is the top one, and Earlestown is the lower one, Hope you find them useful. NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS (SEE ALSO EARLESTOWN), INCLUDING ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD…

Earlestown & Newton in 1890

10 August 201222 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Bridge Street Earlestown

And now let us take a walk round Earlestown and Newton and see what it was like about 1890. Immediately to the left of Earlestown Station was a large open space where the shops now stand and which was a common playground for the youth of the neighbourhood. That side of the street has changed very little, except that the shops at the top have all been altered and had new fronts put in to meet changed conditions. On the other side, starting at the bottom, there was Mr. Attfields…

AirCrash – Supermarine Attacker – 05/02/1953

16 April 20127 April 2018 Steven Dowd

Supermarine Attacker FB.1 WA535 – 05/02/1953 On Thursday 5 th February 1953 Mr Roy Edwin Collingwood (all commissioned Pilots were known as Mr) took off from Royal Naval Air Station Stretton ? ?HMS Blackcap? near Warrington in Supermarine Attacker FB.1, No WA535 on what was to be his 3 rd ?Famil? (Familiarisation) flight at 15:30 hours. At 15:32 hours he was given ?Go? on Channel Baker, and at 15:37 hours he was called up by Mr Lines, who was then flying a Meteor aircraft. In the course of a short…

The Liverpool & Manchester Railway

4 October 201122 December 2013 Steven Dowd

The Cotton Trade In the latter part of the eighteenth century, the area surrounding the port of Liverpool and the growing town of Manchester was rapidly expanding. The American colonies had played a large part in promoting Liverpool as the port of import, and Manchester as the finishing centre for their cotton. Liverpool also dealt with the importation of rum, tobacco and slaves as well as establishing itself as the chief trading port with Ireland ? importing yarn which was then sent to Manchester. As an example of the enormous…

A history of the Vulcan Foundry

25 September 20117 April 2018 Steven Dowd

In September, 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened, and to digress, here is a brief account of the ceremony. Being one of the first passenger lines in the country, its development must have had a profound influence on the policy and prosperity of the Vulcan Foundry, and the Locomotive industry as a whole during its early years, apart from its interest to all dwellers in South West Lancashire in its effect on the industrial life of the district. T. & S. Stone. The original stone inscribed T. &…

Earlestown Market 1938

11 January 201122 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Market successful despite removal Trading centre provided for new town. Prosperous council undertaking at Earlestown Having commenced the story in the middle and glanced at the finish to see the happy ending it would now be appropriate to look at the opening chapter of the story and see how it began. From very remote times Newton-in-Makerfield has held a very important position. It stands on the northern road between Warrington and Wigan and about the same distance from both. In the days when Saxon kings ruled over the island it…

The Story of Vicars

31 October 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Around a year ago, I compiled from different sources a history on one of Earlestowns oldest firms, T & T Vicars, somehow, the article has been lost from the database, probably when the website changed Servers some months ago, for those interested, here again is the missing history article The year 1849 has been generally accepted as the foundation year of the firm of T & T Vicars, but it is possible that the partnership was formed even earlier than this. The story began when Thomas Vicars, son of an…

Newton – The Market and Fairs

29 October 201019 April 2018 Steven Dowd

In 42nd Henry III. (1258), Robert Banastre, the fourth baron of that name, obtained the Kings charter for a fair and market at his manor of Newton . Forty-three years afterwards a market and two fairs were granted by Edward I. to John de Langton – the market to be held every Saturday, and the fairs on the eve,day, and morrow of St. John (6th May) and of St. Germain (31st July). In 1536 the former was described by Leland (King Henry VIII.s antiquary) as “a little poore market.” This…

The Fable of the Inspector and the Bolts

27 July 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

VULCAN MAGAZINE , Autumn 1958 THE FABLE OF THE INSPECTOR AND THE BOLTS There dwelt in the City of Newt an Inspector of a Factory, and his Chief spake unto him saying:- “Lo, there is in the wilderness of Vul a maker of bolts, and he has made two score and five special bolts. These be Sooper-Dooper bolts and great is the tensile strength thereof, that they may fix, even the very top of a cylinder casing, even unto the very bottom. Get thee hence and inspect them. And take…