-r.,\\i
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
DESCRIPTIVE HISTORY
POPULAR WATERING-PLACE
SOUTHPORT,
PARISH OF NORTH MEOLS,
WESTERN COAST OF LANCASHIRE.
BY FRANK ROBINSON.
LONDON:
ARTHUR HALL & CO., PATERNOSTER-ROW.
1848.
Cnterelr at Stationers'
Printed by H. Johnson, Viiter Office, Lords'-street, Southport.
TO THE
COMMISSIONERS
UNDER THB
SOUTHPORT IMPROVEMENT ACT,
WHOSE EXERTIONS
POlt THB
PERFECTION OF SOUTHPORT
BHTITLE THEM TO
THE HIGHEST PRAISE,
THIS HISTORY
OP
THE SCENE OF THEIR LABOURS
13 RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY
THE AUTHOR.
578497
ENGLISH LOCAL
PREFACE.
Another history of Southport ! Why, there have been
several already.
Several ! There's been a precious lot more than several.
I know of seven.
Conveniently altered from an Old Play.
IT is indeed a fact that several histories of the
town of Southport have already appeared, and it
is also a fact that those several works have been
required. In writing this history it has not been
necessary to converse with antiquaries, to visit
churches and ruins for the purpose of examining
monuments and brasses, or to search into libraries,
amongst worm-eaten, dogs'-eared folios, for the
purpose of ascertaining what part the Southportians
took in the Civil Wars, the Reformation, or the
claims of the Pretender. The town would be
described by an auctioneer as being " singularly
beautiful, recently built, in thorough and substantial
repair, and a most eligible investment;" qualities,
when united, utterly at variance with any claims to
VI.
antiquity. Although excavations have been made
in almost every direction, no Druidical altars have
yet been found ; nor any Roman walls, save those
of the Roman Catholic church ; there is, indeed,
nothing truly ancient but the sand-hills, the long
existence of which might have given rise to the
old saying, " As old as the hills." If inclined to
possibilities, it would be very easy to imagine that
CiEsar landed from a " punt " at low-water, but
it is pretty certain that he did not; the modern
Caesar's galley is, however, now anchored within a
stone's-throw of his octagon temple where the
people pay him tribute. In the end wall of
Southport's first hotel is fixed a stone tablet, with
an inscription which proves that a generation
has scarcely passed away since the foundation of
the town. A reference to past histories for some
few facts and dates, and a deep interest in the
subjects which I have endeavoured to particularise,
are the materials with which I have wrought.
There may be omissions, trifling things may be
magnified, and the whole picture may be too highly
coloured. My enthusiastic love of everything that
relates to Southport is my only apology.
THE AUTHOR.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Page.
Situation and Advantages .... 9
The Shore 10
Founder of the Town 11
"The Folly" 13
Melancholy Catastrophe 14
Union Hotel 16
Christ's Church 18
Scarisbrick Arms Hotel 19
Independent Chapel 19
Strangers' Charity 19
Wesleyan Chapel 20
Assembly Room 21
Page.
Bold Arms Hotel 22
Trinity Church 28
Hoghton Arms Hotel 24
Victoria Promenade 24
Victoria Baths 25
Claremont House 2G
St. Marie's Catholic Church . . 27
The First Newspaper 28
The Improvement Act 29
The Railways 32
Victoria Hotel 35
The New Market 35
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
Recreations and Amusements.. 43
The Races .. ..45
CHAPTER III.
The Mayor and Sheriffs 40
Big and Little Bathing Sundays 47
CHAPTER IV.
Facilities for Travelling 49
Accommodation 50
Supplies 58
Abundance of Fresh Water.... 54
via.
CHAPTER V.
INSTITUTIONS, CHARITIES, AND SCHOOLS.
Page.
Strangers' Charity 56
Local Dispensary 57
Marine Fund 59
Literary and Scientific Institute 60
Savings' Bank 62
Provident Society 63
Provident Clothing Society ... 63
Odd-fellows 64
Foresters 66
Mechanics 66
Southport Burial Society 67
Church Missionary Society .... 68
Page.
London Missionary Society .... 68
Wesleyan Missionary Society . . 69
Bible Society 69
Religious Tract Society 69
Reading Society 70
Christ's Church Schools 71
Trinity Church Schools 72
Catholic Schools 72
Independent Schools 73
Wesleyan Schools 73
Boarding and Day Schools .... 73
Post Office .. ..74
CHAPTER VI.
The Sand-hills 76 I Henry Augbton, the Botanist. . 78
Botanical Pursuits . ..77 List of Plants 78
CHAPTER VII.
PLACES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.
Churchtown 92
Halsall 94
Lydiate Abbey 95
Ormskirk 95
Lathom House 98
Burscough Priory 98
Formby 99
Ince Hall . . . 99
CHAPTER VIII.
CONCLUSION.
APPENDIX.
Resident Officials, Directory of the Inhabitants, &c.
A
DESCRIPTIVE
HISTORY OP SOUTHPOET,
' Here many a husband has brought his fond wife,
By sickness brought down to the last stage of life,
And health's been restored by inhaling the breeze
Which reaches our shores from the far distant seas.'
CHAPTER I.
SITUATION AND ADVANTAGES.
SOUTHPOBT is situated in the parish of North Meols, in
the county of Lancaster, on the coast of the Irish sea, and
near the mouth of the Ribble, at 53 38' 40" north lati-
tude, and 2 59' 45" west longitude. It is about the
same distance twenty miles from Liverpool, St. Helen's,
Preston, and Wigan ; and about forty miles from Manchester.
The waters are pure and unadulterated, and the dryness and
peculiar mildness of the air has contributed, and, indeed,
may be said to be the sole cause, of its present enviable
popularity. Years ago Dr. Brandreth styled it " the
Montpellier of England," a character which it has well and
deservedly maintained. It Is scarcely possible to conceive
B
10
the remarkable and extraordinary effects of a residence in
Southport to persons of weak and relaxed habits, and even
in the earlier stages of that scourge of our variable
climate consumption, which claims and marks for its own
thousands annually of the best and loveliest of the population
of happy England. It is gratifying, and it has been
wisely ordained, that such an oasis in the desert should
exist ; that some healthy, quiet place of repose should be
convenient to our unhealthy manufacturing towns, where
for awhile the founders of the wealth and prosperity of
the country may cease from their labours, and regain
vigour of mind and body. Such is Southport. There
are, it is true, rivals, that would share, nay, claim superior
honours ; but those who have been induced to make
comparisons decidedly give to Southport that pre-eminence
which its own natural advantages, aided by the artificial
embellishments of latter years, justly entitle it to.
THE SHORE.
The beach is perfectly smooth and hard, extends for
many miles, and is perfectly free from those disagreeable
and sometimes dangerous accompaniments, quicksands,
stones, and pools of water ; it is, therefore, well adapted
for riding; and has been compared to an immense natural
road. Various projects have been announced, and some
have been attempted, for converting the shore to some
profitable account. A few years ago, a joint-stock com-
pany, principally boatmen of the town, had a kind of
land boat built, which would carry a dozen persons at the
rate of twenty miles an hour, and was intended to ply for
hire ; it was called " The Ariel," in allusion to the high
rate of speed obtained, and was so successful in every
respect that a rival boat was built by another company
and called "The Flying Dutchman." It was a matter of
4
U:
11
wonder to many that those novel vehicles, which were iu
great demand, and would doubtless have proved profitable
to the shareholders, were discontinued almost as soon as
the experiment had been tried ; but a collision with a
bathing machine having occurred, attended with some
slight damage, it caused a verification of the old proverb,
" For want of a nail the shoe was lost for want of a
shoe the horse was lost." For some similar reason the
"Flying Dutchman" was discontinued ; and the consequence
was, that these " strange craft " were allowed to become
" wrecks ashore." A short time ago a private individual
took some trouble, and incurred some expense, in testing
the capabilities of the shore for the transit of locomotive
engines and carriages between Southport and Liverpool :
the consent of the landowners was obtained ; a survey was
made, which was extremely favourable ; and, notwithstanding
there appeared to be all the elements of success, the
project failed for want of support.
The sea flows so far inland that it is of little consequence
whether visitors arrive at spring or ebb tides, although the
greater number arrive during the prevalence of the former.
THE FOUNDER OF THE TOWN.
To the late Mr. D. W. Sutton, of Churchtown, a village
about a mile and a half distant, who during his life time
was familiarly termed " The Duke," the public is indebted
for the foundation of the first or original house, about
the year 1792. There is at the present time a gentleman
resident in the town, almost a centenarian, who was present
when the first barrel of ale was tapped at this house, and
partook thereof. For some years previous to that time
this coast had been resorted to for sea bathing ; but those
visiters of a bygone day made Churchtown their place of
abode, from whence they were conveyed in carts and other
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conveyances to the convenient sands, the existence of \vhich
induced that farseeing individual before named to carry
into effect the above crotchet of his fancy, which he
conceived would be of great advantage, and so it proved.
The town, which had previously been called South
Hawes, received its present appellation from the late Dr.
Barton, at an entertainment given by Mr. Sutton at the
opening of the new inn. During the evening, the doctor,
in a moment of enthusiasm, took a bottle of wine, and
dashing the contents about him, exclaimed, " This place
shall be called Southport !" Tradition has it that there
was formerly a fine bay of water, eleven fathoms deep,
within half a mile from shore, where vessels of considerable
tonnage securely rode at anchor j it would have been then
a port to all intents and purposes. Some of those
euphonious personages, " the oldest inhabitants," remember
the site of Lords'-street as a famous place for skating.
The bay is now filled with sand, caused by the changes
which so frequently take place in the current. It is
lamentable that the shores where so many persons regain
health and strength, should also be the common grave of
numbers of hapless seamen who have been driven with
their frail barks on this treacherous coast ; which thus
becomes the bane, as it is most certainly the antidote !
A history of the unfortunate vessels which have been lost,
and the circumstances relating thereto, would fill volumes.
Since the establishment of the " life boat," casualties have
been rare : no sooner is a signal seen or heard than a
volunteer crew of our hardy boatmen, regardless of the
fury of the tempest, proceed, if at all possible, to the
luckless vessel, and are in most cases of effectual service.
In our own times, a project has been advertised for
erecting a railway pier, to extend to low water, where
13
Vessels might discharge passengei-s or goods, to be from
thence conveyed to the manufacturing districts ! Whether
this is practicable or not we do not pretend to say, but it
is scarcely desirable. If a pier is erected as an additional
promenade for the inhabitants and visitors, and for their
convenience when embarking on pleasure voyages, it will
be warmly welcomed, and will, without doubt, prove
profitable to those who undertake its construction.
" THE POLLY."
Mr. Button's speculation was considered at the time
quite romantic, and his house received the name of " Tho
Duke's Folly." The first part was built chiefly of timber,
and was only opened during the summer months. Mr.
Sutton removed there with his family in the year 1798,
and remained in it until 1802. Messrs. Hilton and Lead-
better then entered upon it for a term of twenty-one yeaiti,
commencing in May, 1803, and, having a pretty general
acquaintance with the company who then frequented the
place, the house obtained great repute, and was by them
designated Southport Hotel. They only occupied the
premises for seven years, when a Mr. Ashall became the
occupant. About this time it was considerably enlarged
by Mr. Sutton. Mr. Ashall remained between three or
four years, and was succeeded by Mr. Trevitt, who only
remained two years. Mr. and Mrs. Clare, from Wigan,
were the next occupants, and continued to reside there
until April, 1824, when the original lease expired. Mrs.
Clare gave it the name of the Royal Hotel. A son-
in-law of Mr. Button's held it one year, and on the 10th
of April, 1825, it was takou by Mr. Halfey, who remained
in it until he removed to the new and splendid hotel, the
Bold Arms, in Lords'-street,, where he still resides. Mr.
Thompson, a relative of Mr. SuttonV, Mr. Charles Walthall,
14
and, lastly, Mr. John Parkinson, have succeeded each
other, in which latter person's tenancy many further
additions and improvements have been made. It is now
a tolerably comfortable house of accommodation, but bears
no comparison to the costly and splendid erections of
latter years. What it lacks in splendour is compensated
for by its site, and the interest caused by the reminiseuces
of the past ; the view of the town from its windows
being unequalled, and as " the folly " it must be an object
of curiosity while, it stands.
Increase and multiply became the order of the day, as
the benefit resulting from a temporary stay convinced
persons that a permanent residence would of course be
proportionably beneficial. Mrs. Walmsley built a cottage
about 1797, to which great additions were afterwards made.
Colonel Gerard occupied this house when his melancholy
death by drowning took place. The Kaleidoscope, a
journal published at that time, thus announces the event :
" MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE.
" On the 23rd of May, 1822, Colonel Gerard, of Windle
Hall, (brother to the late Sir W. Gerard,) embarked at
Southport in his pleasure-boat, in company with the Rev.
F. Crathorne, a truly philanthrophic Catholic clergyman,
Mr. Adamson, of Ashton-in-the-Willows, his sen Roger,,
and a boatman, on a fishing excursion, for which the
weather seemed propitious. They were not heard of until
the next day, when the boat was found ' untenanted and
unoccupied,' with her sails unfurled, drifting at the mercy
of the wind and tide. As no one survived to tell the
sad nanative of misfortune, it can only be conjectured
that the boat cither upset and threw the party into the
sea, or that they had incautiously disembarked upon a
bank, and were surrounded by the rising tido, while the
15
boat drifted away from them. The esteem in which the
parties were held may be gathered from an extract of a
letter from Southport on the day after thier departure,
' With the ebbing tide several boats went out in search of
the missing party ; and during the whole of the afternoon
the sand-hills were peopled with an anxious multitude, all
directing their gaze across the vast expanse of sand which
the far-retreating tide had left, and towards that quarter
from whence it was expected that intelligence would come.
After some hours solicitude, a sail was descried at a
distance, making its way to the shore. All, with one
accord, now rushed forward ; expectation was at its height ;
but too soon the sad certainty was known soon communi-
cated the sad intelligence, and throughout the village a
general consternation was spread ; all occupation ceased,
and every one seemed absorbed by this melancholy event.
Meantime, night came on, and about nine o'clock, other
boats arrived bringing the lifeless bodies of two of the
unfortunate party. Some of the sufferers left large families,
and all of them an extensive circle of relatives and
friends. Mr. Crathome was peculiarly eminent for his
extensive benevolence ; his loss will be deeply felt by the
poor of the surrounding country, to whom he was in the
habit of administering medical aid, gratuitously, with
extraordinary success.' The families and intimate friends
of the unfortunate sufferers will long lament this casualty ;
but there are others, who cannot be classed precisely under
either of these heads, who will yet have bitter oause to
mourn. The poor and the afflicted, within many miles of
Garswood, have lost, in the Rev. Mr. Crathorne, a physician
who was in the daily habit of administering, gratuitously,
to the bodily diseases of all who solicited fhe aid of his
medicine and advice. Hundreds of patients, too poor to
1C
afford any other fee than their grateful thanks, have, by
his fostering skill, been reinstated in the enjoyment of
health and strength, and now live to bless his memory,
and grieve at his untimely end. The accident is supposed
to have been occasioned by the boat having been overtaken
by one of those eddying gusts of wind which sometimes
prevail in the midst of general calm. The body of Mr.
Adamson, senior, was found, on the Sunday after, on the
Lytham coast ; and on Saturday, June 1st, the body of
Colonel John Gerard was found on Cockerham sands, four
miles from Glasson : and the remains of Mr. Crathorne
were discovered on Sunday morning, near the place where
the unfortunate accident had happened. Mr. Gerard was
the next heir to the late Sir W. Gerard, and left a large
family. The boatman, John Jackson, left a widow and
several children, who were dependent upon his exertions
for their support." It is gratifying to add that some
compensation was made to Jackson's widow by the relatives
of Mr. Gerard.
Gerard Walmsley, Esq., occupied the house for some
time ; T. Satterfield, Esq., and afterwards Henry Pooley,
Esq., succeeded him ; and it has since been purchased by
Ralph Greenough, Esq., a county magistrate, who is the
present occupier.
Mr. Barton built a house about 1799. Miss Bromley,
Miss Leigh, Mrs. Moneypenny, Miss Johnson, and Mrs.
Halsall, were amongst the earlier inhabitants of Southport,
and were followed by Mr. Nevill, Mr. Tennant, Mrs. Addy,
and others.
THE UNION HOTEL.
An increased demand for accommodation, and a great
influx of company, during the bathing season, rendered it
necessary to erect another inn, which received the name of
17
the Union Hotel. It was occupied by Mrs. Barlow for
many years, and was very popular under her management.
It is said that no less a person than the present King of
the French once slept at this house, and it is thus accounted
for. The king, then an exile, was on a visit to the late
Mr. Blundell, of Ince Hall, and had been with a shooting
party in the neighbourhood ; being benighted, they made
their way to this house, and, finding it no mean quarters,
slept under its roof until daylight enabled them to return
to the hall. Various persons have successively tenanted
the house, amongst others, the eccentric but accommodating
and generous Mrs. Ashworth, who first styled it " Bolton
House," or, rather, united it to its original title, and it is
now in the occupation of Mr. Josiah Mather.
A suite of buildings succeeded in 1807, for the use of
persons requiring private lodgings ; these were then and
are still termed Union Buildings.
The Mansion House was erected in the year 1810, by
the late Mr. Hargreaves, and was the residence of his
widow until her death in the early part of the present
year. The cottagers, anxious to share in the growing
prosperity of the town, whitewashed their dwellings, and
let " apartments " to the economical. The shore now
began to " teem with visitors," and Southport was even
then a fashionable watering-place.
Belmont Cottage, West Hill, and Sea View were erected
about this time. Belmont Castle, King's Buildings, or
" Eight Houses," and a great number of residences on
the south-eastern side of Lords'-street, and Panton Place,
Coronation Cottages, Green Lawn, &c., on the north-western
side, followed.
Mr. Whiteley's Repository was built in 1812, and
formerly had a news-room, library, and other conveniences
c
18
attached thereto ; now, a goodly supply of generous
wines, and the strengthening bottled porter, and other
articles of a general nature, required by invalids, (aye,
and by valetudinarians too,) are there in tempting and
luxurious profusion.
For a considerable length of time uniformity of plan
was maintained, but this gave way, and great taste was
displayed in subsequent erections, the ornamental as well
as the useful was desired, and a visible improvement was
the consequence.
CHRIST'S CHURCH.
The spiritual wants of the town were first supplied by
the erection of this church, in the year 1820, through the
great exertions of the Rev. W. Docker, the present incum-
bent, the agents of the late Robert Hesketh, Esq., of
Rossall Hall, and the late Princess Sapieha, of Bold Hall,
the lord and lady of the manor at that period. The
patronage was vested in Mr. Hesketh, in consequence of
his advancing a certain sum of money towards the endow-
ment, and further improving the living. The church,
which originally accommodated from six hundred to seven
hundred persons, has since been enlarged by the erection
of galleries ; and in the year 1846 an organ was obtained.
The pulpit is placed over the altar, having the reading
desk on the south, and the clerk's desk on the north side.
The front of the gallery, at the west end, is decorated with
the royal arms, under which is an inscription, stating the
tune when the church was erected and consecrated, with
the names of the then churchwardens, and that of the
incumbent. The church is ventilated upon an excellent
principle, which prevents any injury to the congregation
from the rush of the external air. The height of the
tower to the battlements is fifty-three feet, and the pinnacles
19
four feet higher. There is a delightful prospect from the
top, and it was for some years of great use to the boat-
men as a land-mark, but there are now more prominent
objects which serve the purpose.
THE SCARISBRICK ARMS HOTEL.
In 1821, the Hesketh Arms, now called the Scarisbrick
Arms, (in compliment to one of the present lords of the
manor,) was added to the number of inns. It was for
some time kept by Mr. T. Mawdesley, the then owner,
who was succeeded by Mr. Dobson, and afterwards by
Mr. John Salthouse, who removed to another house. Mr.
Samuel Wood followed, and it is now occupied by Mr.
James Hunt.
THE INDEPENDENT CHAPEL.
The Independent Chapel was built in 1823, and in 1825
commodious school-rooms were added. No alterations of
consequence were made until the year 1846, when it was
raised higher, and otherwise considerably enlarged. The
Rev. George Greatbatch was for many years the pastor,
but, having been worn out with long and faithful service,
he is now allowed that repose which the infirmities of age
require, and he views with heartfelt satisfaction the pleasing
result of his labours : he has been succeeded by the Rev.
J. E. Millson, whose eloquent discourses have gained him
considerable notoriety. Previous to the erection of this
chapel, Mr. Greatbatch, who had for some years been the
pastor of a congregation at Churchtown, used to pi-each
at Southport on a Sunday afternoon during the bathing
season, and return to his own people in the evening. Mr.
Greatbatch is universally known, and deservedly respected.
THE STRANGERS' CHARITY.
The building called " The Strangers' Charity," on
account of its intended purpose, was erected in 1825, at
20
an expense of about 500. It is situated on the north-
western side of Lords'-street, and is entered by a flight
of steps which conduct to the principal room, fifty feet
long by eighteen, with a surgery behind ; underneath are
baths, and also apartments for those who have the charge of
the building. The baths are not now used, the "Original
Baths " being rented for the purposes of the charity. The
ground in front is neatly laid out with shrubs and trees,
which, when clothed with their summer garb, completely
hides the building from view. Respecting the " original
baths," it may be stated that for a number of years they
were found a great convenience to visiters, and were well
and deservedly encouraged ; but their more splendid rival
on the Promenade, the enterprise of a company, has for
some time caused the private and more humble speculation
to fall into disuse. Such events too often occur to cause
much notice to be taken of what are considered trifling
matters ; but would it not well become the powerful
rivals of humble and striving individuals to compensate
the latter for the ruination which is often the result
of their success ? The " Strangers' Charity " is also
made use of for the purposes of the North Meols Local
Dispensary.
THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CHAPEL.
The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel built for their
accommodation in East-bank-street, in the year 1824, but
their increase in numbers and respectability had long
rendered it necessary to build another, and also to change
the site. A considerable amount of money was raised hi
a very short space of time, by the exertions of the then
minister, the Rev. W. Coultas, and others, and the plans
were approved of by the Building Committee in February,
1847. Land was purchased in Hoghton-street for the
21
chapel, and also for school-rooms and a residence for the
minister. On the 17th of March following, the first stone
was laid, with due ceremony, by Dr. Wood, of Manchester ;
and on the 15th of August in the same year the building
was opened for public worship, the Rev. Dr. Newton preaching
on the occasion. Several days were set apart for services
in connection with the event, in which the Rev. Edward
Walker and the Rev. George Osborn, of Liverpool, the
Rev. James Everett, of York, the Rev. Frederick J.
Jobson, of Manchester, the Rev. W. Coultas, of this town,
the Rev. George Dickinson, of Ormskirk, and other
ministers of the denomination, took a part. The entire
expense of building the chapel, which is extremely neat
and convenient, and capable of comfortably seating eight
hundred persons, was about 1400 ; and the architect, Mr.
Thomas Withnell, and the builder, Mr. Richard Wright, of
this town, have done ample justice to the trustees.
THE ASSEMBLY ROOM.
As the town increased in importance, a number of
residents and visitors began to feel the want of some
building, which might answer for the purpose of holding
public meetings, and also for those festive occasions when
the young of both sexes desired to
" Trip it on the light fantastic toe."
No sooner thought of than done ! A company was formed
in the year 1831, in shares of 30 each, which were
almost immediately taken up by gentlemen in Manchester,
Liverpool, Bolton, and other distant places, and the
Assembly Room was erected in Lords'-street. It is a very
unique brick building, the front being cemented to imitate
stone. It has two stories, and a handsome portico elevated
on a flight of stone steps, and supported by Doric and
Ionic columns. The external appearance and the inward
22
construction is very suitable for the purpose it was intended.
The ground floor was formerly used for a news-room, with
apartments for the master : one portion is now converted
into a billiard-room, and the remainder is almost entirely
occupied by the recently formed Literary and Scientific
Institution, the upper room, which is about twenty yards
in length and eight in width, being still available for public
business. As a speculation, the undertaking failed ; and
various are the uses to which it has been converted,
amongst the rest as a theatre. The late Mr. Kobert
Mawdesley purchased all the shares in the company a few
years before his death, and it is now the property of his
brother, Mr. James Mawdesley. It is to be hoped that
the inconvenience to the shareholders from the depreciation
in the value of the property was not very great, as the
building is a great acquisition to the town.
The rapid progress of the town must now be described
in a wholesale manner, by streets, and not by single
dwellings. Lords'-street was connected from house to
house ; and now, there is scarcely a spare yard of building
land in its entire length. Coronation-walk, Nevill-street,
East-bank-street, London-street, Sea-bank-road, Hill-street,
Union-street, Bold-street, Chapel-street, Hoghton-street,
Fleetwood-street, and the Victoria Promenade and Man-
chester-road, are not only formed, but many of them are
completely built up ; and other streets, crescents, and
squares, are either planned or suggested.
THE BOLD ARMS HOTEL.
In the year 1832, Mr. Halfey opened the new and
splendid hotel, the Bold Arms, at that time situated at the
entrance of the town ; the builders' occupation has,
however, apparently changed its position, for a considerable
number of first-rate residences have to bo passed before
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you arrive at its inviting entrance. From fifty to sixty
beds are made up in the house, and there is stabling for
twenty horses.
TRINITY CHURCH.
An increasing population rendered it necessary, in 1837,
to erect another church, which is situated in Manchester-
road, near to the entrance of the town, and is dedicated
to the most Holy Trinity. It is cemented and painted
externally, and the burying-ground is tastefully planted
with trees and flowers. A bazaar, held in the year
1840, produced sufficient funds to warrant the purchase of
a splendid organ and the erection of a new gallery, which
two objects were soon afterwards completed. Through the
great exertions of the late lamented Mr. Sidebotham, the
organist, and for some time one of the churchwardens,
considerable additions were made to the organ, and
principally to his zeal is the public indebted for the
superior character of the musical portion of the service,
and the beautifying of the edifice itself : in these praise-
worthy exertions he was assisted by other " good men
and true," who live, and are ready and willing for active
service. The church was further enlarged in the early
part of 1847, the east end being taken out and another
window at each side added. A new clock, the appropriate
and munificent gift of T. T. Taylor, Esq., was fixed in the
tower about the same time. Neat and commodious
school-rooms, convenient to the church, were erected in
the year 1843, at the sole expense of a charitable gentle-
man, who having been blessed with a liberal allowance of
wealth dispenses a portion thereof for the good of his
fellow-creatures ; and it may be said of him that " his
right hand knoweth not what his left hand cloeth." A neat
parsonage house adjoins the burying-ground, the residence
24
of the Her. Jonathan Jackson, the present incumbent.
THE HOGHTON ARMS HOTEL.
A very commodious house of entertainment was erected
in London-street, by Mr. R. Wright, builder, of this town,
at his own expense, in the year 1838, but was not licensed
until 1841, when it was taken by Mr. John Salthouse, then
of the Hesketh Arms in Lords'-street, who has since
removed to the more aristocratic hotel, " the Victoria."
Mr. Thomas Townsend was his successor ; and he, again, has
been succeeded by Mr. John Waterhouse. The Hoghton
Arms Hotel is much frequented by visiters from Wigan,
and is, indeed, generally well supported.
THE VICTORIA PROMENADE.
A project, which had long been agitated, and which was
absolutely required, was partially completed in the early
part of 1839, the formation of a promenade. For many
years the shore and the streets were the only promenades
for visiters ; but the encroachments of the tide, " which
waiteth for no man," and the drifting sand, rendered it
necessary to build a stone wall and form a slope to protect
the town, which almost seemed threatened with inundation.
The object was accomplished partly at the expense of the
lords of the manor, and partly by the Victoria Baths
company, who obtained thereby a considerable quantity of
valuable building land ; indeed, it was a part of the general
scheme of this company. A neat iron bridge crosses
Nevill-street, from whence the road has been recently con-
tinued as far as Sea-bank-road ; its entire length being about
three-quarters of a mile. A great portion of the land is
already built upon, and plans of numerous first-rate
residences are in preparation. A handsome stone lodge is
situated at the entrance from Coronation-walk, and the
foot-path is reached by a flight of stone steps. In order
25
to keep the Promenade in good repair, a small toll is
charged, which is exacted from residents as well as visitors.
unless persons are resident thereon, or are going to or
returning from the Victoria Baths.
THE VICTORIA BATHS.
The Victoria Baths stand about the centre of the
Promenade. They were erected by a company, at an
expense of about 6000, and opened with great rejoicing
on the 2nd May, 1839. The facade is towards the sea,
and is composed of a central portico or collonade of the
Ionic order, with ballustrades to the right and left, forming
a continuous covered parade. The entrance on the right
leads to the ladies' baths, and that on the left to the
gentlemen's. A refreshment-room divides the entrances,
over which is another apartment, and above that there is
an open gallery. Tepid and cold swimming, hot, shower,
vapour, and other baths are instantly obtainable, with
every convenience, and the most civil and obliging treat-
ment. At the end of the lobbies is the engine-room,
which was formerly used as a conservatory, a singular
and unusual combination of objects. Mr. Clayton, the
architect, took advantage of the high temperature produced
by the boiler to form the conservatory, and the effect, as
may readily be imagined, was really admirable. It was
furnished with one hundred and fifty pots of rare and
beautiful plants, and the stage was surmounted by a bust
of the " Iron Duke." We have spoken of the conservatory
as a thing of the past; it is indeed so. In the employ
of the company was an individual who has a peculiar and
intense love for botanical pursuits; and to him the charge
of these specimens of Nature's handiwork partook more
of a pleasure than a duty. The company ceased to
manage the baths on their own account, having agreed to
D
let them at an annual rent. The individual alluded to
ceased his connection with the establishment, and with him
the flowers and stage, and, if we mistake not, the stern
representation of the " hero of a hundred fights " as
well, departed, and, " like the baseless fabric of a vision,
left not a wreck behind." The engine is of six-horse
power, and lifts fifty tons of water per hour from a
reservoir on the shore, about one hundred and fifty yards
distant, into a large iron tank upon the centre of the
building, from which the baths are supplied. The engine,
and all the apparatus connected with it, was manufactured
by Messrs. W. and J. Galloway, of Manchester ; and the
builder, Mr. Richard Wright, of this town.
CLAREMONT HOUSE.
As soon as the Promenade was in a forward state of
completion, the handsome building called Claremont House,
was erected thereon, at the sole expense of William Hill,
Esq., of Manchester, one of the principal shareholders in
the Victoria Baths and Promenade. His design was to
establish a house where all the comforts and privacy of
home might be obtained, combined with the general
conveniences and accommodation of a first-rate hotel ; or,
as it is styled, a " private hotel." The noble and
respectable families who sojourn at this house prove the
estimation in which it is held. Adjoining the premises a
considerable space of land is neatly laid out for walking
exercise, which Is strictly private. Mr. Michael Charlton
was the first tenant, and it is now in the occupation of
Mr. John Halfey, jun. At the latter end of the season
of 1845, an unfortunate calamity befel this house, which,
but for its timely discovery, might have been attended
with the most dreadful consequences. At half-past twelve
o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 29th of September,
i-
27
the house being at that time filled with company, a nursa
girl, belonging to one of the families, having occasion to
leave her bed to attend to the children, discovered that one
of the rooms was on fire. She instantly gave the alarm,
and the sleeping inmates were providentially saved ; but
one wing of the house was completely gutted, as Southport,
with all its conveniences, did not then possess a fire-engine !
It must not be supposed that no effectual assistance was
obtained to quench the progress of devouring element :
within an hour of the time when the alarm was first
given a messenger had been to and returned from Ormskirk,
from which town fire engines were brought in an incredible
short space of time ; and the inhabitants generally exerted
themselves to the utmost ; otherwise the entire building
must have become a heap of ruins. The portion which
was destroyed was immediately rebuilt, and at the same
time the house was considerably enlarged and otherwise
improved. This is a rare casualty, and it may be recorded
as Southport's only fire.
ST. MARIE'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The Roman Catholics, who had long required a convenient
place of worship, have now a beautiful church in Sea-
bank-road. Through the determined and persevering
efforts of the Rev. James Newsham, the beloved pastor of
the Catholics of this town for many years, sufficient funds
were obtained to commence, in the year 1840, the present
truly ecclesiastical edifice, which was erected from designs,
and under the immediate superintendence, of A. W. Pugin,
Esq., professor of ecclesiastical antiquities at St. Mary's
College, Oscott. The interior has since been much
decorated by the hands, and in the leisure moments, of
the Rev. John Hill, who lias been for some time stationed
in this town. The church is .dedicated to St. Marie.
28
Immediately adjoining, is a residence for the incumbent
priest, and also a neat and commodious school-house, each
in character with the edifice itself. Between the church
and the priest's residence, at the entrance to the burying-
ground, stands a lofty carved stone cross, with the
monogram " I. H. S.," in ancient characters, on the four
sides of the base, and two steps leading thereto. It was
at these crosses that our pious forefathers complied with
that charitable belief, " It is a holy and wholesome
thought to pray for the dead." Some curious grave-stones
mark the last resting-places of numerous members of the
congregation ; and, amongst others, the Rev. J. Talbot,
for many years the pastor of the Catholics of Ormskirk,
who died suddenly in this town, where he had been for
some time resident, at the commencement of the year 1847.
At the front entrance to the ground is a revival of the liche
gate,* a kind of roof or canopy, where it was formerly the
custom for the attendants at a funeral to await the coming
of the officiating priest. Some of them were so large
that not only the coffin, but also all the attendants at a
funeral were sheltered under them. In the interior, there
is much to be admired : the high-pitched roof; the open
benches, alike for rich and poor ; the carved baptismal
font ; the organ loft ; the rood and screen ; the painted
window, the gift of the Earl of Shrewsbury ; each, in
their turn, claim attention. Every portion of the church
property, both within and without, is of the most substantial
nature, and seems destined to last for eternity.
The Society of Friends have for many years had a
Meeting House in the town.
THE FIRST NEWSPAPER.
On the 4th of May, 1844, appeared the first number of
* Liche is a Saxon word, signifying death.
The Southport Visitor, and General Advertiser, a local
newspaper, dedicated wholly to serve and further the
interests of the town. Very moderate expectations were
entertained by the proprietor and publisher when it was
established, but the signal success of the first season led
him to enlarge it, and otherwise to improve its general
character, on its re-appearance. There was decided proof
that it had been established in the " nick of time." Its
principal feature was intended to be a list of the visiters,
but more was required : the inhabitants wished to know
what events had occurred at home and abroad during the
past week, the number of " little strangers " added to
the population, the fond hearts that had been united, and
the names and ages of those upon whom sentence of death
had been recorded ; the tradesmen, necessarily unknown
to the majority of the ever-changing population of visiters,
required a vehicle to make known to the public the
articles they vended, the " fresh arrivals," &c. ; in a few
words, an organ of communication was required between
the inhabitants and the visiters, betweeen Southport and
the rest of the country. The paper is at present published
during only six months, from the first Saturday in May
to the last Saturday in October, but hopes are entertained
of its permanent publication. That the Visitor has been
of service to the town, no person laying a claim to sanity
can doubt ; but it is in its perpetual and not partial
support that the inhabitants will receive those great
advantages which may be acquired by this means.
THE IMPROVEMENT ACT.
For a considerable length of time the inhabitants were
much dissatisfied at the manner in which the public
business of the town was conducted. Rates to a considerable
amount were annually collected, of which but a very small
30
portion was expended in those repairs and improvement*
which were essentially necessary to keep pace with the
otherwise rapid progress of the town*; nuisances of the
most intolerable nature existed, without power for their
suppression ; the streets were badly paved and sewered ;
in winter the town was in darkness ; and various other
grievances existed without any convenient remedy. These
annoyances were partly owing to the fact that the village
of Churchtown was the head quarters of the parish, and
it was necessary until the parish was divided that all
business should be transacted there. The parish being
pretty extensive, and, excepting Southport, thinly populated,
it required the greatest portion of the funds to repair the
roads to the various farms in the neighbourhood ; so that
there was little left to procure luxuries for the more refined
inhabitants and visiters of this town. Tt was not to be
supposed that this would be endured for ever. Meetings
were held to discuss the propriety of illuminating the
streets in winter, and in the course of the various discussions
that took place upon that subject it was hinted that it
would be advisable to apply for an act of parliament,
giving power to divide the parish, and to make all the
improvements which were then or might ultimately be
required. A committee was appointed, the lords of the
manor were consulted, the bill was framed^ and every
arrangement made for an application to parliament previous
to the session of 1846 ; and on the 18th of June in that
year " The Southport Improvement Act " received the
royal assent. The expense of obtaining the act amounted
to about 1500, but the extensive powers gained thereby
will, it is supposed, render it quite unnecessai-y for any
supplementary bills, the requirements of a densely-popu-
lated city being contained in this complete and comprehensive
31
one. The act was no sooner obtained, than the Com-
missioners named in the bill, after having appointed a
staff of officers, commenced operations iii earnest. On
the 7th of November, in the same year, the streets of the
town were for the first time illuminated. Contracts had
been previously advertised for displacing what has been
facetiously termed " the angular pavement," and substituting
the more agreeable surface of flags ; an expensive and
complete system of sewerage was decided upon, and
immediately executed ; a gravel walk, or invalids' carriage
drive, was formed on the south-eastern side of Lords'-
street, which street was afterwards made of an uniform
width, and otherwise much improved ; and in twelve
months about 2000 had been expended in this manner.
The Commissioners have relaxed none of their vigour, for
in every direction improvements are in progress, and, in
sober and honest truth, they are " astonishing the natives."
Other luxuries and conveniences are in contemplation ; and
it ought to be a matter of heartfelt satisfaction to the
inhabitants that so much has been done to promote their
permanent comfort and welfare in such a brief space of
time. Since the passing of the act, Southport, which had
previously been styled " the village," has been called " the
town," although the former term is still preferred by some
persons. A short time after the act came into operation,
the town'experienced a rather severe loss in the melancholy
death of Mr. Wales, the efficient chairman to the Com-
missioners, whose business-like and persevering habits were
then very desirable. The Rev. W. Docker, who was elected
as his successor, well and satisfactorily fulfilled the duties
of the office until some petty annoyances to which he was
subjected caused him to resign, and the public lost his
valuable services. The Rev. J. Jackson, the respected
32
incumbent of Trinity Church, now holds the office.
THE RAILWAYS.
As soon as that mighty invention of man, steam
power, had been pretty generally introduced for the
purpose of travelling, the inhabitants became anxious,
almost as soon as they had become possessed of tolerable
highways, to share in the accommodation which this swift
and luxurious mode of transportation from town to town
affords. Rival watering-places were supplied with their
wants in this respect whilst it was a matter of discussion
which, of about fourteen different schemes, was the most
desirable route to Manchester in one direction, and
Liverpool in another. Some individuals were inclined to
question whether it was desirable to adopt this reformed
method of travelling at all, foreseeing " Cheap Trips,"
" Holiday Excursions," and " Big Bathing Sundays "
extraordinary : others, differently disposed, saw no great
cause of alarm at these visions of the future ; and in
their turn, could imagine the streets and shore thronged
with the " citizens " of Manchester, and the townspeople
of Liverpool, Wigan, and Bolton, which this economiser
of time and money enabled them to accomplish, much to
their own gratification and the pecuniary interest of the
town ; they also indulged in the hope that increased
numbers of visitors and permanent residents would be the
result of this object. Above all, it was thought hot only
desirable, but absolutely necessary, that every facility
should be afforded to visitors, in order to maintain the
present and insure the future popularity of the town.
Two lines of railway were projected in the year 1844,
the Southport and Euxton Junction Railway, and the
Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston Railway, with a Branch
to Southport ; and in the session of 1845, application
33
was made to parliament in their favour. The first-named
of these two lines was principally supported by the
inhabitants of this town, and the latter was encouraged by
interested parties at Ormskirk. It would be useless to
disguise the fact, that, for a time, the latter-named line
was favoured by many influential gentlemen who were
anxious for the welfare of Southport, and who afterwards
gave their support to other lines which they thought would
be of more direct benefit to the town. The Liverpool,
Ormskirk, and Preston line was thrown out for non-
compliance with the standing orders of the house ; and a
Committee of the Board of Trade gave it as their opinion
" that Southport required a railway, but that they would
prefer a more direct and comprehensive scheme than had
yet been proposed." In the session of 1846, application
was made in favour of the Liverpool and Preston, and
Manchester and Southport (or Grand Cross) line, the West
Lancashire Coast line, and also a renewed application for
the Liverpool, Onnskirk, and Preston line. The two first-
named lines were lost ; but the last-named line was
sanctioned, with the exception of the Southport branch,
which was strongly opposed by the supporters of the Grand
Cross. Nothing daunted at their previous disappointments,
the projectors of the Grand Cross line made application
for the Manchester and Southport line, a portion of their
former scheme ; application was also made in behalf of
the Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport line, and a renewed
effort to obtain the Southport branch was made by the
Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston company. It had been
intended to renew the application for the West Lancashire
Coast line, but an arrangement having been made with the
provisional directors of the Liverpool, Crosby, and South-
port line, it was withdrawn, the projectors transferring
E
34
their interest and good wishes to the new company. The
result of these last applications, as far as Southport was
concerned, was entire and perfect success ! On the 2nd
of July, 1847, the Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport
Railway Bill received the royal assent ; and on the 22nd
of the same month the Manchester and Southport Railway
Bill, also, received the royal assent ! " Delays are not
always dangerous : " the inhabitants of Southport gained
much by the " law's delay." Two direct and comprehen-
sive lines of railway have been obtained, placing the town,
in its isolated situation, upon an equal footing in this
respect, with the most favoured and central towns in the
kingdom. It was considered by some of the enemies of
the town to be an extravagant and preposterous idea of
the inhabitants to require two such lines as have been
granted, but it was a proof of their foresight, for which
they will be well rewarded. The severe depression in the
commercial world, or " the panic," which will ever be
remembered, prevented, in common with a host of others,
the immediate construction of the lines which had been
granted ; but the inhabitants were not long to be
disappointed, for at a meeting of the shareholders of the
Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport Railway Company, held
at the Clarendon Rooms, Liverpool, on the 1st of January,
1848, the recommendation of the chairman, William
Blundell, Esq., of Crosby Hall, " that that portion of the
line between Waterloo and Southport should be immediately
constructed," was assented to ; and at an extraordinary
meeting of the shareholders of the company, held at the
same place, on the 25th of the same month, the said
recommendation was voted for by the representatives of
7249 shares, there being only five persons, representing 103
shares, in opposition.
35
THE VICTORIA HOTEL.
The Victoria Hotel is a massive and superb building
situated on the Promenade, erected in the year 1842,
shortly after the opening of that delightful acquisition to
to the town. The late T. Kershaw, Esq., of Ormskirk,
(the owner,) spared no expense in rendering this house fit
for the accommodation of the wealthy and noble families
who at that period began to resort to Southport. The
stabling and other conveniences attached to the hotel are
also in character with the general accommodation afforded ;
and the establishment is well conducted by Mr. John
Salthouse, formerly of the Scarisbrick Arms, and afterwards
of the Hoghton Arms Hotels.
THE NEW MARKET.
The custom of hawking all the necessaries of life from
door to door is now almost at an end. Bread, butter, eggs,
fowls, rabbits, fish, and vegetables, have hitherto been
purchased in this manner, tediously convenient ; and the
butchers have made their morning calls for orders for flesh
meat and game. By the term " tediously convenient," we
mean to imply that every article has been offered in such
profusion that to answer all the applications approached
pretty nearly to the coveted secret, " perpetual motion."
These numerous morning calls had long led the inhabitants
to suppose that it would be less trouble to go to a market
to purchase any article that they required, than to have
ninety-nine which they had no need of brought to their
doors. It may be asked by strangers, has this delightful
town, the resort of so many thousands, and the permanent
residence of about three thousand persons, been without a
public market? Oh, no! there have been two; or, rather,
there have been two open plots of land, dignified as the
" old market " and the " new market j" the occupants of
30
which have long declared, to use a quotation neither
grammatical or elegant, that "things isn't now as they
used to was," feeling keenly, no doubt, the pressure from
without.
The Commissioners, anxious to bring into force, as soon
as possible, the most beneficial provisions of the Improve-
ment Act, determined to erect a proper and sufficient
market and market-house as soon as a convenient site could
be obtained. Charles Scarisbrick, Esq., one of the lords of
the manor, offered, without charge, a large plot land,
situated behind Waterloo Terrace, on the Promenade, -and
having two entrances from Nevill-street ; but on account
of several disadvantages connected with that situation the
Commissioners prudently declined to accept it. Proposals
were entertained for the purchase of other property, situate
in Lords'-street, and also for the Assembly Room and the
premises connected therewith, in the same street, but
neither were purchased. Arrangements were subsequently
made with Mr. James Mawdesley for the rental of the
bowling-green behind the Assembly Room, and plans were
prepared and agreed upon in the month of February in
the present year, and its immediate construction decided
upon. The contracts were duly advertised, and fell into
the hands of Mr. Richard Wright, builder, of this town,
who was consequently obliged to resign his office as a
Commissioner. The stipulation allowed for its completion
was the end of June. The total cost of the various
works required was fixed at about 600. The plans and
specifications were prepared by Mr. Thomas Withnell,
architect, of this town, and we are assured that he lias
satisfactorily fulfilled the intentions of the Commissioners,
the land being laid out to the utmost advantage.
The plot of land is nearly square, being eighty-six feet
37
one way and eighty-two feet the other ; and on its four
sides are twenty-eight covered stalls, which are thus
arranged : on the south-east side, eight stalls for butchers ;
on the south-west side nine stalls for fruit, poultry, and
fish ; and on the north-west side, four double stalls for
vegetables. The entrance, nine feet wide, is in London-
street, on one side of which there are three stalls for
bread, and an office for the market-looker ; and on the
other side four stalls for butter, cheese, and eggs. There
is an elevated covered passage of four feet wide on every
side, which will enable persons to make their purchases
without being exposed to the weather. In the centre of
the remaining space there is a covered shed, thirty-six feet
long and fifteen feet wide, for baskets and other purposes,
and a large pump and trough. The whole of the area
is flagged, and has channels in various directions.
The town is still rapidly progressing, both in size and
consequence. " The Duke," who has been so frequently
alluded to, might have obtained a long lease of the site
of the town for a few pounds, at the time when he first
built " the folly," and had ho done so he would, perhaps,
have caused the assembling of a commission da lunatico
inquirendo ; but within the last seven years a portion of
the manor of Southport and the surrounding neighbourhood
has been sold by Sir Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., to the
present lord of the manor, Charles Scarisbrick, Esq., of
Scarisbrick Hall, for, it is said, upwards of sixty thousand
pounds, and land, which, previous to 1847, was sold at one
farthing, is now advanced to one penny per yard.
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
Southport is now a beautiful and remarkably clean and
healthy town. The population, which in 1824 numbered
between seven and eight hundred, amounts to nearly three
thousand, and is steadily increasing. Streets are now
enumerated, whilst within a few years it was customary to
describe the increase of the town by single houses.
Lords'-street is acknowledged by all who have seen it to
be one of the most splendid thoroughfares in the kingdom ;
and yet its beauty is not owing to the skill of the architect,
but to the indescribable neatness and taste which is
everywhere visible ; and also to its length, which is
upwards of one mils, and its great width, which is ninety
yards from house to house. The carriage-road is well
paved, and the foot-path, as has been before observed,
excellent. The south-eastern side consists entirely of
private dwellings, with neat gardens and lawns in the
front ; and on the opposite, or business side, all the shops
are situated.
The shops are of a very superior character, not the
ordinary shops of a village or small town, where you may
purchase everything but what you require, which precise
article they happen (unfortunately, of course,) to be
without ; but really splendid establishments, adapted for
>
39
the wants of a fashionable and numerous population.
Articles of almost every description may be purchased
upon terms equally as advantageous as in the largest and
most flourishing towns. It is in the recollection of many
persons when the first shop for the sale of drugs and
groceries was opened for a day or two in the week for the
inhabitants and visitors to obtain their week's supply.
Ormskirk was then the market for necessaries. At the
present time there are numerous shops of all the necessary
trades.
London and Manchester House, the new establishment
of Messrs. Jolley and Boothroyd, silk mercers and general
drapers, boasts of its dome, gallery, and pillars (with
their terra cotta capitals and bases), lofty plate-glass
windows, and internal fittings worthy of a drawing-room.
Pendleton House, a similar establishment, although nothing
remarkable in its architecture, vies with its rival for extent
and variety of stock. Other establishments in the same
line, and chemists and druggists, ironmongers, confectioners,
grocers, bazaar-keepers, booksellers, and other tradesmen,
are also candidates for the favours of the public.
As a proof of the economical and liberal mode of
conducting business adopted by the Southport tradesmen,
it may be stated that it is by no means unusual for visitors
to make extensive purchases for home consumption.
The Victoria Bazaar, in Nevill-street, deserves noticing
as one of the sights of the town. The proprietor allows
the free ingress of the public to view this most splendid
repository of British and foreign goods, combining the
most unique and chaste luxuries with the ordinary useful
articles for the toilet and domestic use, and toys for " the
dear girls and boys." It is a peculiar feature in this
recherche establishment that persons are not pressed to
40
purchase that which they do not require, and they receive
the same courteous treatment on their departure whether
they have or not contributed to the accumulating fortune
of the spirited and obliging proprietor.
The Visitor Office needs a passing notice. The Visiter,
from -which the concern takes its name, has been previously
alluded to. An extensive circulating library and a public
news-room are two of the departments of this establish-
ment. The printing and bookselling business, and an
agency for the letting of furnished and unfurnished houses,
procuring apartments, &c., are also earned on.
On the Promenade and in the streets lately formed the
houses are generally loftier, and the interiors arranged with
more due regard to comfort than was formerly the case ;
this is no doubt owing to competition, the great demand
for accommodation, and the more extravagant wishes of
the visitors of the present day. In " the season,"
Lords'-street has almost its quantum of company before
the cross streets have increased their population : this is
not owing to any great advantage which is derived from a
residence in that street which is not to be obtained in the
others ; but simply because, being the greatest thoroughfare,
visitors will submit, in many cases, to inferior accomodation
rather than take up their abode in the modern and
convenient dwellings in more retired parts of the town.
In many cases it is rather desirable that invalids should
be removed some little distance from the shore, where they
may inhale what may be termed " country air," or, at
least, the saline breeze in a modified state ; and there are
many such desirable domiciles within an easy distance of
the shore and baths.
It would be an endless subject to record the improvements
of the l&st few years. The ordinary cottage-houses, where
41
the most respectable families in the county were content to
reside are now totally eclipsed by houses and mansions fit
for the reception of Majesty itself. Martindale Lodge,
Sea View, Brunswick Villa, Beach Grove, Elm Grove, and
the residence of Mr. R. Wright, in Hoghton-street, are
superior detached residences ; and in Manchester-road,
Oxford Terrace, Mount Cambria, Heaton Mount, and
others, may be named as excellent terrace houses.
On the Promenade and shore we have a most extensive
sea view. Looking northwards, the summit of the Black
Combe,' near the southern boundary of Cumberland, and
Lytham, with its church and white houses, backed by the
Cumberland mountains, are seen. The high hills about
Lancaster, with Longridge Fell, range about north-east, and
Rivington Pike in a more easterly direction. On the
opposite coast, Wales, Snowdon is the first object which
strikes the eye. The mountainous line continues to
Penmaenmawr, forming, together, with the Orms Head, a
conspicuous feature. Snowdon is 3568, and Penmaenmawr
1540 feet above the level of the sea. About north-west,
the Isle of Man is said to be visible. From the upper
end of London-street, and, indeed, any of the outer parts
of the town, the spires of Churchtown, Halsall, and
Ormskirk churches, and a great extent of the country,
may be seen.
Within a few years, the neighbourhood had a singularly
barren appearance, not a tree or hedge-row being visible,
and miles of apparently unproductive sand might be seen in
an inland direction ; but each successive year some portion
of this wild waste has been enclosed, and, by means of
the usual artificial appliances, the choicest of the products
of the earth are grown. That universally-used esculent,
the potato, is one of the most noted, and, we believe, the
42
most profitable, productions of this sandy soil ; but the
more general produce of the farm and garden is also
cultivated to advantage, and finds a ready home market.
Flora, too, decks the fields and hills with the most beautiful
of her acceptable gifts.
A considerable number of the inhabitants of the town
are persons of independent means ; and in order to
maintain the purity of the air no manufactures of any
description are allowed to be carried on, except for the
actual requirements of its own population.
It is proverbial the economy of a residence in this town,
taken in comparison with a majority of similar places.
Accommodation either in private lodging-houses or at the
hotels, the necessaries and luxuries of life, and the best
professional aid are obtainable at the most moderate cost ;
and it has been truly described as
" A lovely spot for all that life can ask."
CHAPTER III.
RECREATIONS AND AMUSEMENTS.
Respecting amusements, little can be said, at least what
is generally understood by the term. The occupation of
visiters consists in promenading, riding, sailing, botanising,
bathing, shopping, and lounging in the bazaars and
libraries. The gentlemen amuse themselves with shooting
(the neighbourhood abounding with game, and the shore,
with wild fowl), frequenting the news-rooms, billiard-rooms,
and bowling-greens, and, as well as the ladies, riding and
walking.
For riding, upwards of two hundred donkeys, and
about forty two and four-wheeled donkey carriages, ply
for hire, the charge for which is sixpence per hour for
the donkeys, and ninepence and one shilling and threepence
per hour for the vehicles. It is a very amusing sight to
see a party of visiters, mounted upon these long-eared
steeds, proceeding in search of " Lost Farm,"* to Little
London, or the Isle of Wight, the names of which two
last-named places are positive misnomers, " the isle "
being situated inland, and London merely a number of
* It is a fact that a farm-house which existed in Birkdale a number
of years ago was completely overwhelmed with sand in a storm. Some
fruit trees, which grew in the garden, still mark the spot. See Roky't
Traditions of Lancashire.
44
fishermen's cots and a house of entertainment for bipeds
and quadrupeds.
For sailing, a number of excellent pleasure-boats, for
rowing or sailing, are provided. During the season, a
number of boats leave Southport daily for Lytham, a pretty
village, nine miles distant, the church and houses of which
are distinctly visible from the shore and Promenade. The
charge for this sea voyage is extremely reasonable, one
shilling to go and return. The time which is allowed to
see Lytham of course depends upon the tide, but it is in
general quite sufficient. So careful are the boatmen, that,
although during the season several thousand persons avail
themselves of a trip to Lytham, there is not a fatal case
of accident on record. The boats sometimes take passengers
to Blackpool and Liverpool, each distant about twenty
miles, but not at any regular stated times. At every tide,
even at midnight, the boats take passengers for a sail
within a mile or two of the shore. Steamers occasionally
come to Southport from Fleetwood, landing and receiving
passengers at low-water : Liverpool, Blackpool, Fleetwood,
Piel Castle, Furness Abbey, and other places, may be visited
by this means, and when greater convenience for landing
is provided sea trips will be very general.
For bathing, in addition to the extensive accommodation
provided at the Victoria Baths, about seventy machines
are, at tide time, in constant requisition. These vehicles,
or " machines " as they are styled, are of a much
superior description to those met with at other watering-
places. They are four-wheeled, and, like some of the
Liverpool ferry-boats, are contrived to avoid the necessity
of turning them in the water ; so that parties are taken
into the water the requisite depth, and the horse is
afterwards hooked to the opposite end to draw them back
45
again. Regulations to insure decency and civility have
been issued by the Commissioners, but there is rarely any
cause of complaint, the civility and attention of the
Southport bathers being often a subject of admiration with
visiters.
Walking is principally confined to the streets, Promenade,
and shore; there are, however, pleasant places in the
neighbourhood which have been frequently admired for their
romantic wildness and beauty. Nothing can cause more
delightful sensations than a ramble over the sand-hills, from
the tops of which we have extensive land and sea views ;
and the "velvet walk," with its natural and luxuriant
verdure, has a charm which may be better felt than described.
The sand-hills, which are farmed, are inhabited by myriads of
rabbits ; beautiful lizards of various colours, and hundreds
of rare plants, are also found.
THE RACES.
Twelve or fourteen years ago the town used to have its
annual boat races, Sir Hesketh Fleetwood (then lord of the
manor) liberally contributing towards the funds : for some
reason or other, no matter what, they were discontinued,
and for a long time no attempt was made for their revival.
The town had also its annual races, which were discontinued
through the intervention of the late rector of the parish ; they
were held at Marshside, about two miles along the shore,
where the starting-post may still be seen. In the early
part of 1843, a number of the inhabitants, anxious to
provide for the amusement of the visiters, determined to
establish a kind of gala week. Subscriptions to some
amount were obtained, and in the month of September, in
the same year, the first, or, rather, the revived, Southport
Regatta took place. The bill of fare included, in addition
to the sailing and rowing prize?, a variety of rural sports
46
(treacle dipping for instance), a grand display of fireworks,
a concert, and a ball. The fete took and went off
amazingly, and in the following year a similar routine of
amusements was provided for those who delight in such
exciting scenes. In 1845, an alteration was made in the
character of this annual revel, the boat races being
dispensed with, and the horse races improved ; and in the
two following years the races were still further improved,
and rendered very attractive. " The Southport Meeting " is
now considered to be firmly established, and its annual
approach is looked for with considerable interest. Many
thanks to those generous individuals who contribute their
time and money in providing amusement for the public !
The Southport Meeting ! a decided boon to the public ;
for if mirth and excitement are of any avail in
recovering lost health, much assistance is obtained from
this source. The Southport Meeting ! truly named, for
one half of the inhabitants and visiters of the town
appear at that time as if they had met on the Promenade
and shore to meet the other half. The Southport
Meeting ! a model of meetings, if such stirring events
are desirable, for the utmost good order prevails, and he
must be extremely fastidious who has discovered any cause
of complaint in a mere casual view of the scene. " Honi
soit qui mal y pense"
THE MAYOR AND SHERIFFS.
At the North Meols Fair, which is held at Churchtown
on the Monday before the 20th of August, the Mayor and
Sheriffs for the aforesaid Burgh and Vill are appointed
and installed with much ceremony, the old ones retiring
from office upon the appointment of their successors.
The civic dignitaries then proceed in state to open the fair,
and afterwards feast risjht merrily, not at the Mansion
47
House, but, alternately, at the Hesketh Arms and Bold Arms
Hotels. Southport has the peculiar and distinguished honour
of providing the parish with mayors and sheriffs ; and who
shall say that the first urchin you meet is not an embryo
mayor or sheriff, destined at some future time to fill these
offices with all due dignity ? The qualifications necessary for
candidates for office are, that they shall be really and truly
hearty, jovial, good fellows, of some standing in society,
and, if we are rightly informed, be willing, if fully
competent, to discuss their two bottles on the day of
election.
THE BIG AND LITTLE BATHING SUNDAYS.
The " Big Bathing Sunday " is an event of no small
importance to the principal parties interested, the inn-
keepers, bathers, boatmen, and donkey drivers. This great
Sunday has from time immemorial been appointed to take
place on the nearest Sunday to the 20th of August, and
at an early hour on that day shandries and vehicles of
every description begin to arrive in the town ; the stables
and inn yards gradually become full, and hostlers reap a
plentiful harvest. The shore is thronged with several
hundred extra visitors : then are bathing-machines and
gingerbread at a premium, donkeys brisk, and boats
inclined for sail ; and towards evening the rustics, for such
they principally are, depart, as the newspapers say, " well
satisfied with the proceedings of the day." There are
also the annual " Little Bathing Sundays," which are big
bathing Sundays on a smaller scale ; or, medically
speaking, " the mixture, as before."
During the winter, the Ridgway and South Lancashire
Coursing Clubs meet at Southport for the enjoyment of
that national sport ; the neighbourhood being considered
to be the best coursing ground in the kingdom. The
48
Ridgway Club usually meets in December, and the South
Lancashire Club has generally two or three meetings, one
previous to that time and the others some time after.
Other clubs formerly held their meetings here, but they
have been either dissolved or meet elsewhere.
Concerts and entertainments take place " many a time
and oft," and at the proper season Terpsichore is not
forgotten.
CHAPTER IV.
FACILITIES FOR TRAVELLING.
Upon the completion of the lines of railway which have
been sanctioned by the legislature, persons may leave the
most remote places in the kingdom without that serious
consideration which under the old system of travelling was
necessary. The packet, which actually performs the passage
between Manchester and Scarisbrick Bridge (within six
miles of Southport) in one entire day, will, it is presumed,
be converted to some baser use ; and the stage coaches,
easy, siife, luxurious vehicles, as they have been of late
years, are to be superseded by first, second, and third-class
trains, combining the speed of lightning with the comfort
of a chair at your own homes. The coachmen, too,
merry, tale-telling, jovial fellows, as they are, will find
their occupation gone, and the whip and the reins will be
to them things of recollection. The road-side inns will
share the fate that almost all similar establishments have
met with since the introduction of steam ; and the very
turnpike roads are threatened to be usurped by green
grass and noxious weeds. Cooke, Howarth, and Fidler,
farewell ! the scream of the railway whistle is to be
substituted for the sonorous " all right " of your careful
charioteers, and the progress of Southport is onward !
To say that our two direct lines will place us in
G
50
connection with the great trunk lines of railway which
intersect the country, is sufficient to prove that with
respect to facility in travelling, we have all that we could
reasonably desire.
ACCOMMODATION.
Apartments, either at the inns or private houses, may be
obtained at comparative moderate terms. Bed-rooms and
sitting-rooms range from half a guinea to fifteen shillings
each per week. In private lodgings, a charge of half a
crown per week is made for cooking, and a gratuity is
expected for waiting and extra attention. At the hotels,
board and lodging may be obtained at from six to seven
shillings per day, including gratuities to the servants of the
establishment.
Furnished cottages are charged from one guinea and a
half to six guineas per week, according to the number of
beds, in " the season," the parties who take them finding
their own linen and plate, and half-price in winter ; which
reduced terms are also observed at the lodging-houses in
the latter season.
It is questionable whether these reduced terms ought to
take place. The advantages of a winter residence are
decidedly great in many cases. Many still exclaim at the
idea of a sea-side residence in the winter, and would as
soon think of fixing their abode at Greenland or
Spitzbergen, being little aware that the climate of South-
port, situated as it is on the open coast, and swept from
east to west and from north to south by the winds of
heaven, is dryer and milder at that time than any of our
inland towns ; that it is seldom visited by fogs, and those
fogs might rather be termed mists ; and that rain falls in
very small quantities, and is almost immediately absorbed
by our sandy, thirsty soil. These are characteristics which
51
cannot be overrated, and are well appreciated by those who
have ventured to try whether it were possible to exist here
in winter. To their surprise, the aged have found that
they breathed more freely ; that their step became firmer ;
that their appetite, supposed to be irrecoverably lost, had
again returned to them ; to sum up all, that they had
taken out a new lease of their lives. Parents have seen their
puny, sickly offspring, whom they had treated as hot-house
plants, gradually, we might almost say suddenly, assume
a healthy, cheerful appearance. In every stage of life,
and at every part of the year, persons may be benefited
by a residence in Southport ; and it is impossible to say
whether more invalids require the dry, bracing breezes of
winter, or the soft and balmy zephyrs of summer. If
these are facts, and who will be so reckless of their
veracity as to deny the truth of them ? why should a
" half-price " exist at all ? Certainly not ; unless it can
be satisfactorily proved that in the winter season persons
only receive half benefit. Look at the natives ; or the
settlers either ; they do not find it necessary to leave this
supposed frigid latitude for a more torrid one ; and
yet our parish registers display the astounding and
gratifying information that " three score years and ten "
is not, by any means, the limit, and scarcely the average,
of a Meols man's existence. These important truths
ought to be widely disseminated, as much for the interests
of the town as for the common cause of humanity.
Persons often remark that the terms for apartments
are too high ; but never was there a greater fallacy.
Visitors arrive here, perhaps, in the height of the season,
when almost every apartment may be engaged, and they
find that for the accommodation of a comfortable and well
furnished house, including cooking and attendance, families
62
are charged as much, or it may be more, as three guineas
per week ; or at the rate of one hundred and fifty-six
guineas per year ! " An imposition," say they ; but
how does the case really stand ? A respectable widow
lady, for instance, becomes the tenant of a house at the
rent of twenty pounds, or including rates and taxes,
about twenty-four pounds, per annum. Having almost
impoverished herself to obtain every article necessary
for the accommodation of visiters, the house, at the
spring of the year, is decorated and made as attractive as
possible. Towards April or May visiters begin to arrive
rather freely ; and if our heroine has " a connexion,"
(that is, if she has been a resident for some years,) she
may let her rooms about that time, and, with intervals,
continue to re-let them to the end of October, and if she
does she is extremely fortunate. In the course of that
time she may have received seventy pounds ; out of which
she has to pay twenty-four pounds for rent, &c., to pay
for assistance, which cannot be rated at less than ten
pounds, leaving, in one of the most profitable instances
that can be imagined, an overplus of between thirty and
forty pounds, not too much for her comfortable support for
a year. To obtain this sum, even under such favourable
auspices, she has had to sacrifice all ideas of her own
personal accommodation ; has had to take her meals no
one knows when, and to sleep no one knows where. If
this is the condition of a lodging-house keeper with a
connexion, how do those fare who have no connexion,
but await with patience that zenith of such an existence ?
The sum received will scarcely be two-thirds of the above
amount ; may not be one half. Thirty-five pounds for
rent, taxes, and existence ! who can tell the privations
which must be undergone before the commencement of
another season induces the renewed hope of a connexion ?
Bad as this latter state is, there is a worse, to which all
are liable. Changes in the times, uncertain weather, and
other causes, may make a bad and unprofitable season ; in
which case, too often, the effects of the lodging-house
keeper are " sold, without reserve," and the unfortunate
owner " changes her residence." Are these extreme or
rare cases ? No ; each year swells the catalogue of such
unfortunates, and " their name is legion, for they are
many." The benevolent and facetious Punch has caricatured
the lodging-house keepers at watering-places as " the
ogres who live upon their lodgers ; " and it would be well
if all who embark in this uncertain and unprofitable
calling could really do so. Nothing more would be
required to produce this desirable state of affairs than that
the advantages of a sea-side residence be obtained by all
who require it. As this is not, nor will not ever be the
case, a repetition of such domestic calamities as we have
alluded to must take place. Visitors, pay freely, and be
liberal to the lodging-house keeper !
SUPPLIES.
Of how much importance to visitors is the assurance
that the " supplies " are abundant and regular. To be
informed that the town is beautiful, the shore extensive,
the air pure, the accommodation first-rate, the travelling
all that can be desired, are trifling matters, if the visitors
are in a state of oblivion as to this most consequential
one. Well, then, be it known to all whom it may concern,
that whether they desire to live extravagantly or economi-
cally, to discuss port or porter, their wishes may be fully
gratified.
An abundant supply of flesh-meat, fowls, and game
(when in season), is always kept up. Rabbits, with which
the sand-hills swarm, are noted for their delicacy. Fish
of the choicest kind is caught in immense quantities, and
is remarkably cheap. Shrimps and cockles, respecting
which much has been sung and said, are also taken in
extraordinary quantities, and are much esteemed for their
size and flavour.
Provisions of every kind, groceries, wines and spirits,
ale and porter, all of first-rate quality, may be purchased
on fully as advantageous terms as in large towns.
It may be interesting to state the fact that the town is
singularly well supplied with that necessary of life, pure
water. Even on the shore, almost washed over by the
tide, water, clear as crystal, and without the slightest
brackish taste, is met with at the depth of half a yard.
As may be readily conceived, the sinking of a well in the
town is a very inexpensive undertaking.
CHAPTER V.
INSTITUTIONS, CHARITIES, AND SCHOOLS.
Considering the population, Southport is remarkable for
the number of its benevolent institutions, and for the
liberality with which the branch associations for religious
purposes, in connection with their gigantic parents, are
supported. Whether for the relief of the sick or
distressed, to clothe the naked, to instruct the ignorant,
to bury the dead, or to afford spiritual consolation to those
who require it, for each and all of these works of
mercy there is some provision provided. There are
rewards for those who risk their personal safety in their
benevolent wish to save the lives of the crews of the unfor-
tunate vessels cast upon our coast ; there are loyal and
philanthropic institutions, the members of which meet and
vie with each other in teaching and spreading the principles
of brotherly love and truth, and mutually assisting each
other ; there are schools for the poor and the wealthy,
for the infant and the adult. The propensities for evil
must be very strong in the individuals who, with such
advantages, and such few temptations, go astray ; and it
is pleasing to think that, although there are numbers of
poor persons in the neighbourhood, it is only in the very
worst of times that there is any actual want.
56
THE STRANGERS' CHARITY.
This noble and philanthropic institution, belongs rather
to the county in general than to Southport, but it well
deserves to be the first-named. It was established in
1806, a very early period in Southport history, at the
suggestion of the benevolent Miss Leigh, one of the
earliest residents in the town, assisted by the late Thomas
Ridgway, Esq., of Walsuches, in this county. Its object
is the relief of poor sick strangers, to whose recovery sea
air or bathing may be conducive ; and in order to prevent
imposition, a patient is required to procure a recommenda-
tion from a subscriber, and also a certificate from a
regular medical practitioner, stating the complaint, and his
opinion as to whether the patient is likely to receive
benefit from the above sources. If accepted by the
committee, they are allowed the sum of seven shillings
per week for their maintenance, with medical advice,
medicines, warm and cold baths, for three weeks, which
is the allotted time allowed by the rules ; and if it
is considered desirable that they should remain any
longer it is required that they shall make application for
the renewal of their recommendation, and again be subject
to the decisions of the committee. Each subscriber can
recommend one poor patient for every twenty-four shillings
sterling of subscription, which sum is the average cost of
a patient staying three weeks. The business of the charity
is conducted by a committee, treasurer, secretary, and the
medical gentlemen. It is supported by voluntary sub-
scriptions and donations, to the amount of between six
and seven hundred pounds annually, and the wealthy
subscribers from the manufacturing districts who sojourn
here cannot but view with the most intense pleasure the
Samaritan-like labours of the officers to render the charity
57
as efficient as possible. In the year 1809, forty-two
patients were admitted, the income for that year being;
78 Is. 6d. ; but in the year 1846, the amount of
subscriptions and donations had increased to 682 5s. Od.,
and the number of patients to 570. The question, as to
the propriety of disposing of the present building and
erecting a more commodious one in Sea-bank-road, for
the purpose of admitting in-patients, has been discussed,
but no definite arrangement has been made. In concluding
this sketch of the Strangers' Charity, we cannot refrain
from expressing our opinion that an institution with such
noble and generous patrons, such diligent and faithful
officers, and, above all, such truly Christian objects, cannot
fail to prosper.
THE LOCAL DISPENSARY.
A public meeting was held in the town in March, 1825,
" for the purpose of considering the propriety of establishing
a Local Dispensary for the benefit of the poor of North
Meols and its vicinity," an object which the Strangers'
Charity was not intended to comprehend. Resolutions in
favour of the undertaking were passed, a committee
appointed, and the Dispensary was opened on the 3rd of
May following. The institution, which was found to be
of great service, was in existence for a few years, but
afterwards decayed for want of support ; or, perhaps, for
want of exertion being made to obtain subscriptions. The
late Mr. Blundell, one of its medical officers, was very
anxious to see it re-established, as, indeed, were many of
its original supporters j and the absence of any relief for
the sick poor rendered it actually necessary. In the
Visiter of May 22nd, 1847, an advertisement was inserted
calling a meeting of such persons as were favourable to
the establishment of a Local Dispensary, on the 26th of
H
58
the same mouth. The meeting took place in the Assembly
Room, the Rev. C. Hesketh, rector of the parish, in the
chair, and rules were proposed, and agreed to unanimously,
for the institution's government. Four resident medical
gentlemen who had kindly volunteered their services, were
also appointed. An adjourned meeting was held on the
2nd of June, at which the Rev. C. Hesketh was appointed
president ; Thomas Hulme, Esq., treasurer ; and Mr.
Robert Johnson, secretary. Messrs. Garside, Walker, and
Kershaw were appointed dispensing chemists to the
institution j to take the office six months in succession.
An active canvass was made in the town, and near upon
100 was raised within a very few weeks. All poor
persons residing in the parish of North Meols, and not
admitted to parochial relief, are admissable as patients of
the Dispensary, on producing a subscriber's recommendation,
between the hours of nine and ten in the morning any
day except Sunday. The management of the institution,
including making, altering, and repealing the rules 3 the
control of the funds, and the appointment of the medical
and other officers, is vested in a committee, consisting of
all subscribers of one guinea and upwards, all donors
of ten guineas and upwards at one time, and the medical
officers for the time being. The surgeons receive no
remuneration for their services, except when it is necessary
to make visits in Birkdale and other places at some
distance from the town, in which case they receive half-a-
crown for each visit. Every subscriber is entitled to have
one patient constantly on the books for each guinea
annually subscribed ; and a donation of ten guineas
entitles the donor to the same privileges as an annual
subscriber of one guinea. A half-yearly subscription of
half-a-guinea, paid at Midsummer or Christmas, entitles
59
the subscriber to have one patient on the books for the
half year immediately succeeding that on which such
subscription has been paid. Clergymen and other persons
making collections in churches, chapels, and elsewhere,
and paying over the same to the treasurer of the institution,
are entitled to the same privileges in recommending patients
as an annual subscriber of the like amount. An annual
public meeting takes place, at which a report of the
proceedings, and the financial state of the institution, is
read.
THE MARINE FUND.
The object of the Marine Fund is to reward those
persons who save, or attempt to save, lives and property
in cases of shipwreck, and give assistance to vessels in
distress. It is thus distributed. A reward of two pounds
ten shillings is given to the crew of the first boat that
reaches a vessel in distress, or gives effectual assistance ;
a reward of two pounds is given to the second boat, and
one guinea to the third. In addition to the sum each
boat may be entitled to, a further reward is given for
every life saved from the wreck. The committee reserves
to itself, in every instance, the power of increasing or
diminishing, or even entirely withholding, premiums,
according to the circumstances of the case. The Rev.
G. Ford, the former rector of the parish, was the
originator of this excellent institution, about the year
1816. Three or four years previous to that time, a life-
boat was built by subscription, but proved to be unfit for
the purpose, she was therefore used as a pleasure boat
during the summer months. Mr. Ford, feeling anxious
that some means should be adopted to prevent, as far as
possible, that destruction of life and property which so
frequently took place upon this dangerous coast, recom-
60
mended the disposal of the boat, and the establishment of
a fund, the interest of which would be sufficient to defray
any claims which might be made, without encroaching
upon the principal sum. The subscribers, nothing loath,
agreed, and, including subscriptions, a considerable amount
of money was raised, sufficient to carry into effect the
benevolent intentions of the founder, for the interest has
in general been amply sufficient for the expenses of the
year. A life-boat, properly constructed, has also been
established for several years ; so that it will be seen that
all the means that humanity could suggest have been
provided for the assistance of those luckless mariners who
by the storm or tempest, or ignorance of the coast, are in
danger of perishing. The Rev. W. Docker has for
some years been both treasurer and secretary of the fund,
and we have reason to believe that its distribution is
in most excellent hands.
THE LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION.
Ten or eleven years ago, a number of young men in
the town, determined to establish a " Mechanics' Institution,
for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. The first meetings
were held in a kitchen, to which the librarian brought all
the library in a basket for distribution amongst the
members. The members and books increased pretty
rapidly, and in the course of three or four years the
committee felt themselves justified in renting a convenient
and commodious room in Lords'-street, opposite to the
Bold Arms Hotel, and the advantages of membership were
considerably increased, as much as ten-and-a-half guineas
having been given for a course of lectures. The number
of members at this time was about sixty. A dispute
amongst the committee led to the dissolution of the
institution, and the library, which had then become of
61
some value, remained out of use for four or five years.
Some of the seceding members formed themselves into a
society called the " Southport Reading and Discussion
Society," which afterwards merged into a mere reading
society, and was eventually dissolved. The Rev. J.
E. Millson, soon after his appointment as pastor of
the Independent congregation in the town, having been
previously connected with a Literary Institute, suggested to
the inhabitants, through the columns of the Visiter, the
desirableness of forming the present Literary and Scientific
Institution. Convinced, by the reverend gentleman's hints,
of the usefulness of such an institution, a number of
respectable inhabitants requested him to deliver a lecture
more fully explanatory of his views upon the subject. To
this request he, without hesitation, acceded, and his lecture
upon " Mental Culture " made a decided impression upon
the numerous audience who heard it. The chair was taken
by the Rev. J. Jackson, and the objects proposed were
supported, in a series of resolutions, by persons of almost
every grade of religious belief. The foundation of the
institution may be dated from the delivery of this lecture,
which took place on the 14th of October, 1847. A
meeting of the subscribers, officers, and members of the
late Mechanics' Institution was called by its secretary -a
few days afterwards, at which it was unanimously agreed
that the library and all other property of that institution
should be transferred to the newly-formed one. A number
of resident gentlemen offered their services to canvass the
inhabitants for subscriptions to increase the library, and
for the general support of the new institution, and they
were remarkably successful in -their applications. Upwards
of one hundred members were entered upon the books the
first quarter, including youths and adults of all age?.
62
The terras are one shilling and threepence per quarter, and
an additional threepence is charged to those members
attending the reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar
classes, in order to defray the expense of lighting, without
encroaching upon the funds. There is also a class for
vocal music, the members of which pay an increased
subscription. Each of the classes have most efficient
teachers, who generously give their services. The library
consists of about four hundred volumes, including works
in various departments of literature, the arts and sciences,
voyages and travels, &c. Lectures upon scientific and
other useful subjects are given at suitable times, and are
well appreciated by the members. The institution has
already done much good in the town, affording, as it does,
an opportunity to the working classes of attaining the
useful, and many of the superior branches of education,
on the latest and most approved systems, at a cost within
the reach of all.
THE SAVINGS' BANK.
The North Meols Savings' Bank has been established
since the year 1838. The entire cost of founding the
Bank was 25 13s. Od., which was subscribed for by the
public, as no portion of the funds could be appropriated
to that purpose. The prosperous state of the Bank may
be judged by the following statement : On the 20th of
November, 1838, the deposits amounted to 1101 Os. lOd. ;
and on the 20th of November, 1847, the deposits had
increased to 7972 19s. 3d. This latter sum is thus
divided: 157 depositors whose respective balances, including
interest, did not exceed 20 each ; 80 were above 20,
and not exceeding 50 each j 25 were above 50, and not
exceeding 100 each ; 8 were above 100, and not
exceeding 150 each ; 7 were above 150, and not
63
exceeding 200 each ; making the total number of
depositors 277, the remainder being the funds of five
charitable institutions and four friendly societies. The
actual amount received from depositors in 1840 was
819 9s. 8d. ; whilst in the year 1847 the sum was no
less than 2176 17s. 2d., and that in a period of great
commercial distress. The Bank is open from three to
four o'clock every Friday for the payment and receipt of
cash to or from the depositors. The business is managed
gratuitously, and thus the highest rate allowed by Act of
Parliament is given to the depositor.
THE PROVIDENT SOCIETY.
As its name implies, the Provident Society was instituted
for the purpose of encouraging the labouring poor to
provide for the future ; and this was accomplished by
holding out the strongest inducements for them to save
money. The most trifling sums were received, and a
bonus was allowed for these deposits which if considered
as interest was enormous. The gifts of the wealthy
enabled these bonuses to be paid, and there is no doubt
but that the society was productive of much good. The
society has not been in active operation for some length of
time ; not from the want of funds, but from one of the
worst of wants, want of inclination.
THE PROVIDENT CLOTHING SOCIETY.
In connexion with the school and district of Trinity
Church, there is a society for encouraging the poor to
provide themselves and their children with decent apparel,
so that they may attend divine worship in a fit and
becoming manner. Small deposits are received, to which
a bonus is added, and the depositors afterwards select
useful and substantial clothing and bedding at any of the
shops in the town to the amount of their respective
64
claims, the society discharging the tradesmen's bills.
Those parents who have children attending the school have
greater advantages than those who have not. Subscriptions
are, of course, necessary to enable the society to continue
its operations. There are other similar societies in the
parish, well deserving of support.
THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD-FELLOWS.
The Southport District of this most extensive and
universal benevolent institution includes two lodges, con-
taining about one hundred and fifty members. The Loyal
Fleetwood Lodge was opened on the 6th of November,
1839, at the house of Mr. Salthouse, the Hesketh Arms
Hotel, by the officers of the Ormskirk District, to which
it was attached for two or three years, when its importance
led to its being created into a separate district, including
the lodge at Churchtown. A subscription equal to about
one pound per annum entitles the members to be relieved
during sickness at the rate of ten shillings per week, with
medicines and medical attendance ; and at their decease
the widows or representatives of the deceased members are
entitled to the sum of ten pounds to defray the expenses
of interment. The members are also entitled to the sum
of five pounds at the decease of their wives. A provision
is also made for the widows and orphans of deceased
members, by means of a fund which is maintained for
that purpose. The society is termed a secret, and is,
therefore, according to law, an illegal society ; but this
secrecy is the grand feature in its construction, for it is
thus that they are enabled to detect imposition and to
preserve good order at their meetings ; and the secret is
the talisman by which the bond of brotherhood is main-
tained amongst the members. What is the secret ?
Friendship ! Love ! ! Truth ! ! ! Within the lodge all are
65
equal : all are hailed as brothers : religious and political
animosities cease to exist, and the hand of fellowship
is extended, without respect to social distinctions. Much
ceremony is observed during the progress of business, which
is punctually opened and closed at certain stated times.
There are several ranks of offices, to which the humblest
member may aspire ; the abilities and merits of the man
outweighing position in society. The titles which are
borne by those who have creditably served the various
offices are as proudly owned as are the appendages to the
names of the savans of " the world without." Lectures
upon the highest principles of morality, are delivered at
regular intervals ; and upon the admission of new
members, their duty as members of society and loyal
subjects is solemnly impressed upon their memories, and is
but in few instances forgotten.
It may be received as additional evidence of the high
sanitary condition of the town, that in the Southport
lodge, which numbers about one hundred members, of ages
varying from twenty to fifty years, and including their
wives, at least half as many more, there have been only
four claims for the funeral donation within eight years ;
and the claims for the sick relief have been comparatively
small.
Few persons are aware of the extent of this society.
Late returns show that the number of members throughout
the kingdom are about 260,000 ; the number of lodges,
4200 ; and the number of districts, near 400. The
contributions of this immense body of men amount
annually to 320,000, of which about 200,000 is expended
in sick and funeral donations and other necessary expenses.
The entire capital of the various lodges amounts to no less
than 600,000 ; and it is computed that a population of
I
66
1,000,000 souls are dependent upon this fund in their
various necessities. Amongst the number of members
there are several members of parliament, many hundred
divines, and also .magistrates and other civil officers.
There is scarcely a city, borough, town, or village throughout
the kingdom that does not contain a branch of this most
praiseworthy institution, and its influence and principles
have extended to other and distant lands.
THE ANCIENT ORDER OF FORESTERS.
A branch of the Ancient Order of Foresters, another of
those societies so general in this country, has been
established since September, 1843. The principles of the
society, as far as we have been able to ascertain, are
similar to those of the Odd-fellows. Contributions of
about the same amount insure to the members of the
Court of Foresters similar advantages to the members of
the Lodges of Odd-fellows. The odd ceremonies observed
at the Foresters' Court partake of the character of those
performed at the meetings of the former society. Like
the Odd-fellows, the Foresters are at home in almost every
part of the kingdom, but their numbers and influence is
not so extensive as the former society.
THE MECHANICS.
Here we have a third secret society. Plots and
conspiracies say some ! Not a bit of it. It is merely
a number of well-conducted, industrious men, who meet
privately, secretly, to discuss, not the downfal of
monarchy, but the noblest and most generous subjects that
can possibly be conceived, to relieve and succour the
distressed, to visit and support the sick, and to bury the
dead. Why these strange names, and these singular
ceremonies ? Why not discuss with open doors, and in
ordinary garb, such familiar matters as these ? Because
07
these curious, odd, and strange names excite curiosity and
cause inquiry into the more general and important matters
connected with these societies. The exclusion of strangers
prevents the business from being interrupted, and the
ceremonies and customs add dignity to the proceedings.
So it is in all the relations of society, from the court to
the cottage, from the peer to the peasant, nothing is done
without ceremony. In the palace, the parliament, the
courts of justice, the temples of religion, the places of
amusement, and even in the every day business of life,
forms and ceremonies must be complied with. And why
not ? The civilities and compliments passed between
friends and acquaintances gradually ripen friendship into
an enduring love ; the ceremonies of religion excite awe
and devotion ; a knowledge of the etiquette of polite
society is held to be the standard of gentility ; and at
the court of majesty as well as her Majesty's courts the
forms prescribed are held to be of the utmost importance,
and are never neglected.
THE SOTTTHPORT BURIAL SOCIETY.
The useful society, called the Southport Burial Society,
was established in the year 1830. The manner in which
a fund is raised, when required, for the burial of any
person having a claim upon the society is the most just
that can well be imagined. The society consists of an
unlimited number of members, and upon the death of
one, or any of their unmarried children, their relatives or
representatives become entitled to a sum varying from two
to five pounds, to obtain which a collection is made
throughout the society, amounting to about sixpence, or,
occasionally, when there have been two deaths, to one
shilling, per member. By this equitable mode of collection
a sum of money is always at hand when required : should
the rate of mortality be excessive, the claims are in
proportion ; and when there are few deaths, the members
are relieved from their payments in like manner. A
general fund could not insure greater punctuality in the
payment of claims, or a more fair division of the
liabilities. It is, in every sense of the term, a mutual
benefit society.
THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
The Southport Branch of the Church Missionary
Association was established about the year 1840, previous to
which time meetings were held and business transacted in
connection with the Ormskirk Branch. The principles of
the society are universally known, and its operations
without bound. The amount contributed in the town and
neighbourhood is considered to be pretty liberal : the
latest report showed that the entire collections after the
services in the various churches and the public meeting,
amounted to about 50 ; and in addition to the sum
obtained from this and other means, the ladies, ever
foremost in any good work, contribute to its increase by
the proceeds of the " missionary basket," a depository for
their " work." The total income, from every source,
in the year 1847, was not less than 150. The Rev.
C. Hesketh, rector of the parish, is both president
and treasurer ; and the Rev. J. Jackson, incumbent of
Trinity Church, secretary.
THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
Long before any other missionary efforts had been made,
a branch of the London Missionary Society was in opera-
tion in the town and neighbourhood. The progress of the
society will be understood by the following items in the
accounts. In 1832, the entire receipts from Southport
and Churchtown amounted to 32 ; in 1840, Southport
69
alone contributed 53 Os. Gd., which year's receipts were
augmented by a legacy of 19 18s. Od. from the late Mr.
Bowman ; and in 1847, the total receipts from this town
were 61 8s. 8Jd. This last'amount was thus obtained :
collected after two sermons, 28 2s. 8d. ; public meeting,
14 7s. 3d. j monthly prayer meeting, 1 8s. 6d. ; col-
lected by Miss Greatbatch, 6 lls. 6d. ; juvenile missionary
boxes, for the support of the Missionary Ship, 6 18s. 9|d. ;
and 4 collected in the Sabbath school for the support of
the orphan girl in India, named Sarah Greatbatch.
Amongst other extra efforts, the Independents in this town
and neighbourhood have built and support two small
chapels in India.
THE WESLEYAN'MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
A branch of the Wesleyan Missionary Society has been
in active operation for a long time. In 1832, the receipts
for Southport alone were 22 3s. 9d. ; in 1846, the
annual income had increased to upwards of 50 ; but in
the following year, owing to the exertions made to obtain
funds for the erection of the new chapel, and the generally
depressed state of trade, the income did not amount to so
much. The management is confided to two committees,
one composed of ladies, and the other of gentlemen, not
forgetting the lady secretary and treasurer, Miss France.
BRITISH AND FOREIGN J1I11LK SOCIETY.
A branch of this society, which belongs not to any
particular class or religion, but almost to all classes and
all religions, was first established in 1843, in which year
the contributions amounted to 41 lls. 7d. ; and the
number of Bibles sold were 62, and of Testaments, 35.
In 1846, the contributions amounted to 49 13s. Od. ;
Bibles sold, 1014 ; Testaments, 1281. The entire number
of copies of the Sacred Scriptures distributed by this
70
branch up to June, 1847, was 3728 ; and 1206 copies had
been sent to the Churchtown branch. The Rev. Charles
Hesketh holds the offices of president and treasurer ; the
Misses France and Gadsby, joint secretaries ; and the
general management is entrusted to a committee of
ladies.
THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.
A depot for the sale of the extensive and useful
assortment of publications issued by the Religious Tract
Society has long existed in the town. Cheap as are the
society's works, a deduction of one-fourth of the published
price is made to subscribers.
THE READING SOCIETY.
The Reading Society enables the members, who are
limited to twenty in number, to peruse the newest and
most popular works of the day at an extremely moderate
cost. The members are admitted by ballot, and three
negatives exclude. The subscription is one guinea per
annum, payable half-yearly in advance. The members,
in rotation, have the privilege of proposing books, which
are, however, subject to be rejected by the majority ; but
in no case are members allowed to order books to a
greater amount than thirty shillings, unless they pay the
excess themselves. The books are, of course, forwarded
from one member to another, and the secretary limits the
time for reading in accordance with the size of the works.
The books are sold once a year, and the proposers of
the various works insure half their cost to the society :
the proceeds are placed at the disposal of the society.
The late John M'Keand, Esq., was the secretary and
manager of the society for many years, and the office is
now held by Mr. Robert Johnson.
In addition to the above, there are several other local
71
and branch institutions, amongst which may be named the
Catholic Mission Fund, and the Wesleyan Young Men's
Association.
CHRIST CHURCH DAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
On the 27th of April, 1825, a meeting was held in the
town, the late Ralph Peters, Esq., in the chair, " for the
purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of con-
verting the Sunday School then established into a National
School for the education of the children of the poor in
the principles of the Established Church." It was
intimated to the meeting that in the township of Birkdale,
and the district of South Hawes, in which the church
was situated, there were more than two hundred children
who stood in need of cheap or gratuitous instruction, there
being no school for the poorer classes in Southport or the
immediate neighbourhood. Resolutions in favour of the
undertaking were unanimously passed, a committee formed,
and a subscription made, which was liberally supported by
Sir Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., and Sir H. Bold Hoghton,
Bart., then lords of the manor, who heartily approved of
the views of the meeting. In 1826 there were 73 boys,
and 68 girls receiving daily instruction ; and 34 boys and
40 girls who attended on Sundays. The report for 1846
showed that the total receipts for the support of the schools
for that year were upwards of 70. There were then
upon the roll, in the daily schools, 83 boys and 117 girls ;
iu the Sunday school, 80 boys and 86 girls ; and in the
infants' schools, 67 boys and girls. One hundred children,
an equal number of both sexes, are instructed gratuitously,
and supplied with books ; the other scholars are also
supplied with books gratis, but a trifling charge per week
is made for those scholars whose parents are in tolerable
circumstances. Mr. John Nixon was for many years the
72
master of the boys' school, but he has been for some
time succeeded by Mr. W. Ball ; Mrs. Todd is the mistress
of the girls' school, and Mr. T. Rimmer is the master
of the infants' school. Mr. Richard Wright, land agent,
is the treasurer, and the Rev. W. Docker, the secretary.
TRINITY CHURCH DAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
Day and Sunday Schools, in connection with Trinity
Church, were opened in a building called " Hall's Chapel,"
Hawes-side, shortly after the opening of the church, in
1837. After the opening of the Catholic Church in 1840,
the temporary chapel made use of by that body in Lords'-
street, was rented for a school ; and in 1843, the new
and commodious schools, near to the church, erected at
the sole expense of one resident individual, were taken
possession of. The annual subscription for the support of
the schools, including a collection at the church, amounts
to between sixty and seventy pounds. The number of
children in the schools, of both sexes, at the close of the
year 1847 was 172, who are gratuitously supplied with
books and slates. A small charge weekly is made for
each pupil, varying from one penny to threepence per
week. Subscribers have the privilege of sending one
pupil free of charge for every ten shillings which they
may contribute to the funds. Mr. John Dixon was the
master for some years ; he was succeeded by Mr. Smith ;
and he, again, has been succeeded by Mr. Povah. The
Rev. J. Jackson, incumbent of the church, is the president ;
Mr. Singleton Cooper, treasurer ; and Mr. Robert Johnson,
secretary.
ST. MARIE'S CHURCH SCHOOLS.
Almost simultaneous with the opening of the church, in
1840, schools were opened for the education of the children
of the Catholics of the town and neighbourhood. The
73
benevolent Miss Mather, and the pastor of the congregation,
Mr. Newsham, exerted themselves in the most praiseworthy
manner towards obtaining the funds for erecting the schools
and their maintainence afterwards. The schools are pretty
well attended and receive tolerable support. Miss Jordan
is the schoolmistress, and the parents of the children under
her care speak highly of her attention to their progress
in education, as well as their manners and morals.
THE INDEPENDENT CHAPEL SCHOOLS.
These schools have been established more than twenty
years, and have been at various times used as Day and
Sunday Schools, and at others as Sunday Schools alone,
which is at present the case. The schools are very
convenient and commodious, and capable of accommodating
a considerable number of scholars : at the commencement
1848 there were 150 on the books.
THE WESLEYAN SCHOOLS.
Convenient to the New Wesleyan Chapel in Hoghtou-
street are the new and excellent schools for the children
of that denomination. The Rev. B. Slack, who has been
recently appointed superintendent of the Southport and
Ormskirk circuit, takes great interest in these schools, and
is endeavouring to establish others in the various towns
and villages within his jurisdiction. The number of
scholars on the books in the early part of 1848 was 112,
which is considered to be a very fair proportion of the
children of members of the congregation.
BOARDING AND DAY SCHOOLS.
There are a remarkable number of Boarding and Day
Schools in the town and its vicinity, both for young ladies
and young gentlemen, although the former predominate.
The salubrity of the air has a most beneficial effect upon
the constitutions of the young folks ; and to this important
74
advantage may be attributed the great number of tli<-.-<-
establishments. Almost coeval with the foundation of the
town itself, or, at least, as soon as the town had gained
any considerable notoriety, there were several of these
schools established, and although from the usual natural
causes some of them have, from time to time, been
discontinued, the number has steadily increased, and each
successive year there are new candidates for favour.
Of Ladies' Boarding Schools we have those of Mrs.
Eveleigh, Cassino House ; Miss Gadsby, Gothic Cottage ;
the Misses Mangnall, Beaufort Villa ; Miss Phillips,
Turville House ; Mrs. and the Misses Williams, East-bank
House ; Mrs. Thomas, Longsight House ; the Misses
Nicholson, Bedford House ; and the Misses Rothwell,
London House.
The Boarding Schools for young gentlemen in the town
and neighbourhood are those of Mr. Tyrer (late Mr.
Walker's), Row-lane Academy ; Mr. Beaumont, Heaton
Mount ; Mr. Gurney, West Hill ; and Mr. Bamford,
Hoghton-street.
The Preparatory and other Day Schools of the town, in
addition to those connected with the various places of
worship, may be enumerated as follows : the Misses
Seddon's, Mrs. Newton's, Mrs. Wilson's, Miss Rigby's,
Miss Forbes's, Mr. Millson's, and Mr. Hodgkinson's ; many
of the boarding schools, also, receive day pupils.
There are several private teachers, and numerous
professors of music, the languages, and other accomplish-
ments.
THE POST OFFICE.
The Post Office has been subject to a great variety of
changes, consequent upon the rapid rise in the prosperity
of the town. A regular foot post between Ormskirk and
Southport was the first arrangement made in this respect.
Letters and newspapers were then subjected to an extra
charge beyond the postage both on receiving and forwarding
them. The vehicles, times, and routes have all been
repeatedly altered. For a number of years a superior
mail coach arrived and departed daily between Liverpool
and Southport ; but in the year of grace 1847, for the
greater convenience of the increased population of the
town, a mail cart was substituted, and the place of its
destination changed from Liverpool to Wigan ! Another
and almost final change is at hand, the rail. In the
year 1847 Southport first received the privilege of
obtaining money orders in a direct manner, as it was,
previous to that time, necessary to send to Ormskirk for
them, causing much delay and extra expense. The mail
now arrives at ten o'clock in the morning, and is despatched
at four o'clock in the afternoon. The box is open until
half-past three o'clock, after which time an extra penny is
charged. The office of postmaster has been respectively-
held by Mr. T. Sawyer, Mr. R. Tyrer, and the late Mr.
E. Wignall ; and the widow of this latter person is at
present the postmistress.
CHAPTER VI.
THE SAND-HILLS. BOTANICAL PUUSUITS.
Skirting the entire length of the shore, save where the
Promenade and some few other embankments have been
constructed, are the sand-hills, rude, ever-changing tumulte,
apparently held together by star or sea-reed.
We say " apparently held together " because they have
been described by most writers as if they were stationary.
Why, these sand-hills are the most kaleidoscope-like,
fantastic things that can well be imagined ; assuming the
majesty of mountains one day, and on the next dwindling
to molehills. They are like " the mountains that skipped
like rams, and the hills like lambs of the flock,"
mentioned in Holy Writ. If they were not so, what
became of " Lost Farm ? " what caused the destruction
of " The Square ? "* what is the reason that many persons
have arose in the morning and found their back premises
invaded, and the sand in absolute possession ? No, no !
the sand-hills are on the shore, and have been so from
time immemorial, perhaps since the Deluge, but Proteus
" The Square," a number of dwelling-houses for the humbler
clauses, behind Commercial Buildings,] was inundated, completely
" squashed," as thejjYankecs have it, during a storm some years ago,
before the sea wall and Promenade were constructed.
77
never so changed or altered his shape and appearance as
do these frail but serviceable barriers of the town.
The star which grows on the hills is converted into
various useful articles, baskets, table mats, and the like,
by some of the poor inhabitants of the neighbourhood,
notwithstanding the utmost rigour of the law is threatened
to them if caught in the fact. There is no instance on
record of this terrible sentence having been carried into
effect, so that visitors are still supplied with these articles
of domestic use. The restriction respecting the cutting of
star is not a local one, but in accordance with an Act of
Parliament passed in the reign of George II, which
" prohibits the cutting, pulling up, or carrying away, any
star or bent planted or set on the hills or banks on the
north-west coast of England, under a penalty of twenty
shillings, or three months imprisonment, for the first
offence ; and a year's imprisonment for the second or
additional offence. And if any star be found in the
possession of any person within five miles of any such
star, bent, or sand-hills, he is thereby liable to the samo
penalty." The owners of property have a clause inserted
in their leases which binds them at ceriain times to
procure two persons to plant star in the hills for the
general protection of the town, when it is considered
requisite ; but this does not occur frequent enough to
become any actual burden upon that class.
It is in the neighbourhood of these sand-hills that the
lover of botany finds so much that is interesting. The
little modest flowers', the mosses, and even the weeds,
which many persons pass by and respect not, are gazed
upon with the utmost pleasure ; and a simple-looking root
is sometimes pounced upon as eagerly as if it were a gem
of the first water. The neighbourhood has produced
78
some remarkable characters, whose " pursuit of knowledge
under difficulties " reflects infinite credit upon their
industry and perseverance : one of these individuals,
named Henry Aughton, a native of Churchtown, whilst
working at the loom, conceived the idea of making:
himself acquainted with the principles of botany ; and
for this purpose, although a married man, with the cares
of an increasing family, he mastered sufficient Latin for
his purpose, and soon became familiar with every one of
the multitudinous variety of plants with which the fields
and hills abound. In the pursuit of his favourite
recreation, which almost amounted to a passion, he
rambled with other kindred spirits, whilst others slept, for
miles from his home ; and for this trouble and loss of
rest after a day of toil a handful of apparently valueless
weeds were his reward. He is still living, and as devoted
to his " hobby " as ever ; and though the ordinary limit
of man's existence has passed over his head, he is yet an
able-bodied man, ready and willing for active service. To
this native are we indebted for the following corrected list
of indigenous plants :
CLASS I. MONANDRIA.
Salicornia herbacea, Common jointed glasswort.
Hippuris vulgaris, Common niare's-tail.
Chara vulgaris, Common chara.
Callitriche verna, Vernal water starnort.
Callitriche autumnalis, Autumnal water starwoit.
CLASS II. DIANDKJA.
Fraxinus excelsior, Common ash.
Veronica serpyllifolia, Smooth speedwell.
Veronica Bcccabunya, Brooklime.
Veronica Anagallis, Water speedwell.
Veronica scittclfatn, Narrow-leaved speedwell.
70
Veronica ojfic'uutlis, Common speedwell.
Veronica Chamcedrys, Germander speedwell.
Veronica agrestis, Field* speedwell.
Veronica arvenns, Wall speedwell.
Pinguicula, vulgaris, Common butterwort.
Utricularia minor, Lesser bladderwort.
Lemna minor, lesser duckweed.
Lycopus europeeus, Common gipsy wort.
Anthoxanthum odoratum, Sweet scented vernal grass.
CLASS III. TRIANDRIA.
Valeriana dioica, Small marsh valerian.
Valeriana qfficinalis, Great wild valerian.
Fedia olitoria, Common corn salad.
Iris Pseud-acorus, Yellow water iris.
Scirpus lacustris, Bull rush.
Scirpus maritimus, Sea club rush.
Eleocharis palustris, Creeping spike rnsli.
Eriophorum vaginatum, Hare's-tail cotton grass.
Eriophorum angustifolium, Common cotton grass.
Nardus stricta, Common mat grass.
Phleum pratense, Common cat's-tail grass.
Phlewn arenarium, Sea cat's-tail grass.
Aiopecurus pratensis, Meadow fox-tail grass.
Alopecurus agrestis, Slender fox-tail grass.
Aiopecurus geniculatus, Floating fox-tail grass.
Polypogus littoralis, Perennial beard grass.
Aira caryophyllea, Silver hair grass.
Glyceria aquatica, Reedy sweet grass.
Glycerin fluitans, Floating sweet grass.
Glyceria procumbens, Procumbent sweet grass.
Glyceria rigida, Hard sweet grass.
Poa trivialis, Roughish meadow grass.
Poa anrma, Annual meadow grass.
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Sriza media, Common quaking grass.
Dactylis glomerata, Rough cock's-foot grass.
Cynosorus cristatus, Crested dog's-tail grass.
Festuca rubra, Creeping fescue grass.
Festuca uniglumis, Single-husked fescue grass.
Avena strigosa, Bristle-pointed oat gra<s.
Arundo Phragmites, Common reed,
Arundo arenaria, Sea reed.
Elymus arenarius, Sea lyme grass.
Hordeum murinum, Wall barley.
Triticum junceum, Rushy wheat grass.
Montia font ana, Water blinks.
CLASS IV. TETRANDRIA.
Dipsacus sylvestris, Wild teasel.
Scabiosa succisa, Devil's-bit scabious.
Scabiosa arvensis, Field scabious.
Sherardia arvensis, Little field madder.
Galium palustre, Water bed straw.
Galium saxatile, Smooth heath bed straw.
Galium verum, Yellow bed straw.
Galium, aparine, Cleavers, or goose grass.
Plantago major, Greater plantain.
Plantago lanceolata, Ribwort plantain.
Plantago maritima, Sea plantain.
Plantago Coronopus, Buck's-horn plantain.
Sanguisorba officinalis, Great burnet.
Parietaria officinalis, Common wall pellitory.
Alchemilla vnlgaris, Common lady's mantle.
Potamogeton natans, Broad-leaved pond weed.
Potamogeton compressum, Flat-stalked pond weed.
Sagina procumbens, Procumbent pearlwort.
Radiola millegrana, Thyme-leaved flax seed.
CLASS V. PENTANDRIA.
Myosotis palustris, Great water scorpion grass.
Myosotis ccespitosa, Tufted water scorpion grass.
Myosotis arvensis, Field scorpion grass.
Myosotis versicolor, Yellow and blue scorpion grass.
Cynoglossum officinale, Common hound's-tongue.
Symphytum officinale, Common comfrey.
Lycopsis arvensis, Small bugloss.
Echium vulgare, Common viper's bugloss.
Primula vulgaris, Common primrose.
Primula veris, Common cowslip.
Menyanthes trifoliata, Common buckbean.
Hottonia palustris, Water featherfoil.
Lysimachia vulgaris, Yellow loosestrife.
Anagallis arvensis, Scarlet pimpernel.
Anagallis tenella, Bog pimpernel.
Convolvulus arvensis, Small bindweed.
Convolvulus sepium, Great bindweed.
Convolvulus Soldanella, Sea bindweed.
Campanula rotundifolia, Round-leaved bellflower.
Viola canina, Dog's violet.
Viola tricolor, Pansy violet.
Viola lutea, Yellow violet.
Verbaseum Thapsus, Great mullein.
Hyoscyamus niger, Common henbane.
Solatium dulcamara, Woody nightshade.
Solanum nigrum, Garden nightshade.
Erythrcea Centaurium, Common centaury.
Erythrcea littoralis, Dwarf centaury.
ErythrcBa pulchella, Branched centaury.
Samolus Valerandi, Common brookweed.
Hedera Helix, Common ivjt,
Glaux maritima, Common sea milkwort.
L
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fferniaria glabra, Smooth rupturewort.
Chenopodium rubrum, Red goose-foot.
Chenopodium album, White goose-foot.
Salsola Kali, Prickly saltwort.
Gentiana Pneumonanthe, Marsh gentian.
Oentiana Amarella, Autumnal gentian.
Gentiana campestris, Field gentian.
.Eryngium maritimum, Sea eryngo.
Daucus Carota, Wild carrot.
Anthriscus vulgaris, Common beaked parsley.
Chcerophyllum sylvestre, Wild chervil.
Sunium flexuosum, Common earth nut.
Sium repens, Creeping water parsnep.
JEthusa Cynapium, Common fool's parsley.
Conium maculatum, Common hemlock.
CEnanthe fistulosa, Common water dropwort.
CEnanthe pecuedani folia, Sulphurwort water dropwort.
CEnanthe Phellandrium, Fine-leaved water dropwort.
Apium graveolens, Wild celery.
JEgopodium Podagraria, Common goutweed.
Angelica sylvestris, Wild angelica.
Pimpinella saxifraga, Common burnet saxifrage.
Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Common whiterot.
Pastinaca sativum, Wild parsnep.
Heracleum Sphodylium, Common cow parsnep.
Sambucus nigra, Common elder.
Parnassia palustris, Grass of Parnassus.
Statice Armeria, Common thrift.
Linum catharticum, Purging flax.
Drosera rotundifolia, Round-leaved sun-dew.
Drosera longifolia, Long-leaved sun-dew.
CLASS VI. IJEXANDRIA.
Orithogalum umbellatum, Common star of Bethlehem.
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Narthedum ossifragum, Lancashire bog asphodel.
Juncus maritimus, Lesser sharp sea rush.
Juncus conglomerates, Common rush.
Juncus squarrosus, Moss rush.
Juncus bufonius, Toad rush.
Juncus uliginosus, Little bulbous rush.
JLuciola pilosa, Broad-leaved hairy wood rush.
Luciola campestris, Field wood rush.
Rumex crispus, Curled dock.
Rumex obtusifolius, Broad -leaved dock.
Rumex maritimus, Golden dock.
Rumex palustris, Velio w marsh dock.
Rumex Hydrolopathum, Great water dock.
Rumex Acetosa, Common sorrel.
Rumex Acetosella, Sheep's sorrel.
Triglochin palustre, Marsh arrow grass.
Triglochin maritima, Sea arrow grass.
Alisma Plantago, Greater water plantain.
Alisma Ranunculoides, Lesser water plantain.
CLASS VIII. OCTANDRIA.
GEnothera biennis, Common evening primrose.
Epilobium hirsutum, Hairy willow herb.
Epilobium palustre, Marsh willow herb.
Chlora perfoliata, Perfoliate yellowwort.
Vaccinium Oxycoccus, Cranberry.
Calluna vulgaris, Common ling.
Erica Tetralix, Cross-leaved heath.
Erica cinerea, Fine-leaved heath.
Polygonum amphibium, Amphibious persicaria.
Polygonum Persicaria, Spotted persicaria.
Polygonum lapathifolium, Pale-flowered persicaria.
Polygonum Hydropiper, Biting persicaria.
Polygonum Bistorta, Bistort.
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Polygonum aviculare, Knot grass.
Polygonum Convolvulus, Black bindweed.
CLASS IX. ENNEANDRIA.
Butomus umbellatus, Common flowering rush.
CLASS X. DECANDRIA.
Monotropa Hypopitys, Bird's-nest.
Pyrola rotundifolia, Round-leaved winter-grccu.
Saxifraga tridactylites, Roe-leaved saxifrage.
Scleranthus annuus, Annual knawel.
Saponaria officinalis, Common soap wort.
Stellaria media, Chickweed.
Stellaria graminea, Lesser stitchwort.
Stellaria glauca, Glaucous marsh stitchwort.
Arenaria peploides, Sea sandwort.
Arenaria tenuifolia, Fine-leaved sandwort.
Sedum anglicum, White English stonecrop.
Sedum acre, Biting stonecrop.
Agrostemma Githago, Corn cockle.
Lychnis Flos Cuculi, Meadow lychnis.
Lychnis dioica, Red or white campion.
Cerastium viscosum, narrow-leaved mouse-ear chickweed.
Cerastium tetrandrwn, Four-cleft mouse-ear chickweed.
Spergula arvensis, Common spurrey.
Spergula nodosa, Knotted spurrey.
CLASS XI. DODECANDRIA.
Lythrum Salicaria, Spiked purple loosestrife.
Agrimonia Eupatoria, Agrimony.
Sempervivum tectorum, House leek.
CLASS XII. ICOSAMHUA.
Prunus spinosa, Sloe or blackthorn.
Mespilus Oxyacantha, Hawthorn.
Spireea Ulmaria, Meadow-sweet.
Rosa spinosissima, Burnct rose.
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Rosa tomentosa, Downy-leaved dog rose.
Rosa canina, Dog rose.
Rosa arvensis, Field dog rose.
Rubus fruticosus, Common bramble.
Rubus ccesius, Dew-berry.
Rubus corylifolius, Hazle-leaved bramble.
Potentilla anserina, Silver weed.
Potentilla reptans, Creeping cinquefoil.
Tormentllla reptans, Trailing tormentil.
Comarum palustre, Purple marsh cinquefoil.
CLASS XIII, POLYANDRIA.
Chelidonium majus, Common celandine.
Glaucium luteum, Yellow horned poppy.
Papaver Argemone, Long-headed poppy.
Papaver dubium, Smooth-headed poppy.
Papaver Rhceas, Red poppy.
Nymphcea alba, Great white water lily.
Nuphar lutea, Common yellow water lily.
Thalictrum flavum, Common meadow rue.
Ranunculus Flammula, Lesser spearwort crowfoot,
Ranunculus Lingua, Great spearwort crowfoot.
Ranunculus gramineus, Grassy crowfoot.
Ranunculus Ficaria, Pilewort crowfoot.
Ranunculus sceleratus, Water crowfoot.
Ranunculus bulbosus, Bulbous crowfoot.
Ranunculus hirsutus, Hairy crowfoot.
Ranunculus acris, Upright meadow crowfoot.
Ranunculus kederaceus, Ivy crowfoot.
Ranunculus aquatilis, White floating crowfoot.
Cnltha palustris, Common marsh marigold.
CLASS XIV. DIDYNAMIA.
Ajuga reptans, Common bugle.
Mentha hirsuta, Hairy mint.
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Mentha rubra, Tall red mint.
Glechoma hederacea, Common ground ivy.
Lamium album, White dead nettle.
Lamium purpureum, Red dead nettle.
Lamium amplexicaule, Henbit dead nettle.
Galeopsis Tetrahit, Common hemp nettle.
Galeopsis versicolor, Large-flowered hemp nettle.
Stachys sylvatica, Hedge woundwort.
Stachys palustris, Marsh woundwort.
Stachys arvensis, Corn woundwort.
Ballota nigra, Black horehound.
Marrubium vulgare, Common white horehound.
Leonurus Cardiaca, Motherwort.
Thymus Serpyllum, Wild thyme.
Scutellaria galericulata, Common skull-cap.
Prunella vulgaris, Self-heal.
Bartsia viscosa, Viscid bartsia.
Bartsia Odontites, Red bartsia.
Rhinantus Crista galli, Common yellow rattle.
Euphrasia officinalis, Eye-bright.
Melampyrum sylvaticum, Wood cow-wheat.
Pedicularis palustris, Marsh lousewort.
Pedicularis sylvatica, Dwarf lousewort.
Antirrhinum Linaria, Toad flax.
Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove.
CLASS XV. TETRADYNAMIA.
TJraba verna, Common Whitlow grass.
Teesdalia nudicaulis, Naked-stalked Teesdalia.
Thlaspi Bursa pastoris, Common shepherd's purse.
Cochlearia anglica, English scurvy grass.
Cochlearia danica, Danish scurvy grass.
Cochlearia Amoracia, Horse radish.
Senebiera Coronopus, Common wart cress.
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Cakile maritama, Purple sea rocket.
Cardamine hirsuta, Hairy ladies' smock.
Cardamine prattnsis, Meadow ladies' smock.
Cardamine amara, Bitter ladies' smock.
Nasturtium qfficinale, Water cress.
Nasturtium terrestre, Annual cress.
Nasturtium amphibium, Amphibious cress.
Sisymbrium qfficinale, Common hedge mustard.
Sisymbrium Sophia, Fine-leaved hedge mustard.
Barbarea vulgaris, Bitter winter cress.
Erysimum cheiranthoides, Worm-seed treacle mustard.
Erysimum Alliaria, Garlic treacle mustard.
Arabis thaliana, Common wall cress.
Turritis glabra, Smooth tower mustard.
Brassica campestris, Wild navew.
Brassica Rapa, Common turnip.
Sinapis arvensis, Wild mustard.
Raphanus Raphanutrum, Wild radish.
CLASS XVI. MONADELPHIA.
Erodium cicutarium, Hemlock stork's bill.
Geranium Robertianum, Herb Robert.
Geranium moile, Dove's-foot crane's bill.
Malva sylvestris, Common mallow.
Malva rotundifolia, Dwarf mallow.
Malva moschata, Musk mallow.
CLASS XVII. DIADELPHIA.
Fumaria qfficinalis, Common fumitory.
Polygala vulgaris, Common milkwort.
Genista tinctoria, Dyer's greenwood.
Genista anglica, Needle greenwood.
Ulex europaus, Common furze.
Ulex nanus, Dwarf furze.
Ononis arvensis, Common rest-harrow.
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Anthyllis vulneraria, Ladies' finger.
Lathyrus pratensii, Meadow vetch.
Vicia Cracco, Tufted vetch.
Vicia sativa, Common vetch.
Vicia lathyroides, Spring vetch.
Vicia sepium, Bush vetch.
Ornithopus perpusillus, Common bird's-foot.
Trifolium officinale, Common melilot.
Trifolium repens, White trefoil.
Trifolium pratense, Common purple clover.
Trifolium arvense, Hare's-foot trefoil.
Trifolium fragiferum, Strawberry-headed trefoil.
Trifolium procumbens, Hop trefoil.
Trifolium minus, Lesser trefoil,
Trifolium filiforme, Slender trefoil.
Lotus corniculatus, Common bird's-foot trefoil.
Lotus major, Greater bird's-foot trefoil.
CLASS XVIII. POLYADELPHIA.
Hypericum quadrangulum, Square St. John's-wort.
Hypericum humifusum, Trailing St. Jolm's-wort.
CLASS XIX. STNGENESIA.
Tragopogon pratensis, Yellow goafs-beard.
Sonchus arvensis, Corn sow-thistle.
Sonchus oleraceus, Common sow-thistle.
Leontodon Taraxacum, Common dandelion.
Hieracium Pilosella, Mouse-ear hawkweed.
Hieracium sabaudum, Shrubby hawkweed.
Hypodiceris radicata, Long-rooted cat's-ear.
Lapsana communis, Common nipplewort.
Cichorium Intybus, Wild succory.
Arctium Lappa, Common burdock.
Carduus tenuiflorus, Slender-flower thistle.
Carduus marianus, Milk thistle.
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Cnicus lanccolatus, Spear plume-thistle.
Cnicus palustrls, Marsh plume-thistle.
Cnicus eriophorus, Woolly-lieaded plume-thistle.
Carlina vulgaris, Carline thistle.
Bidens triparita, Three-lobed bur marigold.
Bidens cernua, Nodding bur marigold.
Eupatorium cannabinum, Hemp agrimony,
Tanacetum vulgare, Wild tansy.
Artemesia vulgaris, Mugwort.
Gnaphalium rectum, Upright cudweed.
Gnaphalium uliginosum, Marsh cudweed.
Gnaphalium germanicum, Common cudweed.
Erigeron acris, Blue fleabanc.
Tussilago Farfara, Colt's-foot.
Senecio vulgaris, Common groundsel.
Senecio sylvaticus, Mountain groundsel.
Senecio Jacobcea, Common ragwort.
Senecio aquaticus, Marsh ragwort.
Aster Tripolium, Sea starwort.
Solidago Virgaurea, Common golden rod.
Jnula dysenterica, Common fleabanc.
Cineraria 2)alustris, Marsh fleawort.
BMis perennis, Daisy.
Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum, White ox-eye.
Chrysanthemum sejetum, Yellow ox-eye.
Matricaria Chamomilla, Common wild chamomile.
Anthemis Cotula, Stinking chamomile.
Achillea Ptarmica, Sneezewort yarrow.
Achilleu Millefolium, Common yarrow or milfoil.
Centaurea nigra, Black knapweed.
Centaurea Cyanus, Corn bluebottle.
Centaurea Scabiosa, Greater knapweed.
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CLASS XX. GYNANDRIA.
Orchis bifolia, Butterfly orchis.
Orchis Morio, Meadow orchis.
Orchis Mascula, Purple orchis.
Orchis latifolia, Marsh orchis.
Orchis maculata, Spotted orchis.
Orchis conopsea, Aromatic orchis.
Neottia spiralis, Sweet ladies' traces.
Listera ovata, Common tway blade.
Epipactis latifolia, Broad-leaved helleborine.
Epipactis palustris, Marsh helleborine.
CLASS XXI. MONOECIA.
Euphorbia portlandica, Portland spurge.
Euphorbia paralia, Sea spurge.
Euphorbia helioscopia, Sun spurge.
Zannichellia palustris, Common horned pondweed.
Typha latifolia, Great cat's-tail.
Sparganium ramosum, Branched bur reed.
Carex arenaria, Sea carex.
Carex vulpina, Compound prickly carex.
Carex Pseudo-cy perns, Bastard cyperus carex.
Carex pallescens, Pale carex.
Carex riparia, Great common carex.
Littorella lacu&tris, Plantain shore weed.
Alnus glutinosa, Common alder.
Urtica urens, Little nettle.
Urtiea dioica, Great nettle.
Myriophyllum spicatum, Spiked water milfoil.
Myriophyllum verticillatum, Whorled water milfoil.
Arum maculatum, Cuckow-pint.
Betula alba, Common birch.
CLASS XXII. DIOECIA.
Salix nigricans, Dark-leaved willow.
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Snlix argcntca, iSilky sand willow.
Myrica Gale, Sweet gale.
Humulus Lupulus, Common hop.
Populus alba, White poplar.
Populus nigrum, Black poplar.
Mercurialis perennis, Dog's mercury.
Hydrocharis Morsus Ranee, Frog-bit.
CLASS XXIII. POLYGAMIA.
Atriplex laciniata, Frosted sea orache.
Atriplex patula, Halbert-leaved orache.
Atriplex littoralis, Grass-leaved orache.
CLASS XXIV. CRYPTOGAMIA.
Polypodium vulgare, Common polypody.
Aspidium Filix mas, Male shield fern.
Asjridium Filix fcemina, Female shield fern.
Blechnum boreale, Northern bard fern.
Osmunda regalis, Osmund royal.
Botrychium lunaria, Common moonwort.
Ophioglosum vulgatum, Common adder's- tongue.
Equisetum arvensis, Corn horse-tail.
Equisetum palustre, Marsh horse-tail.
Equisetum limosum, Smooth horse-tail.
CHAPTER VII.
PLACES IN THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURHOOD.
The convenience which will be afforded by " the rail "
for visiting the towns and villages within a few miles of
Southport, renders it necessary to devote a few pages as a
guide to such places as may or may not be considered
interesting. The most distant of the places named will
be within a short and cheap railway fare, and several are
only an easy walk or donkey ride.
CHURCHTOWN.
The nearest village of consequence is Churchtown, the
" capital " of North Meols, in which place stands the
parish church, distant about a mile-and-a-half from
Manchester-road. Here it was that " the Duke " resided
when there was no Southport ; and it was here that he
died, in indifferent circumstances, in the year 1841, when
a beautiful town, of which he had been the pioneer, was
occupying a site that had formerly been a waste of idle
sands. Here it was that the Board of Highways professed
to meet to plan and arrange improvements for the town of
Southport before the passing of the Improvement Act.
Here it was that " the Heskeths," so long lords of the
manor, occasionally resided. Here it was that the earlier
visitors to this neighbourhood were domiciled when there
was no " Folly."
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The village consists principally of one long, irregular
street. The houses are chiefly of an inferior description,
and the places of business are more useful than ornamental ;
there are, however, two tolerable houses of accommodation,
called, respectively, the Bold Arms and the Hesketh Arms.
The population is principally composed of persons
engaged in agricultural pursuits and weavers of silks and
satins.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Cuthbert, was
erected long anterior to the Reformation, and was subject
to the Priory of Penwortham. At the dissolution of
monasteries it was conveyed to the Fleetwoods (originally
a Staffordshire family), and the patronage is still vested in
Sir Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., the representative of " the
Heskeths j" the living being held by his brother, the Rev.
C. Hesketh, who has for some time been one of the lords
of the manor by purchase. A very extensive prospect of
the surrounding country is obtained from the tower part
of the steeple. The bell was presented by John and
Henry Hesketh, Esqs., in the year 1750 ; the fact being
recorded by an inscription thereon. Within the church
are several marble tablets and monuments to the memory
of various members or the Hesketh and Fleetwood
families ; one of these latter was executed by the
celebrated sculptor, Nollekens. What is called " the parish
business " is transacted in the vestry of this church, or
in the school-room connected with it.
The tombstones in the churchyard incontestably prove
the alleged longevity of the inhabitants of the neighbour-
hood.
The Rev. John Mawdesley, who was the curate of the
parish between thirty-five and forty years, during which
period he walked a greater number of miles than are
04
contained in the circumference of the globe in the discharge
of his parochial duties, died on the 2nd of November,
1814, aged sixty years.
About the year 1684, a Grammar School was founded,
from which time to that of 1800 near upon 300 was
given for its support. A tablet in the church gives the
names of the donors and the respective amounts contributed.
The school has been converted into a National School
between twenty and thirty years ; and the master's salary
is paid from the interest of the above and other
benefactions, an annual subscription, and from a payment
of sixpence per quarter for each child that attends the
school. Mr. Edward Thornton is the present master.
Besides the church, there are places of worship for the
Independents, and the Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists.
The Rev. W. Alexander, the late Independent minister, has
resided in the village about twenty-five years.
Meols Hall, the old family mansion of the Hesketbs,
which was for many years inhabited by Mr. John Linakcr,
sen., and afterwards by his son Mr. William Linaker, is
now occupied by Mr. Thomas Baker.
On the, Monday and Tuesday nearest the 20th of August
there is a fair held in the village*.
HALS ALL.
The village of Halsall, distant about six-and-a-half miles
from Southport, is well worth visiting on account of its
ancient church, which is dedicated, like that at Churchtown,
to St. Cuthbert. It is supposed to have been erected in
the thirteenth century, although the oldest parish register
is dated in 1662. The interior of the church has been
much admired for its architectural beauties, and there are
numerous tablets and monuments to the memory of various
individuals. On a monumental tomb are two recumbent
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marble figures, which are said to be the effigies of Sir
Henry Halsall and his lady. The total height of the
tower and spire is 135 feet. There is an excellent peal
of six bells in the tower. The living is a rectory, and
is of considerable value.
LYDIATE ABBEY.
About four miles from Halsall, nearer Liverpool, is
Lydiate Abbey, an exceedingly beautiful and interesting
ruin in the Gothic style. It is supposed to have been
commenced about the time of the Reformation, at which
eventful period operations would be suspended, for competent
judges declare that it never had a roof. The walls are
covered with ivy, and are in excellent preservation. There
are a many Catholic families in the neighbourhood : the
Lady Anderton, a member of one of them, was buried
within the walls of the abbey, and a marble slab covered
her remains.
ORMSKIRK.
This town, to which, in many respects, Southport is
unfortunately, or, to use a milder term, inconveniently
subject, is situated about nine miles distant. Southport
being in the Ormskirk union, its inhabitants are compelled
in many public matters to visit the latter place, which is
attended with considerable expense and loss of time.
Appeals against imposition in taxes, and applications for
licenses, must be made at Ormskirk ; and it was
presumptuously stated in evidence before a committee of
the House of Commons, by witnesses from that town, that
a branch line of railway to connect Southport with
Ormskirk would be of the most decided advantage to the
former town, indeed, was all that it required ; when the
fact was that most of the inhabitants of Southport were
particularly anxious for a repeal of the union. Even the
96
professed advantages of the New County Courts cannot be
obtained by the inhabitants of Southport nearer than
Ormskirk ; so that creditors frequently risk the recovery
of their long-standing accounts, rather than incur the
certain loss of time, probable loss of claim, and uncertain
expense : on the other hand, debtors unnecessarily suffer
much from the law's distance and delay.
Four streets, crossing each other at right angles, with
a large open space in the centre for a market, form the
principal portion of the town. The living is a discharged
vicarage, and is in the gift of the Earl of Derby, which
noble family has possessed the patronage since the dissolu-
tion of monasteries in 1540, previous to which it belonged
to the Priory at Burscough. The Rev. E. J. G. Hornby is
the present vicar.
The market day is Thursday ; and there are two annual
fairs, which are held on Whit Monday and Tuesday, and
the 8th of September.
The parish includes the townships of Ormskirk, Burs-
cough, Lathom, Scarisbrick, Bickerstaffe, and Skelmersdale.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul,
is very ancient, but the precise date cannot be correctly
ascertained. A brass plate on the north wall, dated 1661,
sets forth that the ancestors of one Henry Mosoke had at
that time been interred there for 385 years. The church
has a most singular appearance, from the fact of its having
two steeples, a spire and a tower, which were erected, it
is said, because the fair founders (two sisters of the name
of Orm, hence, it is supposed, Ormskirk or Ormschurch)
could not agree whether it should have one or the other.
Another and more plausible reason assigned for its nonde-
script aspect is, that the tower was built, long after the
completion of the church, for the reception of the eight
hells from Bursccugli Priory. In a chapel within the
church is the cemetery of the Derhy family ; and here
the remains of that illustrious race have been deposited
since the dissolution of Burscough Priory, at which period
the bodies of the deceased Stanleys, not actually reduced
to ashes, were brought to this place. The chapel and
cemetery were erected under the will of Edward, the third
Earl of Derby, dated in 1572, in which it was ordered
that he should be interred in the church at Ormskirk, and
a monument erected to his memory " in accordance with
his honour and vocation." The Scarisbricks have also a
chancel and burial place.
Within the walls of the church there are a considerable
number of tablets and monuments to the memory of the
distinguished families whose remains are there interred ;
and amongst others, a beautiful marble monument erected
to commemorate the decease of the eminent physician,
Dr. Bramlreth, who first styled Southport "the Montpellier
of England." He died in Liverpool, in April, 1815,
where he was regarded with the greatest respect,
having established the Dispensary, and for thirty years
paid the most unremitting attention to the Infirmary in
that town.
From the steeple of the church a fine view of the
adjacent country, with the Irish sea and the towns of
Liverpool and Preston, may be obtained.
The Roman Catholics, who are a numerous body here,
have a chapel at Aughton, in the immediate vicinity of
the town. The Independents, Methodists, and other
religious seels, have, respectively, their places of worship.
Schools are attached to the church and the various
places of worship. Branches of the several religious
societies exist in the town ; there are also numerous local
N
charities and institutions ; and a savings' bank lias been
established for many years.
In the parliamentary session of 1846 a line of railway
from Liverpool, through Ormskirk to Preston received the
royal assent, which will, it is apprehended, be of much
service to the town.
Within a few miles of the town there are numerous
seats of the nobility and gentry.
Lathom House, the seat of Lord Skelmersdale, is distant
about two miles. It is described by all who have seen it
to be a most splendid edifice. The designs were furnished
by Leoni, the celebrated architect, and the building was
completed about the year 1734. The north front extends
one hundred and fifty-six feet, and the south front is
seventy-five feet in depth. There are a few valuable
pictures within the house, principally portraits. The
house stands almost in the centre of a park three or four
miles round. In the park is a chapel, which, previous
to the Reformation, was under the Priory of Benedictines
at Upholland, but has since been used as a domestic
chapel.
BTJRSCOUGH PRIORY.
Burscough Priory, about two miles from Ormskirk, was
founded in the reign of Richard I. by Robert Fitzhenry,
lord of Lathom, for the Black Canons, and was dedicated
to St. Nicholas. After flourishing for 350 years it shared
the fate of the other similar institutions. All that now
remains of the pile is a portion of the centre arch of the
church ; and a number of modern gravestones are seen
instead of the magnificent tombs of the Stanleys which
formerly graced the place.
Knowsley, the magnificent seat of the Earl of Derby ;
Blythe Hall ; Rufford Hall, the seat of Sir Thomas G.
Hcskcth, Bart. ; and Scarisbrick Hall, the scat of Charlri
Scarisbrick, Esq., lord of the manors of Southport,
Scarisbrick, Halsall, and Downhollaml, are all within a
few miles of Ormskirk.
FORMBY.
The village of Formby is about eight miles from South-
port, and about the same distance from Ormskirk ; and
is in the route of the Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport
railway. The township had anciently a chartered market,
which has for many years fallen into disuse. There is au
old Catholic bury ing-ground in the sand-hills near the
shore. The principal buildings are the church, the
Catholic chapel, and the Hall, which is the residence of
Miss Formby.
INCH HALL.
Ince Hall is about ten miles from Southport, and is the
residence of Thomas Weld Blundell, Esq., who succeeded
the late Charles Blundell, Esq. The hall is richly stored
with works of art, and a collection of ancient statuary of
great value. Attached to the house is a building called
the Pantheon, exactly resembling the edifice of that name
in Rome, but one-third less in size. This building was
erected during the life-time of Henry Blundell, Esq., for
the purpose of containing 100 statues, 150 busts, 110 bas-
relievos, 19 sarcophagi and cinerary urns, 40 ancient
fragments, marble pillars, tables, and other antiquities, with
about 200 pictures, which that gentleman had accumulated
by his taste and liberality.
Beyond Ince Blundell, we have the watering-places of
Crosby (Great and Little), and Waterloo.
CHAPTER VI IT.
CONCLUSION.
Reader, have you ever been at Southport ? Perhaps
not ; and if so, you have missed a treat. If you arc
charmed with viewing the wild and majestic, if you
would see Nature in her rudest, and also her fairest
form, if you would retire from the bustle and turmoil of
a town life, if you would assure your life in an office
where truly there is " no proprietary," and where, without
doubt, " the profits are divided amongst the shareholders,"
visit Southport, and if you are possessed of a competency
stay and dwell thereat. But if the pleasures and gaieties
of a town life is more in accordance with your disposition,
a permanent residence would disappoint you, although you
would find an occasional visit of much service. The
present inhabitants of the town are persons from almost
every part of the kingdom, and various are the reasons
which have induced them to settle there. There are those
who have been tired out with the pursuit, and who have
ultimately obtained the "sovereign remedy" for all the ills
that flesh is heir to ; there are unfortunate men of business
recruiting their health and awaiting favourable opportunities
for striving to better their fallen fortunes ; there are
numbers of widows and orphans, perhaps provided for,
and perhaps not, if the latter they endeavour to eke out
101
a subsistence by rendering accommodation to more fortunate
individuals j there are invalids of various classes, who
imagine that they cannot exist elsewhere. It will be seen
that with a majority of these persons what is usually
termed pleasure is not desirable : but there are others ;
there are comfortable and thriving persons who expect and
require something more than the general and peculiar
attributes of the place, and these to some extent are
accommodated. There is an immense fluctuating summer
population, and they find ample enjoyment, sufficient to
induce them continually to repeat their visits, in the
amusements, or, rather, recreations, provided for them,
sailing, riding, bathing, promenading, and in planning and
carrying out excursions in the neighbourhood. These
rational amusements tend to give more solid satisfaction,
and aid the principal object which induces a visit, the
restoration of lost health, than if the most costly
arrangements were entered into for nocturnal revels.
THE END.
APPENDIX.
RESIDENT OFFICIALS, GENERAL DIRECTORY,
MAGISTRATES :
Samuel Lees, Esq., Martindale Lodge.
Ralph Greenough, Esq., Belle Vue.
Jolin Hargreaves, jun., Esq., Sea View House.
COMMISSIONERS :
Rev. J. Jackaon (Chairman) Mr. Lewis.
Rev. C. Hesketh.
Rev. G. Greatbatch.
Mr. Longton.
Mr. Clough.
Mr. Hulme.
Mr. W. Tyrer.
Mr. Wright, Surveyor.
Capt. W. Ball.
Mr. Cooper.
Mr. B. Smith.
Mr. Jolley.
Mr. Sutton.
Mr. Whiteley.
Mr. R. Ball.
Mr. Salthuusc.
Mr. Walls.
Mr. Samuel Newsham, Clerk.
COLLECTOR OP RATES FOR THF. COMMISSIONERS :
Mr. J. Dixon, Adelaide Cottages, Sea-bank-roa<I.
COLLECTOR OP POORS* RATE :
Mr. J. Hunt, Churclitown.
104
COLLECTOR OP ASSESSED TAXES :
Cnptain Jackson, Poolstock House, Row-lane.
ASSESSORS :
Mr. Charles Crnmpton and Mr. Caesar Lawson.
REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MARRIAGES;
Mr. Richard Wright, Union Place.
The Directory contains the Names of all the Inhabitants
resident within the limits of the Southport Improvement Act.
For convenience, the names of some few persons whose
residences are not actually within the said limits are added.
Persons who let apartments, and appear to have no other
occupation, are described as lodging-house keepers.
Many of the persons described by their respective trades or
professions also render accommodation to visiters.
Arrowsmith, Miss Mary, gentlewoman, Green Bank, Lords'-st.
Anclerton, Peter, Esq., Somerset Place, do.
Ansdell, Mrs., lodging-house, Grindlow Cottage, do.
Aughton, Mrs., lodging-house, Richmond Hill, do.
Ashworth, Ann, lodging-house, Union Terrace, do.
Airey, Miss Mary, gentlewoman, Green Lawn, do.
Ashworth, Martha, haberdasher, do.
Ally, Jane, dressmaker, BlundelPs Buildings, do.
Ainsworth, William, gentleman, Claremont Terrace, do.
A ndow, James, cooper, do.
Ayrton, Benjamin, hostler, Montpellier Place, Nevill-strect.
Ascroft, Thomas, stonemason, Albert House, do.
Anderton, , furniture broker, do.
Audow, Thomas, fisherman, Upper King-street.
Adams, George, saddler, do.
Auu'hton, Peter, donkey chaise owner, Chapel-street.
105
Anghton, Henry, gardener, East-bank-street.
Ashcroft, William, shoemaker, do.
Anghton, Linnseus, letter-press printer, John's Place, do.
Amlow, Isabella, lodging-house, Primrose Hill, London-street.
Alty, Richard, labourer, East-bank-street.
Abram, Peter, labourer, Snuttering-lane.
Alty, William, labourer, do.
Aughton, Robert, groom, Union-street.
Anderson, Mrs. Ann, gentlewoman, Oxford Terrace, Man.-rd.
Allured, Ellen, toffee seller, do.
Aughton, John, violinist, Rimmer's Cottages, do.
Abram, Thomas, donkey chaise owner, Snuttering-lano.
Briscoe, Mary, lodging-house, Orford Cottage, Lords'-street.
Bullock, Miss, gentlewoman, Bridgmont, do.
Barber, Miss, lodging-house, Bedford House, do.
Bailey, Miss, gentlewoman ,Highfield Cottage, do.
Ball, Henry, labourer, Mushroom Cottages, do.
Bolton, Mr. Thomas, gentleman, Union Terrace, do.
Brotherton, Mrs., gentlewoman, Wellington Terrace, do.
Bullin, Mrs., gentlewoman. do. do.
Blair, Joseph, Esq., do, do.
Barwell, George, bazaar keeper, do.
Blundell, Ellen, butcher, Commercial Buildings, do.
Barron, William, laceman, &c., Dunstable House, do.
Ban-on, George B., surgeon, Borland's Buildings, do.
Billington, Elizabeth, confectioner, &c., do.
Brown, Henry, hairdresser, Blnndell's Buildings, do.
Bntterfield, Mrs. Sophia, gentlewoman, Somerset Place, do.
Bradford, Ann, lodging-house, Villa Nuova, do.
Barton, Captain, South Hill.
Barton, Rev. Miles, Nile Villa.
Bolton, John, Chapel-street.
Ball, Thomas, donkey chaise owner, Union-street.
o
Ball, Thomas, yeoman, Nile-bank Cottages, Upper King-it.
Ball, William, clerk of Christ Church, do.
Ball, Richard, weaver, do.
Ball, Thomas, boatman, do.
Ball, Elizabeth, shopkeeper, do.
Blundell, John, joiner, do.
Ball, Mary, milkseller, do.
Ball, Thomas, blacksmith, do.
Ball, Captain William, yeoman, do.
Ball, Richard, boatman, do.
Ball, Richard, brewer, do.
Ball, Nathan, gardener, do.
Ball, John, plasterer, do.
Ball, Richard, labourer, do.
Blundell, John, labourer, do.
Ball, Thomas, sawyer, do.
Bentham, Matthias, basketmaker, do.
Ball, Robert, joiner, do.
Ball, Benjamin, painter, &c., do.
Birch, John, labourer, do.
Ball, Richard, plasterer, do.
Blanchard, Henry, plasterer, Coronation-walk.
Ball, William, boatman, do.
Boddy, William, joiner, do.
Blundell, Miles, farmer, East-bank-street.
Ball, Henry, blacksmith, do.
Ball, Peter, bellman, do.
Barton, Thomas, gardener, and sexton of Trinity Church, do.
Birchall, John, lodging-house, do.
Blundell, Robert, butcher, do.
Brighouse, Thomas, stonemason, do.
Buck, William, joiner, do.
Ball, Mary, laundress, do.
Baron, Richard, surveyor of highways, Nevl'.l-street.
107
Black, Jaue, lodging-house, Montpcllier Place, Nevill-street.
Ball, Thomas, porter dealer, do.
Ball, Mrs., milliner, &c., do.
Bootle, Ellen Ann, dressmaker, Waterloo Terrace, Promenade
Ball, William, Victoria Baths, do.
Baukes, Meyrick, Esq., Upper Sand-hill Cottages, King-stroet.
Ball, John, bather, do.
Ball, Mary, monthly nurse, West-street*
Ball, Hannah, dressmaker, do.
Ball, Mary, lodging-house, do.
Ball, James, boatman, do.
Ball, Martha, lodging-house, do.
Ball, Thomas, labourer, Upper Lords'-street.
Barton, Edward, pork butcher, London-street.
Barton, William, plasterer, Back London-street.
Ball, John, boatman, do.
Bell, Mrs., lodging-house, Hoghton-street.
Bamford, John, academy, do.
Bennett, Mr. Thomas George, gentleman, Sea-bank-rotd.
Ball, Thomas, shopkeeper, Manchester-road.
Bradley, Rev. Samuel, Clifton Cottage, Manchester-road.
Beaumont, Guilluame, academy, Heaton Mount, do.
Blundell, Mrs., gentlewoman, Beach Grove.
Bowness, Mrs., gentlewoman, Singleton Terrace.
Bradley, Henry Linaker, limeburner, Manchester-road.
Barrow, Mr. Edward, gentleman, do.
Blundell, Robert, labourer, do.
Ball, Richard, labourer, do.
Ball, John, laundry-keeper, do.
Ball, Peter, Southport and Liverpool carrier, do.
Ball, John, fisherman, Hawes-side.
Ball, Thomas, fisherman, do.
Ball, Peter, fisherman, do.
108
Bond, John, farmer, Row-lane.
Ball, James, carter and farmer, Row-lane.
Brookfield, James, labourer, Blowick.
Barton, Robert, labourer, Little London.
Ball, Richard, Southport and Liverpool carrier, do.
Bolton, Peter, bather, do.
Ball, Jane, beersellcr, South-hawcs.
Ball, John, labourer, do.
Ball, Mary, greengrocer, do.
Ball, John, farmer, do.
Ball, William, milkman and farmer, Trap-lane.
Ball, James, beerseller, do.
Ball, Henry, shoemaker, do.
Ball, Jabez, gardener, Snnttering-lane.
Ball, Gilbert, milkman, do.
Ball, Robert, grocer, do.
Cramp, Mrs., lodging-house, Victoria Terrace, Lords'-strect.
Cook, Miss, gentlewoman, Beach Hill, do.
Chambers, Miss, lodging-house, King's Buildings, do.
Carr, John, labourer, Union Place, do.
Carran, John, joiner, do.
Clayton, Mrs., gentlewoman, Green Lawn, do.
Catlin, Samuel, butcher, Wilson's Cottages, do.
Craven, Thomas, draper, Melling's Buildings, do.
Cattcrall, Thomas, draper, Linaker's Buildings, do.
dough, Charles, surgeon, do.
Collar, Mrs. Olive, gentlewoman, Pendleton Lodge, do.
Collins, Mr., gentleman, Union Buildings, do.
Coleman, John, draper, do.
Carr, James, labourer, Upper King-street.
Carr, John, labourer, do.
Carr, William, pork butcher, do.
Carr, Betty, do.
109
Carr, Thomas, tailor, East-bank-strect.
Carter, Henry, lodging-house, Sutlej Terrace, Promenade.
Comstive, John, tailor, Coronation-walk.
Curtis, William, shoemaker, West-street.
Coxhcad, James, labourer, do.
Crookall, Thomas, saddler, Bath-street.
Cotton, Grace, lodging-house, London-street.
Carr, Richard, labourer, Chapel-street.
Carruthers, Mrs., Tulketh-street.
Cunningham, Francis, ginger-beer manufacturer, Nev ill-street.
Chaffers, Miss, gentlewoman, Sea-bank-road.
Cooper, Singleton, gentleman, Manchester-road.
Cryer, Henry, builder, do.
Cadwell, James, blacksmith, do.
Culshaw, John, wheelwright, do.
Docker, Rev. William, incumbent of Christ's Church, Lords'-st.
Dean, Mrs., lodging-house, Richmond Hill, do.
Davey, Elizabeth, lodging-house, do.
Dale, Mrs., gentlewoman, do.
Dean, Mary, confectioner, do.
Dewhurst, James, butcher, do.
Docker, William, surgeon, do.
Dellcnny, Ann, lodging-house, Union Terrace, do.
Dean, Richard, painter, East-bank-street.
Drinkwater, James, lodging-house, Nevill-strcet,
Burden, Miss, gentlewoman, London-street.
Dixon, John, collector, Adelaide Cottages, Sca-bauk-road.
Dandy, Henry, weaver, Trap-lane.
Dandy, Richard, labourer, Upper King-street.
Ellershaw, Jane, lodging-house, Green Hill, Lords'-strcet.
Edmunds, Navini, lodging-house, Victoria Terrace, do.
Eccles, Ann, dressmaker, Rose Hill, do.
Evans, Catherine, staymakcr, do.
110
Eglen, Thomas, shopkeeper, Hampson's Terrace, Nevill-street.
Eglen, Mrs., lodging-house, Montpellier Place, do.
Edge, William, lodging-house, Promenade.
Evcleigh, Tabitha, seminary, Casino House, Lords'-strect.
Eccles, Mrs., lodging-house, Hill-street.
Eccles, Henry, farmer, South Houses.
Ellison, Richard, teacher of music, Ann's Villa, Loudon-at.
Frecknall, Miss, Gore's Terrace, Lords' -street.
Faircloiigh, Mrs., monthly nurse, Union Place, do.
Furber, Miss, gentlewoman, do.
Fogg, Mrs., lodging-house, do.
Fowden, Mrs. Catherine, gentlewoman, do.
Fisher, Jane, confectioner, do.
Forbes, Sophia, seminary, Union Terrace, do.
Forshaw, Richard, provision dealer, do.
Forshaw, Ann , lodging-house, Victoria Buildings, do.
France, Mrs. Elizabeth, gentlewoman, Claremont Terrace, do.
Fisher, Thomas, coachman, Nevill-street.
Fletcher, Giles, labourer, Upper King-street.
Fairhurst, James, engineer, West-street.
Fazackerley, William, ostler, East-bank-street.
Fleming, Ann, Bible depository, London-street.
Fletcher, Mrs., lodging-house, Sea-bank-road.
Formby, Mrs., gentlewoman, Manchester-road.
Greatbatch, Rev. George, Wilberforco Terrace, Lords'-street.
Gibson, Joseph, sawyer, Gore's Terrace, do.
Garside, Francis B., druggist and grocer, do.
Garside, Sarah, lodging-house, Rotunda, do.
Giindrod, Mrs. Mary, gentlewoman, Beaufort Cottage, do.
Gurnoy, Samuel, academy, West Hill.
Gilbert, Mr. Thomas, yeoman, Tennant's Cottage.
Grecnough, Ralph, Esq., magistrate, Belle Vue.
Gore, Mrs. Elizabeth, Gore's Cottage, Upper King-street.
Gregory, Mary, lodging-house, Union Buildings, Lords'-st.
HI
Gregory, Mary, toy dealer, Lords'-sticet.
Garside, Mary,- lodging-house, Nevill-street.
Graham, Jane, lodging-house, do.
Green, Miss, gentlewoman, Portico Cottages, King-street.
Gregory, Robert, bricklayer, Hoghton-street.
Gogin, Mrs. Ann, gentlewoman, Hill-street.
Gadsby, Ellen, seminary, Gothic House, Lords'-strcet.
Hesketh, Rev. Charles, Rectory.
Holt, Mrs., gentlewoman, Green Hill Cottages, Lords'-strcet.
Hey ward, William, joiner and builder, Cottage Ornee, do.
Hodge, William, lodging-house, King's Buildings, do.
Hilton, Mr?., lodging-bouse. King's Buildings, do.
Hesketh, George, tailor, Kent Cottage, do.
Huyton, Mary, dressmaker, Walker's Terrace, do.
Horseman, Ann, lodging-house, Gore's Terrace, Lords'-3treet.
Heaton, Mrs,, gentlewoman, Wellington Terrace, do.
Hudson, Mr. John, gentleman, do. do.
Harding, Miss, gentlewoman, do. do.
Hopwood, Mrs., gentlewoman, do. do.
Hargreaves, the Misses, lodging-house, Mansion House, do.
Howard, Mrs., lodging-house, Green Lawn, do.
Haigh, John, paper-hanger, Coronation Cottages, do.
Hodge, Mrs. Isabella, gentlewoman, do.
Holding, Alice, lodging-house, Trafalgar Terrace, do.
Hardman, Ann, washerwoman, Hill-street.
Hunt, James, Scarisbrick Arms Hotel, Lords'-street.
Heys, Henry, Esq., Burland's Buildings, do.
Hamilton, Mr, John, gentleman, Burland's Cottage, do.
Harrocks, Mr. John, gentleman, Victoria Cottage, do.
Halfey, John, Bold Arms Hotel, do.
Hewson, Mrs., gentlewoman, Clarcmont Terrace, do.
Holt, W. S., Esq., Castle Cottage.
Hurst, George, livery -stable keeper, Upper Kinj-jtrcet.
112
Hardman, Mrs., gentlewoman, do.
Hesketh, James, joiner, do.
Ilcsketli, Phoebe, dressmaker, do.
Hart, Hannah, beerseller, Coronation-walk.
Heaton, John, cowkeeper, do.
Hudson, Miss, lodging-house, do.
Hooton, William, labourer, East-bank-street.
Holt, John, tinman and brazier, do.
Hargreaves, Stanley, whitesmith, do.
Heys, Thomas, carter, do.
Hobson, John, gentleman, do.
Hankinson, Charles, tailor, Nevill-street.
Hampson, William, umbrella maker, do.
Hampson, Adam, joiner, do.
Hudson, John, teacher of music, do.
Hardman, James, agent for Morison's Pills, do.
Hargreaves, Mr. H., gentleman, Minshull Cottage, Promenade.
Halfey, John, jun., private hotel, Claremont House, do.
Hind, Miss, gentlewoman, Wellington Mount.
Howard, William, painter, King-street.
Hardman, Mr. Thomas, gentleman, Portico Cottages, do.
Holgate, Mr. Charles, gentleman, Sand-hill Cottages, do.
Halsall, Richard, gardener, West-street.
Halsall, William, bricklayer, do.
Hodge, Henry, fisherman, do.
Hodge, Peter, fisherman, Bath-street.
Hodgkinson, Elizabeth, lodging-house, London-street.
Hodgkinson, Thomas, schoolmaster, do.
Howard, William, donkey-chaise owner, Chapel-street.
Hodge, James, donkey-chaise owner, do.
Hill, Rev. John, St. Marie's Catholic Church, Sea-bank-road.
Healey, Margaret, lodging-house, do.
Harrison, Margaret, lodging-house, do.
113
Heslip, James, lodging-house, Union-street.
Heslip, Margaret, huckster, do.
Halsall, James, shoemaker and cowkeeper, do.
llodson, Joyce, dressmaker, Manchester-road.
Hodson, John, weaver, do.
Higson, Miss, gentlewoman, do.
Hargreaves, John, sen., Esq., Brunswick Cottage, do.
llargreaves, Johnjun., Esq., magistrate, Sea View House, do.
Houghton, William, wheelwright, Ash-lane.
Halsall, Peter, farmer, Little London.
Howard, Hugh, farmer, do.
Howard, Henry, donkey-chaise owner, do.
Howard, Alice, farmer, do.
Hodge, Thomas, weaver, do.
Howard, William, labourer, do.
Howard, James, gamekeeper, do.
Halsall, Richard, shoemaker, South-hawcs.
Hodge, Gilbert, donkey-chaise owner, do.
Irvine, Mrs., gentlewoman, Penketh Cottage, Lords'-street,
Ibbison, William, bazaar keeper, do.
Ingham, Mrs., sempstress, Hill-street.
Johnson, Mrs., lodging-house, Gore's Terrace, do.
Jesson, Mrs., lodging-house, Union Terrace, do.
Jones, William, lodging-house, Richmond Hill, do.
Johnson, Robert, printer and stationer, Visitcr Office, do.
Jolley, William, draper, do.
Jones, Mrs. Terrick, gentlewoman, Somerset Place, do.
Jones, Miss Ann, gentlewoman, Villa Ntiova, do.
Johnson, Mrs. Ellen, gentlewoman, Gregson's Terrace, do.
Johnson, William, basketmaker, Upper King-street.
Jump, Gilbert, bather, do.
Jump, John, farmer, do.
Jolley, William, dogger, do.
p
114
Jackson, Thomas, becrsellcr and fisherman, East-bank-street.
Jackson, James, fisherman, do.
Jackson, Richard, fisherman, do.
Jackson, William, jun., fisherman, do.
Johnson, William, blacksmith, do.
Jackson, William, sen., fishmonger, do.
Jackson, Ellen, shrimp dealer, do.
Jackson, Ralph, fisherman, do.
Jackson, Robert, fisherman, do.
Jackson, Peter, fisherman, West-street.
Jennings, Bridget, lodging-house, London-street.
Johnson, Richard, netmaker, Chapel-street.
Jackson, Peter, fisherman, do.
Jackson, Timothy, fisherman, West-street.
Jackson, John, Esq., Stanley Mount, Hoghton-street.
Jackson, Ann, washerwoman, Hill-street.
Johnson, Robert, cowkeeper, Sea-bank-road.
Jones, Henrietta, lodging-house, do.
Jackson, Rev. Jonathan, incumbent of Trinity Church.
Johnson, John, joiner, Hawes-side.
Johnson, Nicholas, labourer, Blowick.
Johnson, Peter, beerseller, Ash-lane.
Johnson, Thomas, bread baker, Little London.
Johnson, George, labourer, do.
Jackson, Thomas, farmer, do.
Johnson, Edward, farmer, Snuttering-lane.
Kewn , James, j oiner, do.
Kay, Adam, grocer, do.
Keen, Peter, bather, Upper King-street.
Keen, John, provision dealer, do.
Keen, William, Ormskirk carrier, Chapel-street.
Kidd, Mrs., gentlewoman, Hoghton-street.
Lawton, John, earthenware dealer, Lords'-strcet,
. 11")
Lccs, Samuel, Esq., magistrate, Martindale Lodge, Lords'-st.
Lawson, Ciusar, saddler, do.
Longton, James, surgeon, do.
Leigh, Ann, lodging-house, Blundell's Buildings, do.
Langshaw, Margaret, dressmaker, Claremont Cottage, do.
Lunt, Henry, flagger and slater, King's Buildings, do.
Lunt, John, labourer, Upper King-street.
Leyland, William, stonemason, East-bank-street.
Leigh, William, bricklayer, do.
Linaker, Jane, lodging-house, Montpellier Place, Nevill-st.
Leyland, Elizabeth, dressmaker, London-street.
Lutn, Mrs., gentlewoman, Singleton Terrace, Manchestcr-rd.
Livescy, Mr., gentleman, do.
Lawton, Mrs. Mary, gentlewoman, Manchester Place, do.
Lloyd, Robert, labourer, Back Lords'-street.
Lloyd, Peter, donkey-chaise owner, Hill-street.
Lloyd, George, carter, Hawes-side.
Lunt, Richard, sexton of Independent Chapel, Haww-side.
Leadbetter, John, weaver, do.
Lawson, Thomas, fisherman, do.
Lawson, Jane, lodging-house, do.
Morris, Thomas, Esq., Brunswick Villa, Manchester-road.
Mawdesley, Mrs. Ann, gentlewoman, Beach Hill, Lords'-st.
Marsh, Ann, lodging-house, Rose Hill, do.
Mallaliea, William, agent, Apsley Cottage, do.
Mather, Josiah, Union Hotel, Union Terrace, do.
M'Keand, Mrs., gentlewoman, Lark Hill, do.
Mills, John, St. Helen's coachman, Coronation Cottages, do.
Mercer, George, bootmaker, do.
Mawdsley, Wm., ironmonger, Kennington Cottage, do.
Mawdtley, Ilargreaves, watchmaker, do. do.
Mercer, William, tailor and draper, do.
Mcacock, Miss, gentlewoman, South Lawn, do.
Mathias, John Edward, surgeon, Beaufort Villas, do.
IK; -
Mawdcsley, James, draper, Lords' -street.
Morley, James, surgeon, Rotunda Cottage, do.
Mangnall, Mrs., gentlewoman, Beaufort Villas, do.
Mangnall, the Misses, seminary, do. da.
JMoore, Mrs., gentlewoman, Beaufort House, do.
Mason, Thomas, Esq., Beach Grove.
Mawdsley, Henry, plumber and painter, Chapel-street.
Marshall, John, labourer, Upper King-street.
Marshall, James, labourer, do.
Marshall, Agnes, charwoman, do.
Moorcroft, Edward, hat manufacturer, East-bank-street.
Molineux, James, shoemaker, do.
Moliueux, James, painter and glazier, do.
Musson, Jane, lodging-house, Nevill-street.
Mewis, Miss, lodging-house, Sutlej Terrace.
Moss, Mrs. Harriet, gentlewoman, Promenade.
Moss, Peter, beerseller, Back Lords'-street.
Monk, Mrs., lodging-house, London-street.
M'Farlane, Miss, gentlewoman, do.
Moore, Seth, whitesmith, Hill-street.
Mercer, Henry, shoemaker, Bold-street.
Marriner, William, coachman, Bold-street.
Milhon, Rev. James E., Independent minister, Maiichcster-rd.
Marshall, James, labourer, do.
Marshall, Thomas, labourer, Hawes-sido.
Marshall, Gilbert, farmer, South-hawes.
Newton, Robert, auctioneer, Nevill-street.
Newton, Mrs. Margaret, gentlewoman, Oxford Terrace, M-rd.
Nuttall, Mary, Mount Pleasant.
Newton, the Missus, do.
Nevill, John, tailor and upholsterer, Lords'-strcct.
Ncvill, William, tailor, do.
Nevill, Henry, plumber, Upper King-street.
117
Orton, Thomas, inspector of police, Chapel-street.
Osbaldeston, Mrs., gentlewoman, Hill-street.
Pennington, George, Richmond-hill.
Parkinson, Thomas, lodging-house, King's Buildings, Lords'-st.
Peck, Jane, lodging-house, Rose Hill, do.
Peers, Margaret, washerwoman, Upper King-street.
Pye, William, labourer, Mushroom Cottages, Lords'-street.
Parkinson, John, Original Hotel, do.
Flews, Mrs., Pembroke Cottage, do.
Phillips, Miss, seminary, Turville House, do.
Phillips, Rev. John, Spring Lodge, do.
Plumbe, John, auctioneer and house-painter, London-street.
Parkinson, Mrs. Ellen, gentlewoman, do.
Pownall, Joseph, tailor and cow-doctor, West-street.
Peacock, Thomas, coachman, Sea-bank-road.
Petitjean, Mr., gentleman, Pavilion, Lords'-strcet.
Penny, Miss Sarah B., gentlewoman, Mount Cambria, M.-rd.
Pennington, William, Esq., Green-bank Lodge, do.
Povah, Samuel, teacher, Daisy Bank, do.
Uimmer, Richard, porter dealer, Lords'-street.
Rigby, George, gentleman, Green Hill, do.
Riding, John, flour-dealer, . do.
Robinson, Francis Whitfield, letter-press printer, do.
Robinson, William, fisherman, do.
Royle, Mary, lodging-house, Doveridge House do.
Richardson, Alice, lodging-house, Victoria Buildings, do.
Richardson, George, tailor, Union Place.
Richardson, Francis, ale and porter dealer, Bold-street.
Rimmer, John, servant-man, Upper King-street.
Rimmer, Thomas, labourer, do.
Rimmer, Thomas, labourer, do.
Rimmer, William, beer-seller, do.
Rimmer, Thomas, bricklayer, do.
118
Rimmer, William, labourer, King-street.
llimmer, Robert, boatman, do.
Rimmer, Robert, bricklayer, Upper King-street.
Robinson, James, plasterer, Coronation-walk.
Rawcliffe, William, master of the life boat, East-bank-strcet.
Rawcliffe, Elizabeth, bread -baker, do.
Rimmer, Peter, do.
Rimmer, Thomas, master of infant school. do.
Richardson, John, beer-seller, do.
Rimmer, David, labourer, West-street.
Rimmer, Andrew, carpenter, do.
Roberts, Mrs., lodging-bouse, London-street.
Rigbye, Mrs., do. do.
Rigbye, Elizabeth, seminary, do.
Roth well, tho Misses, boarding-school, Chapel-street.
Roth well, Samuel, lodging-house, Hoghton-strcet.
Rimmer, James, shoemaker, Hoghton-court.
Rigby, William, gentleman, Hoghton-street.
Rimmer, James, bricklayer, Wright's Cottages, Hill-street.
Rogerson, Betty, lodging-house, Sea-bank-road.
Ramsbottom, Mrs. lodging-house, do.
Rigby, Miss, lodging-house, do.
Rimmer, James, labourer, Union-street.
Rimmer, James, beerseller, do.
Rimmer, Peter, labourer, Wignall's Cottages, Manchestcr-rd.
Rimmer, John, labourer, Mount Pleasant.
Rimmer, William, yeoman, Manchester-road.
Rigby, Timothy, fisherman, Hawes-sidc.
Rigby, John, do. do.
Rigby, John, sen., do. do.
Rigby, William, do. do.
Rimmcr, Richard, do. do.
Rigby, Thomas, do. do.
119
Rimmer, Richard, jun., Row-lane.
Rimmer, John, farmer, do.
R'obinsonj Robert, fisherman, Upper King-street.
Rawcliffe, Richard, labourer, East-bank-strcet.
Rimmer, John, farmer, Row-laue.
Rimmer, John, farmer, do.
Rimmer, Nicholas, labourer, Blowick.
Rimmer, Thomas, labourer, Little London.
Rimmer, John, fisherman, do.
Rimmer, William, do. do.
Robinson, Richard, do. do.
Robinson, Richard, do. do.
Rimmer, John, do. do.
Robinson, Widow, do.
Rigby, Richard, do. do.
Rimmer, James, labourer, do.
Rimmer, Thomas, fisherman, do.
Rimmer, James, labourer, Trap-lane.
Rimmer, Robert, grocer, do.
Rimmer, John, husbandman, do.
Rimmer, James, farmer, do.
Rimmer, James, labourer, Snuttering-lane,
Rimmer, John, do.
Sedgwick, Miss, gentlewoman, Wellington Terrace.
Slack, Miss Harriet, gentlewoman, Rose Hill, Lords'-street.
Shufflebotham, Alice, confectioner, do.
Sawyer, John, hair-dresser, do.
Smethurst, Miss, lodging-house, Pembroke Place.
Smith, Bennett, coal merchant, Gregson's Terrace.
Southwell, William, labourer, Upper King-street.
Spencer, Miss, East-bank-street.
Salthouse, John, Victoria Hotel, Promenade.
Smallshaw, William, bricklayer, Back Lords'-stroet.
120
Sherrington, Thomas, lodging-house, London-street.
Seddon, Miss, seminary, do.
Seddon, Ralph, joiner, Hoghton-street.
Seddon, Mrs., dressmaker, do.
Sutton, Mr. William, gentleman, Hill-street.
Smith, Mary, lodging-house, Sea-bank-road.
Sturges, Edward, lodging-house, Union-street.
Southworth, Thomas, green grocer, Hawes-side.
Spencer, William, fisherman, do.
Sourbutts, Thomas, farmer, Row-lane.
Sawyer, William, weaver, Little London.
Sawyer, Richard, labourer, do.
Salisbury, Betty, laundress, Trap-lane.
Seed, Edward, coachman, Coronation Cottages, Lords'-strect.
Smith, Betty, lodging-house, Union Buildings, do.
Shufflebotham, Daniel, draper, do.
Scott, James, cabinet-maker, do.
Todhunter, Fanny, grocer, do.
Todd, Mr. Richard, gentleman, King's Buildings, do.
Thompson, William, ale and porter dealer, Gore's Terrace, do.
Tillotson, the Misses, dressmakers, Coronation Cottages, do.
Tyrer, William, grocer, do.
Taylor, Miss Mary, gentlewoman, Claremont Terrace, do.
Temple, Joseph, bootmaker, West-street.
Turner, Richard, bricklayer, Hulme's Cottages, Upper King-st.
Taylor, Mr. Daniel, Coronation Walk.
Tomlinson, John, tailor, do.
Taylor, James, blacksmith, East-bank-street.
Turner, John, bricklayer, do.
Towers, John, wheelwright, Richmond Hill.
Tennant, Mrs. Mary, gentlewoman, Nevill-strect.
Turnley, Mr. John, gentleman, Promenade.
Taylor, Robert, gardener, Back Lords'-street.
121
Tunstall, Richard, coachman, Sea-bank-road.
Thomas, Mrs., seminary, Peters'-street.
Todd, Thomas, beerseller, Mount Pleasant.
Todd, Thomas, bread-baker, Manchester-road.
Threlfall, Richard, labourer, do.
Todd, John, farmer, Row-lane.
Tyrer, Richard, boarding-school, do.
Todd, James, bread-baker, Little London.
Threlfall, James, farmer, do.
Threlfall, William, weaver, Hawes-side.
Vicars, Mrs., gentlewoman, Sea-bank-road.
Walker, William, Esq., Lawn Cottage, Lords'-street.
Wright, Robert, plumber, do.
Walker, Mr. Thomas, gentleman, Walker's Terrace, do.
Wareing, Miss Ann, Gore's Terrace, do.
Wright, Richard, surveyor, Union Place, do.
Walker, John, Esq., Tivoli Cottage, do.
Wheater, John, painter, do.
Whitehead, James, earthenware dealer, do.
Wright, John, provision dealer, do.
Wignall, Martha, ironmonger and post-mistress, do.
Walker, John, shoemaker, do.
Walker, E. H., Esq., Cleveland Cottage, do.
Walker, W. H., chemist and druggist, do.
Worthington, Mrs. Ann, gentlewoman, Burland's Bldgs., do.
Walls, Mr. John, gentleman, Rotunda Villa, do.
Walls, John, junior, attorney's clerk, do. do.
Walker, Susannah, lodging-house, Blundell's Buildings, do.
Wareiog, Elizabeth, lodging-house, do. do.
Wales, Mrs., gentlewoman, Pembroke Place, do.
Woodcock, Thomas, Esq., Willow Grove.
Wright, James, farmer, Upper King-street.
Watson, Miss, lodging-house, Coronation-walk.
122
Whiteley, Samuel, wine merchant, Coronation-walk.
Whinney, George, labourer, West-street.
Wright, William, boatman, East-bank-street.
Williams, Mrs. and the Misses, seminary, do.
Watkinson, Henry, labourer, do.
Warburton, Henry, cabinet-maker, East-barik-street.
Woods, Thomas, sawyer, do.
Welsby and Johnson, solicitors, Nevill-street.
Wilson, Elizabeth, bookseller, do.
Wilkinson, Mrs. lodging-house, Waterloo Terrace, Promenade
Walpole, William, stay-maker, Back Lords'-street.
Waterhouse, Mrs., do.
Whitehead, Thomas, solicitor, London-street.
Waterhouse, John, Hoghton Arms Hotel, do.
Wright, Ann, dressmaker, Tulketh-street.
Webster, Sarah, do., do.
Wright, Richard, builder, Hoghton-street.
Wright, George, butcher, Hill-street.
Wilkinson, David, shoemaker, Wright's Cottage, Sea-bank-rd.
Whittaker, Thomas, sawyer, Ball's Cottage, do.
Whitehead, Mrs., gentlewoman, Sea-bank-road.
Worthington, John, auctioneer's clerk, Union -street.
Walton, Mr. John, gentleman, Elm Cottage.
Walker, the Misses, Singleton Terrace.
Wignall, Thomas, farmer, Manchester Place.
Wetherall, Miss, gentlewoman, do.
Walmsley, Mrs., gentlewoman, Yates' Cottages, Manch.-rd.
Wignall, William, beerseller, Manchester-road.
Wright, John, green-grocer, Hawes-side.
Wright William, weaver, do.
Wright, Peter, labourer, do.
Wright, William, fisherman, do.
Wright, Peter, do. do.
123
Winder, John, fisherman, Little London.
Wright, Robert, labourer, do.
Wright, John, fisherman, South-hawes.
Wright, William, do. do.
Wright, Henry, do. do.
Wright, William, do. do.
Wright, Robert, do. do.
Wood, James, boot and shoe warehouse, Lords'-street.
Wood, John, hostler, King-street.
Winrow, John, tinman, East-bank-street.
Wilson, Margaret, milliner, Lords'-street.
Wain, James, tea dealer, do.
Younghusband, William, druggist, King's Buildings, do.
PRINTED By R. JOHNSON, VI8ITER OFFICE, SOUTHfORT.
NOTICE.
In page 17, line 3, for the present King of the French,
read the ex-King of the French ; for scarcely had we re-
corded one of his adventures in his first exile, than his throne
tottered, his dynasty was at an end, and he was again in
England, a second time an exile.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
Los Angeles
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.
>-42-8,'49(B5573)444
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