COSTUMES, COUNTRY, RIVERS, AND SEA.
The history of the dresses and costumes of the inhabitants of the
Fylde is interesting not only on account of the multifarious changes
and peculiarities which it exhibits, but also as a sure indication of
the progress in civilisation, wealth, and taste, made in our section
at different eras. To Julius Cæsar we are indebted for our earliest
knowledge of the scanty dress worn by the aborigines of this district,
and from that warrior it is learnt that a slight covering of roughly
prepared skins, girded about the loins, and the liberal application of
a blue dye, called woad, to the rest of the body constituted the sole
requisites of their primitive toilets. Cæsar conjectures that the juice
or dye of woad was employed by the people to give them a terror-striking
aspect in battle, but here he seems to have fallen into error, for the
wars engaged in by the Setantii would be confined to hostilities with
neighbouring tribes, stained in a similar manner, and it is scarcely
reasonable to suppose that either side would hope to intimidate the other
by the use of a practice common to both. A more probable explanation
of the custom is, that it was instituted for the ornamental qualities
it possessed in the eyes of the natives. Such a view is supported
by the remarks of Solinus, a Roman author, who informs us that the
embellishments usually consisted of the figures of animals, “which grew
with the growth of the body”; and from this it is evident that before
the frame had arrived at maturity, in either youth or childhood, the
skin was subjected to the painful and laborious process of tattooing,
for such according to Isidore, appears to have been the nature of the
operation. The latter asserts that the staining was accomplished by
squeezing out the juice of the plant on to the skin, and puncturing it
in with sharp needles. When the Romans established a station at Kirkham,
and opened out the Fylde by means of a good road-way to the coast, the
Setantii modified their wild uncultivated habits, and, taking pattern
from the more civilised garb of their conquerors, adopted a covering
for the lower limbs, called _brachæ_, hence the modern breeches, whilst
many of the chiefs were not long before they strutted about in all the
pride of a _toga_, or gown. About four hundred years later, when the
Anglo-Saxons had taken possession of the soil of the Fylde, and had
either appropriated the deserted settlements and renamed them, or reared
small and scattered groups of dwellings of their own, a marked change
became visible in the nationality, character, and costumes of the people.
No longer the semi-civilised and half-clad Briton was lord of the domain,
but the more refined Saxon with his linen shirt, drawers, and stockings,
either of linen or woollen, and bandaged crosswise from the ankle to the
knee with strips of leather; over these a tunic of the same material as
the stockings was thrown, and reached as low as the knees, being plain or
ornamented according to the means or rank of the wearer. This garment was
open at the neck and for a short distance over the chest; the sleeves,
extending to the wrists, were generally tight, and a girdle frequently,
but not universally, confined the gown round the waist. In addition a
small cloak was worn for out-door purposes over the tunic, and fastened
on the breast or shoulder with brooches or clasps. The shoes of the Saxon
settlers were open down the instep, where they were laced or tied with
two thongs. Even the very lowest of the population, although poverty
might reduce them to miserable straits, seldom, if ever, went barefooted.
Caps, on the contrary, were not in great request, and rarely to be seen,
unless on the heads of some of the more affluent. Our female ancestors at
that era were habited in a close-fitting dress, falling to the feet and
furnished with tight sleeves, reaching as far as the wrists, over which
was placed a shorter gown with loose open sleeves. Their head-dress was
simply a strip of linen of sufficient length to wrap round the temples
and fall on the neck. Amongst the wealthiest of the nation a flowing
mantle, ornaments of precious metal, and sable, beaver, and fox furs
were common, but the inhabitants of the Fylde, being of less exalted
social standing, were obliged to content themselves with the skins of
lambs and cats by way of adornment. The inferior farm servants, called
serfs, amongst whom many of the vanquished Britons would be classed,
were seldom indulged by their masters with more than a coat, a pair of
drawers, and sandals, the shirt, we presume, being deemed ill suited to
their positions of servitude and dependence.
The colonisation of the Danes, whatever effect it may have had upon the
habits and condition of the people, exercised no lasting influence upon
their dress, and it was not until half a century after the Norman baron,
Roger de Poictou, had parcelled out the land amongst his tenants, that
the bulk of the males were induced, by the example of the new-comers, to
display their taste in the choice of a head-covering. Many varieties were
daily open to their inspection on the brows of the Norman landholders
and servants, but the diffidence, let us hope, of the now humbled Saxons
suggested the adoption of an exceedingly plain flat species of bonnet,
which speedily became the common cap of the district. The ladies,
however, with a greater aptitude for rising superior to disappointment
and affliction, were not dilatory in benefitting by the superior style
of the fair partners of their conquerors, and soon, putting aside all
semblance of depression, appeared in long cuffs, hanging to the ground
from their upper dress sleeves and tied in a large knot; their kerchiefs,
also, whose modest proportions had formerly served only to encircle the
forehead, were now extravagantly lengthened and fastened in a similar
manner. As years rolled on and fashion began to assert her sway with
a greater show of authority, the shoes of the men underwent certain
changes, becoming more neat in workmanship and having the toes somewhat
elongated and pointed, whilst the richer of the gentry, chiefly Normans,
wore short boots reaching a little distance up the calf. In the early
part of the thirteenth century the female head-dresses consisted of
nets, made from various materials, in which the hair was confined; and
the trains of the gowns were lengthened. Later in the same era cowls
or hoods, twisted and pinned in fanciful shapes, adorned the heads of
the ladies, and formed the main feature of their walking costumes.
Aprons also came up at that period. The dress of the men underwent
no alteration of any moment until the first half of the fourteenth
century, when the manorial lords of the neighbourhood, and others of
the inhabitants, discarded the cloaks and tunics of their forefathers,
and substituted in their stead a close-fitting outer garment of costly
and handsome material, scarcely covering the hips, immediately above
which it was surrounded by a girdle. The sleeves usually terminated at
the elbows, and from there long white streamers depended, whilst the
sleeves of an under dress reached to the wrists, and were ornamented
with rows of buttons. A long cape and cowl was the general overcoat.
The most characteristic dress of the ladies was a habit cut away at the
sides so as to expose the under skirt, which was invariably of rich and
fine texture. The long white streamers, just alluded to, were part of
the female as well as the male attire, and the borders of the habit were
bound with fur or velvet. We may mention that an English beau of that
era wore long pointed shoes, the toes of which were connected with the
knees by gold or silver chains, a long stocking of different colour on
each leg, short trowsers, barely extending to the middle of the thigh, a
coat, half of which was white and the other blue or some equally bright
colour, and a silken hood or bonnet, fastened under the chin, embroidered
with grotesque figures of animals, and occasionally decked with gold and
precious stones. Lest, however, the reputations of our ancestors should
suffer in the eyes of the present generation from the existence in their
age of the absurdity here pictured, it is our duty and pleasure to assure
all readers that such parodies on manhood were strictly confined to the
populous cities, and that there is no probability of even a solitary
specimen ever having desecrated the modest soil of the Fylde.
During the greater portion of the succeeding cycle of a hundred years
a species of cloth turban was much in favour amongst the male sex of
the middle and upper classes, from one side of which a length of the
same material hung down below the waist, and was either thrust between
the girdle and the coat, or wrapped round the neck as a protection from
cold. Faces were cleanly shaved, and hair cut as close to the scalp as
possible; hitherto, from about the date of the first arrival of the
Normans, the practice had been to allow the latter to grow long and to
wear the beard. The hose were long and tight. The boots were either
short, or reached half-way up the thighs, both kinds being long toed.
Occasionally a single feather relieved the plainness of the turban-shaped
cap. The ordinary dress of the gentlewomen was a full trained robe
or gown, made high in the neck, and sometimes, with a fur or velvet
turn-over collar, its folds at the short-waist being confined by means of
a simple band and buckle. Coiffures were mostly heart-shaped, but in some
rare instances horned. The sleeves of the above costume were, shortly
after its institution, lengthened and widened to a ridiculous extent.
Towards the end of the particular era of which we are writing trains
were discontinued, and broad borders of fur substituted, whilst round
tapering hats, two feet in height, with loose kerchiefs floating from the
apex, came much into favour. The last few years of the fifteenth and the
earliest ones of the sixteenth centuries were marked by great changes
in the male attire; the Butlers, Cliftons, Carletons, Westbys, Allens,
Molyneux, and many others of the gentry of the neighbourhood, figured
at that period in fine shirts of long lawn, embroidered with silk round
the collar and wristbands, a doublet with sleeves open at the elbows to
allow the shirt to protrude, a stomacher, over which the doublet was
laced; a long gown or cloak, with loose or hanging sleeves and broad
turn-over collar of fur or velvet; long hose or stockings; broad-toed
shoes for ordinary use, and high boots, reaching to the knees, for riding
purposes; and broad felt hats, or variously shaped caps of fur or velvet,
adorned with ostrich or other feathers. The hair was permitted to grow
enormously long and fall down the back and over the shoulders, but the
face was still cleanly shaved, with the exception of military and aged
persons, who wore mustaches or beards. The wives and daughters, belonging
to such families as those alluded to, were habited in upper garments, cut
square at the neck, and stomachers, belts, and buckles, or costly girdles
with long pendants in front. The sleeves were slit at the elbows in a
manner similar to those of the men. High head-dresses were abandoned,
and a cap or caul of gold net or embroidery, which allowed the hair to
flow beneath it half way to the ground, took their place. Turbans, also,
were fashionable for a brief season. The females of a humbler sphere
wore plain grey cloth gowns, ornamented with lambs’ skin or wool, and
cloaks of Lincoln green; the appearance of such an one upon a holiday is
described by Skelton, the laureate of Henry VII., as under:—
“Her kirtle bristow red,
With cloths upon her head,
They weigh a ton of lead.
She hobbles as she goes,
With her blanket hose,
Her shoone smeared with tallow.”
In the following reign, the commonalty, in imitation of the example set
by the resident squires in this and other parts of the kingdom, became
so extravagant in their ideas of suitable habiliments that Henry VIII.
issued an edict, prohibiting them from wearing ornaments of even the
most simple description, and confining them to the use of cloth at a
certain fixed price, and lambs’ fur only. At the same time, velvets of
any colour, furs of martens, chains, bracelets, and collars of gold
were allowed only to those who possessed an income of not less than two
hundred marks per annum; but the sons and heirs of such were permitted
to wear black velvet or damask, and tawny-coloured russet or camlet.
None but those in the yearly receipt of one hundred marks could venture
on satin or damask robes. The dress which may be taken as the most
characteristic garb under the sovereignty of the last Henry and of his
two immediate successors, comprised a doublet with long bases, or skirts,
and extensive sleeves, over which was thrown a short cloak, provided with
armholes for the passage of the doublet sleeves. The cloak had a wide
rolling collar, made of velvet, fur, or satin, according to taste. The
shirt was plaited, and embroidered with gold, silver, or silk. The hose
were closely fitted to the limb, being in some cases long and entire,
and in others divided, under the names of the upper and nether stocks.
Slashed shoes, or buskins of velvet and satin, with broad toes, and a cap
of one of sundry forms, either simply bordered, or laden with feathers,
completed the costume of every male member of the numerous families
inhabiting the ancient halls of this section. Sir Walter Scott, who is
generally allowed to have been pretty correct in the costumes of his
heroes and minor characters, has described the appearance of a yeoman of
our county about the middle of the sixteenth century as follows:—
“He was an English yeoman good,
And born in Lancashire.
...
His coal-black hair, shorn round and close,
Set off his sun-burnt face;
Old England’s sign, St. George’s cross,
His barret-cap did grace;
His bugle horn hung from his side,
All in a wolf-skin baldric tied;
And his short falchion, sharp and clear,
Had pierced the throat of many a deer.
His kirtle, made of forest green,
Reached scantly to his knee;
And at his belt, of arrows keen
A furbished sheaf bore he.”
Shortly after the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1558, remarkable
alterations became evident in the fashions of the inhabitants. The skirts
of the doublet were reduced to much smaller dimensions, so as thoroughly
to expose the upper stocks, which, under the new title of trunk-hose, had
risen to a very important place in the toilet. French trunk-hose were the
first to render themselves conspicuous in our locality, and consisted of
two varieties, the former of which were short, round, and full, becoming,
in fact, in course of time, so swollen by padding that their use was
abandoned by universal consent; and the second variety, going to the
other extreme and fitting tightly to the limb, introduced. The next to
arrive were the Gallic hose, very large and wide, and extending to the
knee only; after which came the Venetian hose, reaching below the knee to
the garter, where they were secured with silken bands. The trunk-hose,
of every kind, were made of silk, velvet, satin, or damask. The nether
stocks, or stockings, were of jarnsey, thread, fine yarn, and later, of
silk, whilst the shoes partook more of the nature of slippers, and were
variously decorated. Ruffs encircled the necks of the males as well as
the females. Above the doublet was worn in the Spanish style a cloak of
silk, velvet, or taffeta, and of a red, black, green, yellow, tawny,
russet, or violet colour, many being bordered with long glass beads.
Hats were conical and high, flat and broad, and flat and round, but in
all cases were made of velvet or sarcenet, and ornamented with bunches
of feathers. The robes of the ladies, made of bright-coloured velvet,
silk, or fine cloth, had both tight and wide sleeves, and were branched
or opened at the front of the skirt to expose the handsome petticoat
beneath. The farthingale distended the dresses of our female ancestry
from just below the bodice or stomacher, in a manner that few, we opine,
of the fair sex would care to see revived at the present day. The ruff
was of cambric or lawn, and when first introduced, moderate in its
proportions, but like many other fashions of that epoch, became enlarged
into an absurdity as years passed on. The hair of the ladies was curled,
crisped, and arranged with most elaborate care; indeed, so curious and
changeable were the coiffures that it would be tedious to our readers
to offer more than this general description of them. Capes falling but
a short way beyond the shoulders, and faced with fringe or velvet,
were also worn. The costume of the gentlewomen during the seventeenth
century, if the sombre garbs of the Roundhead families be excepted,
consisted of an upper gown, which comprised a bodice and short skirt,
the former being open over a laced stomacher, and the latter divided
anteriorly, and its sides drawn back and looped up behind; a petticoat
or under-dress, of expensive material, reaching to the ground; a yellow
starched neckerchief, overspreading the shoulders and terminating on the
bosom in two pointed ends; and a high crowned hat, beneath which long
ringlets escaped and flowed down the back. The peasant girls or female
farm servants had plain dresses, falling to the ankles, and usually
tight sleeves and aprons. The bodices of some were open to the waist,
but the stomachers, although laced, were of a very inferior kind, and
the starched neckerchiefs were wanting. The gentlemen of the Fylde were
influenced in their choice of garments according as their sympathies
were with the King or Parliament, but there can be little question that
in a locality so staunchly loyal as our own, the picturesque garb of the
Cavaliers would predominate over the affectedly modest and plain attire
of the partizans of Cromwell. The existence on the soil of such men as
Sir Thomas Tyldesley, Thomas Singleton of Staining Hall, Thomas Hesketh
of Mains Hall, who laid down their lives in the service of the crown,
and numbers of others, who drew the sword in the cause of the throneless
monarch, are fair evidence that the above conjecture is not hazarded
without good reason. A doublet of silk, satin, or velvet, with large
wide sleeves slashed up the front; a collar covered by a band of rich
point lace, with Vandyke edging; a short cloak, thrown on one shoulder;
short trousers, fringed and reaching to the wide tops of the high boots;
a broad-leaved Flemish beaver hat, with a plume of feathers and band;
and a sword belt and rapier, constituted the full costume of a Cavalier.
Instead of the velvet doublet, a buff coat, richly laced, and encircled
by a broad silk or satin scarf, fastened in a bow, was substituted when
the inhabitants were under the excitement produced by actual war, in
which so many took part. The hair, it should be mentioned, was worn long
by the Cavaliers, and closely cropped by the Roundheads, whose dress
offers no special features to our notice.
In the earlier part of last century the occupiers of Layton, Lytham,
Fox, Burn, Mains, Rawcliffe, Rossall, Larbrick, etc., Halls, and others
of equal social standing, who formed the gentry of the Fylde, and who
consequently must be taken as our mirror of fashion, were clothed in
straight square-cut waistcoats, extending to the knees, and of very
gorgeous patterns; velvet breeches fastened below the knees; long silk
stockings; buckled shoes, with high red heels; periwigs of monstrous
size; hats, cocked on three sides; long lace neckerchiefs; and lastly,
but far from the least important, a coat of rich material, having long
stiff skirts and wide cuffs, turned back and adorned with gold or silver
lace. The ladies had laced stomachers beneath a bodice with straight
sleeves, ending at the elbow in moderately wide cuffs. The skirt of the
dress was divided in front and looped up behind, disclosing a petticoat
equalling or surpassing the richness of the upper garment, and trimmed
with flounces and furbelows. The boots resembled those just described,
but were more delicate in workmanship. The head-dress was composed of a
species of cap, the lace material of which rose in three or four tiers,
placed one above another, almost to a point, whilst the hair was brushed
up and arranged in stiff curls, somewhat resembling a pyramid. This
coiffure had only a brief reign, and was superseded by one less exalted,
and of more elegant appearance. Hoops were introduced about 1720, and
thirty years later silk aprons and gipsy straw hats, or small bonnets,
were worn. In 1765 periwigs were discarded, and the natural hair was
allowed to grow, being profusely sprinkled with powder, both by males and
females. The country people were habited in long, double-breasted coats,
made from frieze or homespun, and of a dark brown, grey, or other quiet
shade; a light drugget waistcoat, red shag or plush breeches, and black
stockings. There is no necessity to trace the costumes of our ancestors
further than the point here reached, as their varieties present few
phases of special interest, and probably the most striking are already
sufficiently familiar to our readers. A sure, though somewhat unsteady,
decline was shortly inaugurated in the sumptuous and elaborate dresses
of the people, which continued its course of reform until the more
economical and unostentatious dress of modern days had usurped the place
of the showy habiliments of the eighteenth century.
THE COUNTRY or district of the Fylde may be briefly described as broad
and flat, for although in many places it is raised in gentle undulations,
no hill of any altitude is to be seen upon its surface. The fertility of
its soil has long been acknowledged, and a visit to its fruitful fields
during the warm months of summer would disclose numbers of rich acres
yellow with the ripening grain, while potatoe and bean-fields, meadow
and pasture-lands, orchards and fruit gardens, are scattered over the
wide area. Our design in the present instance is not, however, to enlarge
upon these cultivated features, but to notice some of the more striking
natural peculiarities, and to arrange in a classified list sundry of the
rarer wild plants growing in the neighbourhood, enumerating also the
different birds and sea-fowl, which are either natives or frequenters of
the locality.
The features most calculated by their singularity to attract the
attention of the stranger on surveying this division of the county are
the moss-lands, the sand-hills, the mere at Marton, and the stunted
appearance and inclination from the sea of those trees situated anywhere
in the vicinity of the coast.
The great moss of the Fylde lies in the township of Marton, and extends
six miles from north to south, and about one mile from east to west. On
examining the structure of this moss, below the coarse herbage covering
its surface, is discovered a substance called peat, brown and distinctly
fibrous at its upper part, but becoming more and more compact as we
descend, until at the bottom is presented a firm, dark-coloured, or even
black mass, betraying less evidence, in some cases barely perceptible,
of its fibrous formation. Beneath the peaty layer is a thick bed of
clay, having imbedded in it, either partially or wholly, large trunks of
trees—oak, yew, fir, etc., which, by their frequency and arrangement,
show that at some period the extensive tract must have been a dense
woodland, but at what particular era it is impossible, with any degree
of exactness, to determine. The disinterment, however, of certain Celtic
relics from the substance of the peat, which may be supposed to have
belonged to the aboriginal Britons of the section, inclines us to the
opinion that the lower layers of the moss were formed, and consequently
the forest overthrown, anterior to the Roman occupation of our island,
but how long before that time it was standing, must remain purely a
matter of conjecture, unless some reliable proofs of its more precise
antiquity are disclosed during operations in the turf. The manner in
which the demolition of the forest was effected is also somewhat wrapt
in obscurity, although it is probable that the noble trees of which it
was composed were overturned and uprooted by the fury of some wide-spread
inundation or the violence of some terrific hurricane. The fearful
devastations, both or either of the elements here brought into action
can accomplish, are too well marked in the histories of other countries
for us to hesitate in ascribing to them the power of overthrowing, under
similar turbulent conditions, even so substantial an obstruction as the
forest must have been; but a careful study of the locality and of the
several sudden incursions of the tide which have occurred during recent
years, leads to the belief that the sea was the chief destructive agent,
and that the gale which hurled the raging volumes of water over the
low-lying lands at the south of Blackpool, and the then level wooded
tract beyond, assisted only in the ruinous work. In support of such
a hypothesis may be instanced the flood of 1833, when a tide, only
estimated to rise to a height of sixteen feet, but greatly swollen by
a furious storm from the south-west, burst over at that spot, swept
away several dwelling-houses in its course, battered down the hedges,
and laid waste the fields far into the surrounding country. Had this
inundation occurred during the high spring tides, it is impossible to
say to what extent its ravages might have been carried, but the incident
as it stands, being within the recollection of many still living, and
by no means a solitary example of the usual direction taken by the
storm-driven waves, furnishes an apt illustration of the most natural
way in which the downfall of the forest may have been accomplished. The
Rev. W. Thornber, who has bestowed much time and labour on the subject,
says:—“There are some facts that will go far to prove that these forests,
once standing on Marton Moss, were overthrown by an inundation of the
sea, viz., every tree on the Moss, as well as the Hawes, lies in a
south-eastern direction from the shore; and the bank, which appears
to have been the extent of this irruption, commencing at the Royal
Hotel, runs exactly in the same direction. The shells, similar to those
collected on the shore, intermixed with wrack of the sea, which are found
in abundance under the peat, also corroborate this supposition. Moreover
the tide is constantly depositing a marine silt similar to that which
lies beneath the peat, and in some instances upon it.”
The wreck of such a vast number of trees would cause a great but gradual
alteration in the surface of the ground. The masses of fallen timber,
blocking up the streamlets and obstructing drainage, would create a more
or less complete stagnation of water upon the land; the bark, branches,
and leaves undergoing a process of decay would form the deepest layers
of the peat; rank herbage and aquatic plants springing up and dying in
endless succession, would form annual accumulations of matter, which in
course of time would also be assimilated into peat, and in this manner
the moss overlaying the original clayey surface and burying the ancient
forest, would grow step by step to its present dimensions. Again, each
layer of peat, as they were successively formed, would press upon those
beneath, so that the weight of its own increase would give firmness and
solidity to the substance of the moss. Thus we see that the whole secret
of the creation or formation of the moss is simply a process of growth,
decay, and accumulation of certain vegetable products annually repeated.
The huge moss of Pilling and Rawcliffe owes its existence to similar
phenomena.
The large mounds, or star-hills as they are called, which undulate the
coast line from Lytham to South-Shore, are composed simply and purely
of sand, covered over with a coarse species of herb, bearing the name
of star-grass. Similar eminences at one time occupied the whole of the
marine border of the Fylde, but in many places the encroaching tide has
not only annihilated the hills themselves, but even usurped their sites.
The town of Fleetwood is erected on a foundation of sand, and several
extensive mounds of that nature exist in its vicinity. Below this light
superficial substance, in some places very deep and thrown into its
elevated forms by the long-continued action of the wind, is a subsoil
resembling that found in other parts of the Fylde, and consisting of
a clayey loam and alluvial matter. The diminutive size of those trees
growing near the coast is due both to the openness and bleakness of the
site, and the deleterious effects of the saline particles contained in
the air; whilst the peculiar leaning from the water of their branches,
and in many instances their trunks, is caused by the mechanical action
or pressure of the strong winds and sea breezes prevailing from the west
during three-fourths of the year.
Marton Mere, situated in the township indicated by its name, was formerly
a lake of no inconsiderable extent, but drainage and the accumulation
within its basin of sediment have reduced it to its present comparatively
unimportant dimensions. Traces of the more extensive boundaries of the
sheet of water in former days are still discernible along its banks,
and at one time, it is stated, the wheel of a water-mill near to the
village of Great Marton, was turned by a stream from the mere. The right
of fishery in the lake, for such it was in the earlier periods, was the
subject of legal contest in the reign of Edward III., and in 1590 John
Singleton, of Staining Hall, held the privilege.
There are few districts of similar area which can boast so many and
such interesting varieties of the feathered tribes, either natives or
visitants, as the Fylde. Some of the rarest sea-fowl are occasionally
seen along the coasts, while the fields and hedgerows abound with most
of the melodious songsters of our island. Amongst the number of both
land and sea birds which have been observed in the neighbourhood, either
during the whole year or only in certain parts of it, may be mentioned
the following:—
ORDER—RAPTORES OR RAPACIOUS BIRDS.
FALCONIDÆ OR FALCON FAMILY.
Tinnunculus Alaudarus Kestrel Common
Accipiter Nisus Sparrow Hawk Common
Circus ceruginosus Moor Buzzard Very rare
Strix flammea Barn Owl Common
Otus vulgaris Long-eared Owl Common
Otus brachyotus Short-eared Owl Common
ORDER—PASSERES OR PERCHERS.
HIRUNDINIDÆ OR SWALLOW FAMILY.
Hirundo rustica Common Swallow Common
Cotyle riparia Sand Martin Common
Chelidon urbica House Martin Common
LUSCINIDÆ OR WARBLER FAMILY.
Sylvia undata Whitethroat Common
Sylvia trochilus Willow Warbler Rare
Sylvia curruca Lesser Whitethroat Common
Sylvia sibilatrix Wood Warbler Rare
Calamodyta phragmitis Sedge Warbler Rare
Saxicola ænanthe Wheatear Common
Pratincola rubetra Whinchat Common
Pratincola rubicola Stonechat Rare
Ruticilla phœnicura Redstart Rare
Parus major Great Titmouse Common
Parus cæruleus Blue Titmouse Common
Parus caudatus Long-tailed Titmouse Rare
Parus ater Cole Titmouse Rare
Motacilla Yarrellii Pied Wagtail Common
Motacilla sulphurea Yellow Wagtail Common
Motacilla campestris Grey Wagtail Rather rare
Anthus pratensis Meadow Titlark Common
Anthus arboreus Tree Titlark Rare
Regulus cristatus Golden-crested Wren Rare
Regulus ignicapillus Fire-crested Wren Very rare
TURDIDÆ OR THRUSH FAMILY.
Turdus musicus Song Thrush Very common
Turdus viscivorus Missel Thrush Common
Turdus pilaris Fieldfare Common
Turdus iliacus Redwing Rather rare
Turdus merula Blackbird Common
Turdus torquatus Ring Ousel Rather rare
LANIIDÆ OR SHRIEK FAMILY.
Lanius collurio Red-backed Shriek Rare
CORVIDÆ OR CROW FAMILY.
Corvus Corone Carrion Crow Very common
Corvus cornix Hooded Crow Rare
Corvus frugilegus Rook Very common
Pica caudata Magpie Rather rare
STURNIDÆ OR STARLING FAMILY.
Sturnus vulgaris Common Starling Common
FRINGILLIDÆ OR FINCH FAMILY.
Fringilla carduelis Goldfinch Common
Fringilla cælebs Chaffinch Common
Fringilla spinus Siskin Rare
Fringilla chloris Greenfinch Common
Fringilla cannabina Linnet Common
Emberiza citrinella Yellow Bunting Common
Emberiza schæniculus Reed Bunting Common
Emberiza miliaris Common Bunting Common
Emberiza nivalis Snow Bunting Rare
Pyrrhula rubicilla Bullfinch Rare
Alauda arvensis Skylark Very common
Alauda arborea Woodlark Rare
ORDER—SCANSORES OR CLIMBERS.
CUCULIDÆ OR CUCKOO FAMILY.
Cuculus canorus Cuckoo Common
ORDER—COLUMBÆ OR DOVES.
COLUMBIDÆ OR DOVE FAMILY.
Columba palumbus Ring Dove Rare
Columba ænas Stock Dove Common
ORDER—GALLINÆ OR FOWLS.
PHASIANIDÆ OR PHEASANT FAMILY.
Phasianus Colchicus Common Pheasant Common
TETRAONIDÆ OR TETRAO FAMILY.
Perdix cinereus Common Partridge Common
Coturnix communis Quail Common
ORDER—GRALLATORES OR WADERS.
CHARADRIADÆ OR PLOVER FAMILY.
Charadrius pluvialis Golden Plover Common
Charadrius hiaticula Ringed Plover or Dotterel Common
Charadrius morinellus Common Dotterel Common
Vanellus griseus Grey Plover Common
Vanellus cristatus Common crested Lapwing Common
Hæmatopus ostralegus Oyster-catcher Very common
Cinclus interpres Turnstone Common
ARDEIDÆ OR HERON FAMILY.
Ardea cinerea Common Heron Common
Nycticorax Europæus Common Night Heron Rare
Botaurus stellaris Bittern Very rare indeed
SCOLOPACIDÆ OR WOODCOCK FAMILY.
Tringoides hypoleuca Common Sandpiper Common
Totanus ochropus Green Sandpiper Rare
Totanus Calidris Redshank Sandpiper Common
Numenius arquata Curlew or Whaup Common
Numenius phæopus Whimbrel Common
Limosa vulgaris Common Godwit Rare
Philomachus pugnax Ruff Rare
Tringa Canutus Knot Rare
Tringa Temminckii Temminck’s Stint Rare
Tringa minuta Little Stint Very rare
Tringa cinclus Dunlin Common
Phalaropus fulicarius Grey Phalarope Rare
Scolopax rusticola Woodcock Common
Gallinago media Common Snipe Common
Gallinago gallinula Jack Snipe Common
RALLIDÆ OR RAIL FAMILY.
Rallus aquaticus Water Rail Common
Ortygometra crex Land Rail Common
Gallinula chloropus Water Hen Common
Fulica atra Common Coot Common
ORDER—NATORES OR SWIMMERS.
ANATIDÆ OR DUCK FAMILY.
Anser ferus Grey-lag Goose Rare
Anser segetum Bean Goose Common
Bernicla leucopsis Bernicle Goose Common
Cygnus ferus Whistling Swan Rare
Tadorna vulpanser Common Shieldrake Common
Mergus Castor Goosander Rare
Anas boschas Mallard Common
Querquedula Crecca Common Teal Common
Spatula clypeata Shoveller Duck Rare
Moreca Penelope Common Wigeon Common
Myroca Terina Common Pochard Rather rare
Margellus albellus Smew Occasional visitor
Fuligula cristata Tufted Duck or Pochard Rather common
Fuligula marila Scaup Duck or Pochard Rather rare
Oidemia fusca Velvet Scoter Rare
Oidemia nigra Black Scoter Very rare
Clangula vulgaris Golden-eye Duck or Garrot Rather common
Clangula albeola Buffel-headed Duck Common
COLYMBIDÆ OR DIVER FAMILY.
Colymbus glacialis Great Northern Diver Very rare
Colymbus arcticus Black-throated Diver Rare
Colymbus septentrionalis Red-throated Diver Rather common
Chaulelasmus strepera Gadwall Very rare
Podiceps minor Little Grebe Common
ALCIDÆ OR AUK FAMILY.
Fratercula artica Puffin Common
Alca torda Razor-bill Rare
Uria Troile Common Guillemot Rare
PROCELLARIDÆ OR PETREL FAMILY.
Thalassidroma pelagica Stormy Petrel Common
Thalassidroma Leachii Fork-tailed Petrel Rather rare
LARIDÆ OR GULL FAMILY.
Larus canus Common Gull Very common
Larus ribibundus Black-headed Gull Very common
Larus fuscus Little Black-headed Gull Common
Larus tridactylus Kittiwake Gull Very common
Larus Glaucus Glaucus Gull Rare
Larus argentatus Herring Gull Very common
Sterna hirundo Sea-swallow or Tern Common
Sterna fuliginosa Sooty Tern Rare
Sterna minuta Lesser Tern Common
PELECANIDÆ OR PELICAN FAMILY.
Graculus Carbo Common Cormorant Common
Graculus Cristata Crested Cormorant Rather rare
Sula Bassanea Gannet or Solan Goose Common
The fertile fields and sunny lanes of the Fylde afford ample opportunity
for the botanist to indulge in his favourite pursuit, and a short ramble
over any portion of the pleasant country will unfold to his inquiring
gaze many of Nature’s most beautiful and interesting offsprings.
Specimens, especially of the maritime varieties of several of the floral
families, unobtainable in the inland districts, may here be found lightly
planted on the loose, sandy margins of the shore. In the context it is
not intended to enter into a description of the different plants or of
the localities in which they may most commonly be found, but merely to
enumerate some of the more important ones; and in the following list
all those inhabitants of the district, which are likely to interest the
student of Botany or lover of Nature, are arranged in their various
groups or orders:—
RANUNCULACEÆ OR BUTTERCUP ORDER.
Ranunculus aquatilis Water Crowcroft
” Lingua Spearwort
” acris Meadow Crowfoot
” arvensis Corn ”
Thalictrum minus Lesser Meadow-rue
Delphinium consolida Field Larkspur
NYMPHÆACEÆ OR LILY ORDER.
Nymphæa Alba White Water-lily
PAPAVERACEÆ OR POPPY ORDER.
Papaver dubium Long Smooth-headed Poppy
” Rhæas Corn Poppy
Chelidonium majus Common Celandine
CRUCIFERÆ OR CABBAGE ORDER.
Nasturtium officinale Common Water-cress
Hesperis matronalis Common Damewort
Cochlearia officinalis Common Scurvy-grass
” Danica Danish ”
Cakile maritima Purple Sea Rocket
Crambe ” Sea Kale
Sisymbrium Irio Broad-leaved Hedge-mustard
” Sophia Fine-leaved ”
VIOLACEÆ OR VIOLET ORDER.
Viola odorata Sweet Violet
” tricolar Heartsease
RESEDACEÆ OR MIGNONETTE ORDER.
Reseda Luteola Yellow Weed
DROSERACEÆ OR SUNDEW ORDER.
Drosera rotundifolfa Sundew
Parnassia pallustris Grass of Parnassus
CARYOPHYLLACEÆ OR CLOVEWORT ORDER.
Saponaria officinalis Common Soapwort
Lychnis Diocia White Campion
” Floscuculi Cuckoo-flower
Silene inflata Bladder Catchfly
” maritima Sea ”
Arenaria marina Sea Sandwort
” serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Sandwort
Adenaria peploides Sea Chickweed
LINACEÆ OR FLAX ORDER.
Linum usitatissimum Common Flax
” catharticum Purging ”
MALVACEÆ OR MALLOW ORDER.
Malva rotundifolia Dwarf Mallow
Althæa officinalis Marsh Mallow
GERANIACEÆ OR CRANESBILL ORDER.
Geranium sanguimeum Bloody Crane’s-bill
Geranium pratense Meadow Crane’s-bill
Geranium purpurea Odoriferous Cranes-bill
Erodium cicutarium Hemlock Stork’s-bill
LEGUMINOSÆ OR LEGUMINOUS ORDER.
Anthyllis vulneraria Common Kidney-vetch
Vicia lathyroides Spring Vetch
Ononis procurrens Procurrent Restharrow
” spinosa Spinous ”
Melilotus officinalis Common Melilot
Trifolium arvense Hare’s-foot Trefoil
ROSACEÆ OR ROSE ORDER.
Rosa canina Dog rose
” spinosissima Burnet-leaved Rose
” eglantaria Sweet Briar
Agrimonia Eupatoria Agrimony
Spiræa ulmaria Meadow Sweet
Rubus fruticosus Blackberry Brambles
ONAGRACEÆ OR ŒNOTHERA FAMILY.
Epilobium hirsutum Great Willow-herb
” montanum Small ”
LYTHRACEÆ OR LYTHRUM FAMILY.
Lythrum salicaria Spiked purple Loosestrife
HALORAGEACEÆ OR THE MARE’S TAIL ORDER.
Hippuris vulgaris Common Mare’s-tail
PORTULACACEÆ OR PURSLANE ORDER.
Montia foutana Water Blinks
CRASSULACEÆ OR THE CRASSULA ORDER.
Sedum acre Biting Stonecrop
” album White ”
Sempervivum tectorum Houseleek
SAXIFRAGACEÆ OR SAXIFRAGE ORDER.
Saxifraga granulata White Saxifrage
” stellaris Starry ”
” aizoides Yellow ”
UMBELLIFERÆ OR UMBELLIFEROUS ORDER.
Crithmum maritimum Samphire
Hydrocotyle vulgaris Marsh Pennywort
Conium maculatum Hemlock
Cicuta virosa Cowbane
Eryngium maritimum Sea-holly
Apium graveolens Wild Celery
Bupleurum tenuissimum Slender Hare’s-ear
Œnanthe Crocata Dead-tongue
Peucedanum ostruthium Master-wort
” officinale Sea Sulphurwort
Daucus Carato Wild Carrot
Anthriscus sylvestris Wild beaked Parsley
Scandix Pecten-Veneris Venus’ Comb
CAPRIFOLIACEÆ OR HONEYSUCKLE ORDER.
Louicera Periclymenum Pretty piped Woodbine
” Caprifolium Common Woodbine
Sambucus Nigra Elder
RUBIACEÆ OR MADDER ORDER.
Galium verum Yellow Bedstraw
” mollugo Hedge ”
Sherardia arvensis Little Spurwort
VALERIANACEÆ OR VALERIAN ORDER.
Valeriana officinalis Common Valerian
Valerianella olitoria Lamb’s Lettuce
DIPSACACEÆ OR TEAZEL ORDER.
Dipsacus sylvestris Wild Teazel
COMPOSITÆ OR COMPOSITE ORDER.
Aster Tripolium Sea Starwort
Apargia hispida Rough Hawkbit
Hieracium pallidum Hawkweed
” umbellatum Narrow-leaved Hawkweed
Carduus tenuiflorus Slender-flowered Thistle
” palustris Marsh Thistle
Chrysanthemum maritimum Sea Feverfew
Tanacetum vulgare Common Tansey
Centaurea Cyanus Corn Bluebottle
Pryethrum parthenium Common Feverfew
” inodorum Corn ”
Senecio vulgaris Common Groundsell
” aquaticus Marsh Groundsell
Silybum Marianum Milk Thistle
Tragopogon pratense Yellow Goatsbeard
Helminthia echioides Bristly Oxtongue
VACCINIACEÆ OR CRANBERRY ORDER.
Oxycoccus palustris Cranberry
CAMPANULACEÆ OR HAREBELL ORDER.
Campanula rotundifolia Harebell
PYROLACEÆ OR WINTERGREEN ORDER.
Pyrola media Intermediate Wintergreen
APOCYNACEÆ OR DOGBANE ORDER.
Vinca major Greater Periwinkle
GENTIANACEÆ OR GENTIAN ORDER.
Gentiana Pneumonanthe Marsh Gentian
” Campestris Field ”
Chironia Centaurium, var. White-flowered Centaury
” latifolia Broad-leaved ”
” pulchella Dwarf-branched ”
CONVOLVULACEÆ OR CONVOLVULUS ORDER.
Convolvulus Soldanella Sea Bindweed
” Sepium, var. Great Ditto, Pink-flowered
” arvensis Small Bindweed
SCROPHULARIACEÆ OR FIGWORT ORDER.
Veronica Anagallis Water Speedwell
” arvensis Wall ”
” Beccabunga Brooklime
” Serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Digitalis purpurea Purple Foxglove
Linaria vulgaris Yellow toadflax
Antirrhinum Cymbalaria Ivy-leaved Snapdragon
Scrophularia vernalis ” figwort
LABIATÆ THE DEAD-NETTLE ORDER.
Thymus Serpyllum Wild Thyme
Marrubium vulgare White Horehound
Prunella vulgaris Selfheal
Mentha viridis Spearmint
” arvensis Corn mint
Betonica officinalis Wood Betony
Lamum album White Dead-nettle
” purpureum Red ”
Galeopsis ladanum Red Hemp-nettle
Scutellaria galericulata Skullcap
PLUMBAGINACEÆ OR LEADWORT FAMILY.
Armeria vagaris Common Thrift
Statice Limonium Lavender ”
BORAGINACEÆ OR BORAGE ORDER.
Myosotis palustris Forget-me-not
” cæspitosa Water Scorpion-grass
” arvensis Field ”
” versicolor Yellow and Blue ”
LENTIBULARIACEÆ OR BLADDERWORT ORDER.
Utricularia vulgaris Greater Bladderwort
PRIMULACEÆ OR PRIMROSE ORDER.
Primula vulgaris Primrose
” veris Cowslip
Glaux maritima Black Saltweed
Samolus Valerandi Brookweed
Anagallis cærula Blue Pimpernel
” tenella Bog ”
Hottonia palustris Water Featherfoil
Lysimachia vulgaris Yellow Loosestrife
PLANTAGINACEÆ OR RIBGRASS ORDER.
Plantago major Plantain
” media Hoary Plantain
” maritima Sea-side Plantain
Littorella lacustris Plantain Shoreweed
POLYGONACEÆ OR BUCKWHEAT ORDER.
Rumex crispus Curled Dock
” acetosa Common Sorrel
EUPHORBIACEÆ OR SPURGEWORT ORDER.
Euphorbia paralias Sea purge
URTICACEÆ OR NETTLE ORDER.
Humulus Lupulus Hop
Urtica pilulifera Roman nettle
Parietaria officinalis Common Wall-pellitory
SALICACEÆ OR WILLOW ORDER.
Salix argentea Silky Sand Willow
” repens Dwarf Willow
Myrica Gale Sweet Gale
IRIDACEÆ OR IRIS ORDER.
Iris Pseudacorus Yellow water-iris
AMARYLLIDACEÆ OR THE AMYRILLIS ORDER.
Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus Common Daffodil
Galanthus nivalis Snowdrop
ALISMACEÆ OR WATER-PLANTAIN ORDER.
Butomus umbellatus Flowering-rush
Alisma ranunculoides Lesser Thrumwort
POTAMOGETONACEÆ OR PONDWEED ORDER.
Ruppia maritima Sea Tasselgrass
Zannichellia palustris Common Lakeweed
ORCHIDACEÆ OR ORCHID ORDER.
Orchis morio Green-winged Orchis
” pyramidalis Pyramidal ”
Epipactis latifolia Broad-leaved Helleborine
” palustris Marsh ”
JUNCACEÆ OR RUSH ORDER.
Juncus effesus Soft Rush
” filiformis Threadrush
” squarrosus Heathrush
Narthecium ossifragrum Bog Asphodel
ARACEÆ OR ARUM ORDER.
Lenna minor Lesser Duckweed
CRONTIACEÆ OR SWEET-FLAG ORDER.
Acorus Calamus Sweet-flag
CYPERACEÆ OR SEDGE ORDER.
Carex limosa Mud Sedge
” flava Yellow ”
” arenaria Sea ”
Eriophorum polystachyon Broad-leaved Cotton-grass
EQUISETACEÆ OR HORSETAIL ORDER.
Equisetum arvense Corn Horsetail
” variegatum Variegated Horsetail
THE RIVER WYRE rises in the hills of Wyersdale and Bleasdale; running in
a south-westerly direction and passing the towns of Garstang and Church
Town, it arrives at St. Michael’s, from which point its tortuous course
is continued almost due west as far as Skippool. Thence winding past
the ancient port of Wardleys, the stream, much widened, flows north
and a little inclined towards the west, until it reaches the harbour of
Fleetwood, situated at its mouth. From that seaport, the channel of the
river, unaltered in direction, lies for a distance of nearly two miles
between the sand-banks of North Wharf and Bernard’s Wharf, and finally
terminates in Morecambe Bay, meeting the well-defined bed of the Lune
at right angles. The origins of the Wyre in the hills consist of two
small rivulets, and the stream formed by their union is joined near
Scorton by the Grizedale Brook, whilst lower down, about two miles beyond
the town of Garstang, it receives the Calder, rising on the slopes of
Bleasdale. Before leaving the parish of Garstang, the Wyre is further
increased by the brook springing from Fairsnape and Parlick Pike, which
passes Claughton and Myerscough, not far from where it receives a small
tributary from the south. At Skippool also a brook, the Skipton, which
springs from the mere and marshy grounds of Marton Moss, pours its
contents into the river.
The Wyre is crossed at Garstang by the aqueduct of the Preston,
Lancaster, and Kendal canal, and at St. Michael’s, near the Church, it is
spanned by a rather narrow but substantial stone bridge. For a distance
of about six miles in the neighbourhood of the latter place the stream
is enclosed within artificial banks, which in some parts have a descent
of thirty feet. In spite of these precautions, however, high floods
occasionally occur, when the swollen waters burst over the embankments
and inundate the adjoining country. At Cart Ford there is a wooden
structure of very limited width, connecting the opposing banks; and a few
miles further down is the Shard Bridge, built of iron, and presenting
a neat and elegant appearance. The river at that spot is 500 yards in
breadth, and until the erection of the bridge in 1864, was crossed by
means of a ferry-boat, or forded at low water by carts and conveyances.
The ancient name of this ford was Ald-wath, and we learn from the
following entry in the diary of Thomas Tyldesley, that in 1713 the charge
for crossing by boat was 6d. each journey:—“September 14, 1713.—Went
after dinr. to ffox Hall; pd. 6d. ffor boating att Sharde; saw ye ferry
man carry out of ye boat a Scot and his pack, a sight I never saw beffor,
beeing 56 years off age.”
About three hundred years since the venerable Harrison described the
principal rivers of Lancashire, and from his writings at that time we
quote as under:—
“The Wire ryseth eight or ten miles from Garstan, out of an hill
in Wiresdale, from whence it runneth by Shireshed chappell, and
then going by Wadland, Grenelaw Castle (which belongeth to the
erle of Darbie), Garstan and Kyrkeland hall, it first receiveth
the seconde Calder, that commeth down by Edmersey chappell,
then another chanel increased with sundrie waters, the first
water is called Plympton brooke. It riseth south of Gosner, and
commeth by Craweforde hall, and eare long receyving the Barton
becke, it proceedeth forward till it joyneth with the Brooke
rill that commeth from Bowland Forest by Claughton hall, where
M. Brokehales doth live, and so throw Mersco forest. After this
confluence the Plime or Plimton water meeteth with the Calder,
and then with the Wire, which passeth forth to Michael church and
the Rawcliffes, and above Thorneton crosseth the Skipton, that
goeth by Potton, then into the Wire rode, and finally into the
sea, according to his nature.”
Drayton also has left the subjoined versified account of the Wyre, and
as in addition to its poetic merit, it possesses the virtue of being a
faithful description, we need not apologise for giving it unabridged:—
“Arising but a rill at first from Wyersdale’s lap,
Yet still receiving all her strength from her full mother’s pap,
As downe to seaward she her serious course doth ply,
Takes Calder coming in, to beare her company,
From Woolscrag’s cliffy foot, a hill to her at hand,
By that fayre forest knowne, within her Verge to stand.
So Bowland from her breast sends Brock her to attend,
As she a Forest is, so likewise doth she send
Her child, on Wyresdale Flood, the dainty Wyre to wayte,
With her assisting Rills, when Wyre is once repleat;
She in her crooked course to Seaward softly glides,
Where Pellin’s mighty Mosse, and Merton’s on her sides
Their boggy breasts outlay, and Skipton down doth crawle
To entertain this Wyre, attained to her fall.”[56]
White Hall, (formerly Upper Rawcliffe Hall,) Rawcliffe Hall, and Mains
Hall, each of which will claim our attention more particularly hereafter,
are seated on the banks of the Wyre, so also is the ancient house of
Preesall-with-Hackensall, and although not properly comprised within the
limits of this work, it has a right from its association with the river,
to some description—a right the more readily conceded when it is known
that in point of antiquity and interest, the hall and domain are well
deserving of our consideration. The site of the mansion is a little
removed from the brink of the stream, and almost directly opposite the
southern extremity of Fleetwood. The present building is of considerable
age, having been erected by Richard Fleetwood, of Rossall, in 1656, as
indicated by an inscription over the main entrance, but there can be
no question that the origin of its predecessor was co-eval, at least,
with the grant of the manor by King John, when earl of Moreton, to
Geoffrey, the Crossbowman, who, with his descendants, resided there. The
whole of the large estate remained in the family of Geoffrey until the
fifteenth century, when it was conveyed in marriage to James Pickering,
of Layton, by Agnes, the sole offspring and heiress of the last male
Hackensall, the title assumed, according to custom, by the Crossbowman.
James Pickering left at his decease four daughters, co-heiresses, and
married to Richard Butler, of Rawcliffe, Thomas Aglionby, Nicholas
Aglionby, and James Leybourne, each of whom inherited one-fourth of the
manor in right of his wife. In 1639 Sir Paul Fleetwood, of Rossall,
held three-fourths of Hackensall, whilst the remaining quarter had
descended to Henry Butler. Under the will of Richard Fleetwood, the
re-erector of the hall, at that time occupied by his brother Francis,
the three-fourths just named were sold by his trustees, being purchased,
in part, for the Hornbys, of Poulton. Geoffrey Hornby, vicar of Winwick,
and Robert Loxham, vicar of Poulton, held between them three-quarters of
the manor in 1729, and William Elletson, of Parrox Hall, had possession
of the other fourth, which is now the hereditary estate of Daniel Hope
Elletson, esq., justice of the peace, residing at the same seat. At the
end of the last century the Hornbys disposed of their share to John
Bourne, gentleman, of Stalmine, from whom it descended to his second
son, James Bourne, of Stalmine, and from him to his nephews, Thomas,
James, and Peter, successively. The other portion of the manorial rights
of the three-fourths was subsequently acquired by the last-surviving
nephew, Peter Bourne, of Heathfield and Liverpool. Peter Bourne, esq.,
of Hackensall, married Margaret, the only daughter of James Drinkwater,
esq., of Bent, in Lancashire, and left issue James, who is the present
lord of three-quarters of the manor, and owner of the ancient Hall. James
Bourne, esq., M.P., of Hackensall, and of Heathfield, near Liverpool,
is Col.-Comdt. of the Royal Lancashire regiment of Militia Artillery, a
deputy-lieutenant, and a justice of the peace of this county. Colonel
Bourne has recently restored the old manor house, but in such a way
as to preserve, and not obliterate, its links with a bygone age. The
antique fire-places, one of which was protected by a massive arch of
stone sweeping across the whole width of the room, have been renewed as
before, and although the main doorway has been removed to another part
of the building, the stone with the initials F. R. A., being those of
Richard Fleetwood and Anne, his wife, has been reinstated in its original
position above the newly-constructed lintel. Rumour affirms that during
certain alterations two or three skeletons, supposed to be those of
females, were found bricked up in a narrow chamber in one of the walls,
and whilst confirming the discovery of a long secret recess, we dare not
venture, for the evidence is somewhat contradictory, to hold ourselves
responsible for the strict accuracy of the other part of the story, which
suggests the enactment of a scene of revolting cruelty, similar to that
introduced by Sir Walter Scott in the following lines:—
“Yet well the luckless wretch might shriek,
Well might her paleness terror speak!
For there was seen in that dark wall,
Two niches, narrow, deep, and tall.
Who enters at such grisly door
Shall ne’er I wean find exit more.
In each a slender meal was laid
Of roots, of water, and of bread.
...
Hewn stones and mortar were display’d,
And building tools in order laid.”
The moat has now been nearly filled up, but its extent and direction
can still be pointed out. There are no indications of a chapel having
formerly constituted part of the residential building, but several years
since, when an outhouse was destroyed, at a short distance, about twenty
yards, two gravestones were discovered, and it is probable that they
were somewhere near, if not actually on the site of, the private chapel
or oratory. One of the stones was broken up immediately, and the other
is practically illegible, although three or four words, still preserved,
prove that the inscription has not been in raised characters. The rights
to wreckage, etc. on the foreshore of the manor have pertained to the
lords of Hackensall from time immemorial, and still continue to be held
and exercised as portion of the lordship.
Anterior to the establishment of a port at Fleetwood, or more correctly
speaking, to the foundation of a town and the erection of wharfage, etc.,
on the warren forming the western boundary of Wyre estuary, Wardleys
and Skippool, almost facing each other, were the harbours to which all
commercial traffic on the river was directed. Ships of considerable
size, freighted with cargoes of various sorts, found their way to
those secluded havens, and even within the last few years, during high
tides, vessels laden with grain have been berthed and unloaded in the
narrow creek leading from Skippool bay, while bags of guano have often
terminated their sea-voyages at Wardleys. A solitary warehouse, however,
undated, but bearing on its battered exterior and decaying timbers the
unmistakable stamp of time, is, at the present day, almost the only
remaining witness to the former pretentions of the first named place. At
Wardleys, three or four spacious warehouses, in a similarly dilapidated
condition and now partially converted into shippons, the remainder being
unused except as lumber-rooms or temporary storehouses for guano or some
local agricultural produce, together with a stone wharf, are evidences of
a fair amount of business having once been carried on at that little port.
In 1825 Baines described Wardleys as “a small seaport on the river
Wyre, where vessels of 300 tons register may discharge their burdens,
situated in the township of Stalmine with Stainall, in the hundred of
Amounderness;” but in the year 1708 customs were established at Poulton
in connection with Wardleys and Skippool. Nor should we be justified
in limiting the antiquity of the ports to that date, for as early as
1590-1600, William and James Blackburne, of Thistleton, carried on an
extensive trade with Russia, and there can be no doubt that their cargoes
of merchandise, most likely flax and tallow, were landed on the banks of
the Wyre at those ancient harbours. The father of the above merchants was
the first of the family to take up his residence in this neighbourhood,
and appears to have settled at Garstang, about 1550, from Yorkshire. That
the commercial dealings of the partners were both large and successful is
shown in the property acquired by William Blackburne, the elder brother,
who purchased Newton, lands in Thistleton, and several other estates of
considerable magnitude in the Fylde, all of which he bequeathed to his
son and heir, Richard. Richard Blackburne married Jane, the daughter of
John Aynesworth, of Newton, and had issue John of Eccleston; Richard, of
Goosnargh; Thomas, of Orford and Newton; Edward, of Stockenbridge, near
St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; Robert, who was suspected of being implicated
in the Gunpowder Plot, but acquitted, the evidence being insufficient;
Annie, who married—Nickson; and Elizabeth, the wife of William Standish.
When the Singletons of Staining became extinct, the Hall and estate of
that name passed to a William Blackburne, as heir-at-law, and there is
great probability that he was a descendant of one of the sons of Richard
Blackburne of Thistleton, Newton, etc.—most likely of John Blackburn, of
Eccleston.
During the years more immediately previous to the opening of the new port
at the mouth of the river, a great many large ships from America, laden
with timber, and brigs from Russia, with flax and tallow, were discharged
at Wardleys. A three masted vessel, for the foreign trade, was also
constructed in the ship-yard attached to that place, but as far as can
be learnt this was the only vessel of equal dimensions ever built there,
repairs being the chief occupation of the workpeople.
Several of the officers connected with the Custom House at Poulton, were
stationed at Knot End, opposite the Warren, living in the small cottage
standing near the shore, in order to board the different craft as they
entered the river, and pilot them up the stream to Wardleys. A large
hotel is situated behind the site of the old ship-yard, and during the
summer months is generally well patronised by visitors, to whom, as
well as to the pleasure-parties arriving by water from Fleetwood, and
by road from Blackpool, the hamlet is now mainly indebted for support.
Some large mussels, the “Mytili angulosi,” but known amongst the natives
of those parts as “Hambleton hookings,” were found formerly in large
quantities a little lower down the river, but lately specimens of this
fine shell-fish have been growing much scarcer. Dr. Leigh, in his
Natural History of our county, informs us that pearls have frequently
been discovered enclosed within the shells of these molluscs, and also
that their popular name arises from the manner in which they are taken,
the feat being accomplished “by plucking them from their Skeers, or
Beds, with Hooks.” The tidal estuary of the Wyre embraces an area of
three miles by two, and it is near to its termination that the port and
town of Fleetwood are situated. Our purpose now is not to enter into a
description of the harbour, which will be found in the chapter specially
devoted to the seaport itself, but a few words as to the advantages
derived from the nature of the river’s current and its bed, will not be
out of place. Captain Denham, R.N., F.R.S., after inspecting the site
of the proposed port on behalf of the promoters, issued a report in the
month of January, 1840, and amongst other things, stated that during the
first half of the ebb-tide, a reflux of backwater was produced which
dipped with such a powerful under-scour as to preserve a natural basin,
capable of riding ships of eighteen or twenty feet draught, at low water,
spring tides; also that the anchorage ground, both within and without
the harbour, was excellent. These facts alone seemed sufficient to
warrant the gallant officer’s prediction that the undertaking would be
successful and remunerative, but when in addition it is called to mind,
that “as easy and safe as Wyre water” had for long been a proverb amongst
the mariners of our coast, and that the harbour was, and is, perfectly
sheltered from all winds, as well as connected with a railway terminus
which communicates with Preston, Manchester, etc., we are astonished that
comparatively so little encouragement has been given to it, and that now,
thirty-five years from the date of this survey, the first dock is only
approaching completion.
The river Wyre is plentifully supplied with fish of various sorts; in
the higher parts of the stream trout and smelts may be found, whilst
the lower portion and estuary contain codling, flounders, sea-perch,
conger, sand eels, and occasionally salmon. The earliest enactments with
regard to the fisheries connected with the last-named fish related to the
Wyre, Ribble, and other rivers of Lancashire. In 1389, during the reign
of Richard II., a law, which arranged the times and seasons when the
fisheries in these rivers should be closed, and other matters affecting
them, was passed and brought into force, being the first regulation of
its kind.
The Ribble is associated with the Fylde only in so much as its tidal
estuary is concerned, which forms the southern boundary of the district.
Since 1837 great alterations have been effected in the channel of the
river by the Ribble Navigation Improvement Company. The stream for the
larger portion of its extent from Preston to the Naze Point has been
confined within stone embankments, and its bed considerably deepened by
dredging. During the progress of these improvements wide tracts of land
have been reclaimed both north and south of the current. From Freckleton
the river rapidly widens as it approaches the sea, so that a direct
line drawn from Lytham to Southport across its mouth would pass over a
distance of seven or eight miles. The channel here is shallow, while the
sands on each side are flat and extensive, and midway in the estuary, at
its lowest part, lies the far-famed Horse-bank, which divides the stream
into a north and south current, scarcely discernible, however, after the
tide has risen above the level of the bank. About one mile from the town
of Lytham, in the direction of Preston, is a pool of moderate dimensions,
having an open communication with the river, and formed into a small
harbour or dock for yachts and vessels connected with the coasting trade.
In the bed of the river, a little higher up than that locality, trunks of
large trees are occasionally observed at low water, and many such remains
of a once noble forest, which is believed to have extended from near the
Welsh coast as far even as Morecambe, have been raised at different times
during the operation of dredging.
The following descriptions of the Ribble, its source, course, and
tributaries, were written, respectively, by the ancient topographer
Harrison, and the poet Drayton, whose accounts of the Wyre have been
previously quoted:—
“The Rybell, a river verie rich of Salmon and Lampreie, dooth
in manner inviron Preston in Andernesse, and it riseth neere to
Ribbesdale above Gisburne. It goeth from thence to Sawley or
Salley, Chatburne, Woodington, Clitherow Castell, and beneath
Mitton meeteth with the Odder, which ryseth not farre from the
Cross of Grete in Yorkshire, and going thence to Shilburne,
Newton, Radholme parke, and Stony hirst, it falleth ere long into
Ribble water. From thence the Ribble hath not gone farre, but it
meeteth with the Calder. Thys brooke ryseth above Holme Church,
goeth by Townley and Burneley (where it receiveth a trifeling
rill), thence to Higham, and ere long crossing one water that
cometh from Wicoler, by Colne, and another by and by named Pidle
brooke that runneth by Newechurch, in the Pidle: it meeteth with
ye Calder, which passeth forth to Padiam, and thence (receyving
a becke on the other side) it runneth on to Altham, and so to
Martholme, where the Henburne brooke doth joyn with all, that
goeth by Alkington chappell, Dunkinhalge, Rishton, and so into
ye Calder as I have sayde before. The Calder therefore being
thus inlarged, runneth forth to Reade (where M. Noell dwelleth),
to Whalley, and soon after into Ribell, that goeth from this
confluence to Salisbury hall, Ribchester, Osbaston, Sambury,
Keuerden, Law, Ribles bridge, and then taketh in the Darwent,
before it goeth by Pontwarth or Pentworth into the sea. The
Darwent devideth Leland shire from Andernesse,[57] and it ryseth
by east above Darwent Chappell, and soone after uniting it selfe
with the Blackeburne, and Rodlesworthe water it goeth thorowe
Howghton Parke, by Howghton towne, to Walton hall, and so into
the Ribell. As for the Sannocke brooke, it ryseth somewhat above
Longridge Chappell, goeth to Broughton towne, Cotham, Lee hall,
and so into Ribell.”
“From Penigent’s proud foot as from my source I slide,
That mountain, my proud sire, in height of all his pride,
Takes pleasure in my course as in his first-born flood,
And Ingleborrough too, of that Olympian brood,
And Pendle, of the north, the highest hill that be,
Do wistly me behold, and are beheld of me.
These mountains make me proud, to gaze on me that stand,
So Longridge, once arrived on the Lancastrian strand,
Salutes me, and with smiles me to his soil invites,
So have I many a flood that forward me excites,
As Hodder that from Home attends me from my spring,
Then Calder, coming down from Blackstonedge doth bring
Me easily on my way to Preston, the greatest town
Wherewith my banks are blest, where, at my going down,
Clear Darwen on along me to the sea doth drive,
And in my spacious fall no sooner I arrive,
But Savock to the north from Longridge making way
To this my greatness adds, when in my ample bay,
Swart Dulas coming in from Wigan, with her aids,
Short Taud and Dartow small, two little country maids,
In these low watery lands and moory mosses bred,
Do see me safely laid in mighty Neptune’s bed,
And cutting in my course, even through the heart
Of this renowned shire, so equally it part,
As nature should have said, lo! thus I meant to do,
This flood divides this shire, thus equally in two.”
The beautiful scenery and historical associations of the Ribble render
it the most interesting and charming of the several rivers which water
the county of Lancaster. The quietude of its fair valley has on more than
one occasion been rudely broken by the clash of arms, and students of our
country’s history will readily call to mind that calamitous day to the
Duke of Hamilton, when Cromwell routed the Highlanders under his command,
near Preston,
“And Darwen stream with blood of Scots imbrued.”
Other instances of war-like doings along the banks of this river might
be recounted, but as the neighbourhoods in which they occurred are
not enclosed within the Fylde boundaries, we are perforce obliged to
exclude them from this volume, and must refer those of our readers who
are anxious to learn more both of them and of the river itself to other
sources for the required information. The chief fish of the Ribble is
of course its salmon, but in addition the estuary contains numbers of
flounders and other varieties of the finny tribes similar to those found
in the tidal portion of the Wyre. During the sixteenth century sturgeons
seem to have been captured occasionally in the Ribble, and amongst the
records of the duchy in 1536, there is a complaint that when “one certain
sturgeon was found within the township of Warton and seized for the use
of the King (who held the right of fishery there), and laid up in a house
in Warton, one Christopher Bone, of Warton, and James Bradʳton, of the
ley, with divers riotous persons, about the 6th of May last, did then and
there take out of the said house the said sturgeon, and the said Bone
hath at divers times and in like manner taken sturgeons and porpoises to
his own use and the injury of his majesty.”[58]
As such a small part, and that far from the most important, of Ribble
stream is really connected with the Fylde, and as it is not our intention
to trespass beyond the limits of that district,—at least not knowingly,
and the margin in the present instance is so clearly defined that no
excuse could be offered for overstepping it,—we are compelled to content
ourselves with this brief account, leaving much unsaid that is of
considerable historical and general interest.
THE SEA which washes over the westerly shore of the Fylde forms part
of St. George’s Channel or the Irish Sea, whilst the narrow northern
boundary of the same district is limited by the waters of Morecambe Bay.
The main peculiarities to be noticed along the extensive line of this
coast swept over by the billows of the Irish Sea, are the almost entire
absence of seaweeds and the levelness of the sands; indeed, so gentle is
the slope of the latter that its average declivity has been estimated
at no more than one foot in every fifty yards, and to the flatness of
this surface it is due that the beach is in a very great measure freed
from putrifying heaps of fish and seaweed, for the rising tides glide
with such swiftness over the level sandy beds that most driftmatters
and impurities are left behind in the depths beyond low water mark. An
analysis, made by Dr. Schweitzer, of the waters of the English coast,
furnishes the following result:—
No. of grains.
Water 964.74
Chloride of Sodium (Table salt) 27.06
Chloride of Magnesium 3.67
Sulphate of Magnesia (Epsom Salts) 2.30
Sulphate of Lime 1.40
Carbonate of Lime 0.03
Carbonate of Magnesia ⎫
Carbonic Acid ⎪
Potash ⎬ Traces
Iodine ⎪
Extractive matter ⎪
Bromide of Magnesium ⎭
----------
1,000
There are few, we imagine, who have not at one time or another admired
the luminous appearance of the sea on certain evenings. This astonishing
and beautiful phenomenon is brought about by the presence in the water
of myriads of tiny beings, called Noctilucæ, which possess the power of
emitting a phosphorescent light, and seemingly convert the bursting waves
into masses of liquid fire. The immense expanse of sea spreading out from
the westerly border of the Fylde has, independently of its association
with the Gulph Stream, a marked influence in equalising the climate and
averting those sudden and extreme degrees of heat and cold commonly
experienced inland. The atmosphere over water does not undergo such rapid
alterations in its temperature as that over land, and hence it happens
that localities situated near the coast are cooler in summer and warmer
in winter than others far removed from its vicinity. Most people will
have observed that after a calm sunny day at the seaside, a breeze from
the land invariably arises after sunset, due to the fact that the air
over the earth being cooled and condensed much sooner than that over the
sea, the heavier body of atmosphere endeavours to displace the warmer and
lighter one. A gentle evaporation is daily taking place from the surface
of the sea, by which the air becomes loaded with moisture, remaining
suspended until the coolness of evening sets in, when it is deposited
on the ground as dew. The water thus obtained from the deep is not pure
brine, as might at first sight appear, but is freed from its salts by
the process of natural distillation which has been undergone. Similar
evaporation also goes on from the surfaces of the Ribble and Wyre, and it
is doubtless chiefly owing to the Fylde being almost environed by water,
constantly disseminating dew, that its fecundity is not only so great,
but also so constant. The following is a list of the seaweeds to be found
on the coast:—
MELANOSPERMEÆ OR OLIVE GREEN SEAWEEDS.
TRIBE—FUCACEÆ.
Fucus nodosus Knobbed Wrack
” serratus Serrated ”
” canaliculatus Channelled ”
” vesiculosus Bladder ”
TRIBE—SPOROCHNACEÆ.
Desmarestia aculeata Spring Desmarestia
” viridis Green ”
TRIBE—LAMINARIEÆ.
Alaria esculenta Edible Alaria
Laminaria digitata Tangle
” saccharina Sweet Laminaria
” bulbosa Sea-furbelows
Chorda filum Thread Ropeweed
TRIBE—DICTYOTEÆ.
Dictyosiphon fæniculaceus Tubular Netweed
Asperococcus echinatus Wooly Rough-weed
” compressus Compressed ”
TRIBE—CHORDARIEÆ.
Chordaria flagelliformis Whiplash weed
Mesogloia virescens Verdant Viscid-weed
” vermicularis Wormy ”
TRIBE—ECTOCARPEÆ.
Cladostephus verticillatus Whorled Cladostephus
” spongiosus Spongy ”
Sphacellaria scoparia Brown-like Sphacellaria
” plumosa Feathered ”
” Cirrhosa Nodular ”
Ectocarpus litoralis Shore Ectocarpus
” siliculosus Podded ”
” tomentosus Feathered ”
RHODOSPERMEÆ OR RED SEAWEEDS.
TRIBE—RHODOMELEÆ.
Polysiphonia fastigiata Tufted Polysiphonia
” urceolata Hair-like ”
” nigrescens Dark ”
TRIBE—LAURENCIEÆ.
Bonnemaisonia asparagoides Asparagus-like Bonnemaisonia
Laurentia pinnatifida Pinnatifid Pepper-dulse
” cæspitosa Tufted ”
” dasyphylla Sedum-leaved ”
TRIBE—CORRALLINEÆ.
Corallina officinalis Officinal Coralline
Jania Jania
Melobesia Melobesia
TRIBE—DELESSERIEÆ.
Delesseria alata Winged Delesseria
TRIBE—RHODYMENIEÆ.
Rhodymenia palmata Dulse
” ciliata Ciliated Rhodymenia
Hypnea purpurescens Purple Hypnea
TRIBE—CRYPTONEMIEÆ.
Gelidium Jellyweed
Gigartina mamillosa Papillary Grape-stone
Chondrus crispus Irish moss
Polyides rotundus Round Polyides
Furcellaria fastigiata Slippery Forkweed
Halymenia rubens Red Sea-film
” membranifolia Membranous Sea-film
” edulis Edible ”
” palmata Palmated ”
” lacerata Lacerated ”
Catanella opuntia Catanella opuntia
TRIBE—CERAMIEÆ.
Ceramium rubrum Red Hornweed
” diaphanum Diaphanous ”
” ciliatum Hairy ”
” echionotum Irregularly-spined Hornweed
” acanthonotum Spined ”
” nodosum Nodose ”
Callithamnion tetragonum Square-branched Callithamnion
” plumula Feathery ”
” polyspermum Many-spermed ”
CHLOROSPERMEÆ OR GRASS GREEN SEAWEEDS.
TRIBE—CONFERVEÆ.
Couferva rupestris Rock Crowsilk
” lanosa Woolly ”
” fucicola Wrack ”
” tortuosa Twisted ”
TRIBE—ULVEÆ.
Ulva latissima Oyster Green or Laver
” Lactuca Lettuce Laver
Entermarpha intestinalis Intestinal Entermorpha
” compressa Branched ”
The subjoined table contains the names of some of the crustaceous animals
and molluscs commonly met with in the neighbourhood:—
Arctopsis tetraodon Four-horned Spider-crab
Hyas araneus Great Spider-crab, or Sea-toad
Portunus puber Velvet Fiddler-crab
Corystes dentata Toothed Crab
Gonoplax angulata Angular Crab
Pinnotheres pisum Pea-crab
Porcellana platycheles Broad-claw porcelain Crab
Cancer pagurus Edible crab
Cancer mænas Common Crab
Pagurus Bernhardus Hermit-crab
Pilumnus hirtellus Hairy-crab
Palæmon serratus Common Prawn
Crangon vulgaris Common Shrimp
Corophium longicorne Long-horned Corophium
Orchestia littorea Shore-hopper
Talitrus saltator Sand-hopper
Sulcator arenarius Sand-screw
Mytilus edulis Edible Mussel
Cardium edule Cockle
Buccinum undatum Whelk
Litorina litorea Periwinkle
Calyptra vulgaris Common Limpet
[Illustration]