Local History – Page 7 – Newton-le-Willows – Burtonwood

Newton in 1745

14 March 201122 December 2013 Steven Dowd

At this period the wages of an agricultural labourer were 10d per day without food, and 5d if his master provided him with meals. Carpenters and masons received ls 6d per day. The wants of the people, however, were few, and food was cheap, and a shilling had greater purchasing power than it has in the present day. In the early part of the 18th century the manufacture of woollens and of silk was encouraged, to the detriment of cottons and calicoes, and made rapid strides. Probably about this time…

Earlestown Market 1938

11 January 201122 December 2013 Steven Dowd

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

Newton-in-Makerfield : yr 1825-35

1 January 201122 December 2013 Steven Dowd

NEWTON IN MACKERFIELD. NEWTON IN MACKERFIELD is a small Borough Town and Chapelry in the Parish of Winwick, and in the Hundred of West Derby; 5 miles N. of Warrington, and 7 miles S. of Wigan. This Borough contains 275 houses, occupied by 289 families, consisting of 1643 persons. Of these families 56 are employed chiefly in agriculture, 221 in trade,” manufactures, or handicraft, and the remaining 13 are either engaged in professional pursuits or unemployed. The rental of the lands, messuages, and other buildings in the township, according to…

The Story of Vicars

31 October 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

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

Newton – The Market and Fairs

29 October 201019 April 2018 Steven Dowd

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

Sites of Interest East of Newton

17 October 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Sites of Interest to The East on Newton-le-Willows Site number 01 Site name Winwick to Golborne Line NGR SJ 5948 9484 to SJ 5977 9535 Site type Railway Period Post-medieval HER number MHER SJ 5994/16 Designation Sources GMAC 1995; Wardell Armstrong 2001; Ordnance Survey 1893c Description The railway was bnilt in the late nineteenth century to connect the Liverpool and Manchester railway line (Site 02) with the Warrington to Preston route. It first appears on the 1893 Ordnance Survey maps and thereafter on all subsequent Ordnance Survey…

McCORQUODALE & CO. LTD. 1846-1937

8 September 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

THE following appeared in a newspaper published in 1846: “The capacious building at Newton, on the north side of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, known until recently as the “Legh Arms Hotel” is being converted into a general printing office.” A printing office in a village like Newton, however humble in pretension, a year ago would have been considered one of the greatest wonders of the age. Wonders do, however, occasionally appear, and one of the greatest we Know of is the conversion in such a place, of a building…

Newton, 1800 & 1834

27 July 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

NEWTON, LANCASHIRE. Newton, commonly called Newton in the Willows, is five miles from Warrington, seven from Wigan, IS from Preston, 45 from Lancaster, and 1SS from London, in the road from Warrington to Wigan. It is an ancient borough by prescription, governed by a steward, bailiff, and burgesses, and returns two members to Parliament. The right of election is supposed to be in the burgesses, though there is no resolution of the House of Commons respecting it. The steward of the lord of the manor and the bailiff are the…

The Fable of the Inspector and the Bolts

27 July 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

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

Newton M.P. committed to the Tower of London

24 June 201028 December 2014 Steven Dowd

Its Political Importance During the 274 years from 1558 to 1832, Newton was represented by no fewer than 70 different members, and from 1678 (the year the name “Tories” was given to a political party) it was represented exclusively by 30 Tories. In this list of members are found the names of the lords of the manor?the Langtons, the Fleetwoods, and the Leghs?and many gentlemen of rank and importance in the country. It was represented for six years (1695 to 1701) by Thomas Brotherton, Esq., of Old Hey Farm, situated…

History of the Vulcan Foundry

28 March 201012 August 2024 Steven Dowd

History of the Vulcan Foundry, Newton le Willows 1781 George Stephenson was born at Wylam-on-Tyne, Northumberland. 1785 Charles Tayleur was born. 1803 Robert Stephenson was born at Willington Quay, Northumberland. 1816 Daniel Gooch was born in Bedlington, Northumberland, on 24th August, 1816. 1823 George Stephenson founded a locomotive works at Newcastle-on-Tyne. 1829 The Rocket was built by Robert Stephenson & Co. and won the prize of £500 at the Rainhill Trials that were held to determine the most suitable type of locomotive for the new Liverpool and Manchester Railway.…

Sankey Viaduct Train Derailment

22 February 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY?FURTHER PARTICULARS. Performance of the Engines. It has been stated in several of the newspapers, by way of apology for the delay which took place in the re-turn of the rear division of the pro-cession from Manchester on the day of the opening, that it arose from an apprehension that, as night had come on, accidents might have arisen from proceeding at a more rapid rate. The authors of this apology forget that at the same time the night came on the expectant crowds went off, and…

William Huskisson (1770 – 1830)

10 February 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

This is the Monument that was placed beside the track, at the location of the accident, this photo is from the 1930 Centenary Memorial service The Inscription on the Monument reads : A mark of personal respect and affection has been placed here to mark the spot where, on the 15th of September 1830 at the opening of the railroad THE RIGHT HON. WILLIAM HUSKISSON M.P. singled out by an inscrutable Providence from the midst of the midst of the distinguished multitude that surrounded him, in the full pride of…

James Muspratt (1793 – 1896)

23 January 201019 April 2018 Steven Dowd

James Muspratt was born in Dublin on the 12th August, 1793; his father was an Englishman, whose brother was a director of the East India Company; his mother, who was a remarkable woman of fine character and culture, was a Miss Mainwaring, one of the Cheshire family of that name. They resided in Dublin, and to a commercial school in that city sent their son. At fourteen years of age he was taken from school and apprenticed to a Mr. Mitcheltree, a wholesale chemist and druggist, in Dublin, with whom…

The Viaduct Foundry

22 January 201019 April 2018 Steven Dowd

As the Vulcan and Viaduct Foundries swung into production skilled workers were attracted from other parts of Lancashire as well as further afield. To house their workers Stephenson and Tayleur built a model village beside their factory, Vulcan Village. Originally only of three rows it was developed as the factorys business increased. Seeing the advantages to be gained from setting up a factory in Newton where skilled labour was becoming available, two other business partners founded the firm of Jones and Potts and built a factory known as the Viaduct…