A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



This township has an area of 8,694^ acres, with 

 an extreme length of nearly six miles. Two brooks, 

 the Tawd and Eller, flow northward through it to 

 join the Douglas, which forms part of the boundary. 

 The portion between the brooks contains Lathom 

 House, with its large park, situated about the centre 

 of the township ; in the extreme north is Hoscar 

 Moss, below the 25 ft. level ; in the west are Blythe 

 Hall, and to the south of it, New Park, on the edge 

 of which it is believed was anciently the lord's abode, 

 known as Alton or Olton. To the west of Eller 

 Brook is Wirples Moss, adjoining Hoscar ; while in 

 the south is the hamlet of Westhead, near which is 

 Cross Hall. 



The larger portion of this township consists of 

 a plateau sloping gradually on its southern side, and 

 rather more abruptly to its north-eastern boundary. 

 The country is divided into arable and pasture fields, 

 with small hamlets and farms scattered at intervals. 

 To the west it is flat and uninteresting, but to the 

 east it is undulating, rising to 215 ft. above sea-level, 

 and pleasantly varied with plantations and farms. 

 Newburgh is an old and picturesque village on the 

 east, near the River Douglas, and contains a village 

 green with a restored cross. To the south the 

 country becomes singularly unpicturesque, with flat, 

 bare fields and stunted hedges, with collieries and 

 their usually unattractive surroundings. 



The geological formation of the western part of 

 the township consists of the upper mottled sandstone 

 beds of the bunter series of the new red sandstone, 

 with overlying beds of lower keuper sandstone, 

 extending for a mile and a half north and south, and 

 half a mile east and west of Cross Hall, and again 

 around New Park. The eastern portion of the 

 township lies wholly upon the middle coal measures 

 and upon the gannister beds of the lower coal 

 measures. 



The principal roads are those crossing the township 

 from west to east, in the northern part from Bur- 

 scough to Newburgh, and in the south from Ormskirk 



to Dalton. There are cross roads leading north from 

 Bickerstaffe and Skelmersdale. The Leeds and Liver- 

 pool Canal crosses from Burscough Bridge to Newburgh, 

 and a branch goes north to join the Douglas. The 

 Southport and Wigan line of the Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire Railway runs to the north of the canal, 

 and has a station about the centre called Hoscar. 

 The same company's Liverpool and Preston line is 

 near the western boundary, with a station at Burscough 

 Bridge. The Ormskirk and St. Helens Railway of the 

 London and North-Western Company passes through 

 the southern part of the township. 



The soil is loam, the subsoil being sand and clay. 

 The chief crops are wheat, oats, and potatoes. The 

 collieries are at Blague Gate. 



Lathom adopted the Local Government Act in 1 8 72,* 

 the local board of eight members becoming an urban 

 district council of fifteen members in 1894. The 

 population in 1901 was 4,361. 



In Lathom the pedestal of Hob Cross remains, 

 north of the park. The pedestal of the Newburgh 

 cross also remains, at the upper end of the green.* 



In the seventeenth century there was a Spa at 

 Lathom. The site is marked by Spa Farm, near the 

 boundary of the township. The sinking of coal shafts 

 in the neighbourhood caused its disappearance. It is 

 mentioned as late as 1807.* 



At the death of Edward the Confessor 

 MANORS LATHOM with a berewick was held by 

 Uctred, the assessment area being half a 

 hide and the value I Of. %<t. beyond the usual rent. 

 It was within the privileged 3 hides. The wood- 

 land approximated to 720 customary acres. The 

 berewick may have been the half of Martin which 

 had been incorporated with Lathom, or else Ormskirk; 

 the wood was probably Burscough. 5 



The next lord of Lathom whose name is on record 

 was Siward son of Dunning, who held it in thegnage 

 about the time of Henry II. Siward made a grant 

 of one plough-land here to Gospatrick, probably the 

 lord of Hindley. 6 Siward's son Henry received from 



