A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Scarisbrick, was tenant. It has been used continually 

 for religious purposes since that time. 1 The first 

 priest known to have resided here with any regularity 

 was James Gorsuch. 8 In 1759 the chapel in the house 

 was improved at a cost of 80. The present chapel 

 and presbytery, near the old hall, were built about 

 1819 by William Coghlan, son of the publisher, he 

 himself giving about a third of the total cost, 1,520. 

 The church has since been altered and improved. 3 

 There is a cemetery attached, consecrated in 1890. 



BURSCOUGH 



Burgastud, c . 1190; Burgche stude, Boureghe stide, 

 Burrestude, Burgaschou, Borchestuoe, early xiii cent. ; 

 Burcho, Burscho, Burschou, Borescou, later xiii cent. ; 

 Buresco, 1235 ; Burschehou, 1241 ; Burschou, 1303 ; 

 Burschogh, 1324; Burscogh, 1327. Sometimes the 

 first letters are transposed, as Bruscow for Burscow. 



This township extends northward from Ormskirk 

 about 4^ miles. The northern half is, properly speak- 

 ing, the demesne of Martin or Marton ; but this name 

 has long since fallen into disuse, though Martin Hall 

 and Martin Mere preserve it. Bordering on the mere 

 is the hamlet of Tarlscough. The area is 4,960 

 acres. 4 The population in 1901 was 2,752. The 

 highest ground lies on the south, where Greetby Hill 

 (1776.) stands at the meeting point of the three 

 townships of Lathom, Ormskirk, and Burscough. The 

 main road through the township is the Liverpool and 

 Preston road, running north-westward ; there are 

 numerous cross roads. The Leeds and Liverpool 

 Canal passes through the township from east to west, 

 and at the point where the highway crosses it a village 

 has grown up, called Burscough Bridge, but as the road 

 is here the boundary between this township and 

 Lathom, the village lies partly in both. The railway 

 from Liverpool to Preston runs parallel to the main 

 road and to the east of it, with a station at Burscough 

 Bridge ; at this point also there is a junction with the 

 railway from Southport to Wigan, which crosses the 

 township to the north of the canal and has a station 

 called New Lane. Burscough village lies to the south 

 of the above. 



In Burscough the sites of several ancient crosses are 

 known. Manor House Cross stood between Lathom 

 and Martin ; Burscough Priory Cross was to the 

 south, and Pippin Street Cross to the north of the 



priory ; Bathwood Cross near the boundary of Bur- 

 scough and Lathom. The pedestal of the second of 

 these remains. 6 



For local government purposes Burscough is joined 

 with Lathom. 



In common with adjacent districts the surface is 

 very flat, whilst the country is portioned out into both 

 pasture and arable fields, where the principal crops 

 raised are potatoes, wheat, and oats. The northern 

 part embraces a portion of land originally covered by 

 the waters of Martin Mere. An effective system ot 

 drainage and constant pumping operations keep the 

 ground from becoming once more inundated. The 

 soil consists of peat, in places, and sand, whilst the clay 

 in parts of the district is used in the manufacture of 

 bricks and tiles ; the tall chimneys of several brick- 

 works being prominent features of a landscape but 

 barely clad with timber. The geological formation 

 consists of the upper mottled sandstone of the bunter 

 series of the new red sandstone, with a small over- 

 lying patch of lower keuper sandstone immediately 

 around Martin Hall. 



There are steam flour mills here. Formerly there 

 was cotton spinning. 



Theearliest mention of BURSCOUGH 

 MANORS is in the foundation charter of the 

 priory granted by the lord of Lathom 

 in or about ilSg. 6 At that time some clear- 

 ing of the woodland had probably commenced 

 by the course of Eller Brook where it was crossed 

 by the road from Alton in Lathom to Hurleton ; 

 and the canons, fixing their residence to the north- 

 west of the ford at this point, would continue 

 the improvement of the land. 7 During the tenure ot 

 the place by the canons its history was uneventful. 

 Some families in the neighbourhood acquired lands in 

 it, and one or more took the local name ; thus Richard 

 son of John de Burscough sued Robert de Lathom in 

 i 292 concerning a tenement here, but was non-suited. 8 

 The prior of Burscough appears as plaintiff or de- 

 fendant in suits from time to time, sometimes as land- 

 owner, at others as trustee, but there are no points of 

 interest. 9 



After the dissolution in I 536 the manor remained 

 for ten years or more in the king's hands, and the 

 accounts which have been preserved throw some light 

 on its value and previous management, and likewise 

 record the tenants' names. 10 The first grant by the 



