WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



century ; ' they are supposed to have acquired the 

 estate by marriage with an heiress of the Appleton 

 family. 1 



A free passage over the Mersey was allowed very 

 early, two acres being granted as the fee of the 

 ferryman. 3 



In the time of Mary and Elizabeth there were various 

 disputes between Roger Charnock, the royal farmer, and 

 the tenants of Widnes regarding marsh lands called 

 the Warth and Flocks, and Appleton mill.' 



The estate of Henry Wood of Widnes was sold 

 by order of the Parliamentary authorities in 1652.* 

 In 1666 there were in Widnes twenty-six dwell- 

 ings with three hearths and more paying to the tax ; 

 the principal residents were Hawarden, Ditchfield, 

 Appleton, Plumpton, and Wright. 6 John Chaddock 

 of Burtonwood, as a ' Papist,' in 1717 registered his 

 cottage at Upton.' 



An interesting report on the state of the river bank 



about 1828 wa 

 the duchy.* 



made by Edward Eyes on behalf of 



It would appear that in the middle 

 BOROUGH ages a borough and market had been 

 established at Farnworth ; for there 

 are incidental notices, such as the eight ' burgages,' 

 &c., in Denton held by Randle Bold at his death in 

 1447, and the 2oJ. for stallage collected in 1426 

 from tailors, mercers, and others, trading at Farnworth 

 on Sundays. 9 Coming to the present day, the Local 

 Government Act of 1858 was adopted by WIDNES 



PRESCOT 



in 1865,' and further powers as to water, gas, &c., 

 were afterwards secured by various Acts. A borough, 

 with mayor and council of 24 members, was created 

 in 1892." The gas and water works were acquired 

 under an Improvement Act in 1867;" the water 

 pumping stations are at Stockswell and Netherley, 

 and the reservoirs at Pex Hill. St. John's Market 

 was opened in 1875. The Libraries Act was adopted 

 in 1885, and the present technical schools and free 

 library were opened in 1896. The Appleton House 

 estate was acquired and opened as the Victoria Park 

 and Recreation Ground in 1900, the Victoria 

 Promenade at West Bank being opened at the same 

 time. The cemetery was opened in 1898. There 

 are hospitals for accidents, opened in 1878, and in- 

 fectious diseases, 1887. The population numbered 

 28,580 in 1901. 



Farnworth church, now called that of 

 CHURCH St. Luke, but anciently dedicated in 

 honour of St. Wilfrid, consists of chan- 

 cel 33ft. by 22ft. with north vestry and south 

 chapel, nave 60 ft. by 25 ft. with aisles, south 

 transept, north and south porches, and west tower 

 I oft. square inside, and has grown to its present 

 form from an aisleless nave and chancel church of 

 which part of the west wall alone remains. It belonged, 

 as far as can now be ascertained, to c . 1 1 80- 1 200, and 

 its nave was of about the same dimensions as that 

 now standing. There are no evidences of alteration 

 till the fourteenth century, though such may of course 



389 



