A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



dock there are an ancient poor's stock and a clothing 

 endowment. 10 * 



NEWTON IN MAKERFIELD 



Neweton, Dom. Bk. 



Makeresfeld, 1205, 1351; Makefeld, 1206; 

 Makerefeld, 1213 ; Makerfeld, 1242 ; the last is the 

 prevailing form. 1 



This township is usually called Newton in Maker- 

 field or Newton le Willows, to distinguish it from 

 other places of the name. It has an area of 3,103 

 acres,* and the population in 1901 numbered 16,699. 

 Sankey Brook and its tributary Newton Brook form 

 the greater part of the southern boundary ; the latter 

 is joined by the Millingford Brook, which crosses the 

 township from north to south. 



The surface of the country is generally flat, only 

 slightly undulating in the south and west, where the 

 ground is 142 ft. above sea level. The pebble beds 

 of the Bunter series of the New Red Sandstone under- 

 lie the greater part of the township. The Coal 

 Measures fringe the western and north-western 

 borders. The town of Newton is pleasantly situated ; 

 by it is a large lake surrounded by willows. 



Earlestown has the less pleasant surroundings of bare 

 open country and few trees. The open country con- 

 sists of arable fields and pasture land, the former 

 yielding crops of potatoes and corn, with occasional 

 turnip fields. In the west there are still a few patches 

 of mossland, gradually becoming invaded by factories 

 and railways. 



The northern road through Warrington and Wigan, 

 here somewhat to the east of the ancient Roman road, 

 passes through the village. From this point roads 

 lead eastward to Leigh and westward to St. Helens 

 and Haydock. The St. Helens Canal goes by the 

 side of the Sankey Brook. The Liverpool and 

 Manchester line of the London and North Western 

 Railway crosses the centre of the township, having 

 stations at Earlestown and Newton. 8 The same 

 company's main line from London to the North also 

 passes through the township, and has a junction with 

 the former line. 



Newton, from its position on a great road, half way 

 between Warrington and Wigan, and from its feudal 

 dignity as the head of a hundred and then of the 

 fee of Makerfield, has long been a place of impor- 

 tance. A borough was formed and a market and fairs 

 were granted. Leland thus describes its condition 



about 1536 : 'Newton on a brook; a little poor 

 market, whereof Mr. Langton hath the name of his 

 barony.' * Soon afterwards it returned two members to 

 Parliament. 



The borough returned two members to Parliament 

 in the ijth century. 5 



A gathering of the gentry at Newton in 1748, 

 ostensibly for hunting, was regarded by the populace 

 as a Jacobite meeting, and considerable rioting 

 ensued. 6 



In 1824 the market had fallen into disuse; but 

 the court baron and court leet were still held in April, ; 

 May, and October by the steward of the borough and 

 the bailiff of the manor. A race-course and cockpit 

 existed, but the sports had been discontinued ; the 

 race-meeting was revived and is still held. The fairs 

 were held on 1 7 and 1 8 May and 1 1 and 1 2 

 August. There were daily coaches to Liverpool and i 

 Bolton, and a market coach from Wigan to Warring- 

 ton passed through on Wednesdays. 7 



Manufactures sprang up, cotton-spinning, crown 

 glass, iron founding, and vitriol works existing in 

 1840. A large iron foundry and printing and 

 stationery works are among the chief industries at 

 present ; there are also paper mills, glass works, and 

 collieries. 



In addition to these EARLESTOWN has grown 

 up in recent years around the great wagon works of 

 the London and North Western Railway Company 

 at the Sankey Viaduct ; it has also engineering works 

 and a sugar refinery. A market is held on Friday. 

 Two newspapers are published weekly. The railway 

 company have erected a mechanics' institute. The 

 Vulcan Foundry has given its name to the village 

 which has grown up round it. Wargrave is another 

 village in the same part of the township, and Hey, by 

 the Sankey, is near. 



A local board was established in i863. 8 Newton 

 is now governed by an urban district council of 

 fifteen members, the township being divided into five 

 wards. 



There is an ancient barrow called Castle Hill about 

 half a mile north of the village. There is another at 

 the western end of the township. St. Oswald's Well 

 is near the junction of the boundaries of Newton, 

 Winwick, and Southworth. 9 



There is a town hall in High Street. The Liver- 

 pool Farm Reformatory School was established in 

 i859. 10 The old market cross was taken down in 

 1 8 19." The stone uprights of the stocks remain 



Land producing ^4 51. a year had been 

 given by Gerard Ashton in 1759, but 

 nothing was known of it in i8z8. 



The apprenticing system having become 

 obsolete the fund was in 1886 added to 

 the grammar school estates. The property 

 belonging to the other stocks now brings 

 in 92 21. \d. annually, but from various 

 causes the chanty was in debt in 1899 to 

 the extent of 260, so that the amount 

 of clothing distributed had had to be cur- 

 tailed. 



Something appears to have been re- 

 covered from the Burn bequest, for in 

 1832 6 151. was deposited on its ac- 

 count in the Wigan Savings Bank. This 

 has been allowed to accumulate, the fund 

 now being over 43. To the trustees of 

 the Abram charities 61. 6J. a year is paid. 



Lord Gerard pays 101. to the incum- 

 bent for a sermon on St. John's Day for 

 Catherine Wallii's charity. 



104 In 1706 the poor's fund amounted 

 to 18 101., and 80 more was added by 

 later benefactors ; the capital was invested 

 in the workhouse at Newton, and in 1828 

 6 to fj was paid out of the township 

 rates as interest. This was laid out by 

 the overseer in the purchase of linen. On 

 the sale of the workhouse in 1856 

 ^99 101. was paid to the official trustees, 

 and the interest, ^2 171.4^., is distributed 

 with the Haydock Clothing Endowment 

 a capital 0/^327 in. 8</. subscribed in 

 1863, principally by Mr. William John 

 Legh and the Messrs. Evans. Blankets, 

 flannel, and linsey are given. 



I The phrase ' Two Makerfields ' as the 

 name of a piece of land occurs in an 

 Ashton document ; End. Char. Rep. 



II 3,105, including 55 of inland water; 

 census of 1901. 



8 It was at Parkside, to the east of 

 Newton, that William Huskisson, M.P., 



132 



was killed at the opening of the line in 

 1830. The Sankey Viaduct is near. 



4 I tin. vii, 47 ; the words ' on a brook 

 called Golforden ' ( ? Golborne) seem to 

 belong to this sentence. 



5 Ret. of Memb. of Par I. 1213-1702, 

 P- 536. 



6 Lanes, and Ckes. Antiq. Notes, ii, 157. 

 " Baines, Lanes. Dir. 1825, ii, 433-5. 



Fairs in May and Aug. were held in 1836 ; 

 others had fallen into oblivion ; Baines, 

 Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 647. 



8 Land. Gaz. 8 Dec. 1863 ; 18 June 

 1869. See V.C.H. Lanes, i, 366 n. 



10 Land. Gass. 12 Apr. 1859. 



11 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 647 ; 

 a handsome cross, the shaft on the model 

 of Cleopatra's Needle, was in the ceme- 

 tery; ibid. 



Newton Cross was the scene of an 

 interview between a Haydock man, who 

 had been to the smith at Hulme with 



