' AMOUNDERNESS • : A REGIONAL SURVEY OF THE FYLDE 13 



The uninformed enquirer might naturally suppose that in this part of the 

 country, untraversed as to its western portion by any of the great through 

 routes of traffic and surrounded on three sides by water, on two of which, 

 though fording would be possible, it would be very difficult, and in the third 

 by the open sea, we would have found a sleepy backwater which would have 

 allowed the world to go by without taking much part in its stirring events. 

 The very opposite is the case. This is doubtless partly to be accounted for by 

 the fact that from the very earliest times the lands of the areas were alternatively 

 in the hands of and the gift of the Crown, or in the possession of important 

 monastic houses, the latter at least as early as A.D. 936, and again at a number 

 of dates in the succeeding centuries. There would be, therefore, a great going 

 to and fro between the seats of Government and the palaces of priest prelates 

 on the one hand, and the great houses of the area on the other. There are, 

 also, the factors which lead to the heads of the grand houses of their day taking 

 an active part in the Wars of the Roses and Jacobite risings, to which reference 

 has already been made, and which ultimately led a good many of them to 

 London for trial, imprisonment, banishment or fine, and a few to Tower Hill. 

 The history of the area is thus a very fascinating study. 



It has been said more than once that all history is merely a record of a 

 country's sorrows. That of our area is no exception. Invasion by foe and the 

 elements, rapine, loot, earthquake, famine, pestilence, unfortunate religious 

 and political partizanship, have all played their parts to an equal and even 

 intensified extent, and have helped to mould the physical and political con- 

 ditions which we find to-day. To enter into a description of them all and of 

 their results would be beyond the scope of this article. 



There are two other matters especially germane to our subject. Reference 

 to archeological or historical maps show the area dotted all over with ancient 

 crosses and their sites or remains to an extraordinary degree. All those shown 

 are very ancient, though none would appear to approach the age of the Runic 

 crosses to be seen in surrounding districts. Taylor, in his ' Ancient Crosses 

 and Holy Wells of Lancashire,' gives a list of no less than 59 crosses, or remains 

 of crosses in the Hundred of Amoundemess. The following are a few : — 



Bispham Churchyard Cross. Garstang Market Cross. 



Bradshaw Cross, Street. Garstang-Churchtown Church- 

 Buck's Cross, Holleth. yard Cross. 

 Breck Cross, Poulton. . Garstang-Churchtown Village 

 Brunahill Cross, Garstang. Cross. 



Cabus Cross, Cabus. Grizedale Cross, Grizedale Reser- 

 Car House Cross, Garstang. voir. 



Cathouse Cross, Garstang. Hag Wood Cross, Garstang Bye- 

 Catterall House Cross, Catterall. pass. 



Charnock House Cross, Catterall. Hall Cross, Kirkham. 



Combelaw Cross, Staynall. Higher House Cross, Kirkham. 



Cook Green Cross, Forton. Kirkham Market Cross. 



Crawley's Cross, Stake Pool. Langtrees Cross, Claughton. 



Cross Hill Cross, Scorton. Laurence's Cross, Stalmine. 



Fox Lane Ends Cross, Wrea Green. Lund Cross, Clifton. 



Forton Hall Cross, Forton. Lytham Churchyard Cross. 



