WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



foundation of the mission at St. James's, Marsh Lane, 

 was made in 1845, when a room on the canal bank 

 was hired for worship. In the following year a 

 school chapel was built in Marsh Lane and enlarged 

 in 1868. In 1884 the whole of the buildings and 

 site were purchased by the Lancashire and Yorkshire 

 Railway Company, but a new church, on an adjacent 

 site, was opened early in 1886.' St. Winefride's, 

 Derby Road, was opened in 1895.' 



KIRKDALE 



Chirchedele, Dom. Bk. ; Kirkedale, 1 185 ; Kierke- 

 dale, 1200. 



With a frontage to the Mersey of a mile in length, 

 Kirkdale extends inland about a mile and a half, the 

 area being 841 acres.' It occupies the level ground 

 between Everton and the river, a large part of which 

 was formerly sandhills, and the village* lay at the 

 foot of the hill, on the north-west side of the road 

 from Liverpool to Walton. To the north rose a 

 brook which ran down to the river by Bank Hall.' 

 From the village a road led to the river side at Sand- 

 hills ; ° another road. Field Lane, afterwards Bootle 

 Lane and now Westminster Road, ran to Bootle. 

 On the eastern side towards the border of Walton' 

 the land rises a little, attaining 150 ft. above the 

 Ordnance datum. Like other townships absorbed by 

 the growth of Liverpool, Kirkdale is a mass of build- 

 ings, chiefly small cottage property, the dwellings of 

 the working classes, mixed up with factories and ware- 

 houses, railways, and shops. There are no natural 

 features left, scarcely a green tree to relieve the 

 monotony of ugly buildings and gloomy surroundings, 

 save in some old enclosure that was once a garden. 



The geological formation is triassic, consisting of 

 the upper mottled sandstone of the bunter series 

 resting upon the pebble beds of that series, which 

 crop up on the higher ground, with a narrow strip of 

 the basement beds of the keuper series resting upon 

 them. 



The old road from Liverpool to Walton and Orms- 

 kirk remains the principal thoroughfare. The Lan- 

 cashire and Yorkshire Company's railway from Liver- 

 pool to Preston has stations called Sandhills and 

 Kirkdale, and the Southport line, which branches 

 off at Sandhills, has another station at Bank Hall. 

 The London and North- Western Railway's branch 

 from Edge Hill to the docks has a station at Canada 

 Dock, and the Cheshire Lines Committee have one 

 at Huskisson Dock. The Overhead Railway runs 

 along the line of docks, with several stopping places ; 

 and the Liverpool tramway system has many lines in 



WALTON 



and out of the city and across. A large part of the 

 shore side of the township is occupied with railway 

 sidings and stations in connexion with the dock 

 traffic. The portion of the dock system within the 

 township limits includes Sandon Dock, with its large 

 graving docks; Huskisson Dock, with two long branches, 

 and Canada Dock with its branch. For many years, 

 from about i860, Canada Dock has been the centre of 

 the timber trade, but the discharging ground has been 

 moved further north. 



Kirkdale Gaol,' where executions formerly took 

 place, stood near Kirkdale railway station ; part of 

 the site has since 1897 been utilized as a recreation 

 ground. Close by are the industrial schools of the 

 Liverpool Select Vestry." 



Stanley Hospital was founded in 1867. 



St. Mary's proprietary cemetery" was opened in 

 1905 as a public garden in charge of the corporation. 

 It is known as Lester Gardens. 



Colonel John Moore, a regicide, was lord of the 

 manor. In recent times Canon Thomas Major 

 Lester, incumbent of St. Mary's for nearly fifty years, 

 has been the most notable resident ;" his life was given 

 up to various public services in connexion with 

 education and philanthropy, large industrial schools 

 being founded and maintained by his efforts. 



Kirkdale was included within the borough of 

 Liverpool in 1835, being a ward by itself ; in 1895 

 it was divided into three wards, each with an alder- 

 man and three councillors. 



In 1066 Uctred held KIRKDALE, 

 MANOR which was assessed at half a hide, and 

 worth loj. beyond the customary rent, 

 and free from all custom except geld of the plough- 

 lands and forfeitures for breach of the peace, ambush, 

 &c." It is probable this was the half hide held 

 in 1086 by Warin, one of Roger of Poitou's knights, 

 who may be identified with Warin Bussel, ancestor 

 of the barons of Penwortham. This barony, pro- 

 bably incorporated by Stephen early in his reign, 

 included Kirkdale, which rendered the service of 

 three-tenths of a knight's fee to the quota due from 

 the barony." 



Warin Bussel II gave the vill to one Norman, to 

 hold by knight's service." Roger de Kirkdale held 

 the manor in the latter half of the twelfth century, 

 and dying in 1 201'* left a daughter Quenilda as heir." 

 She married Richard son of Roger, who assumed the 

 local surname, and died before 1226, when Quenilda's 

 marriage was in the king's gift by reason of her tene- 

 ment in Formby." Her elder daughter Ellen 

 married William de Walton, at one time rector 

 of the church, and their son William, known as 



^ Li'verpool Cath, Ann. 



2 Ibid. The building was previously a 

 Baptist chapel, 



' 921 acres, including 68 of inland 

 water; Census Rep. of 190 1. The apparent 

 increase is due to dock extensions. There 

 are also 198 acres of tidal water and 3 of 

 foreshore. 



* Morley Street is about the centre of 

 the old village. 



* A mill is marked on the stream in 

 SherrifFs map of 1823. To the north of 

 Bank Hall was Kirkdale Marsh. 



^ This road is now represented by 

 Latham Street and Sandhills Lane. On 

 the north side of it stood Blackfield House. 

 To the south a small brook ran into the 

 Mersey, forming the division between this 



township and Liverpool ; it was called 

 Beacon Gutter. 



'In 1823 Springfield Mill stood near 

 Spellow by the Walton Road. It still 

 exists unused. 



s It was built as a county prison and 

 sessions house in 18 19, transferred to the 

 borough of Liverpool about 1855, and 

 demolished in 1895. 



s Built in 1843. 



10 It was opened in 1837. 



11 Of Christ's Coll. Camb. ; M.A. 1866. 

 His incumbency lasted from 1855 till his 

 death in 1903, and he was made hon. 

 canon of Liverpool in 1884. 



12 r.CH. Lanes, i, 284a. " Ibid. 335. 

 " Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 



Lanes, and Ches.), 35. Nothing is 



35 



known of Norman ; he is supposed to be 

 the father of William son of Norman, to 

 whom Roger de Kirkdale gave his share 

 of Formby. 



^5 In this year his widow Godith gave 

 half a mark to sue for her dower before 

 the justices at Westminster j Rot, de 

 Oblatis (Rec. Com.), 128 ; Farrer, Lana. 

 Pipe R. 132. 1^ Inq, and Extents^ 1. c. 



^7 Ibid. 131. She in her widowhood 

 granted to Cockersand Abbey the service 

 of two oxgangs in Kirkdale, held of her 

 by Henry de Walton ; also a place by the 

 Mersey where the canons could make a 

 fishery, viz. between the fishery of Thomas 

 the chaplain and the sea ; Cockersand 

 Chartul. (Chet. Soc), ii, 56.1 . 



She had two daughters, Ellen and Emma, 



