30th July 1819, Ormskirk, church tower-steeple, Garstang, Preston

Friday 30th July 1819

Friday July 30th We arose at 5 o’clock this morning and leaving Liverpool we proceeded to Ormskirk to breakfast 13 miles a small town with a curious church said to be built by two sisters who differed in opinion with respect to having a

tower or a steeple built both. The steeple is part of the side of the tower which has a very odd appearance. The Inn is tolerable. We then passed through a flat but pretty country to Preston 19 miles a small but well built town. We had a fine view of Lord Derby’s on entering the town again changing horses & taking a little refreshment at a comfortable Inn. We proceeded to Lancaster through Garstang to dinner this is a well built town but very dull looking.

OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:

Ormskirk: The name is Old Norse in origin and is derived from Ormres kirkja, from a personal name, Ormr (which means "serpent" or dragon), and the Old Norse word kirkja for church. Ormr may have been a Viking who settled here, became a Christian and founded the church but there are no other records or archaeological evidence to support this and Ormr's identity is unknown.

The parish church of St Peter and St Paul is believed to be on the site of the original kirk, on a sandstone outcrop, and is the oldest building in the town. Its exact age is unknown; the building does contain some fragments of Norman architecture. The parish church has many connections with the Earls of Derby and the Stanley family. Many family members are buried in the church's Derby Chapel, including Thomas Stanley, the first Earl, who caused Richard III to lose his crown by changing sides at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and the Royalist James Stanley, the seventh Earl, who was beheaded at Bolton in 1651 after the Civil War. His body is buried in one coffin and his head in a separate casket. This is one of only three parish churches in England to have a tower and a separate spire, and is unique in that it has both at the same end of the building.

Legend has it that Orme had two sisters, one who wanted a tower, and one who wanted a spire, and Orme built both to please both. Regrettably, the truth is not so romantic. The 'steeple' dates from the early 15th century, but the original blew down in 1731 and was rebuilt between 1790 and 1832. The large west tower was added to the church around 1548 to house the bells of nearby Burscough Priory following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. One of these bells can still be seen in the church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormskirk

Ormskirk Tolerable Inn: In Her HISTORY OF ORMSKIRK, Roshni Dhodakia’s blog provides a couple of Inns that might have hosted the Coplands for their breakfast 200 years ago. She tells us that “The Buck I’ th’ Vine is the only surviving coaching inn on the Liverpool to Preston turnpike road. Here the traveller could find warmth, entertainment and food. The inn has a rear courtyard with an old Brewhouse and once had a theatre with a minstrel’s gallery.” She continues with the history of The Ship Inn. “Above a row of white-painted shops (no. 14) there is an old inn sign showing a ship in full sail. Long since converted into a shop, this building was once an inn behind which was an 18th-century theatre. In 1788, you could see two plays each evening, all for the princely sum of one shilling (5p)! The theatre was demolished in the 1920s.

Image from the Buck I’ th’ Vine’s entry in What Pub: https://whatpub.com/pubs/SOU/133/buck-i-th-vine-ormskirk

Preston: The 19th century saw a transformation in Preston from a small market town to a much larger industrial one, as the innovations of the latter half of the previous century such as Richard Arkwright's water frame (invented in Preston) brought cotton mills to many northern English towns.

It was the first English town outside London to be lit by gas. The Preston Gas Company was established in 1815 by, amongst others, a Catholic priest: Rev. Joseph "Daddy" Dunn of the Society of Jesus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston,_Lancashire

Knowsley Hall - Lord Derby’s- Knowsley Hall’s gardens and parkland were created by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown around 1775-6, and flooded the 62 acre lake to feed the water gardens around the Hall.

The gardens were extended in the 19th century and the parkland was enclosed by a 9.5 mile stone wall featuring many follies along its length, including an Octagon designed by Robert Adam. http://knowsleyhallvenue.co.uk/our-story/knowsley-history/

Preston Comfortable Inn: Possibly the Bull & Royal, located at the heart of Preston City Centre, which is a restored traditional coach house. https://www.thebullandroyal.co.uk/

1857: Lithograph from: https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2012/06/preston-past-a-ramble-along-church-street-part-2-2/

See also https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2012/06/preston-past-a-ramble-along-church-street-part-2-2/ which offers other possible Inns. Another option is The Golden Cross. Most references go back no further than the 1850s but Catherine Proctor informs us that an earlier building was rebuilt in Victorian times: “With regard to the Golden Cross Pub - in Preston. My ancestor Robert Gornall was the owner in the late 1700's and early 1800's. I believe it was in our family for 100 years or more. (I'm working on the early part of the family tree to see which pub was in the family in 1604 when Hugh Gornall of Preston was an ale house keeper). When Robert Gornall died about 1830, it passed out of the family. The building that is there now is not the original one. It is on the original site, but the place was rebuilt in Victorian Times. Robert Gornall was a Burgess with the Preston Guild Merchant and was registered with the Guilds of 1782, 1802 and 1822. As well as being an innkeeper, he was the Bailiff and a common councillor. Also the Billet Master.” Catherine Proctor Gornall One Name Study http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=2472.9 see alsohttp://pubsinpreston.blogspot.com/2012/02/golden-cross-hotel-lancaster-road.html https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/15482451862 and https://www.closedpubs.co.uk/lancashire/preston_goldencross.html

In his very helpful “Preston’s Inns, Taverns and Beer Houses” , Steve Halliwell lists a number of other Inns that could well have hosted the Coplands. Details of one, The Blue Anchor, is researched under http://pubsinpreston.blogspot.com/2012/01/blue-anchor-blue-anchor-court.html

Lancaster is an ancient settlement, dominated by Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Priory Church and the Ashton Memorial. The picture, below, may be what greeted Lucy and her family as they approached the city by carriage.

1825: The English Lakes. Selected views from a sketchbook (36 drawings) : mixed media, including watercolour and pencil by John Parker (1798–1860) from the National Library of Wales. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and oth… — 1825: The English Lakes. Selected views from a sketchbook (36 drawings) : mixed media, including watercolour and pencil by John Parker (1798–1860) from the National Library of Wales. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DV342_Lancaster_from_the_south.png

It became a borough in 1193 under King Richard I and Its first charter, dated 12 June 1193, was from John, Count of Mortain, who later became King of England. Lancaster Castle, partly built in the 13th century and enlarged by Elizabeth I, stands on the site of a Roman garrison. Lancaster Castle is well known as the site of the Pendle witch trials in 1612. It was said that the court based in the castle (the Lancaster Assizes) sentenced more people to be hanged than any other in the country outside London, earning Lancaster the nickname, "the Hanging Town". Lancaster also figured prominently in the suppression of Catholicism during the reformation with the execution of at least eleven Catholic priests. A memorial to the Lancaster Martyrs is located close to the city centre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster,_Lancashire

Lancaster Museums provides more information on this scene of Lancaster painted by the artist Gideon Yates, below: “This particular view is from Skerton on the north bank of the river Lune. In the foreground three cattle are grazing. The Skerton Bridge, which was constructed in 1788 is shown in great detail. Immediately behind this bridge is the site of the shipbuilding family - Brockbanks. The Green Ayre is completely obscured by a ship on the stocks. In the back ground the skyline of the town can be glimpsed. The cupola crowned the Town Hall in Market Square, built in 1785.

Many of Lancaster's grand buildings date from around this period due to the increased growth of trade that the town was experiencing. This led to the investment in new buildings, founding of hospitals and a sense of confidence.” http://collections.lancsmuseums.gov.uk/narratives/narrative.php?irn=135

Lancaster from Lune Bank, Skerton by Gideon Yates (1790-1837) from the collection of the Lancashiere Museums. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus… — Lancaster from Lune Bank, Skerton by Gideon Yates (1790-1837) from the collection of the Lancashiere Museums. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lancaster_from_Lune_Bank,_Skerton.jpg

Garstang: The town's traditional market day on Thursday's dates back to the early-1300s and stretches the length of street. The Market Cross at the top of the High Street one of the most familiar landmarks in the area. The town celebrates an arts festival and an agricultural show (which has been continued for 200 years) every year in August. In April 2000, Garstang declared itself "the world's first Fairtrade Town", influencing many other towns, cities and counties around the United Kingdom to work towards the same goal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garstang

The route taken by the Coplands is shown on patterson’s 1800 map The Road from Preston to Garstang to Lancaster.

1800: Daniel Paterson - The Road from Preston to Garstang to Lancaster. Published in 'Paterson' s BRITISH ITINERARY being a new and accurate Delineation and Description of the Direct and Principal Cross Roads of Great Britain in two volumes by DANIE… — 1800: Daniel Paterson - The Road from Preston to Garstang to Lancaster. Published in 'Paterson' s BRITISH ITINERARY being a new and accurate Delineation and Description of the Direct and Principal Cross Roads of Great Britain in two volumes by DANIEL PATERSON Esq.' Published by Bowles & Carver https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/MapPR297.jpg

Can you help us?

Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.

New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?

Please click here if you can help

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