Newton-le-Willows

the history of our local area

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The Fee of Makerfield
Written by Steven Dowd   
Before the bank holiday weekend, I managed to purchase an original 1872 copy of a text by William Beamont, Esq.

"The Fee of Makerfield, With an Account of some of its Lords, The Barons of Newton"

William Beamont I am led to believe, is the person who founded Warrington Library, This text was published some 40 yrs previous to the more well known J H Lane, 1914, History of Newton-le-Willows books. and may have been Lanes source for the material on the Fee of Makerfield.
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Newton Hall : Archaeological Excavation
Written by Steven Dowd   
Image
This article shows a sample of the video I managed to take, at the archeaological excavation of the old Newton Hall in Feb 2006, The excavation was undertaken by National Museums Liverpool Field Archaeology Unit, Mark Adams from the unit, gives an account of their findins, and the site is visited by the last inhabitants, Stan & John Boydell.
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The Story of Vicars
Written by Steven Dowd   
Around a year ago, I compiled from different sources a history on one of Earlestowns oldest firms, T & T Vicars, somehow, the article has been lost from the database, probably when the website changed Servers some months ago, for those interested, here again is the missing history article
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The Battle of Winwick Pass, 19 Aug 1648
Written by Steven Dowd   
On the southern boundary of the township of Newton, a wooded valley branches off east-wards from the Wigan-Warrington road. The northern side of the valley, known locally as Red Bank, formed the boundary of old Newton Park Estate, and was marked by a high man-made bank with a hedge running along it. On the opposite side of the valley, which is about 100 yards wide, stands a natural steep-sided sandstone bank, which in-places is between twenty and thirty feet high, In the year 1648 this was also probably topped by a hedge.
The valley and surrounding fields are the site of the English Civil War "Battle of Winwick Pass"

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The Liverpool & Manchester Railway
Written by Steven Dowd   

Railway share certificates, in common with other railway ephemera, have been and always will be desirable, and thus they fetch consistently high prices in relation to other similarily aged and engraved pieces ? especially shares of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (henceforth referred to as the L&M).
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Crow Lane Hall & Newton Serjeants
Written by Steven Dowd   
This building, probably the oldest in the township, was formerly a moated grange, vestiges of the moat being visible in the boyhood days of some of our septuagenarian residents. It is said to have been the abode of the serjeant (or bailiff) of the lord of the manor, a post of great importance in olden days, and corresponding to that of sheriff of more recent times.
Crow Lane Hall
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