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Mawdesley | |
---|---|
Location within Lancashire | |
Population | 1,702 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SD491145 |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ORMSKIRK |
Postcode district | L40 |
Dialling code | 01704 |
Police | Lancashire |
Fire | Lancashire |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Mawdesley is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England, which had a population of 1,702 as per the 2011 Census. [1]
The name Mawdesley is thought to have originated in the reign of Edward I (1272–1308). The suffix -ley describes a field, meadow or clearing. Records show that a manor existed in 1250 AD on the site of the present Mawdesley Hall.
Mawdesley supported willow farming and basket-making in the 19th century, [2] with the growing conditions notable for producing strong and durable rods. [3] The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation lists the 'Mawdesley' willow variety as being named for the village. [4]
Mawdesley Hall is a small hall on a back road leading into the village. It was built by William Mawdesley in 1625, but altered towards the end of the 18th century. [5]
The village has limited public transport services. Hourly bus services runs through the centre of the village to Chorley, Ormskirk and Southport. The nearest railway station is three miles away at Rufford.
Bus Services include: 337 Chorley to Ormskirk via Charnock Richard, Eccleston, Croston, Mawdesley, Parbold and Burscough
347 Chorley to Southport via Charnock Richard, Eccleston, Croston, Mawdesley, Rufford, Holmeswood, Banks and Crossens.
In common with the rest of Lancashire, [6] Mawdesley was home to a number of Catholic recusants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Nearly a quarter of adult men in the village were listed as recusants in the Protestation Returns of 1641, [7] and in 1717 a large number of Catholic yeomen had registered estates in the village. [8]
St Peter and St Paul's Catholic Church, at OS grid reference SD508146, Salt Pit Lane, was founded in 1830. The Wesleyan Methodist church on New Street was built in 1844 [9] from religious societies founded by John Wesley and his preachers and was at OS grid reference SD493150. St Peter's CE Church, High Street, Mawdesley with Bispham, was founded in 1840 [10] and is at OS grid reference SD489143.
The village has two small primary schools, Mawdesley St Peter's C of E School, and St Peter and Paul's Catholic School. Little Acorns pre-school operates from within Mawdesley St Peter's C of E School and serves Mawdesley and the surrounding villages, providing play-based learning for three to five-year olds.
The village sits on a low rise from the surrounding Mawdesley Moss, a flat, intensively-farmed plain. The moss forms the eastern edge of the West Lancashire Coastal Plain with the neighouring Croston Moss and contains a three-turbine 2,250kW wind farm. [11]
The River Douglas runs along the western boundary of the moss, flowing north to meet the River Ribble at Hesketh Bank. The Syd, Reed and Bentley brooks and a number of sluices run through the village into the Douglas, and the moss contains a pumping station. [12] The Rufford branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs alongside the river in this area, having superseded the Douglas Navigation as a trading route in the 18th century. [13]
The nearest hill, Harrock Hill (515 ft) belongs to the neighbouring parishes of Hilldale and Wrightington. This low, rolling hill is visible in some areas of Mawdesley and, with the wind farm, serves as a landmark from the surrounding flat landscape.
Mawdesley Cricket Club is based in the village. Historically playing in the Palace Shield competition, the club will play in the Northern Premier Cricket League in 2024, the top tier of club cricket in England and Wales.
Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, 8 miles (13 km) north of Wigan, 11 miles (18 km) south west of Blackburn, 11 miles (18 km) north west of Bolton, 12 miles (19 km) south of Preston and 20 miles (32 km) north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry.
The Borough of Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after the town of Chorley, which is an unparished area. The borough extends to several villages and hamlets including Adlington, Buckshaw Village, Croston, Eccleston, Euxton and Whittle-le-Woods.
Euxton is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 9,993, however, the population is now estimated to be around 14,000 due to the increase in housing developments in the village, including the Buckshaw development. The village is situated just to the west of Chorley, and to the south of Clayton-le-Woods.
Chorley is a constituency in Lancashire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Lindsay Hoyle. Hoyle was originally elected for the Labour Party, but in 2019 became the Speaker, making him unaffiliated.
South Ribble is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Paul Foster for Labour.
Eccleston is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. It is beside the River Yarrow, and was formerly an agricultural and later a weaving settlement.
Tarleton is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Liverpool and 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Preston. The parish includes the village of Mere Brow and the hamlets of Sollom and Holmes, and is an agricultural area. It had a population of 5,959 at the 2021 Census. Tarleton village, Holmes, and the villages of Hesketh Bank and Becconsall to the north form a single built-up area with a population of 8,755.
Rufford is a village in West Lancashire, England, where the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway, the A59 and the River Douglas meet.
Croston is a village and civil parish near Chorley in Lancashire, England. The River Yarrow flows through the village. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 2,917.
Bispham Green is a village in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Mawdesley and less than 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Parbold.
Bretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 669. Its name suggests pre-conquest origins and its early history was closely involved with the manor house Bank Hall and the families who lived there. Bretherton remained a rural community and today is largely residential with residents commuting to nearby towns.
Much Hoole is a village and civil parish in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. The parish of Much Hoole had a population of 1,851 at the time of the 2001 census, increasing to 1,997 at the 2011 Census.
Chorley Interchange is a bus station in Chorley, England.
Ulnes Walton is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011 it had a population of 2,672.
Rufford New Hall is a former country house that belonged to the Heskeths who were lords of the manor of Rufford, Lancashire, England. It replaced Rufford Old Hall as their residence in 1760. From 1920 to 1987 it was used as a hospital and has subsequently been restored and converted for residential use. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1986.
Chorley Rural District was a rural district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974.
Of the 199 people whose names appear on the Protestant Return for the parish of Mawdesley, 48 of them were recorded as "papists" who refused to take the oath.
A large number of yeomen 'Papists' registered estates in Mawdesley in 1717