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North Meols

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MEOLS (NORTH), a village, a township, a sub-district, and a parish in Ormskirk district, Lancashire. The village stands on a rivulet, 1 mile from the coast, and 2½ NE of Southport r. station; bears the name of Churchtown; and has a post office of that name under Southport, and a fair on the Monday and Tuesday after 20 Aug.-The township contains also the town of Southport, and the hamlets of Southaws, Hawside, Little London, Higher Blowick, Lower Blowick, Rowe-Lane, Marshside, Crossens, and Banks. Acres, 18,871; of which 10,805 are foreshore-water. Real property, £48,226. Pop. in 1851, 8,694; in 1861, 14,661. Houses, 2,585. The increase of pop. was chiefly in Southport; and arose, there and elsewhere, principally from house-building for mercantile men, and from the establishing of boarding-schools. The property is much subdivided. The manor belongs to the Rev. Charles Hesketh and the Trustees of the late Scarisbrick, Esq. North Meols Hall was formerly the seat of the Heskeths, and is now a farm-house. Hand-loom silk weaving is a principal employment. The sub-district is conterminate with the township. The parish contains also the township of Birkdale; and comprises 10,301 acres of land, and 14,240 acres of water. Real property, £53,178. Pop. in 1851, 9,319; in 1861, 15,947. Houses, 2,822. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Chester. Valne, £844. Patron, the Rev.Hesketh. The church stands at Churchtown; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower and spire; and contains monuments to the Heskeths and the Fleetwoods. Three vicarages of Southport, and those of Crossens, Banks, and Birkdale are separate benefices. Chapels for Independents, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists, a national school, and charities £22 are in North Meols ecclesiastical section; and ten dissenting chapels, a Roman Catholic chapel, and three national schools are in Southport.

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

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Archives & Libraries

Local studies information is held at Ormskirk library.

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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the North Meols area is Sefton North.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of North Meols which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"NORTH MEOLS, a parish in the hundred of West Derby, county Lancaster, 3 miles N.E. of Southport, its post town, and 7½ N.W. of Ormskirk. The parish, which is very considerable, is divided into two townships, North Meols and Birkdale. It is bounded on the N.W. by the Irish Sea, near the mouth of the river Ribble. It contains the chapelries of Crossens and Southport-the latter a modern bathing-place-besides 10 hamlets The inhabitants are principally employed in handloom silk-weaving. The living is a rent. in the diocese of Chester, value £844. The parish church, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, is a stone structure with a spired tower containing a clock and two bells. The interior of the church contains several monuments to the families of the Heskeths and Fleetwoods. In addition to the parish church are the following churches, viz: Christ Church, at Southport; Trinity; St. James's, Birkdale; and Crossens, the livings of which are all perpetual curacies, varying in value from £678 to £200. The parochial charities produce about £22 per annum, of which £18 go to the grammar school. There is a school for infants. The Wesleyans, Independents, and Primitive Methodists, have each a chapel. North Meols Hall, formerly the seat of the Heskeths, is now converted into a farmhouse. Manor courts are held annually, by Charles Scarisbrick, Esq., and the Rev. Charles Hesketh, who are the lords of the manor and principal landowners. An annual fair is held on the nearest Monday and Tuesday to the 20th August, for cattle, pigs, &c."

"SOUTHAWS, a hamlet in the township and parish of North Meols, county Lancaster, 7 miles N.W. of Ormskirk."

"ROWE LANE, a hamlet in the parish and township of North Meols, county Lancaster, 7 miles N.W. of Ormskirk."

"MARSHSIDE, a hamlet in the parish and township of North Meols, county Lancaster, 8 miles N.W. of Ormskirk."

"HAWSIDE, a hamlet in the parish of North Meols, county Lancaster, 7 miles N.W. of Ormskirk. It is situated near the mouth of the river Ribble."

"CROSSENS, a hamlet in the parish of North Meols, in the county of Lancaster, 7 miles N.W. of Ormskirk. It is situated at the mouth of the river Ribble. The living is a curacy in the diocese of Chester."

"CHURCHTOWN, a hamlet in the parish of North Meols, in the hundred of West Derby, in the county of Lancaster, 7 miles N.W. of Ormskirk. It is situated near the coast, at a short distance from the mouth of the river Ribble."

"BLOWICK, (Higher and Lower) hamlets in the parish of North Meols, hundred of West Derby, in the county palatine of Lancaster, 6 miles to the N.W. of Ormskirk. They are seated near the coast, at the mouth of the river Ribble."

"BANKS, a hamlet in the parish of North Meols, in the hundred of West Derby, and county palatine of Lancaster, 9 miles to the N. of Ormskirk."

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Genealogy

ENG-LAN-SOUTHPORT is an e-mail list for Southport genealogy.

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Historical Geography

In 1835 the parish of North Meols contained the townships of North Meols and Birkdale.

Information about boundaries and administrative areas is available from A Vision of Britain through time.

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Maps

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View maps of North Meols and places within its boundaries.

View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD370194 (Lat/Lon: 53.667357, -2.955006), North Meols which are provided by:

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Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, North Meols was in the Archdeaconry of Chester, in the Diocese of Chester. The original Lancashire wills for the Archdeaconry of Chester are held at the Lancashire Record Office.

You can also see Family History Societies covering the nearby area, plotted on a map. This facility is being developed, and is awaiting societies to enter information about the places they cover.