Hale

"HALE, a chapelry in the parish of Childwall, hundred of West Derby, county Lancaster, 6 miles S. of Prescot. It is situated on the northern bank of the river Mersey, and forms the most southern point of land in the county. The village is small and almost wholly agricultural. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £183 19s. 9d. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £105. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. The charities produce £15 per annum, which goes to the support of Past's free school. The Child of Hale, John Middleton, was born here in 1578. His height was 9 feet 3 inches, and he had a hand 17 inches in length. He was introduced at the court of James I., and died here in 1623. Hale Hall, which has a decoy, was built by the Irelands in 1674. In the conservatory is a palm-tree, supposed to be the finest in Europe, being 27 feet in height, and above 100 years old, having been brought to England in 1737."