Chapter V: Costumes, Country, Rivers, and Sea (2)

In 1825 Baines described Wardleys as “a small seaport on the river Wyre, where vessels of 300 tons register may discharge their burdens, situated in the township of Stalmine with Stainall, in the hundred of Amounderness;” but in the year 1708 customs were established at Poulton in connection with Wardleys and Skippool. Nor should we be justified in limiting the antiquity of the ports to that date, for as early as 1590-1600, William and James Blackburne, of Thistleton, carried on an extensive trade with Russia, and there can be no doubt that their cargoes of merchandise, most likely flax and tallow, were landed on the banks of the Wyre at those ancient harbours. The father of the above merchants was the first of the family to take up his residence in this neighbourhood, and appears to have settled at Garstang, about 1550, from Yorkshire. That the commercial dealings of the partners were both large and successful is shown in the property acquired by William Blackburne, the elder brother, who purchased Newton, lands in Thistleton, and several other estates of considerable magnitude in the Fylde, all of which he bequeathed to his son and heir, Richard. Richard Blackburne married Jane, the daughter of John Aynesworth, of Newton, and had issue John of Eccleston; Richard, of Goosnargh; Thomas, of Orford and Newton; Edward, of Stockenbridge, near St. Michael’s-on-Wyre; Robert, who was suspected of being implicated in the Gunpowder Plot, but acquitted, the evidence being insufficient; Annie, who married—Nickson; and Elizabeth, the wife of William Standish. When the Singletons of Staining became extinct, the Hall and estate of that name passed to a William Blackburne, as heir-at-law, and there is great probability that he was a descendant of one of the sons of Richard Blackburne of Thistleton, Newton, etc.—most likely of John Blackburn, of Eccleston.

During the years more immediately previous to the opening of the new port at the mouth of the river, a great many large ships from America, laden with timber, and brigs from Russia, with flax and tallow, were discharged at Wardleys. A three masted vessel, for the foreign trade, was also constructed in the ship-yard attached to that place, but as far as can be learnt this was the only vessel of equal dimensions ever built there, repairs being the chief occupation of the workpeople.

Several of the officers connected with the Custom House at Poulton, were stationed at Knot End, opposite the Warren, living in the small cottage standing near the shore, in order to board the different craft as they entered the river, and pilot them up the stream to Wardleys. A large hotel is situated behind the site of the old ship-yard, and during the summer months is generally well patronised by visitors, to whom, as well as to the pleasure-parties arriving by water from Fleetwood, and by road from Blackpool, the hamlet is now mainly indebted for support. Some large mussels, the “Mytili angulosi,” but known amongst the natives of those parts as “Hambleton hookings,” were found formerly in large quantities a little lower down the river, but lately specimens of this fine shell-fish have been growing much scarcer. Dr. Leigh, in his Natural History of our county, informs us that pearls have frequently been discovered enclosed within the shells of these molluscs, and also that their popular name arises from the manner in which they are taken, the feat being accomplished “by plucking them from their Skeers, or Beds, with Hooks.” The tidal estuary of the Wyre embraces an area of three miles by two, and it is near to its termination that the port and town of Fleetwood are situated. Our purpose now is not to enter into a description of the harbour, which will be found in the chapter specially devoted to the seaport itself, but a few words as to the advantages derived from the nature of the river’s current and its bed, will not be out of place. Captain Denham, R.N., F.R.S., after inspecting the site of the proposed port on behalf of the promoters, issued a report in the month of January, 1840, and amongst other things, stated that during the first half of the ebb-tide, a reflux of backwater was produced which dipped with such a powerful under-scour as to preserve a natural basin, capable of riding ships of eighteen or twenty feet draught, at low water, spring tides; also that the anchorage ground, both within and without the harbour, was excellent. These facts alone seemed sufficient to warrant the gallant officer’s prediction that the undertaking would be successful and remunerative, but when in addition it is called to mind, that “as easy and safe as Wyre water” had for long been a proverb amongst the mariners of our coast, and that the harbour was, and is, perfectly sheltered from all winds, as well as connected with a railway terminus which communicates with Preston, Manchester, etc., we are astonished that comparatively so little encouragement has been given to it, and that now, thirty-five years from the date of this survey, the first dock is only approaching completion.

The river Wyre is plentifully supplied with fish of various sorts; in the higher parts of the stream trout and smelts may be found, whilst the lower portion and estuary contain codling, flounders, sea-perch, conger, sand eels, and occasionally salmon. The earliest enactments with regard to the fisheries connected with the last-named fish related to the Wyre, Ribble, and other rivers of Lancashire. In 1389, during the reign of Richard II., a law, which arranged the times and seasons when the fisheries in these rivers should be closed, and other matters affecting them, was passed and brought into force, being the first regulation of its kind.

The Ribble is associated with the Fylde only in so much as its tidal estuary is concerned, which forms the southern boundary of the district. Since 1837 great alterations have been effected in the channel of the river by the Ribble Navigation Improvement Company. The stream for the larger portion of its extent from Preston to the Naze Point has been confined within stone embankments, and its bed considerably deepened by dredging. During the progress of these improvements wide tracts of land have been reclaimed both north and south of the current. From Freckleton the river rapidly widens as it approaches the sea, so that a direct line drawn from Lytham to Southport across its mouth would pass over a distance of seven or eight miles. The channel here is shallow, while the sands on each side are flat and extensive, and midway in the estuary, at its lowest part, lies the far-famed Horse-bank, which divides the stream into a north and south current, scarcely discernible, however, after the tide has risen above the level of the bank. About one mile from the town of Lytham, in the direction of Preston, is a pool of moderate dimensions, having an open communication with the river, and formed into a small harbour or dock for yachts and vessels connected with the coasting trade. In the bed of the river, a little higher up than that locality, trunks of large trees are occasionally observed at low water, and many such remains of a once noble forest, which is believed to have extended from near the Welsh coast as far even as Morecambe, have been raised at different times during the operation of dredging.

The following descriptions of the Ribble, its source, course, and tributaries, were written, respectively, by the ancient topographer Harrison, and the poet Drayton, whose accounts of the Wyre have been previously quoted:—

“The Rybell, a river verie rich of Salmon and Lampreie, dooth
in manner inviron Preston in Andernesse, and it riseth neere to
Ribbesdale above Gisburne. It goeth from thence to Sawley or
Salley, Chatburne, Woodington, Clitherow Castell, and beneath
Mitton meeteth with the Odder, which ryseth not farre from the
Cross of Grete in Yorkshire, and going thence to Shilburne,
Newton, Radholme parke, and Stony hirst, it falleth ere long into
Ribble water. From thence the Ribble hath not gone farre, but it
meeteth with the Calder. Thys brooke ryseth above Holme Church,
goeth by Townley and Burneley (where it receiveth a trifeling
rill), thence to Higham, and ere long crossing one water that
cometh from Wicoler, by Colne, and another by and by named Pidle
brooke that runneth by Newechurch, in the Pidle: it meeteth with
ye Calder, which passeth forth to Padiam, and thence (receyving
a becke on the other side) it runneth on to Altham, and so to
Martholme, where the Henburne brooke doth joyn with all, that
goeth by Alkington chappell, Dunkinhalge, Rishton, and so into
ye Calder as I have sayde before. The Calder therefore being
thus inlarged, runneth forth to Reade (where M. Noell dwelleth),
to Whalley, and soon after into Ribell, that goeth from this
confluence to Salisbury hall, Ribchester, Osbaston, Sambury,
Keuerden, Law, Ribles bridge, and then taketh in the Darwent,
before it goeth by Pontwarth or Pentworth into the sea. The
Darwent devideth Leland shire from Andernesse,[57] and it ryseth
by east above Darwent Chappell, and soone after uniting it selfe
with the Blackeburne, and Rodlesworthe water it goeth thorowe
Howghton Parke, by Howghton towne, to Walton hall, and so into
the Ribell. As for the Sannocke brooke, it ryseth somewhat above
Longridge Chappell, goeth to Broughton towne, Cotham, Lee hall,
and so into Ribell.”

“From Penigent’s proud foot as from my source I slide,
That mountain, my proud sire, in height of all his pride,
Takes pleasure in my course as in his first-born flood,
And Ingleborrough too, of that Olympian brood,
And Pendle, of the north, the highest hill that be,
Do wistly me behold, and are beheld of me.
These mountains make me proud, to gaze on me that stand,
So Longridge, once arrived on the Lancastrian strand,
Salutes me, and with smiles me to his soil invites,
So have I many a flood that forward me excites,
As Hodder that from Home attends me from my spring,
Then Calder, coming down from Blackstonedge doth bring
Me easily on my way to Preston, the greatest town
Wherewith my banks are blest, where, at my going down,
Clear Darwen on along me to the sea doth drive,
And in my spacious fall no sooner I arrive,
But Savock to the north from Longridge making way
To this my greatness adds, when in my ample bay,
Swart Dulas coming in from Wigan, with her aids,
Short Taud and Dartow small, two little country maids,
In these low watery lands and moory mosses bred,
Do see me safely laid in mighty Neptune’s bed,
And cutting in my course, even through the heart
Of this renowned shire, so equally it part,
As nature should have said, lo! thus I meant to do,
This flood divides this shire, thus equally in two.”

The beautiful scenery and historical associations of the Ribble render it the most interesting and charming of the several rivers which water the county of Lancaster. The quietude of its fair valley has on more than one occasion been rudely broken by the clash of arms, and students of our country’s history will readily call to mind that calamitous day to the Duke of Hamilton, when Cromwell routed the Highlanders under his command, near Preston,

“And Darwen stream with blood of Scots imbrued.”

Other instances of war-like doings along the banks of this river might be recounted, but as the neighbourhoods in which they occurred are not enclosed within the Fylde boundaries, we are perforce obliged to exclude them from this volume, and must refer those of our readers who are anxious to learn more both of them and of the river itself to other sources for the required information. The chief fish of the Ribble is of course its salmon, but in addition the estuary contains numbers of flounders and other varieties of the finny tribes similar to those found in the tidal portion of the Wyre. During the sixteenth century sturgeons seem to have been captured occasionally in the Ribble, and amongst the records of the duchy in 1536, there is a complaint that when “one certain sturgeon was found within the township of Warton and seized for the use of the King (who held the right of fishery there), and laid up in a house in Warton, one Christopher Bone, of Warton, and James Bradʳton, of the ley, with divers riotous persons, about the 6th of May last, did then and there take out of the said house the said sturgeon, and the said Bone hath at divers times and in like manner taken sturgeons and porpoises to his own use and the injury of his majesty.”[58]

As such a small part, and that far from the most important, of Ribble stream is really connected with the Fylde, and as it is not our intention to trespass beyond the limits of that district,—at least not knowingly, and the margin in the present instance is so clearly defined that no excuse could be offered for overstepping it,—we are compelled to content ourselves with this brief account, leaving much unsaid that is of considerable historical and general interest.

THE SEA which washes over the westerly shore of the Fylde forms part of St. George’s Channel or the Irish Sea, whilst the narrow northern boundary of the same district is limited by the waters of Morecambe Bay. The main peculiarities to be noticed along the extensive line of this coast swept over by the billows of the Irish Sea, are the almost entire absence of seaweeds and the levelness of the sands; indeed, so gentle is the slope of the latter that its average declivity has been estimated at no more than one foot in every fifty yards, and to the flatness of this surface it is due that the beach is in a very great measure freed from putrifying heaps of fish and seaweed, for the rising tides glide with such swiftness over the level sandy beds that most driftmatters and impurities are left behind in the depths beyond low water mark. An analysis, made by Dr. Schweitzer, of the waters of the English coast, furnishes the following result:—

No. of grains.
Water 964.74
Chloride of Sodium (Table salt) 27.06
Chloride of Magnesium 3.67
Sulphate of Magnesia (Epsom Salts) 2.30
Sulphate of Lime 1.40
Carbonate of Lime 0.03
Carbonate of Magnesia ⎫
Carbonic Acid ⎪
Potash ⎬ Traces
Iodine ⎪
Extractive matter ⎪
Bromide of Magnesium ⎭
----------
1,000

There are few, we imagine, who have not at one time or another admired the luminous appearance of the sea on certain evenings. This astonishing and beautiful phenomenon is brought about by the presence in the water of myriads of tiny beings, called Noctilucæ, which possess the power of emitting a phosphorescent light, and seemingly convert the bursting waves into masses of liquid fire. The immense expanse of sea spreading out from the westerly border of the Fylde has, independently of its association with the Gulph Stream, a marked influence in equalising the climate and averting those sudden and extreme degrees of heat and cold commonly experienced inland. The atmosphere over water does not undergo such rapid alterations in its temperature as that over land, and hence it happens that localities situated near the coast are cooler in summer and warmer in winter than others far removed from its vicinity. Most people will have observed that after a calm sunny day at the seaside, a breeze from the land invariably arises after sunset, due to the fact that the air over the earth being cooled and condensed much sooner than that over the sea, the heavier body of atmosphere endeavours to displace the warmer and lighter one. A gentle evaporation is daily taking place from the surface of the sea, by which the air becomes loaded with moisture, remaining suspended until the coolness of evening sets in, when it is deposited on the ground as dew. The water thus obtained from the deep is not pure brine, as might at first sight appear, but is freed from its salts by the process of natural distillation which has been undergone. Similar evaporation also goes on from the surfaces of the Ribble and Wyre, and it is doubtless chiefly owing to the Fylde being almost environed by water, constantly disseminating dew, that its fecundity is not only so great, but also so constant. The following is a list of the seaweeds to be found on the coast:—

MELANOSPERMEÆ OR OLIVE GREEN SEAWEEDS.

TRIBE—FUCACEÆ.

Fucus nodosus Knobbed Wrack
” serratus Serrated ”
” canaliculatus Channelled ”
” vesiculosus Bladder ”

TRIBE—SPOROCHNACEÆ.

Desmarestia aculeata Spring Desmarestia
” viridis Green ”

TRIBE—LAMINARIEÆ.

Alaria esculenta Edible Alaria
Laminaria digitata Tangle
” saccharina Sweet Laminaria
” bulbosa Sea-furbelows
Chorda filum Thread Ropeweed

TRIBE—DICTYOTEÆ.

Dictyosiphon fæniculaceus Tubular Netweed
Asperococcus echinatus Wooly Rough-weed
” compressus Compressed ”

TRIBE—CHORDARIEÆ.

Chordaria flagelliformis Whiplash weed
Mesogloia virescens Verdant Viscid-weed
” vermicularis Wormy ”

TRIBE—ECTOCARPEÆ.

Cladostephus verticillatus Whorled Cladostephus
” spongiosus Spongy ”
Sphacellaria scoparia Brown-like Sphacellaria
” plumosa Feathered ”
” Cirrhosa Nodular ”
Ectocarpus litoralis Shore Ectocarpus
” siliculosus Podded ”
” tomentosus Feathered ”

RHODOSPERMEÆ OR RED SEAWEEDS.

TRIBE—RHODOMELEÆ.

Polysiphonia fastigiata Tufted Polysiphonia
” urceolata Hair-like ”
” nigrescens Dark ”

TRIBE—LAURENCIEÆ.

Bonnemaisonia asparagoides Asparagus-like Bonnemaisonia
Laurentia pinnatifida Pinnatifid Pepper-dulse
” cæspitosa Tufted ”
” dasyphylla Sedum-leaved ”

TRIBE—CORRALLINEÆ.

Corallina officinalis Officinal Coralline
Jania Jania
Melobesia Melobesia

TRIBE—DELESSERIEÆ.

Delesseria alata Winged Delesseria

TRIBE—RHODYMENIEÆ.

Rhodymenia palmata Dulse
” ciliata Ciliated Rhodymenia
Hypnea purpurescens Purple Hypnea

TRIBE—CRYPTONEMIEÆ.

Gelidium Jellyweed
Gigartina mamillosa Papillary Grape-stone
Chondrus crispus Irish moss
Polyides rotundus Round Polyides
Furcellaria fastigiata Slippery Forkweed
Halymenia rubens Red Sea-film
” membranifolia Membranous Sea-film
” edulis Edible ”
” palmata Palmated ”
” lacerata Lacerated ”
Catanella opuntia Catanella opuntia

TRIBE—CERAMIEÆ.

Ceramium rubrum Red Hornweed
” diaphanum Diaphanous ”
” ciliatum Hairy ”
” echionotum Irregularly-spined Hornweed
” acanthonotum Spined ”
” nodosum Nodose ”
Callithamnion tetragonum Square-branched Callithamnion
” plumula Feathery ”
” polyspermum Many-spermed ”

CHLOROSPERMEÆ OR GRASS GREEN SEAWEEDS.

TRIBE—CONFERVEÆ.

Couferva rupestris Rock Crowsilk
” lanosa Woolly ”
” fucicola Wrack ”
” tortuosa Twisted ”

TRIBE—ULVEÆ.

Ulva latissima Oyster Green or Laver
” Lactuca Lettuce Laver
Entermarpha intestinalis Intestinal Entermorpha
” compressa Branched ”

The subjoined table contains the names of some of the crustaceous animals and molluscs commonly met with in the neighbourhood:—

Arctopsis tetraodon Four-horned Spider-crab
Hyas araneus Great Spider-crab, or Sea-toad
Portunus puber Velvet Fiddler-crab
Corystes dentata Toothed Crab
Gonoplax angulata Angular Crab
Pinnotheres pisum Pea-crab
Porcellana platycheles Broad-claw porcelain Crab
Cancer pagurus Edible crab
Cancer mænas Common Crab
Pagurus Bernhardus Hermit-crab
Pilumnus hirtellus Hairy-crab
Palæmon serratus Common Prawn
Crangon vulgaris Common Shrimp
Corophium longicorne Long-horned Corophium
Orchestia littorea Shore-hopper
Talitrus saltator Sand-hopper
Sulcator arenarius Sand-screw
Mytilus edulis Edible Mussel
Cardium edule Cockle
Buccinum undatum Whelk
Litorina litorea Periwinkle
Calyptra vulgaris Common Limpet