Ormskirk, ENG - Postcode - L39 5QL

Description of Ormskirk, England

North of Liverpool by 21 kilometers, northwest of St. Helens by 11 kilometers, southeast of Southport by 14 kilometers, and southwest of Preston by 29 kilometers, Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire area of Lancashire, England. Gingerbread is an important part of Ormskirk's history.

History of Ormskirk

Named after the personal name Ormr (which means "serpent" or "dragon" in Old Norse) and the Old Norse word for church, kirkja, the name is of Old Norse origin.

Although Ormskirk is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, it has been theorized that it was included in the Lathom manor at the time. Since the church of Ormskirk was donated to Burscough Priory by the ruler of Lathom in 1189, this may indicate that Ormskirk was under Lathom's control at the time. 

Twice weekly, on Thursdays and Saturdays, Ormskirk's pedestrianized downtown plays host to an open market. Back in medieval times, a market cross stood at this spot to mark the intersection of the important highways leading to Preston, Liverpool, and Wigan. The Cross, as the intersection was called, featured a big lamp atop an obelisk and a circular fountain at its foot, from which people and animals could drink. In 1876, in order to make way for the construction of the clock tower, this was relocated to the intersection of St. Helens Road and Moor Street.

Then, in the 1890s, when room was needed to place the Disraeli statue, the fountain was relocated once again, this time to Southport Road, just across from the Drill Hall. Edward I, in 1286, issued a charter to the monks of Burscough Priory, allowing them to open a market. Since at least 1292, Thursdays have been market day in Ormskirk. Ormskirk also received a borough charter from the king about the same time, however it seems to have been abandoned by the late 15th century. 

In 1837, the area from Tarleton to Simonswood and Birkdale to Skelmersdale fell under the jurisdiction of the Ormskirk Poor Law Union. In 1853, on Wigan Road, the Ormskirk Union Workhouse was constructed; it is now the Ormskirk District General Hospital. 

Farmers, farm laborers, cottagers, cowkeepers, and others from the surrounding area would come into town on a weekly basis to take advantage of the thriving market and the abundance of shops, restaurants, and hotels. There was also a flourishing engineering sector that emerged to create and maintain farm equipment.

Over time, the town's inns at the staging areas became famous for their gingerbread because of the women who baked it in their homes and sold it there. Local gingerbread vendors were able to expand their business with the advent of the railroad in the middle of the 19th century. They were given permission to sell their wares to anybody waiting at or passing through the train station. The local gingerbread was so well received by one customer in particular that orders were placed by the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII. Several local bakers have staked claims to the "original" gingerbread recipe, establishing the baking of gingerbread as an important part of the town's commercial history. Sally Woods, a well-known resident of the area, was a regular at the farmers' market, where she peddled her famous gingerbread.

Geographical Description of Ormskirk

Ormskirk has been described as a "planned town," set out in the 13th century, and is located in the center of the West Lancashire Plain on sloping land on the side of a ridge with a maximum point of 81 meters (266 feet) above sea level.

The parishes of Bickerstaffe, Aughton, Scarisbrick, Burscough, Lathom, and Lathom South surround the unparished region of Ormskirk. West Lancashire Borough Council has its main offices in this town, which is also located in this district.

Ormskirk lacks a parish council, thus in 2009, with the help of the West Lancashire Borough Council, a community-led voluntary association called Ormskirk Community Partnership was established to serve as the town's official representative. Edge Hill University is located in Ormskirk.