Newburgh, ENG - Postcode - YO61 4AS

Description of Newburgh, Lancashire

Located in Lancashire, England, between Skelmersdale and Ormskirk, the rural village and civil parish of Newburgh is home to a population of about 2,000. In 2011, there were 1,056 people living there. 

The first recorded event in Newburgh's history is the 1304 granting of a license for the establishment of a weekly market. Newburgh, which had been a part of Lathom and Burscough Urban District, became a part of Ormskirk Urban District in 1931 and then of West Lancashire district in 1974. Both Newburgh and Lathom churches are part of the Newburgh ward. A portion of the Lathom parish, historically.

The village's 1714 schoolhouse is just one of numerous historic Carolean and Georgian structures that may be found in the village's central conservation area.

It was named the best-kept village in Lancashire for the second time (in 2006) and named Champion Village Class Champion. The Red Lion Hotel provides lodging, and other amenities include a post office, general store, and tea room. There is a primary school, two scout troops, and an Anglican church (Christ Church) that was established in 1857.

History of Newburgh

Sir Robert de Lathom, a wealthy nobleman, paid for a license to open a weekly market in Newburgh in 1304. Since Sir Robert already lived in the area at Lathom House, he likely choose the village as the site for the market. This was a lucrative source of income for many landowners because tolls were typically paid for via market mechanisms.

Due to its increasing commercial significance, the village now hosts a fair and market every June, coinciding with the Feast of Barnabas.

Eventually, Newburgh grew large enough to elect a Court Leet, a precursor to a modern-day town council, whose members were tasked with doing things like sampling ale (to ensure quality!) and peeking out windows (for payment of tax).

Most of the villagers found work with the Derby family, the largest landowner in the area. Despite fighting on the losing side of the Civil War, the Derbys were able to regain their properties. Despite continuing to possess the majority of the land in the hamlet, they relocated their primary residence to Knowsley Park and severed all ties to the local community.

The abundance of hotels in the area is further evidence of its significance. There were already five by the turn of the century. Eagle and Child, Horse and Jockey, Wheatsheaf, and Lion and Jockey.

The population of the hamlet in 1851 included 11 tailors, 6 stonemasons, 5 wheelwrights, 8 shoemakers, 3 grocers, 1 butcher, 1 police officer, 2 physicians, 1 teacher, and 2 teachers, indicating that the village was still a hub for commerce, industry, medicine, and education. Two times as many people lived in each home as do now, a total of 613 made up the village's population.

The people still relied heavily on agricultural production. Many farmers who owned more land also dabbled in innkeeping. Nineteen locals found steady employment once the Leeds and Liverpool Canal opened in the late 18th century; they lived in Cinnamon Nook and Culvert Lane, as well as on the barges they sailed on. While the census does not include miners by name, it is well-documented that the coal sector flourished briefly before its decline (mines were located behind the Red Lion Hotel, using the canal for transport).

Thomas Crane, a local lad who went on to get a master's degree from Oxford, founded a school in the community and hired the first full-time male teacher in 1714. Newburgh Church of England Primary School, which today serves students aged 4-14, moved to its current location on Back Lane in 1860. In 1850–1851, construction began on Christ Church.

In the early 1930s, the entire hamlet was illuminated by just three oil lamps: one at the Post Office, one at the end of the Green, and one halfway along Ash Brow. Home-cured hams, black puddings, savory ducks, and pork pies were all available at Hunter's, which is now the Post Office. Mrs. Hunter catered the school in Back Lane, where dances took place every Saturday.

The most momentous event in Newburgh's history was the selling of the Derby Estates. Some of the village's homes date back to when this practice first emerged in the 1930s. The population more than doubled, and the most of the new construction took place, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In spite of development and alteration, there was a strong desire to cultivate a sense of community. In 1977, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, Newburgh Fair was brought back to life. In 1983, the year Newburgh was named the Best Kept Village, the first meeting of the Parish Council was held.

Newburgh C of E Primary School marked its three-hundredth anniversary in 2014. As part of the festivities, the book Educating Newburgh: Celebrating 300 Years of Education at Newburgh School was published.