The Parish of Winwick in the County of -- Lancashire --

Winwick

	A map showing the communities of the ancient parish of Winwick, © of Frances Holcroft

A parish in the hundred of WEST DERBY, county palatine of LANCASTER, comprising the borough town of Newton in Mackerfield, the chapelries of Ashton in Mackerfield, Lowton, and Newchurch, and the townships of Culcheth, Golborne, Haydock, Houghton with Middleton and Arbury, Kenyon, Southworth with Croft, and Winwick, and containing 16,229 inhabitants, of which number, 602 are in the township of Winwick, 3 miles (N.) from Warrington.

The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chester, rated in the king’s books at £102/9/9-1/2d, and in the patronage of the Earl of Derby.

The church, dedicated to St. Oswald, is an ancient edifice with a lofty spire, said to be coeval with the establishment of the Christian religion in this country.

There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

Southworth Hall, in this parish, once belonged to the Roman Catholic college of Stonyhurst, and part of it is still used as a chapel by professors of that religion.

Considerable manufactures of cotton, fustian, locks, hinges, and various other articles, are carried on within the parish.

A free grammar school was founded, in 1618, by Gualter Legh, Esq., who endowed it with an annuity of £10, which by subsequent benefactions was augmented to £34: the school-room was built by Sir Peter Legh. One of the prescribed rules for the government of this charity is, that if the school be vacant for one whole year, the salary for that time shall devolve to the heirs of Francis, Thomas, and Peter Legh.

Between this village and the town of Newton is an elevated piece of ground, called Redbank, from its having been, in 1648, the scene of an obstinately contested battle between Oliver Cromwell and the Scots, when the later were defeated with terrible slaughter.

In observation of a custom for some time established, the rector pays annually the rental of their cottages for six poor industrious tenants, placing over the door of each a board, on which is inscribed the date when its occupant enjoyed the benefaction.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, Vol. IV, London, 1831, page 522.

Entered 3 September 2004 by Lynn Ransom Burton.

Winwick Hospital 1897 - 1997 In 1894 Lancashire Asylums Board commissioned a new asylum to be built on the 207 acre Winwick Rectory Estate north of Warrington, Lancashire. Work started in 1896, and pending its completion it was agreed to convert Old Winwick Hall - previously home to the Rector of Winwick - into a home for accommodation of about 50 boys'. Winwick Hall opened in 1897 and Winwick Asylum - later Winwick Hospital - opened in 1902 at a cost of £383,000. About 1905 Old Winwick Hall was demolished and later replaced with a new building, also known as Winwick Hall.