Freckleton

Freckleton is a village^[1] andcivil parish on theFylde coast inLancashire, England, to the south ofKirkham and east of the seaside resort ofLytham St. Annes. In 2001 the parish had a population of 6,045,^[2] reducing to 6,019 at the 2011 Census.^[3] The village is nearWarton, with its links toBAE Systems.Warton Aerodrome's 1.5 miles (2.4 km) runway is partly within Freckleton's boundary. Freckleton has aparish council, and is part ofFylde Borough, andFylde constituency.

Freckleton
Holy Trinity Church
Freckleton Shown withinFylde Borough Show map of the Borough of Fylde Freckleton Shown withinthe Fylde Show map of the Fylde Freckleton Location withinLancashire Show map of Lancashire
Population	6,019 (2011)
OS grid reference	SD429289
Civil parish	Freckleton
District	Fylde
Shire county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Preston
Postcode district	PR4
Dialling code	01772

Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West

List of places UK England Lancashire 53°45′11″N2°52′01″W / 53.753°N 2.867°W /53.753; -2.867

History

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The name of the village appears in theDomesday Book as "Frecheltun" and is said to derive from 'Farmstead of a man called Frecla', withOld English tun andNordic personal name.^[4] It was one of 62 settlements to be found in theHundred of "Agemvndrenesse" (Amounderness). Another suggested derivation is from theAnglo-Saxon word for "lusty" or "argumentative".^[5]

Freckleton supplied water to theRoman fort at Kirkham, and in the 19th century was a port for theship building industry.^[6] Rope and sailcloth, for the early boatbuilding industry, was made in the village for many years. Balderstone Mill, erected in 1880, was the first organised factory system in the village, its weaving shed had 320 looms, and the cloth it produced sold on theManchester Cotton Exchange. These mills closed in 1980.^[7]

There was awater-mill on the Dow Brook from at least as early as 1427 when it was in the possession of a William Hodelliston. It was sold in 1882 for £350. The sale was to allow for the mill's demolition, to enable more effective drainage of the marsh.^[8]

TheQuaker burial ground atQuaker's Wood, also known as "Twill Furlong", in Lower Lane, between Freckleton and Kirkham, has a single gravestone.^[9]

Until the 1920s, Freckleton had a tollgate and travelers to Lytham and Preston had to pay a toll to use the turnpike road. The toll was collected at toll house bridge. The toll could be avoided by crossing the Dow brook and walking along the bridle way.^{[citation needed]}

InWorld War II, American forces from the neighbouringWarton Aerodrome resided in the village. TheFreckleton Air Disaster occurred on 23 August 1944, when an aircraft attempting to land at Warton during stormy weather crashed onto Freckleton's Holy Trinity School. Sixty-one people lost their lives, including thirty-eight infants, their two teachers, and the three air crew. Other victims included several residents and both British and American military personnel in a snack bar across the road from the school. Annual commemorations still take place, attended by residents and US veterans.^[10] The aerodrome was subsequently purchased byEnglish Electric, nowBAE Systems, and many BAE employees live in the village.

The area around the villageWar Memorial, now protected by railings, was once the village green, where stood thesmithy and toll house.^[5]

Landmarks

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The village is the home of Holy TrinityChurch of England parish church^[11] which was founded in 1837^[12] and of FreckletonMethodist Church^[13] which was founded in 1810.^[14]

The family butcher Snape, on Kirkham Road, was established in 1864.^[15]

Freckleton Library was opened in 1980 bySir Edward Gardner, MP forFylde South. It replaced the mobile library which used the same site.^[16]^[17] Before the new library opened, the public library was situated on Lytham Road. Freckleton Library closed in September 2016 as part ofLancashire County Council budget cuts^[18] but was reopened on 9 January 2018.^[19]

Sport

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Freckleton Football Club play at the Rawstorne Sports Centre, located at Bush Lane. The club currently compete in the west lancs league division 2.

Freckleton Cricket Club plays at Bush Lane; it was formed at the beginning of the 1900s. It won the Meyler Cup for the third time in 2013, following up wins in 2012 and 2002. The side currently competes in the Premier Division of the Moore & Smalley Palace Shield Competition and will be led in 2015 by Andrew Hogarth, who succeeds the charismatic James 'Jimmy' Fiddler.^[20]

Freckleton stages theFreckleton Half Marathon each year in June. The race has been staged since 1965 and is the oldest half marathon in the UK.^{[citation needed]} The first race was won byRon Hill who participated in the1964 Olympics marathon. It attracts over 700 entrants.