Little Marton was held in trust by William de Cokerham, in 1330, for the abbot and convent of Furness,[116] but eight years afterwards, the manor of Weeton and Little Marton, were held by James, the son of Edmund le Botiler, earl of Ormond.[117] What claim James Botiler had to include Little Marton amongst his possessions in 1338, cannot now be ascertained, but it is certain that later, at the dissolution of monasteries, it passed to the crown as part of the fortified lands of Furness Abbey. Subsequently Little Marton passed to the Holcrofts, and from them, in 1505, to Sir Cuthbert Clifton, of Lytham Hall, by exchange. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, a descendant of Sir Cuthbert, and the son of the late Thomas Clifton, esq., of Lytham, is the present owner of Great and Little Marton. As the moss and mere of Marton, perhaps the most interesting objects in the township, have been fully described in an earlier chapter, devoted to the country, rivers, etc., of the Fylde, we refer our readers to that portion of the volume for more detailed information concerning them. In this place we must content ourselves by stating that the mere was at one time a lake of no inconsiderable dimensions, having a fishery of some value attached to it, and that from the number of trunks of trees, discovered on the clayey soil beneath the original moss, which extended six miles by one and a half, there is conclusive evidence that in ancient times the whole of the wide tract was covered by a dense forest, composed chiefly of oak, yew, and fir trees. So enormous were some of the trunks discovered that it was impossible for one labourer to grasp the hand of another over them. The hamlet of Peel, situated within, but close to the Lytham border of the township, contains in a field called Hall-stede, traces of the ancient turreted manorial mansion of the Holcrofts, of Winwick and Marton,[118] and the remains of a moat out of which about sixty years ago a drawbridge and two gold rings were taken. The old lake of Curridmere, mentioned in the foundation charter of Lytham priory in the reign of Richard I., was also located in this neighbourhood, the site being indicated by the soil it once covered bearing the name of the tarns. A little more than half a century since the tarns formed nothing but a trackless bog, and beneath its surface a husbandman discovered the remains of a small open boat, which had doubtless been used in earlier days on the waters of Curridmere.
About 1625 the inhabitants of Marton petitioned, that in conjunction with “Layton, Layton Rakes, and Blackpool,”[119] the township might be constituted a separate parish, stating in support of their prayer that the parish church of Poulton was five miles distant, and during the winter they were debarred by inundations from attending that place of worship. This reasonable request does not appear to have evoked a favourable response from the parliamentary commissioners, and it was not until more than a century and a half later that the district had its claims to the privilege desired practically acknowledged. The church of St. Paul, in Great Marton was erected by subscription in 1800, and opened by license the same year, but was not consecrated until 1804. It was a plain, unpretending structure with front and side galleries, but having neither chancel nor tower, and capable of holding upwards of 400 worshippers. In 1857 the increase of the population rendered it necessary to lengthen the church at the east end, and at the same time a neat and simple tower was added. Within the tower is the vestry, above which a number of seats were raised for the Sunday school children, many of whom had previously, for want of space, occupied forms in the aisles. A porch was built over the entrance of the church about 1848, and in 1871 a chancel was erected. Three bells were purchased by the parishioners, and placed in the tower in 1868, whilst the present reading desk and pulpit, were the gift of Miss Heywood, the daughter of Sir Benjamin Heywood, bart., who formerly had a handsome marine residence at Blackpool. Previous to 1845 the musical portion of the service was accompanied by two bassoons and another wind instrument, but about that date they were abolished, and a barrel organ substituted, which continued in force until a few years ago, when it was succeeded by the more modern key organ at present in use. The church of Marton has now an ecclesiastical district of its own, but was originally a chapelry under Poulton. A little anterior to the erection of the church divine service was conducted in the school-house of Baines’s Charity, Mr. Sawyer being the first appointed minister.
| CURATES AND VICARS OF MARTON. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Institution. | Name. | Cause of Vacancy. |
| About 1762 | ⸺ Sawyer | |
| ” 1772 | George Hall | |
| In 1814 | Thomas Bryer | Death of G. Hall |
| ” 1843 | James Cookson, M.A. | Resignation of T. Bryer |
The old parsonage stood on the same site as the present one, and consisted simply of two cottages united to form one small residence. In 1846 this house was pulled down, and another, elegant and commodious, erected in its place, being completed the following year. Attached to the parsonage are eleven acres of glebe land.
James Baines, of Poulton, by will dated 6th of January, 1717, devised unto John Hull and six others, of Marton, their heirs and assigns, the school-house lately erected by him in Marton, the land whereon it stood, a messuage or tenement in Warbreck, containing about six acres, a messuage or dwelling-house in Hardhorn-with-Newton, with the smithy and two shippons thereto belonging, and several closes of land in the same township, called the Sheep Field, the Croft, the Garden, being about three acres; also the Many Pits, the Debdale, the Cross Butts, the Wradle Meadow, and the field adjoining its north-west end, and the Carr, containing twelve and a half acres, to the intent that the rents arising from the foregoing should after the deduction of 10s. for an annual dinner to the trustees, be directed to the maintenance of a master to instruct the children of the township in the above-mentioned building. The revenue of the school was greatly impoverished for many years by the expenses of a chancery suit about 1850, which arose on the question whether the school should be continued as formerly or be divided, and part of its income be devoted to the establishment and support of a similar institution in the adjoining district of Little Marton. The whole of the funds were defrayed out of the funds of the charity. A scheme for its regulation was framed in 1863 by the Master of the Rolls, providing amongst other matters that the school should be open to Government inspection, but in no way interfering with its gratuitous character. The commissioner of 1869 reports:—“Sixty-three children were present on the day of my visit, of whom fifty-two were girls, who are taught in the same classes as the boys, and are with them in play hours. The school being free, no register of attendance is kept. In arithmetic, six boys (average age 11), and four girls (average age 10½), did fair papers; the questions of course were simple ones. Grammar and geography, in which subjects I examined the highest class, were tolerably good. The girls read well; the boys (as usual) less so; spelling was up to the average. The girls are taught to write a bad angular hand; the master says that it is to please the parents. He has been in his present position five years, and receives a salary of £50 a year.” The school property consists of forty acres of land, producing a gross annual income of about £130. Both a playground and gymnasium are attached to the school. There are now two masters. The vicar of Poulton and the vicar of Marton, ex officio, and five other trustees self-electing, residing within the township, appoint and dismiss the masters, admit and expel scholars, appoint an examiner, and regulate the studies. The chief master must be a member of the Church of England, and is not permitted to take boarders.
Margaret Whittam, widow, by will dated 26th of July, 1814, bequeathed to Edward Hull, Richard Sherson, and John Fair, of Marton, and her brothers, their executors and administrators, the sum of £40, duty free, in trust, the interest to be applied to the benefit of the Sunday school in Marton so long as it should continue to be taught, and in the event of its being abolished, to use the same income for the relief of such necessitous persons of the township as received no alms from the poor rate. The Sunday school established in 1814 is still kept at Marton, and the master paid, in part from the interest of the legacy, and the remainder from subscriptions. About twenty years ago between £200 and £300 were obtained by means of a bazaar, and expended in the erection of a school building on a piece of waste land in Marton, for the purpose of providing for the education of children, both male and female, under the superintendence of a mistress. At Marton Moss there is another school, used also as a church, being served from South Shore, which was built a few years since through the munificence of Lady Eleanor Cicily Clifton, of Lytham Hall; and at Moss Side, a small Wesleyan Chapel was erected by subscription about 1871.
Edward Whiteside, of Little Marton, sailor, bequeathed by will, dated 22nd December, 1721, as follows:—“It is my will, that my ground be kept in lease, according as my executors shall see fit, and what spares it is my will that they buy cloth and give it to poor people that has nothing out of the town; it is my will that it be given in Little Marton, and if there be a minister that preaches in Marton, that they give him something what they shall see fit: It is my will, that if they can buy land, that they sell my personal estate, and buy as much as it will purchase: It is my will, that two acres, which my father hath now in possession, that when it falls into my hands and possession, that it go the way above named: It is my mind and will, that my executors give it when they shall see fit, and I hope they will choose faithful men, who will act according to themselves; and I make my well-beloved friends, Anthony Sherson and Thomas Grimbalson, executors of my last will.”
William Whiteside left by will, dated 1742, £100 to be invested, and the annual proceeds to be spent in furnishing clothing to the poor of Marton, not in receipt of parish relief. John Hull, Thomas Webster, and Robert Bickerstaffe, were the original trustees of this charity.
John Hodgson, by will dated 25th of September, 1761, devised his messuage and lands in Marton, and his personal estate, to John Hull and Richard Whittam, their heirs and assigns, in trust, to dispose of the same, and after paying his debts and funeral expenses, to lay out at interest the remainder of the money so acquired, and devote the yearly income therefrom to the purchase of meal for poor housekeepers of Great Marton, not relieved from the town’s rate. The meal to be distributed annually on the 25th of December. The net amount of the legacy was £100.