Early Heysham History

About 12,000 years ago, when Heysham's earliest inhabitant's made their home at the foot of the cliff on which St Patrick's Chapel now stands, Heysham must have been the most habitable area for many miles around.

With the ice-cover inching its way northwards over the centuries, inhospitable open marshland covered most low-lying areas, while at Heysham there were over 500 acres of firmer ground situated well above a sea-level much lower than it is today. The little tribe of hunter-gatherers who made their home not far from the water's edge had stumbled upon the area's prime site.

Protected at the time by surrounding rocks, with fish in the sea and reindeer and elk roaming the area, little wonder their descendants made Heysham their home (albeit intermittently) for another 6,000 years, according to archaeologists from Lancaster University.

At the time, although Britain was still attached to mainland Europe, the population of England is believed to have numbered no more than a few thousand. Later, with the gradual melting of the remaining glaciers, the seas swelled to an unprecedented level and Britain became an island.

After a further 6,000 years of erosion, agricultural disturbance and later development, all trace of Heysham's ancient history has been lost until around 80 AD, over three decades after the Romans first arrived in Britain.

The Celts

Letters sent to the south of England by a Roman military commander in 81 AD are said to mention a tribe in the Morecambe/Heysham area called the Setantii, of a people known collectively as 'Brigantes', who painted themselves blue with woad and continually attacked the Roman encampment. The letters state that the 'blue-painted savages' worshipped the sun, and Druids were their priests.

An early tribal map of Britain names most of Northern England 'Brigantes', with the coastal area between the Mersey and the Kent estuary named 'Setantii'.

Britain's Celts, who came originally from central and western Europe began their spasmodic migration to Britain around 700 BC to find a land already inhabited by an agricultural peasant population who lived mostly on farms, reared livestock for food, used ox-drawn ploughs and bronze implements, and were already trading with Europe.

Hilltop forts housed the more prosperous villages until a later incoming Celtic tribe from Northern Gaul destroyed the forts and built their own houses on the sites. Shortly afterwards came the Romans, who occupied Britain for three-and-a-half centuries.

Although blue-painted and fearsome when in battle, the Celts were far from being savages, despite the loathsome rituals of their adopted Druidic priesthood.

According to the Roman chronicler Tacitus, the Druids:

deemed it a duty to their deities to cover their altars with the blood of captives, and to seek the will of the gods in the entrails of men.

When accompanying the Celts into battle, these fearsome priests:

Pouring forth dire imprecations, with hands uplifted towards the heavens, struck terror into The soldiers by the strangeness of the sight, insomuch that, as if their limbs were paralysed, they (the soldiers) exposed their bodies to the weapons of the enemy without attempting to move, until stirred into action by the earnest exhortations of the general.

As a consequence the Roman governor, Julius Agricola, began relentlessly suppressing the Druidic priesthood throughout England and Wales.

Agricola later sailed his 9th Legion into Morecambe Bay and after subjugating the troublesome local Celts and eliminating their Druidic priests (including, presumably, those in the Setantii stronghold of Heysham) he moved inland to fortify the hilltop settlement of Longovieus (Lancaster).

With the Druidic priesthood eliminated throughout England and Wales, and most of the country enjoying a period of relative peace, the Romans founded cities and established a highly efficient centralized system of government in order to administer the affairs of a population estimated at around four million.

Then into Britain came the early Christian missionaries to 'spread the word'. Many Celtic leaders, no longer under the influence of their maniacal priesthood, became closely allied with the Roman conquerors and were eventually converted to Christianity.

Some historians believe that a wooden structure once stood where Heysham's St Peter's Church now stands, and was used as a place of Christian worship as early as the 4th century AD.

Anglo-Saxons

According to the Venerable Bede (c. 673-735 AD), a reclusive Northumbrian monk who is regarded generally as a reliable historian, England began to be settled by the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes in the mid fifth century, although the Jutes, he claimed, settled mostly in Kent and the Isle of Wight.

During the succeeding Anglo-Saxon epoch England became divided into a number of separate kingdoms, until finally the combined Saxon kingdom came to be known as Wessex after the more dominant West Saxons.

Meanwhile, warring Angles occupied independent regions throughout the rest of the country. Eventually the Anglian regions merged into three powerful kingdoms, Mercia (in the Midlands), Northumbria (which later included the whole of Northern England from Yorkshire to the Scottish border), and East Anglia.

Although Northumbria was occupied by Angles in about 460 AD, later Anglo-Saxon records make no mention of kings or even tribal leaders during this early period. It was not until Saxon incursions into the North began that the first recorded kings of Northumbria appear, and these are found to be Saxon.

The Saxons eventually subjugated or expelled the Celtic population and imposed their rule over the Anglian settlers. Even then several independent Celtic kingdoms existed on the fringes of this territory, while a coalition of Celtic tribes continued to defend and to occupy the western side of the country for another two hundred years.

It was not until Celtic resistance had ended that the first Anglian settlers began moving westward, reaching Heysham about the end of the 7th century. Some of the Celtic inhabitants would be displaced and others would merge into the Angles. The name of the village may now have been changed to 'Hesse's Ham', after the chief of the Angles.

Although the Celts of the North-West were divided by political differences and territorial frontiers, in their struggle against the Anglo-Saxon invaders they came to refer to themselves collectively as 'Kymry', which is believed to have meant 'comrades' or 'fellow-countrymen'.

When settling an area, Anglian missionaries would first erect an elaborately carved cross around which the congregation would gather while the ecclesiastic delivered his sermon. This practice would continue until a church had been built to house the congregation. Parts of such a cross and the church's original Anglian doorway are still in evidence at Heysham (the once-sacred heart of the religion of the legendary Kymry.

The sermons of the day appear to have been delivered by Benedictine monks from the monasteries of Jarrow or Wearmouth, and to have been aimed not so much at the recent settlers, but at the existing local population and their religious leaders in an attempt to persuade them to accept the doctrines and practices of the Roman Church.

It was about this time that St Patrick's Chapel was built on the site of the earlier structure, apparently for use by those Celts who found some initial difficulty in fully accepting the reformation.

Although Celtic religious practices had recently been aligned with those of the Roman Church, this reformation is unlikely to have been immediately accepted by the inhabitants of isolated Celtic settlements in the North-West. The Benedictines, of course would be eager to address this situation as quickly as possible, so the first Anglian settlers to venture West would almost certainly have been protected by warriors and accompanied by monks whose sole purpose would have been to preach the doctrines of the Roman Church from the traditional home of Kymric Christianity at Heysham.

In fact the rebuilding of 'St Patrick's Chapel' and the very existence at Heysham of such features as the 'Anglican Cross' and the original St Peter's Church testify to the presence of Benedictine monks and associated builders and craftsmen.

Danish Invasions

The Danes began raiding about 830 AD, penetrated to Wessex by 880, but were confined to an area of eastern England that was to become known as 'Danelaw'. In 990 there were new Danish invasions, and Danish power reached its height under King Knut (Canute) of Denmark and Norway.

Knut established a peaceful co-existence between the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons. The Danes had little impact and were absorbed. The Danish invaders do not appear to have reached as far North West as Heysham.

Norse Invasions

The Norse invaders started to spread out from about 900 AD and by the time they reached Heysham from the Isle of Man, the Celts had already been absorbed by the Anglo-Saxons. These Norse had mingled with the Irish and Manx, and would better be described as Celto-Norse.

By 950 the Celto-Norse people from the Isle of Man and Ireland had settled into Heysham relatively peacefully, and were becoming converts. It was it this time that the hogback stone, was placed over a Celto-Norse grave.

Norman Conquest

After the battle of Hastings in 1066, William Duke of Normandy became King of England. Much of the land was divided between army commanders, who in turn assigned estates to sub-commanders. Monasteries continued, but Normans took over as the principal abbots and bishops.

Heysham became part of the changing estates, and the church and chapel at Heysham became a property of Lancaster Priory.

William I died in 1087, leaving his second son William as heir to the throne. This resulted in a dispute over the crown between William and his older brother Robert.

Count Roger de Poitou appears to have supported William II in his struggle for the crown, and was rewarded with grants of lands, including Heysham and other settlements attached to Halton.

As his centre of operations in the North West he chose the strategically situated village of Lancaster and began administering his affairs from within the walls of the ancient Roman Fort. With a private army of supporters at his command he soon established himself as lord and master, and then proceeded to dismember the vast estates once owned by Earl Tostig, reassessing their value and dividing them in the Norman tradition. Thus, Count Roger became Lord of the Manor of Heysham.

Later History

The subsequent history of Heysham seems to have been relatively peaceful, apart from a raid on Heysham by the Scots in 1322. After the rebellion of Thomas of Lancaster had led to a civil war in Lancashire between Thomas's supporters and those of King Edward II, Scottish plunderers, in the absence of any organized resistance, began burning and pillaging their way through the county. On reaching Heysham the Scots were driven off by a quickly formed force of locals, but not before they had ravaged the area and destroyed many properties.

The affairs of Heysham began to take on a greater significance in 1501 when the Stanleys, a renowned military family gained possession of the manor of Heysham. Sir Edward Stanley was to become the most notable Lord of the Manor of Heysham. Knighted during the reign of Edward IV, he was appointed Sheriff of Lancashire by his step-brother Henry VII.

Many local people will remember Heysham Bobbin Mill, which made the finest wooden bobbins for the textile industry. But in a much earlier time, in the thirteenth century, Stephen de Moleyns owned a water mill which stood close to the same site. It was here that Stephen de Moleyns' son made famous bows and arrows. The bows were made from the finest yew, and the arrows from ash with specially hardened points.

The factory must have existed for a long time, because at the Battle of Flodden, fought between the forces of the Scottish King James IV and King Henry VIII on September 9th 1513, the arrows used by the English archers to such devastating effect were made at Heysham!

When the dust of battle had cleared, the Scots had lost their King, about 10,000 men, and the best of all the Scottish nobility. The English had lost 5,000 men. Sir Edward Stanley, who had killed King James of Scotland by his own hand, was later made first Lord Mounteagle for valour in battle..

Sir Edward Stanley died in 1523 leaving a son, Thomas who inherited the Manor of Heysham and succeeded to the title Lord Mounteagle. Sir Thomas was succeeded by his son William in 1533.

Sir William Stanley died in 1581 leaving as his sole heir a daughter, Elizabeth, who was married to Edward Parker (10th Baron Morley). Edward, after spending some time abroad as a recusant, conformed, resigning the hereditary office of Lord of Ireland. On Sir William Stanley's death his grandson, William Parker (son of Edward and Elizabeth), succeeded to the title Lord Mounteagle at the age of six in right of his mother.

In 1592, at the age of 17, William Parker married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Tresham, and two years later sold the Manor of Heysham to John Bradley.

In 1599, although knighted by Queen Elizabeth, William Parker supported the Catholic cause and became closely associated with the leading Catholic families. In 1601 he was involved in the Catholic rebellion in London with his father-in-law Sir Thomas Tresham and Robert Catesby, and as a consequence he was imprisoned for eight months in the Tower of London. He was released on payment of a massive fine.

When James I succeeded to the throne in 1603, William Parker withdrew from his association with the Catholic extremists and appears to have relied upon the new king maintaining his allegedly tolerant attitude towards Roman Catholics. Later, William wrote privately to James, telling him of his desire to become a protestant, so James rewarded William by summoning him to the House of Lords as Lord Mounteagle, a title which he had held previously only by courtesy in right of his mother Elizabeth.

In 1604 there had developed a Catholic plot to kill the Protestant king at the opening of Parliament on November 5th 1605, but now William wanted no part of it. He revealed the plot to Lord Salisbury and the arrest of Guido (Guy) Fawkes and his fellow conspirators followed. William Lord Mounteagle was regarded as the saviour of Parliament and was rewarded with land grants and a yearly pension.

In 1611, Jane, daughter and co-heir of the late John Bradley, married John Leyburne and is said to have carried the Manor of Heysham to the Leyburne family. Heysham's oldest cottage appears to have been built around this time.

In 1629, a row of stone-built cottages appeared at the entrance to Main Street in Heysham Village. Four years later a tiny extension with a date-stone bearing the initials E and C over T and C was added, creating the area known locally as Cosy Corner. The empty space between these and the Royal Hotel cottages formed the entrance to Royal Fold, which was used for many years as an enclosure for sheep.

The land later to become Heysham Head was bought by George Wright, who presumably built The Lodge, now more popularly referred to as the The Gate House, at the entrance to his property just off Barrows Lane (now a private residence). The exact date of the building of Heysham Lodge, the Great House on Heysham Head, originally named 'The Barrows', is uncertain.

From the late 17th century, little is known about the owners or occupiers of Heysham 'Old' Hall until 1805, when the premises were occupied for two years by Samuel Bailey of the 9th Regiment of the LIght Dragoons, and then for three or four years by Richard Caton who purchased the property in 1807. Both of these gentlemen owned large amounts of land and properties in other parts of Heysham. (Quarry Road later became Bailey Lane).

In about 1816 Heysham Tower was built by J T Knowlys Esq. (the exact date is not known). Intended as a gentleman's residence the premises stood in thirteen acres of private land surrounded by a high wall.

The second Heysham Hall was built in 1839 by Thomas Rawesthorne and his wife Ann (giving cause for the inclusion of the term 'old' in reference to the first. At the time one Thomas Rawesthorne was the owner of Heysham 'Old' Hall, and although apparently the same person there is no existing evidence to substantiate this. The headstone on the family grave in the grounds of St Peter's Church refers to him as 'Thomas Rawesthorne of Heysham Hall'.

A stone at Heysham Tower inscribed with the date 1839 and the initials R over T and A is known to have come from Heysham Hall while it was later being partly demolished. The Thomas Rawesthorne of Heysham Hall was a solicitor practising in Lancaster in partnership with a Mr R Lawrence.

Both Heysham Tower and Heysham Hall are believed to have been built on the sites of dwellings of great antiquity. The Hall on the site of 'The Grange', home of the de Moleyne family of Heysham, and Heysham Tower on the site of the Dacre residence.

In 1848 the North-Western railway came to Poulton (already a popular sea-bathing resort), and the folowing year the first excursion trains from Leeds and Bradford arrived.

Two years later in October 1850 Mr J T Knowlys of Heysham Tower died from the effects of a pistol shot, the circumstances of which are not known.

The 'Great House' on Heysham Head passed to an army surgeon, Captain George Wright, who had returned from the Crimean campaign in 1855. This George Wright was the grandson of George Wright the previous occupier, who had been steward to John Marsden at Wennington Hall and Hornby Castle. The new owner changed the name from 'The Barrows' to 'The Lodge' and for a while enjoyed the quiet, idyllic life of a country gentleman. Later tragedy struck when his two daughters, Harriett and Mabel, were drowned while swimming at Half Moon Bay. Their graves can be found in the grounds of St Peter's Church directly below St Patrick's Chapel.

In March 1857, Elizabeth and Edmund Fearnside transferred their rights to Heysham Old Hall estate to William Jackson of Lancaster and Joseph Bushel of Myerscough who, on October 17th of the same year, conveyed the property to John Royds, Rector of St Peter's Church since 1858.

While St Peter's Church was being restored and extended by John Royds in 1864 the ancient Anglian doorway was discovered and rebuilt stone by stone in the Church grounds. At the time, John appears to have been using No. 4 Main Street, known as 'The Manor House' as a temporary rectory.

On the death of John Royds in 1865, ownership of Heysham Old Hall passed first to Rev Charles Smith Royds and then to his son Charles Twemlow Royds, who had been rector of St Peter's since the death of John. While continuing to use the 'Manor House' as a rectory Charles Twemlow set about restoring Heysham Old Hall which had fallen into disrepair after being used for some time as a farm house. It was during this restoration work that the 'priest hole' was discovered.

Nothing more is heard of the Manor of Heysham until 1897 when, with a view to enhancing the prosperity of Heysham, Mr William Tilly of Morecambe, steward of the Manor since 1880, sold on behalf of the proprietors 'considerable portions' of Heysham foreshore to the Midland Railway Company for the construction of the new harbour.

Contractors for the Midland Railway Company, Messrs Price and Mills, began work on the harbour the same year. The two thousand men (some with wives and families) who were employed on its construction were housed in 'villages' on the site, and, because the commencement of the work coincided with the Gold Rush, the two villages were named appropriately Klondyke and Dawson City.

Each village had its own shops, canteen, post office, school, recreational facilities, chemist, surgery and even an isolation hospital.

Heysham Hall had been occupied by the Grafton family, and Heysham Tower by the Cawthras, until the building of the harbour began, then both properties were used by the railway authorities as temporary hotels.

In 1898, as a result of the massive increase in population, the law came to Heysham with the building of the Knowlys Road Police Station.

In 1922 Heysham Hall was bought by Mr Goulden of the Grafton Hotel, Morecambe, although whatever plans he may originally have had for the property are not known. (The Grafton, situated at the corner of Skipton Street, later became the Savoy.)

In 1925 Heysham Tower became Morecambe Bay Holiday Camp run by Mr and Mrs B S Holden. Later the camp was able to accommodate 400 in the main house and another 100 (men only) in tents in the grounds.

In 1926 the area known as Heysham Head was bought by Septimus Wray of Ilkley who turned it into an amusement park with band arena, zoo, rose garden, open-air dancing, swings, rides, and an open-air theatre. 'The Great House' (Heysham Lodge) became part cafe, part residence, and later an amusement arcade containing several mechanically operated devices.

Two years later, in 1928, it was felt that the interests of Heysham would be better served through the offices of Morecambe Corporation. An amalgamation was arranged, and one year later Heysham foreshore from the Battery to Half Moon Bay was sold to Morecambe Corporation by the Lords of the Manor for £800.

Heysham Hall was partly demolished in 1933 and turned into flats. Some of the stonework from the Hall was used to build a row of cottages on Smithy Lane.

Miss Margaret Theododia Twemlow Royds of Heysham Old Hall died in 1955 at the age of 90. She had come to Heysham in June 1865 as a three-month old baby when her father, Charles Twemlow Royds succeeded his cousin John Royds as rector of St Peter's. After the death of her father in March 1900 she lived at the Old Hall with her younger sister Caroline, who died in 1924. Miss Royds, an accomplished singer, musician and composer who saw several of her works published, then lived alone in Heysham Old Hall for 31 years.

After Miss Royds' death the Old Hall was sold to William Mitchell Barker, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mitchell's Brewery. The interior was remodelled and its Elizabethan character restored, and the premises opened as The Old Hall Inn in September 1958.

In 1964 Fred Wray, as a result of ill health, old age and the devastating effect of the continental package holiday, sold Heysham Head on behalf of the shareholders to a development company, Shearer's Ltd, and the amusement park was demolished the following year. Only 'The Lodge' remained.

In 1966 Morecambe Council rented Heysham Head from Shearers, and the new Heysham Head, with its main feature 'The Winged World', opened on Friday May 27th 1966. The complex eventually included a Kart Track (where it was hoped international competitions would be held), a night-club, and a number of bungalows intended for holiday-makers, but later taken over by the Department of Social Security (DSS).

Unfortunately, none of the new attractions seemed able to compete with the old-fashioned, unsophisticated type of entertainment enjoyed by visitors in the past, and attendances dwindled alarmingly, leading to rapid decline.

After the DSS occupation of the Heysham Head site, later developments have ensured that this once widely known and well-loved recreational area has been lost forever to the general public.

Despite the loss of so many attractions over the years - the closure of Morecambe Bay Holiday Camp, the loss of Heysham Head, the demise of the seaside holiday and the intrusion of Nuclear Power Stations, Heysham still has a lot to offer.

Thanks to the efforts of local organizations and individuals the still quaint and picturesque village, now floral-bedecked throughout the spring and summer, has set out to prove that there can be life after death.