Description
Book SynopsisThis is the story of how and why a small Lancashire village on the banks of the River Wyre became a bustling port, market and textile town in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. It is a tale of life, work, adventures and voyages, using newly discovered material to tell of the ships, mariners, merchants, farmers and people of Poulton and the harbours of Wyer Water. Why and how did a small market town like Poulton become such an important port? Did many young Skippool and Poulton men leave to become mariners, and did they return? And what is the legacy for the town today? The answers are all here in Graham Evans’ fascinating and detailed book, a real gem for those interested in Poulton, England’s maritime past, and local and family history.
Table of ContentsIntroduction: The port of Poulton 1 1 Poulton, Skippool and Wyer Water 11 2 Coasting trade 69 3 Baltic and European Trade 121 4 Colonial, West Indies, Slave and American Trade 149 5 The Establishment of Customs 177 6 The Barquentine Hope of Poulton 1836–1862 189 Appendix 1 202 Bibliography 204 Index 212 Acknowledgements 218
