JAMES THE FIRST TO QUEEN VICTORIA 55-86 CHAPTER IV. CONDITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEOPLE 87-114 CHAPTER V. COSTUMES, COUNTRY, RIVERS AND SEA 115-150 CHAPTER VI. THE PEDIGREES OF ANCIENT FAMILIES 151-185 CHAPTER VII. PARISH OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE. POULTON 186-217 CHAPTER VIII. FLEETWOOD-ON-WYRE 218-267 CHAPTER IX. THORNTON, CARLETON, MARTON, AND HARDHORN-WITH-NEWTON 268-296 CHAPTER X. THE PARISH OF BISPHAM. BISPHAM-WITH-NORBRECK. LAYTON-WITH-WARBRECK 297-310 CHAPTER XI. BLACKPOOL 311-362 CHAPTER XII. PARISH OF KIRKHAM. KIRKHAM 363-401 CHAPTER XIII. FRECKLETON. WARTON. RIBBY-WITH-WREA. WEETON-WITH-PREESE. GREENHALGH-WITH-THISTLETON. GREAT AND LITTLE SINGLETON. CLIFTON-WITH-SALWICK. NEWTON-WITH-SCALES. HAMBLETON, &C. 402-428 CHAPTER XIV. PARISH OF LYTHAM. LYTHAM. ST. ANNES-ON-THE-SEA 429-453 CHAPTER XV. PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL’S-ON-WYRE. UPPER RAWCLIFFE-WITH-TARNACRE. GREAT ECCLESTON. OUT RAWCLIFFE. ELSWICK. WOOD PLUMPTON. INSKIP-WITH-SOWERBY 454-474 PAUPERISM AND THE FYLDE UNION 475-480 [Illustration] HISTORY OF THE FYLDE. CHAPTER I. THE ANCIENT BRITONS, ROMANS, ANGLO-SAXONS, AND DANES. “See! in what crowds the uncouth forms advance: Each would outstrip the other, each prevent Our careful search, and offer to your gaze, Unask’d, his motley features. Wait awhile, My curious friends! and let us first arrange In proper order your promiscuous throng.” The large district of western Lancashire, denominated from time immemorial the Fylde, embraces one third at least of the Hundred of Amounderness, and a line drawn from Ashton, on the Ribble, to Churchtown, on the Wyre, forms the nearest approach to an eastern boundary attainable, for although the section cut off by its means includes more land and villages than properly appertain to the Fylde, a more westerly division would exclude others which form part of it. The whole of the parishes of Bispham, Lytham, Poulton, and St. Michael’s; and the parish of Kirkham, exclusive of Goosnargh-with-Newsham and Whittingham, are comprised in the Fylde country.