Dalton, Lancashire

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Ashurst's Beacon, on the summit of Ashurst Hill.

Dalton (SD494081) is a village in Lancashire, near Skelmersdale and south of the River Douglas.

Dalton is listed in the Domesday Book. Soon after the Norman conquest it became part of the Barony of Manchester and it remained part of the Manchester fee as late as 1733.

Dalton had a population of 348 at the 2001 census.

About the village

The local landscape is dominated by Ashurst Hill, which rises 570 feet above sea level and is crowned by Ashurst's Beacon.

The beacon once formed part of a relay stretching from Everton Brow above Liverpool to Lancaster Castle, which was in place (though unused) during the Anglo–Spanish War of 1585. The current structure dates from around 1800, when local landowner Sir William Ashurst decided that a more permanent beacon was needed for the oncoming Napoleonic Wars.[1]

Outside links

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about Dalton, Lancashire)

References

  1. Ron Freethy, "Beacon watched over troubled past", The Bolton News, February 9, 2002. Retrieved on March 26, 2008.
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