The Village

Tarleton has been a village for a number of years; an old record of 1246 tells us that it was then named Tharilton.

The first settlers, probably, sailed up the river and, landing a few miles upstream, found wooded slopes and green pastures - a good place for a settlement with water, timber and pasturage.

So, the first homes were built near the river for ease of transport (as roads were mere tracks), water for domestic use and fish for food. The River Douglas was then clean and pure; salmon was caught in the river up to the beginning of the twentieth century.

Early history tells us that a Norman Knight, Roger de Montbegon, gave the 'Island' of Tarleton to the monks of Thetford in Norfolk; later, his brother Richard transferred the ownership of the land to the monks of Cockersand Abbey. In 1380 some of the land passed to the Banastres of Bank Hall.

Here are extracts from the records of Cockersands Abbey:

1. 1519 Lease for 19 years at 4 marks 3/- rent. Abbot of Cockersands to Thomas Gybonson, a messuage in Holmes & a fishery in Merton Mere.

2. Lease for 3 lives at 20/2 rent. Sir Thomas Hesketh to Wm. Dandy of Tarleton. Also his wife & Robt., his son, a massuage in Tarleton. Yearly value 6/10.

In the early days the houses were made of wattle and daub, with thatched roofs, and built on the sides of the roads.

In the 17th century builders started to use bricks for house building. The earliest houses still standing are in Plox Brow; No 17 is dated 1635 and No. 20 is 1651. In 1973 repairs were carried out at No. 17 and the east wall was found to be constructed of wattle and daub.

A view up Plox Brow. This area is one of the oldest in the village. Many of the houses and farms date to the seventeenth century. For example, the one to the right of this picture has a date stone of 1635 over the doorway.

The bricks were hand made of local clay; the marl pits were in the fields, on Blackgate Lane (almost opposite Sutton Lane, and the other in Gorse Lane. Both are now filled in.

The Hearth Tax of 1666 records 73 hearths in Tarleton, but only three dwellings had as many as 3 hearths.

The Rams Head Inn (1640) was a coaching inn, and had many stables and out buildings.

The old manor house was reputed to be haunted, and 200 years ago the priest layed the ghost: a procession was formed to walk to Martin Mere and after a service the spectre was successfully laid.

The rectory in Coe Lane was supposed to be haunted, and on the stairs to the Tower was a bloodstain which could not be washed away.

Cock fights took place on the ground behind the Cock & Bottle, and also in a field behind Dandy Farm (now Mark Sq.). The farmer living at the farm (now called The Barons) had a malt kiln in his yard and he brewed beer for daily use as tea and coffee were too expensive to be used regularly.

The Pinfold was in the centre of the village (opposite the C of E School). Here stray cattle were impounded and kept until their owners reclaimed them.

Large boulders stood at the junctions of Coe Lane, Hesketh Lane and Gorse Lane with the main road through the village. Small groups of men gathered at the road junctions, using the boulders as seats and discussed village gossip.

Thomas Fleetwood of Bank Hall obtained a charter from King William III in the year 1700 for an Annual Fair for Pedlars to be held at Tarleton on April 23rd and 24th; afterwards for two other fairs to be held yearly on September 23rd and October 23rd.

People wishing to build their homes had great difficulty in obtaining land. Most of the land in Tarleton was owned by Sir Thomas Hesketh or the owners of Bank Hall. They did not wish to sell, but would grant leaseholds of 25 years. A number of cottages, built under this condition, reverted to the landlord on expiry of the lease. Later, when the Heskeths sold land, more land came into private ownership.

Thomas Fleetwood of Bank Hall obtained a charter from King William III in the year 1700 for an Annual Fair for Pedlars to be held at Tarleton on April 23rd and 24th; afterwards for two other fairs to be held yearly on September 23rd and October 23rd.

People wishing to build their homes had great difficulty in obtaining land. Most of the land in Tarleton was owned by Sir Thomas Hesketh or the owners of Bank Hall. They did not wish to sell, but would grant leaseholds of 25 years. A number of cottages, built under this condition, reverted to the landlord on expirey of the lease. Later, when the Heskeths sold land, more land came into private ownership.