Lytham St.Annes Coat of Arms

 
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Lytham St.Annes, Lancashire, England
 

 

 The Floods of 1720.

In December 1720 a storm lasting two days caused devastation along the Lancashire coast. For more detail and maps, download the PDF "THE CHURCH BRIEF FOR THE INUNDATION OF THE LANCASHIRE COAST IN 1720" from the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire website.

The village of Lytham and surrounding farms were badly affected. Money was raised in churches throughout England to help relieve the situation, and the petition is reproduced below.

  Copy of the Petition by the Sufferers from the Great Flood in the year 1720 to Quarter Sessions for a Brief:


To the Worshipfull his Majesties Justices of the Peace for the County Palatine of Lancaster at the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace to be held at Preston in & for the said County on Thursday the 12th day of January 1720.

The humble Petition of Robert Bawbell, Richard Gerrard, Thomas Wilkinson, James Carter, Thomas Ball, Robert Bennet, Thomas Dewhurst, Robert Hardman, John Ball, John Heys and Richard Fisher, Inhabitants farmers and Tenants within the Townships of Lytham, Warton, and Westby cum Plumpton within the County Palatine abovesaid, Sufferers by a dreadfull inundacion of the Sea.
Sheweth
That upon Sunday & Munday the eighteenth & nineteenth days of December last past at the Change of the Moon & very height of the Spring Tyde there happened a violent Tempest of Wind which occasioned such an extraordinary & uncommon Flood that it broak down & washed away the Banks Rampets & Sea Fences in the said Towns & overflowed the greatest part of the Land lying there utterly destroying all their winter Corn thereon growing & doeing very great damadge to all their Lands & Grounds and washed down & carryed away above forty dwelling houses with the barns & outhouseing thereto belonging and all their Corn hay and household Goods and a great number of their Cattle, And your Peticioners being ready to make appear to your Worships not only by their own oaths but also by the oath of severall credible persons who have viewed the premisses that the damadges done to your Peticioners by the said Inundacion amounts to £2055. and upwards.

Your Peticioners humbly pray that your Worships will be pleased to grant your Peticioners a prop per Certiflicate under your hands with a Due Representacion of their said Losses in order to obtain his Majesties most Gracious Letters Patents for the collecting and receiving the Charitable Contribucions of all such disposed Christians as shall be duly touched with a sence of human Misfortune & therefore be Ready and willing in some Measure to Contribute to such an unexampled Losse, And your poor Peticioners shall pray…

 

Jur. Robertt. Bawbell …£10.
Richard Gerrard ………£50
Thomas Wilkinson ……£31. 5s.
…………………………..£20
Robert Ball …………….£12
Robert Bawbell
Richard Gerrard
Thomas Ball
Robert Bennet
Robert Hardman
Thomas Dewhurst
John Heys
Thomas Wilkinson
James Carter
John Ball
Richard Fisher
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No decision could be made on how to fairly distribute the money amongst the community so it was decided to use it for the education of local children. The money from these rents helped to build and maintain these four schools:

Lytham Endowed School c1720-c1980
Heyhouses Endowed School
King Edward VII School for Boys
Queen Mary School for Girls