Lytham Charities
In 1720, terrible floods devastated the village and surrounding farms at Lytham.
Money was raised in churches throughout England to help relieve the situation, however, no decision
could be made on how to fairly distribute the money amongst the community.
The money was added to an existing fund to educate local children. This fund was known as the
Lytham Charities and it invested in land in the neighbouring Manor of Layton. The Charity had the
good fortune to have invested in farmland which, 150 years later, was in the town centre of the
resort of Blackpool. This provided large sums in the form of rents.
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
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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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