Heskin is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of the

Borough of Chorley The Borough of Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The population of the Borough at the 2011 census was 107,155. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Chorley. History The non-me ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, England. According to the

United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for Nationa ...

it has a population of 883 increasing to 898 at the 2011 Census.This increased to 906 at the 2021 Census.

Etymology

The name ''Heskin'' is of

Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

origin. As with

Haskayne Haskayne is a small village in the county of Lancashire, England, and on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. It is to the north of Downholland Cross Downholland Cross is a small village in the civil parish of Downholland in the county of La ...

, the first element is ''hesg'' meaning "sedge" (c.f.

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

''hesg'',

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

''seisg''). This is suffixed possibly with ''-īn'', an adjectival and toponymic suffix.

Architecture

Heskin Hall

Heskin Hall dates back to 1548.Heskin Hall Antique Centre (2009) "Heskin Hall History", (Taken from the History Sheet published by the owners of the property) The last people to occupy the hall as a residential home were Lord Lilford and his fourth wife in the 1960s. Since then the hall has been used commercially for antique sales, and other uses including Blackburn College who have used it for training and educational purposes. The hall is now registered as a venue for weddings and civil ceremonies and has a restaurant to cater for the visitors to the Antique Centre and Garden Centre which opened in 2010.

Ghosts

The hall is said to be haunted by a young Catholic girl, and an older man. The pair are thought to be from the time of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

who stayed at the hall on his travels. The young girl is said to have been sacrificed by a Catholic priest, who hanged her as a sign that he had converted from Catholicism to Protestantism.

Civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

soldiers where not convinced of his conversion so they hanged him from the same spot as the young girl. Lady Lilford's guests in the 1960s are said to have swiftly departed from the house during a dinner party after experiencing a ghostly appearance of a resident ghost during their stay.Karl, J (2006) "Haunted Placesof Lancashire - Heskin Hall", Pages 43-44.

Geography

References

External links

Heskin
chorley.gov.uk
Heskin Hall
Geography of Chorley Villages in Lancashire Civil parishes in Lancashire {{Lancashire-geo-stub