Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

. Ormskirk is known for its

gingerbread Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly as crisp as ...

Geography and administration

Ormskirk lies on sloping ground on the side of a ridge, whose highest point is above sea-level, at the centre of the West Lancashire Plain, and has been described as a "planned borough", laid out in the 13th century.Lancashire County Council
Ormskirk historic town assessment, Lancashire County Council, 2006 Ormskirk is an unparished area, surrounded by the

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Bickerstaffe Bickerstaffe is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 Census the population of the civil parish was 1,196, reducing to 1,180 at the 2011 census, although the population of the ...

Aughton Aughton may refer to several places in England: * Aughton, East Riding of Yorkshire * Aughton, Lancashire, a parish in the borough of West Lancashire * Aughton, Lancaster, a hamlet in the civil parish of Halton-with-Aughton, Lancashire * Aughton, ...

, Scarisbrick, Burscough, Lathom and Lathom South. The town is located in the district of West Lancashire and is the site of the headquarters of West Lancashire Borough Council. Since Ormskirk does not have a parish council, a voluntary association, Ormskirk Community Partnership, was created in 2009, with the support of the West Lancashire Borough Council, to act as a voice for Ormskirk. Ormskirk is home to Edge Hill University.

History

The name is Old Norse in origin and is derived from ''Ormres kirkja'', from a personal name, ''Ormr'' (which means "serpent" or

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

), and the Old Norse word ''kirkja'' for '' church''. Ormr may have been a Viking who settled here, became a Christian and founded the church but there are no other records or

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

evidence to support this and Ormr's identity is unknown. There is no reference to Ormskirk in the Domesday Book of 1086, but it has been suggested that it may have been part of Lathom at that time. In about 1189, the lord of Lathom granted the church of Ormskirk to Burscough Priory, which does suggest that Ormskirk had been subordinate to Lathom before that date. An open market is held twice weekly, on Thursdays and Saturdays, in the pedestrianised centre of Ormskirk. The location was originally the junction of the main roads to

, Liverpool and Wigan, and was marked by a

market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosse ...

going back to medieval times. During the 18th and 19th centuries the Cross, as the junction was known, was the location of a large lamp mounted on an obelisk with a circular drinking fountain for both people and animals around the base. This was moved to the junction of St Helens Road and Moor Street to make room for the erection of the clock tower in 1876. The fountain was then moved again to opposite the Drill Hall down Southport Road in the 1890s when space was needed to site the Disraeli statue. The market was established by a royal charter that was granted by

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

in 1286 to the monks of Burscough Priory. Thursday has been market day in Ormskirk since at least 1292. The King also granted a borough charter to Ormskirk at about the same time, but this seems to have become extinct by the end of the 15th century. The Ormskirk Poor Law Union was established in 1837, covering 21 parishes and townships from Tarleton to

Simonswood Simonswood is a civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. At the 2001 census, the population was 130, increasing to 151 by the 2011 census. It was originally a township associated with the parish of Walton on the Hi ...

, and from Birkdale to Skelmersdale. Ormskirk Union Workhouse was built in 1853 on Wigan Road and later became Ormskirk District General Hospital. With its weekly markets, the town became a focal point for local farmers and their agricultural workers, cottagers, cow-keepers etc. to trade their goods and obtain necessities from the markets and from the retail establishments which were established along with public houses and inns. An engineering industry, based on making and mending agricultural machinery also developed. The town became known for its gingerbread over the years when local women would bake the gingerbread in their own homes and then take it to the staging inns to sell to passengers. When the railway arrived in the mid 19th century, the local gingerbread sellers found a new market. They were allowed to sell their product to passengers travelling through the railway station. One particular customer Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, enjoyed the local gingerbread so much he sent orders to the town. The baking of gingerbread became part of the retail history of the town, with several local bakers claiming to have the original gingerbread recipe. A well known local woman, Sally Woods, was a recognisable figure on the market selling her gingerbread.

Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul

The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul is believed to be on the site of the original kirk, on a sandstone outcrop, and is the oldest building in the town. Its exact age is unknown; the building does contain some fragments of Norman architecture. The parish church has many connections with the Earls of Derby and the Stanley family. Many family members are buried in the church's Derby Chapel, including Thomas Stanley, the first Earl, who caused

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

to lose his crown by changing sides at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and the Royalist James Stanley, the seventh Earl, who was beheaded at Bolton in 1651 after the Civil War. His body is buried in one coffin and his head in a separate casket. This is one of only three parish churches in England to have a tower and a separate spire, and is unique in that it has both at the same end of the building. (The other two are

St Mary's Church, Purton St Mary's Church is in the village of Purton in north Wiltshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Bristol. It is one of only three churches in England to have both a western tower and a central spire. It has been d ...

and

St Andrew's Church, Wanborough St Andrew's Church is in the village of Wanborough in north Wiltshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Bristol, one of only three churches in England to have both a western tower and a central spire. It has been ...

, both near

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

, in Wiltshire). Legend has it that Orme had two sisters, one who wanted a tower, and one who wanted a spire, and Orme built both to please both. The 'steeple' in fact dates from the early 15th century, but the original blew down in 1731 and was rebuilt between 1790 and 1832. The large west tower was added to the church around 1548 to house the bells of nearby Burscough Priory following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. One of these bells can still be seen in the church.

Transport

The A59 is the main road, with

to the north and Liverpool to the south. The A570, from Southport, crosses the town from west to east and provides a link to the national motorway network at junction 3 of the M58, about three miles from the town centre. It then continues to St Helens before reaching the M62 at Junction 7, Rainhill Stoops. The town's railway station, which was refurbished at a cost of £1 million in 2009, is a northern terminus of Merseyrail, and the line continues, with a change from electric to diesel multiple units, through to

, after the direct service was partitioned in 1970. This line was promoted by the

Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway The Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston Railway in north-west England was formed in 1846. It was purchased by the East Lancashire Railway the following year and opened to traffic on 2 April 1849. The railway ran from a junction with the Liverpool an ...

in August 1846, but was completed by the East Lancashire Railway. The route and Ormskirk station opened on 2 April 1849, the undertaking being merged into the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on 13 May 1859. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway built the

Skelmersdale Branch The Skelmersdale branch was a standard gauge railway (SKE) which connected the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway at Ormskirk with Rainford Junction via Skelmersdale. At Rainford it connected with the Liverpool and Bury Railway and the St. ...

line to Skelmersdale and

Rainford Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or '' ...

, which opened on 1 March 1858. Passenger services ended on 5 November 1956, goods to

finished on 16 November 1961 and to Skelmersdale on 4 November 1963.

Local economy

There is a Morrisons on Park Road, which was converted from a

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

in 2005. The building was formerly home to the local gasworks, and the local

Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...

/ Morris car dealership (''Balmforths''). The ''Two Saints'' is a modest retail park which opened in 2000 and contains a number of retailers including McDonald's, Argos, ''Mobility Store'', Poundland, Aldi and a gym. In December 2013, when

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Blo ...

entered administration, its store at ''Two Saints'' closed. Ormskirk had an indoor market situated on Moorgate, but as of 2021 it is closed pending redevelopment. A

Tesco Metro Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

was located on Church Street, but it closed in April 2015. An out of town business park, ''The Hattersley Centre'', opened in February 2008, with a Home Bargains, Howdens, Tile Giant, Magnet,

Jewson Jewson is one of the largest chains of British general builders' merchants, selling to small and medium building contractors. The chain comprises around 600 branches located all across Great Britain. Jewson is part of Denmark's STARK Group. His ...

, Halfords (which closed in 2020) and a Plumbase. After Focus DIY went into administration, its store on the Hattersley Centre closed. The unit which it occupied was split into three, two being occupied by Home Bargains and The Food Warehouse by Iceland. An application for Asda to open in the unit was rejected in February 2011, after the application was submitted in August 2009. The centre was never fully occupied, and had been struggling since its completion. Netto closed down in August 2016, after the firm pulled out of the United Kingdom. The store had opened in November 2014. 2019 saw the Hattersley Centre expand with new units being built on adjacent unused land and occupied by Lidl and Toolstation. The expansion followed funding of £6.2M being secured from the Royal Bank of Scotland to clear the adjacent land and build new units. 2019 also saw Magnet vacate one of the units, but this was quickly occupied by Screwfix. One of the last significant manufacturing businesses remaining in Ormskirk were Atkinson & Kirby, who make

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

floors and employed 80 people. They relocated in September 2015 after operating from Ormskirk for over 100 years. Businesses in the town are mainly professional and financial services, such as solicitors, estate agents, and accountants.

Education

Ormskirk School Ormskirk School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Ormskirk in the English county of Lancashire. The school caters for roughly 1,400 pupils aged between 11-18. History The school was created in September 2001 by the ...

(ages 11–18) is on Wigan Road in the east of the town, situated on a site formerly home to the demolished Cross Hall High School. Ormskirk School is the result of a merger between

Ormskirk Grammar School Ormskirk Grammar School was a school in Ormskirk, West Lancashire, England. History It was founded circa 1610 and moved from the original school house at Barkhouse Hill to Ruff Lane in 1850. The architect Sydney Smirke designed the original scho ...

and Cross Hall High School. St Bede's Catholic High School (ages 11–16) is on St Anne's Road next to the A59 and Prescot Road, and opposite St Anne's Church. Edge Hill University is on the A570 St Helens Road heading east. West Lancashire College, a

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

college, used to have a site in the town centre on Hants Lane but its students now have to travel to Skelmersdale. Ormskirk is also home to a public library.

Parks and open spaces

The town has three main parks and a number of other smaller play areas and open spaces. The main parks are:- * Victoria Park, named after Queen Victoria, is Ormskirk's oldest park, established towards the end of the 19th century. It contains a monument to local heroes of the Boer War and Crimean War. It is located on the triangle of land between Knowsley Road, St Helens Road and Ruff Lane. * Coronation Park, a large park in the town centre on Park Road, which has children's play areas, skateboard area, games area for football and basketball, fitness equipment, duck pond, bowling green, bandstand and wildlife meadow. The Park was established in about 1905 by the former

Ormskirk Urban District Ormskirk was an urban district in the county of Lancashire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after the town of Ormskirk, which constituted its main settlement. The district was merged with Lathom and Burscough Urban District in 1931, taking in ...

to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII. In 2012 the Ormskirk War Memorial was relocated here from its original site in front of the former Comrades' Club on Southport Road. * Ruff Wood, a countryside park on the edge of the town, on Ruff Lane.

Notable people

Other connections

Robert Harkness Professor Robert Harkness Royal Society of London, FRS FRSE FGS (28 July 1816 – 4 October 1878), was a British geologist and mineralogist. Early life Robert Harkness was born in Ormskirk on 28 July 1816. His family moved to south-west Scotland ...

(born), Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, FRS FRSE FGS., Queen's College, Cork. *

Tom Pearce (footballer) Tom Mark Pearce (born 12 April 1998) is an English footballer who plays as a left-back for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic. Club career Leeds United Pearce started his career at Everton youth academy before joining Leeds United's academy in ...

(football player for Leeds United, born in Ormskirk and went to

) *

Billy Ayre William Ayre (7 May 1952 – 16 April 2002) was an English footballer who played for three clubs in a sixteen-year professional career, making over three hundred League appearances in the process. After retiring from the playing side of the gam ...

(lived and died), football player and manager * Mark Bonner (born), footballer *

Kieran Dowell Kieran O'Neill Dowell (born 10 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Dowell previously played for Everton, where he had loan spells with Nottingham Forest, Sheffiel ...

(born), footballer at Norwich City and England U'20 World Cup Winner * Wes Fletcher (born), footballer at York City *

Joseph Brandreth Joseph Brandreth M.D. (1746 – 10 April 1815) was an English physician. He was the physician to the Duke of Gloucester. He was born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, in 1746. After graduating with an M.D. at Edinburgh in 1770, where his thesis, ''De F ...

(born), physician *

Alexander Critchley Alexander Critchley (17 December 1893 – 4 September 1974)Michael Stenton, Stephen Lees, ''Who's who of British members of parliament: a biographical dictionary of the House of Commons, based on annual volumes of Dod's 'parliamentary companion' ...

(born) M.P. for Liverpool Edge Hill 1935–1945. *

Jon Culshaw Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy '' Dead Ringers'' since 2000. Culshaw has voiced a number of characters for ITV shows including ''2DT ...

(born), impressionist *

Vickey Dixon Victoria Jane Dixon (born 5 August 1959 in Ormskirk, West Lancashire) is a former field hockey player from England, who was a member of the British squad that won the bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She competed in two con ...

(born), hockey player and bronze medal winner at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Richard Drummie Richard Drummie (born 20 March 1959, in London) is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. Drummie and Peter Cox (musician), Peter Cox are the founding members of musical group Go West (band), Go West. Early career and Go West Drummie ...

, musician *

Duncan Ferguson Duncan Cowan Ferguson (born 27 December 1971) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Ferguson was the caretaker manager of Everton in 2019 and 2022. He began his career at Dundee United in 1990, and moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was ...

(lives), footballer * Marianne Faithfull, singer *

Alexander Goss Alexander Goss (5 July 1814 — 3 October 1872) was the second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Liverpool. Biography Alexander Goss was born at Ormskirk, Lancashire of recusant background, connected on both sides with old Lancashire famili ...

(1814-1872), was a Roman Catholic Bishop, Bishop of Liverpool *

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

(raised), MP for Dulwich and West Norwood (UK Parliament constituency) since 2015 *

Gavin Griffiths Gavin Timothy Griffiths (born 19 November 1993) is an English cricketer who most recently played for Leicestershire County Cricket Club. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler, who also bats right-handed. He made his one-day debut for Lancashire ...

(born) Leicestershire County cricket player * William Edward Heaton (born), recipient of the Victoria Cross *

James Hopwood Jeans Sir James Hopwood Jeans (11 September 187716 September 1946) was an English physicist, astronomer and mathematician. Early life Born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, the son of William Tulloch Jeans, a parliamentary correspondent and author. Jeans was ...

(born), physicist, astronomer and mathematician * Stuart Maconie (student), TV presenter *

Stephen James Bennett Stephen (James) Bennett (known as Stephen Bennett) is an English musician, writer and film maker born in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. He plays various keyboards, drums and the guitar. He first came to public attention in the band LaHost in the 198 ...

(born), Academic, musician and writer * Edward Peck (academic administrator),(school) Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University * Tom Middlehurst, former Welsh AM and Education Minister. * William Moorcroft, veterinary surgeon, horse breeding expert, explorer * Nicholas Monsarrat (lived), novelist, author of '' The Cruel Sea'' *

Tony Morley William Anthony Morley (born 26 August 1954) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Preston North End, Burnley, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, as well as playing for other teams abroad. He ...

(born), England and Aston Villa footballer, European Cup winner in 1982 * Jimmy O'Neill (lived), Irish international footballer"Tributes as ex-Everton goalie dies, aged 76", ''Ormskirk Advertiser'', Issue 13,698, 20 December 2007, p. 12 *

Les Pattinson Leslie Thomas Pattinson (born 18 April 1958 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool-based band Echo & the Bunnymen,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discog ...

(born), former member of Echo & the Bunnymen * Jonathan Pryce (student), actor * Jack Renshaw, far-right activist and convicted terrorist * John Rimmer (born), athlete and winner of two gold medals at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

* Robbie Slater (born), Australian footballer *

John Souch John Souch (1593/4 – 1645) was an English portrait painter. He flourished in the early seventeenth century in the North West of England, and perhaps epitomises the role of art in English local life at that time. Early life John Souch was b ...

(born), seventeenth-century painter *

Stephen Warnock Stephen Warnock (born 12 December 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Starting off his career at Liverpool, he went on to also represent Coventry City, Bradford City, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Bolt ...

(born), England and Liverpool footballer *

Nicole Webster Nicole Webster is an Australian marine scientist who is Chief Scientist for the Australian Antarctic Division. Early life Nicole Webster gained an undergraduate degree and PhD in marine biology at James Cook University. Professor Webster's rese ...

(born), Australian marine scientist *

Helen Whitaker Lady Helen Whitaker (12 August 1890, Wiltshire, UK – 2 August 1929, Richmond, UK) was County Commissioner for Hampshire Girl Guides from 1917 to 1924 and Commissioner for British Guides Abroad. She was one of the earliest recipients of the ...

Girl Guide leader and Commissioner for British Guides Abroad * The Ormesher Sisters, Victims of an unsolved double murder in 1956

Gallery

File:Beaconsfield monument.JPG, The Beaconsfield monument on Moor Street File:Buck i'th' Vine Inn.JPG, The Buck i'th' Vine Inn on Burscough Street File:Nunnerley memorial.JPG, Memorial to Sergeant-Major Nunnerly in Victoria Gardens File:Tower Hill Water Tower, Ormskirk.JPG, The old water tower on Tower Hill

Notes

References

* Duggan, Mona (1998) ''Ormskirk, the Making of a Modern Town''. Stroud: Sutton

External links

{{Authority control Towns in Lancashire Market towns in Lancashire Unparished areas in Lancashire Geography of the Borough of West Lancashire