History

Year

Event
850 A Viking called ‘Orm’ builds   a church on a high spot at the edge of the marsh.
1124 Burscough Priory founded by   Robert Fitzhenry de Lathom. It would have been a large and impressive   monastery and held land all over Lancashire but at its dissolution 1532 it   only had a prior, 5 monks and 40 dependents.
1286 Edward I awards a Charter to   the monks of Burscough Priory to hold a market in Ormskirk.
1359 Black Death probably affects   Ormskirk.
1435 Spire first built at Parish   Church.
1496 Lathom House develops as one   of the biggest and grandest houses in the country.
1496 Henry VII visits Lathom House   – worships at Ormskirk Parish Church.
1538 Henry VIII dissolves the   monasteries – the Charter for Ormskirk market passed to Earl of Derby.
1542 West Tower built at Parish   Church to house the bells from Burscough Priory.
1600 Map shows Ormskirk developed   as a cluster of buildings around the Cross.
1614 Ormskirk Grammar School   founded.
1617 James I passes Ormskirk Cross   on his way to Lathom House en route to take up the throne.
1644/45 Lathom House besieged by   Parliament Forces.
1646 Parliament Forces destroy   Lathom House.
1648 Earl of Derby captured by   Parliament Forces and beheaded at Bolton – he is buried in Ormskirk Parish   Church.
1661 Countess of Derby presents   font to Ormskirk Parish Church to celebrate restoration.
1743 Road between Preston and   Liverpool improved and Turnpiked 1770.
1751 First post passes through   Ormskirk from Liverpool to Preston. Stagecoaches would be passing along   Aughton Street – Burscough Street – Coaching inns like the Buck ‘ith Vine   would date from this period.
1779 Town Hall built – the   original building is still there at the bottom of Church Street.
1796 Dispensary   established.
1800 Population   probably about 6,000. A small market town with a range of small scale   industries -brewing, flax and silk weaving, hat and glove making, rope   making, blacksmith, coopers, foundry.
1820 First   Bank opened – savings bank in Lydiate Lane (renamed Derby Street in 1890).
1830 Dr.   Brandreth opens a dispensary in Burscough Street – this building is now the   Farmer’s Club.
1834 Congregational   Church built in Chapel Street.
1835 Gas   works built in Aughton Street – first gas lamps C. 1840.
1848/49 Railway   comes to Ormskirk. The Railway Company buys land from the Grammar School to   build the station and railway yard.
1849 Grammar   School moves to Ruff Lane – new building opened.
1850 Girls’   National school extended in Lydiate Lane.
1851 Social   conditions in Ormskirk at this time are pretty hard with little or no   sanitation or piped water. There is much overcrowding with the town being   very compact.
1850 Sessions   House, magistrates court and police building opened in Lydiate Lane – cost   £2,200.
1851 St.   Annes RC Church is built just outside the then town boundary because of the   Anglican domination.
1851 Local   Board of Health established and replaced Court Leet as main body of Local   Government.
1851 Ormskirk   Advertiser established. An excellent Local Newspaper and an asset to the   town.
1853 Workhouse   built in Wigan Road now Ormskirk General Hospital.
1853 Water   piped to houses for the first time.
1854 Public   Library opens in Church Street.
1868 Working   Men’s Institute is opened by the Rt. Hon. Lord Skelmersdale, later to become   Earl of Lathom – situated at junction of St. Helens Road and Moor Street.
1870 Market   Charter passes to the Local Authority.
1876 Clock   Tower is built by the Court Leet with money raised partly by public   subscription and partly using the balance of funds on the dissolution of this   body.
1876/8 Emmanuel   Church is completed.
1884 Statue   of Lord Beaconsfield (Disraeli) is unveiled by Earl of Lathom.
1885 Prince   of Wales visits Ormskirk.
1894 Local Government Reform.   Ormskirk Urban District and West Lanes Rural District established within   Lancashire County Council.
1890 Victoria Park established.
1870/90 Major restoration of Parish   Church undertaken.
1896 Brandreth Hospital opened.
1900 Population C.6,500 Ormskirk   Town. During the 19C. Ormskirk has remained a small market town with a wide   range of small scale industries, while the towns around have grown   dramatically. St. Helens has increased in population from 4,000 in 1821 to   85,000 in 1901, Southport from practically nil population 1801 to 60,000 in   1900. Liverpool from 77,000 in 1801 to 700,000 in 1900.
1900 Drill Hall in Southport Road   is opened.
1900 Derby Street West is created   and the name of Lydiate Lane is changed to Derby Street.
1913 Railway line to Liverpool is   electrified – commuting to Liverpool begins in earnest. The development of   Aughton really stems from this point.
1921 Population Ormskirk Town   7,400.
1920 County Road is built to take   the Liverpool – Preston Road round Ormskirk. County Road then passes through   open fields well to the west of the town.
1931 Population – Ormskirk Town   9,400.
1933 Edge Hill College is opened.
1944 Education Act. Post-war period   sees many new schools open in response to increased population and general   trends in Education as new Schools replace the Board Schools of the 19C. e.g.   Greetby Hill, West End, St. Anne’s, St. Bedes.
1948 National Health Service –   Wigan Road Hospital developed from 19C workhouse origin.
1951 Population – Ormskirk Town   10,350.
1962 Skelmersdale designated as a   New Town.
1961 Population – Ormskirk Town   10,600.
1960’s Traffic problems in Ormskirk   town centre as in every other centre became acute. Various traffic management   schemes introduced and eventually through traffic diverted from the ‘cross’.   Much redevelopment of town centre. Many old buildings replaced by new shops,   car parks.
1970s Drill Hall becomes Public   Hall. Ormskirk baths opened. Cinemas close.
1971 Population: Ormskirk Town   14,300. West Lanes Planning Dept. consider that 80% of the population growth   in the period 1961-71 has been caused by people buying newly built private   houses in and around Ormskirk.
1974 Local Government reorganised.   Ormskirk Urban District Council and West Lanes Rural District Council combine   with others to form West Lanes District Council.
1981 Population: Ormskirk town C.   15000. Ormskirk originally developed as a market town with a wide range of   small scale industries. The market still attracts many visitors and brings   income to the town. Ormskirk is now the service centre for the West Lanes   area with the main employment locally being Local Government, Education, the   Health Service, shops and offices in the town centre. Ormskirk is also a nice   place to live and many people live here and work elsewhere. Commuting is now   large scale with people travelling both into and out of the town to live and   work.