Memorial Hall Playing Field
It is not clear when the Halsall Playing Field was first used as playing fields. Not yet found any records for a formal opening ceremony or for the earliest events but the various land records have been retained by Parish Council. These provide links to important people in the history of Halsall.
The site of the Playing Field was originally part of the Scarisbrick Estate which was owned by the Marquis de Casteja (1849-1911) [LHNP-MZY]. A Deed of 11th Febraury 1904 sold the land to Henry Blundell Hollinshead Blundell ( 1831-1906) [L2YY-SDD] for the sum of 2,523 pounds.
This was a larger plot of land, over 12 acres, which included both the site of a proposed new Rectory and the future playing field, bisected by Cross Lane.
On 26th January 1905 Henry, known as Colonel Blundell, transferred half of the land, just over 5 acres, the current playing field, to his brother Reverend Thomas Blundell Hollinshead Blundell (1834-1905) [MHP1-FLL] , the Rector of St Cuthbert’s in Halsall.
Thomas did not have time to persue the new rectory as he died on 1st November 1905 and the land passed to his son, Cuthbert Leigh Blundell Hollinshead Blundell (1880-1947) [MM1V-SQ4].
Cuthbert Blundell was married and had two daughters but after his death on 16th April 1947 , he left this land to his sister Ethel Hilda Hollinshead Blundell (1875-1951)[G47M-Y9Q].
Ethel married Sir Wroth Periam Christopher Lethbridge (1863-1950) [M71Y-9D1] in 1928. Sir Wroth was the 5th Baronet Lethbridge [Wikipedia Lethbridge Baronets], a title created for the 1st Baronet, John Lethbridge in 1804, of Westaway House in Devon and Winkley Court in Somerset. He had pursued a career in the Army and was a Justice of the Peace in Somerset. He died in 1950. [Halsall History Biography page].
Lady Lethbridge was very active in the community, a member of the Parish Council and a representative on Education Committee for Lancashire County Council.
As reported in the Ormskirk Advertiser in March 1945, the Parish Council setup a committee chaired by John Cropper. It was decided that the Rector, Chair of Parish Council and the Headmaster would be the Trustees for the purchase of a Recreation Ground. 12 acres was to be sought for football, cricket, bowls and tennis and a playing field for schoolchildren.
In 1949 Lady Lethbridge, who was now living at La Mancha, sold the land to a partnership of Reverend Charles Robert Claxton (1902-1992) [G26G-385], Henry James Linaker Neale (1905-1949) [GX26-FCH] and Arthur Hodgson Battersby (1892-1971) [LBZL-K9P] for £525 pounds. These were the representatives of the residents of Halsall who had raised the funds to purchase the land by public subscription.
The Rev Claxton was Bishop of Warrington [Wikipedia] living at Halsall Rectory, Arthur Battersby was the Headmaster of Halsall School and Henry Neale was a local farmer and Chair of the Parish Council.
The Deeds contain the covenant that “‘the land shall only be used as a playing field with the necessary buildings appertaining thereto”.
Henry James Linaker Neale of Park House Farm died on 27th November 1949 just a few days after the purchase.
The remaining Trustees of the Church and School decided on 11th September 1953 to transfer the land into the Trust of the Parish Council to “‘maintain and manage …. promote the land for the purposes of physical training and recreation through the medium of a public recreation ground for the benefit of the inhabitants of Halsall”.
A Charity was set up to manage the playing field and a village hall, ”The Memorial Hall”, was built. The transfer was reported in the Parish Magazine.
In 1991 there were rumours that a “Sir Cuthbert Halsall” had bought gold from bullion dealers and hidden it, some had been found at the Church and some might be under the field ? The Parish Council refused permission for metal detecting and did not accept a claim from a descendant of “Sir Cuthbert Halsall” that anything found in the field belonged to them.
The basis for this rumour maybe the Gold Rose Noble coins found at the church. Stephen Henders , a historian of St Cuthberts Church, wrote an article, available at Church Archive, on these gold coins minted for Henry V (1386-1422).
Seven of these coins are now in the British Museum and others were auctioned by the Church in 1923. Today these coins would be worth several thousand pounds each. The coins were placed in-situ when the Chancel arch was built in late 14th – early 15th Century, 400 years before more recent developments associated with Playing Field.
The history of the Playing Fields since 1953 will be found in the Minutes of Parish Council (1894 to 1995) which are stored at Lancashire County Council Archives. These facilities are still managed today by Halsall War Memorial Playing Field and Hall charity, supported by Halsall Parish Council as Sole Trustee.
