Longshoot

How did it get the name?

dostaf Butts (hardybutts) was were they used to practice with their bows and arrows and as Longshoot is higher up it speaks for itself.

Its a Long shot.

Not the Civil War then? As many folk think.

Butts

dostaf Very interesting.

From Past Forward 55 p14-15

The Medieval Fields of Wigan

"Nowadays, few people passing Longshoot Health Centre in Wigan would be aware that the name 'Longshoot' is one of the last local reminders of a system of farming which was introduced at the time of the Viking invasions and lasted until the middle years of the nineteenth century. This was the open-field system, in which the arable land of a settlement consisted of a large number of strips, which were arranged in rectangular shaped groups known as 'furlongs', 'shots' or 'shoots'. The shoots could be of different lengths, so there were long shoots and short shoots. The shoots themselves were arranged in groups known as 'fields'. Each of these huge fields would have its own individual name."

I hadn't seen that one before, Marie.

They have a Butts Mill and Butts bridge in Leigh.

Plenty folk will say that a cannon could fire from Scholes to the Parish Church in Wigan during the civil war.

"fields would have its own individual name."


what like Gracie , Sally ,WC????

Always thought it assosciated to the Battle of Wigan Lane

I remember long ago when as a Child going down Longshoot to church and could read the time on the Parish clock from there ----ohhh those were the days I dont think I could see the Parish church now
Was always told that is where the Arrow men were taght the LONG BOW

Parliamentarians attack Wigan
The Parliamentarians under the command of Colonel Holland and
Lieutenant-Colonel Rosworm, decided to attack Derby’s headquarters in
Wigan on 1st April 1643. They had 2,000 men, over 200 men on horse, 8
cannons and plenty of ammunition. In less than an hour the
Parliamentarians had broken the defence and entered the town.
86 Royalist Musketeers ran into Market Place, Wigan, then climbed up to
the top of Wigan Parish church tower. From this vantage point the
musketeers continually fired at the Parliamentarians and killed more
Parliamentarians than in the first part of the attack. On hearing that
Royalist reinforcements were on their way, Colonel Holland gathered up
his men to retreat. Rosworm didn’t want to retreat and persuaded
Holland to stay until the parish church was captured.
Rosworm set up his cannons on a hill overlooking Wigan Parish church
and threatened to blow up the church if the defenders didn’t give
themselves up. The 86 Royalists surrendered and Colonel Holland
retreated with his men, leaving Rosworm with only a few men and so
Lt.Colonel Rosworm jumped on his horse and ran.
The places where Rosworm set up his cannons were afterwards called
Longshoot and Lower Longshoot in Scholes.

From here?

Page 33.

poppy and dostaf Very interesting. Is it a in a book, dostaf, I wouldn't mind a copy of that.

Marie, I just copied some of Poppy's text and google sent me the document.

Question is:

Was Longshoot there before the civil war?

Hence the thread.

I heard that somebody once shot an arrow from the top of Wigan parish church, and that's where it landed, so they called it longshoot.

Nicko - Gracie, Sally, and W.C. are all fine names for Fields, but the field in question's name - of which Longshoot was a part - 'Most likely was Scholes Field, because even today we find Scholefield Lane in the area, and two large fields, each called Scholes Field, appear here on a map of Wigan produced by John Mather in 1827.

... (also on the 1827 map) fields called Middleshoot and another Longshoot in Swinley, indicating that an open field once existed here.'

An interesting read - The Project Gutenberg EBook of On Some Ancient Battle-Fields in Lancashire, by
Charles Hardwick eBook

I like the Past Forward info, Jo Anne.

I had always thought that Longshoot csme from the Civil war but id there real evidence to suggest it is earlier then so be it.It is highly likely that there was an archery practice field in Wigan as it was law in medieval times that archery
was practiced every Sunday(I think it was Sunday) throughout England.It id known that a large part of Henry V's army , at Agincout ,were archers from Lancashire , which obviously would include Wigan archers.Incidently in WW1 the retreat from Mons crossed the Somme at the same point as Henry and his army on their way to Agincourt..The Angel of Mons has often been described as the ghostly figures of Henry's archers protecting their 20th century counterparts.

My Nan's home had to be demolished to make way for the Health Centre.[ and she had to pay for it.. which is another story]
Her family lived in this house for well over 100 years.[17-1800's] She always told the story that her Grandfather Peter Thomas told.. ie. Cromwell's cannons were put on their terrace to shoot at Wigan Parish Church... and you can still see where the cannon balls hit it... Just her story... would be nice to think it was true.

true

Long Shoot clinic, what a typical name.... That's where I got the snip in 1980 and it still hurts.....

Got mi snip in '76.....but still ended up wi 21 grandkids n 2 g/grankids.

bassman - did they still go black & blue in 76 ???