Requests
History of school and the Inn, Bispham, nr Parbold
For a short period during the 1940's I attended a School in Bispham near Parbold, not the one near Blackpool and I presume this to be the Parbold mentioned on your pages.
The school was said to be one of 12 Free Grammar Schools that had been founded by Queen Elizabeth 1. It was situated next door to an Inn, and the owner of the Inn would heat milk for the school children in their small 'Billy Cans', with a separate section at the bottom for Cocoa and Sugar, if they were handed in before school started. There was also a Hitching post and mounting steps in front of the Inn also dating back to Elizabethan times.
I am interested in finding out more about the history of the school and the Inn if either still exist. Have tried elsewhere on Internet but to no avail. At the time we lived on a farm I think owned by a Mr Morgan. He had two children Geoffrey aged about 10 at the time and a daughter of about 5 - probably about 1942 or 43. On Sundays my mother, brother and I used to walk - several miles - to a Tea Room I think on Parbold Hill for Crumpets and tea as the only occupation allowed at the farmhouse on Sundays was reading 'The Good Book' and my mother found it a little difficult keeping a 9 and 10 year old entertained in this manner.
Thanks to Kerry B. who emailed:
I think I may be able to help you on this query. I think the school in Bispham Green which is next to an inn is Richard Durnings Endowded School - it is a stone primary school, next door to it is a pub called the Farmers Arms. They are situated at the bottom of Bannister Lane, if you where coming from Wigan, you would past the High Moor, The Rigbye Arms go down the hill and follow the road round Chorley Road, and they are just on the corner, also next to the school on the other side is an old house which looks a bit like a rectory.
This is the web address for the section of the Bispham and Mawdesley website which contains the information regrading the school and the farm -
http://www.mawdesley-village.co.uk/%20historymb5.html#Chap7
It is part of a book written by Alan Cobham which is readable on the website.
I know of this information with coming from Mawdesley and my maiden name is Mawdsley!!!
Hope this helps
Kerry B