Return to Website

Ashton-in-Makerfield Community Forum

This message board welcomes open and friendly debate on matters relevant to Ashton and its history, and the publicising of local events, activities and facilities. Please read the board rules before posting.

Extracts from this forum and other material have been brought together to provide a local history from the contributions of members.

Ashton-in-Makerfield Community Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Coffin Lane

Clarkey, any chance of a link to your Flikr photos? I try not to look at WW... too many extremists. Also, I presume Coffin Lane Brook got its name from running nearby Coffin Lane. But why carry a coffin? from where and to where? I believe there was a chapel at Gerrards old Bryn Hall that wouldnt be much off the track. Its stretching my imagination a little to think that were heading for Downall Green. Tis a good mind boggler. Some recall Coffin Wood. Some tell tales of gold buried in a coffin, the gold raised by catholics to prevent Edmund Arrowsmith from his fate. Apparently they lopped him up anyway but the gold raised was buried instead of his bits. I think thats rubbish to be honest. My mother claimed that Coffin Wood was called so because the wood from an aerial view was shaped like a coffin, being born in 1898 I presume she was a friend of the Montgolfier brothers and was well aware of the Nazca Lines.

Town: ashton

Re: Coffin Lane

My Flickr account is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/96685060@N03/ (I'm not sure how you put hyperlinks on here, but if you just cut and paste that into your browser you will get to it.)

I've seen 4 or 5 different accounts of how Coffin Lane came to be so-called. You'll find most of them covered in the message boards on WiganWorld - but I agree they can sometimes be a bad-tempered lot on WW, not genteel like we are :-).

The generally accepted version does seem to be that the Lane was the route taken from Bamfurlong, Stubshaw etc across to Holy Trinity at Downall Green for burials. Another account has it that, during a smallpox epidemic,the number of dead was so great and/or the risk of further infection so severe that the bodies were interred at the half-way point under what is now Viridor Wood. The versions involving Edmund Arrowsmith don't seem very credible to me, but I'm no expert on any of this. (I'm a Midlander by birth, only moving here in 2000 after spells in London and then Southport.)

Town: Ashton

Re: Coffin Lane

Hi Clarkey I really enjoyed looking throuh your pics on your Flickr site-saw some scenes I haven't come across before as well as some I am very familiar with. Thank you.

Town: AIM

Re: Coffin Lane

Thanks for the link Clarkey , some good pics in there :)

Town: ashton

Re: Coffin Lane

Nice photos here Clarkey.

Sure I'll bump in to you sometime. I'm always around
those parts walking or on the bike.

Town: Stubshaw

Re: Coffin Lane

Thanks all. If you spot any mistakes in the captions that go with some of the photos don't hesitate to put me right...

Town: Ashton