Heapey
Encyclopedia
Heapey is a village and civil parish
of the Borough of Chorley
, in Lancashire
, England. The village is two miles from Chorley
and on the western fringe of the West Pennine Moors
. In 2001 the population was 955.
There are ancient earthworks near Heapey and Roman coins were discovered in 1835.
Heapey was part of Gunolfsmoors an area between Leyland and Blackburn claimed by a Viking, Gunnolf, in the 10th century. It emerged in the Middle Ages
as Hepay in 1260. The lordship was held by the De Ollertons including Ranulph who assumed the Hepay name. Robert de Hepay sold the lordship to the Standishes, and the manor or lordship remained with them.
In 1924 the principle land owners were the trustees of Mrs. Paulet and Mrs. Sumner Mayhew.
There were 34 hearths liable to pay Hearth tax in 1666 although no house had more than three.
During the 19th century the population were employed at bleachworks which have long since been demolished and quarries.
The Lancashire Union Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
(LYR) built a railway line to link the mills of east Lancashire with the coal mines of Wigan. The line opened in 1869. Heapey railway station
closed to passengers in 1960.
Heapey was a township and chapelry closely associated with Wheelton in the parish and hundred of Leyland
in Lancashire. In 1837, Heapey joined with other township
s (or civil parishes) in the area to form the Chorley
Poor Law Union
which took responsibility for the administration and funding of the Poor Law
in that area.
Heapey is part of Chorley Borough
which has headquarters at the town hall in Chorley
and has a parish council. It is part of the Chorley
parliamentary constituency, which elected Lindsay Hoyle
as Member of Parliament for the Labour party at the 2010 General Election.
rising at the eastern edge to over 1,000 feet on the western fringe of the West Pennine Moors
. The village is in the northwest corner between Chorley and Blackburn, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
crosses the north-west corner and the Thirlmere Aqueduct
passes through the township. The Heapey reservoir
s are upstream of Anglezarke reservoir
starting behind behind White Coppice
cricket club. They feed Black Brook (known as Warth Brook upstream), a tributary of the River Yarrow
. They are not part of the drinking water system. To the south is Healey Nab
.
. The church of St. Barnabas was first built in 1552, rebuilt in 1740 and enlarged in 1829 and 1867 and restored in 1876 and 1898. The church consists of chancel, nave and transepts and is a Grade II Listed building.
and had an "ammunitions storage facility" and part of ROF Chorley
. Although the base was closed in 1990s some planning applications were refused on the basis that the area was within a blast zone. The railway line had sidings that served the site and closed in the 1960s. A myth grew about a strategic reserve of steam locomotives as at that time the sidings were used to store redundant steam engines. and the site was speculated to be connected with the ordnance site at Euxton
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of the Borough of Chorley
Chorley (borough)
Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Chorley.-Creation:...
, in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. The village is two miles from Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
and on the western fringe of the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
. In 2001 the population was 955.
History
Heapey derives from the Old English heope a rose, or heap a hill and hege a hedge meaning a rose hedge or hedge on the hill. It was recorded as Hepeie in 1219.There are ancient earthworks near Heapey and Roman coins were discovered in 1835.
Heapey was part of Gunolfsmoors an area between Leyland and Blackburn claimed by a Viking, Gunnolf, in the 10th century. It emerged in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
as Hepay in 1260. The lordship was held by the De Ollertons including Ranulph who assumed the Hepay name. Robert de Hepay sold the lordship to the Standishes, and the manor or lordship remained with them.
In 1924 the principle land owners were the trustees of Mrs. Paulet and Mrs. Sumner Mayhew.
There were 34 hearths liable to pay Hearth tax in 1666 although no house had more than three.
During the 19th century the population were employed at bleachworks which have long since been demolished and quarries.
The Lancashire Union Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
(LYR) built a railway line to link the mills of east Lancashire with the coal mines of Wigan. The line opened in 1869. Heapey railway station
Heapey railway station
Heapey railway station was a railway station that served the village of Heapey, in Lancashire, England.-History:The station was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on the Blackburn to Chorley Line. In 1960 the station was closed to passengers, although goods traffic survived until the...
closed to passengers in 1960.
Governance
In the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Heapey was a township and chapelry closely associated with Wheelton in the parish and hundred of Leyland
Leyland (hundred)
The Leyland hundred, or Leylandshire, was a hundred of the English county of Lancashire. It covered the parishes of Brindle, Chorley, Croston, Eccleston, Hoole, Leyland, Penwortham, Rufford, Standish and Tarleton....
in Lancashire. In 1837, Heapey joined with other township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
s (or civil parishes) in the area to form the Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
which took responsibility for the administration and funding of the Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
in that area.
Heapey is part of Chorley Borough
Chorley (borough)
Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Chorley.-Creation:...
which has headquarters at the town hall in Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
and has a parish council. It is part of the Chorley
Chorley (UK Parliament constituency)
Chorley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
parliamentary constituency, which elected Lindsay Hoyle
Lindsay Hoyle
The Honourable Lindsay Harvey Hoyle is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Chorley since 1997. He is the son of Lord Hoyle, a former Labour MP for Warrington North....
as Member of Parliament for the Labour party at the 2010 General Election.
Geography
The ancient township covered 1,464 acres on hilly ground including about 200 acres of moorlandMoorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
rising at the eastern edge to over 1,000 feet on the western fringe of the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
. The village is in the northwest corner between Chorley and Blackburn, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
crosses the north-west corner and the Thirlmere Aqueduct
Thirlmere Aqueduct
The Thirlmere Aqueduct is part of a water supply system built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works between 1890 and 1925.The aqueduct was built to carry approximately per day of water from Thirlmere Reservoir to Manchester. The construction of the reservoir and aqueduct was authorised by the...
passes through the township. The Heapey reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s are upstream of Anglezarke reservoir
Anglezarke Reservoir
Anglezarke Reservoir is the largest reservoir in the Rivington chain to the west of Anglezarke in Lancashire, England. Anglezarke Reservoir has three embankments, the longest, the Charnock Embankment is 777 metres long and 9.45 metres high, the Knowsley Embankment is 219.5 metres long and 14...
starting behind behind White Coppice
White Coppice
White Coppice is a hamlet near Chorley, Lancashire, England. It was the most populated part of the township of Anglezarke in the 19th century. Close to the settlement in the early 19th century were quarries and small coal mines. The hamlet lies to the north of Anglezarke Reservoir in the Rivington...
cricket club. They feed Black Brook (known as Warth Brook upstream), a tributary of the River Yarrow
River Yarrow (Lancashire)
The River Yarrow is in Lancashire, with its source at an area called Will Narr at Hordern Stoops, along Spitlers Edge - the Chorley/Blackburn boundary - on the West Pennine Moors. The river feeds the Yarrow Reservoir, which in turn feeds the Anglezarke and Upper and Lower Rivington Reservoirs...
. They are not part of the drinking water system. To the south is Healey Nab
Healey Nab
Healey Nab or "The Nab" is an area of countryside owned by Lancashire County Council containing rolling hills, moorland, woodland, ponds and streams to the east of Chorley, Lancashire between the M61 and the West Pennine Moors. To the south east is Anglezarke Reservoir and to the north east White...
.
Population
| Population in Heapey 1881–1961 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 | |||
| Population | 369 | 497 | 543 | 606 | 515 | 504 | 422 | 481 | |||
Heapey CP/Tn |
|||||||||||
Religion
The chapelry covered the township of WheeltonWheelton
Wheelton is a small village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 it has a population of 1,001...
. The church of St. Barnabas was first built in 1552, rebuilt in 1740 and enlarged in 1829 and 1867 and restored in 1876 and 1898. The church consists of chancel, nave and transepts and is a Grade II Listed building.
ROF
An ordnance factory was built in Heapey during World War II, which became part of BAE SystemsBAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
and had an "ammunitions storage facility" and part of ROF Chorley
ROF Chorley
ROF Chorley was a UK government-owned, munitions filling, Royal Ordnance Factory . It was planned as a Permanent Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that it, unlike some other similar facilities, would remain open for production after the end of World War II; and, together with ROF Bridgend...
. Although the base was closed in 1990s some planning applications were refused on the basis that the area was within a blast zone. The railway line had sidings that served the site and closed in the 1960s. A myth grew about a strategic reserve of steam locomotives as at that time the sidings were used to store redundant steam engines. and the site was speculated to be connected with the ordnance site at Euxton
Euxton
Euxton is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. The village is pronounced "Exton") and is situated just to the south of Leyland, and to the west of Chorley.-Early Industry:...
.