Little Crosby
Encyclopedia
Little Crosby is a small village in Merseyside
, North West England
. Despite being a suburb within 8 miles of Liverpool
it has retained its rural character by, for example, opting not to have street lights.
As part of Lancashire
the village was an urban district
in its own right until annexed to the Great Crosby
urban district in 1932. This urban district was combined with other districts to form the municipal borough
of Crosby
in 1937. This in turn was absorbed into the new Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in 1974.
The village is perhaps the oldest extant Roman Catholic village in England, the squires being the notable recusant Blundell family. The village character has changed little from a 17th century description that "it had not a beggar, ..an alehouse ..[or] a Protestant in it..." In 2009 Protestants reside in the village as old values change - Protestant inhabitants however must be 'vetted' by the local Squire before occupation of one of the 50 or so dwellings. In 1986 a senior member of the hamlet was quoted in the Liverpool Echo as saying "Protestants are discouraged from settling in our village".
Notable attractions are:
The village is dominated by the St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, inspired by Pugin
.
Opposite the church is St. Mary's Roman Catholic School, a single storey 1960s building. The first school for the village was established by the Squire, William Blundell, at Boundary Cottage in 1843, next to the brook that then ran between Great Crosby and Little Crosby. In 1859 the school moved to a new building next to the presbytery of the church, opposite the current site. The current school building replaced that in 1964. The school takes pupils from the village and neighbouring villages of Hightown and Ince Blundell.
constituency, whose MP
from 1997 till 2010 was Claire Curtis-Thomas
, a member of the Labour Party
, prior to her election the Crosby seat was generally considered to be a safe Conservative Party
stronghold with Tory MP's elected at every election barring the Crosby by-election, 1981
where Shirley Williams of the Social Democratic Party
was elected to represent the constituency. As a result of boundary revisions for the 2010 general election the Crosby constituency was abolished with its northern parts, including Little Crosby, being merged with the Eastern parts of Sefton that were formerly part of the Knowsley North and Sefton East constituency, to form the new constituency of Sefton Central
, which is currently represented by the Labour Party
MP
Bill Esterson
.
For elections to Sefton Council Little Crosby is within the Manor
electoral ward and is represented by three councillors. The councillors of Manor ward are Martyn Barber of the Conservative Party
, John Gibson of the Liberal Democrats
, and Steve McGinnity of the Labour Party
.
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. Despite being a suburb within 8 miles of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
it has retained its rural character by, for example, opting not to have street lights.
As part of 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...
the village was an urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
in its own right until annexed to the Great Crosby
Great Crosby
Great Crosby is an area of the town of Crosby, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England.-Location:In 1907, the Victoria County History described Great Crosby's location thus: 'The ancient township of Great Crosby, which includes Waterloo, lies on the northern shore of the estuary...
urban district in 1932. This urban district was combined with other districts to form the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Crosby
Crosby, Merseyside
Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...
in 1937. This in turn was absorbed into the new Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in 1974.
The village is perhaps the oldest extant Roman Catholic village in England, the squires being the notable recusant Blundell family. The village character has changed little from a 17th century description that "it had not a beggar, ..an alehouse ..[or] a Protestant in it..." In 2009 Protestants reside in the village as old values change - Protestant inhabitants however must be 'vetted' by the local Squire before occupation of one of the 50 or so dwellings. In 1986 a senior member of the hamlet was quoted in the Liverpool Echo as saying "Protestants are discouraged from settling in our village".
Notable attractions are:
- The Courtyard café
- Little Crosby museum, a museum housed in former farm buildings with exhibits focusing on village life and history. There are artefacts ranging from petrol pumps and bits of machinery to toys and magic lanterns as well as a number of displays of old farm tools.
- Crosby Hall Educational Trust (CHET) which runs courses and community programmes, such as riding for the disabled and art courses.
- The Well Barn Stableyard, an attractive courtyard which has various small shops and businesses
The village is dominated by the St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, inspired by Pugin
Pugin
Pugin most commonly refers to Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin , English architect and designer.Other members of his family include:...
.
Opposite the church is St. Mary's Roman Catholic School, a single storey 1960s building. The first school for the village was established by the Squire, William Blundell, at Boundary Cottage in 1843, next to the brook that then ran between Great Crosby and Little Crosby. In 1859 the school moved to a new building next to the presbytery of the church, opposite the current site. The current school building replaced that in 1964. The school takes pupils from the village and neighbouring villages of Hightown and Ince Blundell.
Governance
From 1950 until 2010 Little Crosby was within the boundaries of the CrosbyCrosby (UK Parliament constituency)
Crosby was a constituency in Merseyside, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 2010. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
constituency, whose MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from 1997 till 2010 was Claire Curtis-Thomas
Claire Curtis-Thomas
Claire Curtis-Thomas is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Crosby from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, prior to her election the Crosby seat was generally considered to be a safe Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
stronghold with Tory MP's elected at every election barring the Crosby by-election, 1981
Crosby by-election, 1981
The Crosby by-election, 1981 was a by-election held in England on 26 November 1981 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituency of Crosby on Merseyside...
where Shirley Williams of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
was elected to represent the constituency. As a result of boundary revisions for the 2010 general election the Crosby constituency was abolished with its northern parts, including Little Crosby, being merged with the Eastern parts of Sefton that were formerly part of the Knowsley North and Sefton East constituency, to form the new constituency of Sefton Central
Sefton Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Sefton Central is a borough 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...
, which is currently represented by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Bill Esterson
Bill Esterson
William Roffen "Bill" Esterson is a Labour MP for Sefton Central, first elected in 2010. Bill sits on the following Select Committees; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Education....
.
For elections to Sefton Council Little Crosby is within the Manor
Manor (Sefton ward)
Manor is a Metropolitan Borough of Sefton ward in the Sefton Central Parliamentary constituency that covers the localities of Thornton, Little Crosby, and Hightown.-Councillors:-Elections of the 2010s:-References:...
electoral ward and is represented by three councillors. The councillors of Manor ward are Martyn Barber of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, John Gibson of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, and Steve McGinnity of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
External links
- Little Crosby in Bloom - The website of Little Crosby's villagers' entry in to North West in Bloom
- CHET - Crosby Hall Educational Trust
- MerseySights: Outlying areas - website with photos of the village
- St. Mary's, Little Crosby - website of the parish church, with history of the village
- Little Crosby Church: St. Mary's - Anna Tumilty's site on the church history and parish records of Little Crosby
- Township: Little Crosby - from A History of the County of Lancaster, Vol.3, published in 1907
- Crosby Records: A CHAPTER OF LANCASHIRE RECUSANCY - An 1887 monograph on the Blundells and Little Crosby
- Little Crosby restorers - The website of Little Crosby's traditional cabinetmakers