‘Scarisbrick Parish, the largest in Lancashire was in early times much avoided by travellers. With its vast tracts of poorly drained peat marsh and the huge lake of Martin Mere forming its northern boundary it was difficult terrain to cross. The original small scattered farmsteads of the parish now form the basis of today’s hamlets of Barrison Green, Bescar, Carr Cross, Drummersdale, Hurlston, Pinfold and Snape.
Map of 1786 showing Martin Mere and Wke and Midge Hall farms
Farming was hampered by poor drainage but these conditions led themselves to the growing of flax, hemp and willow – used by local craftsmen to produce rope, baskets and linen. There was ample fishing in the mere and the drainage ditches for freshwater fish and eels. This was an important supplement to the farm produce which could be taken to the nearby Ormskirk Market.
The successful drainage of Martin Mere and the adjoining marshes in 1774 by Thomas Eccleston of Scarisbrick Hall transformed farming in the area, allowing the full use of its rich soils. In the 19th Century Scarisbrick farms became major suppliers to the growing city of Liverpool, the growing of potatoes and other vegetables a speciality.
In 1777, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal opened up new markets for local produce, and made the transportation of heavy goods much easier. The prosperity of local farms was enhanced, and advantage was taken of the canal to import manure from Liverpool to fertilise the fields, and limestone from the Pennines to enhance the fertility of the soil replacing the locally dug marl that was used previously.’
One family who farmed in this area were the Seddons. From at least the early nineteenth century they farmed either one, two or three farms lying close to each other along the western edge of the former Martin Mere along present-day Wyke Lane. The farms were Wyke, Old Midge Hall and New Midge Hall. On a map from the late eighteenth century these are clearly marked and are the only farms on the Mere’s western shore (see map, you can download it to enlarge).
Old Midge Hall
In the excellent Martin Mere: Lancashire’s Lost Lake, a whole chapter is devoted to these Seddons. First the authors set the topographical background:
In the late eighteenth century there were just two farmsteads in this locality, Wyke and Midge Hall. They lay in close proximity to the old basin of Martin Mere, recorded on Yates’ map (1786) as dry only during summer months. Half a century later the remoteness and dampness of the area was undiminished, for the tithe map (1839) could still describe the Scarisbrick portion of the old lake as marsh used as summer pasture. The map depicts Wyke farmhouse as lying within a nook of land at the extreme northern tip of the township, an area probably known as Otterhouseholme in medieval times. By the mid-nineteenth century Wyke Farm was banded by the former basin of the mere, by the drained Wyke outlet towards the west and by enclosed mossland. Midge Hall, almost a mole to the south-east, occupied a sliver of land between other mossland enclosures and the former brink of the mere. Both tenements comprised a mix of older fields and later allotments of mossland. In 18939 the final improvement of the waste in this part of the township was perhaps a relatively recent undertaking; the tithe map left many fields unnamed and a few of these attached to the Wyke estate even remained in their natural heathland condition.
At this time neither the Wyke nor Midge Hall held any parts of Martin mere. The area remained in the hands of Charles Scarisbrick and in 1845 horses and cows were agisted there at the weekly rates of 3s 6d and 2s 6d per animal respectively. Land from the old lake basin perhaps passed into tenant hands when Midge Hall tenement was divided in the 1870s. After this division the original farmhouse became known as Old Midge Hall. Its daughter settlement, New Midge Hall, was constructed in the 1870s about a quarter of a mile to the north-west….
The authors then go on to tell the (partial) story of the Seddon farmers. I’ll quote only a little:
Thomas Seddon founder of Seddon and Sons
In 1839 James and Thomas Seddon were tenants of Wyke and Midge Hall farms respectively. By 1876 Wyke Farm was occupied by the Howard family, but the original Midge Hall perhaps continued to be farmed by Thomas Seddon. This Seddon had four sons: James… , William, Thomas and Nathan. William eventually became tenant of Old Midge Hall while James ultimately acquired both this farm and New Midge Hall. There was, however, no opportunity for Nathan and Thomas Seddon to continue the family farming tradition. Instead Nathan trained as a blacksmith and later went to America on behalf f the government to buy horses for the Boer War. Thomas, a joiner and wheelwright, helped in the construction of New Midge Hall and in due course founded the Southport firm of Seddon Undertakers.
James Seddon’s acquisition of Old Midge Hall and New Midge Hall was due to the misfortunes encountered by previous occupants. At Old Midge Hall, William Seddon suffered financial problems; at New Midge Hall, the first tenant was evicted for shooting a pheasant. Both James’ son, Robert, and grandson, also Robert, were born at New Midge Hall….
There is more of great interest and even some photographs of the Seddons farming.
New Midge Hall
The two Seddons said to have occupied Wyle and Midge Hall in 1839, James and Thomas, were in fact father and son. James was my 3x great grandfather.
Actually farmer James, who was born in nearby Halsall in 1778, came with his large family to farm in this area well before 1839, perhaps even twenty years before. As well as Thomas he had two other sons: Edward and Nathan (my great great grandfather).
James and son Nathan farmed Wyke farm while son Thomas took over at Midge Hall. James and son Nathan left Wyke sometime in the 1850s, Nathan to farm nearby at Park Hall Farm in Moss Lane. But before they did Nathan and his wife Margaret Blundell had a ninth and last child born at Wyke Farm, namely Richard Seddon (1851-1893), who was my great grandfather (he married Margaret Linaker).
There’s lots more to tell, but maybe another time.
Southport Family History Snippets 