Farnworth, Widnes
| Farnworth | |
|---|---|
 St Luke's Church |
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 Farnworth
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| Farnworth shown within Cheshire | |
| Population | 6,300 |
| OS grid reference | SJ516877 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIDNES |
| Postcode district | WA8 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Farnworth is part of the town of Widnes which is in the Borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was a village in south Lancashire between Prescot and Penketh. Its name is now that of an electoral ward in the Borough of Halton with a population in 2004 of 6,300.
The name Farnworth derives from the Anglo-Saxon word fearn or fern and weorthig, meaning farm or estate, and it therefore means "fern-farm".
The village was established on higher ground 2 miles (3 km) to the north of the River Mersey and was for many years an isolated community. The earliest documentary evidence relating to the village is a charter dated 1352 when Henry, Duke of Lancaster established a halmote court for the manor of Widnes. The origins of the village are unknown. A chapel had been founded in the village about 1180 which was dedicated to St Wilfrid. At this time the village was part of the parish of Prescot. A grammar school was established in the village in 1507 by Bishop William Smyth who had been born in the village. Bishop Smyth also founded a chapel in the church for the use of his tenants in the village of Cuerdley and a footpath across the fields from Cuerdley to Farnworth; this was to allow the tenants to go to the church without passing along the main street of Farnworth when the plague was present.
From around 1714 annual 3-day wakes were held in October. Stalls were set up in the village street. On the first day, usually a Monday, there was bear-baiting and bull-baiting, and on the Tuesday horse and cattle sales were held. There were horse races and races for human participants. Each evening there was music and dancing in the Ring 'o Bells, the village public house. The wakes ended in 1863 to be followed by an annual show organised by the Farnworth Agricultural Society. This came to an end with the onset of World War I in 1914.
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Wikipedia