Warton | |
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St Oswald's Church, Warton |
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Warton shown within Lancashire | |
Population | 2,360 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SD500726 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CARNFORTH |
Postcode district | LA5 |
Dialling code | 01524 |
Police | Lancashire |
Fire | Lancashire |
Ambulance | North West |
EU Parliament | North West England |
UK Parliament | |
Warton is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the City of Lancaster in north Lancashire in the north-west of England, close to the boundary with Cumbria, with a population of around 2,000, measured at the 2011 Census to be 2,360. It is a village steeped in history; its earliest recording as a settlement is made in Domesday Book written in 1086. The nearest town to Warton is Carnforth, which was originally part of Warton parish. It has connections to the first President of the United States, George Washington: Washington's ancestor of seven generations, Lawrence Washington, is rumoured to have helped build the village church of St Oswald. The parish covers an area in excess of 11,000 acres (45 km2) and is predominantly rural. The parish of Warton had a population of 2315 recorded in the 2001 census,
The exact origins of St Oswald's Church (formerly Holy Trinity) and its associated parish are unknown. It is believed that the church in this parish was established well before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The oldest portion of the church is the south wall which is of 14th-century origin, though the earliest recorded incumbent dates from 1190.
By the start of the 13th century, Warton had developed into an important staging post on the route north to Carlisle, Northumbria and Scotland. So much so, it was granted a charter for a Wednesday market, gallows and ordeal pit in 1200 during the reign of King John. The grant of borough status by the town's lord, the baron of Kendal, later in the 13th century confirmed the economic importance of Warton at that period.