|
|
Ashton Heath is the one of the last remaining remnants of the original heathland which must have covered most of the area around Ashton. It is one of four pieces of common land in the district, and the largest. The first reference to Ashton Heath was in the Diary of Roger Lowe. Roger was a seventeenth century local shopkeeper and general factotum for the local community. He was a devout young man and used to go to pray on Ashton Heath, as he recounts several times in his diary:
"March 1662: 1 - Lords day. Att night I being somewhat sad, resorted to Ashton towne Heath, and there pourd out a prayr to god, being aside of a ditch. Att my returne I found Thomas Smith and he would have me goe to Mr Woods which we did but I stayd not. Mr Woods lent me a booke."
The 1849 Ordnance Survey map shows the heath much as it is now in extent, although a lane is shown running on the western edge to gravel pits in the southwest corner, and another on the line of the present road known as Ashton Heath. A third path is shown in the centre of the heath running down to the present Footpath 29 at the eastern edge. At the place where the Eagle and Child stands now five lanes converged. Three of these exist as Heath Road, Ashton Heath and Mill Street. Another ran across the heath towards where the east end of Windsor Road is now, and the last (shown on the 1906 map as Heath Street) ran on the line of the alley by the postbox down towards Millingford Brook. At the bottom of Mill Street stood Ashton Mill, and on the earlier maps the brook entered and left a millpond at this point.
The next account of the heath was when reports appeared of the 'Hermit of Ashton Heath'. John Jonas Kilshaw (1848-1919), son of a local hingemaker, was commonly known to the people of Ashton as the hermit of Ashton Heath, although he occasionally called himself the Gypsy King. His residence, a hut 3ft high, was built in a ditch situated on Ashton Heath near Haydock Racecourse. It was no more than a dugout, roofed with flags, stones and sack cloths, with an old bucket as a chimney. He washed in a ditch and cut his own hair and beard with a pair of borrowed scissors. He used to melt solder from old cans and then sell it. Every summer he used to walk to Kent to pick strawberries. In September 1919, his body was found on a colliery tip at Park Lane Collieries. An inquest at the Robin Hood Hotel recorded a verdict of 'death by misadventure'. Most probably he had gone to sleep on the tip for warmth and been overcome by fumes.
With acknowledgements to Ian Winstanley
The heath retained its open character until 1984, when the Council planted the western and southern edges with trees. However, following weeks of drought virtually all of these perished. A further planting took place in 1988, and these trees thrived to form a dense block of woodland. Unfortunately over the following years much damage was done to these by vandalism and digging for bottles. The need to repair and manage the woodland has been one of the forces leading to the creation of AHRA.
The Association is in the process of gathering historical information about the heath from local residents. These will be added to the site as they emerge.
"In the fifties the heath was managed by burning. We used to call the workers the 'devil men'."
"When I was young we had names for the parts of the heath - the big hill, the little hill, and the 'bumps and hollows'."
"During the Second World War the part of the heath next to the field was cultivated."
"Skylarks used to nest on the heath up until the seventies."
"Occasional trains ran past the racecourse until the seventies, although Haydock Station closed long before that."
"The hill at the southeast of the heath was originally intended as a road across the railway track."
"Part of the heath was quite sandy, and there were lizards there."
"During the English Civil War soldiers were buried on the heath."
"In plague times straw mattresses were burned on the heath."
"I remember a book in Ashton Library which gave an account of a Civil War battle on Captain's Fields, following which the dead soldiers were buried on Ashton Heath. - Les Baldwin."
Thanks to local residents for the following photographs:
01/06/05. Maureen Smith:
19/09/06. John Hughes has provided these two old pictures of Ashton Heath. He is interested in finding old pictures of the houses that overlooked Ashton Heath which have been knocked down many years ago. 225 Heath Road was his dad's (Ernest Eric Hughes) home when he was a boy.
| 
If you know of any relevant history of Ashton Heath, then please contact us.
|
Back to top
|
