Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - this week in Poulton-le-Fylde

IT'S funny how a chance meeting can result in a whole day of unexpected enjoyment.

While visiting the Mellor and Billington areas I met an American by the name of Fred Hesketh.

Fred had come to Lancashire to trace his family tree, which includes the Fleetwood Hesketh family who founded the town.

Sir Peter Fleetwood Hesketh (1801-1866) is well documented but what happened to others in the family?

Fred has discovered that there were East Lancashire connections and he is trying to find descendants of Jane Hesketh, who married a groom by the name of Wilding.

There are also links into the Feton and Billington families.

If any reader can throw a light into this fascinating family tree then I have promised to pass on the details to Fred Hesketh in the USA.

Talking to Fred in February set me thinking about Poulton-le-Fylde in March.

Before you think I've gone mad, let me explain.

In the church of St Chad overlooking the town square at Poulton-le-Fylde are the memorials of the Fleetwood-Hesketh family.

But why March? The churchyard here is a delight in March when it is overflowing with crocuses.

The crocus family has a fascinating history and has long been of economic importance because it is the source of saffron, one of the world's most valuable culinary herbs.

The crocus originates in Greece and Asia Minor, with some types flowering in spring and some in autumn.

In England the spring crocus dominates but it is from the crushed stamens of the autumn crocus that saffron is obtained. In the 1920s the English botanist E A Bowles worked on producing varieties of spring crocus which he named after birds - yellow hammer, snow bunting, golden oriole siskin and so on. Only the snow hunting variety has survived. Perhaps Bowles' choice of name was influenced by the fact that many birds, including finches, sparrows and buntings, tear off the petals of crocuses.

Next time you see birds hacking away at crocuses in your garden you might name a variety after a bird - I suggest "Ruddy Nuisance" might be a good name.

There are so many flowers at Poulton-le-Fylde, however, that you are sure of a wonderful show in March.

There is plenty of parking, an interesting town trail, lots of walks around the area and then, of course, the church.

I have a photograph of the town taken in 1895 and apart, from the traffic, little has changed.

The stocks and the whipping post are still there - a sign that life hereabouts was tough.

It is hard to imagine these days that Poulton-le-Fylde was once a major port.

The customs house collected the taxes from the ports of Wardley and Skippool, both within a short drive.

These are wonderful places to drive and stroll and think of the days when sailing ships plied their trade between the Wyre and far-off places including Russia, the West Indies and ports all over the world.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.