Catterall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Civil parish
Catterall
Status:	Parish
Population:	1981 (2001)
Administration
Primary council:	Wyre
County:	Lancashire
Region:	North West England
Politics
Website Catterall Parish Council

Catterall is a civil parish in the county of Lancashire in the north of England, located within the Borough of Wyre. Historically in the Amounderness Hundred, it is situated on the A6 between Lancaster and Preston, a short distance from the town of Garstang, and Myerscough College. The Wyre, Calder and River Brock, run through the parish and in places form the parish boundary. Catterall is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Catrehala Later references include Catrehal, 1272; Katerhalle, 1277; Caterhale, Caterale, 1292.

The etymology of the name suggests that the 'hala'or 'halh' part may refer to a topographical feature, indicating that the land mass forming the parish was, in times of antiquity, a 'promontory into the marsh'. This has a certain appeal, as the western edge of the parish does indeed border the flatlands of The Fylde. The same source also suggests that the first section of the name may be associated with a cat. However, this is an educated guess, as no other evidence has been uncovered to support the theory, other than the observation that the old parish boundary had the appearance of a (cats?) tongue.

On 14 February 1716, three local men (Joseph Wadsworth and Thomas Goose of Catterall and Thomas Cartmell of Claughton) were executed for joining the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. They were reputedly executed at Stocks Lane End. In modern times, this is where Cock Robin Lane and Catterall Lane join the A6.

The parish is traversed by several important routes, including the A6, the M6 Motorway, the West Coast Main Line, the B6430 and the Lancaster Canal, all of which run, more-or-less north to south. The parish was served by Garstang and Catterall railway station, which used to stand on the West Coast Main Line, but was closed in the 1960s and later demolished.

The 2001 census showed that 1,981 people lived in the parish of Catterall, of whom 971 were male and 1,010 were female.

The main employer in Catterall is Franklaw Water Treatment Works on Catterall Lane. The site has developed since the 1960s from a couple of 'Dalek' style boreholes, to a large water treatment works, operated by United Utilities.

The other main employer is Collinson Plc, who manufacture agricultural and industrial buildings.

Adjoining parishes: Claughton on Brock, Kirkland, Barnacre-with-Bonds and Upper Rawcliffe with Tarnacre.

[edit] Catterall makes national news

Catterall featured on the national news on Friday 18 May 2007, when Gennaro Panzuto, 32 years, was arrested in a house on Cock Robin Lane. Panzuto was wanted in Naples, Italy in connection with a series of Mafia gangland killings involving the Pincirillo and Misso clans. Vittorio Pisano, chief of the Naples Flying Squad, said: "Panzuto is a very senior Mafia member and his arrest is of great significance".