Freckleton

Freckleton is a village and civil parish on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England, to the south of Kirkham and east of the seaside resort of Lytham St. Annes. It has a population of 6,045. The village is near Warton, with its links to BAE Systems. Warton Aerodrome's 1.5 miles runway is partly within Freckleton's boundary. Freckleton has a parish council, and is part of Fylde Borough, and Fylde constituency.

History
The name of the village appears in the Domesday Book as "Frecheltun" and is said to derive from 'Farmstead of a man called Frecla', with Old English tun and Nordic personal name. It was one of 62 settlements to be found in the Hundred of "Agemvndrenesse" (Amounderness). Another suggested derivation is from the Anglo-Saxon word for "lusty" or "argumentative".

Freckleton supplied water to the Roman fort at Kirkham, and in the 19th century was a port for the ship building industry. The local community made rope and sail cloth, indications of which are reflected in local street names.

In World War II, American forces from the neighbouring Warton Aerodrome resided in the village. The Freckleton Air Disaster occurred on 23 August 1944, when an aircraft attempting to land at Warton during stormy weather crashed onto Freckleton's Holy Trinity School. Sixty-one people lost their lives, including thirty-eight infants, their two teachers, and the three air crew. Other victims included several residents and US personnel in a snack bar across the road from the school. Annual commemorations still take place, attended by residents and US veterans.

The aerodrome was subsequently purchased by English Electric, now BAE Systems, and many BAE employees live in the village.

The area around the village War Memorial, now protected by railings, was once the village green, where stood the smithy and toll house.

Landmarks
The village is the home of Holy Trinity Church of England parish church which was founded in 1837 and of Freckleton Methodist Church which was founded in 1810

Freckleton Library was opened in 1980 by Sir Edward Gardner, MP for Fylde South. It replaced the mobile library which used the same site. Before the new library opened, the public library was situated on Lytham Road.

Sport
Freckleton cricket team plays at Bush Lane; it was formed at the beginning of the 1900s. It won the Meyler Cup for the second time in 2013, following up an epic win in the 2012 season. The side currently competes in the Premier Division of the Moore & Smalley Palace Shield and are led by the charismatic Jimmy Fiddler.

Freckleton stages a half marathon each year in June. The race has been staged since 1965 and is the oldest half marathon in the UK. The first race was won by Ron Hill who participated in the 1964 Olympics marathon. It attracts over 700 entrants.