History
Newton stands in the centre of the large Greater Manchester and Merseyside conurbation. The place was mentioned in the Domesday Book and remained an agricultural village, albeit with borough status, until the arrival of the railways in 1830. There was some industry, as there are five cotton spinners recorded in an 1825 directory. However, it was the coming of the railways that transformed a small village into the world's first "railway town", although places such as Crewe, Derby and Swindon soon overtook Newton in size and importance. The town also developed into a major coal mining area, being on the South Lancashire Coalfield.
The fields between Newton and Winwick were the site of one of the last battles of the Second English Civil War, but perhaps its most notable claim to fame is the suggestion that it was the location of the Battle of Brunanburh. Popular local hostelry the Kirkfields Hotel has also been mentioned as a contender for the title of the Most Haunted Public House in Britain.
Read more about this topic: Newton-le-Willows
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