to those places that the custom-house of the town owed its existence. At what date it was first established cannot be discovered, but that it was in being nearly two centuries ago is proved by a paper on "The comparative wages of public servants in the customs," in which the following occurs:—
"We find that William Jennings, collector of the customs at Poulton, in the
Fylde, received in 1708, during the reign of Queen Ann, for his yearly services
thirty pounds per annum; and five subordinate officers had seventy-five pounds
equally divided amongst them."
The chief traffic of the port was in timber, imported from the
Baltic and America; and flax and tallow, which arrived from
Russia. In 1825 Poulton was described by Mr. Baines, in his
History of Lancashire, as a creek under Preston, and it is
probable that such had been its position for a long time anterior
to that date. In 1826 Poulton was made a sub-port under
Lancaster, and later, when the town of Fleetwood sprang up at
the mouth of the Wyre, the customs were removed from Poulton
to that new port.
Subjoined are the number of inhabitants of the township at intervals of ten years from 1801, when the first official census was taken:—
1801 769
1811 926
1821 1,011
1831 1,025
1841 1,128
1851 1,120
1861 1,141
1871 1,161
In 1770, during the reign of George III., an act of parliament was obtained by means of which a court was established in this town "for," according to the wording of the deed, "the more easy and speedy recovery of small debts within the parishes of Poulton, Lytham, Kirkham, and Bispham, and the townships of Preesall and Stalmine." A number of gentlemen engaged in commercial pursuits and residing in these several districts were appointed commissioners, any three or more of whom constituted a court of justice, by the name and style of The Court of Requests; they were empowered to hear and determine all such matters of debt as were under forty shillings, further they were authorised and required, "to meet, assemble, and hold the said Court in each of the said Parishes of Poulton and Kirkham, once in every week at least, to wit, on every Monday at Poulton, and on every Thursday at Kirkham, and oftener if there should be occasion, in
