Standish

History

The name Standish is derived from the Old English stan, meaning stone, and edisc, a park or enclosure. It has been variously recorded as Stanedis in 1206, Stanediss in 1219, Standissh, Stanedich and Stanedissh in 1292 and Standisch in 1330. The adjoining village of Langtree was recorded as Langetre in 1206 and Longetre in 1330. Two Roman hoards have been found in Standish. A copper vessel containing 200 silver coins was found near the highway in about 1675, and the Boar's Head Hoard was found in the village in 1926, consisting of 137 denarii. A Roman road passed through the township. Standish and Langtree were part of the Penwortham barony in the 12th century, and between 1150 and 1164, Richard Bussel, Lord of Penwortham gave them to his brother-in-law Richard Spileman. In 1212, Thurstan Banastre held them, and later they were held by William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, and then by 'the lords of Leylandshire'. The tenants adopted the local surnames, Standish and Langtree. Standish Hall, whose oldest part dated from 1574, was demolished in stages during the 20th century. However, several of its wood-panelled interiors survive, most of which were transported to the US. The Standish family were the main coal owners in the area, with their estate being mined since the 14th century. Coal mining in the area increased during the Industrial Revolution. During 1865–66, the Standish collieries were merged into the Wigan Coal and Iron Company. In 1900 the two 20 ft shafts of Wigan Coal's Victoria Colliery were sunk. This would continue to operate until its closure by the National Coal Board in 1958. It is now a housing estate, although its reclamation site is used as open space. Mining in the village reached its peak around 1914, with 11 active mines in Standish and…

Geography

Standish is north-by-northwest of Wigan, 19 miles north-west of Manchester, and 18 miles north-east of Liverpool. The A49 trunk road passes through the centre of the town, on its way from Wigan to Chorley. Standish is served by Junction 27 of the M6 motorway, which is to the west of the town. The West Coast Main Line is on the eastern side of the town, around a mile from the centre. The River Douglas and Bradley Brook form the boundary on the eastern side of Standish. Mill Brook, which flows into the Douglas, forms the western boundary. Standish is situated on a ridge of high land which rises to 370 feet and runs north to south across the township, near the river the land is between 120 and 160 feet.

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13,656
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,185
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,989
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,878
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  9,587
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,202
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8,627
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8,377

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2025-12-03
  0 km ESE of Carnforth, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2023-06-28
  2 km SE of Cheadle, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2022-05-30
  2 km ESE of Prees, United Kingdom
• M 3.2 — 2013-08-25
  23 km W of Cleveleys, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2011-01-03
  5 km S of Masham, United Kingdom
• M 3.5 — 2010-12-21
  12 km WSW of Ambleside, United Kingdom