Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe

Do you know the story of the sunken village of Singleton Thorpe? True or not, folklore has it that just off the coast of Cleveleys is one of the earliest local examples of relocation because of flooding.

It’s the subject of speculation – some believe that it did exist and others don’t. Here at Visit Cleveleys we’ll tell you what we know and you can make your own mind up!

One thing we DO know is that our own legendary sunken village features in the Sea Swallow – the story of the Mythic Coast. Cleveleys own fairy tale includes local fact and fiction, brought to life with the huge pieces of seafront public art.

David Evans is an Authorised ITG2 official Blackpool guide and a mine of local historical information. He runs a company called ‘Brown Badge Guides’. David’s provided us with information to begin this article about the sunken village of Singleton Thorpe.

Inundation from the Sea

There was indeed an inundation from the sea in the mid 1500’s. Destruction is documented in many coastal places, along with the Fylde Coast. As few people could write back then, evidence is sketchy. But it’s widely thought to all have been at the same time, in one terrible night in September of 1554/5.

12 villages between Carlisle and Southport were certainly destroyed when a surge of sea water hit the West Coast of the UK in or around that year, three of which were on our peninsula.

• No one survived at Wadham Thorpe, which is supposedly around the Squires Gate area of Blackpool.

• Then there was the lost village of Kilgrimol near St Annes (from where we get Kilgrimol Gardens) where again no one survived.

However, for 50 years or more afterwards, the submerged graveyard of Kilgrimol church periodically deposited coffins of decaying bodies on the beach the day after a storm. As they were disturbed from their graves, they  rose to the surface to be washed ashore. Much to the horror of any innocent person walking their dog on the beach the next morning. (Although their dogs were probably happy with all the free bones!!)

Information from the Past

Ken Emery from Wyre Archaeology gave a talk about the Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe at the Rossall Beach Group Meeting (more on that below). His historical quotes and information from over the years gave a fascinating insight into the devastation caused by the sea over hundreds of years.

Remember that this is a time long before the modern concrete sea defences which we are so familiar with today. It was a time when the power of the sea went unchecked and did whatever damage it liked.

Inundation of 1532

The inundation of 1532 was said to have swept inland for up to 2 miles. It swept away the original Rossall Grange and the village of Wadham Thorpe at South Shore Blackpool/Squires Gate.

Inundation of 1555 and the loss of Singleton Thorpe

In 1555 another inundation swept inland, documented by a Victorian clergyman called Rev Thornber. He took his source from Dodsworth who reputedly said that there was an ‘eruption’ of the sea. Rossall Grange and the village of Singleton Thorpe were swept away by the sea. Survivors fled to erect their tents at Singleton.

Now Rev Thornber was a Victorian historian who reputedly liked his Port and pleasures of the flesh! He describes something that sounds as serious as the conditions of a tsunami. An inundation which swept as far across land as the River Wyre. And twenty six other place names were lost off the map at this time. Whatever it was, it was certainly a storm of significant force.

In 1893 an expedition was led by the editor of the then Blackpool Times, who went out at a low spring tide to look for evidence. Of course he found the submerged forest. But he also found evidence of building foundations including a trench, cobble stones, lime mixes and rafters.

As these were all built in straight lines with defined angles they were certainly evidence of a building. There’s every reason to believe that it was part of a bigger village or area of habitation.

The area is also marked Singleton Skeer on maritime maps.

The Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe

And finally Singleton Thorpe. It was supposedly sited off Rossall, and it’s cobbled road can be seen heading into the waves at a Neap Tide (the lowest tide of the year). David tells us that his uncle walked it many years ago.

Apparently just four survivors escaped from there. The story goes that they moved seven miles inland, dropping the word Thorpe and setting up what we now know as Singleton. The clue is allegedly in the name. The village was the “ton” (or dialect for village), on the shingle beach, hence S(h)ingleton Thorpe, or the village on the shingle beach.

During the coronavirus lockdown of April 2020 we pulled on our wellingtons and went out for a stroll at low tide to investigate the story…

In September 2021, Roy Midgley got in touch with a photo he’d taken while on the beach. He says “I live in Yorkshire but visit family in Cleveleys on a regular basis. I was looking at one of your beach videos recently which expressed some doubt as to whether or not the previous village of Singleton Thorpe is buried under Cleveleys beach.

“I attach a recent photograph (below) I took of a location approximately 100 metres from the shore almost in line with Beach Road. It looks as if the posts surrounded by stone could be an entrance to some original building. Is it known what this actually is?”

We wondered, could it be a remnant of the former Bathing Station on Cleveleys beach?

Mentioned in the Domesday Book

However, Singleton is nowhere near a shingle beach, hence its name perhaps belies it’s more westerly origins. The village of Singleton is actually both mentioned in the Domesday Book, so obviously the inland village was already established before the inundation of the mid 1500’s. Although maybe there was a connection between the two places which gave rise to them having the same names.

Did people from Singleton move to the coast at Singleton Thorpe, only to be later flooded out?

To this day, the superstitious fishermen of Fleetwood will return immediately to port if they think they hear the bells of Singleton Thorpe church, tolling from under the waves.

Among other things, David Evans does tours of the Cleveleys Cottage Exhibition site around the West Drive area as part of Heritage Weekend in September. Despite it’s world importance and (allegedly) world’s first status, little is written or known about it. Nor is it listed in any form at all, despite it’s strong links to Sir Edward Lutyens.

Lost buildings

A metal detectorist called James added some more information about the lost village of Singleton Thorpe.

“It’s strongly indicated that in 1532 where South Blackpool/Squires Gate is now, the sea rapidly surged inland for some distance. The village of Waddam Thorpe was destroyed in the inundation and there is no record of any survivors. The original building at the site of Rossall School was also lost way back then. After some time the sea finally receded to the coast line we are used to at present.

“A similar thing is said to have happened at Cleveleys in 1555, though the records are not clear of the exact date. 1554/1558 is also cited. The sea surged upon the land destroying the village of Singleton Thorpe, but unlike at Waddam Thorp, most of the villagers escaped. They went to live at Singleton – some 7 miles inland.

“It’s been suggested that the “villages” were no more than a farm or two which is why hard evidence is difficult to find. There’s also rumour of a series of violent storms happening at this time.”

On the other hand there is a school of thought that the lost village of Singleton Thorpe is nothing more than a Victorian invention…

Talk about the Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe

On 12 October 2016, Rossall Beach Residents & Community Group held a meeting with speaker Ken Emery from Wyre Archaeology Group. An unprecedented number of people attended, to hear about the lost village of Singleton Thorpe.

It was a fascinating evening. Contributions came both from local historians and members of the public who all chipped in with their own information, sightings and anecdotes.

One of the Wyre Archaeology group members talked about an excavation they’d carried out. On a low neap tide in April 2016 they’d been out on the beach to excavate, and found the remains of houses and habitation.

Re-Run of the Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe

The talk was so successful that the Rossall Beach Group asked Wyre Archaeology back to do another talk.

This time photos and evidence accompanied lots of information from the guest speaker and the audience. Even at the end of a fascinating hour, the jury was still out about whether the Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe really did exist!

Where is the Sunken Village of Singleton Thorpe?

You’ll hear various descriptions of where the lost village of Singleton Thorpe is believed to be – all in the vague area of ‘Rossall’.

One of the members of Wyre Archaeology Group who’d been out digging at low tide in April 2016 explained.

Their group had gone out to the shore line directly in front of the seafront car parking area off Rossall Promenade at Cleveleys, at Rossall Beach. They’d found A frames and evidence of buildings submerged in the beach.

What lies under the sand off Rossall Beach?

Brian Hughes, also a member of Wyre Archaeology, penned an article about Singleton Thorpe on his ‘Wyre Antiquarian’ website in 2008. There he explains:

“…traced the foundations of what was evidently the wall of a house.” The wall, true to the construction of mediaeval random-build houses, consisted of: “…rough lime mixed with large cobblestones…the stones getting smaller towards the top…It measured about 22 feet in length, though we could not find a clear and unmistakable finish to it at one end.” 

This wasn’t the only building, however: “We found in another place, about 150 yards from the fallen rafter, the same evidence of some sort of building. The rubble foundation, and the coarse lime and pebble mixture upon it was plainly visible; but it was too near the waves to follow it to the end.” 

Bog Quakes

Marion McClintock, MBE, BA, has worked for the whole of her professional life in higher education, including more than forty years at Lancaster University, where she was Academic Registrar from 1994 to 2006. She’s currently Honorary Archivist and Honorary Fellow of the University, as well as pursuing historical and related pursuits in Lancashire and Cumbria.

Marion tells us “I think what is being talked about is a bog quake. Because the peat bogs, including salt marshes and mud flats, were so unstable, at times (and probably under pressures of tide and wind not recorded) they would erupt to a great height and then fall down as rapidly. It would be followed by extensive flooding. There was one, I seem to remember, in 1701 that was particularly memorable.

“To some extent they occur to this day. The most recent at Pilling being in about 1980, although mostly controlled now by sea walls and other contrivances.”

Apparently these bog quakes are also known as bog bursts.

Fact or Fiction?

Lancaster University student Immogen Lyons spent the summer of 2019 researching what might have happened at the shoreline at Cleveleys. Her dissertation is fascinating, revealing new information.

She takes us through centuries of evidence of the Iron Age, Roman occupation and medieval time, looking at finds, geology and written evidence.

It’s a fascinating read, well written in a logical, sensible sequence that pieces together so many different sources of information. Illustrations, maps and photos are used throughout.

• Read ‘Rising Sea Levels – Fact or Folklore’ here.

Petrified Forest

At very low tide along Cleveleys beach remains of petrified forest are to be found according to beach conditions. These have been dated back to the Ice Age. Whether the tree stumps and trunks can be seen depends on beach levels.

Piece of the petrified forest at Cleveleys. Photo: Andy Ball

Closer to shore and lost in more recent inundations, Higher Carr farm was at the seaward end of Carr Gate. It’s now lost to the sea, but is visible on Victorian photographs.

Lower Carr farm was where Carr Gate and Thornton Gate meet, at the grassed area known locally as the duck pond.

If you’ve got anything to add to this, by all means get in touch and share what you know. Just email jane@theRabbitPatch.co.uk

Links to external websites

• Wyre Archaeology Group on Singleton Thorpe

• Wyre Antiquarian account of Singleton Thorpe

• The History of Blackpool by Nick Moore

• Hall Genealogy website – chronology of the growth of the Blackpool area from 1500

• History of the Fylde of Lancashire by John Porter, written in 1876. This takes you from the ancient Britons, Romans, Anglo Saxons and Danes to Queen Victoria, looking at all the local places in turn.