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'Haydock' is an extended village located roughly mid-way between Manchester and Liverpool close to the junction of the M6 motorway and the A580 (East Lancashire Road). It is now a 'ward' within of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England and is in the historic 'County of Lancashire'. It was][ one of the United Kingdom's richest areas in coal and coal mining. The last mine in Haydock - Wood Pit - closed in 1973 bringing to an end coal mining in the area. Surrounded by farmland, much of the village's expansion was due to mining and canal transport. In the early 1900s Haydock had no fewer than three railway stations along the line passing through from St.Helens to Lowton.
Haydock was a township in the parish of Winwick before being made a Civil Parish in 1866. It was in the Poor Law Union of Warrington in the 19th Century before being created an Urban District in 1894. It was absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in 1974 under local government re-organisation.
Haydock's last few Collieries were principally owned by ''Richard Evans (and Co)'', whose name can be found today in two of the villages schools: ''Richard Evans Infant'' and ''Richard Evans Junior'' Schools. Other schools in the area include Haydock Sports College, 'formerly known as Haydock High School', Legh Vale, St James C.E primary and English Martyrs primary school.
Haydock is probably best known as the home of the Haydock Park Racecourse, which is situated north of the A580 and east of the M6 motorway.
It also boasts the internationally renowned Haydock Male Voice Choir which has estalished a reputation as a fine concert and recording choir and has achieved considerable success over the years in choral competitions.

Contents

Place-name meaning

Famous People

Place-name meaning

The place-name is from Celtic ''heidd'', meaning "barley, wheat" with the suffix ''-aco'' meaning "place". An undated source refers to the name as Heidiog.
The village is often referred to by the colloquial name of 'Yick', and its inhabitants may be referred to as 'Yickers'.
This is supposedly because many inhabitants of Haydock were reputed to be fit only for work pulling (or "yicking") canal barges, thus "Yickers" and "Yick".

Famous People

★ Nick McCabe of The Verve

★ Writer and artist Mike Philbin, a.k.a. Hertzan Chimera

★ Saint Edmund Arrowsmith One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

★ Mark Edwardson TV Presenter BBC North West Tonight

★ Comedian Frederick Fowell (stage name Freddie Starr)

★ Nathan Boon, ''A famous child worker in the mines''.