History & Development
Sourced by Canon Ron Greenall
In the Doomsday Book it was Catrehala. In a document of 1272 Catrehal, and in one of 1277 Katerhalle. Yet another reference in 1292 was to Caterhale or Catrerale.
All these are references to the village now Catterall in the Ecclesiastical parish of Churchtown St. Helen's, Garstang. It has it's own parish council and was part of Garstang Rural District Council before this was incorporated in to Wyre Borough Council. The coat of arms of Catterall is that of a shield of azure blue incorporating three diamond shaped golden nuggets. In times past the district was opposed to the reformation and also favourable to the King's cause in the civil war.
While the population of Catterall was just over 317 in 1901, fifty years prior it was 873. Way over that of its neighbour, Garstang Market Town. Records show that Catterall like many places was under the gift of the monarch. In 1066 Earl Tostig held Catterall as part of the Lordship of Preston. It was assessed as two carucates of land, that is two plough lands. By 1487 Richard Catterall held the manor under the King as Duke by Knights service. One other important reference from local history shows that in 1281 Ralph de Catterall allowed Sir Richard de Butler to bring water from the River Calder across Stirzaker marsh to his corn mill in Stirzaker and pay him a halfpenny per year for this right. In stage coach days it was on the vital Lancaster to Preston route.
Water from the Calder was vital to the early development of industry in Catterall. By its power printing and worsted mills were driven, leather processed from which boots and clogs were locally made and sold through out the land. Dairy and livestock farming prospered by its banks and those of the Wyre within Catterall.
The expanding urban populations around were a reason for industrial decline in Catterall for in 1891 the water authority, The Fylde Water Company, succeeded by Act of Parliament to get permission to extract five million gallons of water a day from the upper Calder. This was a death knell for Catterall industry as water power dried up for the mills.
The Preston to Kendal canal goes through Catterall and the aqueduct under which the River Calder is siphoned was designed by the world famous architect John Rennie.
The main west coast railway runs through Catterall and Garstang station remained open until 1968.
There is vibrant village life, excellent proximity to motorway, rail and airport links and a real feeling of community.
2006 alone will see the population increase by over 10%. Light industry development and the local economy show very strong growth and it can be rightly said that Catterall has a great historical past and a vibrant future.
Catterall
Sourced by Councillor Harry KenyonDerived from the old Scandinavian name, KATTAR-HALL 'Cats Tail', there is a place of the same name in Norway. Katterall means a long narrow strip of land surface, water grey soil, which is prone to flooding. Its minor Scandinavian name is landskill which means 'long shieling (a shieling is a summer pasture).
Catterall is mentioned in the doomsday book and a roman road ran through the middle north to south, thought to be near to Garstang Road.
The village is 50 feet above sea level and parts of Barnacre and Calder Vale used to be with in the Parish. These parts rise to 745 feet above sea level and in 1887 were added to Barnacre with Bonds. In 1835 the hamlet of Calder Vale was founded by Richard and Johnathan Jackson, who built the mill by the River Calder for the work people.