a township in the parish of Ormskirk, in the hundred of West Derby, in the county of Lancaster, 210 miles from London. The castle here formerly belonged to the Earls of Derby, and was boldly defended against the parliament forces in the civil war in 1648. There is a mineral spring, from which Epsom salt is made. The population amounted in 1801 to 2179, in 1811 to 2514, in 1821 to 2997, and in 1831 to 3272.