Preesall and Knott End-on-Sea
Preesall means the hill and the heath, a Norwegian Viking word. Preesall was mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Knott End means "hillock". Knott End on Sea forms part of the township of Preesall. The Village lies opposite the port and seaside resort of Fleetwood and occupies nearly three thousand acres. The first place of worship to be recorded was Bethel Congregational Chapel. It was established in 1835 and opened it's new chapel the following year. In 1859 a schoolroom was opened and the chapel itself extended in 1888.
The two local halls, Parrox and Hackensall, are centuries old and are shown on William Yates's Map of Lancashire, published in 1786. The building Hackensall Hall is from the seventeenth century, but it is thought that the name derives from "Haakon", a Viking seafarer, who sailed up the River Wyre and camped under what the Vikings called a "hough" or "Bluff" in the tenth century. In 1190, Geoffrey, Bowman of King John, received Hackensall and Preesall as a grant. In 1656, Richard and Anne Fleetwood of Rossall built Hackensall Hall after their residence suffered damage by sea inundation. The mount, an ancient mound upon which sits the War memorial is locally believed to be Haakon's burial mound. The present structure of Parrox Hall dates from the first half of the seventeenth century, but an earlier building appears to have been on the site as far back as 1479. The Word "Parrox" derives from the Old English word "parroc", meaning an enclosure or park. It has been the family home of the Elletsons since 1690 when John Elletson married Catherine Fyfe, the heiress of Wil-liam Fyfe of Wedacre whom was then owner of the estate. The family has long taken an active part in the civic and professional life of the area. One of them, Daniel Hope Elletson, was a Director and shareholder in the Preston and Wyre Railway in 1836.
