Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy

WITHIN an hour of East Lancashire is Carnforth and too few people realise that there is to be found a splendid balance between history and natural history.

In my opinion the village of Warton is one of the most neglected bits of English and American history.

To get to Warton follow the M6 to the Carnforth turn-off and follow the signs for Silverdale. There is plenty of parking and signed walks from the old Limestone Quarry to Warton Crag.

Warton is an ancient village with its church dedicated to St Oswald. Oswald was the second Christian King of Northumbria, who was murdered by the heathen King Penda of Mercia in 650AD.

The oldest part of the church dates from the 14th century and visitors cannot fail to be impressed by its sheer size and dominance.

Once the Normans had imposed their feudal system, Warton was absorbed into the Baronry of Kendal. In 1199, John of Anjou - later to become King John of Robin Hood and Magna Carta fame - granted land to Gilbert Fitz Reinfride, the Sheriff of Lancaster between 1206 and 1217.

John gave Gilbert the Lordship of Warton and with it the right to hold a market each Wednesday. With an influential market Warton grew in importance from the 13th century onwards.

It was about this time that a branch of the Washington family arrived from County Durham and became prosperous and influential.

On the top of the hill on Main Street is Washington House which was rebuilt during the 18th century.

Visitors from the United States find the house fascinating, but it is to the church that they flock. Robert Washington, who died in 1483, paid for the tower to be constructed. Originally, the Washington coat-of-arms showed three mullets and two bars, but these later became adapted to form the stars and stripes.

Competing with the church as Warton's most historic treasure is the ruined Old Rectory, now maintained by English Heritage.

This building was constructed during the 14th century when the Scots were invading the North West.

There is a car park signed Old Rectory from the village centre and this is also the starting point for the Nature Trail which runs around Warton Crag. The park is on the side of a disused quarry which was once an important source of limestone.

This is reflected in the vast array of fossils and also in the variety of plants found along the trail.

The large areas of scrub attract a wide variety of birds, while the views from the top over Morecambe Bay rival those from any hillside in the country.

Before leaving this lovely village we must return to its history. The Kitson family of Warton Hall had a daughter Margaret, who married John Washington, while her brother Thomas, born here in 1485, moved to Hengrave in Suffolk.

Here he produced a daughter called Katherine who marred John Spencer Churchill. Fancy that - George Washington and Winston Churchill were actually related. Also descended from this line was the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Warton's illustrious connections may well reach the peak of its historical claim by tracing its ancestry back to a future monarch.