Today a township and village, in the 19th century Barton was a rural area just north of Broughton and perhaps 35km due north of Wigan. Henry and Elizabeth Barton settled at Crosses Farm in Barton where they raised their family during the middle part of the 19th century. It seems likely that Henry Barton may have had family ties to the township that bore his name, but we have not yet made this link.
St. Lawrence church in Barton was founded before 1577. We have not yet investigated the parish records for St. Lawrence.
Today Barton is a small village straddling Garstang Road (the A6) north of Broughton in a predominantly rural area. The remains of an ancient mill can be seen along Barton Lane, and further along is Barton’s Cross opposite Crosses Farm. This is perhaps the land farmed by Henry Barton (b. 1809) in the 1840s. (See Crosses)