Growth

In 1840 the Lancaster & Preston Junction Railway arrived in Lancaster and in 1848 another line was built to the coast at Poulton-le-Sands (the core of what later became the town of Morecambe). The railways encouraged the growth of the local fishing industry which helped to satisfy the increasing demand for seafood in inland markets. The same process occurred at Fleetwood and around the northern shores of Morecambe Bay.

More men began to specialise in fishing and some well-known fishing families emerged, including the Baxters, Edmundsons, Gardners, Woodhouses, Willacys and Mounts. The census of 1861 recorded 139 fishermen including four boys aged 12 years.

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