Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette
Tuesday 18th May 1875
EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF A WOMAN

The Warrington Guardian reports that a woman, named Elizabeth Taylor, appeared before the Warrington magistrates on Friday on a charge of being drunk and disorderly. She appeared in the dock in male attire, and the Chief Constable, in relating to her antecedents, stated that she was the daughter of a gentleman who formerly lived at Penketh, near Warrington. She had been married, but her husband was killed 21 years ago. She commenced to wear male attire 13 years ago. She was employed as a sailor during the American war, and made several trips from South Wales to the American coast in vessels sent out to supply the Alabama and blockade runners with coal. She was known by the names of ‘Happy Ned’ and ‘Navvy Ned’. For some time past she had worked as a labourer on several farms in the neighbourhood of Warrington, and had so late as the 12th inst. Helped to kill 13 pigs for a farmer at Croft. Her sex was not suspected until she was arrested.
The prisoner was fined 5s. and costs.

Widnes Examiner
Saturday 15th May 1880
Birth Announcement

On the 9th instant, at Croft Brewery, Croft near Warrington, the wife of Mr. Reginald Owen, of a son. 

Leigh Chronicle and Weekly District Advertiser
Friday 1st February 1884
​
On Sale, A BAGATELLE TABLE 13ft by 4ft. 6in., with balls and cues complete, in excellent condition. Apply to Mr. Isaac Maines, Horse Shoe Inn, Croft, Warrington.

Leigh Chronicle and Weekly District Advertiser
​Friday 22nd January 1892
LOST AND FOUND

LOST, at Tyldesley, on Saturday, the 16th Inst, a BLACK RETRIEVER DOG, with white spot on breast – Anyone taking same to Mr. Yates, Pork Butcher, Leigh, will be rewarded.
​
FOUND, BLACK RETRIEVER BITCH. If not claimed in three days will be sold. – Apply 84 Wigan Road, Westleigh.

Leigh Chronicle and Weekly District Advertiser
​Friday 6th May 1892

TWO-HEADED CALF!
EXTRAORDINARY
FREAK OF NATURE!
TO BE SEEN AT THE
JOINER’S ARMS HOTEL,
CROFT, NEAR WARRINGTON.
​
S. DAXON, Proprietor.

That we do know for certain, as it was taken apart and the materials used to build Culcheth Independent Methodist Chapel at Twiss Green in Culcheth.

Here is an extract from ‘A Short History of Independent Methodism’ by Arthur Mounfield, published in 1905.

‘James Wood, a tenant of an old farm near Kenyon Hall, allowed his kitchen to be used for worship by a group of his peers. His co-workers included Timothy Leather, John Fearnhead, Richard Hunt, John Goulden and John Massey, among others. Public worship was continued in the kitchen until 1845, when a chapel at Croft, which was disused, was taken down and removed to a site given by Richard Hunt.’

‘The Story of The Lancashire Congregational Union 1806 – 1906’
​by Nightingale has Croft listed under ‘Churches formerly aided but that have now been abandoned’
Croft, near Warrington 1830 – 1834 Amount £75 Abandoned

It was then registered as a Wesleyan Methodist place of worship in 1837.​

After the rebuilding of the chapel, the previous site was forgotten about.
Every source I have found that does mention Croft Methodist Chapel, states that the site is either missing or unknown.

Historic Culcheth: The Story of a Village by Rosemary Keery
‘It is thought that a disused church in Croft was demolished and rebuilt on the present site, but the details of this cannot be traced.’

Croft: The History of a Village by Alan Sharpe
‘Records show that an Independent Methodist Chapel was built in Croft in 1817, though the site on which it was built is unknown.’

A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4, (1911) William Farrer and J Brownbill
'An Independent Methodist chapel was built at Croft in 1817 but has disappeared.'
These sources are all accurate to a point. There seems to be nothing at all in any archives or other available means.

​One source claims that the burial ground on Lady Lane (belonging to Croft Unitarian Chapel) is the burial site from the missing Methodist Chapel.
I can only assume this is just a wild guess from the author, as his dates for burials at Christ Church are also inaccurate.

Celtic Warrington and Other Mysteries: Book One by Mark Olly
‘This cemetery is part of the old original burial ground of the Independent Methodist Chapel built in 1817 which had been demolished by the 1870’s after burials began in earnest at Christ Church.’

The Methodist Chapel was on the list with full details and a reference number for the plan.

The landowners at the time were George Birch & John Byrom & Peter Philips & William Bowker as Trustees of The Methodist Chapel dated from 30th April 1837. The site of the chapel and yard were included. The quantity of land was 10 Perches (Land was split into Acres, Roods and Perches), with a charge of 1d. payable to the rector.

A document held at Lancashire Archives entitled ‘Highway Papers’ with the date 5th October 1831 contains a

Plan and notice for stopping up order for footpath between Southworth Hall, Heath Lane and Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Southworth with croft, Warrington.

​Looking at the tithe plan overlaid with the 1834 map, this makes perfect sense as the footpath is clearly shown.