Dalton, Lancashire

Dalton
Dalton
	Ashurst's Beacon, on the summit of Ashurst Hill
	Dalton Location in West Lancashire Dalton Location within Lancashire
Population	383 (2011)
OS grid reference	SD494081
Civil parish	Dalton;
District	West Lancashire;
Shire county	Lancashire;
Region	North West;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WIGAN
Postcode district	WN8
Dialling code	01695
Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	West Lancashire;
	List of places UK England Lancashire 53°34′01″N 2°45′47″W / 53.567°N 2.763°W

Dalton is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, near Skelmersdale and south of the River Douglas. Dalton was listed in the Domesday Book, and soon after the Norman conquest became part of the Barony of Manchester. It remained part of the Manchester fee as late as 1733. Dalton had a population of 348 (2001 Census),^[1] increasing to 383 at the 2011 Census.^[2]

The local landscape is dominated by Ashurst Hill, which rises 570 feet (170 m) above sea level and is crowned by Ashurst's Beacon. The beacon once formed part of a relay league stretching from Everton Brow above Liverpool to Lancaster Castle, which was in place (though unused) during the Anglo–Spanish War of 1585. The current structure dates from around 1800, when local landowner Sir William Ashurst decided that a more permanent beacon was needed for the oncoming Napoleonic Wars.^[3]