Formerly
Crossenes or
Crosnes, meaning a “ness” or headland with a cross. The cross was possibly a guide for shipping or people crossing the
Ribble Estuary from
Freckleton (near Lytham). A hospice or lodging house was sited in Crossens where travellers could rest after making the crossing. It is also believed to be the point at which 2,000 horsemen from a retreating Royalist force crossed the Ribble estuary following the
Battle of Marston Moor. They later joined the
Siege of Lathom House. Sited as it was on the shore of
Martin Mere and at the seaward end of Crossens Sluice, Crossens formed the basis of a substantial fishing industry supporting the surrounding area and the nearby village of
Banks. After Martin Mere was largely reclaimed for farmland, the focus of the town increasingly turned to agriculture, and to this day the high-quality soil supports several flower and vegetable farms in the east of the district. Farming of some scale or other has been a feature of this area since medieval times. However, the
Industrial Revolution led to Crossens' incorporation into Southport as a site for housing for the larger town's burgeoning worker population. The first half of the 20th century saw the area becoming home to some light industry (including the
Vulcan motor works), but apart from some small industrial units the area is now primarily a commuter suburb for Southport,
Preston and
Ormskirk. ==Criffel granite boulder==