West Derby Mentioned in the
Domesday Book, West Derby achieved significance far earlier than Liverpool itself. The name West Derby comes from an
Old Norse word meaning "place of the wild beasts" or "wild deer park" and refers to the deer park (now
Croxteth Park) established there by
King Edward the Confessor. West Derby became the main administrative area in today's Liverpool for the
Norman Conquest and was the largest area within the
West Derby Hundred which covered most of south west
Lancashire. Contrary to popular belief, the original
Earls of Derby were not conferred their title from West Derby, but from the county of
Derbyshire, Robert de Ferrers being the first Earl. Subsequent titles were created and bestowed on the Stanley Family. The
Derby (horse race) is named after
the 12th Earl. Note that the term 'local Derby' actually comes from the town of
Derby, though it may also derive from the Earldom family's interest in sport. There still remains a courthouse built in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I: the first (
Wapentake) court in West Derby was established around 1,000 years ago. The West Derby Courthouse, built in 1586, was restored and conserved in 2005 and is the only freestanding post-medieval courthouse in Britain. The tiny
Grade II* listed building is open to the public between 2 pm and 4 pm every Sunday except Easter from April to October inclusive, admission free. Opposite the courthouse is a set of Victorian cast iron
stocks once used as a public restraint for offenders. Villagers used fruit and rotten vegetables to throw at the offenders. The stocks were placed in their current position to commemorate the coronation of
Edward VII in 1902. Temporarily removed in 2008 whilst the site was renovated, the stocks have since been put back in place. The area was home to the
Earls of Sefton (family name
Molyneux), whose house, Croxteth Hall, and the surrounding countryside estate now forms
Croxteth Park, an attractive public space. In 1835 and 1895, Liverpool boundaries expanded to include West Derby. From 1894 to 1895 West Derby was an
urban district. In 1921 the
civil parish had a population of 168,915. On 1 April 1922 the parish was abolished and merged with Liverpool.
West Derby Castle West Derby once had a
motte-and-bailey castle, now completely disappeared, at Castlesite Road and Meadow Lane In 1327 it was reported to be in ruins. There is also some suggestion of a
Roman site on a street called Castlesite (nicknamed "The Rosies" by some locals). The site is now a small public park, the shape and dimensions of which are similar to that of a Roman barracks or
castra. The remnants of a wooden castle were unearthed on this plot during excavations in the mid 1930s. ==Governance==