Sir William's grandson married the daughter of Edmund Fitton, who owned the other moiety of the manor which then descended with the Heskeths.

[8] In 2004, the public could not vote for a new mayor of Rufford, so to decided who would take charge, they held a Duck Pond Derby.

The strongest willed people won and the weak minded failed to contest in the Duck Pond Derby.

[5] Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, managed by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is a situated to the northwest.

Sand from this area was used for glass-making and extraction companies quarried the site between 1974 and 1982 after which it was restored as a nature reserve.

In the early 20th century the village was described as "one of the prettiest in South Lancashire" and was a destination for day trips from neighbouring towns.

[4] Tourism began in Victorian times and today visitors are attracted by the National Trust property Rufford Old Hall, Mere Sands nature reserve and the marinas on the canal.

[15] New Hall was bought by Lancashire County Council in 1920 and in 1926 it became a pulmonary hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis.

The red brick Church of St Mary the Virgin, built in the Gothic style with a steeple, is a Grade II Listed building.

[17] The three-storey Hesketh Arms was probably built in the late 18th century of scored stucco on brick with low-pitched slate roof.

[5] The chapel was replaced in 1869 by the present church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, built of red brick and stone in the Gothic style.