Preesall is a town, civil parish and electoral ward in Lancashire, England. The parish (until 1910 known as Preesall with Hackensall) covers the eastern bank of the estuary of the River Wyre, including Knott End-on-Sea, Pilling Lane and the village of Preesall itself. The parish of Preesall had a population of 5,314 recorded in the 2001 census, rising to 5,694 at the 2011 census. History There is evidence that the eastern side of the River Wyre was occupied during the Danish invasions of the 9th and 10th centuries. Preesall is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) as being a part of the Hundred of Amounderness and the Domesday place name is given as Pressouede. The names Preesall and Hackensall are both probably Norse in origin, with Preesall meaning "a hill and a heath" and Hackensall probably deriving from "Haakon", a Viking seafarer who sailed up the River Wyre and set up an encampment in the 10th century. In 1190 the land was granted to a bowman in the service of Prince John, and in the 16th century, the land, like much in this area, passed into the possession of the Fleetwood family. Richard Fleetwood built Hackensall Hall in 1656 after their home at Rossall Hall was flooded. Nearby Parrox Hall was built about the same time, and has been in the possession of the Elletson family since 1690. A known site of high archaeological importance is the former Hackensall Tide Mill (Site PRN15022, SD 35114659) at Preesall. This mill is known from documentary sources and may date from before 1260; its site is indicated on the OS 1:10,560 mapping of 1848 (sheet Lancashire 43). Other watermill sites of this period are known in the county, although this appears to be the only tide mill and very few simple medieval mill sites have been investigated in the field. Physical remains of medieval watermills are rare nationally and surviving remains are likely to be of national, rather than local, importance. Governance Preesall was an urban district from 1900 to 1974. It was also known as Preesall-With-Hackensall. It was abolished in 1974 and amalgamated under the Local Government Act 1972 to form part of the district of Wyre, but retained its own mayor and town council. Geography The beach surrounding Pilling, Preesall and Knott-End is known as Preesall Beach. Preesall is protected from high tides by a sea defence known as the "Sea