Dr Miles Barton (1725-1810) was a surgeon and not a solicitor and would be the same person. Apparently he was 73 when he "christened" Southport - although most accounts put it a little differently and say he was emphatic in calling the place "South Port". He was an advocate of sea bathing as a cure for the bite of a mad dog, this having become more popular than his patent medicine sold as a remedy for the same complaint and known as the Ormskirk Medicine. He was the son of Dr Henry Barton of Ormskirk and Sarah Hesketh of Meols Hall, so was no stranger to Southport, and became one of earliest residents when he built Nile Cottage.
Peter Aughton in "North Meols and Southport" puts forward the argument that the new town was at the southern end of Faircloughs Lake which had once been a deep bay where ships could lie at anchor, so was the "south port" as there had been a "north port" at Marshside.
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Middle-aged and seeking the middle-ages!
