American children dress up as Standish to celebrate Thanksgiving

Rev John Cree, rector of St Laurence in Chorley, hopes to prove Pilgrim Father Myles Standish came from the town.

Myles Standish sailed with the Mayflower Pilgrims, and led exploratory missions to Cape Cod.

Rev Cree says if his claims can be proven, it would "change the way Americans view their history."

Chorley would be an important place on the American tourist trail Rev John Cree

He is backed by a researcher who claims to have proof of Standish's central Lancashire connection.

The Pilgrim Fathers left England in the Mayflower in 1620 and crossed the Atlantic to reach the shores of the New World.

Captain Standish was a mercenary who fought with Elizabeth I's army in Holland, where he met his fellow Mayflower Pilgrims.

His role in US history is marked by the fact that children dress up as him on Thanksgiving Day.

The Standish family seat was at nearby Duxbury Hall and the Standish pew at Rev Cree's church already attracts a trickle of US visitors.

'Changing history'

According to Rev Cree, no formal records exist of Standish until he was 21.

His will laid claim to several lands in Lancashire, including parts or Ormskirk, Burscough and Croston as well as the Isle of Man.

Manx historians claimed him, but according to Rev Cree there is another explanation.

"There is actually an area near Croston known as the Isle of Man," he said.

German based researcher Helen Morewood, believes she has proof of Standish's Lancashire roots and is due to deliver a lecture on this theme on August Bank Holiday Monday at the church.