Full text of "The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster. Edited by William Farrer and J. Brownbill"

IDfctoda Ibfstor^ of tbe
Counties of Enolanb

EDITED BY WILLIAM PAGE, F.S.A.

A HISTORY OF
LANCASHIRE

VOLUME III

THE

VICTORIA HISTORY

OF THE COUNTIES
I OF ENGLAND

LANCASHIRE

LONDON
ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE

AND COMPANY LIMITED

This History is issued to Subscribers only

By Archibald Constable & Company Limited

and printed by Eyre & Spottiswoode

H.M. Printers of London

INSCRIBED

TO THE MEMORY OF

HER LATE MAJESTY

QUEEN VICTORIA

WHO GRACIOUSLY GAVE

THE TITLE TO AND

ACCEPTED THE

DEDICATION OF

THIS HISTORY

THE

VICTORIA HISTORY

OF THE COUNTY OF

LANCASTER

EDITFi> BY-
WILLIAM FARRER J. BROU SBILU

VOLUMF TJIRfcK

LONDON
ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE

AND COMPANY LIMITED
1907

THE

VICTORIA HISTORY

OF THE COUNTY OF

LANCASTER

EDITED BY
WILLIAM FARRER AND J. BROWNBILL, M.A.

VOLUME THREE

LONDON
ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE

AND COMPANY LIMITED

1907

/.2.V6
v.3

CONTENTS OF VOLUME THREE

Dedication ............... v

Contents ............... ix

Index of Parishes, Townships and Manors .......... xi

List of Illustrations xiii

Editorial Note xv

Topography ..... General description and manorial descents by

WILLIAM FARRER and J. BROWNBILL, M.A.
Architectural descriptions by C. R. PEERS,
M.A., F.S.A. Heraldic drawings and blazon
by the Rev. E. E. DORLING, M.A.
West Derby Hundred

Introduction ............. i

Walton on the Hill 5

Sefton 58

Childwall 102

Huyton 151

Halsall 183

Altcar 221

North Meols 226

Ormskirk 238

Aughton .............. 284

Warrington 3 C 4

Prescot 341

Leigh 4'4

INDEX OF PARISHES, TOWNSHIPS, AND MANORS

In the following list (m) indicates manor, (p) parish, and (t) township.

Aigburth (Garston), 125
Ainsdale (Formby), 50
Aintree, (t) 99, (m) 100
Allerton, (t) 128, (m) 129
Altcar, (p) 221, (m) 222
Alt Grange (Ince Blundell), 83
Appleton (Widnes), 388
Argar Meols (Birkdale), 237
Aspinwall (Scarisbrick), 274
Astley, (t) 445, (m) 445
Atherton, (t) 435, (m) 436
Aughton, (p) 284, (m) 295

Bank Hall (Kirkdale), 37

Banks (Tyldesley), 443

Barrow (Bold), 408

Barton (Downholland), 199

Bedford, (t) 43 1, (m) 43 1

Bedford Hall, 432

Bewsey (Burtonwood), 326

Bickerstaffe, (t) 276, (m) 276

Birkdale, (t) 236, (m) 237

Blackbrook (Parr), 381

Blythe (Lathom), 254

Bold, (t) 402, (m) 403

Boo tie, (t) 31, (m) 32

Bradley (Burtonwood), 327

Brettargh Holt (Little Woolton), 119

Brinsope (Bold), 408

Broad Oak (Parr), 381

Bruche (Poulton), 329

Burscough, (t) 258, (m) 258

Burscough Hall (Lathom), 257

Burtonhead (Button), 358

Burtonwood, (t) 324, (m) 325

Chaddock Hall (Tyldesley), 442
Childwall, (p) 102, (t) 108, (m) 109
Chowbent (Atherton), 437
Churchlee (Prescot), 354
Cleworth (Tyldesley), 443
Coran Hall (Bold), 408
Cranshaw (Bold), 408
Crouton, (t) 392, (m) 392
Crosby, Great, (t) 91, (m) 91
Crosby, Little, (t) 85, (m) 85

Cross Hall (Lathom), 255
Croxteth Hall (West Derby), i ;
Croxteth Park, (t) 182, (m) 182
Cuerdley, (t) 394, (m) 394
Cunscough (Melling), 213

Dam House (Huyton), 1 74
Dam House (Tyldesley), 443
Demon (Widnes), 388
Derby, West, (t) n, (m) 13
Ditchfield (Ditton), 400
Ditton, (t) 395, (m) 396
Downholland, 197

Eccleston, (t) 362, (m) 363
Eckersley (Bedford), 434
Edge (Sefton), 72
Eggergarth (Lydiate), 206
Eltonhead (Sutton), 359
Etherstone Hall (Pennington), 430
Everton, (t) 20, (m) 20

Farnworth (Widnes), 389
Fazakerley, (t) 28, (m) 29
Fearnhead (Poulton), 331
Ford, 99
Formby, (t) 45, (m) 46

Garrett, The (Tyldesley), 442
Garston, (t) 120, (m) 121
Gateacre (Woolton), 117
Gerard's Hall (Aughton), 303
Glazebrook (Rixton), 338
Glest (Eccleston), 366
Gorsuch (Scarisbrick), 272

Hale, (t) 140, (m) 141
Halewood, (t) 149, (m) 150
Halsall, (p) 183, (t) 191, (m) 191
Halsnead (Whiston), 351
Hardshaw (Windle), 373
Harleton (Scarisbrick), 270
Haskayne (Downholland), 199
Haysarm (Rainford), 383
Hazels, Red (Huyton), 174, 353
Higher Hall, (Westleigh), 422
Holbrook (Bold), 408
Holland (Downholland), 198

INDEX OF PARISHES,

Hollinfare (Rixton), 339
Hopecarr (Bedford), 433
Hutt (Halewood), 150
Huyton, (p) 151, (t) 1 68, (m) 169

Ince Blundell, (t) 78, (m) 79

Kirkby, (t) 52, (m) 53
Kirkdale, (t) 35, (m) 35
Knowsley, (t) 157, (m) 158

Laffog (Parr), 381

Lathom, (t) 247, (m) 248

Lathom Chapel, 256

Lee (Little Woolton), 1 20

Leigh, 414

Lightoaks (Bedford), 434

Linacre (Bootle), 33

Litherland (Sefton), (t) 95, (m) 95

Litherland (Aughton), 292

Little Hall (Aughton), 300

Lunt, 75

Lydiate, (t) 200, (m) 201

Maghull, (t) 215, (m) 215

Martin (Burscough), 260

Martinscroft (Woolston), 333

Melling, (t) 208, (m) 209

Meols, North, (p) 226, (t) 230, (m) 230

Mickering (Aughton), 304

Middlewood (Aughton), 302

Moor Hall (Aughton), 300

Morleys (Astley), 447

Mossborough (Rainford), 384

Mossock Hall (Bickerstaffe), 279

Netherton, 74
Newburgh (Lathom), 256
New Hall (Tyldesley), 443
New Hall (West Derby), 16
Newsham (Walton), 27
North End (Ince Blundell), 83

Oglet (Speke), 140

Old Hall (Westleigh), 424

Orford (Warrington), 322

Ormskirk, (p) 238, (t) 261, (m) 262

Orrell, 99

Otegrimele (N. Meols), 230

Parr, (t) 377, (m) 377
Peel (Pennington), 430
Peel Hall (Astley), 447
Penketh, (t) 410, (m) 411
Pennington, (t) 426, (m) 427
Poulton, (t) 328, (m) 328
Prescot, (p) 341, (t) 353. (m) 353

TOWNSHIPS, AND MANORS

Quick (Bold), 407

Rainford, (t) 382, (m) 382
Rainhill, (t) 368, (m) 368
Ravenhead (Sutton), 361, 362
Ravens Meols (Formby), 49
Renacres (Halsall), 196
Ridgate (Whiston), 350
Ritherope (Rainhill), 370
Rixton, (t) 334, (m) 334
Roby, (t) 175, (m) 175

St. Helens (Windle), 374
Sankey, Great, (t) 409, (m) 409
Sankey, Little (Warrington), 323
Scarisbrick, (t) 265, (m) 265
Scholes (Eccleston), 365
Seaforth (Litherland), 98
Sefton, (p) 58, (t) 66, (m) 67
Shakerley (Tyldesley), 444
Sherdley (Sutton), 361
Shuttleworth (Bedford), 434
Simonswood, (t) 56, (m) 56
Skelmersdale, (t) 282, (m) 283
Smithdown (Toxteth Park), 43
Snape (Halsall), 197, 275
Southport (N. Meols), 234
Speke, (t) 131, (m) 132
Spellow (Walton), 27
Stotfoldshaw (Bickerstaffe), 281
Sutton, (t) 354, (m) 355

Tarbock, (t) 176, (m) 177
Thingwall, (t) 1 1 2, (m) 113
Thornton, (t) 76, (m) 76
Toxteth Park, (t) 40, (m) 41
Tyldesley, (t) 439, (m) 439

Upton (Widnes), 388

Walsh Hall (Aughton), 299
Walton, (p) 5, (t) 22, (m) 23
Warrington, (p) 304, (t) 316, (m) 319
Waterloo (Litherland), 98
Wavertree, (t) 1 1 1, (m) 1 1 1
Westleigh, (t) 421, (m) 422
Whiston, (t) 348, (m) 348
Whitehead Hall (Astley), 448
Widnes, 386

Windle, (t) 371, (m) 371
Windleshaw (Windle), 373
Wolfall (Huyton), 172
Woodfall (Sutton), 360
Woolston, (t) 331, (m) 332
Woolton, Little, (t) 117, (m) 118
Woolton, Much, (t) 113, (m) 114

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

St. George's Hall, Liverpool. By WILLIAM HYDE frontispiece

Walton on the Hill Church }

Old School-house, Walton on the Hill 1 ' ^^ ^ fa "" S

Tue Brook House, Larkhill \

Croxteth Hall: South-west View J faU-p* g e plate, factng

Simonswood Hall .............. 56

Sefton Church : The Nave, looking East )

: Screen and Sefton Pew at east end of South Aisle \ ' **** >**> **"* 6

Speke Hall : East Front and Bridge over Moat . . . . . 130

Speke Hall from the North-west . . . . . . . ,, 132

Plan of Speke Hall . 134

Speke Hall : The Chimney-piece in the Great Chamber \
: South Bay of the Hall J

Speke Hall : The Hall, Panelling at Upper End ) g

: The Hall, from the North-west Bay J

Hale Hall : The North Front \

r " 99 99 99 J 4-6

: Part of South Side of the Panelled Room >

The Old Hutt, Halewood : The Gatehouse )

r > ,, 150

: Entrance Doorway I

Huyton Church, from the West )

Knowsley Hall : South End of East Wing I

Plan of Halsall Church 184

Halsall Church from the South-east . . . . . . . . . . .185

Halsall Church : Tomb Recess on North of Chancel |
: Door to North Vestry )

The Old Rectory, Halsall 188

Lydiate Hall from the East 207

Plan of Ormskirk Church 241

Ormskirk Church: Window on North of Chancel j _ ( ^.^ ^

: From the South

Lathom House : The Entrance Front ^
Lathom Chapel : The East End J

Plan of Lathom Chapel 256

Burscough Priory Church : Northern Piers of the Crossing 260

Harleton Hall : North Side of Hall 271

Harleton Hall : Ground Plan 272

Mossock Hall 281

Plan of Mossock Hall 282

Plan of Aughton Church 286

Plan of Moor Hall, Aughton 3*

Warrington Church : Interior, looking East j full-page plate, facing 308

The Barley Mow Inn, Warrington

xiii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Block Plan of Site of Augustinian Friary, Warrington 313

Plan of Church of Augustinian Friary, Warrington 3 ' 5

The Old Fox Inn, Warrington 3 7

Barley Mow Inn, Warrington : Room on First Floor 3 l8

Bank Hall, Warrington : now the Town Hall 3 *

Bewsey Hall, Warrington

Bradley Hall: Outer Face of Gateway I futt-page plate, facing 328

: Inner Face of Gateway J

Farnworth Church : Interior, looking West \ ... 366
Scholes : Pillar and Niche in Garden

Wrought Iron Gates, Cronton Hall ) .... 394
Bold New Hall, pulled down 1899 I

Plan of Leigh Church + 6

LIST OF MAPS

Index Map to the Hundreds of Lancashire facing I

Hundred of West Derby , 3

Parish of Walton 5

Sefton 58

Childwall i2

Huyton '5 1

Parishes of Halsall and Altcar 183

Parish of North Meols 226

Parishes of Ormskirk and Aughton 238

,. Parish of Warrington 34

>( Prescot 34 1

Leigh 414

Topographical Map of Lancashire in six sections at end of volume

EDITORIAL NOTE

THE Editors desire to acknowledge the liberal assistance and information
given during the compilation of this volume by the Earl of Derby, the
Earl of Sefton, the Earl of Lathom, Lord Lilford, Mr. C. H. Bibby-
Hesketh, Mr. J. Bromley, Mr. F. W. Brown, Mr. W. T. Browne, Mr.
Robert Legh Crosse, Mr. J. Formby, Mr. R. Gladstone, junr., Mr.
W. E. Gregson, Mr. Strachan Holme, Mr. James Hornby, Mr. W. F.
Irvine, F.S.A., Mr. C. Madeley, Mr. A. S. Mellor, Mr. W. D. Pink,
Mr. R. D. Radcliffe, F.S.A., Mr. F. Stapleton-Bretherton, Mrs. Arthur
Cecil Tempest, and the Rev. James Wilson, Litt.D. ; also by Mr.
Harcourt Clare, clerk of the County Council, the town clerk of
St. Helens, and the town clerk of Widnes.

To Mr. R. T. Gunton, for taking notes of deeds among the Hatfield
MSS. by permission of the late Marquis of Salisbury, thanks are
also due.

They likewise wish to express their thanks to Mr. J. P. Rylands,
F.S.A., for revising the heraldry.

Their acknowledgements are further due to the Rev. A. H. Drys-
dale, D.D., and the Rev. J. Mellis, for information as to the Presbyterian
churches ; to the Rev. W. T. Whitley, LL.D., as to the Baptist churches ;
and to Mr. J. S. Hodgson and Mr. R. Muschamp as to the Society
of Friends.

It is desirable to note the place of deposit or ownership of the
following records, which are frequently quoted in this volume. The
Hale Charter Roll, an ancient transcript of charters, is at Hale Hall ;
of Kuerden's manuscript collections, vols. ii to vi are at the College of
Arms, and the large folio volume, alphabetically arranged, is in Chetham's
Library at Manchester ; the Moore deeds are in the Liverpool Museum ;
of Christopher Towneley's manuscript collections, vols. DD, HH, OO,
and the Blundell of Crosby evidences are in Mr. Farrer's possession at
Over Kellet, and vol. C 8-13, is in Chetham's Library.

Discrepancies will occasionally be found between the total area of
the parishes, here taken from the Ordnance Survey, and the returns of
the arable, pasture, and woodland supplied by the Board of Agriculture,
the calculations having been made upon different bases.

A HISTORY OF
LANCASHIRE

N D EX MAP

to the

HUNDREDS

LANCASHIRE

I TOPOGRAPHY

THE HUNDRED OF WEST DERBY

CONTAINING THE PARISHES OF

WALTON HALSALL AUGHTON LIVERPOOL

SEFTON ALTCAR WARRINGTON WIGAN

CHILDWALL NORTH MEOLS PRESCOT WINWICK

HUYTON ORMSKIRK LEIGH

At the time of the Domesday Survey this hundred consisted of the three
hundreds of West Derby, Warrington, and Newton. 1 At what date the last
two were united with West Derby to form the present hundred is not known,
but it occurred before the reign of Henry II, probably early in that of
Henry I. The hundred is bounded on the west by the Irish Sea and River
Mersey from the Snoter Stone at Hundred End on the Ribble estuary to
Hale Head ; thence on the south by the Mersey 2 to Glazebrook, from which
point, north-west to Arley Hall, it is bounded on the east by Salford hundred.
From Arley Hall it is for the most part divided from Leyland hundred on
the north by the River Douglas until near Ruffbrd Hall, whence the boundary
runs through Martin Mere (now drained) in a north-westerly direction to
the above-named Snoter Stone. The township of Aspull in Wigan lies in
the hundred of Salford.

Around the chief manor of West Derby with its castle, supposed to
have been built by Roger of Poitou, lay a number of manors belonging to
the demesne of the county. At the Conquest these included, in addition to
the chief manor of West Derby, six berewicks embracing the vills of
Thingwall, Liverpool, Great Crosby, Aintree with part of Walton, Everton,
Garston with Aigburth, and Hale with Halewood, the whole containing four
hides or twenty-four carucates of land. 3 By the end of the twelfth century
this demesne had undergone some change by the inclusion of part of Walton,
Wavertree, part of Formby, Altcar, Raven Meols, Ainsdale, and Uplitherland,
which had been held by thegns before the date of the Domesday Survey ; and
by the grant of some portions of West Derby, Great Crosby, Walton,
Wavertree, Formby, Raven Meols, Ainsdale, and Uplitherland to be held by

1 See vol. i, 283-6. The parishes of Prescot, Warrington, and Leigh practically formed the Domesday
hundred of Warrington, and the parishes of Wigan and Winwick that of Newton.

8 In 1 896 the boundary of the county was extended to include the whole of the borough of Warrington,
the Latchford portion of which lay in Ches.

3 Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 25.

3 '

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

serjeanty and at fee farm ; and Aintree, Garston, and Aigburth in thegnage
or free alms; whilst the preconquest thegnlands of Toxteth, Smithdown (or
Smeedon) and a portion of Knowsley, called Croxteth, 1 were afforested and
put into the forest created by Roger of Poitou, or by Henry I. 2 At the
same time the whole of the parishes of Childwall, Huyton, Walton, Sefton,
and Aughton, all Prescot parish except the vills of Penketh, Windle, and
Rainford, and all Halsall parish except the vills of Barton and Halsall, were
put within the metes of the forest. 3

The demesne land and forest gave to the castle and manor of West
Derby an importance, as a centre of administration in Lancashire south
of the Ribble, equal to that held by Lancaster, the nominal caput of
the county and honour, in the northern part of the county. This
importance was increased by the proximity of the port of Liverpool, founded
by King John, and the intercourse with Cheshire by sea and by the passage
or ferry between Liverpool and Birkenhead. A court leet with view of
frankpledge for the hundred of West Derby, called the Wapentake Court>
was held every three weeks 4 before the steward of the hundred, having
jurisdiction over the greater part of the hundred, the only exceptions being
the demesne lands of the barony of Warrington and lordship of Widnes. 5
The proceedings consisted of the presentment of minor offences, the breach
of by-laws, small personal actions usual to a hundred court, and the recovery
of debts amounting to less than 40^. Halmote courts were also held for the
demesne manors of West Derby, Wavertree, and Great Crosby. 6

The king, or the lord of the honour and county, had his own bailiff of
the king's bailiwick of West Derby, who accounted for the perquisites of
all county courts and sheriffs tourns held within the hundred, and for ward-
ships, reliefs, and other casual feudal issues. The office of bailiff of the
wapentake was quite distinct ; this bailiff was the principal officer of the
sheriff, and his duties were to guard the peace of the hundred, make attach-
ments, collect the socage and fee-farm rents of the hundred, castle-guard rents,
and perquisites of the wapentake courts, levy amercements and take distresses,
and render every year an account of the issues of his bailiwick. 7 From the

1 Coucher of Whalley (Chet. Soc.), i, 372. ' Ibid.

' Duchy of Lane. Forest Proc. bdle. I, No. 17,111. 9.

4 In 5-6 Hen. VIII (1513-14) thirteen courts were held: the first on Tuesday after the feast of
St. Michael (4 Oct. 1513), the last on Tuesday in the feast of the Decollation of St. John (29 Aug. 1524) ;
Duchy of Lane. Court Rolls, bdle. 79, No. 1030.

5 Duchy of Lane. Court Rolls, bdle. 79, No. 1038. Court Rolls or the wapentake of West Derby
from 36 Hen. VIII to 16 Chas. I are preserved in the Muniment-room at Croxteth ; CC, bdle. iii.

6 Duchy of Lane. Court Rolls, bdle. 79, Nos. 1030-1. Several halmote rolls for 17 and
18 Edw. II are preserved in the P.R.O. Rentals and Surveys, No. 379, m. 7; Court Rolls, portf. 183, No. 14,
m. 3 ; printed by the Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches. xlii, 96-107, 123-32.

7 Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle. 100, No. 1796, m. 7 ; Recs. Accts. 11987^0. 728 for 23 Ric. II
-I Hen. IV. The office of the king's bailiwick of West Derby was then worth 10, in farm of the
bailiwick, perquisites of county courts 9 4;., of tourns 42*. 8</. ; total 2 1 6s. 8</. The issues of the
bailiwick of the wapentake were 19 5;. 5^.; perquisites 20 i8/. 3^. ; estrays 6s. SJ. ; total 40 los. 4^.
The issues of the office of master forester of West Derby included for herbage, turbary, pannage, honey,
wax, stone, and brushwood sold in Croxteth, Toxteth, and Simonswood, 25 os. 6d. ; swainmotes and
woodmotes, 3i/. io<^. ; total, 26 I2/. \d.

The bailiffs seem to have been unfortunate in collecting the dues. William Gregory died in 1424-5 in
prison, owing over 80 arrears of his account, and his successors were frequently in trouble for a like cause.
Charges of extortion were from time to time made against them, as in the case of William del Burgh in 1343 ;
Assize R. 430, m. 28 d. The misdoings of Henry de Chatherton, who had been bailiff for twenty years, are
detailed in Coram Rege R. 454 (i 374), m. 1 3, &c. Among other acts of extortion and concealment of crime

INDEX MAP

' lo the

HUNDRED OF
WEST DERBY

Victoria niilory of Laauakirt Vol. S.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

reign of King Stephen to that of Henry IV the latter office was held by
the family of Walton of Walton-on-the-Hill by inheritance. In the fifteenth
century the master-forestership of West Derby became hereditary in the
Molyneuxes of Sefton, who also held the stewardship. 1

In 1825 the hundred court leet continued to be held within a month of
Easter and Michaelmas ; it had jurisdiction, concurrently with the sessions,
in all criminal cases. 2 The hundred court, held from three weeks to three
weeks, had jurisdiction in certain personal actions under 40^. in value. The
steward of the hundred, or his deputy, presided at these courts. 3

Henry III on 18 October, 1229, granted all the land between Kibble
and Mersey, including the vill of West Derby with the wapentake and the
forest, the borough of Liverpool, the vill of Salford with the wapentake,
and the wapentake of Leyland, to Ranulf, earl of Chester and Lincoln, to
hold in fee by rendering yearly at Michaelmas a mewed goshawk or 40*.*
The assized rent of the demesne, with the service of the tenants holding in
thegnage and at fee farm, and sake fee of the military tenants within the
hundred, then amounted to 46 i6s. 2^. 5 Upon the earl's death, in 1232,
without issue this fee descended to William de Ferrers, earl of Derby, in
right of Agnes his wife, one of the sisters and co-heirs of the earl of
Chester. 6

In 1226 the earl of Derby had a warrant for an allowance of 100 a
year for keeping ward of the castles of Lancaster and West Derby, and of
the county. 7 He appears to have assumed larger judicial powers between
Kibble and Mersey than the grant to the earl of Chester conveyed, and
also to have infringed the rights and liberties of the men of that region,
especially in respect of the forest ; in consequence he was temporarily
dispossessed of this fee. 8 The earl died in 1 247,' having predeceased his
wife but a few weeks. That he was the builder of Liverpool Castle may be

he had exacted from < the commonalty of the wapentake ' at every writ of the king for knights' expenses at
Parliament loo/, beyond the sum rated and due. He was found guilty, and fined 100 ; Ibid. R. 455.

In 1732 the king leased to David Lawton of Prescot the profits of court of West Derby wapentake for
thirty-one years ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. Books, xxvii, 37^.

1 See e.g. Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 385.

1 Baines' Lanes. Directory, 1825, i, I 36 ; its powers were 'seldom called into exercise except to abate
nuisances and appoint the high and petty constables and other municipal officers. Its proceedings had two
singular characteristics the entire absence of fees and lawyers.'

3 Ibid. p. 138; 'No suit can be removed by the defendant, before judgement, without bail to the
satisfaction of the court ; nor by the losing party, after judgement, without similar security in double the
amount of the judgement.'

4 Chart. R. 13 Hen. Ill, pt. i, m. 3 ; Cal. pp. 101-2.

6 Pipe R. 10 Hen. Ill, Lanes. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches. xlviii, 135-7)- The earl had hvel 7 b Y
writ dated 19 Oct. 1229 ; Close R. 1227-31, p. 221.

6 Close R. 1 2 3 i -4, p. 1 69. By writ dated 2 2 Nov. ( 1 2 3 2) the castle and vill of West Derby and all the
late earl's lands between Ribble and Mersey were accorded to the earl of Derby in right of his wife.

7 Close R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 122^.

8 In 1241-2 the three wapentakes of West Derby, Salford, and Leyland were seized into the king s hand
owing to transgressions committed by the earl and his bailiffs, but were again restored on 4 February, 1242,
subject to the reservation to the king of all pleas of the crown, all cattle detained against pledge and surety,
and attachments belonging to pleas of the crown, with liberty to the sheriff and coroners to have entry to the
said wapentakes to make inquiry of all pleas pertaining to the crown and the peace. The earl on his part
consented for himself and his heirs to treat the men between Ribble and Mersey in pleas of the forest and
all other pleas as they were treated and used in the time of King John, and up to the time when the then
king gave the land between Ribble and Mersey to Ranulf, earl of Chester, and that they would have only the
liberties and customs in those wapentakes of the men and all others there which they who held those wapen-
takes before the grant to the earl of Lincoln had and used. Fine R. 26 Hen. Ill, pt. i, m. 10.

9 Close R. 31 Hen. Ill, m. 2.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

inferred from writs of 19 January, 1235, for an aid to be made to him for the
strengthening of his castle of Liverpool, 1 and of 10 November, 1247,
directed to the escheator beyond Trent to deliver to William de Ferrers the
lands which had been Agnes de Ferrers', and the castles of West Derby and
Liverpool.*

In 1251 the new earl had a charter of free warren in all his demesne
lands in the manors of Liverpool, West Derby, Everton, Great Crosby, and
Wavertree. 3 The same year he applied for leave to hold pleas of the forest
in his forest between Kibble and Mersey,* but there is no evidence that this
was granted. In 1253 he was empleaded in the king's court by the men of
the hundred for illegally forcing upon them a gryth-serjeant of his own
election, whom they by custom ought to elect by the consent, and under
the advice, of the sheriff. 6 Process was terminated by the earl's death in
1254. From this time, until Robert, his son and heir, attained his
majority, the land between Kibble and Mersey was committed to Edward
the king's son. 8

In 1263 Robert de Ferrers took proceedings against a number of people
in this hundred for offences in his forest against the deer. 7 He took an
active part in the Barons' rebellion, and was pardoned in 1265 after submis-
sion, but rebelled again, and was defeated at the battle of Chesterfield early
in 1266. Subsequently he was totally disinherited by Parliament, his lands
being taken into the king's hands, 8 and granted to Edmund, the king's second
son, afterwards created earl of Lancaster. 9 On 30 June, 1267, the king
granted to his said son the honour, county, castle and town of Lancaster, and
all the king's demesnes in the county, which gift included the hundred of
West Derby. 10

From this date to the present day the hundred has followed the descent
of the honour of Lancaster, subsequently of the duchy of Lancaster, and is
now vested in His Majesty King Edward VII, as duke of Lancaster.

1 Cal. Pat. 1232-47, 89.

' ' De Castris de Westdereby et Liverpol eidem Willelmo . . . seisinam habere faciant ' ; Fine R.
32 Hen. Ill, pt. i, m. 14.

3 Cal. Chart. R. (Rolls Ser.), 373- 4 Close R. 35 Hen. Ill, m. 7 d.

' ' It had lately been proved in the king's court before the king himself by a jury taken between them by
consent of the parties, that the plaintiffs and their fellows of the hundred had always possessed such liberty
that they were accustomed and ought by consent and advice of the sheriff to elect and appoint Grytsergeanz
(plural) who should and ought to keep the peace of the lord king, and should answer for them if the peace
of the lord king were not well kept ;' Cur. Reg. R. 150, m. 3 ; I 5 I, m. \d. ; 152, m. 9. See also Abbrev.
Plac. (Rec. Com.), 142.

'Close R. 38 Hen. III. Baines, Hist, of Liverpool, 106. An account of the issues between Ribble
and Mersey for part of the years 1256-7 is preserved among the Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts, bdle. 1094,
ro. II, m. 12 (printed in Inq. and Extents, 205-10).

7 Assize R. 1196, m. 5, 5</.

8 By writ dated 22 May, 1266 ; Pat. R. 50 Hen. Ill, m. 15.

9 Ibid. m. 9 ; Chart R. 50 Hen. Ill, m. 4.

Eleanor, widow of Robert de Ferrers, in 1275 claimed dower in the vills of Liverpool, West Derby,
Crosby, &c., against Edmund, the king's brother ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. Books, i.
" Chart R. 52 Hen. Ill, m. 4 ; 13 Edw. I, m. 7.

/ 7/

\ \ .'-.. '. | West %^

* "T V-. -X A + :r V ^

-r x ^<, D \ e r

r iEverton^} \

b y

\\ Toxtet h^'X"" ^

P-K J ^

x WALTON ON THE HILL

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

WALTON ON THE HILL

WEST DERBY
EVERTON
WALTON
FAZAKERLEY

BOOTLE CUM LINACRE

KIRKDALE

TOXTETH PARK (EXTRA-PAR.)

FORM BY
KIRKBY
SIMONSWOOD (EXTRA-PAR.)

This extensive parish, occupying the south-western
corner of the hundred and county, has a total area of
29,615 acres, 1 and a population in 1901 which
numbered 446,821 persons.' Anciently its area was
much larger. Childwall must have been detached
before the Norman Conquest, and Sefton before
1 200 ; Liverpool continued to form part of it until
1699. On the other hand, at some time earlier than
the Conquest it is probable that Kirkby and Simons-
wood had been drawn into it, just as in later times
Croxteth Park has been erroneously included in and
Altcar claimed for it.

Apart from the story of Liverpool, told subse-
quently, there is little to say of its general history.
The castle of West Derby endured less than two cen-
turies ; the camp of Prince Rupert at Everton in 1644
connects the parish with the Civil Wars, the effect
of which is chiefly illustrated by the confiscations
of the parliamentary authorities during their years
of power.

Jeremiah Horrocks, the astronomer, was perhaps
the most distinguished man who has sprung from it,
though many others have been connected with it by
their labours.

Formerly it was mainly agricultural. The de-
tached chapelry ofFormby had a seaport and fisheries.
Simonswood and Toxteth were royal parks. Everton
was one of the first portions to be affected by the
growing prosperity of Liverpool ; its elevated situa-
tion offered desirable sites for the suburban residences
of the merchants. Now a large part of the parish
has become urban ; but agriculture still claims the
inland portion of West Derby, Fazakerley, Kirkby, and
Simonswood ; Formby has a growing urban popula-
tion, but retains its agricultural character.

The following are the acreages at present occupied
by arable land, permanent grass, and woods and
plantations :

Arable

Walton on the Hill

Walton . . .

Toxteth . . .

Bootle ....

West Derby (rur.)

Kirkdale .

For the county lay of 1624 the assessment, con-
sidered at that time a fair one, was that Walton
should pay a twelfth of the sum levied upon the

hundred. The townships were arranged so that each
group paid one-third, as follows : I. Walton-cum-
Fazakerley, Kirkby, and Formby, each paying equally ;
2. West Derby ; 3. Liverpool, Kirkdale, Bootle and
Linacre, and Everton, Liverpool paying two-thirds
of the sum due from this group. 3 The more ancient
fifteenth had by the seventeenth century become un-
fair ; out of a total of 106 <)s. 6d. due from the
hundred Walton paid i J $>. 6$J. Kirkby
1 161. tfd., Formby i p., Raven Meols 12;.,
West Derby 2 8/., Liverpool 2 1 1/. I \d., Kirk-
dale ijs., Bootle 1 6s. 8J., Everton 14*., a total of
12 iy.7W

The church of Our Lady is at the
CHURCH* present day of greater historical than
architectural interest. The site is an-
cient, and a church here is mentioned in Domesday,
but its chief claim to distinction lies in the fact that
it is the mother church of Liverpool, St. Nicholas's
Church having been a chapel of Walton till 1 699.

The later history of Walton church is as follows :
The nave was rebuilt in 1743, the chancel in 1810,
and the tower in 1828-31. In 1840 the north side
of the nave was remodelled, and the chancel rebuilt
for the second time in 1843. No part of the
structure, therefore, has any pretensions to antiquity.
In the chancel is a reading desk dated 1639, all other
fittings being quite modern. Near the vestry door is
an inscribed brass plate 6 recording the establishment
(in 1601) of a charity by Thomas Berry. Ten
verses, beginning with letters of his name (Thomas
fieri), are followed by the couplet :

Xij penie loaves to xii poore foulkes
Geve everie Sabothe day for aye.

The font is a relic of the ancient church, now
restored to use after many years of desecration, having
been turned out of the church in 1754, and used as
a mounting stone by the door of a neighbouring inn.
It has a circular bowl, on which are six arched panels
containing figure sculpture, the intervening spaces
having floral patterns. The figure-subjects are dam-
aged and indistinct, but one shows the temptation
of Adam and Eve as on the font at Kirkby and
another has been interpreted as the Flight into Egypt.
The bowl of the font only is ancient. 7

The Registers begin in 1586."

The church had in 1066 an
ADVQWSON endowment of one ploughland in
Bootle ; 9 probably it had a further
endowment in Walton itself, where there is a con-
siderable acreage of glebe. 10 Geoffrey the sheriff about

1 Including the extra-parochial districts
of Simonswood and Toxteth, together
6,224 acres.

8 Almost all within the boroughs of
Liverpool and Bootle.

8 M. Gregson, Fragment! (ed. Harland),

1 6.

' Ibid. 1 8.

Fora view (about 1816) see Gregson,
op. cit. 140.

Thornely, Lanes. Brasses, 243.

7 Gregson, op. cit. 142 ; Trans. Hi,,.
S. (New Ser.), xvii, 60.

8 A volume, 1586 to 1663, has been
printed by the Lanes. Parish Reg. Soc.

Vol. I, p. 284*.

I" In 1639 the rector's lands in Walton
were estimated at 60 acres, long measure ;
Charley Surv. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.) p. 53. At present the acreage in
Walton is said to be 90 statute acres and
17 in Fazakerley, with outlying lands in
Everton and West Derby; H2j acres
in all. The vicarial glebe amounts to
2 7 i acres.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

1093 granted the church of St. Mary at Walton to the
monks of Shrewsbury, on the day of its dedication ; l
this was confirmed by Henry I some thirty years
later.' The right remained with the monastery
until 1470, being then purchased by Thomas
Molyneux of Sefton, 3 and descended with this manor
until 1747, when Sir William Heathcote purchased
it.' It was again sold in 1810 to John Leigh, of
Sandhills in Kirkdale, whose descendant, Mr. J. C.
Gerard Leigh, a minor, is the patron. 5

The vicarage was ordained in 1326, when Edward
II confirmed the grant of the church to the abbey. 6
The rectory was not appropriated, and both rector and
vicar continued to be appointed down to 1890, when
the vicarage was suppressed, its revenues supplementing
those of the newly founded bishopric of Liverpool. 7

Count Roger of Poitou gave the demesne tithes
of Walton to the abbey of St. Martin of Seez ; 8 a
composition was afterwards made between Stephen
de Walton and the prior of Lancaster. 9 In 1291 the
revenue of the church was estimated at .44.' Fifty

The following is a list of the rectors :

oc. 1192 Stephen"

c. 1 206 Robert de Walton ' 8 . . . .
William, son of Robert l9 . . .

years later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was valued
at 54 marks, being 8 less ; but the borough of
Liverpool was separately taxed." In 1535 the gross
income was estimated at 77 $s. 6ii. ; various pay-
ments, including a pension of 201. to the abbot of
Shrewsbury, reduced this to 69 i6s. loJ. ; the
vicarage was valued at 6 1 3/. \d. "

The Commonwealth surveyors of 1650 recom-
mended the subdivision of the parish, leaving the
townships of Walton, Bootle, and Kirkdale to the old
church. There was a parsonage house worth
4 2t. 4</. a year ; the tithes of the township they
valued at 6$ \^s. \d. The vicarage house, with its
yard, orchard and garden, was worth 3O/. 13

Bishop Gastrell about 1720 found the rectory
worth 400 a year, and the vicarage l oo ; Liverpool
had then been cut off from the parish. 14 The gross
value of the rectory is now stated as 1,400 ; " a large
part of the glebe has been covered with dwelling houses.

The rectory was divided by an Act of Parliament
passed in i843- 16

Cause of Vacancy

King John

Fairer, Land. Fife R. p. 269. The
words of the charter might imply that a
new dedication had been made; more prob-
ably they refer to the anniversary festival.
The gift was made for the benefactor, his
wife, and their little son Achard, whom he
had made a monk at Shrewsbury.
"Ibid. p. 271. There was a further

probably some compromise.
The Molyneuxes not being entitled to
present, owing to their religion, usually
sold the next presentations. On 29 Sep-
tember, 1675, Caryll Viscount Molyneux
and William his son and heir granted the
next presentation to Silvester Richmond

8 Lanes. Fife R. p. 290. This grant had
a confirmation from Richard I ; p. 299.
9 Lane. Church (Chet. Soc.), i, 112;

Tame of'rTugh, bishop of Lichneld', proves.
There had been an earlier dispute, when
the demesne tithes of Walton had been
resigned to Shrewsbury in an arbitration

nons, earl of Chester, and by Henry II in
1155; ibid. 277, 284.

to the church, then vacant, Nicholas de la
Hose granted to the abbot his presentation
for that turn ; Assize R. 1341, m. 26 J.
Probably Nicholas, who had newly received
the manor, thought that the advowson of
the church belonged to it. In 1292-3 the
abbot was called upon by the king to show
his right to the advowson, King John
having presented in time of peace (Plac.
de quo Warr. p. 605). Later still, in
1350, the church being vacant, John of
Gaunt, on behalf of the king, claimed the
presentation (De Bane. R. 362, m. 153).
8 On I June,- 1470, the abbot and
convent granted to John Dutton and other
trustees the advowson of Walton church,
80 being paid by Thomas Molyneux in
part payment. It being alleged that
Lord Stanley had a similar bargain
as to the advowson, it was expressly
declared that neither he nor any other man
had any promise or covenant about it,
'except such motions as the said Thomas
Lord Stanley had with our predecessor
that last deceased ; all which motions and

neuxes farmed considerable portions of
the Walton tithes, e.g. in 1639 they had
a lease of Sandfield Barn, West Derby
(Ibid. Bb, iii, 7).
Deeds relating to the sale to Sir William
Heathcote are enrolled in the Com. Pleas ;
Trin. and Mich. 21 Geo. II, R. 76, m.
48</. ; R. 82, m. 49; R. 83, m. 51.
Raines' notes in Gastrell, Notitia
Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 222.
John Leigh was a well-known lawyer
of Liverpool ; he was born at Appleton

inscription in Walton church!" Two'

rector was a grandson. His eldest son,
John Shaw Leigh, settled at Luton, and
died in 1871 ; his son, John Gerard
Leigh, died four years later, having
granted the advowson to his wife, after-
wards Madame de Falbe. She died in
1899, and Captain Henry Gerard Leigh
succeeded, but died in the following year.
John Leigh married a sister of Dr. James
(son of Richard) Gerard, who was for a
time the owner of Rainhill manor-house.
From information kindly furnished by the
Rev. Canon Leigh, lately rector.

Fife R. p. 276).
i" Pof, Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), p. 249.
Nonarum Inj. (Rec. Com.), p. 41.
The separate values were West Derby,
12 n,. 6J.; Walton, 6 121. 5 </. ;
Kirkby, 6 12,. S J. ; Formby with
Raven Meols and Ainsdale, i 15.. d. ;
Everton, z us. 8</. ; Kirkdale,
f3 6s. 8^.; Bootle with Linacre.
I IOJ. The glebe of the church was
worth 261. <)d. and small tithes and ob-
lations pertaining to the altarage 4.
" Yahr Ecd. (Rec. Com.), v, 221.
The lands, &c. brought in 361. lod. and
the tithes 75 8s. %d. The principal
charge was the fee of Thomas Mossock
the bailiff, 5. The vicar had the obla-
tions and small tithes. There is an
'extent' of the benefice made in 1561,
printed in Cb. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), p. 95 n.
Commonwealth Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), p. 81.
Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 221. A
paper at Croxteth of somewhat later date
estimates the parsonage house and 36
acres of glebe as worth 100 a year, and
the tithes 828. The curates of West
Derby, Formby, and Kirkby were paid

predecessor, were by his death void'
(Croxteth D. Bb, ii, 2-4).
A vacancy occurring in 1471 the abbot
of Shrewsbury proved his right to the pa-
tronage against the bishop of Lichfield and
Roger Walton (Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 38,
m. 20 ; Croxteth D. Bb, ii, 6). John Moly-
neux having been presented by the abbot,
the Stanleys put forward their claim, and

ii, 223-4. By this the rector nominated
the vicar, and the latter appointed the
curates of the several chapels ; but by

rectors. In 1715 the proportion of duty
to be performed by the rector and vicar
was settled. There was a second ordination
of the vicarage in the fifteenth century
(Lich. Epis. Reg. x, fol. 51).

Liver fool Dioc. Cal.
16 By this private act (6 and 7 Viet. cap.
1 6) West Derby became an independent

rK u7,'anc. C*. i. 1 12; also Wballey Coucbir
(Chet. Soc.), i, 40.
18 Lanes. Fife R. 354 ; Croxteth D. X.

James Stanley, clerk, should resign his
claim to the rectory, and allow John
Molyneux to enjoy it peaceably (Ibid.
Genl. i, 58). As a James Stanley was

pool Bishopric Act the vicar's income is
paid to the Eccles. Com. who give a pro-
portion of the combined rector's and vicar's
incomes to the bishop.

Church, i, 120. It is known that a
William, son of Robert, one of the king's
clerks, was presented to Walton by King
John; Plac. de quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 605.

WALTON ON THE HILL CHURCH
(From an Old Drawing)

OLD SCHOOLHOUSE, WALTON ON THE HILL

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

oc. 1 240
oc. 1272

4 June, 1311

22 April, 1319

23 Dec. 1328

5 Mar. 1330-1
14 Oct. 1349

31 Dec. 1356

2 NOV. 1409

5 J ul 7. H35
17 Dec. 1459
25 Sept. 1471
20 June, 1485
10 Aug. 1506

14 July, 1528

3 Jan. 1535-6

1543

Sept. 1557

15 Oct. 1565

'In 1240 WbMcy Coucher, ii, 581
(see also i, 143, ii, 490) ; in 1246, Assize
R. 404, m. i d. ; Dods. MS. xxxix, fol.
138, n. 4. He was married, probably
before his appointment to the rectory, and
his son William known as William de
JCirkdale, became rector of Sefton about
1280 ; see the account of Kirkdale.

a Wballey Coucber, ii, 585. From the
dispute as to the patronage it appears there
was a vacancy in 1273.

Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 59 b. The new

William de Walton l . . .
Robert 1

Mr. Thomas de Chorleton ' .
Mr. Ralph de Shrewsbury 4 .
Simon de Clopton 5 . . .
Thomas de Clopton "...
John de Bulkington ' .
Mr. Richard de Winwick 8 .
Richard de Stanley 9 . . .
Ralph de Stanley 10 . . .
Thomas Fairclough, D.D. " .
John Molyneux, M.A. '" . .
James Stanley, D. Can. L. " .
Richard Dudley, D.D. " . .
Mr. Edward Molyneux 15 .
Richard Gwent, LL.D. lc . .
Anthony Molyneux, D.D. 17 .
Anthony Molyneux 18 . . .
Alexander Molyneux I9

Presented by
Shrewsbury Abbey.

The bishop . . .
Shrewsbury Abbey
The king . . .
Shrewsbury Abbey.
T. and R. Molyneuj
Jas. Molyneux .
Sir W. Molyneux .

Sir R. Molyneux

WALTON

Cav.se of Vacancy

res. T. de Chorleton
res. R. de Shrewsbury
res. S. de Clopton
d. T. de Clopton
res. J. de Bulkington
d. R. de Winwick
res. R. de Stanley
d. R. de Stanley
d. T. Fairclough
d. J. Molyneux
res. J. Stanley
res. R. Dudley
d. E. Molyneux
(d. R. Gwent)
d. A. Molyneux

1408, and was buried in the cathedral, priest there, who died in 1498 ; Raines,
where a brass formerly commemorated Chantries (Chet. Soc.), ii, 176.

Desiderata Curiosa, viii, p. 22, n. 48. He also rector of Sefton and canon of Lich-
demised the rectory in 1368 for 1000 field ; he founded the chantry at Walton.

clerk. He was also warden of Manch. c'tc.,
and became bishop of Ely in 1 506. The
patrons were Thomas and Robert Moly-
neux, by grant of the abbot and convent
of Shrewsbury to them and others then
deceased. See Foster, Alumni Oxan.
14 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv. fol. 54 b ;

doubt acting as trustee. The Act Books

Liverpool ; De Bane. R. 450, m. 169 J.

In the Col. of Papal Letters are some
particulars concerning him. In 1350,
being in his twentieth year, he received
from Clement VI a dispensation to hold

the abbo't and convent of Shrewsbury were
not the true patrons.

In 1327, and subsequent years, he

bishop of Gap

elease of

patron; he was lord of the manor.

St. Mary Hall, Oxf. in^l soz^he" w^s
prebendary of London, Lincoln, and York ;
and died in 1536 ; Le Neve, Fasti, iii,
584, &c. ; Foster, Alumni.

15 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 636. He
was brother of the patron, and held Sefton
and other benefices ; on being instituted
to Walton he swore to pay the retiring
rector a pension of 80 a year, which
must have been nearly the full value.

" Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv. fol. 35. He
paid first-fruits 16 January; Lanes. andChei.
Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 407.

parishioners ; De Bane. R. 272, m. \t,d,
etc. At this time Dr. Thomas de Charl-
ton, canon of York, archdeacon of Wells
and Northumberland, and king's trea-
surer, was promoted by the pope to the
bishopric of Hereford ; Le Neve, Fasti, i,
461.

4 Croxteth D. Bb. ii, i, from the reg.
of Bp. Walter Langton. He presented
the vicar in 1327 ; Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol.
102. He was chancellor of the university
of Oxford in 1328, and became bishop of
Bath and Wells in the following year ;
Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 464 ; i, 137. There
it a notice of him in Diet. Nat. Biog.

* Lich. EpU. Reg. ii, fol. 104. He
was a clerk,' and in the following Feb.
had licence to study for seven years ac-
cording to the canon ; Ibid. fol. 104*.
He became canon of Lichfield, and died
in 1349 ; Le Neve, Fasti, i, 619, 636.

Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. io6A ; he ex-
changed with his predecessor, who became
rector of Ideshale (or Shifnal). See Eyton,
Shropshire, ii, 336. He also was a canon
of Lichfield until his death in 1349 ; Lc
Nee,Frf,i, 589,602.

1 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 124*; an
acolyte. His name appears as Bulketon on
presentation, and Bulkington later.

8 Croxteth D. Bb. ii, I ; he exchanged
the rectory of Nether Wallop with John
dc Bulkington. In January, 1356-7, a
dispensation for study was granted by the
bishop to Master Richard de Winwick,
rector of Walton, then a subdeacon ;
Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 1 5, 1 5* ; he was
ordained deacon four years afterwards ;
Ibid, v, fol. 82 b. He was brother and
executor of John de Winwick, rector of
Wigan, etc., and became canon of Lin-
coln about 1376 ; he died 12 December,

William Molyneux, clerk, a member of
his household, and Thomas de Eltonhead,
canon of Penkridge, who had been seized
and plundered in Vienne on their way
from the Roman court (then at Avignon),

William had been taken to the castle of
Sigoyer ; iv, 9. At the beginning of
1365 a safe conduct was granted them;
iv, 51.

Lich. Epis. Reg.'vii, fol. 9 8A ; he was
collated by the bishop, the benefice having
been vacant nearly a year, and is de-

1418, when he presented a vicar, but
became rector of Winwick in 1423. He
was also archdeacon of Chest.

archdeacon of London, Huntingdon, and
Brecknock, and held other dignities ; and
died in London 1543 ; Wood, Atkenae ;

ii, I ; but Ralph Stanley was rector as
early as 1427, according to Kuerden, ii,
fol. 245*, n. 1348.

Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, fol. 98; Henry VI
presented, the temporalities of the abbey
of Shrewsbury being in his hands.

On his appointment Dr. Fairclough com-

323, etc. His will is in P.C.C.

V He paid first-fruits 4 August, 1543.
He was also rector of Sefton. An account
of the ornaments of the church in 1552

which he found the church. In the
chancel the books, vestments, and other
ornaments were very defective, and in the
rectory house there were dilapidations,

rector. The bishop accordingly commis-
sioned Dr. Ralph Duckworth, vicar of
Prescot, and Edmund Farington, rector of
Halsall, to inquire into the matter, giving
them authority to sequestrate the goods
and revenues due to the late rector until

the preceding rector. An Anthony Moly-
neux was scholar of Corpus Christ! Coll.
Oxf. in 1555; B.A. 1558; Foster,
Alumni. From his refusal to appear at
the visitation in 1559 (Gee, Elizabethan
Clergy}, and his departure to beyond the
sea early in Elizabeth's reign it may per-
haps be inferred that he would not con-
form to the new religious order.

Chest. Dioc. Reg. He paid first-
fruits I November, 1564-5. He was a
younger son of Sir Richard Molyneux, the
patron. As he held the rectory for sixty-six

125.

Thomas Fairclough 'Doctor in De-
crees,' was prayed for at Standish as a
benefactor of Robert Pilkington, chantry

his appointment. In 1591 he was
described as unlearned and not used to

Ktnvon MSS. p. 601. His wife Elizabeth

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Institution

i Feb. 1630-1

?{-}'

c. 1645

13 Oct. 1655

5 Sept. 1660

9 Nov. 1671
10 April, 1690

6 April, 1722
25 Oct. 1768

8 Feb. 1803

14 June, 1847
23 Jan. 1868

3 June, 1884
27 April, 1906

Thomas Legh, D.D. 1 .
Andrew Clare, D.D. 1 .

Presented by

. . Sir P. Legh . . .
(Lord Molyneux .
' \Theking . . .

William Ward, M.A. S

Robert Eaton 4 The Protector . .

John Heywood, D.D. 5 . . .

Cause of Vacanc
d. A. Molyneux

Id. T. Legh

Earl and Countess of

Southampton

Countess of Southampton.

d. J. Heywood

Dr. S. Richmond . . .

d. T. Pawlet

Earl of Cardigan . . .

d. R. Richmond

Earl of Macclesfield . .

d. S. Richmond

Sir W. Heathcote . . .

d. H. Heathcote

Jn. Shaw Leigh . . .

d. S. Heathcote

...

d. T. G. Leigh

Madame de Falbe . . .

d. R. Leigh

res. J. G. Leigh

Thomas Pawlet, B.D. 6 . . .

Richard Richmond, M.A. 7 . .

Silvester Richmond, M.A. 8 . .

Henry Heathcote, M.A. 9 . .

Samuel Heathcote, M.A. 10 . .

Thomas Gerard Leigh, M.A. 11 .

Richard Leigh, M.A. 1 ' . . .
James Gerard Leigh, M.A. 13 .
George Hardwicke Spooner, M.A. 1 '

The following have been vicars ; they have always been presented by the rect
Institution Name Presented by

3 May, 1327 John de Walton u

27 Dec. 1329 Thomas de Knigh ton 16 ....
10 Jan. 1348-9 John de Eccleshall "

was buried at Walton 26 Dec. 1614, and Walton ... and to officiate the cure This

he himself was buried there i Feb.
1630-1 ; a note by the vicar in the

of Vacancy

res. J. de Sutton
d. Thomas

Walton ... and to officiate the cure This rector, in conjunction with his

there'; Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Soc. son as vicar, made strenuous efforts to

Lanes, and Ches.), i, i, 143. He signed increase the money value of the rectory by

that he 'gave to the poor the ' Harmonious Consent ' in 1648, and claiming tithes for agistment, potatoes, and

free school wages of Walton 20, and
his theology books to the vicar for his

I March, 1654-5, according to the registers.

diminishing. There are at Croxteth papers

life and to the rectors succeeding succes-

4 The rectory of Walton standing

concerning these claims.

for aye ' ; Waltm Reg. (Lanes. Par. Reg.

thereof,' His Highness nominated Mr.

at Queen's Coll. Oxf., M.A. 1799;

Soc.), i, 126.

Robert Eaton, who from that time acted

Foster, Alumni. He resided chiefly in

There occurs in 157? a presentation by

as rector ; Plund. Mini. Accts, ii, 93, 208.

Hants, and about 1 803 counsel's opinion

the queen to the rectory of Walton, in

He was of Cambridge, but created M.A.

was sought as to the obligation of resi-

consequence of which William Haworth,
'preacher of the word of God,' was insti-

at Oxford in 1653 ; Foster, Alumni. On
the Restoration Robert Eaton attempted

dence. It was stated : ' Since the pur-
chase by the Heathcote family, the

caused Rector Molyneux to make search in

being issued on i 3 August, 1660, appoint-

rectory have been considered as the

tion. Nothing appears to have resulted

He became chaplain to Lord Delamere

first Sir William gave it to one of hit

from Haworth's institution, for next year

and died in Manch. in 1701 ; Foster,

younger sons, and the present Sir William

queen's mandate is at Chest.

Lane:. Nonconf. iii, 218, 288.
6 The countess of Southampton, patron,

William when he gave the rectory to his
son, Mr. Samuel Heathcote, the now

given from n th'e U instit S ution books, P.R.O.

was widow of Richard Lord Molyneux.

rector, had no idea that the duty of resi-

as printed in Lane:, and Ches. Antiq.

The new rector was educated at Corpus

dence was in any degree obligatory, and

Notes. There are good accounts of the

Christi Coll. Oxf. being elected fellow;

it would be extremely inconvenient, and

modern rectors, etc. in Baincs, Lanes, (ed.

Croston), v. 100-103.

For his pedigree see Dugdalc, Visit. (Chet.

enjoyments of the family were Mr.

Dr. Legh, who paid his first-fruits

Soc.), 140. A grant by the crown was

Samuel Heathcote obliged to reside at so

in Hampshire'; Walton papers in

Chester Dioc. Reg.

of Sefton ; Foster, Alumni Oxon. The

The Act Books at Chest, assign the same

11 A younger brother of the patron.

Leghs of Lyme descend from him.

reason for the vacancy ; they give the

Educated at Brasenose Coll. Oxf., M.A.

a He paid first-fruits 24 Sept. 1639.

reason of the minority of the patron,

6 One of this name was fellow of Trin.

previously rector of Halsall ; educated at

Viscount Molyneux. Dr. Clare was of

Coll. Camb. ;M.A. 1665.

Brasenose Coll. Oxf., M.A. 1835 ; Foster,
Alumni

M.A. 1624 ; rector of Ickenham, 1635 ;

Silvester Richmond, M.D. ; he was also

I* Madame de Falbe, wife of the

Foster, Alumni. Being a staunch royalist

rector of Sefton. Of Brasenose Coll.

Danish ambassador, presented as widow

he was expelled from his rectory by

Oxf. ; M.A., 1678 ; Foster, Alumni.

of John Gerard Leigh. Canon Leigh is

the Parl. and went abroad, John

Evelyn noting that he preached before

Fishwick, Hist, of Garstang (Chet. Soc.).

educated at Christ Church, Oxf., M.A.

Charles II in Sir Richard Brown's chapel

8 Lord Cardigan was patron for Lord

1871; vicar of Maghull, 1 869 ; hon. canon

in Paris on 12 November, 1651, 'the

Molyneux's life by purchase ; Gastrell,

of Liverpool, 1892; rector of Halsall.

first Sunday His Majesty came to chapel

after his escape' from Worcester. His

of the preceding, and had been vicar for

M.A. 1876; formerly vicar of Lither-

wife had an allowance of a fifth from the

two years. Of Brasenose Coll. Oxf., M.A.

land (1879) and rector of Woolton (1885).

rectory of Walton ; Commonwealth Ch.
Surv. 82, etc.

1719 ; Foster, Alumni.
The earl of Macclesfield was patron

Hon. canon of Liverpool 1896; arch-
deacon of Warrington, 1906.

He had been rector of Warrington

for a term of years. Henry Heath-

Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 102. Probably

from 1621. On 18 March, 1644-5, the

cote was a brother-in-law and cousin,

the 'John de Sutton' named at the ap-

committee of the Assembly of Divines for

being son of Sir William Heathcote by

pointment of the next vicar.

" Ibid, ii, fol. 104*.

examine his fitness ' to have the seques-

was educated at Exeter Coll. Oxf., M.A.

ir ibid, ii, fol. 123.

tration of the rectory and church of

1759; Foster, Alumni.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Institution
1 6 April, 1350
23 Feb. i 350-1
2 April, 1364
oc. 1391-4 .
l Mar. 1404-5
3 Oct. 1418

Name
John de Barre'
Richard de Sutton 8
William del Hall J
Roger Winter 4
John de Wollaton 6
John Ironmonger 6

26 June, 1455
oc. 1472 . .

Thomas Blackburne
William Whittingham ' . . . .
William Bolton 8

6 Aug. 1511
2 May, 1528
1550 . .

Ralph Radcliffe
Thomas Norris, B.A. 10 ....
Thomas Allen "

oc. 1562 . .
oc ic6c

John Finch"
Robert Halsall ls

Mar. 1571-2
2 Dec. 1586
9 May, 1624
30 July, 1654
29 Jan. 1662-3
7 Sept. 1665
i Aug. 1720
7 Nov. 1722
28 Aug. 1757
13 April, 1780
1 4 Nov. 1788
5 Sept. 1816
1 1 Mar. 1 844
21 Dec. 18^.7

William Hesketh "
Peter Hey 15
Nevill Kay, B.A."
Henry Finch l?
John Walton, M.A. 18
Thomas Marsden, B.D. 19 ....
Silvester Richmond, M.A. 80 . . .
Thomas Brooke, M.A." ....
Richard Richmond, LL.B." . . .
Miles Atkinson, B.A."
Henry Heathcote, B.D. 24 ....
Thomas Moss, M.A."
Thos. Gerard Leigh, M.A.' 5 . . .
Thomas Hornbv. M.A." .

resented by

WALTON

Cause of Vacancy
res.J. de Eccleshall
res. J. de Barre
d. R. de Sutton

d. T. Blackburne

d. W. Bolton
d. R. Raddiffe

d. T. Marsden
res. S. Silvester
d. T. Brooke
d. Bp. Richmond
res. M. Atkinson
res. H. Heathcote
d. T. Moss
res. T. G. Leigh

The list of clergy calls for little comment ; some of that besides the pluralist rector, the vicar, and five

the pre-Reformation clergy, like Ralph de Shrewsbury, chantry priests one at Walton and four at Liverpool

were men of note ; of the later Dr. Clare seems the there were four others attached to the parish, two

most distinguished. being paid by the vicar, and probably serving Formby,

From the Clergy List of I54I 28 it would appear Kirkby, and West Derby chapels, and two living

a priest.
'Ibid, ii, fol. 128; the vacancy was

and Formby.
" Chest. Dioc. Reg. \

f Sodor and Man in 1753, retaining
Valton. He was educated at St. John's

dean of Warrington in 1354; Assize R.
436.
Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 8ii ; he was
presented by John de Ashton and William
son of Adam de Liverpool, proxies of
R. de Winwick, the rector.
4 He is mentioned as vicar in 1391 ;

begin with his appointment. \
" He was no doubt a Puritan, append- C
ing his name to the ' Harmonious Con- v
sent 'of 1 648. He was buried at Walton
15 June, 1654, as appears from the
registers.
" In Plund. Mim. Accts. ii, 208, the

iteresting account of him, chiefly from
V. Cole, in the Admissions to St. John's
allege (ed. Scott), iii, 120, 561-3, in
hich it is stated that he was an eloquent
eacher, and in 1764 published Party
rmons and Discourses. Cole says : ' His
ther was always necessitous. The son
as of St. John's College, but never

Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle 3, m. 22.

ber, 1657 ; but in the registers it is stated

3 LL.D. degree, and lived in college in

Richard Jankinson of Little Woolton

1633, succeeded in 1654 ; Waltan Reg. i,

rrowing money of any one who had it

John Wolton, lately vicar of Walton ' ;
Moore D. n. 576.
Lich. Epis. Reg. viii, fol. 20. John
Ironmonger was still vicar of Walton in
1444 ; Croxteth D. Bb, i, 16.
7 Lich. Epis. Reg. xi, fol. 38*.
8 He occurs in 1472 in Harl. MS.

21 12, fol. 122, B. 210.

Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 56*.
The Act Books at Chester give the date
21 July, 1511.
10 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 6 3 i.
" He paid his first-fruits 3 July, 1550 ;
Land, and Ches. Rec. ii, 408. He ap-
peared at the visitation of 1554.
" He appeared at the visitations of
1562 and 1563 ; on the latter occasion he
was ill. John Finch became rector of
Sefton in 1564.

of Birch Hall, and assisted Calamy with
his account of the ejected clergy. Diet.
Nat. Biag.
>8 Of Brasenose Col. Oxf., M.A. 1642 ;
Foster, Alumni.
He was a correspondent of Roger
Kenyon's, and several of his letters are
printed in Kenyan MSS. (Hist.MSS.Com.) ;
he is also frequently mentioned in N.
Blundell's Diary. He was appointed one
of the king's preachers in 1 690. He was
educated at Brasenose Coll. Oxf. during
the Commonwealth regime ; M.A. 1661 ;
Foster, Alumni ; Wood, Athtnae, ii, 817 ;
M.A. at Camb. coaitiii regiis, 1690. I
80 Son of the rector, whom he succeeded a
in 1722.
l Son of Sir Thomas Brooke, of Nor-
ton Priory ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), e

reel in the Strand and (was) buried in
lat parish church, quite insolvent, as I
m informed.' See also Moore, Sodor and
an, 247-51.
*> Of Peterhouse, Camb., B.A. 1763.
e became vicar of Kippax, near Leeds,
st minister of St. Paul's Church, Leeds,
93, and lecturer at the parish church ;
died in ign. There is a portrait of
m in Whitaker, Loidis and Elmete, 69.
* Son of the rector. Educated at Wad-
m Coll. Oxf., M.A. 1791 ; B.D. 1802 ;
oster, Alumni.
* Of University Coll. Oxf., M.A. 1789.
oster, Alumni. He had been ' lecturer '
t St. John's, Liverpool.
26 Succeeded to the rectory.
V Son of Thomas Hornby of Kirkham ;
ducated at Christ Church, Oxford ; M.A.
828 Foster, Alumni. He died 22 Dec.

1565. In his will, proved at Chester in
1 572, he is described as ' vicar of Walton ' ;
he bequeathed 401. to Walton church and

M.A. 1720. He was also rector of I
St. Mary's, Chest., from 1737 to 1744 ;
Earwaker, St. Mary's, 95.

Sgo, the vicarage becoming extinct.
Printed by the Rec. Soc. of Lanes.
nd Ches. Mia. iii, 15.
2

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

de stipite. The visitation list of 1548 does not men-
tion the rector, but records the vicar and eleven
others, including the five cantarists and two of those
in the 1541 list. In 1554 the rector was absent,
three of the foregoing clergy were dead, one was absent,
another denied he was curate, and the vicar and four
others seem to have been in charge ; three had been
chantry priests at Walton and Liverpool, while the
other had migrated from Huyton. In 1562 the
rector appeared by proxy and the curate in person ;
another priest was absent, and the only other men-
tioned was the Formby chaplain. Thus it seems clear
that the services at Kirkby and West Derby were only
performed irregularly, as those at Liverpool would have
to be kept up by the curate of the parish church.
In the following year the rector was ' beyond the
sea,' the vicar was ill, but the curates at Liverpool
and Formby appeared. In 1565 again the rector
did not appear, the Liverpool curate's name is crossed
out, he having probably resigned, and the vicar seems
to have been in sole charge of this vast parish, with
its church and four chapels. 1 In 1590 the only
'preacher' in the parish was at Liverpool, the rector
and vicar of Walton and minister at Kirkby not
being such.* About 1610 the rector seems to have
been non-resident, the vicar was ' no preacher ' and
the four chapels, including Liverpool, were ' supplied
with reading ministers.' 3

Under the Commonwealth an improvement was
manifest, the chapels-of-ease being attended to, and
the rector and vicar being 'godly, able ministers."

The effect of the Restoration was to bring back the
old order to some extent ; the existing rector's pre-
sentation was judged invalid, and he was displaced in
1 660 ; two years later the vicar was expelled for non-
conformity, and Liverpool, which had been made a
separate parish, was reunited with Walton until 1699.
During the last century the parish has been divided
into a large number of separate districts, each with it&
own church and clergy.

At Walton church there was only one regu-
larly endowed chantry ; it had been founded by
Mr. John Molyneux, rector from 1471 to 1485,
and part of the endowment was a charge of
1 3/. 4^. on the rectory ; various lands brought in
4O/. additional. 5

Nothing further is known of the chapel of St. Pau-
linus mentioned in some thirteenth and fourteenth
century deeds. 6

A grammar school was founded in or before 1613.
For the charities of the whole
CHARITIES parish there is no report later than
that of 1828; but official inquiries
were made in 1901 and 1903 for those portions not
included within the county boroughs of Liverpool and
Bootle. 7 Walton township shared several charities
with adjoining parts of the parish ;" the principal is
that of Thomas Fazakerley, who in 1696 gave several
closes of land in West Derby for the benefit of the
poor of Walton, Fazakerley, and West Derby. 9 There
are a number of endowments for the poor of Formby,
and some have been lost. 10 Kirkby has some special

1 These facts are from the visit, lists in
the bishop's registry at Chest.

' Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 249, quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv. n. 4.

* Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.),
13. A 'reading minister' was a lay-
Evening Prayer. At the visit, of 1609
one Proudlove was a 'preacher' at

Fish Street, but out of the rent they were
to pay 54*. a year to the churchwardens of
Walton, 521. for the provision of white
bread for twelve poor persons each Sun-
day, and 2J. to the churchwardens for
their pains ; also a further 501. to ' two

but may soon be required for building.
Bread is still distributed weekly at Walton
church. About 12 a year is given to
each of the three participating townships
and distributed to the poor.

tltbCb.Sur-v.Zl.

' Vahr Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 221 ;
Robert Kirkby, priest. Raines, Chant.
(Chet. Soc.), 80 ; Robert Fazakerley,
priest. There was no plate. In Canon
Raines' notes is a detailed account of
the founder's funeral expenses.

The chantry lands were given by Queen
Mary to the 'Savoy Hospital, which she
refounded ; they were leased to the Ander-
tons of Lostock ; Anderton D. (C.
Stonor), . 8, 10.

Kuerden MSS. (Coll. of Arms), iii,
W 10, n. 13, I, 10 ; ranging from 1240
to 1325.

1 According to the 1828 report there
were no charities for Everton ; Kirkdale
and Bootle shared in some of the Walton
ones, as mentioned below.

8 Benefactions amounting to 100, left
between 1630 and 1735, had been lost
before 1828.

Ellen Johnson alias Jameson in 1775
left a charge of 201. on a house in Tithe-
barn Street, Liverpool, of which Walton
and Bootle were each to have 31., and
Kirkdale and Fazakerley 21. each. The
house was sold to the corporation for im-
provements, and the rent-charge was then
doubled, i still being paid by the cor-
poration to the rector of Walton, who
distributes it according to the will.

Thomas Berry, by his will of 1601, left
the Red Cross tenement in Edward
street, Southwark, to the rector and
churchwardens of St. Mary Magdalen, Old

which 305. was to be spent on a dinner
every St. Thomas's day in his brother
James's then dwelling-house in Bootle,
for all the householders and married
people of the said town as should please
to come thither,' and 201. for a supper for
the young people. In 1828 4 ICM. was
received by the vicar of Walton ; 2 7..

mainder was distributed in money doles to
poor persons in Bootle.

Edward Tarleton in 1698 left 50 for
the poor of Walton and Liverpool ; in
1828 the capital was in the hands of the
corporation of Liverpool, and 121. 6</. as

on and

1 749, which sums were used to defray the
debt on Formby church. The above
charities were lost in 1869, when church
rates were abolished, the interest having
been paid out of them. The township,
however, should have taken steps to rein-
itate the capital. Richard Marsh and
eys for the poor, which

the

: W.,

1 given to the poor.

1 The closes were called Robert

v, Wheat hey, Rye hey, Ellin.

ere,

Cropps acre ; the present name is Stone-
crop farm. Out of the rent i 2 was to
be paid for an annual sermon, a weekly
distribution of bread, and otherwise for
the benefit of the poor ' of the communion
of the Church of England ' alone. If the

tions were to be made. In 1828 the rent
was 35, and the whole, not merely the
12, was paid to the officers of the three
vnships for separate distribution among

the

poor, after 52

had

deducted for the bread, 211. for the annual
sermon on St. Thomas's day, and 131. 6d.
for expenses. The money was given in
sums of 31. to 201. In 1873 a portion of
the land was taken for the West Derby
sewage farm, and is represented by 402
consols ; the remainder is let for 30,

in 1828 produced 6 18.. a year. Part
of this was received from the poor rate,
and has not been paid for fifty years ; but
3 a year, representing 50 lent to the
corporation of Liverpool, is still received
by the overseers, and divided among poor
women, mostly widows.

The Rev. Richard Formby in 1825 left
85 for New Testaments, tracts, &c., to
be distributed in the neighbourhood ; the

Prayer-books as prizes in the girls'
school.

John Sutton in 1833 left a small sum
for a bread distribution at Formby church
to such of the Protestant poor as should
be most regular in attendance on public
worship. No interest has been drawn
since 1873 ; the Rev. Lonsdale Formby
advanced the 31. a
al dole, intending to
eimburse himself. He did not do so,
and since his death no distribution of
bread has taken place.

Margaret Goore Brown, widow, in
1848 left 500 for bread and clothing for
the poor, irrespective of religious denomi-
nation ; the interest has in recent time*

Mary Livesley in 1850 left 10 to the

is supposed to have
year for the annual

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

benefactions, 1 and shares with West Derby in the
apprenticing funds of 167 a year arising from
donations of Eleanor Gleast and Thomas Aspe. 2
West Derby itself has a few special endowments. 3 In
connexion with the Old Toxteth chapel there was, in
1828, a sum of 2 a. year available for the poor. 4

WEST DERBY

Derbei, Dom. Bk. West Derbi, 1 177.

This township extends over four miles from north
to south, and three and a half from east to west, having
3 total area of 6,203 acres. 5 A portion of it was taken
within the municipal borough of Liverpool as early as
1835;' and the greater part of the remainder in
1895 ; r the rural division outside Liverpool contains
2,594 acres. The population of the whole in 1901

WALTON

was 1 32,669, only 2,1 19 belonging to the part outside
the city.

The portion absorbed by Liverpool in 1835 formed
a ward of the borough, known as West Derby Ward ;
this was in 1895 divided into three Low Hill, Ken-
sington, and Edge Hill, while the portion then freshly
included was divided into two wards Fairfield and
West Derby ; the division between them being the
railway from Edge Hill to the Bootle docks. The
rural portion of the township is governed by a parish
council. 8

In the eighteenth century the township was divided
into four quarters : Woodside, on the east ; Town row,
embracing the village and the north-west portion ; Low
Hill, on the border of Liverpool ; and Ackers End, the
Old Swan district. 9

The township lies on the edge of the open country,
where the smoke-laden air of the city is exchanged

incumbent and wardens of Formby Pro-
testant church for the benefit of the poor.
The fund, in charge of the late Rev.
Lonsdale Formby, was productive till
1892, when he became dangerously ill ;
the place of its deposit has not been
discovered.
The late Arthur Ashton gave 500, as
a memorial of his wife, for the poor
of St. Luke's ecclesiastical district ; and

suage and lands in West Derby, which in
1828 produced 25 a year, for the bind-
ing of a poor child apprentice, Kirkby
and West Derby sharing equally; the
Woodside quarter of the latter township
was that intended to be benefited. Eleanor
Gleast in 1699 devised land in Page
Moss, also a rent-charge of 401. out of
Henshaw's fields and Button's field, for

in 1894 by Henry Yates Thompson, then
owner, ioS being invested in Govern-
ment stock ; the other rent-charge has
also been redeemed by the transfer of
28 India Stock to the official trustees.
The income, ] us. 4^., is distributed
weekly at St. Mary's church in loaves to
four poor persons, members of the Church
of England. The rector of Walton pays
the 1 for Stone's charity, but the land
charged is not exactly known. It is dis-

accordingly.
1 A rent-charge of 10 on an estate
formerly belonging to Nehemiah Cowley at
Billinge, in 1 828 to his son Thomas Cow-

and township of West Derby. These
charities have always been administered
together, after the moiety of Aspe's be-
quest had been allowed for Kirkby. In

of Smarley's bequest is now given by the
rector in Bibles and Prayer-books to
children attending the Sunday-school.

incumbent, who gives <) to the schools
and i to the St. Thomas's day dole.
William Fleetwood left a charge of 2.
for the poor on his estate at Kirkby (be-
longing in 1828 to John Johnson).
Lawrence Pickup of Liverpool left 10
for poor people of Kirkby being Protes-
tants and attending the chapel of Kirkby.
The Rev. William Mount, incumbent,
left 20 for the poor of Kirkby and

unexpended balances, the income being

New arrangements were made between
1862 and 1864, separate bodies of trustees
for Kirkby and West Derby being ap-
pointed by the Charity Commissioners ;
the balance then amounted to 1,400.
A fresh scheme was made in 1903. The
Aspe estate consists of a messuage and

left 200 for the West Derby poor, but
only half of this sum was received, the

united with that derived from a bequest
by Adam Dugdale, of Dovecot House, who
in 1839 left 100 for the benefit of the
poor, being members of the Church of
England. The income is paid in food of
the value of 31. weekly, to four poor
widows.

Simonswood. These benefactions are
united as the St. Thomas's day dole.

house and land at Page Moss, let at 45

others for ' a preaching Protestant ortho-
dox minister' at the chapel included also

Lord Sefton, who pays the 2 rent-charge.
Sums of IOJ. and 201. for the other gifts
were paid out of the rates until 1849,
when payment ceased. From 1863 to
1897 payment from the constable rate was
resumed ; at present the voluntary church
rate is charged with them. Attendance

The 20 left by Mr. Mount was used for
roofing the chapel, and in 1828 the 201.
was paid out of the chapel rate.

Henshaw's field ; a rent-charge of 101.
out of Button's field, now divided into
numerous building plots; and 3,210
consols, producing 80 5,. d. The
income is still employed in apprenticing,
but the number of applications is decreas-
ing ; the candidates must be Protestants

is paid to the limitation of Aspe's bequest
to the Woodside quarter, partly because
the bounds are not accurately known.

50 for poor housekeepers. In 1828 2
was paid, as the interest of this, to a very
aged woman, mother of the chapel clerk.
5 The Census report of 1901 gives the
area in Liverpool as West, 675 acres;
East, 2,936 acres, including 14 acres inland
water; that of the rural portion being 2,594
acres, including 8 of inland water ; total,
6,201; acres.
6 The boundaries were settled bv 1 1
Geo. IV and i Will. IV, cap. 15.

of a house and lands at Arkholme for the

West Derby chapel every Sunday. One

was in 1 860 adopted by the township i.e.
except the portion which had been taken

and six of Simonswood. Their father
had died intestate, but he had intended to
make this gift. The rent-charge was
redeemed in 1883, and is represented by
333 consols, producing 8 6s. 8</. a
year. Eliza Alice Cort in 1869 left 300
for fuel and clothing for the poor of
Kirkby and Simonswood ; this produces
7 1 51. 8/. a year.
Robert Dudgeon of Liverpool in 1858
left money for a coal fund and for alms-
houses. The bequests were void in law,
but the executor paid 8 a year to the

charged with i a year to the poor of
West Derby. James Woods in 1678 left
money for four weekly loaves ; in 1828
17.. 4</. was received for this charity out
of Chapel croft. Elizabeth Smarley in
1780 left 60 for the provision of Bibles
and Common Prayer-books ; she also left
/? 51. a year for a schoolmistress at
West Derby, but this was void in law.
Andrew Mercer in 1689 charged land
with 3 a year for a bread charity, but
he probably revoked it, as nothing further

The local board became an urban dis-
trict council in 1894, which was in 1895
dissolved by the extension of Liverpool.
Among the works undertaken by the
local board was the sewage farm in Fazak-
erley.
A valuation book compiled in 1750
shows that Croxteth Hall, Finch Lane, and
Ackers Hall were in Woodside ; Club
Moor, Tue Brook, and the Village in
Town Row ; Old Swan, Knotty Ash, and
Broad Green in Ackers End, as were
West Derby Mill and the Old Parsonage.

of 305, and his executors have since
continued it.

are now administered together. The
rent-charge on Thingwall was redeemed
II

lying between Old Swan and Broad Green,
now part of Highfield House estate.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

for the fresher breezes which blow over open fields
and through masses of foliage. True, there is hardly
a break in the long line of houses from the city to the
village of West Derby, but the larger houses set amidst
gardens and paddocks are separated by airy spaces and
are overshadowed by trees. The country is very flat,
and has, except in the far east, the unmistakable stamp
of suburbanism. In the easterly direction are the
plantations and grounds of Croxteth Hall ; in the
north is open land which was once mossland, a large
cemetery being a conspicuous object in the level
country. South and west are more crowded with
houses, where such suburban neighbourhoods as Knotty
Ash, Broad Green, and Old Swan are situated. The
old-fashioned village of West Derby still presents a
countrified aspect in spite of the advent of electric
cars, and clusters principally about the gates of Croxteth
Park. The open ground is chiefly pasture, but crops
of corn and potatoes are raised in a loamy soil.

The geological formation is mostly the new red
sandstone or trias, consisting of pebble beds of the
bunter series on the west and in the centre, alternating
with the upper mottled sandstone of the same series
between the centre and the west, recurring on the
eastern side, except where a small area of the coal
measures crops up in Croxteth Park. These alternat-
ing areas of different formation extend through the
township and beyond from north-west to south-east.

The map of 1768 ' shows how the town has grown
up. At that time the principal road out of Liverpool,
leading to Prescot and Warrington, ascended eastward, 1
by Cheetham's Brow, to Low Hill, and went onward *
with fields on either side for about two miles to the

Old Swan Inn, 4 which has since given name to the
hamlet around it.

At the ' Old Swan ' the road divided. The main
track, as Prescot Lane, went north-east, passing Knotty
Ash, 6 a small hamlet, near which the Dovecote was
built. 6 The other track, as Petticoat Lane, 7 went
east to Broad Green, then a small hamlet round a
triangular space.

To the south of Prescot Road another led eastward
from Liverpool. At the foot of the hill it divided,
one road bending towards Low Hill, 8 the other going
direct to the top of the hill, where was a large open
space called Greenfield. 9 Here again the road divided,
Edge Lane 10 running parallel to the Prescot Road, while
the other road " led to Wavertree, passing Wavertree
Hall " on the north side. Smithdown Lane " led south-
ward, near the Liverpool and Toxteth boundary, to-
wards Allerton.

To the north of the Prescot Road a third road ran
eastward ; it was then called Rake Lane, 14 and formed
for some distance the boundary between this township
and Everton. After passing the Upper Breck, 15 the
road, as Rocky Lane, descended the hill, 16 and then
crossed Tue Brook, 17 which here gives its name to the
neighbourhood. From the crossing Green Lane 18 led
away to the ' Old Swan.' The main road 19 led upward
to the Mill-house, near which had stood the ancient
Derby windmill, Lark Hill M lying to the north. As
Mill Lane the road then descended to the village with
its ancient chapel," being further prolonged, as Castle
Lane, in the direction of Croxteth Hall.

At the village cross-roads led south-east to Town Row,
from which Deys Lane " branched off; and north-west

1 Printed in Enfield's Liverpool. Some
notes have been added from Sherriff's map,
181 6, reprinted 1823.
2 This portion is now called Prescot
Street. In Harper Street at the top are

ticoat Lane was May Place, now a reform-

8 Now Fairclough Lane. This and the
neighbouring streets have now become a
crowded Jewish quarter.

" In and near are the old Local Board
offices, a pumping station for the Liver-
pool waterworks, a bathing place, a free
library (the gift of Mr. Andrew Carnegie),
a Council school and an electric general-

the cells, with chains, etc. still exist un-
derneath.
3 Now called Kensington and Prescot
Road. On the north side in 1816 stood
the house of Dr. Solomon, proprietor of a
then famous medicine called the ' Balm of
Gilead.' On the south side the corporation
of Liverpool have formed Jubilee Gar-
dens, a recreation ground. Further on,
at the north side of the road, is Newsham
Park ; the Yellow House (1617) formerly

district called Fairfield. Beyond Fairfield
is Stanley, where is the principal cattle
market for Liverpool ; it was formerly
owned by a private company, but has been
acquired by the corporation.
Formerly the inn was called the 'Three
Swans.' A rival 'Swan' having been

closed and built upon, but a triangular
portion, presented to the corporation, forms
a recreation ground.
10 It is the lane near the edge or border
of the township. About the middle it
Edge Lane Hall, formerly the residence of
John Shaw Leigh, and now the property
of the corporation. The Exhibitions of
1886 and 1887 were held in the grounds.
Now Wavertree Road.
" The house was originally built by John
Plumbe, afterwards lord of the manor of
Uplitherland, about 1715, and is frequently
mentioned in N. BlundeU's Diary. In
1823 it was the residence of Charles
Lawrence, a West India merchant, first
chairman of the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway. It was acquired by the corpora-

known as Stonycroft.
19 A house here has the inscription
'I 1615 M.' The initials probably stand
for John Mercer ; see Trans. Hi,t. Soc.
(New Ser.), xii, 186.
"0 Lark Hill was built by Jonathan
Blundell about 1777, and sold in 178+
to Richard Heywood, banker, whose de-
scendants still own it. For an account of
this branch of the Heywood family, de-
scended from Nathaniel Heywood, the non-
conforming vicar of Ormskirk ejected in
1662, see Trans. Hist. Soc. xxx, 163 ; and
Burke, Landed Gentry : Heywood Jones
of Badsworth Hall.
* A cross marks the position of the old
chapel. The court-house, built about 1663,
stands close by. The village pound, in

guished itself in 1824.. A 'street rail-

Two guns captured at Sebastopol stand at

has been converted into a garden, and an

Old Swan, as an experiment.
5 At Knotty Ash there is a well-known
brewery.

join and have an entrance from Edge Lane.
13 The name preserves the Esmedune of
Domesday Book. It was frequently spelled

the long and happy reign of Queen Victoria
and the Coronation of King Edward VII
this site of the ancient pound of the Dukes

Boulton's stood near, and Ackers mill and
hall, now a farmhouse.
^ In the angle between Petticoat Lane,
now Broadgreen Road, and Prescot Lane
was Oakhill, built in 1773 by Richard
Watt, afterwards of Speke. Further to
the east is Highfield, earlier called Stap-
lands ; this was built about 1763, and was
in 1775 and later the residence of Char-
lotte, Dowager Duchess of Athole and
heiress of Man. On the south side of Pet-

Spekelands, the residence of Thomas Earle
in 1823 ; see the account of Allerton.
" Now West Derby Road. Here from
1833 were the Zoological Gardens.
15 The house stood in the present Sheil
Park.
"This portion is mostly in Walton
township. Newsham Park, with the Sea-
man's Orphanage, lies on the south side.
This brook flows north to join the
Alt.

of West Derby was enclosed and planted
and the VilUgc Stocks set herein, Easter,
1904.'
M Deysbrook Lane. In it is Summer
Vale, now Deysbrook, in 1833 the resi-
dence of Henry Blundell Hollinshead,
and late the property of his descendant
Col.HenryBlundell-Hollinshead-Blundell,
C.B. The name of John le Deye occurs
at West Derby in 1332; Exch. Lay
S**,. p. 9.

TUE BROOK HOUSE, LARKHILL

CROXTETH HALL : SOUTH-WEST VIEW

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

past New Hall in Carr Lane to Walton village. Carr
Lane was a continuation of a road from Liverpool
which crossed the Tue Brook at Club Moor, 1 and went
deviously onward to Kirkby. In this part of the
township are now the hamlet of Dog and Gun, with
the West Derby Cemetery, opened 1884, to the west,
and the district called Gill Moss. From Derby mill
mentioned above a lane led south past Blackmoor
Moss.' A little to the east stood the Round House,
otherwise known as Sandfield. 3

The roads above described continue to be the main
thoroughfares. Most of them are traversed by the
Liverpool tramway system, which facilitates access to
the village, as also to Old Swan and Knotty Ash,
where there is a junction with the South-west Lanca-
shire tramway system. The London and North-
Western Company's line outward from Liverpool
passes through the township, the important station of
Edge Hill being situated within it ; the original
terminus (1830) of the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway was a little distance away, in Crown Street.
The same company's branch line from Edge Hill to
Bootle, formed about 1866, has stations at Edge Lane,
Stanley, Tue Brook, and Breck Road, opened in 1870.
The Cheshire Lines Committee's Southport Railway
also passes through, more to the east, with stations at
Knotty Ash and West Derby, opened in 1884.

WEST DERBY was the capital manor
MANOR of the hundred, to which it gave name.
As a royal manor it stands first in
Domesday Book in the description of the land
'Between Ribble and Mersey,' and with its six
berewicks was assessed at four hides ; there was land
for fifteen ploughs ; and a forest two leagues long and
one broad, with an aery of hawks. King Edward
held it in 1066, and by the Conqueror it was given

WALTON

to Roger of Poitou who had temporarily lost his
fief before 1086 ; 4 but in 1094 Count Roger gave the
tithe of his demesne in this vill to the abbey of St.
Martin of Seez. 5 It is possible that he built the
castle here. After his banishment in 1102 West
Derby with his other manors escheated to the
crown, and was about 1115 granted to Stephen of
Blois as part of the honour of Lancaster. 6

West Derby is next mentioned in 1 1 69, when it
.and the other members of the demesne in the hun-
dred were tallaged at i I 3*. 4^.' The castle was
repaired in 1197 at a cost of loo/., 8 and after the
death of King Richard a garrison was stationed in it
to preserve the peace of the county ; 9 three years
later considerable additions and repairs were carried
out. 10 During his struggle with the barons King John
kept a sufficient garrison here, 11 and for some years
the castle seems to have been occupied ;" by 1297,
however, it had ceased to exist, for it was returned
that ' in the town fields of Derby there was a certain
site of an old castle, where the capital messuage used
to be, with the circuit of the ditches.' 13

At the beginning of the thirteenth century the vill
was farmed by the king's bondmen or villeins at an
ancient assized rent of 6, which the king had aug-
mented by 2 since Easter, 1201." A considerable
number of the people were removed to Liverpool in
1208 to form the new borough, and the sheriff had
an allowance of the farm of the hundred, probably to
make up for his loss on this account. 15 There was
anciently a considerable area of woodland, extending
to 2,880 customary acres at the date of Domesday.
In 1228 the boundaries of this were described by the
knights who made the perambulation of the forest. 16
The clearing and improvement of the land went on
rapidly," and in 1 296 there were 30^ burgages held

1 A considerable village has now grown
up at this place.
The name occurs in the Forest Pleas
Roll of 1334. The old parsonage, close
by, s still standing.
9 It is a late seventeenth-century build-
ing, and was the property of William
Molyneuxini823.
< V.C.H. Lanes, i, 278. The six bere-

rising of the ground to the north-east of
the village, marks the site.
14 Lanes. Pipe R. ,31; 220-1. The
assized rent was reduced to /j ,2,. 6d.
after the separation of Liverpool from the

lage of' 4 ,71. SJ. was made in 1226 ;
ibid. IJ5?
15 Lanes. Fife R. 220. Two officials

substantiated his claim to housebote,
haybote, and other liberties for his houses
in Blackmoor and Derby, in virtue of the
Ferrers grant ; Add. MS. 32,05, fol. 89*.
Others occur who were obviously im-
portant officials. For instance : Master
Simon de Derby, c. 1200; ibid, i, 288.
Master Roger dc Derby, c. ,230 ; ibid, i,
60 ; Inj. and Extents, , 30 (clerk) ; Final

Everton, Great Crosby, part of Walton,
and perhaps Thingwall and Aintree.
' Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 290.
V.C.H. Lanes, i, 292.

Richard, the reeve of Derby, was charged
J mark in the Ullage of ,202; ibid.
151; and in ,2,2 he held two oxgangs of
land by serjeanty of being reeve of the

5511. He was ancestor of the Formby
family. Master Robert de Derby, c.
,240 ; Wholly Coucher, ii, 503. Jordan
de Derby; ibid, ii, 503. Jordan de Derby

contributed by West Derby separately
in,, 77 i Ibid. 35-
Ibid. 97.

Inj. and Extents, 26. Richard gave to
Cockersand Abbey land at Scales in West

Walton suit in ,276; Assize R. 405,
m. , d. S(imon) son of Elwina dc Derby ;
Wholly Coucher, iii, 853.

provisions for the knights and men

fee, between Blackmoor and the Dale ;

which they decided to belong to the

> Ibid. ,47 ; Henry Travers and Henry
de Walton were in charge of the works,
which cost 6 9 . 7 J.
11 Ibid. 250 ; there were ,40 footmen,

fj i e. was paid for the repair of the
castle. See also Clou R. (Rec. Com.),
477*-
13 Between ,2,8 and ,225 considerable
sums were laid out upon the castle ;
Pipe R. 2-9 Hen. III. Ir ,227 the
sum of 4 ,1,. tJ. was spent on im-

lands here and in Lancaster ; Cockersand
Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 562, 563.
Adam son of Gille, also called Adam
Gerard, also held two oxgangs of land,
worth 4,., to be Serjeant under Henry de
Walton, master-serjeant of the wapen-
take ; Inq. and Extents, 26, , 1 6.
In 1237 William de Ferrers confirmed
to Luke de Derby, the reeve, and Geoffrey
the clerk, the sons of the above-named
Richard (who was son of Roger, son of
Camel, son of Bruning), two oxgangs of

Derby ' ; its bounds began at the broad

the middle of the carr to' Hasellen hurst
where the footpath comes out of the
grove (nemus) to beyond Longlee, which
stretches from Derby towards Kirkby ;
beyond Longlee and Muke brooks, ascend-
ing these to Thrumthorndale brook, and
going up by this to the open ground of
Thingwall acres. It is further stated that
'the neighbouring vills had common of
herbage and other things in this wood ; and

the castle ; Pipe R. 2 Hen. Ill, ro. ,.
13 Lanes. Inj. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 284. The erection
of Liverpool Castle probably accounts for
the neglect and ruin of that at West
Derby. The Castle field, with a slight

King William ; ibid. 26 n. The accounts
of Luke the reeve for ,256 are printed
ibid. 208, 209. Geoffrey de Derby,
clerk, attested a charter about 1250;
Wholly Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 523.
Robert de Derby the reeve, in ,336,

17 Successive lords of Lancaster made
numerous grants of land at a rate which
advanced from d. an acre in the reign of
Henry III to ,2</. in that of Edward III.
In 1297 the tenants of Derby held of
the approvement of the wastes 25, J acres

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

by the tenants ; two mills were in operation a
windmill and a horse-mill. 1 During the thirteenth
century the descent of the manor followed that of the
wapentake and land between

Kibble and Mersey, but in _^__^__^__ H
1316 Thomas, earl of Lancaster,
gave the manor, with 300 acres
of wood, to Robert de Holand, 1
and about four years later con-
firmed the grant with large
additions, viz., the manor of
West Derby, ' nigh Liverpool,'
with its demesnes of the Hay of
Croxteth, the manors of Tor- H
risholme and Nether Kellet, HOLLAND. Azure, semte
the keepership of the forest in de Us, a lion rampant
the earl's lands and forests, and pedant argent.
the bailiwick of the serjeanty of

Lonsdale, Furness, and Cartmel, land in the Hope
nigh Manchester, with the bailiwick of the serjeanty
of Salfordshire, and manors and lands in many other
counties. 3 In 1322 the manor fell into the king's
hands upon the earl's attainder, but upon the restora-
tion of the honour to his brother Henry of Lancaster
passed again into the earl's demesne and descended in
his line. It was completely surveyed in 1323, when it

was found that Thomas de Hale and thirteen other
free tenants held 250 acres of land and i\ burgages ;
Hugh the reeve held two oxgangs by serjeanty ; sixty-
nine men held thirty-one burgages and twenty
oxgangs of land; and 433 others held 1,816 acres
and many houses, the total return being about 74.*
In 1348 the issues of the manor amounted to 125.'
The office of bailiff of the manor appears to have
been united with that of bailiff of the vill (not
borough) of Liverpool. 6 In the sixteenth century
the Molyneuxes of Sefton were stewards of the
manor. 7

Some grants of annuities from the issues of the
manor are on record. 8

The Act of 1609 relating to the creation and con-
firmation of copyhold lands in Lancashire had special
application to West Derby. 9

From 1327 downwards the manor was held by
the house of Lancaster and by the kings as dukes of
Lancaster; but in 1628 Charles I sold it to certain
citizens of London, together with all lands and tene-
ments within the same, and in Everton and Waver-
tree. 10 An amended grant was made in November,
1638 ;" and in the following year the manor was
transferred to James, Lord Stanley and Strange, after-
wards seventh earl of Derby. 12 It remained with his

(by the long hundred) and \ perch of
land, rendering yearly 4. 17,. ajrf. (or
4</. per acre) ; 234 acres (by the short
hundred) and | rood, rendering^ i/j. id.
(i.e. 6d. per acre) ; and 200 acres (long
hundred) less J acre, rendering 7 I 9 s. U.

for having acquired the manor and wood
in fee without licence.
Ibid. 1317-21, p. 431.
In 1330 Maud de Holand, Sir Robert's
widow, claimed dower in the manors of
West Derby and Liverpool ; De Bane. R.

For a reference to a survey made in 1625
see Lanes, and Ctes. Rec. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 311.
Later another private Act was passed
(29 & 30 Chas. II, c. i) 'to establish
the interest of the lord and copyholders
in West Derby and Wavertree in rela-

which Rose held. The perquisites of

p.m. i Edw. Ill, No. 88.

Extents, 285, 286.
Robert de Ferrers, earl of Derby,
granted 20 acres, by the perch of 24$ ft.,

In 1312-13 Thomas, earl of Lancaster,
had given 40 acres of land within the
wood of West Derby to Thomas de Hale,

Gregson, Fragments, 146-9.
The letters patent (4 Chas. I, pt. 35)
bore date 14 June, 1628. The grantees

a rent of 1 55. yearly ; Croxteth D. Cc.
ii, i. An earlier grant by William de
Ferrers to the same William de Sileby,
his bailiff, was the subject of a dispute in
1276 ; Assize R. 405, m. 4.
The ancient ' customs of the manor of
West Derby and Wavertree, 1 as recorded
in a document of Henry IV's time (?)
are printed in Syers' Everton, 387.
1 Inf. and Extents, 284-5. Tne
'field called Harhum' is mentioned.
The arable land of the demesne seems to
have been let at farm at $d. to i id. an
acre, and the meadow at 31. an acre.
The men of the vill held 20 oxgangs,
paying 401. a year, and also 261. U. a

Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. 121*. The same
messuage and 40 acres, having escheated,
were in 1354 granted by Henry duke
of Lancaster to John Barret, at a rent of
20J. Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland),

H5 Duchy of Lanes. Accts. 32/17,
fol. 4*. The rents of the free tenants
amounted to 7 gs. 8|</. ; of the tenants
of 31 J burgages, 325. bd. ; of customary
tenants holding 2oJ oxgangs, 4 u. ; also
for <a custom called scotz,' the sheriff's
scot ; see Par!. R. ii, 4014271. $d. ; of
cottars, 6s. 1 1 \d. ; of John de Derby, the
reeve, for two oxgangs held by serjeanty,
nil ; and of the rents of divers tenants,
iiZ2,.6J.
6 The bailiff of the -vill had no juris-
diction beyond collecting the rents due
from burgesses for lands improved. In
1360 Thomas de Fazakerley was ap-
pointed to the office for life, at zd. a day
wages ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App.
341. Henry, son of Robert le Norreys
of Sutton was appointed bailiff of the
manor of West Derby and of the vill of
Liverpool during the king's pleasure ;
Towneley MS. CC (Chet. Lib.), n. 518,

7 Several court rolls of this time are
preserved at Croxteth ; West Derby,
Wavertree, and Great Crosby were all
included in the one stewardship. Rolls
of 1323-4 are printed in Lanes. Court R.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 90-107,

Dep. Keeper's Rep. xaxii, App. 338,
342-
Private Act 7 Jas. I, c. 3 ; also
Duchy of Lane. div. xxvi, bdle. 2, No. 9.

Humphrey Clarke, and Francis Mosse.
The manor was to be held as of the
manor of Enfield in Middlesex, at the
yearly rent of 145 6s. 7 d.
11 Pat. 14 Chas. I, pt. xxii. This amend-
ment wasnccessitated by the omission of an
express mention of the manors of Everton
and Wavertree in the original patent.

pay rent or do suit and service at the court
at West Derby : and the consequent law-
suits continued several years ; Gregson,

13 A court-baron on behalf of Lord
Strange was held in 1641 for the manor
and for the vills of Everton anil Waver-
tree, under the direction of Lord
Molyncux, steward ; Ct. R. at Croxteth.
On the creation of the earldom by
Henry VII a rent of 20 had been
granted to Thomas, Lord Stanley, charged
on manors in the counties of Nottingham
and Derby ; this was resigned and a grant
of 40 substituted chargeable on the
manor of West Derby, by letters patent
dated 22 Feb. 4 Hen. VII.
The manor, like other of the earl's
estates, was sold by the Parliamentary
authorities to Colonel Thomas Birch in
1651, but appears to have been repur-
chased ; Royalist Comp. P. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 163. In Sept.
1655, a fine was made regarding the
manor of West Derby, with Wavertree
and Everton, 200 messuages, 2 wind-
mills, 1,200 acres, &c.; hallmote, &c.;
James Wainwright was plaintiff, John
Parker and Margaret his wife being de-
forciants ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
157, m. 121.

paid \id. for a way through the meadow,
and 2i. for having entry to the 'Worme-
stall' with their cattle, within the forest ;
also 21. to have estover of cutting down
holly in winter for the sustenance of their

The prior of Birkenhead had 1 5 acres,
paying 55. a year. It may be added that
in 1337 Henry, earl of Lancaster granted
the prior 26 acres of waste near Smith-
down and ten acres near Wavertree
which William the Clerk of Liverpool
had held, in exchange for the release

the earl's waste between Tunbrook and
Stanbrook, and Tunbrook and White
Moss, but saving to the prior and his
successors estovers of reasonable turbary
in Smithdown Moss for their manor of
Moss Grange; Duchy of Lane. Great
Cowcher, i, fol. 66.
a Cal. Pat. 1313-17, p. 476. Holand
obtained the royal pardon, 18 June, 1316,

WEST DERBY HUNDRED WALTON

descendants till 1 7 1 7, when it was sold, with other family acquired it in Henry VI's reign, when Sir

Derby manors, to Isaac Greene, 1 and has de:

like Childwall to the marquis

of Salisbury, the present lord

of the manor.' Courts are

held.

A body of commissioners for
the management of the lands
formerly waste has long been
in existence. 3

The sites of four ancient
mills are known : A water-mill
by the castle, below the church ;
a horse-mill at the castle ; a
windmill in Mill Lane ; and
Ackers Mill, in the eastern
corner of the township. 4

Croxteth Hall, formerly
called Barret's Hall, the chief
seat of the earl of Sefton,

ended Richard Molyneux was steward of the manor, 5 and
about 1540 was one of the chief residences of the
Molyneux family. 6 The deeds at Croxteth show
various acquisitions of land in West Derby, beginning
in 1545.'

The oldest part of the existing building is the
western half of the south wing, now much hidden
by kitchens built in front of it in 1874. ^ ' s f
brick with stone dressings and mullioned windows,
and has two bays projecting southward. Its date
is c. 1575-1600, the details being plain, and it
GASCOYNE-CICIL, is P robable tiia t the house of which it is the only
uess of Salisbury! surviving portion was neither large nor elaborate.

Barry of ,

able, each

rgent and The south front may originally have had a third pre
all six escut- j ec ti n g bay to the west, destroyed by the building of
TrreT-witha l ^ e west W ' n 8> ant ^ perhaps a courtyard on the north,
of the first, a but of this there is no trace.

The west wing is the finest part of the building
and was added, as dates upon it show, between 1702

situated in this township on the borders of Croxteth and 1714. It has a raised terrace on the west, and
Park, from which it takes its name. The Molyneux contains a fine set of lofty panelled rooms opening

1 By indenture dated 24 Oct. 1717,
between John, Lord Ashburnham, and
Lady Henrietta Maria his wife daughter
and heir of William, earl of Derby, and
sister and heir of Lady Elizabeth Stanley,
deceased, the other daughter and co-heir
and others, of the first part ; Francis
Brace and others, of the second part ; and

near Smeatham (Smithdown) Lane lately
(and wrongly) enclosed by John Smarley,
deceased. Notice of further enclosures
was to be posted up at the Exchange in
Liverpool, and on the south door of the
chapel at West Derby, as also notices of
the meetings of the trustees, which might
also be announced in the chapel, at least

4 See the accounts of Croxteth Park
and Sefton.
^ In this year Sir William Molyneux
acquired from Thomas Gorsuch of Scaris-
brick a close called Townrowhey ; Crox-
teth D. Cc. i, 2, 3. These lands had
been purchased by William Gorsuch from
Richard Kekewich, whose son John in

Huyton, of the third part ; the manors,
&c. of West Derby, Wavertree, and
Everton, and all messuages, lands, &c.

among the freeholders or copyholders of

chaser; ibid. Cc. i, 1 4. In the fol-
lowing year Richard, son and heir of
John Kekewich of Lathom enfeoffed

Lady Ashburnham, including two wind-

to be paid for leases, but the best yearly

his lands in West Derby, called Kekewich

and Wavertree Mill, were sold to Jonathan
Case, who, as appears fiom another deed,
was acting as the trustee for Isaac Greene ;

of the waste might be sold to copyholders
or freeholders having lands adjoining, but
a ground-rent was to be reserved in such

' The Kekewich family appear early in
the township. Gilbert de Kekewich in

10. The price named is 3,611 51. }</.
The second deed is enrolled in King's
Bench, Easter Term, 1 2 Geo. I.
See the account of Childwall.
8 By an agreement of i Dec. 1718, a

the payment of lays and taxes or other-
wise for the public benefit. The above
details are taken from a pamphlet printed
in Liverpool in 1859, giving the deeds
constituting the West Derby Waste
Lands Commissioners.

Gernet's ; Inq. and Extents, 285. It was
his son Richard apparently who in 1333
had a messuage and thirty acres here
from Gilbert de Kekewich and Ellen his
wife ; Final Cone, ii, 91 ; see also i, 208.
In a claim by Richard Kekewich

special reference to the Breck ; part was
to be devoted to the general benefit of
the township, chapel, school, and relief of
the poor.
A further agreement was made on
12 Mar. 1723, between Isaac Greene as
lord of the manor, and the surviving com-
missioners, part of the Breck, north of
the highway from Rake Lane to New-
sham Land, having been sold to Everton
for 200. Liberty was given to Isaac

found in the End. Char. Ref. (Fazakerley,
&c.)of 1904, pp. 30-40.
< See Trans. Hist. See. (new ser.), xii,
59-64.
* The grants to John Barret for life by
Henry, duke of Lancaster in 13 59 will be
found in Def. Keeper's Ref. xxxi, App.
32; confirmed by the king, Cal. Rot.
Pat. 1 70*. The same estate was in 1 3 7 5
granted to John le Boteler for life ; Duchy
of Lane. Misc. Books, xiii, 1 1 1. From an

adduced his pedigree thus : John de Keke-
wick -s John (to whom the land had been
granted in the time of Richard II.) -s.
Richard -s. Edmund -s. John -s. Richard!
-s. John-s. Edward -s. Richard (plain-
tiff) ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 307, m.
2T,d. For the first three generations
seeL fl ./ n? ./,. m .(Chet. Soc.),i,io, ....
Sir Richard Molyneux in 1562 pur-
chased from Henry Acres of Chilvers
Coton a capital messuage known as

measure on the borders of West Derby
and Liverpool ; eight acres of waste in
Low Hill and Cheetham's Brow ; also
pits and ponds at Club Moor, leaving
enough water for cattle. The curates of
West Derby were to have the messuage,
&c. lately constructed at the expense of
the township near Blackmoor Moss, at a
rent of 6d.

by the rolls of Derby court of 6 Henry VI
that John Barret, who formerly held
Barret's Hall and forty acres of land, was
dead ; and the master-foresters having
since held them and paid no fine, there-
fore Thomas Lathom came and offered
forty shillings fine to be admitted.' (It
seems likely that he was in trust for
Sir Richard Molyneux.) < 39 Henry VI,

by Henrv Fletcher, William Litherland,
and Richard Acres ; the price was 240 ;
ibid. Cc. i, 4. Caryll Lord Molyneux in
1674 bought a messuage in the Woodside
from Robert Williamson ; ibid. Cc. i, 24.
See Lanes. Inj. p. m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 390.
The lands between West Derby church
and Croxteth Hall were acquired at

pointed. Mary Greene, as daughter and
co-heir of Isaac, was lady of the manor,
and was to enjoy the enclosures made
under the last agreement ; and the com-
missioners were to have the commons or
wastes in West Derby on or near Low
Hill, Breck, Club Moor, Blackmoor Moss,
Page Moss, and Gill Moss; also land

knight, was admitted to Barret's Hall and
other lands his late father's, to hold to
him and the heirs male of his body ; re-
mainder to the heirs male of Sir Richard
Molyneux, his grandfather.'
The adjacent township of Croxteth
Park was afterwards acquired from the

leased for twenty-one years to Sir Richard!
Molyneux a windmill and horse-mill,
twenty acres of meadow in Earl's meadow,
and the herbage of the castle ditch, con-
taining three acres, called Mere Meadow ;
the consideration being 16 paid and a
rent of 4 41. ; the lease was renewed by
James I in 1613, at a reduced rent of

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

one from another, the grand staircase being at its
north-east angle. Sefton Hall, the old house of the
Molyneux family, was dismantled in 1720, and this
wing doubtless marks the date at which its abandon-
ment in favour of Croxteth was finally decided on.
Work had been going on at a somewhat earlier time,
as a date of 1693 and the initials of William Moly-
neux on a spout-head behind the tower on the west
front go to prove. The stables also had been re-
built before this time by Caryll Molyneux in 1678,
and were added to in 1706.

A north wing was added about 1790, but has
recently (1902-4) been rebuilt to harmonize with the
west front, the old brewhouse and bakehouse, which
had been incorporated with the work of 1790, being
destroyed in the process. In 1874-7 an east front
was built and the south front lengthened to join it,
while the dining-room at the south end of the west
wing was lengthened southwards and the grand stair-
case renewed.

The present house, therefore, is built round a quad-
rangle, and its greatest dimensions are 205 ft. by 135.
Its chief merit lies in the early eighteenth-century
work, the details of the panelling being very good,
but of the fittings of the old house little remains
except a small oak door, nail-studded like those at
Pool Hall (1576), Moor Hall (1566), and Hale Hall
(c. 1600), and looking as if it were not now in its
original position. Its Y~ sna P e d iron knocker is in a

curious position near the upper hinge, and the door
may be part of a larger one cut down.

New Hall, on the borders of Fazakerley and Walton,
became the property of the family of Molyneux of
Alt Grange about the end of the sixteenth century,
and early in the eighteenth seems to have become
their chief residence. 1 It is a
plain specimen of the H" sna P ei ^
type, and bears the date 1660.
It passed, with Huyton, to the
Unsworths, and was by Thomas
Molyneux-Seel sold to Arthur
Hey wood, banker, of Liverpool.*

The Norris family had an
estate here in the fourteenth
century, acquired by William, a
younger son of John le Norreys
of Speke.* It descended in the
fifteenth century to Thomas

XT i J . . . second and third quarters

Norris, whose daughter and a r rtt or on a f ess axure
heir Lettice married her dis- three mullets of the third.
tant cousin Thomas Norris of

Speke, and so carried the estate back to the parent
stock. One of their grandsons, William Norris,
was settled here, his estate remaining with his
descendants to the end of the seventeenth century.*
The family remained constant to the Roman Church
and had to face loss and suffering in consequence,
especially during the Commonwealth ; 6 thus the

NORRIS or WIST
DERBY. Quarterly ar-
gent and gules, in the

nd and third quarte

321. 4</. for the lives of Sir Richard and
his sons Vivian and Gilbert ; and in 171 1
William Lord Molyneux, upon the grant

of William le Norrey, 10 Aug. 1349,
his son Thomas entered and continued to
hold them without doing any service until

1401, the inquisition after his death
(2 Hen. IV) showing that he had held
lands in West Derby and three oxgangs

to a parcel of waste land fronting Crox-
teth Hall, lying between Abraham's gar-
den and the gate leading from the hall to
Derby chapel, at the yearly rent $d. ;
Croxteth D. i, 22, 23, 25.
At the West Derby Court in 1727 was
a surrender and recovery of Croxteth
Hall and other copyhold estates by Lord
Molyneux ; ibid. iv. There was a similar
surrender in 1775 j ibid.
1 An account of this family will be

L.T. R. Mem. R. 132, m. xiiij. They
were afterwards delivered to Thomas le
Norreys, who had to pay 24 ; and by
i 369 he was quit ; Pipe R. 43 Edw. Ill, de
oblaris, r. xl. See also Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 2 (2), m. v. ; Assize R. 435, m.
30 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 345.
William le Norreys had land in West
Derby as early as 1325 ; Assize R. 426,
m. ^d.
William, son of John le Norreys, had
in 1346 claimed certain land in Hale

caster, by knight's service ; Towneley
MS. DD. n. 1447 ; Inj. f. m. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, ii.
Thomas, his son and heir, was then
only six months old ; he gave proof of
age in 1422, having been in the wardship
of Isabel his mother ; Dep. Keeper's Rep.
xxxiii, App. 23. The covenant of mar-
riage of his daughter Lettice with Thomas
Norris of Speke is dated 1446 ; Raines,
Lanes. Chant. (Chet. Soc.), i, 98 n.
5 A pedigree was recorded at the Visit.

them 'of New Hall;' Dugdale, Visit.
.(Chet. Soc.), 203.
John Molyneux of Croxteth purchased
from Edward Hey in i 579 land called the
Acres Field, and a dwelling called Town
Row House ; Croxteth D. Cc. i, 12. An
old rental of the township (1750) shows
that New Hall was in Town Row quarter.
The Acres field had been the inheritance of
Alice, daughter of Thomas Eyves of
Liverpool, and wife of Roger Lancelyn of
Poulton Lancelyn ; their son William in
1 544 sold it to Richard Hey, the tenant,
father of Edward Hey ; Croxteth D. Cc.
i, 6-io. In 1721 John Molyneux of
West Derby and Elizabeth his grand-
mother sold ten acres of the New Hall pro-
perty called Acresfields ; Thomas Barren
and Isaac Greene of Liverpool were the
purchasers or their agents ; Piccope MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), iii, 214; from 6 roll of
Geo. I at Preston.
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iv, 47.
8 As William son of John le Norreys

and ; and the suit was continued by his
son Thomas in 1355 ; De Bane. R. 348,
m. 390 d. ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4,
m. 5. Thomas le Norreys of Derby,
and Margaret the widow of William were
charged with withholding 1 35. 4*/. from
Joan, widow of Richard de Yorton,
clerk ; from this suit it would seem that
the grant in West Derby by Robert de
Holand was to John le Norreys, who
transferred it to his son William ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. 3, m. iiij (Easter).
Thomas le Norreys and Hugh his brother
were sureties in 1359 ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 7, m. 7.
Joan, late wife of Thomas le Norreys,
and Ellen, late wife of Hugh le Norreys
and guardian of William the next of kin
and heir of the said Thomas, came to an
agreement as to Joan's dower in West
Derby, Formby, and Hale, in 1370;
Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F 14. Probably
therefore William was son (or grandson)
of Hugh le Norreys.

William Norris of West Derby had two
sons, Henry and John, both living in 1 566,
and named in a settlement by Sir William
Norris ; Norris D. (B.M.).
Richard, the son and heir apparent of
Henry, was as early as 1544 married to
Ellen a daughter and co-heir of John
Toxteth of Aigburth, who was then
under fourteen years of age ; Norris D.
(B.M.), n. 24. This was apparently
the Richard who heads the recorded
pedigree. A fine concerning a settlement
of his estates, in 1589, is in Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F.bdle. 51, m. 99.
His son Andrew appears in the list of
freeholders in 1600; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 241 ; from one of
the Clowes deeds (n. 40 ; 1 589) it appears
that he was illegitimate. Andrew Norris
as a convicted recusant paid double to
the subsidy of 1628; Norris D. (B.M.).
He died about ten years later, his will
being proved in 1639 at Chest. He
had a numerous family; Henry, the

his elder brother Alan in 1334; Nor-
ris D. (B.M.), n. 51. It appears that
Robert de Holand in the time of
Edward II alienated to William le Nor-
reys a messuage and forty acres in West
Derby, without licence ; and on the death

and heir of the preceding, Thomas, came
of age in 1389, the king on 10 July
issuing a writ concerning his proof of
age and livery ; he had been born and
baptized at Heswall ; Norris D. (B.M.),
n. 592. He died at the beginning of

8 Royalist Comp. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iv, 219-23; petitions from
the younger sons and daughters of Andrew
Norris, deceased, claiming annuities,
&c. It was found that the sons were
recusants, and a third of their annuities

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

threat of a fresh outbreak of persecution as a result of
the Gates plot appears to have broken the resolution
of ' Mr. Norris of Derby,' who conformed to the
legally established religion in 1 68 1. 1 Norris Green
is supposed to indicate the site of their estate.

The Moores 2 and Crosses' of Liverpool had lands
here about 1600. The Dwerryhouse family also
occur. 4 In 1631 Robert Fazakerley 5 and Robert
Mercer 6 of West Derby paid 10 each on declining
knighthood. About the same time George Standish
had an estate here, which the Parliamentary authori-
ties sequestered for recusancy ; he died in 1653, and
his son and heir James, who was ' no recusant ' and
very poor, petitioned for a restoration, which was at
last granted. 7

The freeholders of 1600, in addition to families
already mentioned, were Robert Longworth and
Robert Bower. 8 The landowners of 1628 contribut-
ing to the subsidy were Robert Fazakerley, Andrew
Norris, Hugh Rose, Ralph Mercer, and Hugh Riding. 9
Some other names occur among the sequestrations of
the Commonwealth period. 10

WALTON

The hearth tax of 1662 shows a number of
residents styled ' Mr.' viz : Richard Molyneux, Robert
Mercer, James Standish, Richard Lathom, Hugh
Rose, William Holme, and Joshua Ambrose the
curate. John Lyon and Alice Rycroft had houses of
five and four hearths respectively."

Among the ' papists ' who registered estates in 1717
were the following connected with this township :
William Lancaster of Ormskirk, Richard Whittle,
Margaret Pye, and Robert Chantrell."

The first distinct allusion to the chapel

CHURCH of West Derby occurs in the middle
of the fourteenth century. 13 About a
century later there is mention of its reparation, 14 and
in 1494 Henry VII allowed five marks out of the
issues of the manor towards the maintenance of a
chapel for the celebration of divine service within the
lordship. 15 The next time it occurs is in connexion
with the spoliations of the Reformation period. 16
During the succeeding century its history is obscure ;
probably the new services were maintained more or
less regularly, a ' reading minister ' being supplied, as

was allowed ; the daughters were also
recusants. Their father's grant was
made in 1634, and he died about 1640.
Anne, one of the daughters, was in 1651
the wife of Richard Worthington. The
estates of Henry Norris, the eldest
brother, were under sequestration for
recusancy; they lay in Leigh, Pennington,
Worsley, Newton, West Derby, Liverpool,
and Litherland.
John Norris, a brother of Henry,
married Eleanor Beaufoy, and three sons,
Charles, Richard, and Andrew, became
Jesuits. The last-named on entering the
English College, Rome, in 1673, stated
that he was born at Speke, educated in
Lancashire until fourteen or fifteen, and
then sent to St. Omer's; 'my parents and
relatives,' he said, < are of the higher class
and are all Catholics. I have three
brothers but no sister. My father and
friends suffered much for religion'; Foley,
Rec. S. J. vi, 422 ; vii, 549-51, &c.
1 This was probably Richard, son of

of three meadows belonging to John
Moore, who through one of them had his
way to the Wythers wates. Richard
Hey, the father of Edward and Ralph,
had had a controversy in Henry VIII's
time with William Moore ; Ducatus Lane.
iii, 23.
a Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), ii, 136 ;
a messuage and ten acres held of the king
by ^d. rent. See Crosse D. in Trans. Hist.
Soc. (New Ser.), vi-ix, n. 161, 209, 224.
The land was called Snodam or Snodon,
and was acquired in 1498 from Nicholas
Fazakerley ; in 1566 it was in the tenure
of Robert Fletcher.
"William Dwerryhouse, 'yeoman,' of
West Derby, had in 1632 a demise of
lands in Kirkdale from John Moore ; in
1659 Anne Dwerryhouse, widow, was
one of the executors of William Dwerry-
house, 'gentleman,' deceased ; Moore
D. . 6 1 6, 620. Anne Dwerryhouse,
by her will in 1672, devised lands for the
benefit of the school at West Derby.

1 Col. Com. for Comp. iv, 3151. In
1519 Richard Standish of West Derby
granted Sir William Molyneux a rent of
31. charged on his lands ; Croxteth D. Cc.
i, la. Edward Standish of Derby was a
freeholder in 1600; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 239. Their estate
seems to have been at Sandfield, for an
1635
old barn there is inscribed o. s. A.S.

George Standish married Anne Aymount
of West Derby at Walton in April, 1628 ;
Registers.
For Sandfield see Lams, and Ches. Rec.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 243
between Mercer and Hallwood and other.
8 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
240, 241.
9 Norris D. (B.M.).
l These seem to have been chiefly for
recusancy. Thus Richard Woods, ' always
well affected,' took the oath of abjuration ;
Cal. Com. for Comp. iv, 27 1 2. See ibid.

Thomas Marsden, vicar of Walton, wrote
in 1 68 1 asking favour for him, as he
was 'not yet cleared in the Exchequer
for his recusancy and had heard his name
was in the list of such as should have 20
a month levied upon their heads.' Under
these circumstances Mr. Norris's con-
formity ' to our church ' was ' as full as it

i, 213. As a convicted recusant he paid
double to the subsidy in 1628 ; Norris D.
(B.M.).
'Misc. 1. c. William Mercer of Tue
Brook was a juror of West Derby in
1557. A pedigree was recorded in 1 664 ;
Dugdale, Visit, p. 197.
The Mercers seem to have been, in

" Tram. His,. Soc. (New Ser.), xvi, 135.
A bond (1587) by William Rose of Low
in West Derby is in Towneley MS. GG.
n. 2,420.
"Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cat/,.
Nonjarors, pp. no, 120, 122, 148.
William Lancaster, a doctor, was the
founder of the present Ormskirk mission.

Com.), 126. His act does not seem to

named Fletcher. In 1568 Thomas

18 It occurs thus : 'John del Brakes

appear from notice, and much or alt of
the property is held by the representatives
of John Pemberton Heywood, banker, of
Liverpool.
8 Lanes. Intj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 14; William Moore held
land of the king by 3 rent.
In 1557 at West Derby Court Ralph
Hey, who had died since the previous
court holding a messuage and lands called
Sandcland, &c., was succeeded by his
brother Edward ; and at a court next year
Thomas Bolton leased to James Bolton
tenements, including land in Sandeland,

daughter of John Fletcher (who was the
great-grandfather of Thomas), two closes
in West Derby called the Black net Leys ;
Croxteth D. Cc. i, 19. This land, held in
1586 by Henry Mercer and the aforesaid
Ellen his wife (in her right), and by
Robert Boulton, was sold to Sir Richard
Molyneux ; ibid. Cc. i, 20, 21. Thomas
Fletcher died 28 February, 1584-5, hold-
ing a messuage and lands in West Derby,
by the twentieth part of a knight's fee ;
his son John was then a minor, but had
livery in February, 1588-9 ; ibid. Cc. ii, 9.
John, son and heir of Thomas Fletcher,

in the chapel of Derby on Sunday next
after the feast of the Ascension, 1360' ;
Assize R. 451, n. 3.
< Okill, iv, 294 ; in the accounts of
Thomas Lord Stanley, as receiver for the
county, is an item of 13). ^d. for the
repair of the chapel within the manor of
Derby. In the reign of Edward IV, under
the sign-manual of Richard, duke of
Gloucester, the bailiff of the manor had
3 6s. U. allowed for the repairs, because
the king, as lord of the manor, held his
courts in the chapel ; Mins. Accts.
Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 170. A later

John Moore; Moore D. n. 600, 604.
In 1570 depositions were taken in a dis-
pute between John Moore and Edward
Hey of West Derby. Lawrence Breres
of Walton, aged 54, said that Ralph Hey,
elder brother of defendant, had told him

to Sir Richard Molyneux in 1586;
Croxteth D. Cc. i, 16 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 48, n. 235. Thomas
Fletcher appears in the recusant roll of
1641; Trans. His,. Soc. (New Ser.),
xiv, 237.

xxii, p. 228 d.
" Ch. Gds. 1552 (Chet. Soc.), p. 99 ;
the chapel seems to have been but poorly
furnished. Also Raines, Chant. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 277. Robert Bolton was curate
1548, 1554; Visit, lists at Chest.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

was the case about 1612.' An improvement after-
wards took place, and under the Commonwealth a
serious attempt was made here, as in other places, to
minister to the religious needs of the people in the
sense of those in authority, so that in 1650 the
surveyors found 'a godly minister,' Mr. Norcott,
supplying the cure.* After the Restoration the older
order probably returned. Bishop Gastrell, about
1720, found that the curate's stipend was 43 2s. 8</.,
which included .15 from the inhabitants, and that in
1719 leave had been given to build an aisle on each
side of the chapel. There was a resident curate, for
the ' house and ground ' is mentioned,* and about
this time the township built a house called the
' Parsonage ' for the curate. 4 A new service of
communion plate was provided in 1760.* In 1793
it appears that ' Sacrament Day ' came five times a
year.

The ancient structure 6 was pulled down after the
building of the new church, 1853-6. It seems to
have undergone much rebuilding in the eighteenth
century, but at its destruction part of an ancient gable
was discovered in the west wall, so that something at
least of the old work remained till the last. The
chief records of its later history are to be found in
the earliest West Derby Vestry Book, begun in 1744.
In 1745 the stone pillars under the steeple and the
steeple itself were taken down and rebuilt, and in
1747 the chapel was 'uniformed down on both sides
to the west end of the steeple.'

In 1786 the chancel and other ruinous parts were
taken down and rebuilt and the chapel enlarged.

Other records state that the chapel was repaired in
1680 and rebuilt in 1792.

Views taken shortly before its destruction show a
building with two east gables and windows of gothic
style in them, a large south aisle with two tiers of
classical windows, the upper tier to light a gallery,
and at the west end of the church a small bell
turret and flagstaff. The new church was designed
by Sir G. G. Scott, and is a very good specimen of
his work, cruciform, with a pinnacled central tower. 7

The following have been curates 8 and rectors :
oc. 1592 Thomas Wainwright 9
oc. 1609 Edward Dowell 10
oc. 1648 William Norcott"

oc. 1662 Joshua Ambrose "

1676 Thomas Hall "

1688 William Atherton 14

oc. 1723 John Worthington 14

1733 Edward Davies, B.A. 16

1756 Thomas Mallory, LL.B. (Trin. Coll.

Camb.)

1765 Henry Tatlock

1796 Thomas Myddelton

1798 Richard Blacow, M.A.' 7

c. 1840 William Moriarty, M.A.

1846 John Stewart, M.A. (St. John's Coll.

Camb.)

1 889 Percy Stewart, M.A. (Trin. Coll. Camb.)|

A mission room has been opened at Club Moor.
The church of the Good Shepherd in Carr Lane
was consecrated as a chapel of ease in 1903.

The Established Church has now fifteen other places
of worship in the township. St. Mary's, Edge Hill,
was erected in 1813; a small burial ground surrounds
it. The incumbents are presented by trustees. 18

St. Jude's, Hardwick Street, was built by subscrip-
tion in 1 83 1. 19 St. Anne's, Stanley, built at the same
time, was entirely rebuilt in 1890 by Mr. Fenwick
Harrison as a memorial of his father.' At Knotty
Ash St. John the Evangelist's was built in 1835."
St. Stephen the Martyr's, Crown Street, was built in
1851. In consequence of the opening of the
railway tunnel from Lime Street to Edge Hill
it was taken down and rebuilt in 1882 on an adjacent
site just within the boundary of Liverpool." The
incumbents of these four churches are presented by
the rectors of West Derby. 83

St. John's the Divine in Fairfield was built in
1852; the Hyndman trustees are patrons. 24 St. An-
drew's, Edge Lane, was licensed as a chapel of ease in
1904.

In Mill Lane, West Derby, St. James's Church
was built in 1846 and enlarged in 1879 ; the repre-
sentatives of the late Mrs. Mary Thornton are
patrons. St. Catherine's, Edge Hill, was erected in
1863. St. Nathaniel's, Windsor, obscurely situated
in the midst of a poor and crowded district, was
built in 1869. It was burnt down in 1904 and
rebuilt.' 6 The beautiful church of St. John the Bap-

1 Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.),
p. 13. The Visitation record for 1601
at Chester shows that ' Abbott, reader

was sold to Alderman John Stewart of
Arthur J. Stewart.

17 He is described as perpetual curate.
He was also minister of St. Mark's,
Liverpool.
18 One of the incumbents, the Rev.

once a quarter ; the chapel was out of
repair, and there was no pulpit.
Commonwealth Ch. Sr. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), p. 83 ; they recom-
mended that it should be made a parish
church, and that a second church should

Dine. Gaa. Sept. 1903.
8 < Sir William Forster, clerk, of Derby,'
was witness in a dispute in 1 570, and
aged 52 ; it is not known whether he was
in charge of the chapel.
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), x, 192 ;

Frederick Barker, became bishop of Sydney
185410 1884.
It was made a chapelry in 1876,
and afterwards endowed with 200 a
year. Land. Gax. 27 Oct. 1876 ; 2 Aug.
1878.
*> There is a small burial ground.

people there being two miles distant from
any church or chapel. A stipend of
10 6s. 8</. is mentioned as payable to
the minister out of the manor ; Royalist
Camp. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
ii. 164.
Gastrell, Natitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 226. The contribution of the duchy,
3 6s. grf, as granted by Henry VII, was
still paid.
4 See a former note.
6 Vestry Book.
Having been made a parish church in
1844 by a private Act of Parliament.
The advowson of the newly created rectory

"Visit, list. Also in 1622; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i. 65.
11 He signed the Harmonious Consent of
1648 as minister of this chapel.
la He became vicar of Childwall in
1664. At the bishop's visitation in 1665
Christopher Fisher, ' pretended curate ' at
West Derby, was presented.
l Became vicar of Eccles.
14 Also curate of Liverpool.

granted in 1732.
1* From this time the licences to the
curacy are to be found in the Act Books at
Chester. The stipend was 20 i6j.

is a fine lych gate made of oak taken from
the old house called Boulton's.
A district was assigned in 1852, and
twelve years later an endowment of ,132
granted; Land. Cav, 26 March, 1852;
12 July, 1864. For the removal, see ibid.
16 March, 1883.
28 For St. Stephen's, the vicars of St.
Jude's and St. Mary's, Edge Hill, share
the patronage with the rector.
For district see Land. Gax. 24 March,
.854.
45 See Land. Gaz. i Aug. 1871, for dis-
trict assigned. Canon Richard Hobson, the
first vicar (1869-1901), deserves mention.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

list, Tue Brook, was built in 1871.' Christ Church,
Kensington, was opened in 1 870.* All Saints', Stony-
croft, was built in 1875. The patronage of these five
churches is vested in different bodies of trustees.
St. Cyprian's, Edge Lane, was erected in 1881 ;
Simeon's trustees have the patronage. 3

On the Spekeland Estate being sold for building
purposes the Earle family reserved a plot of ground
and built thereon a memorial church, St. Dunstan's,
Earle Road, opened in 1 899 ; the Earle trustees are
the patrons. The church of St. Philip, Shell Road,
opened in 1885, has replaced the old church of the
same title in Liverpool, 4 sold in 1882 ; the patronage
is in the hands of trustees.

The adherents of the Reformed Church of England
for many years conducted services at Tue Brook, as a
protest against what they considered the ' ritualism '
at St. John the Baptist's. About 1893 they erected
a small chapel.

The Wesleyan Methodists have churches as follows :
Brunswick chapel, Moss Street, built in 1 8 1 o ; it is
one of the centres of Liverpool Methodism, and the
Conference has been held there. There are two
mission halls in connexion with it. Cardwell Street
chapel, Edge Hill, was built in 1880, and Aigburth
Street in 1896; Fairfield chapel in 1867; Tue
Brook chapel in 1886. The last-named building
was formerly a Presbyterian chapel in Bootle ; it was
taken down and rebuilt on this site ; there are two
mission rooms connected with it. St. Paul's, Stony-
croft, was built in 1865 ; and the Birch memorial
chapel in Edge Lane in 1884. At West Derby
village there is a chapel in Crosby Green, built about
1840. At Plimsoll Street, Edge Hill, is a Welsh
Wesleyan chapel. The United Methodist Free
Church have a place of worship in Burning Road,
built in 1877. The Primitive Methodists have
churches in Edge Hill, Kensington, and Tue
Brook.

The Baptists have several churches. Pembroke
chapel, built in 1839, was the scene of the ministra-
tions of the Rev. Charles M. Birrell,* who died in
1880 ; the present minister is the Rev. Charles F.
Aked. Empire Street chapel was built in 1886.
Kensington chapel, 1889, represents the old Soho
Street chapel, built in 1837. Cottenham Street and
Tue Brook chapels were built in 1876. A Welsh
Baptist chapel in Edge Lane, 1887, represents a
migration from Juno Street, where a chapel was built
in 1858.

The Congregationalist churches are Green Lane,
Stanley, built in 1865 ; Norwood, near Sheil
Park, in 1870; and Edge Hill, 1877.' A Welsh

WALTON
Kensington was built in

; chapel at Edge

Congregational chapel
Ittl.'

The United Free Gospellers ha
Hill, called Mount Zion. 8

The Welsh Calvinistic Methodists have churches in
Edge Lane, Newsham Park, and Webster Road.

The Presbyterian Church of England has places
of worship at Fairfield, built in 1864; Earle Road,
1882; Tue Brook, founded in i8o6. 9 The Re-
formed Presbyterians have a chapel in Hall Lane. 10
Olive hall, West Derby village, built about 1860, has
been used by various Christian evangelists.

The adherents of the Roman Catholic Church in
the township long remained relatively numerous ; "
they were able probably to hear mass from time to
time at Croxteth or some other of the larger houses,
but no records are available until the middle of the
seventeenth century, after which the story of the Crox-
teth chaplaincy is fairly continuous. It was long served
by the Jesuits and then by the Benedictines. On
the first earl of Sefton conforming to the Established
religion in 1769, the priest in charge turned some
rooms at a house in Gill Moss into a chapel, which
remained in use until 1824, when the adjoining
church of St. Swithin was opened. It has a chalice
and some paintings brought from the old chapel in
the hall. This church was served by the Jesuits till
1887, when it was handed over to the secular clergy.
There is a small graveyard. The baptismal register
dates from 1757." No other mission was begun until
1839, when some stables at Old Swan were used,
pending the erection of St. Oswald's, opened in 1 842.
This is a pleasing building, designed by A. W. Pugin."
St. Anne's, Edge Hill, begun in 1843 as an offshoot
of St. Peter's, Seel Street, is served by the English
Benedictines ; mass was at first said in a room in the
priest's house, but in 1 846 the church was opened. 14
The Sacred Heart mission, Mount Vernon, was
established in 1857 ; the chapel of St. Ethelburga's
convent was used until, in 1886, the new church was
opened. St. Paul's, West Derby, a school chapel, was
opened in 1880 ; Yew Tree Cemetery is served from
it. The mission of St. Sebastian, Fairfield, was
opened in 1 904 in a room of the convent of Adora-
ration and Reparation. 15 St. Cecilia's, Tue Brook,
was begun in 1905. St. Ethelburga's Convent for
the sisters of Mercy, already mentioned, was opened
in 1843. The Blind Asylum in Brunswick Road is
managed by sisters of Charity, who also conduct the
Poor Law schools at Leyfield, West Derby village.

The Jews have burial grounds in Deane Road, and
at Tue Brook.

A free school existed in the village in 1677.

1 Land. Gaz. 6 Feb. 1872, for district.
In connexion with it a mission church of
the Advent was opened about 1890.

a Ibid. 23 April, 1872, for district.

8 For the district assigned, see Land.
Gaz. 2 Sept. 1881.

4 The organ, pulpit, lectern, and altar
were brought from the old church.

* He was one of the most influential
ministers in Liverpool ; father of Mr.
Augustine Birrell.

6 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 187,
212 ; Green Lane is the result of cot-
tage preaching started in 1853 ; Nor-
wood is an outcome of the Bicentenary
Celebration of 1862 ; work at Edge Hill
commenced with a Sunday school in 1857,
and the chapel in Chatham Place was used
from 1868 to 1877.

^ Owing to a dispute at Grove Street
chapel, part of the congregation separated
in 1878 ; Kensington church is the result ;
ibid, i, 232.

8 It was built for the Methodist New
Connexion in 1861, and used by the
Congregationalists for ten years, as stated
above.

The Earle Road church originated in
a temporary building in 1862.

10 This congregation represents those
connected with the Shaw Street church,
who, in 1876, refused to join in the
general union of the English Presbyterian
bodies. It is affiliated to the Reformed
Presbyterians of Ireland.

See list of 1641 in Tram. Hist. Soc.
(New Ser.), xiv, 237.

1 9

Jos. Gillow, in Tram. Hist. Soc. (New
Ser.), xiii, 150, where is printed a de-
scription of the chapel plate in 1709, as
given by the informer, Richard Hitch-
mough. In 1728 Bishop Williams con-
firmed 207 persons at Croxteth, and in
1774 Bishop Walton confirmed 200 at
Gill Moss.

is This and other information is chiefly
drawn from the Liverpool Catb. Ann.
1901. Bishop Brown, first bishop of
Liverpool of the restored hierarchy, is
buried at St. Oswald's.

"In 1888 it was greatly enlarged by
the addition of new chancel, chapels, and
transepts. A baptistery was added in 1893.

15 Adoration Rcfaratrice, one of the
French orders in exile.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

EVERTON

Evreton, 1094; Euerton, 1201 ; Erton, 1380;
Everton, usual from xiii cent.

This township lies on the hill to the north-east of
Liverpool, the highest point being at St. George's
Church. From that point there is a very rapid slope to
the north and to the west, the elevated ridge continuing
southward to Low Hill and Edge Hill. The height
allows an extensive panorama of the city of Liverpool,
including a distant view of the Cheshire side of the
River Mersey. At sunset the windows of the houses on
Everton Brow flash back the glowing radiance, show-
ing that nothing impedes the wide prospect westwards.
The foot of this ridge is the western boundary. The
area is 693 acres, the township being about a mile
and a quarter from north to south, and less than a
mile across. The population in 1901 was 121,469.
The geological formation is triassic, the lower ground
on the eastern side consisting of the basement beds of
the keuper series, which have been thrown down by a
deep fault running north and south ; the remainder
of the township, including all the higher ground,
consists of the pebble beds of the bunter series.

Formerly the approach to it was by a road leading
eastward from Liverpool. 1 The old village ! stood at
the top of the ascent in what is now Village Street,
above the old roundhouse or bridewell, 3 which still
remains. About half way up the slope Netherfield
Lane turned away to the north, with a branch leading
up the hill. From the top of the village the road
led north tc the summit where the Beacon stood,
destroyed by a gale in 1803, and then dividing, down
the hill to Kirkdale and to Anfield ; * and south to
Low Hill; this road remains one of the main thorough-
fares of Everton, as Heyworth Street and Everton
Road. The road from Liverpool after passing through
the village divided, the more northerly branch, Breck
Lane, 5 leading to Walton Breck, and the other, which
also divided, to Newsham and West Derby. 6 The
mere, afterwards called St. Domingo Pit, was below
the Beacon, to the east ; Mere Lane led down to it.

The commanding situation of the village occasioned
its earliest prominent connexion with the general his-
tory of the county, for here Prince Rupert fixed his

head quarters when attacking Liverpool in 1 644.' In
more peaceful times the wealthier merchants of Liver-
pool chose it for their country mansions, and in 1824
it was thus described : ' This village has become a very
favourite residence of the gentry of Liverpool, and for
the salubrity of its air and its vicinity to the sea, may
not inaptly be called the Montpellier of the county.' 8
The roads were shaded with fine trees, and a walk to
the top of the hill was a pleasant exercise for dwellers
in the town. The growth of Liverpool northwards,
with the erection of chemical works and other factories
by the riverside, destroyed the amenities of the
situation, and within the last fifty years the great
houses in their spacious grounds have been replaced
by closely packed streets of small dwellings. The
roads above described remain the principal ones,
having been widened and improved. The Liverpool
electric tramways serve the district.

There was a large sandstone quarry on the northern
slope of the hill.

Until 1820 the shaft ot the market-cross stood
upon a flight of stone steps in the open space of the
village ; a sundial had been fixed upon it.' There
was formerly a holy well here, but the site has been
lost. 10 The Beacon, already mentioned, was a plain
rectangular tower of two stories, about 1 8 ft. square
and 25 ft. high, built of local red sandstone. 11

The little open green by the roundhouse is main-
tained by the corporation of Liverpool, and has been
slightly extended by the demolition of some cottages
on the north side of it, among them being the Old
Toffee shop." In 1825 the Necropolis was enclosed
as a burial place for Nonconformists. 13 It is now a
public garden maintained by the corporation. Shaw
Street, the principal street on the Liverpool side of
Everton, was formed in 1828 by Thomas Shaw, a
councillor of Liverpool. 1 * On its eastern side is a
triangular piece of rocky ground called Whitley Gardens
maintained by the corporation. 14

EfERTON was one of the six bere-
M4NOR wicks dependent on the royal manor
of West Derby in 1066 ; its separate
assessment was three plough-lands. 16 Subsequently
it formed part of the demesne of Roger of Poitou,
who gave its tithes to the abbey of St. Martin at

> It is now called Everton Brow ; the
old name was Causeway Lane ' a deep,
sandy lane, the cops or hedges on each

and Breck Lane, on the Walton boundary,
between Breck Lane and the freehold
enclosures of 1 667, and in the Rake. The

Syers, Hist, of Everton, 70. The
pound originally stood near it, and the
smithy also.
10 Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq, Soc. xix, 196.

was a small ale-house in it called ' The
Loggerheads,' which gave an alternative
name to the road ; Robert Syers, Hist, of
Everton, 1830, p. 236.
In Syers' , Hist. of Ever ton there is a very
interesting map, said to have been drafted
in 1790, from which the separate areas of
copyhold, leasehold, and freehold land may
be calculated. The dwelling-houses stood
in the centre of the copyhold land, repre-
sented by 24 oxgangs, the area being

measure, somewhat more than the 693
acre, statute measure allowed by the
Ordnance Survey.
Built in 1787 ; Syers, His,. of Ever-
">", 354-
* Here were fields called Sleepers. In
the fork between the roads stands St.
Domingo House.
5 Now Breck Road. A dwelling called
the Odd House stood in this road.
6 See the plan in Enfield's Liverpool,
drawn in 1768.

On the common near the Beacon a ' headles.
cross ' is supposed to have stood, from the
description on old maps; Syers, op.cit. 71.
Ibid. pp. 56-61, where there is an
engraving. There is also a small drawing
of it in Gregson, Fragments, 143.
> Molly Bushell's original manufactory
of the sweet to which Everton has given
a name was in Village Street; Syers,
68. She was living in 1759.
1 Syers, Hist, of Everton, 2 1 p.

58 acres of freehold land on the southern
and south-western borders of the town-
hip appears to represent the 'lands im-
proved upon the waste ' mentioned in
1297, with more recent enclosures. The
'60 acres' enclosed in 1667 in Anfield
and Netherfield are described as freehold
also, the areas being 37 J, izj, and n
acres ; while the '115 acres ' enclosed in
1716 are called leasehold, and measure
113 acres, lying upon Hillside, by the
Beacon, by the mere, between Walton Cop

1 Rupert's Lane and Prince Rupert's
house (standing in 1830) commemorate
this visit of royalty. The militia barracks
adjoin it. Rupert's camp is supposed to
have been to the north ; Gregson, Frag-
ment, (ed. Harland), p. 149. See also
Trans. Hist. Sac. iv, 71-3. In 1803
Prince William, son of the duke of
Gloucester, resided at St. Domingo House
as commander-in-chief of the district ;
Syers, 371. His father visited him there.
8 Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 711.
20

he was the son and heir of John
Shaw, who had acquired lands in
Everton by the gift of his wife, who in
turn had had them by gift of her first
husband, named Halsall ; 204-5. Il
appears that Mr. Halsall died between
1764 and 1775 ; 418. See also Picton,
Liverpool, ii, 341, 351.
This takes its name from the late
Edward Whitley, M.P. for the Everton
Division, who died in 1892.
" V. C. H. Lanes, i, 283

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Seez in 1094.' During the twelfth century an
assized rent of 4 from this vill was accounted for
in the corpus comitatus or total sum rendered yearly
as farm of the honour, but in 1201 it was increased
to 4 l6s.' the increment perhaps representing the
sheriff-scot or fee for the sheriff as farmer of the
demesne manors. 3 The manorial history of Everton
is the same as that of West Derby. 4 In 1315 Sir
Robert de Holand entered into the manor by the
favour of Thomas of Lancaster and held it until the
earl's attainder in 1 322." Thirty years later it was
given to John Barret in fee, but he appears to have
died without issue, and this grant also failed. 6

Being granted by the crown in 16*29 as an a ppen-
dage of the manor of West Derby,' the tenants of
Everton refused suit and service at the patentees'
court, asserting that their manor was distinct and
separate from that of West Derby. After legal dis-
putes the patentees thought it best to obtain new
letters patent in 1639, in which the vill of Everton
and the rents and services of the tenants were named.
The manors of West Derby, Everton, and Wavertree
were then sold to James, Lord Strange, and in 1717
were purchased by Isaac Greene of Liverpool, whose
descendant, 8 the marquis of Salisbury, is the present
lord of the manor. Some land is still held as copy-
hold of the manor of West Derby.

The Everton tenants had successfully asserted the
rights of their vill in 1620. In this year the copy-
holders of West Derby and Wavertree, having obtained
a commission confirming to them their copyhold
estates and for granting the wastes and commons by
copy of court roll, surveyed and proposed an allotment
not only of the wastes of West Derby and Wavertree,
but also of Everton, to be allotted among the copy-
holders of the three vills. The people of Everton,
however, insisted that theirs was a distinct vill, 9 with
known bounds; that the benefit of the wastes had
from time beyond memory been taken and enjoyed by
the inhabitants ; that the tenants of Kirkdale paid
Everton 6s. Set. a year for liberty of common in part

WALTON

of the wastes, and that the inhabitants of Wavertree
and West Derby had no rights in them. 10

In 1642 it was found that the people of Everton
paid $ us. $\J. for their enclosed lands and 1 3/. 4</.
for their commons Hongfield (Anfield), Whitefield
and Netherfield ; this last payment was known as
Breck silver, the commons lying on the Breck or slope
of the hill. 11 An agreement was made in 1667
between the tenants and the earl of Derby, as lord ot
the manor, for enclosing a third of the commons,
which then extended to 1 80 acres large measurement ;
they were afterwards leased to the tenants." Then in
1716 Lady Ashburnham granted to the copyholders a
lease for a thousand years of 1 1 5 acres of the 1 20 acres
unenclosed, for 115 paid and a rent of 5 15*. a
year. 13

Everton was incorporated in the borough ot
Liverpool in 1835. It formed a single ward until
1895, when it was divided into four Everton,
Netherfield, St. Domingo, and Brockfield wards, each
with its aldermen and three councillors.

The first place of worship erected in the township in
connexion with the Church of England was St. George's,
on the summit of the hill. It was planned in 1812
somewhat as a commercial speculation, the land being
given by James Atherton, and the money raised in
shares of 100 each, any profits to be divided among
the proprietors. It was opened in 1814." The
incumbents, now called vicars, were the chaplains of
the proprietors until 1879, when, the conditions
having totally changed and any ' profit ' ceased with
the migration of the wealthier inhabitants many years
before, the proprietors made the church over to the
district. 15 The next, St. Augustine's, Shaw Street, was
built in 1830, shares being subscribed and Thomas
Shaw giving the land. 16 Christ Church, Great Homer
Street, was built in 1848 by the family as a memorial
of Charles Horsfall, mayor in 1832-3. St. Peter's,
Sackville Street, followed in 1 849. St. Chrysostom's
in 1853 replaced a chapel of ease in Mill Road,
which had been built in i837- 17 The preceding

1 Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 290, 299.
9 In 1 226 the total payable was 4. 161. ;
Lanes, [no. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 136. The increment of 161.
a year first appears in the Pipe Roll ac-
counts of 1 200- 1 ; Lanes. Fife R. 131.

5 Inq. p.m. I Edw. Ill, n. 88. No

Holand. There is a rental of I 323 giving
particulars of the holdings. William the
reeve and his sons John and Robert con-
tributed half the sum of 131. 4^. collected

in Everton village bore the initials and

7- ' 1688 M 1 ' A 8ettlement " to di> -
putcd land at the Breck, on the border
of West Derby, was effected in 1723 ;

681. 4</.(ibid. 202) ; and in 1227 at 701.;
Inj. and Extents, 135.
4 As in the case of other adjoining
demesne manors the villeins of Everton
had a prescriptive right to obtain timber
in the underwoods of West Derby for
building or repairing their houses and
enclosing their arable lands. In or before
1225 this right had been contested, prob-
ably by the forester, but upon the com-
plaint of the 'king's men of Everton'

have their right of taking estovers, as they

Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 5.
8 Grcgson, Fragments, 145. It was
confirmed by the king ; Pat. 33 Edw. Ill

1 See the account of West Derby ; and
Grcgson, 146-8.
8 Syers, Hist, of E-verton, 34, 35 ; see
also the account of Childwall.
9 Everton is called a manor in 1340 ;
De Bane. R. 322, m. 279.
10 Syers, Hist, of Everton 21-3.
11 Ibid. 28.

The 'lord's rent' of 5 I5., as alo
the ancient ' Breck silver,' 1 3*. 4</. was
in 1830 raised and paid out of the rent
of a cottage built, together with a new
pinfold, on a waste spot by the mere
or public watering-place; ibid. 113,
171. It had been agreed, as early as
1759, to pay these charges out of the
town's lay ; ibid. 417.
An abstract of the Act of Parliament
obtained in 1813 is printed in Syers' Hist.
of E-verton, 422. The patronage is now
exerc sed by a body of trustees, of whom

customs than they had been used to per-
form before that time ; Close R. 1225-7,
p. 64*. In 1252 William de Ferrers,

the principal tenant.
1* Ibid. 32. The names of the copy-
holders who shared the improved lands,

ing was called an ' iron church,' the metal
being largely used in the construction.
1* These particulars are mostly taken

earl of Derby, had a grant of free warren
here ; Chart. R. 36 Hen. III. m. 24.

Upon the death of Edmund, earl of
Lancaster, in 1296 it was found that the
men of Everton held 24 oxgangs, for which
they rendered 4 161. a year, and 34$
acres and a rood and a half of improve-
ment from the wastes for 171. c\d. ;
Inj. and Extents, 286.

also the field names, will be found on
400-3. It appears that each copy-
holder doubled his holding ; thus Henry
Halsall, who held 2;J acres of old land,
received 26 acres of new. The other

George 3 Hey, William Williamson)

Samuel Plumpton, John Johnson, William

Rice, and John Rose. The Heyes' house

from a pamphlet issued in 1896, which
also contained portraits of the different
incumbents. The district was formally
assigned in 1881 ; Land. Gaa. 26 June.
The churchyard was closed in 1854.

1 A district was assigned in 1873;
Lond. Gax. 27 June.

17 A district was assigned in iS SS j
Lond. Gaz. 6 April.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

benefices are in the gift of various bodies of trustees.
Emmanuel Church, West Derby Road, erected in
1867, is in the gift of Mr. R. D. Anderson. 1 St.
Saviour's, Breckfield Road, 1870, originated in an iron

church erected in 1867 ;' the incumbents are pre- Everton chapel,
sented by trustees. St. Timothy's, near Everton
Brow, was built in 1862 ; a mission room has been
acquired. 3 St. Chad's, Everton Valley, was opened

The Congregational church in Everton Crescent is
the result of a separation from the Establishment in
1 800 ; Bethesda Chapel in Hotham Street was then
erected, but in 1837 the congregation moved to the

The church has maintained several

mission stations. The Chadwick Mount Church was
built in 1866-70. For Welsh-speaking Congrega-
tionalists there is a church in Netherfield Road,

as "a school-church in 1 88 1, the permanent building opened in 1868, being a transplantation of the old
soon following. The bishop of Liverpool is patron Tabernacle in Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool. 8
of both churches. St. Ambrose Ch '
1871.' St. Benedict's, erected in
to an

patronage of these churches is vested in bodies of
trustees. St. Cuthbert's, on the Anfield side, was
built in 1877 ; the Simeon trustees have the patron-
age. 5 St. Polycarp's, Netherfield Road, was erected

as built in The Calvinistic Methodists have three places ot

worship where service is conducted in Welsh, and two

in succe

hurch, stands near the old village. The others for English-speaking adherents. The United
Free Gospellers 'have two churches. The Presby-
terians have two churches. 9 There is a Church of
Christ in Thirlmere Road. The Salvation Army
has a barracks. The Unitarians have a church in

[886. St. John the Evangelist's, Breck Road, was Hamilton Road.

built in 1890 as a memorial to Charles Groves, a
well-known Liverpool churchman. The patronage of
both churches is vested in trustees.

Everton is considered an extremely Protestant
district, but the Roman Catholics have several churches
within it. The earliest is St. Francis Xavier's. The

A Free Church of England has been established in Jesuits, who had served Liverpool during the times of
Everton ; its minister is the bishop of the northern persecution, were able to return in 1840, when land

diocese.

Liverpool College, Shaw Street, was established in
1841.

The Wesleyan Methodists have several churches
Great Homer Street Chapel, built in 1 840," and
Whitefield Road, 1 866 ; also a mission chapel and a
preaching room. There is a large Welsh-speaking
population, and two chapels are devoted to them by
the Wesleyans. The Primitive Methodists have two
churches ; the Methodist New Connexion one ; and
the United Free Methodists two.

Fabius Chapel, Everton Road, built by the Baptists
in 1 868, represents the first place of religious worship
known to have existed in the township. Dr. Fabius,
a well-known physician, who lived close by, built a
chapel about the year 1707 ; a yard attached was
used as a burial ground. 7 The congregation increased,
but secured a meeting-place in Liverpool in 1722,
and the Everton chapel was abandoned. The burial
ground, however, remained in possession of the
denomination ; and upon it stands the present

was secured on the border of the rapidly-growing
town. Two years later they opened a school in Soho
Street, and in 1 845 the church was built. A large
educational work has been gradually established. 10 St.
Mary Immaculate's, on the northern slope of Everton
Hill, was erected in 1856 as the Lady Chapel of a
proposed cathedral, and was enlarged in 1885. The
bishop's house and St. Edward's College occupy the
adjacent St. Domingo House, perhaps the only one of
the great Everton mansions still remaining." St.
Michael's, West Derby Road, was erected in 1861 to
1865, and has since been practically rebuilt. St.
George's Industrial School adjoins it. 1 '

The Mohammedans have a mosque in Brougham
Terrace.

WALTON

Waleton, Dom. Bk. ; Walton, 1246.
This township, having a wedge-like form, lies on
the west and north-west of West Derby and Fazaker-

building. The same denomination have churches in ley ; it has a length of over 4 miles and an area of

Shaw Street, built in 1 847, and in Breck Road, called
Richmond Chapel, built in 1864. The Welsh

1,944 acres.' 1 At the extreme north is Warbreck on
the border of Aintree ; the Gildhouses were also at

Baptist Chapel, built in 1869, in Village Street, is a the north end, and along the southern border from
migration from Ormond Street, Liverpool, where a north-west to south-east are the districts called
congregation had gathered as early as 1 799. Spellow, Anfield, Walton Breck, and Newsham ;

1 Lund. Gaz. 6 Aug. 1867, for district.
* Ibid. 8 Feb. 1870.
Ibid. 4 Aug. 1868, for assignment of
district.
LonJ. Ga. 13 Aug. 1872.

that in Queen's Road, in 1861-3, b X ' he
United Presbyterians. Both now belong
to the Presbyterian Ch. of Engl.
w Liverpool Cath. Ann. 1901, and
Xavcrian, the monthly church mazagine.

them to sell the estate, in spite of his
care to preserve it in his family. William
Ewart bought it in 1811, and next year
sold it to the Government for barracks,
to the great annoyance of the residents

is a mission - hall worked from this

Lady Chapel in 1888.

soon afterwards sold in lots by the Barracks

6 This represents an older chapel in
Leeds Street, Liverpool.
1 For particulars as to Dr. Fabius and his
wife Hannah, see Syers, Hist, of Everton,
217, 232, 402, 413. They are referred
to in N. Blundell's Diary. Their house
at the top of Brunswick Road was after-
wards occupied by John and William
Gregsoa in succession. A well by their
garden wall is commemorated in the name
of a public-house.
Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 164-
169 ; 179, 224-227.
That in Shaw Street was built, in
1 860, by the Reformed Presbyterians, and

Syers, Hist, of E-verton a detailed history of
the estate is given. From this it appears
that the site belonged to Henry Halsall,
one of the i, coo-years' leaseholders of
1716. George Campbell, a Liverpool
merchant, in 1758 bought the land and
built the first St. Domingo House. On
his death, John Crosbie, another merchant,
bought it for 3,800. After his bank-
ruptcy it was purchased by John Sparling,
a merchant ; he built the great house,
still existing, in 1793. At the summit of
the hill the prospect is extensive, and
formerly was beautiful. He died in 1 800,
and his heirs procured an Act enabling

acquired the house, which for some time
was used as a school ; ibid. 1 67. In
1841 it was purchased by Bishop Brown,
vicar-apostolic of the Lanes, district,
and opened as St. Edward's Coll. in the
following year. A new wing was built
in 1874-5. An observatory was formed
in 1886. The college is for training
candidates for the priesthood.
11 Catb. Ann.
is Including 1 1 acres of inland water ;
Census Rep. of 1901. A small part of
the township, around Newsham House,
was transferred to the West Derby local
board district in 1868.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

these are often regarded and named as Anfield. The
natural features of the township have long since been
obscured or entirely swept away by bricks and
mortar, and thronged streets of small houses and busy
shops and electric-car standards occupy the site
of country lanes, gardens, and trees. The geological
formation is the new red sandstone or trias, the
ridge of higher land on the west, reaching the 175 ft.
level, consists of the pebble beds, and the eastern
slope towards the Fazakerley brook of the upper
mottled sandstones of the bunter series of that
formation. The population in 1901 was 54,615.

The principal road is that from Liverpool to
Ormskirk, 1 passing close by the parish church on the
higher ground ; descending the hill it is called Rice
Lane.' The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's
line from Liverpool to Preston passes through the
township, having a station at Walton Junction ; here
the line to Bury and Manchester branches off to the
east, with an adjacent station called Preston Road.
The branch to the docks also goes through the town-
ship. The London and North-western Company's
branch line from Edge Hill to the docks crosses the
southern end of Walton, with stations called Walton
and Spellow. The Cheshire Lines Committee's rail-
way from Manchester and Liverpool to Southport
crosses Warbreck, and has one branch turning south-
west to the docks and another with a station at
Walton village.

The old village 3 lay near the church, in a street
bending round its northern side. The workhouse of
the West Derby Union lies about a mile to the north ;
close by is a cemetery belonging to the parish of
Liverpool. Farther north still is the county prison ;
here executions take place. The cemetery for Kirk-
dale lies near the Fazakerley border. Greenwich
Park Athletic Grounds are near it.

The principal road, already mentioned, at its
entrance into the township from Kirkdale, passes
through Spellow. The grounds of Spellow House,
used as a nursery garden till about twenty years
ago, have been covered with streets of cottage
houses ; the district is now urban all along this road
until Aintree is reached. On the west side of the
road Clayfield Lane, now Breeze Hill, led from the
church to Bootle ; in it there is now a reservoir of
the Liverpool Water Works.

From Spellow a road led east through Mere Green
and thence north to the village. Stanley Park and

WALTON

Anfield Cemetery now skirt the right side of it ; on
the left is the Everton football ground. 4 On reaching
the village, the road or lane was prolonged north-
wards to pass Walton Hall and demesne on the lower
ground near the Fazakerley border ; while another
road, Rake Lane or Cherry Lane, ran eastward to
West Derby. Near the Everton border two roads
led south-eastward to Newsham ; between these
Stanley Park now lies, with the Liverpool football
ground near it. 5 Further to the south-east the two
roads are crossed by that leading through Everton to
Kirkby, called Breck Road and Townsend Lane ;
' Cabbage Hall,' an old-established inn, 6 has given a
name to the surrounding district, which is also called
Walton Breck. Here there is a disused stone quarry.
At the extreme south-east, the projecting part of the
township is crossed by the main road from Liverpool
to West Derby, known here as Rocky Lane. News-
ham House, in the modern park, is on the southern
side of it. In the neighbourhood are the test house
of the West Derby Guardians and a house of the
Little Sisters of the Poor. This part of the township
has long been urban.

At the death of Edward the Confessor
M4NOR Winestan held the manor of WJLTON ;
it was assessed as two ploughlands and three
oxgangs of land, and its value beyond the customary
rent was 8/. 7 After the Conquest it is supposed
that Roger of Poitou included Walton in a large
estate which he gave to Godfrey, his sheriff, by whom
it was held at the date of the compilation of the
Domesday Survey. 8 Possibly Godfrey resigned his
lands to Count Roger, who in 1094 granted the
tithe of his demesne to the abbey of St. Martin of
Seez. 9

After Count Roger's forfeiture Walton passed
with the demesne of the honour of Lancaster until
William, son of King Stephen, granted or confirmed
fourteen oxgangs of land in Walton, Wavertree, and
Newsham, to his servant Waldeve, with the office of
master-serjeant or bailiff" of the wapentake of West
Derby. 10 The estate, with its accompanying grand
serjeanty, continued in Waldeve's descendants for
many generations.

His son and successor, Gilbert, was outlawed after
the barons' rebellion of 1 173-4," but ' n J '7^ made
his peace, proffering the enormous sum of 400 to
obtain remission of the sentence. 12 Between 1189
and 1 194, John, count of Mortain, confirmed this estate

1 The Liverpool end is now called
County Road.
At the west side formerly stood a
house called Sounds.
For a curious inn sign at Walton see
Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen. Notes, ii,

4 Known as Goodison Park, from the

5 SherrirFs map of 1823 shows a wind-
mill in Anfield Road at the corner of what
is still called Mill Lane. Breck House is
marked on a map of about 1850 as stand-

Henry, son of Gilbert, son of Waldeve,
and his heirs, six oxgangs of land in
Walton, four oxgangs in Wavertree, and
four oxgangs in Newsham, and the master-
serjeanty of the wapentake, free and quit
by the service of serjeanty for all service
and custom, in fee and inheritance, to
hold of us and our heirs, &c., as Waldeve
his grandfather wholly held the same lands
and the said serjeanty in the time of
William, count of Boulogne, Warren and
Mortain, and of King Henry our father,
and as we whilst we were count of Mor-

at Chesterton, and 'took up his lodg-
ings in the house of Waldeve de Walton.
The house was burnt probably owing
to the carelessness or insobriety of some
of the king's attendants. The king re-
compensed his host munificently. He gave
him by charter thirty solidates of land in

Hen. II (ed. Hunter), 156; Stajjs.Hist.
Coll. ii, 81, 87 ; and Lanes. Pipe R. in.
The master Serjeant, in addition to the
estates held with the office, received a
profit called 'foldage' from cattle im-
pounded in execution at the rate of \d.
for each night in winter and \d. in sum-
mer. The office was worth 9 1 31. 4</.
a year in 1321; Inq. p. m. 15 Edw. II,

'in' 1 1 66-7 Walton paid 3$ marks to
the aid of an eipedition to Normandy.
Lanes. Pipe R. 35. "Ibid. 31, 33.
12 Ibid. 31-49 passim; the last instal-
ment was paid by 1183.

Road.
It is marked on SherrirTs map.
* V.C.H. Lanes, i, 2843. This ' value ' is
that usually attributed to manors of half a
hide or three ploughlands.
8 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 279.
9 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 290.
I" By charter dated at Chinon 23 Sep-
tember, 1199, King John confirmed 'to

and the said serjeanty to Gilbert father of
the said Henry ' ; Chart. R. (Rec. Com.),
23. The six oxgangs were probably in
Gildhouses, at the north end of the town-
ship.
Waldeve, or Waltheof, is the subject of
an interesting notice in the Pipe R. of
Worces. and Staffs. Henry II, jour-
neying through Staffs, in 1157, halted

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

and serjeanty to Gilbert, to hold by the yearly service
of 2 marks. 1 Gilbert had two sons, Henry and
Richard. To the former in 1199 King John con-
firmed the fourteen oxgangs;'
to the latter, known as Richard
de Meath, he gave in 1 200
' the whole town of Walton with
all its appurtenances,' which
used to render 4.0*. farm, for
the increased rent of 6o/. 3
Richard de Meath soon after-
wards gave four oxgangs here to
Richard son of Robert de Wal-
ton to be held by a rent of
5/. 6</., which gift was con-
firmed in 1 204 by the king. 4
For some reason not known

Walton was resumed by the crown, so that the grant
to Richard de Meath does not appear in the survey
of 1 2 1 2, which recites the minor holding of Henry de
Walton, who had made grants in alms to the priory of
Birkenhead and to the hospital of St. John at Chester ;
Hugh son of Gilbert held one oxgang for half a
pound of pepper. 5

In 1215, however, Richard de Meath proffered
four palfreys for seisin of his land of Walton, Formby,

and Hale, and the offer being accepted the sheriff of
Lancaster was directed to take security for the pay-
ment.' This was confirmed by Henry III in 1227.
The succession to Richard de Meath's lands is stated
more fully under Hale, which passed to his natural
children. Walton was given by him to his brother
Henry, whom he made his heir. 7 Henry de Walton,
who thus became lord of the whole manor, died in
1241, when his widow Juliana received dower in his
lands from his son William; 8 she failed in a claim
against Richard son of Henry in 1246,' but partly
succeeded in another against William de Walton for
an oxgang and 20 acres of land and %d. rent in
Walton. 10

William gave lands in the Breck to Burscough
Priory, 11 and was still living in 1 26 1. 11 Some of his
grants have been preserved, including one for the
maintenance of a chaplain in Walton church. 13 He
died before 1 266, for Robert de Ferrers, earl of
Derby, gave the wardship of the heir, Richard, son of
William, son of William de Walton, to Nicholas de la
Hose, who assigned it to Robert de Holand. 11 The
latter was afterwards charged with having permitted
waste. 15 Richard died early, between 1295 and
1298, leaving as heir a son William, a minor."
Subsequently Thomas, earl of Lancaster, granted

1 Lanei. Fife R. 106. Gilbert in 1 194

her dower before Robert de Lexington ;

ment of 1 2</. towards the maintenance of

good will after having participated in the
rebellion of Count John ; ibid. 78. He

dower agreed upon was four oxgangs in
Newsham two in demesne and two in

the chapel of St. Paulinus of Walton, for
the health of the soul of Henry III etc. ;

shire also ; Pipe R. i Ric. I (ed. Hunter),
121.

ting place ; saving to her the dower she

Richard son of William the smith of

11 Gilbert died in I 196, in which year

previously had.

West Derby ; one of the witnesses was

his son Henry owed 405. for livery of the

Assize R. 404, m. 5. This was a

Master William de Walton (i.e. the

lands ; Lanci. Fife R. 94.

Wavertree, and was defeated by Richard's

The Gildhouses, reckoned as seven

King John's charter of 1199 has been

appeal to the record of the previous

oxgangs, had to provide a horseman and

C:n in a previous note. For it Henry

settlement.

two grooms for the bailiwick of the

proffered a palfrey or $ ; ibid.
106.

i" Ibid. m. 8 d. ; she recovered the ox-

wapentake ; Assize R. 430, m. 28 d.
Plac. de quo Warr. (Rec. Com.)

tion of his serjeanty, which had been seized

Meadow and Derby Brook, and zo acres

Walton had been summoned to show by
what warrant he claimed to be the king's

into the king's hands in consequence of

between Wood mill and Kirkby ; Final

bailiff of the wapentakes of West Derby

an inquiry ordered concerning serjeanties

Cone, i, 10 1. In ! 244 Juliana had

and Makerfield and the boroughs of

of the honour alienated from the honour

demanded from William de Walton her

Liverpool and Wigan. He replied by

of Lane. ; Close (Rec. Com.), 55. See also

younger son Robert, whom he had taken

proffering the charters of William, Count

Lane,. Pi ft R. 1 06.

from her custody, and three oxgangs which

of Boulogne to Walter (Waldeve) and of

Chart. R. 74 ; the increase of the

she had purchased for his maintenance ;

King John to Henry son of Gilbert, and

rent had only just been made ; Lanes.

Cur. Reg. R. 132, m. 4.

these were considered sufficient ; ibid.

Fife R. 113.

11 Burscough Reg. fol. 46 ; a plat 28

382.

" Chart. R. 141 ; the king received a

perches long by 8 wide in the townfields,

15 Assize R. 408, m. 69 ; a chamber

palfrey or 5 marks for the confirmation ,

with pasture for 100 sheep with the

worth 401. had been thrown down, as

Lanes. Pipe R. 1 80.

lambs of two years old, and two oxen,

well as a grange worth 401. ; and land

5 Lanes. lay. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes.

with housebote and heybote in the under-

had been marled and marl sold to the

and Ches.), 23, 26 ; see also 116. The

wood of Walton for enclosing the land

heir's loss.

three acres given to Birkenhead were prob-

with hedges and making their buildings.

As Richard, lord of Walton, he granted

ably in Newsham, where at the disso-

The gift was for the souls of himself and

to Patrick Taylor land within the dyke,

lution the priory had a fee-farm rent of

his wife Agnes.

one of the boundaries being the ' Huth-

1 5*. , ibid. p. 26, quoting Minis. Accts.

18 At Michaelmas in that year he with-

lone' leading to Derby wood ; Crosse D.

28 Hen. VIII. On the accession of

drew a plea against Henry de Hale ; Cur.

(Tram. His,. S.), n. 4.

Henry III the serjeanty was seized

Reg. R. 132, m. 4 ; R. 171, m. 32 d.

The homage and service of Richard de

into the king's hands, but restored a year

13 He enfeoffed William son of Alan de

Walton and his heirs 'lately recovered

later; Close (Rec. Com.), 333.

Lente of two oxgangs in Walton, which

from Robert de Holand,' were in 1295

'Lane,. Fife R. 252, 257. The

Alan had held, with pasture for his swine

granted to Edmund, Earl of Lane. ; Chart.

woods and the tallage of villeins were re-

as well at Fazakerley as in the under-

R. 88, (23 Edw. I), m. i, n. 5, see Cat.

served to the king, and Richard was not

woods of Walton, for his homage and

Pat. 1292-1301, p. 148.

to levy any distress upon that land nor upon
the villeins ; Fine R. 17 John, m. 7.

service of 31. ; he also granted 4 acres
to Henry son of Stephen Bullock ; Crox-

16 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, p. 288 ;
'William, son and heir of Richard de

' His charter is printed in Final Cone.

teth D. BB, iv, I, 2.

Walton, who is under age and in

(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 138. It

To John the chaplain of Walton he

ward to the king, ought to be bailiff

was confirmed by Hen. Ill in 1227 to

gave land below the hedge of Gildhouses,

of fee of the Crown and master

Henry de Walton, who gave the king a

within bounds beginning at Small Cross

Serjeant of the whole wapentake of West

palfrey for it ; Orig. R. 1 1 Hen. III.

and going down below Gildhouses in a

Derby. He ought also to have one horse

The date is fixed by the pleadings in

straight line to Wolgarford, saving mills,

bailiff, either himself or another, and two

the suit against Richard son of Henry, in

mines, hawks, and honey outside these

under bailiffs on foot to execute the said

which it is stated that she had sued for

bounds ; John was to hold it by a pay-

office.'

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

the lordship of the manor of Walton, with the
homage and service of William de Walton, to Sir
Robert de Holand. 1

William de Walton in 1312 made a settlement of
the manor of Walton, except seven oxgangs, with
remainder to his son Simon. 8 Three years later he
was one of the supervisors of the assize of arms and
array in the county, and next year and in 1319 was
returned to Parliament as one of the knights of the
shire.* He died I June, 1321, holding fourteen
oxgangs and the serjeanty ; also the manor of
Walton by the free service of 6cv. a year. His
mother Alice was still living and in possession of
her dower lands ; Simon, his son and heir, who was
nearly seventeen years of age, had been married six
years before. 4

Simon de Walton proved his age in 1326 and had
livery of his estates and office. 5 Between 1339 and
1 343 he enfeoffed Gilbert and William de Haydock
of lands worth 20 a year, which Gilbert de Haydock
in 1357 recovered with damages against Simon de
Walton and Eleanor his wife. 6 Already, however,
Robert son of William de Walton 7 had in 1355
sued several persons for lands in Walton which he
claimed against Emma, wife of Richard de Halsall,
bastard ; she and her husband having, as he alleged,
no entry except by Simon de Walton, who had

WALTON

disseised Robert's father. 8 He afterwards succeeded
to the manor and bailiwick, and lived until the
beginning of 1400 ; John de Walton, his son and
heir, being then sixteen years of age. 9

The heir's claim was impugned by Robert de
Fazakerley and Ellen his wife, eldest daughter of
Robert de Walton, who alleged bastardy. In
August, 1412, Robert with a hundred others came in
warlike array to the manor of Walton and dispossessed
John de Walton, his wife and children, taking away
all the goods and chattels there. 10 Sir Thomas
Gerard and others were commissioned to expel the
evildoers and make inquiry," and in 1418 the sheriff
was directed to make proclamation that Sir John de
Stanley, Robert de Fazakerley and others, under
penalty of 100, should, by authority of Parliament,
suffer John de Walton to occupy peacefully his manor
of Walton. 12 The dispute was not settled until
1426-7, when a third part of the manor was awarded
to Robert de Fazakerley and Ellen his wife in lieu
of her marriage portion. 13 Thomas de Walton suc-
ceeded his father John about 14501, and his son,
Roger de Walton, was the last of the name to possess
the manor."

Roger had issue two daughters Elizabeth, who
married Richard Crosse of Liverpool, and Margaret,
who married William Chorley, of Chorley ; they

1 See the inquest of William de Walton,
below ; and Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 35 ;

There are charters by Simon de Walton
from 1326 to 1344 in Kuerden, iii, W

John de Walton proved his age
and had livery by writ dated 16 Mar.

Maud, Lady Lovell, held it of the king in
1423 by fealty only ; Lanes. Inij. f.m.
(Chet. Soc.), ii, i. Here, as elsewhere,
the carls of Derby succeeded the Lovells,
and their superior lordship was still recog-

he granted to Alan, son of John le
Norreys, senior, land in the Breck ; and
ten years later he confirmed to the same
Alan land which he had acquired from
Robert del Edge, the latter holding it by

had been granted to Robert de Heath-
cote; Pal. of Lane. Warrants, I Hen. IV,

10 Early Chancery Proc. bdle. 6, n.
48 ; Ellen de Fazakerley claimed by

Lancs.'and c'he's.)" u^ &
Final Cone, ii, 14.
Palgrave, Part. Writ,, ii (3), 1576;
Pink and Beavan, Part. Rep. of Lanes.
17, 19.
* Writ of Diem el. extr. 7 June,
1321 ; Chanc. Inq. p.m. 15 Edw. II,
n. 31 ; Escheator's Accts, 3/25. The
manor of Walton was held of the king
in chief, by reason of the lands of Robert

Walton, in 1314-15 ; Norris D. (B.M.)
n. 50-56.
6 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 4 ;
many others of Walton, Fazakerley,
West Derby, and Liverpool, were joined
as defendants ; the damages were fixed at
^35913.. 4^. Eleanor was the daughter
of Matthew de Haydock; see Raines
MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 253.
7 Robert's father was probably brother

by her father before John's birth ; the

Henry de Walton, and Margaret, bastard'
daughter of Robert de Walton and after-
wards wife of Henry le Norreys.
For earlier proceedings between the
parties in 1406 see Dep. Keeper', Rep.
xxxii, App. ;, 7.
"Towneley MS. CC. (Chet. Lib.),
n. 76.

worth nothing beyond reprises. There
were 88 acres of land in demesne, worth
4 51. 4</. ; 12 acres of demesne meadow,

son of William de Walton was one of a
number of defendants in a plea concerning
land in Walton ; Duchy of Lane. Assize

In 1423 it was found that John de
Walton held the manor of Lady Lovell
by the service of 401. yearly ; Lanes. Inq.

ture, worth \kd. ; a windmill and a
watermill, worth 401. ; 4 messuages and

Nicholas son of William de Walton

two-thirds of the full amount due from
Walton.

5 acres of land demised to divers tenants
for terms of years, worth 55. ; of free
rents of divers free tenants, 44*. io^</. ;
and the render of one barbed arrow and
two roses yearly.
The widow is called Anilla in Cal. of
Close, 1318-23, p. 468.

8 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4, m. 17 ;
Dip. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 335.
The jury called to try the plea was dis-
charged because the wife of William de
Liverpool (who was the sheriff's clerk
and had arraigned the panel) was a kins-
woman of Robert de Walton ; Duchy of

Ches.), 36. In 1429 John de Walton of
Walton, 'yeoman,' and his sons Thomas,
Nicholas, and James, with other yeomen
and knaves of Walton, were indicted
by Thomas Bridges, of Fazakerley, for
waylaying him at Fazakerley with in-
tent to kill him, and for wounding

.erjeanty of the wapentake, except dower,

Towneley MS. DD (in the posses-

Plea R. 2, m. 9; Kuerden MSS iii,

who was to render yearly to the ex-

20 marks.
Cal. of Clou, 1323-27, p. 456. He
held the manor of Walton, except 6 ox-
gang., by the yearly service of 601.;
Rentals and Surv. n. 379, m. 12. An
extent made in 1324 states that 'Simon
on of William de Walton had six oxgangs
in Gildhouses in Walton, and four in
Great Crosby by the service of grand
serjeanty, to wit, by being master bailiff
in the wapentake of West Derby ' ; Dods.
MS. cxxxi, fol. 35*.

found that he held the manor of Wal-
ton of the king in chief (the Holland
intermediate manor being ignored) ; three
oxgangs in Thingwall, four oxgangs in
Walton and Newsham ; also 20 acres in
Woolton of the prior of St. John by a
service of 6s. a. yearly ; he died 8 Mar.
1399-1400.
The writ to the chancellor to take the
oath of Emma, widow of Robert de
Walton, that she would not marry with-
out licence, and to deliver her her dower,
was dated 8 Jan. 1401-2; Add. MS.
32108, n. 1493.

11 Chorley Surv. p. 37. A Thomas de
Walton alias Thomas Crosse, son and
heir of John de Walton of Eccleston,
granted to Sir Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton all his lands, &c., in Walton in
1434; Croxteth D. Bb. i, 13.
Roger Walton of Walton, Elizabeth
widow of Thomas Walton, and Roger
Fazakerley, late of West Derby, were de-
fendants in a suit respecting damage to
the turbary at Aintree brought about 1460
by Sir Thomas Harrington ; Pal. of Lane.
PleaR. 21, m. 1 1 d.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

divided their two-thirds of the manor equally, so that
the lords became Crosse, Chorley, and Fazakerley. 1
Richard Crosse left a son Roger,
who died in 1530, holding
lands in Walton of the king, as
well as other estates.* Roger
and his brothers all dying with-
out issue, their mother's third
of the manor was divided be-
tween their sisters Blanche and
Margaret. The latter married
George Garston of Walton,'
and dying childless, the other
sister and her heirs had the
whole share.

Blanche Crosse married Roger
Breres. 4 Their son is said to
have been Lawrence Breres, who in giving evidence
at West Derby in 1570 described himself as fifty-
four years of age. 5 He died in 1584, holding
various lands in Walton and Fazakerley of the queen
by a rent of 2O/., i.e. a third of that due from the
whole of Walton. Roger, his son and heir, was forty-
nine years of age. 6 This son survived his father only
about nine years, his heir being his son Lawrence, ten
years old. 7 Lawrence Breres also was short-lived,
dying in 1612, and leaving a son and heir Roger, aged
nine years. 8

The family adhered in the main to the Roman Catho-
lic faith, and Roger Breres, as a convicted recusant, paid

CROSS* or LIVERPOOL.
Quarterly gules and or,
in the Jint and fourth
quarters a crest potent
argent.

double to the subsidy in 1628 ; s he appears, never-
theless, to have escaped the attentions of the Common-
wealth authorities, and was still living in 1665, when
a pedigree was recorded at the visitation. His eldest
son Lawrence was then dead without issue, the heir
being a younger son Robert, who had married a
daughter of John Molyneux of New Hall in West
Derby. 10 Robert Breres was reckoned among the
gentry of the parish in 1688," but in his will dated
April, 1708, is described as 'of
Wigan.' " In this he mentions
Roger his son and heir, whose
wife's name was Bridget, and
who had two children, Law-
rence and Catherine. These
last, in 1730, mortgaged Wal-
ton Old Hall to Thomas Moss
of Liverpool, and subsequently
to Nicholas Fazakerley, who in
1 746 purchased it," no doubt
as agent for John Atherton. 14
John's grandson, John Joseph
Atherton, sold it about 1804
to Thomas Leyland, banker, of Liverpool. 15 It
descended like the other Leyland properties. 16 The
hall has lately been pulled down.

The Chorleys' third part of the manor descended
with the Chorley estate until 1715, when, being for-
feited for Richard Chorley's participation in the re-
bellion it was sold to Abraham Crompton, 17 whose

1 See the pedigrees in the Visit, of

lands in Adlington, Ditton, Knowsley,

Roger's only daughter, mortgaged the Old

ley, 72 ; and Chorley Sur-v. I.e., where
it is stated that the deed of partition wat
dated 4 July, 1494.
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. vi, n. 18.
In 1509 Roger, son and heir of Richard

Breres, dated 14 Aug. 1584, was proved
on the 2/th ; in it he mentions Margaret
his wife, who was widow of Richard Sandi-
ford ; her will was proved in 1594.
7 Ibid, xvii, n. 34.

roll of George II). On 31 Oct. 1730,
Lawrence Breres of Walton, gent, leased
the Old Hall to Thomas Cotham ; it it
described as ' late in the tenure of Roger
Briers, deceased, father of the said Law-

etc., in Walton and Adlington received
from his mother Elizabeth, one of the
daughters and co-heirs of Roger Walton,

Chcs.}, i, 23 I ; the two oxgangs, one-third
of the ancient six, are duly mentioned.
His will is recited in full ; in failure of

was another mortgage, to Nicholas Faza-
kerley (5th roll of George II) ; and an-
other in 1740 (ijth roll) ; then sale in

Crosse, chaplain, his brother, for life, and
then to Robert, William, and Richard,
other brothers ; Crosse D. (Trans. Hist.
Soc.),n. 171.
3 Ibid. n. 179, 1 80. In the pedigrees
in the Vita, of 1613 the facts are confused
(Chet. Soc.), 93, 95.
4 In 1515 an agreement was made be-
tween Richard Crosse and Roger Breres,
'yeoman and draper,' concerning the
latter's marriage with Richard's daughter

his brothers Edward and Robert. He died
at Orrell near Wigan, 4 Nov. 1612.
9 Norris D. (B.M.).
I" Dugdale, Vitit. (Chet. Soc.), 59.
Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.),
194, 195. A lease of land by him is in
Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.), iii, 172.
Payne, Rec. of Engl. Catholics, 136.
Robert's wife at this time was named
Elizabeth.
In 1716, Lawrence Breres, a priest, had
an annuity of 20 out of the Walton Hall

14 Enfield, Liverpool, 113; Gregson,
Fragments, 142. The will of John
Atherton was proved in 1768, and that of
his son John in 1789.
The younger John Atherton entered
St. John's Coll. Camb. as a fellow-com-
monerin 1756, aged eighteen ; Admissions
(ed. R. F. Scott), iii, 150. He was high
sheriff in 1780; P.R.O. List, 74. See
also Picton, Liverpool, ii, 154.
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 285.
Thomas Leyland, the founder of Leyland

surname has many spellings ; Bryers is
common. Then in 1533 an agreement
was made between James Crosse, the half-
brother of Roger and John Crosse, and

the English monastery at Gravelines, also
had an annuity from it; ibid. 121.
Lawrence and Roger Breres are named in
the will of Jane Johnson of Great Crosby,

Liverpool, died in 1827, and has a monu-
ment in Walton church ; ibid. For an
account of him see Picton, Liverpool, ii,
141-3.

and Roger Breres and Blanche his wife, to

Breres her nieces (ibid. 151), they must

and Naylors ; see the account of Leyland

lands in dispute; ibid. n. 179.
6 Moore D. n. 635(1. The pedigree
in Dugdale, Vmt. (Chet. Soc.), 59, has
been followed rather than that of 1613
(p. 93), as agreeing better with the
facts as known. The parentage of Law-
rence Breres is not determined. He was
described as 'of Up-Walton ' in 1563;
Crosse D. n. 191.

his first marriage with her sister Mary ;
Dugdale, Vmt. 203.
The children of Robert and Elizabeth
Breres seem to have been Thomas, born
1692; Bridget, 1693 ; Mary, 1696; and
Margery, 1698 ; Payne, op. cit. Bridget
Breres of Wigan, spinster, registered an
annuity of 10 in 1717 ; Engl. Catb. Non-
jurors, 152.

"Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 452 ;
the price paid was ,5,550.
The Charley Sur-v. already quoted, gives
details of the Chorleys' estate in Walton
as it was about 1650, 33-55. Their
house was the Breck House, and particulars
are given of their dealings with it and the
demesne lands from 1494, as also of the
other tenements, though a portion is miss-

The Walton holding was described as five
messuages, four cottages, twelve gardens,
100 acres of land, 40 of meadow, 100 of
pasture, 200 of moor, moss, and turbary,
and 2ij</. of free rents. There were other

352) gives various particulars from the
deeds enrolled at Preston :
On 25 Sept. 1730, Lawrence Breres,
only son and heir of Roger Breres, de-
ceased, and Catherine Briers of Liverpool,

50-52 ; these were paid by Robert Mercer
of Rice Lane, on behalf of Lord Moly-
neux, qd. ; by Mr. Fazakerley of Spellow,
for Longworth's land, lod. ; by Thomas
Blackmore of Kirkdale, for Eyres' and

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

descendant Abraham Crompton died at Skerton in
1822, having dispersed most of the Walton estate. 1

The Fazakerleys' third part

descended in that family until ____^_ ,
the eighteenth century, when
it was sold to James, tenth earl
of Derby, and has since de-
scended with the earldom. 8

In 1328 Richard de North-
brook granted his capital mes-
suage at Northbrook in Walton
to Thomas, son of Richard de
Molyneux of Sefton, 3 and in
1382 Hugh de Ince of Wigan Argenti
released all his claim in the between thre
same place to Thomas de
Molyneux of Cuerdale." This

and other lands granted to younger branches of the
Sefton family 5 appear to have been purchased by
the head of the family, and were acquired in the fif-
teenth century by Sir Richard Molyneux of Sefton,
with other small holdings in Walton. 6 These were
afterwards reputed a manor. 7

NEW SHAM with its fouroxgangs of land, was part
of the original grant to Waldeve de Walton, as already

CHORLEYOF CHORLEY.

ree cornflowers
slipped proper.

WALTON

stated. 8 In the inquest taken after the death of John
Bolton of Newsham in 1 6 1 3 , it was found that he held
a messuage, with 30 acres of land, &c., of the
king in socage, and that Robert Bolton his son
was his next heir. 9 Robert Bolton died 1 8 October,
1630, his son and heir John being only sixteen years of
age. 10 The family appear to have adhered to the Roman
church or reverted to it, for in 1717 John Bolton
of Newsham within Walton, registered his entailed
estate as a ' Papist.' " Ten years later it is men-
tioned that his daughter had married a Mr. Moly-
neux." It was, perhaps, in this way that the estate
came into the possession of a family named Moly-
neux, one of whom, Thomas Molyneux, held it
a century ago and built the present Newsham house.
' In 1 846, owing to commercial reverses, the estate
was offered for sale and purchased by the Corpora-
tion of Liverpool for the sum of 80,000 ' ; 13 an
adjacent estate was also acquired, and eventually
both were laid out as public parks, Newsham House
being fitted up as a residence for the judges. Queen
Victoria resided there during her visit to Liverpool
in 1886.

SPELLOW gave its name to the family who re-
sided there in the fourteenth century ; u afterwards

Bootle's lands, 2d. ; and by Thomas

lands in the Huddefield to Henry de

Sir Richard de Molyneux ; ibid. B. iv, 29,

Meadow of Walton, for Wiswall's land \d.

Stonebridgeley and John the carpenter ;

34 i i, 17, 1 8.

An estimate of the enclosed lands and

ibid. Bb. iv, 21, 22.

The lands of Robert del Edge occur in

commons made in 1639 is also given, with

Nicholas del Sand of Crosby in 1348

1306, and of Alan del Edge in 1328;

'Near to Walton,' 555 acres in all;

from the high road in the east to the

Ches.), iii, 389 ; the jury could not state

'Near to Walton Breck,' 162 acres;

greens on the west ; this in the follow-

the tenure.

'Townfields,' 138 acres; 'Warbreck

ing year Alexander sold to Thomas de

" See note above. The ancient spelling

Fazakerley,' 365 acres 1,304 acres in

6,7.

seventeenth centuries the initial was often

all. Of this Richard Chorley's share was

6 Ibid. Bb. i, 11-18, dated from 1429

dropped and the word became Ewzam,

328 acres, Robert Fazakerley's 179 acres,

to 1450 ; the lands had belonged to the

Ewsome, &c.

and Roger Breres' 162 acres. The rector

Bootle, Bullock, and Walhill families and

Lanes. Inj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.

of Walton had 60 (for 62) , Lord Moly-

others.

and Ches.), i, 245. The land was held

neux 112, Richard Crosse 60, and fifteen

John son of William de Bootle ac-

' of the manor of East Greenwich,' so that

others smaller quantities. The commons

quired land here in 1363, and in 1406

it may have been in part the former hold-

included 50 acres in the Breck, 50 in War-

Joan widow of William de Bootle granted

ing of Birkenhead Priory. The priory's

Spellow, 4 in the Rakes at Walton town's

1443, Hugh son of John de Bootle of the

Pat. 4 & ; Phil, and Mary, pt. xii.

end, and i in the Laws in Walton ; also

Rice released all his claim in his father's

Robert Bolton of Newsham was buried

100 acres in Warbreck Moor and Faza-

lands to Sir Richard de Molyneux ; ibid.

at Walton, 18 Dec. 1593.

kerley ; excluding encroachments. The

Bb. iv, 25, 31; i, 15.

Catherine, daughter of Richard Moly-

of long measure, or about 3,340 statute

of the thirteenth century, when Henry, son

measure, as compared with 3,653, the

of Stephen Bullock, had a grant from the

Ralph Mercer of West Derby married

acreage of the two townships.

lord ; ibid, iv, 2. In 1 304 Robert son of

Robert Bolton of Newsham ; Dugdale,

1 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 285.
Enfield, Liverpool, 113.

Henry Bullock had a grant in the waste,
lately approved, from William, son of

Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 203, 197.
1 Towneley MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.),

Croxteth D. Bb. i, i. The reversion

Richard de Walton ; the boundaries men-

56. This John Bolton of Newsham is

of the dower of his mother Emmotta was

tion the old field of Elias Bullock by the

mentioned in the Charity Sur-v. of 1639,

included. Anilla, widow of William de

Outlane of the Overenesse and Quenilda's

p. 53, as holding 40 acres in Walton.

Walton, released all her claim in the same ;

croft ; the service was to be I2<J. a year ;

11 Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, p. 125; the

ibid. n. 2.

ibid. n. 3. A few months later, Roger de

value was 7 5'-

Ibid. Bb. i, 10.

Harbergh (? Harbreck) granted a parcel of

" N. Blundell's Diary, p. 229.

5 Simon son of William de Walton in

his land to Robert Bullock ; n. 4. William,

13 Picton, Liverpool, ii, 430.

1331 granted to Henry son of Richard de

son of Robert Bullock in 1321 granted to

14 Before 1 300, Richard, lord of Walton,

Walton, Margery his wife, and their heirs,
land called Huddefield ; ibid. Bb. iv, 14.

his father the lands received from William
de Walton ; n. 8. Three years later,. the

enfeoffed Richard son of Robert of 4 ox-
gangs of land called Spellow field, lying

Three years later, Walter de Sherualakes

same grantor gave lands to his brother

between Kunsacre and the ditch of Coles-

confirmed to Thomas de Penrith two

Richard and Margery his wife ; n. 10,11.

grave on the east and north, and the

messuages and a field called Huddefield,

Richard son of Robert Bullock also occurs

boundaries of Kirkdale and Bootle, with

and other lands, with housebotc, heybote,
&c., paying I d. rent to the chief lord, n. 1 6.

in 1334 ; n. 15. John Bullock, who had
children named Richard, Thomas, and

acquittance of pannage of his own and his
tenants' swine in the underwoods of

Simon de Walton confirmed this, n. 17.
In 1342 Thomas de Penrith and Richard

Margaret, appears in 1393-4 ; and it was
probably the last named Richard Bullock

Walton and of the multure of his house
in the mill of Walton ; Kuerden, ii, fol.

del Riding made a grant in Walton to

whose lands were sold in 1431 to Sir

243. The grantee is probably the Richard

Richard, son of Richard de Molyneux of

Richard de Molyneux ; ibid. K.. 5 ; B. i,

de Spellow who attested several local
deeds, one being dated 1284; Moore D.

Tfeom**, Peter, nd Simon, the brothers

William de Walhill had lands in 1391,

n. 513, &c. William de Spellow, his son,

of Richard ; and Isabel, widow of Simon
de Walton released her claim to dower in

and Margery del Edge, his widow, sold
her lands in the Rice, by Small Breck

followed him, 1306; ibid. n. 511, &c. ;
Final Cone, i, 208 ; Assize R. 1 321, m. 8 d.

the same ; ibid. Bb. i, 3-5. Later in the

Moor, to William, son of John Rose, in

A John de Spellow occurs in 13615

same year Gilbert de Haydock leased

1439 ; and in 1450 William Rose sold to

Croxteth D. Bb. iv, 24.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

escheating to the lord of Walton, 1 it was acquired by
the Fazakerley family, 2 and descended with their share
of the manor until 1728-9, becoming the property of
James, tenth earl of Derby. 3

Among the earlier families may be named those ot
Hauerbergh, Quicke or Whike, 4 Rice and Halsall. 5
Thomas Harrison, of Walton, as a ' papist ' registered
an estate in lyiy. 6 The land tax returns of 1785
show that there were then a large number of pro-
prietors ; the chief were the rector, John Atherton,

Abraham Crompton, Lord Derby, Howard,

and S. H. Fazakerley.

One of the notabilities of the village was John
Holt, 7 schoolmaster, parish clerk, and antiquary, who
died in 1801.

An enclosure award for Walton-on-the-Hill and
Fazakerley was made in 1763.*

A local board was formed in 1863 9 and a school
board in i883. 10 The township was incorporated
within the borough of Liverpool in 1895, when
three wards were assigned to it, each with an alder-
man and three councillors.

The parish church has been described already ; a
mission room in Rice Lane was opened in 1890. A
number of churches have been built in recent times
for the worship of the Established Church. These
are as follows : Holy Trinity, Walton Breck, built
in 1847; patron, Mr. J. H. Stock. The old St.
Peter's, Aintree, at one time the Aintree cockpit, was
opened for service as an Episcopal chapel in 1 848, but
never consecrated. The present church was built in
1877 ; the rector of Sefton is patron, the marquis de
Rothwell having given a large contribution to the
building fund on that condition."

St. John the Evangelist's, Warbreck, was built in
1 88 1, an iron church having been used for ten
years. 12 Emmanuel is a chapel of ease. The patronage
is in the hands of official trustees the bishop and
archdeacon of Liverpool and the rector of Walton.
St. Margaret's, Belmont Road, a large and dignified
church of brick, was erected in 1873 ; the patronage
is vested in the Preston trustees. 13 St. Luke the Evan-
gelist's, Spellow, dates from 1882, a temporary
building giving place to a permanent one in 1892;
the bishop of Liverpool collates. St. Simon and St.
Jude's, Anfield, is the result of work begun in a room
in Anfield House, since demolished, in 1883 ; an iron
church followed in 1884, and on the demolition of
St. Barnabas', Toxteth, the money received was
applied to the building of the church, which was con-
secrated in 1896. The patronage is vested in trustees.

The Wesleyan Methodists have several churches.

Kirkdale Chapel, in County Road, dates from 1880 ;
Anfield Chapel, in Oakfield Road, from 1885; and
Walton Chapel, in Rice Lane, from 1890. There are
others at Warbreck Moor, 1 899, and Cowley Road,
1903. In Anglesea Road is a preaching room. The
United Methodist Free Church has a school chapel,
built in 1890. The Primitive Methodists have
churches in Walton and Warbreck.

The Baptist church in Carisbrooke Road was
opened in 1879 ; that in Rice Lane in 1888.

In 1870 the Congregationalists began to conduct
services in an uninhabited house in Walton Park ; a
school chapel was opened in the following year, which
was enlarged in 1875. Services were also commenced
in a mission hall in Rice Lane in 1890."

In Walton Park the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists
have a church. For their English-speaking members
there are chapels in Spellow Lane and Breeze Hill.

The Presbyterian Church of England has Trinity
Church in Rice Lane, built in 1 898, the congregation
having been formed in 1881.

The provision possible after the Reformation for
Roman Catholics is unknown ; but as the three
squires, down to 1715 at least, and many of the
inhabitants 15 were numbered among them it is prob-
able that missionary priests were able to minister here
at intervals. A mission at Fazakerley was served from
Lydiate till the end of the eighteenth century. The
existing churches, however, are of recent foundation.
That of the Blessed Sacrament, Warbreck, originated
in 1872 in the saying of mass in a barn, generously
lent by a Protestant ; the church was opened on
Trinity Sunday, 1878. Work at St. Francis of
Sales' in Hale Road had an equally humble beginning,
a stable being used from 1883 to 1887, when a
school chapel was erected. All Saints', Walton Breck,
also a school chapel, was opened in iSSg. 16

FAZAKERLEY

Fazakerley, 1321 ; Phesacrelegh, 1333.

In the thirteenth century Fazakerley was one of
the Walton town fields, adjoining which, as the wood-
lands were cleared, there grew up a hamlet and ulti-
mately a township. Extending about two miles in
each direction, this township has an area of 1,709
acres." It is separated from Walton by the brook
called Fazakerley or Tue Brook, and from West Derby
partly by Sugar Brook up to the point where it is
spanned by Stone bridge. At the junction of these
brooks on the border of Kirkby in the north-east the

1 In 1340 a messuage and ploughland
in Walton were in the king's hands, ow-
ing to the outlawry for felony of Thomas
de Spellow, who had held them of Simon
de Walton. After a year and a day had
elapsed Simon was put in seisin of the
same by the sheriff; Cal. of Close, 1339-
41, p. 552.

a It appears to have been part of the
third share of the manor given to Ellen,
wife of Robert de Fazakerley.

Deed of sale by Robert Fazakerley
and others ; Knowsley muniments. The
property included Spellow House with
40 acres of land in Walton, and land in
Rosemary or Fazakerley Street and neigh-
bourhood in Liverpool. The name is
preserved by Spellow Lane, part of the
boundary between Kirkdale and Walton,
and by the railway station.

4 In 1292 Henry son of John de la
Wyke unsuccessfully claimed certain land
against Richard son of William, son of
William de Walton, asserting the defen-
dant entered into the land not through
John Gernet but through his grandfather ;
Assize R. 408, m. 31.

5 No detailed accounts can be given of
these families, but a few particulars may
be gained from the notes. For a case in
1334 involving many members of the Rice
family see Coram Reg. R. 297, m. 3 d.

6 Engl. Catb. Non-jurors, III.

7 A biography with portrait is given in
Trans. Hist. Soc. vi, 57.

8 Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 47. The Act was passed
in 1759.

Land. Gaz. 10 March, 1863.
10 Ibid. 2 Jan. 1883.
28

11 Information of Rev. W. Warburton,
formerly incumbent.

" For district see LonJ. Ga*. 2 Sept.
1 88 1 ; and for endowment 1 1 Aug. 1882,
and 8 June, ,883.

18 Ibid. 20 Oct. 1874; endowment,
12 Nov. 1875, and 18 Feb. 1881. The
first incumbent, the Rev. John Sheep-
shanks, was appointed bishop of Norwich,
1893.

14 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 216.

u For a list of recusants in 1641 see
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 237,
and for the numbers in 1717 and 1767
ibid, icviii, 215. Spellow House had a
chapel and was ' full of hiding-places ' ;
Gillow, Bihl. Diet, of Engl. Caths. ii, 233.

" Liverpool Cath. Ann. 1901.

1,7 10, including four of inland water,
Census Report, 1901.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

lowest level, about 50 ft. above the Ordnance datum,
is reached ; the greatest height is about looft., on the
south side of the township. The country is extremely
flat and treeless, with nothing to recommend it to the
passer-by, for it seems to be a district of straight
lines, devoid of any beauty. Rather bare fields on the
south and east under mixed cultivation give some
variety to the pasture land. The geological forma-
tion is triassic, the southern part of the township con-
sisting of pebble beds, and the northern part of the
upper mottled sandstone of the bunter series. The
population in 1901 numbered 1,887.

Agriculture is the chief occupation, but the jam
works established here have attained considerable mag-
nitude, and on the Aintree border have given name to
a little town known as Hartley's Village.

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway
from Liverpool to Manchester crosses the township with

WALTON
The cottage homes for the children of the West

Derby Union are situated near the station. Harbreck

House has been transformed into an infectious diseases

hospital by the Liverpool Corporation. The Everton

Burial Board have a cemetery,

and the Jewish connexion have

a small burial-ground on the

Walton border. The West

Derby sewage farm occupies the

eastern edge of the township.
The township was included in

the City of Liverpool in 1905.
The early history

M4NOR of the manor is
obscure, Henry and

Richard de Fazakerley, the first

of the local family on record,

appearing towards the end of

a station called Fazakerley, near which is a junction the thirteenth century. 1 Richard had thr

ith the branch line to the Liverpool docks. Here are
the company's signal works. The Cheshire Lines Com-

Henry, Richard, and Robert ; * and Henry's son
Robert de Fazakerley was lord of the manor for

littee's railways from Liverpool to Southport and to about forty years. 3 After his death

the Mersey docks also pass, through the township. is again uncert;

1 Henry de Fazakerley in 1276 re- from Ellen daughter of William, son of
covered possession of half a messuage, Richard de Fazakerley, of land called
a horse-mill, and 15 acres of land the Twafalward, lying by the field of
in Walton ; Assize R. 405, m. 3 d. Henry Bullock and touching the brook ;

un. Robert de Fazakerley, who

ibid. R. 6, m. yd. In this indecisive
state of the evidence it can only be re-
marked that Hugh de Fazakerley seems
to be the next important member of the

Assize R. 408, m. 61 </, 23. Richard

sons of Gilbert, son of Robert de Faza-

to 1359; Dep. Keeper* Rep. xxxii, App.
PP- 33 6 > 339- In '3 he was de-

Walton, to Robert Cawdran of land in

Henry de Fazakerley, of other deeds ;
n. 19, 2J.

in Walton brought by John son of John
del Bridge ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 8,

ness to a grant by his son Henry to
Robert his brother, with various easements
in 'the vill of Walton ' ; ibid. fol. i 58*.
3 Henry made grants to his brothers.
To Richard he gave land adjoining the
field of Fazakerley and with housebote
and heybote and quittance of pannage in
the wood of Walton ; Harl. MS. 2042,
fol. 154*. To Robert he made two
grants ; one of these was in Fazakerley
in the Little Ley, from the lane to the
ditch of the Bancroft, with easements in
Walton; ibid. fol. 155, 155*; see also
Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 243.

while as early as 1315 he gave a portion
of meadow to Richard son of John son
of Margery ; Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 154*.
In 1323 a deed by him mentions his son
Richard, who was himself a grantor in
1329; fol. 156, 1 55 i. A son Henry also
occurs in 1329; fol. 156. Another of

John de Taylor and Henry de Fazakerley,

2491. She was perhaps the Isabel,
widow of John de Toxteth, who in 1419
was bound to Robert and John de Faza-
kerley ; ibid. n. 2831.
In 1 376 Thomas de Fazakerley acquired

One of Henry son of Robert's grants,
made in 1339, is printed in Crosse D.
(Tram. Hist. Soc.}, n. 50.
In 1 344 John son of Richard de Thing-

which Roger dc Fazakerley was one
plaintiff, a messuage and 80 acres of land
and wood in Walton were secured to
Nicholas de Farington and Katherinc his

Margery de Fazakerley ; Harl. MS. 2042,

Fazakerley was a plaintiff concerning land

kerley purchased lands in Walton in

granted to John son of Margery, Allys-
croft in Fazakerley, one end of it touch-
ing the lane ; fol. 156. To John son of
Richard de Fazakerley, Richard son of

Assize R. 2, m. j d. In another case at '
the same time Richard son of Henry, son
of Robert de Fazakerley, was plaintiff;
ibid. m. iij. Three years later Robert de

cerned in 1384 in a fine concerning the
lands of Richard de Halsall and Emma hi>
wife ; ibid. bdle. l, m. 21. Thomas de
Fazakerley had licence for an oratory

John had several sons. Richard was the
principal ; he gave to his son John in
1339 land between the North brook and
the land of another son, William ; fol. 1 54.
Alan son of John, son of Margery, had
grants from Richard Cordcwan and Robert
son of John in 1325; fol. 155*. In
1349 John son of Richard gave all his
hereditary lands in the vill of Fazakerley,
with liberties in the vill of Walton, to
Henry son of John de Acres ; fol. 1 54.
These charters contain a number of local
names ; e.g. Fernicroft, Woodflat, Rayde-
gate, Fcdiwell, the Aldherth, Henheyde,
Old Orchard ; also names of other ten-
ants Harebergh, Kekewich, Thornton,
and others. A charter of this branch
(1325) is printed in Tram. Hi,t. Soc. (New
Ser.), i, 161.
Henry son of Margery had a grant

Richard son of John was one of the de-
fendants ; ibid. R. 4, m. 20. Henry son
of Robert took action against the same
defendant in the following year ; ibid. R. 5,
m. I ; and at the same time another Henry,
the son of Richard, was plaintiff against
John son of Richard, son of John ; ibid.
R. 5, m. 14 d.
Next appears Hugh de Fazakerley (or
several of the name). In the year just
named, 1356, Hugh son of Robert, son
of Henry de Fazakerley, brought a suit
against Robert son of William de Walton ;
ibid. R. 5, m. 21. In the next year Hugh
son and heir of Richard, son and heir of
Robert was plaintiff; ibid. R. 6, m. 2 ;
and Henry (? Hugh) son of Richard, the
son and heir of Robert de Fazakerley,
made a claim upon Dionysia the daughter
of William son of Richard de Fazakerley;

Lich. Reg. v, fol. 35*. The same or *
later Thomas was godfather to Thomas,
le Norreys of West Derby in 1402 ;,
Lanes. Inf. p. m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 1 1. The
Richard de Halsall just named had a son.
Gilbert mentioned in local deeds.
A prominent member of the family is
Roger de Fazakerley, to whom and to
Joan his wife letters of protection were
granted by the duke of Lane, in 1382 ;
Dep. Keeper t Rep. xl, App. p. 521.
In the same year the bishop of Lichfield
allowed him to have divine service in
every oratory within his manors in the
diocese; Lich. Reg. v, fol. 356. This
Roger and Joan occur discreditably in the
story of the Lathoms ; see Lanes. Inf. p. ..
(Chet. Soc.), i, 18-20. Thomas de Faza-
kerley was one of Roger's sureties ia
1384; ibid, i, 21.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

married Ellen de Walton and claimed her father's
manor, obtaining a third part, emerges in the first
quarter of the fifteenth century ; l and later, Thomas
son and heir of Roger. 8 The visitations of 1613 and
1664 place on record a few generations. 3 The family
adhered to the Roman Catholic faith at the Reforma-
tion,* and to the king's side in the civil war, Nicholas
Fazakerley losing his life in the cause at Liverpool in
1 643.* The family estates were sold by the Parlia-
ment,' though probably much was recovered. Spellow
and the third part of Walton manor were alienated
about 1726.' Fazakerley, however, was retained or
recovered, and in the eighteenth century the family is
stated to have conformed to the Established Church.

The estates passed to John Hawarden, who took
the name of Fazakerley, 8 and afterwards to Henry
Gillibrand, of Chorley, who took the name of
Hawarden Fazakerley ; his son Henry dying childless,
the daughters succeeded. The eldest, Matilda, married
in 1863 Jocelyn Tate Westby, of Mowbreck, who as-
sumed the name of Fazakerley-Westby. 9 The manor
of Fazakerley, however, had been sold about 1820. In
1825 the hall was the residence of Richard Bullin,
nephew of Thomas Leyland, of the adjacent Walton
Hall ; 10 these properties have since descended together.

The Molyneux family of Sefton " claimed a manor
here in virtue of their holding ; other families of the
fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries which may be

1 See the account of Walton. Robert
de Fazakerley occurs as a witness to local
charters. In 1411, when Thomas de
Fazakerley made a feoffment of certain
lands in the township both Robert and
John de Fazakerley attested ; Harl. MS.
2042, fol. 159.
In a suit of 1593 the descent is thus
given : Roger Fazakerley, son and heir of
Ellen, daughter of Robert de Walton s.
Thomas s. Nicholas s. Roger s. Ro-

at the Harkirk in 1665 ; Foley, Rec. S. J.
vi, 302,320.
* This statement is quoted by Bishop
Challoner and Mr. Gillow from Lord
Castlemain's Cath. Apology. Liverpool

were concerned in deeds regarding the
father's lands ; Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
iii, 222, 196, 232, quoting 8th and 9 th
Rolls of Geo. I, and 1st and 2nd of Geo. II
at Preston.

about the end of April or beginning of
May, 1643 (Picton, Memorials, i, 90);
and it will be seen from the dates given
at the visit, that Robert Fazakerley died
before this date, and Nicholas after it.

his will dated i Oct. 1730, left the estates
to John, eldest son of Bryan Hawarden,
late of Liverpool, mariner, deceased, and
his heirs male ; with remainders to William
Hawarden, brother of John ; to the heirs

'ln'i47'6, Thomas son and heir of the
late Roger Fazakerley of West Derby re-
leased to William son of John Lightwood
of Tattenhall all his right to the lands
of John Cropper within the lordship of
Fazakerley ; Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 159.
Nicholas Fazakerley was reckoned
among the gentry of the hundred in 1512.
8 Printed by the Chet. Soc. ; Vis. of
1613, p. 78; Vis. of 1664-5, p. 108.
The succession given is : Roger, Robert,
Nicholas, Robert (died 5 April, 1643),
Nicholas (aged 1 1 in 1613, and died Oct.
1643), Nicholas (aged 28 in 1664), who
married Winefride, daughter of Edward
Tarleton of Aigburth.
The only inquisition remaining is that
concerning Robert, the second in this
descent. He died 13 Feb. 1589-90, his

treason by the Act of 1652 ; Index of
Royalists (Index Soc.), 42.
Petitions were made on behalf of
Nicholas Fazakerley, the heir, described as
of Spellow House, being then about sixteen
years of age ; as also on behalf of Cathe-
rine his mother, Anne the widow of
Robert his grandfather, and Margaret, an
unmarried sister of Robert. Roger Breres
of Walton, who had married a daughter of
Robert Fazakerley, deposed that Nicholas
and his brothers Robert and Richard were
all dead ; Robert the father had died at
Chester about 1643, Nicholas at Liverpool
within a year after, Robert the younger in
the Indies, and Richard in Ireland about
1 642. A settlement of December, 1638,
in relation to the marriage of Nicholas
son of Robert was made of the capital

of Nicholas Fazakerley, deceased ; and to

of Nicholas Fazakerley. John Hawarden
was to take the name of Fazakerley ;
Piccope MSS. ii, 3 ; iii, ,96, 242, 240,
quoting from Roman Catholic deeds en-
rolled at Preston.
From the Ormskirk Registers it appears
that John Hawarden Fazakerley, gent, in
Sept. 1748, married Anne Parr of Orms-
kirk, by licence ; a son Robert was buried
I June, 1751. The curious marriage
covenant is in Piccope MSS. iii, 354.
In Ormskirk church is a laudatory
epitaph commemorating Anne, widow of
John Hawarden Fazakerley, erected in
1800 by her son Samuel Hawarden Faza-
kerley of Fazakerley.
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. ii,
232. 233-
These Gillibrands were of the same
family, Thomas Hawarden, who died in
1 787, having taken the surname of Gilli-
brand. His grandson Henry took the

seven years of age. The manor of Walton
and Fazakerley was held of Henry earl of
Derby in free socage ; viz. by fealty and
the yearly rent of 2OJ. ; thus Fazakerley

Spellow House, and all the manors and
lands of Robert Fazakerley in Fazakerley,
Walton, Liverpool, and Wigan, including
Spellow mill ; a considerable number of

rent is the due proportion of the old
thanage rent of Walton. There were also
lands in West Derby, the family being
sometimes called ' of West Derby,' held

Bedford, Pemberton, Wigan, and Liver-

Seizure of Convicted Recusants were pro-
duced, and showed that Robert Fazaker-
ley's estates were under sequestration

the will of Samuel Hawarden Fazakerley;
Piccope MSS. Pedigrees, ii, 339.
Some deeds of a minor family are given
by Kuerden, ii, fol. 228*. In 1513
Richard, son and heir of Peter Fazakerley

third of her husband's estate, which had

his la X nds , at the nme time he seems to

settlement of his estates in 1595 ; Pal. of

virtue of a deed of 1609, had a right to

Rose of West Derby. He left five daugh-

was buried at Walton l 9 March, 1611-12.
A settlement of Robert Fazakerley' s

estate, but being a popish recusant it was
ordered that she should only have a third

Stockley and lands in Fazakerley ; they
were : Ellen, wife of Richard Longworth ;

made by fine in 1632 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 119, m. 39.
4 Nicholas Fazakerley, under the alias
of Ashton, was admitted to the English
College at Rome in 1623, giving his age

posed of for the public use. The docu-
ments are given in Royalist Camp. P. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 295-313.
^ In 1717 Robert Fazakerley of Wal-
ton registered an estate at Liverpool,

Margaret, wife of William Wolfall ; and'
Grace, wife of Richard Stockley.
There was also a family known as
'Fazakerley of the Clock house,' from
their residence on the border of Croxteth

His brother Thomas, who
1629, aged 1 8, under the same aliai,
stated that he was ' born and brought up
in Lancashire, his parents were of high
family and always Catholics. His friends
were likewise of the upper class, some
being Catholics and some heretics. He
had made his humanities at St. Omer's
for five years.' He was made priest and
returned to England in 1636, being buried

,87 io,.ioi4, charged with six guineas
to his sister Anne ; Estcourt and Payne,
Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 112.

At the beginning of 1723 Robert Faza-
kerley of Liverpool, and Robert Fazakerley,
merchant, his son and heir-apparent, mort-
gaged Spellow House and lands for 800
to Mary Richmond, widow; and in 1726
and 1727 Robert, the son, and Sarah, the
widow, of the elder Robert Fazakerley,

West Derby.

10 Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 713.

" See the account of Walton. The
Molyneux holding was obtained chiefly by
purchase from the Bullock family. In
1321 Robert Bullock granted all his lands
in Walton and Fazakerley to William his
son ; another son Richard is mentioned ;
Croxteth O.K.. i. Alan de Whike granted
in 1323 part of his land in Hey in Faza-

WEST DERBY HUNDRED WALTON

This township has a frontage to the Mersey of
nearly a mile and a half in length and extends
landward about two miles. The area is 1,207
acres. 9 The land rises from the river eastward,
until near Walton an elevation of 150 ft. is reached!
The population in 1901 was 58,556. There is
scarcely a square yard of ground left that is not
covered with crowded streets, railways, timber-yards,
canal wharfs, and, last but not least, extensive docks
and quays. A forest of masts and funnels takes
the place of green trees, and solid stone walls re-
flect themselves in the River Mersey instead of
Emmanuel church was in 1902 licensed for service grassy slopes. Huge warehouses rise up on every
under the rector of Walton. side. The hum of machinery mingles with the

D^^TT T? cries of flocks f seagulls and the rush of passing and

iJUUlivlL repassing vessels of all descriptions. The North Wall

Boltelai, Dom. Bk. ; Bode, 1212, 1237; Botull, lighthouse and the battery are conspicuous objects
1306; Bothull, 1332 ; Bothell, 1348. along the river wall.

named were the Bridges, 1 Tarletons, 8 Stananoughts, 3
and Whitfields. 1 The ancient family of Stonebridgeley
appears to have died out, 5 but the place of this name
was known in i639- 6 Edward Fazakerley of Mag-
hull, and Robert Turner of Fazakerley, were among
the church surveyors of 1650.' As 'papists' Percival
and Thomas Rice of Liverpool, and William Harrison
of Rainford, registered estates here in 1 7 1 7.'

Samuel Hawarden Fazakerley, John Fazakerley.
John Atherton, and Richard Higginson were the chief
contributors to the land tax of 1785.

A ichoolhouse was built in 1725 by Samuel Turner.

kerley to Henry son of William Bullock,
at a yearly rent of zd. ; with remainders
to Thomas and Richard, brothers of
Henry ; ibid. K, 2.
John Bullock in 1394 made grants of
his lands in Walton and Fazakerley to hi.

may have been more than one person.
More than fifty years elapses, and then in
1485 Robert Bridge arranged for the suc-
cession of his lands to his son John and
his grandson Robert ; . 32, 33. Richard
and Roger, sons of Robert Bridge, occur

Tarleton, who died 6 March, 1631-2,
held a messuage and lands in Walton and
Fazakerley of Robert Fazakerley ; also a
messuage and land in Hardshaw of
Richard Egerton ; Richard Tarleton, his
son and heir, was 41 years of age ;
Towneley MS. C 8, 13, p. 1181.
The Tarletons of Aigburth had lands
in Fazakerley ; Charley Sur-v. 53.
Thomas Stananought, who died
16 March, 1634-5, held a messuage and
lands in Fazakerley of Robert Fazakerley;

K., 4, 5. John Bullock, perhaps the same
person, enfeoffed William del Heath of
all his lands in Fazakerley within the vill
of Walton in 1420; these were sold in

family living at that time was Henry
Bridge, who had married Joan, widow of
Richard Makin of Litherland, n. 36, 39.
Joan, Margery, and Cecily, daughters

Bullock releasing all his right in the same ;
ibid. K, 10-14. Previously Robert the
Hunt and Emmota his wife, daughter of
Richard Bullock, had sold to Sir Richard

Walton and Fazakerley in 1602 from
Anne, their father's widow. It appeared
that Robert Bridge had in the time of
Hen. VIII settled them on his son and

years ; Towneley MS. C 8. 13, p. .075.
Thomas Stananought, as a convicted re-
cusant, paid double to the subsidy in I 628 ;
Norris D. (B. M.}. Henry Stananought of

Walton, which had descended to her from
her father ; ibid. K, 8 and 9, dated 1423
and 1433. Roger Norris and Alice his wife,
probably another daughter, in 1436 sold
lands formerly Richard Bullock's to the

thus : s. Henry s. Richard s. Henry,
plaintiffs' father ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
290, m. 15.
In 1354 Hawise, widow of John del
Bridge, claimed dower in lands held by

lands which had been sequestered for re-
cusancy ; Col. of Com. for Comf. iv, 2861.
4 Ralph Whitfield and Catherine his
wife, with David their son and Ellen his
wife, joined in a sale of land in Faza-

In 1446 Sir Richard assigned lands in
Great Sankey, Fazakerley, and Walton, to
trustees for the benefit of Katherinc
Aughton; ibid. K, 16-18.
In the inquisition taken after the death
of Sir Richard Molyneux in 1623, the
manor of Walton and Fazakerley is named
among his possessions ; Lanes. Inq. f. m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 389.

Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 3, m. iij. John
son of John del Bridge appears as plaintiff

of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 5 1, m. 4. John
Whitfield of the Diglake occurs in 1639 ;

Edward Bridge, described as 'gentle-
man,' died 20 Dec. 1626, holding a mes-
suage and land of Robert Fazakerley ; his
son and heir Richard was 26 years of
age ; Towneley MS. C 8, 1 3 (Chet. Lib.),
p. 54. Anne Bridge, widow, appears on the

of Roby was the guardian of Nicholas Faza-
kerley in 1652 ; Royalist Camp. P. ii, 298.
It appears from fines and inquisitions
that the Longworths, Roses of Walton,
and Molyneuxes of Melling, had lands
here ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 41,

no connected account can be given of
them ; they probably took their name
from the bridge over the Alt just at the
border of Fazakerley and West Derby.
Kuerden has preserved a number of
their charters (vol. iii, W, 10, n), and
among them the following : (i) William
son of Richard de Walton about 1300

(New Ser.), xiv, 237. Richard Bridge of
Fazakerley held 8 acres there in 1639;
Charley Sur-v. 53.
Henry de Tarleton held land here in
1413, when he made a grant to Richard
Bullock ; and in 1417 when he exchanged
an acre with the same Richard ; Croxteth
D. K, 6, 7. From a release of John Bui-

(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 43 ; these
last were perhaps the same as Ralph
Pooley's estate in 1594 ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xvi, . 19.
5 Thomas and William de Stone-
bridgeley occur among witnesses to local
deeds about 1300, and Henry in 1342.
Thomas de Stonebridgeley had a suit con-

exchange for those lands which William
son of Henry de Walton had given to
John the chaplain, reserving a fee for the
chaplain of St. Paulinus. (9) In 1308
he gave to John del Bridge and Hawisc
his wife some land newly approved,
(to) This John in I 325-6 granted certain

had before assigned to'his brother William.
(14) John the elder, son of John del
Bridge, in 1 3 27 gave to John the younger,
his brother, lands in Fazakerley already
granted by their father to John and
William, brothers of the grantor. (20)
John del Bridge and Juliana his wife were
enfeoffed of certain lands in 1 340, with
remainder to their son Adam ; see (24).
(25) Thomas son of William del Bridge
next appears, in 1385. The name occurs
down to 1431, n. 27, 29, 31, but there

acquired part of the holding of Richard
Bullock ; ibid. K., 27.
Roger, son and heir of Henry Tarleton
of Fazakerley, in 1504-5 granted to his
mother Elizabeth all the lands in Faza-
kerley and Rainford he had by her grant
for her life, and then to Thomasine,
daughter of Robert Parr of Rainford, for
her life ; Kuerden MSS. iii, W. 1 1, . 34.
A later Henry Tarleton occurs in 1536 ;
ibid. m. 38.
Richard Tarleton died about 1558,

William of the same in 1356 ; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 14 d.
* 'Stoneberley' 20 acres of land 'in
or near to Fazakerley' ; Charley Surv. 53.
7 Common-wealth Church Sur-v. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 80.
8 Engl. Catb. Nan-jurors, 136, 150.
Percival Rice, described as 'Doctor of
Physic' or as 'of the city of London,
apothecary,' with his brother Thomas, is
described as holding Fazakerley Hall and
estate in fee, the value being 82 i y. 60.

&c.; the wardship of William, his son and
heir, was given to William Lathom ;
Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xxiii, 216.
William Tarleton in 1593 purchased
lands in Walton and Fazakerley from
Ralph Mercer and Ellen his wife ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 55, m. 12. William

ibid. 122. Their ' hall ' was afterwards
sold ; Piccope MSS. iii.
'The Census Report of 1901 gives
I)57 6 acres, including 1 1 1 of inland water.
The difference is due to dock extension.
There are also 392 acres of tidal water
and 8 of foreshore.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

The soil where still exposed in the north is stiff
clay with a mixture of sand. The geological forma-
tion is triassic, comprising the upper mottled sand-
stones of the hunter series lying upon the pebble beds
of the series, with a small area of the basement beds
of the keuper series thrown down by a fault.

Bootle is traversed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway from Liverpool to Southport and from the
docks to Aintree, with two stations on the former, called
Bootle and Marsh Lane ; by the London and North
Western Company's line from the docks to Edgehill,
with stations at Balliol Road and Alexandra Dock ;
and by the Midland Company's line to the docks.
The Liverpool Overhead Railway, opened in 1893,
runs by the docks, having its terminus at Seaforth.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through the
township.

The place was thus described in 1774: 'Bootle
cum Linacre lies near the sea on a very sandy soil
and contains some well-built houses. A very copious
spring of fine, soft, pure water rises near it, which about
half a mile below turns a mill and soon after falls into
the sea at Bootle Bay. . . . Linacre, a pretty rural
village, is a distinct township, but a member of the
manor of Bootle. It lies adjacent to the sea, on the
west." '

The map prepared in 1768 * shows the village ot
Bootle situated almost in the centre of the combined
township, where Litherland Road now meets Merton
Road. On the south side was a large open space ;
somewhat to the north was the famous spring, now
marked by the pumping station. The mills* there
was a windmill as well as a watermill were to the
north-east of St. Mary's Church. From the village
various roads spread out. One, now Merton Road,
led to the shore just to the north of one of the Bootle
landmarks, which were curiously-shaped signal posts
for the guidance of ships entering the Mersey. 4
Clayfield Lane, now Breeze Hill, led to Walton
church and village. The second of the old Bootle
landmarks stood beside this road on the high ground
near the Walton boundary. Field Lane, now Haw-
thorne Road, led to Kirkdale. Trinity Road and
Derby Road seem more or less to represent the road
to the lord's manor-house at Bank Hall ; to the side
of this road towards the river was Bootle Marsh.
Gravehouse Lane led from near the spring, first east
and then north, to join the present Linacre Lane
at the Orrell boundary.

Linacre village was situated on the present Linacre
Road, between the point at which this road is joined
by Linacre Lane and the Litherland boundary. The
shoreward portion of the township was called Linacre
Marsh ; Marsh Lane led down to it. The northern

boundary was Rimrose Brook ; the southern was
another brook rising in Bootle and flowing to the
river parallel to the mill stream. 6

At the beginning of last century Bootle was a
' pleasant marine village . . . much resorted to in
the summer season as a sea bathing place.' 6 ' The
ride along the beach was, in the summer, remarkably
pleasant and much frequented. The sands were
hard and smooth, and the wind, especially if westerly,
cool and refreshing.' ' The spring had then become
one of the chief sources of the Liverpool water
supply. 8

Within the last fifty years the growth ot Liverpool
trade has turned the seaside summer resort into a
busy town. The sandy shore has been reclaimed for
the largest of the Mersey Docks, namely the Brockle-
bank ; Langton, opened in 1881 ; Alexandra, with
three branches, 1881 ; and Hornby. To the north
of the latter is a large open space, in the north-
west corner of which is the Seaforth Battery.
On the river wall at the Hornby dock gate is a
lighthouse.

There was a sandstone quarry in Breeze Hill.
There are large dye works, corn mills, and jute works,
but the occupations of the inhabitants are principally
connected with docks and railways, the timber-yards
and grain stores.

An outbreak of plague occurred in 1652.

There were in BOOTLE before the
MJNOR Conquest four manors which four thegns
held, the assessment being two plough-
lands and the value 64^. ; the priest of Walton had
the third plough-land in right of
his church. 9 The first known _
lord after the Conquest was
Roger son of Ravenkil, who in
1129-30 was one of the men
of the count of Mortain be-
tween Ribble and Mersey. 10 His
son Richard, lord of Wood-
plumpton in Amounderness, the
founder of Lytham Priory, was
succeeded by one of his daughters
and coheirs, Amuria, the wife of
Thomas de Beetham." This
Thomas in 1212 held two bendlet gules.
plough-lands in Bootle in thegn-

age for 8/. Sd. yearly service ; " and as another daughter,
Quenilda, was in 1252 found to have held a plough-
land of Walton church by the yearly service oi
y. 4</., 13 it seems clear that the father had held the
whole vill.

Upon Quenilda's death without issue a fresh par-
tition appears to have been made, for Sir Ralph de

1 Enficld, Liverpool, 1 1 z.
In the work just quoted. SherrifTs
map of 1823 shows comparatively little
change.

* Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 712.

^ Stranger in Liverpool (ed. 1812), 195.
At Bootle Mills two good houses had been
provided for the accommodation of visitors.

" See further in the accounts of Formby
and Kirkby.
19 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 22. In 1 246 Thomas de

only ; one near the spring and one by the
shore.
* These landmarks, figured on Enfield's
map of the entrance to the port, remained

valids and others ' visited Bootle in the
summer for the bathing ; 229.
8 A company was formed in 1799 to
utilize this supply ; see Gregson, Frag-

against William son of Henry de Walton
and others respecting a tenement here ;
Assize R. 404, m. 9 d.
" Inq. and Extents, 191 ; in the vill of

or obelisks, looft. high, were erected on
the shore in substitution.
5 The Midland Railway line nearly re-
presents it. It will be found from this
that Linacre was somewhat smaller than
Xnowslcy ward.

V.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.
10 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. I ; he owed
30 marks for a concord between him-
self and the count. For the father see
ibid. 290, 296. Roger gave one of the
plough-lands to the Hospitallers; see
Linacre.

with the appurtenances in chief of the
church of St. Mary of Walton, by the
service of 40^. yearly at the feast days of
St. Mary and the Annunciation; the
residue is worth 331. 4^. in all issues
of land to her own use, saving the
said 40</.'

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

0.0

Beetham, who died in 1254, held the two plough-

lands in which he succeeded his father, and half the

plough-land belonging to Wal-

ton church. 1 The Stockport

family held the other half, and

appear to have secured a share

of the thegnage plough-lands. 8

The Beetham share descended
in that family till the beginning
of Henry VII's reign, when it
was forfeited after the battle of
Bosworth and granted to the
earl of Derby. 3 A successful
claim was, however, made by
the Middletons, 4 and Gervase
Middleton died in 1548, seised
of land in Bootle held of the king by fealty and
the service of 8/. yearly. 5 His son and heir, George
Middleton, in 1566 sold the manor and lordship of
Bootle to John Moore of Bank House for 5 70."
The manor continued to descend in this family until
1724-5, when Sir Cleave Moore sold it to James,
tenth earl of Derby, 7 from whom it has descended
with the family estate of Knowsley to the present earl.

The Stockport share was transferred before 1292
to Robert de Byron. 8 In 1357, Robert de Byron,
lord of the sixth part of the manor and vill of

unges or.

WALTON

Bootle, granted it to Adam de Ainsargh of Liverpool,'
Robert's daughter Maud joining in the transfer by
granting her lands in Bootle to Richard son of
Adam de Ainsargh. 10 In 1395 it had descended to
Alice and Margery, the daughters and heirs of
Richard de Ainsargh, of whom the former was the
wife of Roger de Ditton. 11 Eventually it appears to
have been acquired by the
Moores and reunited with the
rest of the manor. 11

The record of the Bootle
court-baron of 1612 has been
printed ; the two free tenants
recorded were John Burton and
Anne Harvey, widow. 13

Roger son of Ravenkil gave
one plough-land in LIN4CRE

to the Hospital of Jerusalem in MIDDLE-TON or LEIGH-

alms." It was attached to the TON ' ., fW ."***

-- ... . mgrautd sable, in feis

Hospitallers manor or camera pfi nt a mullet for diger-
of Woolton, under whom it ence of the last.
was held by a number of
different tenants. 15

A family bearing the local name long flourished
here. Before 1290 Hugh de Linacre granted half
an oxgang of land to Robert de Kirkdale, 16 and
other members of the family occur in this and

1 Inq. and Extents, 195 ; 'in the vill of
Bootle he held two plough-lands in chief
of the earl of Ferrers by the service of
$s. 8</., worth 191. 4</. yearly, saving the
earl's farm. He also held four oxgangs of
the church of St. Mary of Walton by the
service of zod., worth 41. 4^. yearly,
saving the said farm. His demesne in the
same vill was worth 21. oj</. yearly ; and

worth five marks ; the tallage of the

In 1593 the Moores had a dispute with
Sir Richard Molyneux as to the boundaries
between Bootle and Litherland ; Ibid.
n. 6375 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii,
306.

7 See the account of Kirkdale.

8 In that year William, son and heir of
Robert de Stockport, demanded from Ro-
bert de Byron the 4 oxgangs, but without
success ; Assize R. 408, m. 67.

Robert de Byron afterwards gave the

Bootle, worth izd., and of 100 acres of
pasture there, which premises were held
in chief of the rector of Walton in socage
by the yearly service of izd. Richard
Mun granted them, with tenements in
Liverpool, to Thomas son of Richard de
Ainsargh and his heirs. Richard died in
1393, and then Alice and Margery came
into possession. The heir was said to be
Thomas son of Nichola (sister of Richard)
by John the Mercer of Liverpool ; Lanes.

p. 203, where the values are much higher.

part of the water-mill, to his daughter
Maud, to hold in fee by id. at Christmas
and by rendering the service due to Walton
church ; Moore D. n. 624.
In 1334 William Ballard of Linacre
complained that he had been deprived of
his free common in 160 acres of moor and
pasture by the action of Sir Thurstan de
Northtegh and Margery his wife, Sir Ralph
de Beetham, William Gerard and Maud
his wife, William son of William Gerard,
and Maud widow of Sir Robert de Byron ;
a verdict was returned against Sir Thur-
stan and the younger William Gerard ;
Coram Reg. R. 297, m. 1 15 d.
" Moore D. n. 627. Green house, Allow-
field, and Lolligreves are named. The

Many of the Mercer deeds are among
the Moore evidences, so that the family
inheritance was no doubt acquired by the
Moores.
18 Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), iii,
167.
For the curious bequest of Thomas
Berry in 1603 see the account of the
Walton charities.
14 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 22. Linacre is
named among the Hospitallers' lands in
1292; Plac. de quo ffarr. (Rec. Com.),

15 Proceedings relating to Linacre in
the Hallmote of Much Woolton, between
1584 and 1604, are in Moore D. .

The rental compiled about 1540 gives
the following particulars : Sir William
Molyneux, for Townfield, 6d. ; William
Moore, for I messuage, 6d. ; John Os-
baldeston, for i messuage, is. %d. ; Thomas
Barton and Anne his wife, for i messuage,
zs. ; Thomas Johnson, for 2 messuages,
izd. ; Richard Mercer, for i messuage,
i zd. ; and Ralph Longworth, for I mes-
suage, i6d. ; Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84.
The total rent, 81., is at the rate of u.
per oxgang.
16 Before 1290 Hugh de Linacre gave
half an oxgang here to Robert de Kirk-
dale to hold by the service of T,d. yearly ;
Gilbert and Geoffrey de Linacre were
witnesses ; Norris D. (B.M.), .. 9. In
1 347, John son of Richard, son of Geof-
frey de Linacre, was a defendant; De
Bane. R. 281, m. ix.
In 1330 Stephen de Linacre contributed
to the subsidy ; Excb. Lay Subs. 130/5.

Stockport, claimed against Roger de Stock-
port dower in a messuage, six oxgangs of
land, 60 acres of meadow, &c., in Bootle ;
De Bane. R. 10, m. 71 d. The sixth part
of the water-mill, excepted in Sir Ralph de
Beetham's inquisition, was held by this
family, whose share was afterwards de-
scribed as a sixth of the whole vill.
8 References are given under Formby
and Kirkby.
In 1284-6 Eularia, daughter of Roger
de Burton, of Burton in Kendal, claimed a

Robert de Beetham ; Assize R. 1265,
m. 21 ; R. 1271, m. lid.
Ralph de Beetham held Bootle in thegn-
age in 1324 by a service of 6s. %d. ; Dods.
MSS. cxxxi, fol. 34.

the sea called Coppoke stone, along the
division between Kirkdale and Bootle to

Close R. 19 Edw. IV, m. I ; 20 Edw. IV,

In 1521 Thomas second earl of Derby
died seised of this manor, held of the king
as duke of Lancaster by the ancient thegn-
age rent of 81. Bd. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p. m. v. . 68.
4 Agnes, daughter of Edward Beetham
and niece of Richard Beetham, who for-
feited the manors, married Robert Middle-
ton, grandfather of Gervase ; Lanes. Inq.
p. m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 102.
5 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. ix, n. 1 1.
6 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 28,
m. 272. Besides the manor of Bootle there
were 12 messuages, &c., a water-mill,
200 acres of land, &c. See also Moore
0.^.632,633.

cross between Bootle and Walton, thence
to the western corner of Whitefield, and
so to a plot called Funkdenbed [which
remained a mere in 1595] i westward
from the moor to Mirepool and to the
brook between Bootle and Litherland;
along this brook to the Rimrose, and so to
a stone in the sea called Brimstone.
10 Ibid. n. 625.
n An inquest taken in 1395 records that
Richard Mun, chaplain, was seised inter
alia of 3 messuages and 3 oxgangs of land
in Bootle, worth 1 8*. i od. yearly ; the
sixth part of a parcel of land called the
Greenhouse, worth zs. Sd. ; the sixth part
of Alyffield, worth I id. ; the sixth part of
the water-mill of Bootle, worth 6s. %d. ;
the sixth part of 10 acres of the wood of

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

neighbouring townships. The Molyneux family of
Sefton ' and Moores of Bank Hall were also tenants.*
Deeds relating to other holdings have been preserved.*
In 1667 Isaac Legay of London, merchant, sold
the manor or reputed manor of Linacre to Edward
Moore of Bankhall, 4 and with Bootle it was afterwards
sold to the earl of Derby, and has since descended.

Bootle-cum-Linacre 4 was incorpo-
BOROUGH rated by charter dated 30 December,
1868, and became a county borough
under the Local Government Act, i888. 6 There
are three wards Derby, Stan-
ley, and Knowsley in the
north-east, south-west and north-
west respectively. Derby Ward
includes the ancient village.
Each ward has two aldermen
and six councillors. A separate
commission of the peace was
granted in 1876, and a borough
police force established in 1887.
Water is supplied by the Liver- BOROUGH

pool Corporation, and gas by Argent, on a chevron
the Liverpool company, which between three feurs de

has works near Linacre. The ^SteAHtUv t'm'm
electric tramways are worked chie j- sahlt , hree mural
in connexion with the Liverpool crowns of the first.
system.

The town hall and public offices, built in 1882,
are situated in Balliol Road. Baths and a public library
are provided. There are two hospitals. 7 A school
board was formed in 1870. Derby Park is situated
in the eastern portion of the borough ; two open
spaces, called North Park and South Park, are in Lin-
acre and in Hawthorne Road.

The earliest church in Bootle was St. Mary's, in
connexion with the Establishment, consecrated in

1827. The advowson, like that of Walton, was
afterwards acquired by the Leigh family. Christ
Church was built in 1866," and St. John's Church,
Balliol Road, about the same time ; 9 St. Leonard's,
Linacre, was built in 1889 ; and St. Matthew's, also
in Linacre, in 1887. The patronage of these
churches is vested in different bodies of trustees.

The Wesleyan Methodists have several places of
worship. The church in Balliol Road was built in
1864, that in Linacre Road in 1900, and that in
Marsh Lane in 1903 ; they have also Wesley Hall,
in Sheridan Place. For Welsh-speaking members
there are churches in Trinity Road, built in 1877,
and in Knowsley Road. The Primitive Methodists
have a church in Queen's Road.

The Baptist church in Stanley Road was built in
1 846. The Welsh church in Brasenose Road was
built in 1871, the work having begun in 1863,
that in Rhyl Street dates from 1884 ; and that in
Knowsley Road is the result of an effort made in
Seaforth in 1882.

Emmanuel Congregational church, Balliol Road,
opened in 1876, represents a missionary work begun
in 1 87 1 in the Assembly Room. 10 For Welsh-speaking
Congregationalists there are two churches ; one re-
presents a movement by members of the Kirkdale
church in 1878-83, and the other is the result

The Welsh Calvinistic Methodists have two places
of worship.

Trinity Presbyterian church, built in 1887, is a
migration from Derby Road, Kirkdale, where a start
was made in 1855. Another church in Linacre was
erected in 1896, work having begun in 1883.

There are a Church of Christ, near Bootle water-
works, and some other meeting-places.

For Roman Catholics there are two churches. The

Richard de Molyneux of Sefton in
1342 acquired land from Robert Boorde,
nephew and heir of Robert de Denton ;
Croxteth D. G. i, 1 1. Two yea

was at the special request of Sir Alexande
Osbaldeston ; ibid. n. 685.

The Moores afterwards acquired othe
parcels, but in 1604 the tenure was stil

sold to Robert Blundell of Ince and his
son John the lands in Linacre then held
by Brian Burton, but previously the in-
heritance of ohn Longworth, deceased.

De Bane. R. 349, m. 67 d. Further lands
were acquired in 1360 from Thomas Bud-
wood ; Croxteth D. G. i, 3.
In 1 548 Sir William Molyneux held
here a messuage, 58 acres of land, mea-

solved monastery of St. John of Jerusalem
in England, in free socage, by fealty and
6d. yearly rent ' ; Lanes. Inq. />. m. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 14.
The Moore deeds contain grants by-

created about 1574 by William Longworth
and Ralph his son and heir, in favour of
Bryan Burton and Alice his wife ; ibid.
n. 686. John Burton in 1624 died seised
of a messuage in Linacre held of William,
earl of Derby, as of the dissolved hospital,

I2</. yearly; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m.

' The Moore holding appears to have
been the half oxgang granted by Robert,
son of Adam de Linacre about 1275 to
Adam son of William son of Godith ;
Adam, father of the grantor, had formerly
held it of Jordan de Linacre ; Moore D.

Walton early in the fourteenth century ;
n. 674, 676-7. The first of these men-
tions the high road from Bootle to Lither-
land.
In 1399 the feoffees granted to Henry
son of Ralph de Linacre land in Aliscar
and Soonde croft ; two years later John de
Linacre gave to Henry Diconson of Lin-

452. His son and heir was Robert Bur-
ton, aged 14. In 1659 Ellen Burton,
widow of Robert Burton of Linacre, and
John Burton, her son, conveyed to John
Bryanson of Sefton, a messuage and lands
in Linacre and Litherland ; Moore D.
n. 687. John Burton of Linacre claimed the
two-thirds of the estate of Henry Blundell,

head, granted his brother William I ox-
gang, probably the same land, with the
houses, &c., belonging to it ; ibid. n. 673.
Richard Dikemonson in 1343 transferred
his half oxgang to William, son of Adam,
on of William de Liverpool, with partici-
pation in the wastes, &c., as for a sixteenth
part of the hamlet of Linacre ; ibid. n. 67 8.
In 1375 this William de Liverpool re-

This latter Henry in 1415 made an ex-
change with Matthew Longworth, receiv-
ing lands in the Furdefylde, Wro, Pulford-
long, Fyntis, Feloteroyste, Crofts and
Robcroft in Linacre, for other lands in
Litherland. John Osbaldeston is named
as one of the tenants ; ibid. n. 682.
Richard, son of Thomas Linacre, in
1472, released to Roger Mercer of Walton,

Burton, which estate should after her death
have reverted to the claimant as heir of
his father and grandfather ; Col. Com. for
Comp.iv, 3168.
4 Moore D. n. 688. The consideration
being only it. the 'sale' perhaps repre-
sents the release of a trust.
6 The official name has more recently
been shortened to Bootle.

in the sixteenth part of the hamlet, and
his widow in 1385 released hers; ibid.
n. 628, 679. The next steps are not clear ;
but in 1536 Richard Osbaldeston of
Chadlington in Oxfordshire granted his
tenement in Linacre to William Moore of
Bank Hall, at an annual rent of 8s. ; this

Linacre, and ten years later Roger Mercer
granted his son William an annual rent of
8.. from all his property in Linacre ; ibid.
n. 629, 684.
The Longworth holding has been shown
to have existed in 1415. In 1641 Edward
Alcock and James Burton of Liverpool

1905.
' The Borough Hospital was founded
in 1870.
8 Lond. Gax. 27 July, 1866, for district.
Ibid. 20 Feb. 1866, for district.
10 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 217.
" Ibid, vi, 232-3.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

foundation of the mission at St. James's, Marsh Lane,
was made in 1845, when a room on the canal bank
was hired for worship. In the following year a
school chapel was built in Marsh Lane and enlarged
in 1868. In 1884 the whole of the buildings and
site were purchased by the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway Company, but a new church, on an adjacent
site, was opened early in 1886.' St. Winefride's,
Derby Road, was opened in 1895.'

KIRKDALE

Chirchedele, Dom. Bk. ; Kirkedale, 1185 ; Kierke-
dale, 1 200.

With a frontage to the Mersey of a mile in length,
Kirkdale extends inland about a mile and a half, the
area being 841 acres. 3 It occupies the level ground
between Everton and the river, a large part of which
was formerly sandhills, and the village 4 lay at the
foot of the hill, on the north-west side of the road
from Liverpool to Walton. To the north rose a
brook which ran down to the river by Bank Hall. 5
From the village a road led to the river side at Sand-
hills ; 6 another road, Field Lane, afterwards Bootle
Lane and now Westminster Road, ran to Bootle.
On the eastern side towards the border of Walton 7
the land rises a little, attaining 150 ft. above the
Ordnance datum. Like other townships absorbed by
the growth of Liverpool, Kirkdale is a mass of build-
ings, chiefly small cottage property, the dwellings of
the working classes, mixed up with factories and ware-
houses, railways, and shops. There are no natural
features left, scarcely a green tree to relieve the
monotony of ugly buildings and gloomy surroundings,
save in some old enclosure that was once a garden.

The geological formation is triassic, consisting of
the upper mottled sandstone of the bunter series
resting upon the pebble beds of that series, which
crop up on the higher ground, with a narrow strip of
the basement beds of the keuper series resting upon
them.

The old road from Liverpool to Walton and Orms-
kirk remains the principal thoroughfare. The Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire Company's railway from Liver-
pool to Preston has stations called Sandhills and
Kirkdale, and the Southport line, which branches
off at Sandhills, has another station at Bank Hall.
The London and North-Western Railway's branch
from Edge Hill to the docks has a station at Canada
Dock, and the Cheshire Lines Committee have one
at Huskisson Dock. The Overhead Railway runs
along the line of docks, with several stopping places ;
and the Liverpool tramway system has many lines in

WALTON

and out of the city and across. A large part of the
shore side of the township is occupied with railway
sidings and stations in connexion with the dock
traffic. The portion of the dock system within the
township limits includes Sandon Dock, with its large
graving docks; Huskisson Dock, with two long branches,
and Canada Dock with its branch. For many years,
from about 1 860, Canada Dock has been the centre of
the timber trade, but the discharging ground has been
moved further north.

Kirkdale Gaol, 8 where executions formerly took
place, stood near Kirkdale railway station ; part of
the site has since 1897 been utilized as a recreation
ground. Close by are the industrial schools of the
Liverpool Select Vestry. 9

Stanley Hospital was founded in 1867.

St. Mary's proprietary cemetery 10 was opened in
1905 as a public garden in charge of the corporation.
It is known as Lester Gardens.

Colonel John Moore, a regicide, was lord of the
manor. In recent times Canon Thomas Major
Lester, incumbent of St. Mary's for nearly fifty years,
has been the most notable resident ;" his life was given
up to various public services in connexion with
education and philanthropy, large industrial schools
being founded and maintained by his efforts.

Kirkdale was included within the borough of
Liverpool in 1835, being a ward by itself; in 1895
it was divided into three wards, each with an alder-
man and three councillors.

In 1066 Uctred held KIRKD4LE,
MJNOR which was assessed at half a hide, and
worth jo/, beyond the customary rent,
and free from all custom except geld of the plough-
lands and forfeitures for breach of the peace, ambush,
&c. 12 It is probable this was the half hide held
in 1086 by Warin, one of Roger of Poitou's knights,
who may be identified with Warin Bussel, ancestor
of the barons of Penwortham. This barony, pro-
bably incorporated by Stephen early in his reign,
included Kirkdale, which rendered the service of
three-tenths of a knight's fee to the quota due from
the barony."

Warin Bussel II gave the vill to one Norman, to
hold by knight's service. 1 * Roger de Kirkdale held
the manor in the latter half of the twelfth century,
and dying in 1 20 1 "left a daughter Quenilda as heir."
She married Richard son of Roger, who assumed the
local surname, and died before 1226, when Quenilda's
marriage was in the king's gift by reason of her tene-
ment in Formby." Her elder daughter Ellen
married William de Walton, at one time rector
of the church, and their son William, known as

1 Liverpool Cat/>. Ann.

township and Liverpool ; it wat called

a Ibid. The building was previously a

Beacon Gutter.

Baptist chapel.
921 acres, including 68 of inland

7 In 1823 Springfield Mill stood near
Spellow by the Walton Road. It still

water; Census Rep. of 1901. The apparent
increase is due to dock extensions. There

exists unused.
8 It was built as a county prison and

are also 198 acres of tidal water and 3 of

lessions house in 1819, transferred to the

foreshore.

borough of Liverpool about 1855, and

* Morley Street is about the centre of

demolished in 1895.

the old village.

9 Built in 1843.

1 It was opened in 1837.

Sherriffs map of 1823. To the north of

11 Of Christ's Coll. Camb. ; M.A. 1866.

Bank Hall was Kirkdale Marsh.

His incumbency lasted from 1855 till his

6 This road is now represented by

death in 1903, and he was made hon.

Latham Street and Sandhills Lane. On

canon of Liverpool in 1884.

the north side of it stood Blackfield House.

V.C.H. Lanes, i, 2840. 18 Ibid. 335.

To the south a small brook ran into the

M Lanes. Inj. and Extents (Rec. Soc.

Mersey, forming the division between this

Lanes, and Ches.), 35. Nothing is

known of Norman ; he is supposed to be
the father of William son of Norman, to
whom Roger de Kirkdale gave his share
of Formby.

" In this year his widow Godith gave
half a mark to sue for her dower before
the justices at Westminster; Rot. de
OUatii (Rec. Com.), 128 ; Farrer, Lane,.
Pipe R. 132. l fi Intj. and Extent!, 1. c.

"Ibid. 131. She in her widowhood
granted to Cockersand Abbey the service
of two oxgangs in Kirkdale, held of her
by Henry de Walton ; also a place by the
Mersey where the canons could make a
fishery, viz. between the fishery of Thomas
the chaplain and the sea; Cockcnand
Cbartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 564.

She had two daughters, Ellen and Emma,

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

William de Kirkdale, was in 1241 returned as hold-
ing the third part of a knight's fee in Kirkdale, of
the earl of Lincoln, then lord of Penwortham. 1

William's son, Robert de Kirkdale, was in possession
before 1288," and in 1320
agreed to sell the manor to
Robert de Ireland ; 3 the trans-
fer was completed in the fol-
lowing year, 4 and the purchaser
was returned as tenant in
1323.* Adam de Ireland of
Hale, father of Robert, held
lands here and was in 1322
stated to hold the three plough-
lands. 6

Robert de Kirkdale retained
a small estate, which passed to
his son Henry before 1332.'
Henry de Kirkdale died without issue before 1353,
when he was succeeded by his sister's children. 8

The new lord, Robert de Ireland, answered in

IRELAND or HALE.
Gulet, a* fleurs de Us,

1355 for the third part of a knight's fee held of
the duke of Lancaster. 9 In 1361 John de Ireland,
probably his son, was in possession, 10 and in 1378
another Robert de Ireland contributed to the aid
granted to John, duke of Lancaster, in respect of this
manor." Robert married Lora, afterwards the wife of
John de Legh of Macclesfield. He died in 1 38 1," leav-
ing a son and heir Robert, who was perhaps a minor.
The younger Robert in 1399 released to John, son of
Robert de Legh, the messuages and lands in Hale and
Kirkdale then held by John and Lora his wife. 13 In
1404 he was outlawed, at the suit of John de Legh,
for non-payment of a debt of 1 2 marks. 14 Four years
later he released to William de la Moore of Liverpool
his right in various tenements in Kirkdale and Liver-
pool, 15 and by another deed granted to the same
William the manor of Kirkdale and eight acres in
Liverpool. 16 Peter and Robert de Legh, sons of John
and Lora, also disposed of their lands here to the
Moores," who thus became undisputed lords of the
manor and holders of a considerable estate.

oxgangs in Kirkdale, which Emma re-
leased to her elder sister ; Final Cane.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 84.
Robert, son of Emma, daughter of
Quenilda de Kirkdale, in 1292 quit-
claimed to Robert son of Master William

who, for consideration of 10 marks,
was to enfeoff Robert de Kirkdale of the
manor for life ; charter in possession of
Mr. Hargreaves.
Another charter of the same date con-
firmed to Robert de Ireland the whole

Sankey, Henry de Acres, and Hugh de
Wiswall ; see Moore D. and Exch. Lay
Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 24.
In 1 340 Alice, relict of Robert de Kirk-
dale, demised a windmill to Robert de
Ireland ; Moore D. n. 539.

two oxgangs, and in the quarter of the
demesne of the manor ; Moore D. . 5 1 5.
1 Ina. and Extents, 149.
In a charter made between 1273 and
1284, 'William, son of William formerly
parson of Walton,' granted to his son
Robert the manor of Kirkdale, viz. three
plough-lands with the demesne, homages,
wardships, and reliefs which the grantor
had by the gift of Ellen, his mother, to
hold by rendering a pair of white gloves at
Easter and g</. yearly to Robert de Sankey
and his heirs for lands in the manor pur-
chased from Henry, brother and heir of
Robert de Sankey ; charter in possession
of Mr. J. Hargreaves, of Rock Ferry,

Robert de Kirkdale had received by the
gift of Richard de Fazakerley in free
marriage with Alice his wife ; ibid. n. 269.
< Final Cone, ii, 43.
6 Rentals and Surv. 379, m. 8 ; ' Robert
de Ireland holds the manor of Kirkdale
and pays yearly 6s.' The later extent of
I 324 says more fully : * Robert de Ireland
holds the manor of Kirkdale for three
plough-lands of Alice, daughter and heir of
the earl of Lincoln, as of the lordship
of Penwortham by the service of 31. yearly
for ward of Lancaster Castle at the Nativity
of St. John Baptist and 31. for sake fee ' 5
Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 35.
Duchy of Lane. Knights' fees, 1/3.

son of Juliana ; Matthew de Kirkdale and
his wife Cecily, daughter of Joan ; and
Simon the Carter and Averia his wife,
daughter of Ellen ; the said Juliana, Joan,
and Ellen being sisters of Henry de Kirk-
dale ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4, m.
I 8 </.; cf. Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 342.
Feud. Aids, iii, 86. He is also men-
tioned in one of the Moore D. of 1355
(n. 546).
1(1 Inq. p. m. 35 Edw. Ill pt. i, n. 122.
" Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 75. In 1366
the lands of an Adam de Ireland are
mentioned in Kirkdale; see Moore D.
n. 549.
Writ of Diem dausit extremum issued;

have been made in view of the father's
appointment to Sefton rectory.
Robert, son of Roger de Sankey, brought
a plea of assize of mart ancestor in 1270
against Edith, daughter of William, rector
of Walton, touching five oxgangs and an
acre in Kirkdale, of which Henry, brother
of the said Roger, died seised. Edith
called Roger de Sankey to warrant her ;
Cur. Reg. R. 200, m. 3 5 d.
In 1288 Roger, son of Robert de
Sankey, sued Master William de Kirk-
dale, rector of Sefton, and Robert, his son,
for the third part of four oxgangs ; and
again in 1290 he claimed two oxgangs,
which Robert, son of Master William,
then held. Robert de Kirkdale, in reply,
stated that Henry, son of Roger de Sankey,
long before his death, had enfcoffed Master

By his charter Adam de Ireland granted
to Robert his son an oxgang of land in
Kirkdale which he had had from Cecily,
formerly wife of John de Wolfall, with all
the usual easements, including fishery 'in
all salt waters and sweet ' ; Moore D.
n. 5 o8.
Possibly Adam held the manor for a
time as trustee, for in 1322 he and his
eldest son John were defendants in a plea
of novel disseisin in which Robert, the
younger son, recovered lands in Kirkdale
and Hale described as 12 messuages, an
oxgang and 40 acres of land, an acre of
meadow, a mill, and two-thirds of the
manor of Kirkdale; County Placita,
Chancery Lane. n. 4.
"Add. MS. 32106, n. 452. Robert,
lord of Kirkdale, in 1 309 granted to Alice,

' Moore D. n. 560. Early in 1402
Thomas de la Moore, escheator and col-
lector of the aid granted that year,
answered for 6s. 8</. of the heirs of Robert
de Ireland for the manor of Kirkdale ;
Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, 1/20, fol. 8.
" He afterwards received the king'i
pardon; Add. MS. 32108, n. 15555
Towneley MS. CC (Chet. Lib.), n. 430 ;
Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 175.
15 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 9.
From a deed quoted in a later note it
seems possible that William was com-
pleting a bargain entered into by his
father Thomas.
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxiciii, App. 9. In
1400 Thomas Touchet, rector of Mai-
worth, released to Robert de Ireland the
son, lord of Yeldersley in Derbyshire, all

the plaintiff was non-suited. Assize R.
1277, m. 31 ; R. 408, m. 20 d.
8 See the preceding note. A feodary
of Thomas earl of Lancaster made be-
tween 1311 and 1318, records only that
the heir of William de Walton held Kirk-
dale i Duchy of Lane. Knights' fees, i/i i,
fol. 27.
" On 6 May, 1320, a bond for 40
was entrusted to Henry de Lee, rector of
Halsall, as security for the due perform-
ance of an agreement made between
Robert de Kirkdale and Robert de Ireland

field and the road from Walton to Kirk-
dale ; note of Mr. R. Gladstone, junr. In
1320 Robert, lord of Kirkdale, granted to
Henry his son a messuage and selion which
William the Fisher formerly held, and
lands in Parsonfold, Oselfield, and Black-
mould ; Moore D. n. 527. About the
same time Henry quitclaimed to Robert
de Ireland all his right in the lands which
his father was selling ; ibid. n. 5300.
The most important tenants of the
manor about 1330 were Henry, son and
heir of Robert de Kirkdale, William the

dale by the feoffment of Robert de Ireland
the father ; Moore D. n. 561.
V In 1407 Peter, son of John de Legh,
released to his brother, Robert de Legh,
all his right to lands in Kirkdale which
had belonged to their father ; Moore D.
n. 563, 564. Shortly afterwards, Robert
de Legh leased them for two years to
Thomas del Moore, as the dower of Lora
in right of her first marriage to Robert de
Ireland ; and in the following year he sold
all his lands in Kirkdale to William de la
Moore, of Liverpool ; ibid. n. 565, 567.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The first on record of the Moore family is Randle
de la Moore, who as reeve of Liverpool appeared at
the sessions of the justices in eyre at Lancaster in
1 246. ! His name frequently occurs in documents of
the time of Henry III and Edward I.' His eldest
son, John de la Moore, sen., also attested many charters
of the time of the first Edwards ;
he was one of the three attor-
neys found by the borough of
Liverpool in a plea of quo war-
ranto at ; Lancaster in 1292,'
and he and his brother Richard
were returned to the Parliament
at Carlisle in January, 1307,
as burgesses for Liverpool. 4

John de la Moore, junior,
son of the last named John,
occurs as holding land in Liver-
pool in 1323,* and as a wit- oilarcd or.
ness to Liverpool charters down

to 1337, about which time probably he was succeeded
by Roger his son and heir, who held eight burgages
in Liverpool in I346. 6 He died about three years
later, leaving a son William, a minor, 7 who died
before 1 3 74 without issue, when his tenements passed
to his kinsman Thomas, 8 grandson of William, appa-
rently a younger brother of John de la Moore, jun.
William was the father of John de la Moore, who

MOORE or BANK
HALL. Argent, three
greyhounds courant sable

WALTON

was mayor of Liverpool in 1 353, and had considerable
property there. 9 Dying about 1361 John was suc-
ceeded by his son, the above-named Thomas, who
had received a grant of lands in Kirkdale from his
father in I36o. 10 Thomas was frequently mayor of
Liverpool between 1383 and 1407."

It was his son William who, as already stated, pur-
chased the manor of Kirkdale in 1408. He died
I August, 1409, a week after the birth of his only
child, John Moore. 18 In 1431 it was found that
John Moore, gentleman, held the manor of Kirkdale
by the service of the fourth part of a knight's fee. 11
He appears to have died without issue. 14

Robert de la Moore, son of Thomas and uncle of
John, then became the leading member of the family.
In 1389 he had a grant of lands in Kirkdale from his
father, 15 and was put in seisin in I4o8. 16 In 1417 he
witnessed a Kirkdale charter in which Bank House is
named. 17 Seventeen years later he was himself the
possessor of land at Bank House, which was probably the
site of Bank Hall, the future mansion of the family. 1 *
Robert had a son of the same name, who had a son
William, with whom more plentiful documentary
evidence begins again. 19

William Moore died on 30 July, 1541, seised of
the manors of Kirkdale, Bootle, and Eccleshill, and of
various other lands, burgages, and properties. His
heir was his son John, then thirty-seven years of age. 20

Assize R. 404, m. 16. Accounts of
the Moore D. are given in Trans. Hist. Soc.
(New Ser.), ii, 149, and Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. x, App. iv ; the corporation of Liver-
pool purchased a large number, which may
be seen in the museum.
2 e.g. Final Cone, i, 157-60.
Plac. de quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 381.
See Towneley MS. GG, n. 2484, 2730,
2517.

Lanes. Ina. p. m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 93 ;
a month before his death he had made a
feoffment of his lands in Kirkdale, Eccles-
hill, Liverpool, Walton, West Derby, and
Turton. The lands in Eccleshill and
Turton are said to have been the portion
of his mother Cecily, daughter and heir
of Nicholas de Turton, of Eccleshill ;
Visit, of 1567 (Chet. Soc.), 92.
13 Feud. Aids, iii, 94. He was living

pool to Bootle on the other. The Bank
Houses are mentioned in 1371 in a grant
by Richard del Bank, of Liverpool, to his
elder brother of the same name ; with
remainder to the grantor's son John ;
ibid. 11.551. See also n. 554, 655.
Robert del Moore was witness to another
grant to Richard Wilkinson in 1432 ;
ibid. . 573.
18 Ibid. n. 574 ; ' all the messuages,

179. John and Richard de la Moore
attested many charters together ; in 1320
they are described as 'then bailiffs' (of
Liverpool); Moore D. . 334 (74).
* Rentals and Surv. 379, m. II ; he
held 4i acres in Liverpool for . jrf,
probably belonging to 2 J burgages. He
also contributed to the subsidy of 1332 ;
Exck. Lay Suhs. 2.
6 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 140*; for
these he paid 8s.

wall of Kirkdale, released to John, son
and heir of William de la Moore, late of
Liverpool, all right in the lands which his
father had by the feoffment of John's
father; Moore D. . 575.
14 On 12 Feb. 1467-8, John Crosse, of
Liverpool, and Geoffrey Whalley, vicar of
Childwall, re-granted to John Moore, of
Liverpool, and Beatrice, his wife, all the
lands, &c., which they had had in Eccles-
hill by the grant of the said John Moore ;

in the Bank House.'
In 1465 Thomas Molyneux, of Sefton,
was the purchaser from Henry Robinson of
messuages and lands in the Bank Houses ;
ibid. n. 579 .
" Robert Moore was the first witness to
a Kirkdale deed in 1457 ; ibid. n. 578.
Robert Moore and William Moore attested
one of 1492; ibid. . 580. For Robert, son
and heir of Robert Moore, of Bank House,
and cousin and heir of John Moore, in

essed 27*. worth of movable goods within
the borough, chargeable to the ninth ;
Robert de la Moore, perhaps a brother,
had a similar amount ; Exch. Lay Subs.
130/15.
He is called son of John de la Moore in
Moore D. n. 108. ' 7 Ibid. n. 194.

to Robert, son of Robert Moore, of Bank
Houses, and his heirs male ; and in default
to Edmund and William, brothers of
Robert, and then to William Norris ;
Moore D. n. 772.
Among the Norris D. (B.M.) are
several of the year 1459, by which John

An indenture by Robert Moore, undated,
bears witness that he had enfcoffed John
Hawarden, of Chester, and others of all
his lands ; they were to hold them until
his son William arrived at the age of
twenty-four years, duly providing for his

William, son of Roger de la Moore ;
ibid. n. 231 ; and son of John de la Moore,
237, 238-
The father may be the William de la
Moore who with Alice his wife had an
indulgence from Burton Lazars in 1340;
Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 53.
John de la Moore had the toll, stallage
of markets and fairs of Liverpool, ferry or
passage boat, one horse-mill and two
water-mills at farm for 20 yearly, and
also held $f burgages in Liverpool for
5>. \\d. ; Add. MS. 32103, fol. 140.
"Moore D. n. 1 8 1.
11 In 1408 Margery, widow of Thomas
de la Moore, released her claim to dower
to William, the son and heir of Thomas,
>nd to Robert his brother ; Norris D.
(B.M.), n. 109.

made arrangements with Robert Moore,
senior, son of Thomas, as to an annuity of

lands in Kirkdale, Liverpool, and Faza-
kerley. Beatrice, the wife of John, was
joined with him ; she is said to have been
a daughter of William Norris, of Speke,
which explains the Norris remainders and
the presence of these deeds among the

15 Moore D. n. $'56. 16 Ibid. n. 566.
" Ibid. n. 570. By this, John del Bank,
of Bank House, senior, gave to Richard
Wilkinson, of Kirkdale, and Joan, the
grantor's daughter, certain land in the
Bank House, between lands of Thomas
del Moore and John del Acres, and
stretching from the common pasture on
one side to the road leading from Liver-

In a rental of William Moore's Chester
property, made about I 540, is mention of
'a stone place which was some time Roger
Derby, my grandsire's which was my
mother's father in Bridge Street, near
St. Bride's.' Rentals of William, son of
Robert Moore, exist among the Moore D.
A pedigree was recorded in 1567; yisit.
(Chet. Soc.), 92.
*> Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, n. 12.
The manor of Kirkdale and the lands
there were said to be held of the king as
of his duchy of Lancaster by the twenty-
fourth part of a knight's fee ; there were
8 messuages, 200 acres of land, etc.,
81. loJ. free rent, and a free fishery. His
will, dated 30 Oct. 1536, and proved
3 Sept. 1541, is printed at length in
Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), iv, igo.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

John Moore had a good position in the county, and
being at Lathom in 1554 did his best to convince
George Marsh of error by lending him Fr. A. de
Castro's book on heresies. 1 He died in October, 1575,'
and was succeeded by his son William Moore, then
thirty-seven years of age, who died in 1602.*

John Moore, his son and heir, aged thirty- eight in
1604, left several daughters as co-heirs, 4 but Bank
Hall, with the manors of Kirkdale and Bootle, by
William Moore's settlement, went to the younger son
Edward. 5 This latter, almost the only Protestant
among the gentry of the district, distinguished himself
by his zeal against recusants, 6 who were inclined to
consider his sudden death in 1632 as a divine
judgement. 7 His son, Colonel John Moore, played a
prominent part in the Civil War and signed Charles I's
death warrant. His personal character does not seem
to have been of the consistently moral type associated
with the designation of Puritan. 8 He died of the
plague in Ireland in 1650.

Edward Moore, his son and successor, was em-
barrassed by his father's debts. 9 His conduct after
the death of Cromwell seems to have been purely
selfish, and at the Restoration the influence of his
wife and her family, zealous Royalists, saved him from
the consequences of his father's actions. 10 In 1675 he
was made a baronet. 11 He had many quarrels with
the corporation of Liverpool, and in his Rental gave
free expression to his opinion of the people of the
town." He died in l678, 13 and was succeeded by
his only surviving son Cleave, fifteen years of age.
He is known chiefly for his scheme for supplying
Liverpool with water from the springs at Bootle."
His debts, however, finally overwhelmed him, and the
whole of the family estates in the Liverpool district
were sold, the manor of Kirkdale and all or most of
the lands there being purchased in 1724-5 by the earl
of Derby. 15 Like Bootle, it has since descended, with
Knowsley, to the present earl, who is lord of the manor.
The old hall was demolished about I76o. 16

1 Foxe, Acts and Monuments (ed. Cattley),

months before the inquisition already

prayed for* ; she wished that her son

vii, 43-4. A papal dispensation for the

cited, according to which it might be sup-

Cleave should not ' go beyond sea ' ;

marriage of John Moore and Anne

posed he was still living. There seems to

Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. ut sup. 121 ; seethe

Hawarden was granted 27 Sept. 153-;

have been some difficulty in obtaining

pleading on 123.

Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv, 60.

possession, livery having been sued on

An attempt was made to induce the

> Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. xii, n. 6.

behalf of John Moore, and the fine in

father to have the two surviving children

The annual value of Kirkdale was said to

May, 1 605, being found to be 25 171. 7 J.;

brought up in the mother's religion ;

be 13 6s. %d.

then 'the heir being now dead,' the

T. E. Gibson in Liverpool Cath. Ann.

8 Lanes. Inq. p. m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

direction ran : ' Let Edward Moore sue

1887, p. 108. Fenwick Street in Liverpool

Ches.), i, 12-14. The date of his death

livery in the name of John Moore, and

commemorates her.

was wrongly given, viz. 1601 for 1602.

take the oath and covenant as the heir

11 Burke, Extinct Baronetcies.

&c., enumerated.

from the heir to Edward Moore ' ; Moore

see Mr. Fergusson Irvine's Liverpool in
the Reirn of Chas. II xvii-xxix in which

comers to church, but not communicants ' ;

5 On 14 Sept. 1602, Richard Moore, of

volume the Rental is printed in full ; it

Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 245, quoting S. P.

Bank House, released to his brother

had been partially edited for the Chet. Soc.

Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, n. 4.

Edward all interest in the manors of Bootle

in 1846 by Thomas Heywood.

At a court of the manor of Kirkdale

and Kirkdale ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. l.s.c.

18 The will of Edward Moore, made in

were placed on record by the jurors :

married the daughter of John Hockenhull,

entailed estates to Fenwick Moore, with

i. Every tenant of the manor should put

of Prenton, a convicted recusant who died

remainder to Cleave Moore, his other son ;

his hedges and ditches in proper state ;

in prison after many years' confinement.

and then to Robert, son of Robert Moore,

ii. Every tenant putting his beasts or cattle

Edward Moore was sheriff of the county

of Liverpool, his uncle ; and in default of

should pay for each horse, ox, or cow, J,/.,

He also made provision for his brother

and for eight sheep \d., to the use of the

for Liverpool in 1625 ; Pink and Beavan,

Thomas, for servants, and others ; to the

burleymen. iii. Any man taking 'lesow-
ing,' or tethering any beast or cattle in

op. cit. 1 86.
7 Cavalier's Note-book, 21 1. The certi-

poor of Liverpool he left 10, and of
Bootle and West Derby 20. For his son

other men's grass, must pay to the lord

ficate taken by Randle Holme in 1638 is

Cleave Moore he made provision by a gift

6d. each time ; and any not ringing his

printed in Lanes. Fun. Certs. (Chet. Soc.),

of Finch House in West Derby for his

wine when warned by the burleymen

56.

life ; Knowsley D. 471/165.

must pay 4^. ; for not making his fronts

8 Many details of his career will be

14 A private Act was obtained in 1709

sufficient, zJ. ; for making of every gate,

found in Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.).

(8 Anne, c. 25), but the scheme was never

4</.; for cutting wood of another man's, 2d.;

He sat in the Long Parliament for Liver-

carried through. 'Sir Cleave Moore's

for growing grass, zJ. iv. No man should

pool ; Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 188.

waterworks ' are mentioned in N. Blun-

feed any manner of cattle or beast in any

There is an account of his papers in the

dell's Diary, e.g. 76.

of the ways within the townfield until the

Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. already cited, x,

"In 1690 Sir Cleave's Lanes, estate

field be put abroad, under penalty of 6d.
each time. Two assessors of the lord

App. iv, 63-99. Adam Martindale de-
scribed his household as a 'hell upon

had been mortgaged for 12,650; Hist.
MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv, 137 ; see also

called 'henlayers' and two burleymen
('berlimen') were appointed; Moore D.

earth' ; Autobiog. (Chet. Soc.), 36. His
will is among the Liverpool Corp. muni-

Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 453, m. 12.
In August, 1724, was a recovery of the

n. 610.

ments.

manors of Kirkdale and Bootle, Sir Cleave

In 1599, as appears by the inquisition,
William Moore enfeoffed Richard Bold and

He was serving in Ireland as Captain
Edward Moore, but procured leave of

Moore and John Wallis being called to
vouch; ibid. R. 521, m. 4</.

others of his manors of Kirkdale and

absence to visit England 'to look after his

Lord Derby bought Bank Hall in

Bootle and other lands to the use of him-

occasions'; Hist. MSS. Cam. Rep. x,

January, 1724-5. The purchase included

self during life, and then to his younger

App. iv, 99, where may also be seen

the manors of Kirkdale, Bootle, and

sons, Edward and Richard, by his second

several of his requests for arrears of his

Linacre, and all Sir Cleave Moore's estates

wife. The reason for passing over the

father's pay, and for 'some delinquent's

in Kirkby, West Derby, Fazakerley,

eldest son is perhaps disclosed in the later

estate' to repair the losses incurred in the

Litherland, Little Crosby, Ellel, Horsam,

endorsement of an acquittance given in

Parliament's service.

Walton, and Liverpool ; Knowsley Muni-

1586 by John Moore to his father; 'an

" Ibid. 1 10. The Moore manors were

ments. There are references to Lord

acquittance under John Moore's hand,

granted to the earl of Meath and Thomas

Derby at Bank Hall in N. Blundell's

which was the unthrift who sold 10 per
annum of copyhold land before his father,

Gascoigne in 1662; Pat. 14 Chas. II,
pt. xii, n. 9. Edward Moore's wife, like

Diary, 219, 222.
16 The following is Enfield's description

William Moore, esquire, died ' ; Hist.

her family, adhered to the Roman Church
and in her last letter to her husband

of it: 'It was a curious model of the

* John Moore is said to have died in

desired him to give her church stuff 'to

[IK] years ago, and doubtless in those days

the Counter Prison in April, 1604, seven

the church so that her soul might be

was esteemed a very grand structure. The

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The Molyneux family of Sefton began to acquire
lands here about the middle of the fifteenth century,
for which the status of a manor was afterwards
claimed. 1 Early landowners were various members of
the Kirkdale family,' the Waltons,' Booties," Wiswalls, 5
Rixtons, 6 and others. 7 Edward Moore was the only
landowner in 1628 contributing to the subsidy. 8
The land tax return of 1785 shows that Lord Derby,
Thomas Fleetwood, and the executors of John Fletcher,
were the chief proprietors. John Leigh, a prominent

, WALTON

Liverpool solicitor, leased the estate called Sand Hills'
and died there in 1823.

Before the middle of last century the population
had so greatly increased that various places of worship
were built. In connexion with the Established
Church, St. Mary's, at the north end of the old
village, was built in 1835.' St - Lawrence's, erected
in 1 88 1, is a chapel of ease. St. Paul's, North Shore,
close to the site of Bank Hall, was founded as an
Episcopal chapel in 1859 ; it became a parish in

front of it was moated with water, over
which was a passage by a bridge, between
two obelisks, to the gateway, whereon was
a tower, on which were many shields of
arms carved in stone ; of which the most
remarkable was that within the court,
being undoubtedly the achievement of the
founder, viz. : 1st. Ten trefoils, 4, 3, 2, i.
2nd. Three greyhounds current, in pale ;

part). William, the son and heir was then a
minor, and died in 1551, leaving a daugh-

bounded in part by the Tothe Syke and
Holdeyr Reyndys to John son of Henry

(ibid. ix, n. i), who was at once married
to Randle son of Ralph Green (according
to the pedigree in Helsby's Ormerod, Ches.
ii, 444). The Croxteth D. above quoted,'
however, gives Lancelot as the surname,

4 Henry de Bootle granted land, to
Henry his son in 1337; and in 1376
Margery, widow of William Masson, gave
lands in Kirkdale and Liverpool to Henry,
son of Henry de Bootle ; while John de

cock volant. Date 1282 [?i 582]. The
great hall was a curious piece of antiquity,
much ornamented with carvings, busts,
and shields. It had no ceiling, but was
open quite up to the roof, with various
projections of the carved parts, whereon
trophies of war and military habiliments
were formerly suspended. On a wall
between the court and garden was a grand
arrangement of all the armorial acqui-
.itions of the family. The shields were
carved on circular stones, elevated and
placed at equal distances like an embattle-
ment. But this venerable pile has lately
been demolished, and will probably soon
be forgotten '; Liverpool, 113. There is
a view in Gregson, Fragment!, 153.

Henry de Riding in 1348 granted
to William, son of Henry son of Robert
de Kirkdale, land in Hongircroft, Turner-

of John de Bootle), of his lands : Crox-
teth D. Q. ii, 5, 8-10, ii.
Roger, son of Ellis de Bootle, and
Annota daughter of Adam, son of Robert
de Derby, were in I 376 refeoffed of Roger's

D.Q.ii,6.

There appear about 1300 to have been
two contemporaries named Robert de
Kirkdale; William son of Ralph de
Ireland granted to Robert son of Robert
de Kirkdale certain lands, and Robert de
Kirkdale granted others to the same, but
does not call him 'son'; Moore D.
n. 509, 510. Adam son of Robert dc
Kirkdale occurs in 1317 ; ibid. n. 523.
In 1316 Robert de Kirkdale made a
grant to Matthew son of Matthew de

Bootle were witnesses ; Moore D. n. 552.
An exchange of lands was made by
William Moore and Thomas Bootle in
1507; ibid. n. 583.
s Roger son of Robert de Kirkdale
married Maud daughter of Hugh de Wis-
wall, and a settlement of his lands wa.
made in 1348 ; her father was a witness ;
Moore D. n. 548. The same Maud in
1368 received lands from Robert Fox, who
had them in 1366 from John the Cook of
Hale by a charter to which William de

the corner of Bankhall Lane and Bankhall
Street.
1 Sir William Molyneux (Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, n. 2, 1548) held
his lands in Kirkdale partly of the king,
as of his barony of Penwortham by &
of a knight's fee, and partly of the Hos-
pital of St. John, Chester. See also
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Che..), iii, 390.
The deeds at Croxteth show purchases
as follows : By Richard Molyneux from
William Sheppard in 1457 ; by William
Molyneux from Roger Wiswall in 1501 ;
and by Sir Richard Molyneux and William
his son and heir in 1565 from Thomas

the Greengate, in the Breckfield next
lands of Godith de Kirkdale, in the
Ballydfield, and by the Boritte Rake ; ibid.
n. 522.
William de Walton in 1307 granted to
Matthew son of Matthew de Kirkdale
and his assigns (except Robert de Kirk-
dale and Adam de Ireland of Hale), a man
to dig turf in William's turbaries on
Qualebreth (?Warbreck) moor, and an-
other man to help, and leave to carry the
turf away to Kirkdale ; Croxteth D. Bb,
iv, 6.
Robert de Ireland acquired lands from
Stephen de Kirkdale and Margaret his
wife in 1317, and from Richard son of

Robert son and heir of Ralph de Wiswall
in 1445 released to John del Moore all
his right in the lands sold by his father ;
and in 1457 exchanged with John Thomp-
son lands in the Blakefield and Baldfield
for others; ibid. . 575, 578.
John son of Richard Wiswall occurs in
1492 ; ibid. n. 580 ; and William Moore
acquired lands from Roger Wiswall in the
Conery and Chollolfield, in exchange for
others in Efurlong, &c. in 1508, and from
Robert Wiswall in Whitfield and Barrow-
field in 1525; ibid. . 584, 592.
Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Ralph
Wiswall of Kirkdale, married Robert Lee,
and in 1524 sold her lands in Walton,

prising the inheritance of William Lance-
lot, tenanted by Ralph Bolton and thirteen
others ; Q. i, 1-3.

1325, the latter including a ridge held as
dower by Alice, mother of Richard.
Moore D. . 521, 534. Robert son of

Molyneux, rector of Sefton; Croxteth
D. Bb, iii, i.

1 304 ; from Henry, son of Robert lord

made a grant to Alice his daughter in

larly released her claim in the lands sold
by her son Thomas; Moore D. n. 538,
540.
7 The Hulmesof Maghull had lands in
Kirkdale ; Edmund Hulme is mentioned
in 1 525, ibid. B. 592 ; and Richard Hulme
died in 1615 seised of a messuage, &c.
held of the king ; Lanes. Inq. p. m. (Rec.
Soc.), ii, 19.
Richard Crosse of Liverpool also had
lands here; ibid, ii, 136. Among the
Crosse D. (Trent. Hist. Soc.) is only one
referring to this township, n. 100 (dated
1405).
8 Norris D. (B. M.).
' Near the present railway station ao
named. The family is noticed in the
account of Walton church.
'0 A district was first assigned in 1844 ;
Land. Gax. 14 Sept.

Walton, and to Richard son of Henry de
Orrell in 1316 ; and from Simon de Kirk-
dale to Matthew son of Richard de
1 Lisnetarki ' of half an oxgang at a rent
of u. 3</. and a pound of cummin ; Crox-
teth, D. Q. ii. 3, I, 4, 2. This last was
probably the foundation of the claim of a
manor, and no doubt descended to the
Lancelyns of Poulton near Bebington, in
virtue of the marriage of Alice, daughter
and heir of Thomas Ewes, to Roger
Lancelyn, for Roger died in 1526, seised
of lands here held of the king as of his
barony of Penwortham, by the twentieth
part of a knight's fee and a rent of zj. ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. vi, n. 23 ;
Moore D. n. 598 b (where the service is
called the fourth part and the twentieth

Kirkdale and Cecily his wife gave land in
the Oldhearth to Richard de Ainsargh in
1355 ; ibid. n. 541, 546.
* Henry de Walton granted to John the
Goldsmith of Chest, an oxgang of land
in Kirkdale by knight's service where ten
plough-lands made a fee, and by a gift of
spurs ; Richard de Meath was a witness ;
Moore D. n. 502.
Richard son of Henry de Walton
granted his son William the oxgang which
Stephen Bullock formerly held, and lands
in the Fenny Acres, the Crakefield, &c.,
with easements and liberties belonging to
the vills of Walton and Kirkdale, to be
held as the last grant ; ibid. n. 501, also
n. 503.
In 1321 Jordan de Rixton gave lands

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

1 868, when the church was built. 1 The incumbents
of the preceding churches are presented by trustees.
St. Aidan's, near the Liverpool boundary, was first
built in 1 86 1, but removed to its present site in
1875, tne ld one being required for dock purposes.
The bishop of Liverpool and the rectors of Liverpool
and Walton present. 2 St. Athanasius's, built in
1 88 1-2, is in the gift of the Simeon trustees. 3 For
Welsh-speaking Anglicans St. Asaph's, Westminster
Road, has been licensed as a chapel of ease to St.
David's, Liverpool.

A Free Church of England existed in Kirkdale
from 1868 to 1871.

The Wesleyan Methodists have a church in
Rosalind Street, built in 1877; also two in Boundary
Street East, one for Welsh-speaking members. The
Methodist New Connexion have a mission hall.
The United Free Methodists have also a place of
worship.

For the Baptists the Tabernacle was built in 1892.
Other chapels are in Stanley Road and near Stanley
Park; the latter was built in 1875. For Welsh-
speaking Baptists Seion Chapel, built in 1876,
originated in Great Howard Street, Liverpool, in
1835 to 1840.

There is a United Free Gospel Chapel in Tetlow
Street, begun in 1860 and enlarged in 1877.

The Congregationalists have a church in West-
minster Road. A chapel was erected in Claremont
Grove in 1829. In 1872 the congregation removed
to the present building. The Welsh Chapel in Great
Mersey Street originated in 1858, springing from the
Liverpool Tabernacle. 4

The Presbyterians have churches in Everton Valley,
founded in 1862, and in Fountains Road (Union
Chapel), 1878. That formerly in Derby Road was
removed to Bootle in 1887.

The Salvation Army has barracks in Walton Road
and Barlow Street.

The Roman Catholic faith probably died out soon
after the Reformation, the Moores becoming Protestants
about 1 600, and there being no other resident able to
afford the missionary priest a shelter. 5 A fresh
beginning was made in 1848. Thousands of poor
Irish labourers, driven from home by the great famine,
came to Liverpool to work at the docks. To minister
to them St. Alban's, Athol Street, was opened in
I 849 ; it was gradually completed and beautified, and
was consecrated in 1894. Our Lady of Reconciliation,
Eldon Street, has sprung from a mission begun in a
shed in 1854 ; the church, designed by Wei by Pugin,
was opened in 1860. St. Alexander's, on the borders
of Bootle, was founded in 1862, mass being said in a
hayloft for some years; in 1867 'he church was
opened, and enlarged in i884- 6 From 1878 till 1884
a chapel of ease known as Our Lady ot Perpetual
Succour was used. In 1870 the Congregational

chapel in Claremont Grove (now Fountains Road)
was purchased and opened as St. John the Evangelist's ;
a permanent church replaced it in 1885. St.
Alphonsus' Mission was founded in 1878, a building
in Kirkdale Road, formerly a masonic hall, being
utilized. 7

The Jews have a synagogue in Fountains Road.

TOXTETH PARK

Stochestede, Dom. Bk. ; 8 Tokestat, 1207; Toxstake,
1228 ; Tokstad, 1257 ; Toxstath, 1297 ; Toxsteth,
1447.

This township, which comprises the ancient vill of
Smeedon or Smithdown, having been included in the
forest, became extra-parochial. 9 It has from north to
south a frontage of 3 miles to the River Mersey, and
stretches inland for 2 miles. The ground in the
northerly half rises somewhat steeply from the river ;
inland there are several undulations, the highest point,
at the corner of Smithdown Lane and Lodge Lane,
being about 190 ft. The total area is 3,598 acres 10 of
which about half, 1,737 acres > was taken within the
borough of Liverpool in 1835, and with the exception
of Prince's Park is now quite covered with streets of
dwelling houses ; the outer half, with the exception of
Sefton Park, containing 387 acres, has, within recent
years, fallen largely into the hands of the builder. This
portion also was included within the borough of
Liverpool in 1895.

The northern half of the township is densely popu-
lated and there are docks and quays along the river
front with the severe buildings of numerous factories
reared in the background. In the southern half the
character of the district changes abruptly, green fields
and trees sloping down to the water's edge instead of
stone quays and dock gates, and the neighbourhood
becomes an important residential suburb, with larger
houses set in private grounds.

The geological formation consists of the new red
sandstone or trias, the pebble beds of the bunter
series occurring in the centre from the river to
Windsor, and again towards Aigburth, with upper
mottled sandstones of the same series between, again
occurring above the docks, where they intervene
between areas of the basement beds of the keuper
series. The soil is clay and sand.

Formerly a brook u rose in the eastern side of
Parliament Fields, at the north end of the township,
and ran down to the river near the boundary in
Parliament Street, being used to turn a water-mill
just before it fell into the river. About the middle
of the river frontage is a creek called Knot's Hole,
and a little farther to the south another creek once
received a brook which rose near the centre of the
township ; 12 the Dingle lies around the former creek,

1 Land. Gay. 15 Sept. 1868.
> Ibid. 5 Feb. 1 86 1 ; for endowment
28 July, ,863.
8 Ibid, ii Jan. 1881 ; for endowment
2 June, 1882, 31 March, 1882.
Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 176,
226.
6 The recusant roll of 1626 records only
two names in Kirkdale ; Lanes. Lay Sub-
sidies, 131/318.
6 Among the church plate is a six-
teenth-century chalice formerly owned by
Caryll Lord Molyneux ; Tram. Hist. Sue.
(New Ser.), v, 205.

1 Liverpool Cath. Ann. 1901.
8 The initial S does not recur, except
very rarely ; Stokkestoffe is the spelling
in a grant of 1524: Duchy of Lane.
Misc. Bks. xxii, 74.
9 It appears that about 1650 the rector
of Walton had certain dues in Toxteth ;
Plund. Mini. Aects. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Che,.), i, I.

Toxteth Park paid neither church tax nor
county rate ; it had a constable and over-
seer and went by house row, but was not

returned by any court but the court-baron
of the lord of the manor ; Croxteth D.
10 2,375, including 774 of inland
water ; Census. Rep. of 1901. There are
993 acres of tidal water and 263 of fore-
shore.
11 Probably the ancient Oskell's brook.
It is shown in the 1768 map in Enfield'$
Liverpool, and the upper portion appears
also on SherrifTs map of 1823.
111 This brook passed the east end of
St. Michael's Church. The creek, called
Dickenson's Dingle in 1823, has been
filled up.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

and round the latter the district is named St. Michael's
Hamlet, from the church. Just beyond the southern
boundary is the creek called Otterspool, receiving a
brook, known as the Jordan, which rose near Fairfield,
formed the boundary between Wavertree and West
Derby, and then flowed south to the Mersey ; it was
joined by another brook, rising in Wavertree and
flowing south and west past Green Bank. 1 Por-
tions of them are still visible in Sefton Park, part of
the course having been formed into a lake there.

The principal road has always been that from
Liverpool parallel to the river, formerly known as
Park Lane, now as Park Place, Park Road, and (beyond
the former municipal boundary) Aigburth Road.
Park Road rises quickly to the summit, 1 80 ft., where
the Park Coffee House formerly stood, 8 and then
descends still more rapidly to the Dingle ; near the
bottom on the left is the old Toxteth Chapel.
The foot of the hill was in 1835 the municipal
boundary ; Ullet Road thence goes eastward to the
old lodge of the Park, situated almost at the centre of
the township, where is now the principal entrance to
Sefton Park. The main road, as Aigburth Road, 3
pursues its way to Otterspool, having the Dingle
and St. Michael's on the right and Sefton Park on the
left.'

Smithdown Road, formerly Smithdown Lane,
forms on the east or inland side for some distance
the boundary between the township and West Derby ;
by it are the Toxteth cemetery and the workhouse.
It is joined at its northern and southern ends respec-
tively by two ancient roads, called Lodge Lane from
the old Lodge, and Ullet Road already named.

Modern necessities have covered the district with a
vast number of streets, of which only a few can be
named. Parliament Street follows the northern
boundary line from the river to Smithdown Lane,
at which point the district is popularly termed
Windsor. Prince's Road runs from the centre of
Parliament Street to the entrance to Prince's Park,
round which are roads ending in Ullet Road. Mill
Street lies between Park Road and the river.

The Liverpool tramway system provides liberally
for locomotion. The Overhead Railway has a terminus
at the Dingle, and runs by the dock side, with a
number of stations. The Cheshire Lines Committee's
Railway from Liverpool to Manchester has stations at
St. James's, St. Michael's, and Otterspool, with a
goods station, formerly the passenger terminus also, at
Brunswick Dock. The London and North-Western
Company's Liverpool to London line passes through
the south-eastern corner of the township, with a
station called Sefton Park, opened about ten years
since.

The following docks of the Liverpool system are in

WALTON

this township : Queen's, formed 1 796, and recently
modernized ; Coburg ; Brunswick, 1 8 1 1, formerly the
seat of the timber trade ; the old discharging ground
has been utilized as the site of a carriers' dock ;
Toxteth, Harrington, and Herculaneum. To the south
of the last are graving docks, and then the petro-
leum stores.

The Mersey forge stood near the Toxteth dock.
The flour mills are further inland. The Herculaneum
dock takes its name from a pottery established there
in 1 796 on the site of a former copper works ; it
was given up in 1841.* On the river side of the
Queen's dock were formerly considerable shipbuilding
yards. Near them a ferry was in operation for some
years.

The principal park is Sefton Park, formed by the
corporation of Liverpool in 1872 ; a palm house and
aviary have since been presented. A statue of
William Rathbone, unveiled in 1877, stands in it.
Prince's Park, purchased about 1 840 by Richard
Vaughan Yates, with the intention of preserving it
as an open space, is now public property.

An improvement Act was passed in 1842^ and a
local board was constituted in 1856 ;' its operations
were restricted to the extra-municipal portion in
1859.'

The former wards within the borough of Liverpool,
down to 1895, were called North and South Toxteth.
On the inclusion of the rest of the township in 1895
an entirely new arrangement of wards was made ; five
wards, since increased to six, having been formed, each
having an alderman and three councillors.

The Royal Southern Hospital was founded in
1841 ; the first building was in Parliament Street,
close to the docks. The present buildings in Grafton
Street were opened in 1872. Not far from them is
the City Hospital, under the management of the
corporation ; at Parkhill, Dingle, is the Infectious
Diseases Hospital.

The new buildings of Liverpool College in Lodge
Lane accommodate the principal school.

The industrial schools founded by the late Canon
Henry Postance, 9 the school for the deaf and dumb,
and the Turner Memorial Home at the Dingle for
incurables, 1882, are among the charitable institu-
tions.

Reports upon the wasting of the shore caused by
the Mersey were made by Edward Eyes on behalf of
the Duchy in 1828 and subsequent years. 10

Before the Conquest, TOXTETH
Mj4NOR was divided equally into two manors,
each assessed at ' a virgate and a half of a
plough-land,' otherwise two plough-lands ; one was
held by Bernulf, the other by Stainulf." After the
Conquest it was probably taken into the demesne of

1 This house has for a century been the

of antiquities. About forty years later

7 18 & 19 Vic. cap. 12?.

residence of the Rathbone family, who
have made an honourable name in the

the Dingle estate was purchased by the
Rev. John Yates, minister of the Unitarian

8 21 & 22 Vic. cap. 10.

9 Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Par-

history of Liverpool.

Chapel in Paradise Street; and in 1823

liament Street, from 1858 till his death in

" In 1768 there were but a few scat-

he was residing in the house. The Dingle

1893.

tered residences along this road from
Liverpool to Aigburth. In 1823 Northum-
berland Street was the limit of the streets,
though others were being formed. On

was formerly opened to the public one or
two afternoons in the week.
At the further end stands the house
once called the New House or 'Three

" Trans. Hist. Soc. xxn, 228-35. There
were fishyards at Jericho from 1770 to
1830; John Leigh, as farmer of the
rectory of Walton, claimed tithe of the

the east side of the road near the Coffee
House was Fairview, then the residence of

Sixes,' with the date 1666 on it ; off the
road is the residential district called

fish in 1826.
11 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 283*. The whole

Charles Turner. Fairview Place preserves
8 At the corner, where there is a sharp

Fullwood Park, in which, on the edge of
Otterspool, was the Lower Lodge of the
park.

therefore appears to have been rated as half
a hide and a plough-land, perhaps pointing
to a different and unequal division of the

turn from Park Road, there stood in 1768
Dr. Kenion's house. He was a collector

' Tram. Hht. Soc. vii, 202-7.
5 & 6 Vic. cap. 105.

vill in the past. One manor 'used to
render ' 41. while the other ' was worth ' 41.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

West Derby, but part at least seems to have been
granted by Count Roger of Poitou to the ancestor
of Molyneux of Sefton, being soon exchanged for a
moiety of Litherland. 1 The whole vill was then
afforested, and until 1604 continued to form part of
the forest of West Derby, being described as a ' Hay '
in the earlier records, and as a
park from the time of Edward I. _
A separate keeper or parker was
appointed for it.' The boun-
daries, somewhat within the
present ones, are described in
the perambulation of 1228.*

In 1257 the yearly issues
of Toxteth amounted to
^7 1 4/. 6-^., arising from per-
quisites, agistment, and wood
sold. 4 At the death of Edmund,
earl of Lancaster, in 1296,
the issues of Toxteth, Croxteth,
and Simonswood amounted to

8 3;. \od. per annum. 5 His son and successor,
Thomas, in 1316, while a guest of the monks of
Whalley, then but recently translated from Stanlaw
in Cheshire, gave them Toxteth and Smithdown ;
they being dissatisfied with Whalley owing to the
lack of timber there for building. 6 However, they
decided to stay at Whalley, and the grant of Toxteth
was revoked, Sir Robert de Holand being put in
possession of this and other manors in the hundred,

STANLEY OF LATHOM.
Argent, on a bend azure
three stags' heads cabossed

which he held till the earl's attainder in 1 322.'
Five years later Toxteth, with the other parks, was
granted to Henry, brother of Thomas of Lancaster,
on being allowed to succeed to the earldom and
estates. 8

By this time the profits of the park from the sale of
fuel, &c., had become more important than the
preservation of deer for the chase, and various leases
and grants were made. 9 The custody of the park,
after various changes, 10 was in 1447 granted in fee to
Sir Thomas Stanley, controller of the household, at a
rent of us. l\d. yearly, with a lease also of the
turbary. 11 This office descended

in the Stanley family until I 596, r _^_^_.^ B ^
when William, earl of Derby,
sold the park with all his lands
and tenements there and in
Smithdown to Edmund Smolte
and Edward Aspinwall, 1 ' who
subsequently made a number of
grants to kinsmen and others.
Eight years later the earl agreed
to sell the same to Sir Richard
Molyneux of Sefton, 13 and after
various intermediate arrange-
ments " the transfer was com-
pleted in 1 605," from which time the estate hai
descended in the Molyneux family to the present earl
of Sefton. The disparking occurred about I 592."
No courts have been held from about 1770, and

MOLYNEUX, Earl of
Sefton. Azure, a cross
moline or.

1 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 14.

contained by estimation 5 leagues in cir-
cuit ; the herbage was worth 173 year ;

Harebrown, for seven years at 431. ^d.
a year.

481. \d. as tithes of Toxteth and Croxteth ;
Lane. Church (Chet. Soc.), ii, 459. This

valued; Add. MS. 32103, fol. 140. A
certain pasture called Smithdown yielded

hands owing to the minority of Edward
earl of Derby, a stag of season was ordered

demesne tithes by Roger of Poitou;
Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 289.
* In 1207 when William Gernct had
livery of the master forestership in suc-
cession to his father Benedict, the covert

Two years later a more detailed ac-

and winter as worth 10 izs. 3 </. ; pan-
nage of swine, 1 35. \d. ; turbary of Smith-
down, 43*. c,d. ; turbary outside the park

Devon. Croxteth D. Aa, I.
Croxteth D. Aa, 2 ; 1,100 was the

Edward Aspinwall was one of the
founders of Toxteth chapel; he wai

to the underwood of the forest probably
in the vill of West Derby were excepted,

park, 6s. SJ. ; turbary outside the park,
nigh Liverpool, windfallen wood, bracken,

His son married the sister of Sir Gilbert
Ireland of Hale. Nightingale, Lanes. Nan-

separate custodians ; ibid. 217.
8 Ibid. 421. The bounds are thus
described: 'Where Oskell's brook falls
into the Mersey ; up this brook to
Haghou meadow, from this to Brummesho,
following the syke to Brumlausie, and
across by the old' turbaries upon two meres

Duchy of Lane. Var. Accts. 32/17, fol. ^b.
9 In 1338, Adam son of William de
Liverpool had a grant in fee from the
earl of one acre of turbary in Toxteth,
adjoining the park pale, for 6d. yearly ;
Add. MS. 32105, n. 104.
In 1385 William de Liverpool had

13 Croxteth D. Aa, la ; 1,100 was

again the price, of which 200 had been
paid. It is not known whether Smolte
and Aspinwall had been acting for them-
selves or for Sir Richard Molyneux in the
previous transfer. The sale in 1604 was
made subject to a proviso that the earl

going down to the " waterfall " of the head
of Otter pool, and down this pool into
the Mersey.'
4 Lanes. Inj. and Extents, 210.
< Ibid. 287 ; this, however, included

take two cartloads of gorse weekly from
the park for \^d, a year rent; Dep.
Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 339.
Another source of profit was indicated
in 1392 in a grant to Robert Baxter and

expectant upon an estate tail granted to
the earl's father by Queen Elizabeth.
"In July, 1604, Thomas Ireland
covenanted with Sir Richard Molyneux to
obtain from the king the reversion in fee of

Derby.
Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii,
527-31. It appears from these charters
that part of Toxteth lay within an en-
closure of pales (clautura) and part of it
outside, and that Smithdown had for some
time past ceased to be within the fenced
park.
1 See the account of West Derby.

quarry within the park ; Kuerden MSS.
ii, fol. 157.
10 A grant to Baxter and Bolton, men-
tioned in the last note, had been made in
1383, of the custody of the herbage
within the park, the old turbary, &c., to
endure for twenty years at a rent of
24 marks ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App.
526. In 1394 they resigned the lease,

payment of 500 ; and this was granted in
October, by letters patent, to Randle
Wolley and Thomas Dodd, citizens of
London, at the nomination of Sir Henry
Bromley, who afterwards transferred to Sir
Richard; ibid. . 12, 14; Pat. 2 Jas. I,
pt. xxi. The yearly rent of i is. j\d. was
still to be paid to the crown.
In the meantime Smolte and Aspinwall,

issues of Toxteth for summer herbage
were then worth 11 a year.
In a valuation made in 1331 the forest
of Toxteth, with Croxteth and Simons-
wood, was returned as worth 13 3.. itf.

According to the extent of 1346, after
the death of Earl Henry, Toxteth Park

ibid. In 1403, this being resigned or
lost, a six years' lease was granted to
John Stonyhurst and Thomas Ashton at
a rent of 40 marks, with a proviso that
they should not sell turf within the town-
ship of Liverpool : ibid. 531.
11 Ibid. 539 ; the lease of the turbary
was to Sir Thomas Stanley and James

the tenants and farmers of the park, on
whose behalf and their own they had pur-
chased it, conveyed their interest to Sir
Richard. Croxteth D. Aa, n. 13.
15 Ibid. n. 15; a fine concerning 24
messuages, 10 cottages, 2 mills, &c., in

16 Duchy of Lane. Spec. Com. n. 671.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

no perambulations of boundaries made. Lord Sefton
has claimed wreck. 1

The offices of forester and keeper of Toxteth park
and of the park of Croxteth and chase of Simonswood
were of some importance. They were usually held
for life, the wages of the former being 2 per annum
with some small perquisites. Robert de Sankey, the
Terderer, was incapacitated in 1330;' Roger de
Moreton was succeeded in 1360 by Roger de
Ditton ; 3 Sir John le Boteler was master forester in
'379-* James Harebrown and Sir Thomas Stanley
had a grant of the office of parker in 1440, to be
held for their lives or in survivorship. 5 The master
forestership of West Derbyshire had four years earlier
been conferred on Sir Richard Molyneux, 6 but this
grant, though confirmed in 1461 and 1483,' was
revoked by Henry VII, who appointed Thomas
Scarisbrick, servant of Sir Edward Stanley, to the
office. 8 In 1505, however, the former grant was
revived, 9 which confirmation was enrolled in 1706 in
the office of the auditor of the duchy. 10

SMITHDOWN " has been merged in Toxteth Park
for 700 years. The area is not definitely known, though
the name continued in use down to the sixteenth
century or later, but it is believed to have extended
from Lodge Lane eastwards to the boundary." Ethel-
mund held it as a separate manor in 1066, when it
was assessed as one plough-land, and its value, beyond
the customary rent, was the normal 32<^. 13 King John,
desiring to add it to the park of Toxteth, took it from
its owner, a poor man, and gave him Thingwall for it.
The perambulators of the forest in 1228 seem to have
considered the exchange equitable, for they conclude
their reference to Smithdown with the words :
'Therefore let the king do his will therewith." 4
From that time onward the vill was involved with
Toxteth, but a strip on the side of Liverpool, after-
wards known as Smithdown Moss, was granted at
various times in parcels for turbary. 15

The prior of St. John's Hospital, Chester, at one

WALTON

time held 26 acres of waste in the hills by Smithdown
by the grant of Henry, earl of Lancaster. 16

In consequence of the change to a thickly populated
urban district, there have been erected in recent times
a large number of places of worship. The earliest
in connexion with the Established Church was
St. James's, on the border of Liverpool, built in 1774
under an Act of Parliament ; the money was raised
by shares, Lord Sefton giving the land. 17 A burial
ground surrounds it. A district was assigned in
1 844- 18 The rector of Walton presents to the per-
petual curacy. St. Michael's was built in 1817, from
Rickman's designs, being one of the iron churches of
the time. There is a monument to commemorate
Jeremiah Horrocks. The present patron is Mrs. W.
Jones. 19 The more recent churches, with the dates of
erection, are as follows : St. John the Baptist's, near
the top of the hill, 1832 ; 20 St. Paul's, Prince's Park,
1 848 ;" St. Thomas's, near the docks, 1 840 ; 22 St. Barna-
bas's was built in 1841, and demolished in 1893 ;**
St. Clement's, Windsor, 1841 ; St. Matthew's, Hill
Street, 1847 ; 84 St. Silas's, High Park Street, 1865 ;"
Holy Trinity, Parliament Street, 1858;" St. Mar-
garet's, Prince's Road, 1869 ;"' St. Cleopas's, 1866 ;"
Christ Church, Sefton Park, 1870 ; >9 St. Philemon's,
Windsor Street, 1874 ; M All Saints', Prince's Park
entrance, i884; 31 St. Gabriel's, 1884; St. Bede's,
Hartington Road, 1886 ; St. Agnes's, Ullet Road,
1884 ; 3J and St. Andrew's, Aigburth Road, l893. M
The patronage is vested in various bodies of trustees,
except where otherwise stated in the notes. St.
Deniol's, Windsor, was built as a place of worship for
Welsh-speaking Anglicans. After difficulties which
kept it closed for some years it was licensed for service
in 1 90 1. 3 *

The Wesleyan Methodists have many churches in
Toxteth. The earliest is Wesley chapel, Stanhope
Street, built in 1827. St. John's, Prince's Park, was
built in 1862 ; St. Peter's, High Park Street, in
1878; and Wesley, Lodge Lane, in 1883. Smith-

1 Tram. Hi,,. Soc. xxii, 229, 230.
" Cal. of Clou, 1330-34, 74.

13 y.C.H. Lana. i, 2842.
14 Lanes. Fife R. 421. Richard son of

M It was built by Sir John Gladstone ;
the Rev. Stephen Gladstone is patron.

Roger de Ditton also had permission to
construct a fish stall in the Mersey ad-

change for his inheritance in Smithdown,
which the king had put in his forest ;

street. The proceeds of the sale of build-

rock called Skeryard, in the tidal water.
Memoranda of Exch. of John, duke
of Lane. Hilary Term, 3 Regality, R. 6 ;
Lane. Church (Chet. Soc.), 459 ; an ac-
count of Sir John le Boteler, master
forester of Derbyshire, for the sixth year,
showing that the barons of the Exch.
allowed him to ease his account of 481. 4^.

Smithdown he had paid 61. 8</. to the
scutage and 31. for some office in 1202 ;
Lanes. Pipe R. 153, 154; also '/S,

Earlier than this, in 1185, a fishery
hard by the pales of Toxteth Park had
been farmed by Richard and Adam de

Ltnd. Gaz. 7 May.
" For district, ibid. 6 Aug. 1867.
* Ibid. 25 March, 1862, for assignment
of a district.
V It was built by Mr. Horsfall in 1869,
in order that sympathizers with the
modern High Church movement might

of the herbage, turbary, honey, wax,
heath, and gorse of Croxteth and Tox-

5 Duchy of Lane. Chan. R. 8, 48.
6 The grant is printed in full in Baines'
Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 383. It was ex-
cepted from the resumption in 1455 ;Parl.
*.v, 3,6.
7 Croxteth D. W. 5 and 8.
Part. R. vi, 363.
9 Croxteth D. W. 9.

"Ibid. . 12.

"Esmedune, D.B. ; Smededon, 1185;
Smeddon, 1212; Smethesdune, 1228;
Smethedon, 1348: Smethdon, 1447;
Smethden, 1636.
12 Compare the boundaries of Toxteth
as given in the Perambulation of 1228,
and the map of 1768 in Enfield's Liver-
tool.

interference with the king's deer, Richard
and Adam proffered a mark that it might
stand, and the order was rescinded ; ibid.
56.
is See an earlier note.
"Add. MS. 32103, fol. 142.

Benson, a Liverpool benefactor.
ZW. Gaz. 14 Sept. 1844.
" There is a view in Gregson, Frag-
ments (ed. Harland), I 54.
For district see Land. Can. 25 Sept.

' '/The church was built for Hugh
MacNeile, D.D. afterwards dean of Ripon,
for thirty years one of the most in-
fluential men in Liverpool. For the
assignment of a district see Land. Ga*.
13 June, ,854.

fierce lawsuits have been waged around
it, and the vicar (the Rev. James Bell
Cox) was at one time imprisoned for
nonconformity.
28 For district see Lund. Gaz. i March,
1867. There is a mission church.
A district was assigned in 1872;
Land. Gaa. 23 April. Messrs. W. H.
and G. Horsfall are patrons.
*> Ibid. 15 Dec. 1874, for district.
81 The bishop of Liverpool is patron.
3 Mr. Henry Douglas Horsfall, the
founder, is patron. St. Pancras is a licensed
chapel of ease.
88 This church was built by the Ches.
Lines Com. in lieu of the old St. An-
drew's in Renshaw Street, Liverpool,
which they acquired for an extension of
Central Station.
" It is in the hands of trustees.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

down Road chapel dates from 1 897. There is another
in Lark Lane. Mission halls are Templar Hall and
Hutchinson Hall. Mount Zion in Prince's Avenue
is for Welsh-speaking Methodists ; a previous chapel
was in Chester Street. The New Connexion have a
church in Park Place. The United Free Methodists
have two places of worship.

The Baptists have three churches : the Tabernacle
in Park Road, built in 1871; Prince's Gate chapel,
1 88 1 ; and Windsor Street Welsh chapel. This last,
built in 1872, represents a congregation formed in
Gore Street in 1827.

The Welsh Calvinistic Methodists have churches in
Prince's Road and David Street. They had a
chapel called Ebenezer in Bedford or Beaufort Street,
Toxteth, as early as 1805.'

As a result of a ' tent mission ' begun in the year
1823, a Congregational church was formed in 1827.
now represented by the Berkley Street church. 8 The
same body opened Toxteth chapel in 1831; this
building was replaced in 1872 by that at the corner
of Aigburth Road. In 1881-5 a school chapel was
built in Hartington Road. 3 In Park Road is a chapel
for Welsh-speaking Congregationalists.*

There is a Church of Christ in Windsor Street.

The Presbyterians have four churches. The senior
is that in Belvedere Road, known as Trinity, erected
in 1857. The important church by the Sefton Park
gates, where Dr. John Watson (Ian Maclaren) was
minister, was built in 1879. In the same year a
church was built in Prince's Road, replacing a tem-
porary one founded by the United Presbyterians in
1864. St. Columba's, Smithdown Road, was opened
in 1897.

The ' ancient chapel ' of Toxteth Park is supposed
to have been built about the commencement of the
seventeenth century by the tenants and farmers of the
park. 5 It was probably never consecrated, and it is
not known whether the Anglican services were ever
used in it. The commissioners of 1650 noticed it,
and recommended that it should have a parish assigned

to it. 6 In 1718 Bishop Gastrell recorded that it was
uncertain whether the Park was extra-parochial or in
the parish of Lancaster ; that the chapel was held by
the Dissenters under a lease from Lord Molyneux,
whose agents returned it as a house belonging to his
lordship when as a 'papist' his estates were regis-
tered. 7 A similar statement had been made in
1671-2, on the Declaration of Indulgence, the chapel
being then licensed for worship. 8 At that time it was
said that ' there was neither a Churchman nor a
Catholic' here. 9 About 1716 a sum of .300 was
bequeathed to the township by John Burgess and others,
of which the interest on .260 was considered to
belong to the 'orthodox minister' and the rest to the
poor. 10

Richard Mather, the first minister, is said to have
settled in Toxteth as a schoolmaster about 1612;
showing aptitude he was sent up to Brasenose College,
Oxford ; afterwards he was minister at Toxteth and
Prescot, until silenced in 1633 by the archbishop of
York for his nonconformity. In 1635 he emigrated
to New England. 11 From his departure until 1646
nothing is known of the chapel's history ; in the
latter year Robert Port was minister ; ls Thomas Hig-
gins in 1650;" and Thomas Crompton in 1657."
No doubt regular public services had to be discon-
tinued for a time after 1662. Michael Briscoe,
ejected from Walmsley, was minister at Toxteth at
his death in 1685," and was followed by Christopher
Richardson, ejected at Kirkheaton. 16 About a hundred
years afterwards the minister and most of the congre-
gation, like the English Presbyterians in general, had
adopted Unitarian tenets, 17 and the building continues
to be used as a Unitarian place of worship. Another
Unitarian church has been built in Ullet Road ; 18 and
there is a mission in Mill Street.

The Society of Friends have a burial-ground in
Smithdown Road.

The first Roman Catholic church erected in Tox-
teth was St. Patrick's, Park Place, begun in 1821 and
opened in l827. 19 Our Lady of Mount Carmel,

1 See Trans. Hist. Soe. v, 50.

6 Commonwealth Church Surv. (Rec.

when the latter retired. In 1665 and 1670

place of meeting. Three years later a
removal was made to Hanover Chapel, at
the corner of Mill Street and Warwick
Street. The work did not progress, and
in 1839 the chapel was closed for a time.

trict is called 'Toxteth Park cum Smith-
down.' The minister had its tithes
allowed him, and 10 from the rector of
Walton.
7 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 171-2.

(and in the former year Nehemiah Am-
brose) had a conventicle at Toxteth ;
Visit. Records at Chest.
16 Nightingale, op. cit. 83-9, with
portraits.

in use until 1856, when it was burnt
down. The congregation then built the
chapel in Berkley Street. It has had
varied fortunes. Nightingale, Lanes. Non-
conf. vi, 173-6. 8 Ibid.
4 The congregation was first gathered
in a room over a stable in Watkinson
Street, in 1827 ; then a yard in Green-
land Street was roofed over, and here in

249 persons, of whom 24 possessed county
votes ; O. Heywood, Diaries, iv, 316.
8 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 385.
9 Halley, op. cit. ii, 456, quoting from
Dr. Raffles' Collections.
10 Char. Com. Rep. xx.
11 Diet. Nat. Biog. He conformed so far
to the legally established discipline as to
be ordained by the bishop of Chester ; but

1775, when the following description was
given : ' A pleasing situation and an agree-
able neighbourhood, but a people rather
stiff in their sentiments. I freely own,
Sir, that some of the peculiar doctrines of
Calvinism are too hard for my digestion ;'
ibid. 98. The change took place in the
ministry of Hugh Anderson, 1776-1832.
At his appointment a number of the con-

sites were on the Liverpool side of the
border. Nine years later Bethel was
built in Bedford (now Beaufort) Street.
About 1870 a new chapel was built in a
more suitable position in Park Road.
Ibid, vi, 227-9.

faction.
" Nightingale, op. cit. vi, 81 ; Robert
Port was a member of the fifth classis.
13 Common-wealth Church Surv. loc. cit.
" Crompton was not 'ejected' in 1662
for nonconformity, for the Act of Uniform-

gational Church in Newington, Liverpool ;
and by 1825 the Toxteth congregation
had been reduced to the officials ; ibid.
103, 104.
18 This represents a removal from
Renshaw Street, Liverpool.

printed an Account of the Ancient Chapel
of Toxteth Park ; there is also a full
account in Nightingale, op. cit. vi, 66-
no, and references in Halley, Lanes.
Puritanism.
The chapel was rebuilt in 1774 ; it has
a bell dated 1751, and some fittings of
the older building ; Nightingale, op. cit.
95. 9 6 -

of the tenure of the building ; Nightin-
gale, loc. cit. He is probably the ' Mr.
Crompton' who married one of Sir
Gilbert Ireland's sisters. He was at
Toxteth in 1672, but retired and died
at Manch. in 1699 ; Halley, op. cit. ii, 1 56.
i* Nightingale, op. cit. vi, 83. He was
an Independent, but worked with Cromp-
ton, a Presbyterian, having sole charge

the Irish famine had driven great numbers
of the poor peasants to overcrowded parts
of Liverpool, four priests were struck
down by typhus, only one (Bernard
O'Reilly, afterwards bishop) recovering.
In the churchyard there is a cross as a
monument to the three victims and seven
other priests who died in the same way
in that outbreak.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

suitably placed at the top of the hill, was begun in
1865 ; the present church was opened in 1878.
St. Bernard's school church was built in 1884 ; it was
in 1901 replaced by the new church of Our Lady of
Lourdes and St. Bernard. St. Clare's, near Sefton
Park, was consecrated in 1890. St. Charles Borro-
meo's in Aigburth Road, begun in 1892 in a tem-
porary iron building, was opened in 1900.'

The Orthodox or Greek church at the corner of
Prince's Road, in the Byzantine style, was built in
1870 for the accommodation of the numerous Greek
merchants and others resident in Liverpool.

The Jewish synagogue in Prince's Road was built
about 1878 to replace the older one in Seel Street,
Liverpool.

FORMBY

Fornebei, Dom. Bk. ; Fornebi, 1177; Forneby,
common till 1500 ; Formby, 1338, became common
in the sixteenth century.

This township or chapelry forms a detached por-
tion of the parish of Walton, and including the
manors and hamlets of Raven Meols on the south-
west and Ainsdale on the north, has an area of 6,619
acres, 4,502 being the acreage of Formby proper. 8
Ainsdale has since 1894 been an independent town-
ship.* In 1901 the separate population of Formby
was 5,642, and of Ainsdale 1,314.

Formby is bounded on the west by the sea, the
shore being protected by extensive and somewhat
lofty sandhills, covered with a luxuriant growth of
creeping willows and star grass, the latter being
systematically planted to keep the sand from drifting
away. Game abounds on these hills, wherefore the
land is strictly preserved, and only a few footpaths
across the forbidden ground are open to the public.
The sandhills afford shelter from the sea winds to the
three villages of Formby, Formby-by-the-Sea, and
Freshfield, which form practically one town, situated
on flat, sandy land, surrounded by fields intersected
by ditches, where rye, wheat, potatoes * and a variety
of market produce flourish, including fields of
asparagus, a specialty in the district. Fishing for
shrimps and raking the sands for cockles affords
employment to some of the inhabitants. Formby
sandhills are famous to local botanists as the habitat
of several uncommon and characteristic wild plants,
among which may be mentioned the Wintergreen,
Pyrola rotundifo/la, var. maritima. Towards the sea
the soil and subsoil consist of blown sand, with fluvia-

WALTON

tile sand or loam towards the neighbourhood of the
Alt ; on the landward side the soil is peaty ; to the east
of Formby Hall a small area of keuper marls occurs.

The principal road is that from Liverpool to
Southport, from Alt Bridge northwards through
Formby and Ainsdale. The village is large and
scattered over the central portion of the area ; in
recent years residential districts have grown up by the
sea. This is largely due to the railway facilities, the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's line from
Liverpool to Southport having stations called Formby
and Freshfield.

Formerly the township must have been much
larger. As it is, Formby Point is a prominent feature
of the coast-line ; but the greater part of Raven Meols
was long ago destroyed by the sea. 5 About the
beginning of the eighteenth century sand gradually
overwhelmed the lands by the shore, changing the
coast-line. 6 The dark tilled soil of the ancient surface
and the natural furrows made by the plough are
occasionally found when clearing the ground of blown
sand. From 1710 Formby leases contained a clause
providing for the planting of star-grass, which became
part of the service due to the lords of the manors ;
afterwards an Act was passed, making the planting
compulsory.

There are many curious place-names in Formby.
The Wicky Dales and Clovenly Dales are near the
Ainsdale boundary. The banks forming the fences of
the fields are called ' cops.' Dangus Lane, on the
east side of the village, is sometimes called Danesgate
Land, being connected by local traditions with an in-
cursion of the Danes. The Whams is an open space
to the west of Formby Hall. Watchut or Watchyard
Lane may be derived from wet-shod. Stingman's or
Steeman's hook, by the moss on the east, is supposed
to be derived from the vipers which formally infested
the place. Brank Farm was so called from brank or
buckwheat, which will grow on very poor land.

There are traditions that troops for the suppression
of the rebellion of 1715 were embarked at Formby
for Scotland, and that early in the eighteenth century
a proposal was made that docks should be constructed
here rather than at Liverpool.

The old roundhouse was pulled down about 1893,
but remains of the stocks may still be seen. A stone
cross with steps was erected in 1879 on the village
green, which was then enclosed ; the old cross and
steps were re-erected in St. Luke's churchyard. The
pedestal of another, called the Cop Cross, formerly
stood west of the village. 7

1 Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1901.

of large quantities of land in the vicinity

during last century ; see the map of en-

acres, including six of inland water. The
foreshore of Formby alone measures 1,562
acres, and of Ainsdale 620.
Loc. Gov. Bd. Order 31626.
* Potatoes are said to have been intro-
duced into England by the wrecking of a

edge of the shore, and about the lifeboat
house, which when erected thirty-five
years ago stood loo yards inland, but now
projects about 300 yards before the hills
and line of high water ; in this period also
at least 300 yards have been taken from

but the course of the Alt does not seem to
have changed since the date of this map,

In the north, near the boundary of
Ainsdale, is a large sandhill covering the
spot where once stood a cottage known as

Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xi, 203 ; Jeno-
way, Antiq. Notes (Edin. 1823), p. 207.
5 See Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), x,
48 ; xiii, 93.
To the entry of Raven Meols in the
ancient rating book of the county is added
the note : ' All or the most part whereof
is drowned in the sea.'
In a report prepared in 1839 the action
of the winds and tides was noted. The
effects were ' perceptible in the destruction

xxii, 246. The appended note gives a
more moderate estimate of the change.
The landmark mentioned was a tower
on Formby Point ; a corresponding tower
was erected in Ince Blundell to assist
navigators in entering the Mersey by
Formby Channel. See the plan in En-
fold' t Liverpool, 1771.
The land on the seaward side of the
Alt, where is now the Altcar rifle range
(in Little Crosby township), was reclaimed

' In old days the leases used to include
the right to fish on a given part of the
shore, which was called a "stall," and
was treated as one of the fields of the farm;
but when the great changes took place on
the coast about this time (1700), this
custom fell into disuse .... The last
fishery lease that I have seen is dated
1711'; information of Mr. John Formby.
^ Lanes, and Ches. Antij. Soc. xix, 187-
9 ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xi, 239.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Camden notices the use of turf here for fire
and candle light, and the oily matter coming
from it. 1

The area of Raven Meols * extends to 658 acres
exclusive of foreshore.

Camden states that there was a small village named
Alt Mouth near Formby, 3 but it has disappeared, so
that it is uncertain whether it
was on the Raven Meols side of
the river, or in Ince Blundell. 4
In 1835 there was no dwelling
here but a farmhouse ; a rabbit
warren adjoined. 5

The hamlet of Ainsdale, 6
now a township, was formerly
estimated to contain 1,459 seres,
but according to the census of
1901 has 1,617 acres of land
and inland water and 620 acres
of foreshore. Two of the rail-
ways running into Southport
have stations here ; the Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire Company one at Ainsdale ; and
the Southport and Cheshire Extension two Wood-
vale and Seaside.

Flat sandy fields lie inland, cultivated for the most
part, and extensively drained by deep, wide ditches.
The principal crops are potatoes and corn, whilst
field-peas and cabbages make a variety here and there.
Trees are small, and only appear in the vicinity of the
village of Ainsdale and around a few scattered farm-
houses.

EATON <
eauatrettapJ,

In 1066 there were in FORMBT
MANORS proper three manors, held by three
thegns, the land being assessed as four
plough-lands and said to be worth los. beyond the
customary rent. 7 A quarter of Formby, or one
plough-land, was after the Conquest granted to or
retained by a family of thegns who also held Bootle
and Woodplumpton. 8 Richard, son of Roger, son of
Ravenkil, died in 1200, when his lands were divided
between his four daughters. One of these, Quenilda,
wife of Jordan de Thornhill, was tenant in 1212.'

The remainder was probably taken into the
demesne of West Derby ; I0 but a second of the four
ploughlands was granted by Henry I, or perhaps by
Stephen, when count of Mortain, as a serjeanty to
be held by the service of escorting or conducting the
king's treasury from the southern
confines of the county as far as
Blackbrook ; it was held in 1212
by Quenilda de Kirkdale as heir
of her father Roger. Roger had
enfeoffed William son of Nor-
man of this plough-land, and
William in turn had granted it
to Quenilda, wife of Jordan de
Thornhill ; " she was thus in
possession of half the vill though
by different tenures. It de-
scended like her other lands
to the Stockport and Beetham

WARREN or POYNTON.
Chequy or and azure,

rampant argent.

families ; ls the one moiety descending through the
Eatons to the Warrens, 13 and the other by confiscation

1 Britannia (ed. 1695), 748 : 'In the
moist and mossy soil turves are digged up
which serve the inhabitants for fuel and
candle light. Under the said turf there is
a certain dead and blackish water, upon
which there swimmeth I know not what

fishes that are caught by the diggers of
turf.' William Blundell of Crosby, writing
about 1 680, knew nothing about the fishes,

of 21. to Quenilda de Kirkdale, and this
was granted by her to Cockersand Abbey
for the welfare of the soul of King Henry ;
Cockersand Cbartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 564.
u Jordan de Thornhill died without
issue, and his widow Quenilda was by
Randle, earl of Chester, married about
1222 to Roger Gernet, chief forester.
She died in 1 2 5 2 seised of two plough-lands
held in chief of William, Earl Ferrers, by

Eaton and Margaret his wife [for Joan],
a similar tenement for the same service ;
Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 36. In 1 346 Ralph
de Beetham and John de Davenport were
returned similarly ; the latter's right was
as father-in-law and guardian of Richard
de Eaton, son of Robert and grandson of
Nicholas, who was married to his daughter
Isabel ; Survey of 1346 (Chet. Soc.), 32.
Sometime between this date and 1378,

the turf extracted 'an oil extraordinary
sovereign for paralytic distempers' ; Gib-
son, Cavalier's Note Book, 298.
2 Mele, D. B. ; Ravenesmoles, 1199;

Stockport and Ralph de Beetham were
her heirs ; Inj. and Extents, 1 16, 191.
She had enfeoffed William de Samles-
bury of her moiety of the manor, and his

socage to knight's service, viz., the sixth
part of a fee ; Aid of 2 Ric. II ; Dods.
MSS. cxxxi, fol. 175*.
In 1369 Isabel de Stockport or de

meales, 1580.
8 Britannia, 748.
4 Tunnicliffe's map of 1789 shows it ;
Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xi, 173.
* Baines, Lane,, (ed. 1836), iv, 54.
6 Einuluesdel, D. B. ; Annovesdala,

ibid. 191. She afterwards married Robert
de Hampton, but Formby appears to have
been given to her younger sister Cecily,
wife of John d'Evyas, and about 1280
Richard d'Evyas, probably their son, was
lord of a moiety of Formby ; Norris D.

the Richard last named, died without issue;
whereupon her next heir was found to be
Sir John Warren, son of Sir Edward War-
ren, the second husband of Cecily de
Eaton, sister of the above Robert de
Eaton ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), iii,
794, where the subsequent descents may

dale, 1506; Aynsdale, 1568.
7 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*. It is possible
that the 'three thegns' were identical
with the ' three thegns ' of Ainsdale and
the ' three thegns ' of Raven Meols.
8 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 43, 44. A
twelfth-century rental in the Pipe R. of
10 Hen. Ill has the entry : 'Of Richard
son of Roger, of thegnage in Formby and
Bootle, 1 31. 4</.' ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 136.
The service was a rent of 4*. 8</. ;
ibid. 23.
10 Formby occurs in 1176, along with
other portions of the demesne of the
honour, as contributing 361. %a. to the aid;
Lanes. Pipe R. 35. The assized rent of
285. was in 1202 increased by 61. id. ;
ibid. 164, Inq. and Extents, 137.
11 Inq. and Extents, 27, I 3 I . Blackbrook
has not been identified. There is a stream
of the name in Astley. Jordan paid a rent

some part of this fee ; Kuerden, ii, fol.
260.
In 1259 Sir Robert de Stockport and
Robert de Beetham were suing Robert de
Hampton and Margery his wife for sixteen
oxgangs in Formby; Cur. Reg. R. 162,
m. \<)d.
18 The Stockport moiety descended to
Sir Richard, son of the above-mentioned
Sir Robert, who died in 1292, leaving issue
two daughters. The elder, Joan, but two
and a half years of age at her father's
death, married Sir Nicholas de Eaton and
afterwards Sir John Ardern ; and in 1 340
Sir John Ardern released her lands in
Formby and Woodplumpton to Robert
son of Nicholas de Eaton; Watson,
Memoirs of the Earls of Warren, ii, 234.
In the extent of 1324 Ralph de Beet-
ham was returned as holding 8 oxgangs in
Formby for 2s. $d. yearly, and Nicholas de
46

John Warren died in 1480 seised of 6
messuages, 40 acres of land, &c., in Form-
by, which he had in 1445 demised to
Isabel, daughter of Robert Legh of Adling-
ton ; she still held them in i 506. They
were held of the king by the twentieth
part of a knight's fee, and were worth 201.
per annum clear ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p. m. iii, n. 86.
His grandson, Sir John Warren, was
the heir in 1 506, being then aged thirty-
six years. He died in 1518 seised of a
fourth part of the vill, 30 messuages, &c.,
held by the fifth part of a knight's fee ;
Lawrence Warren, aged thirty-three years,
was his son and heir ; ibid, iv, n. 89.
Sir Edward Warren, son and heir of
Lawrence, died in 1 5 5 8 seised of the same ;
the rent of 21. $d. payable to the crown ii
mentioned in the inquisition; ibid, xi,
n.86.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

in 1487 came into possession of the earls of Derby. 1
John Warren in 1561 by fine released his fourth
part of the manor to Henry Halsall of Halsall,' and
two years later Edward, earl
of Derby, sold his fourth share
to the same Henry Halsall. 8

The other moiety of Formby
was granted by John, count of
Mortain, to Richard son of
Roger, thegn of Woodplump-
ton, who held it until the
rebellion of 1193-4, when he
was dispossessed for adhering
to the cause of his chief lord. 4
Formby was expressly excluded
when Richard's daughters and
coheirs obtained a confirma-
tion of their father's lands in

Amounderness, 5 and in 1203 was granted to Richard
de Meath, one of the king's clerks, son of Gilbert de
Walton. 6 Three years later it was taken into the
king's hands, 7 and in 1208 granted to Hugh de
Moreton, who had married Margaret, one of the
daughters of Richard son of Roger. 8 Taking part
against the king, Hugh was dispossessed, and in
August, 1215, Richard de Meath was again put into
possession. 9 A year later Hugh de Moreton, who
had made his peace with the king, was reinstated, 10

WALTON

but in 1 22 1 Richard de Meath succeeded in obtain-
ing Henry Ill's mandate to the sheriff to put him
in seisin of this and other manors granted to him by
King John. 11 Richard granted it to his brother
Henry de Walton for life, with a provision, which
took effect, that should Henry
survive him, the estate should
descend to Henry's heirs ; this
arrangement was confirmed by
the king in 1227."

The lordship of this moiety
descended with Walton until
1 489, when Roger Walton died,
leaving daughters as heirs ; after
which it does not seem trace-
able. 13 It had, however, been
early granted out to several
tenants ; partly to the Blundells

three swans argen

hose share was given to the
Morrises, 14 descending with the West Derby and
Speke branches until 1543, when Sir William Norris
exchanged it for other lands of Sir William Molyneux
of Sefton, 15 the latter's son in 1561 selling it to
Henry Halsall ; 16 partly to a local family, who
assumed Formby as a surname, and have retained
their share of the manor, now called a quarter, to the
present day ; and partly to others whose holdings
cannot be clearly traced. 17

1 This quarter of the manor was in

customed farm of 281. and 6s. 8</. yearly

About the same time a division of lands

whom it descended to his son and heir,

vill was tallaged at 171. with the other
demesne manors ; Lanes. Fife R. 202.
7 Ibid. 206, Close (Rec. Com.), 1199-
1224, p. 55 ; Inq. and Extents, i.
8 Lanes. Pipe R. 220, 221. For this

Beetham and John le Norreys ; Dods. MS.
cxlix, fol. 143. In 1334 William le Nor-
reys stated that he, Robert de Shireburne,
Ralph de Beetham, and Adam de Formby
were lords of the manor, but Roger le

1472, had settled his estates on his three
brothers, Roger, William, and Richard ;
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 9, m. 18 b ; Lanes.

p.m. 12 Edw. IV, a. 20. Roger and
William dying without male issue, Richard
came into possession and was living in
1484 ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. vol. cxxx,

hawk and a brachet ; ibid. 224.
' Rot. de Finibus (Rec. Com.), 560.
1 Close (Rec. Com.), 1199-1224, p.
289*. The sheriff was ordered to rein-

also; Coram Rege R. 297, m. 58. In
1338 Ralph de Beetham made a grant to
Alan, son of John le Norreys ; Norris D.
(B.M.), . 4*5-

The estates of the family appear to have
been forfeited for adherence to the House

ginning of the war for being then with

at West Derby, for in 1401 it was found
that William Norris had been seised of

to the earl of Derby. Roger Beetham,
brother of Sir Edward, had a daughter
Agnes, who married Robert Middleton of
Leighton (Chan. Inq. p.m.), and their son
and heir Thomas Middleton contested the

earl of Chester. " Ibid. 477*.

the king as of the duchy of Lancaster by

Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 138.
William son of Henry de Walton

Towneley MS. DD. n. 1447.
With Lettice, daughter and heir of
Thomas, son of William Norris, this part
of Formby returned to the Speke line, she
marrying Thomas Norris. In 145 3-4 the

ments, each of half an oxgang, held by
Thomas Ainsdale, John Formby and
others, for rents amounting to 405. 6d.,
and thirteen smaller holdings, rented at
in. io</, in all; Norris D. (B.M.),
Rental.
15 Appended to the Norris Rental quoted
in the last note is a memorandum in the

had no more than a life interest; see
Ancient D. D. 477. In the result the

of Gilbert de Formby, and his issue ;
Dieulacres Reg. fol. 17.
" In 1346 Simon de Walton held two
plough-lands in Formby; Survey of 1346
(Chet. Soc.), 32. In the Feodary com-
piled in 1430 it is recorded that the heirs
of Robert de Walton held here by the
gift of King John two plough-lands in
socage for 341. 8<, paying double rent for
relief, and attending with the bailiff of the

most of the others, and the second earl,
in the inquest taken after his death, was
found to have been seised of Bootle and
Kirkby; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. v,
n. 68; on the other hand Thomas Middle-
ton was in i 5 1 4 described as ' of Beetham' ;
L. and P. Hen. VIII, i, 4767 ; and his son

manors of Kirkby and Bootle ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, n. n, and ante 333.
8 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 23,

Dods. MSS. Ixxxvii, fol. 57.
" William Blundell, no doubt the lord
of Ince, held a messuage and 3 oxgangs
of land, which he gave to Alan, son of

he had made an exchange with Sir William
Molyneux ; the lands received were in
Lydiate and Maghull. See Croxteth D.
Gen. i, 79 ; ii, i.

scribed as part of the manor of Formby,
and the fourth part of 28 messuages, &c.,
windmill, 1,000 acres of land, &c., in
Formby.
8 Ibid. bdle. 25, m. 55 ; the fourth part
of the manor and 600 acres of moor, moss,
and heath. Lanes. Fife R. 90.
Charter R. (Rec. Com.), 90* i Inq.
and Extents, 40.
Rot. de OUatis (Rec. Com.), 191 ; to
be held in fee and inheritance by the ac-

Upon the death of Patrick le Norreys,
grandson of Alan and Margery, about
1 3 14 without issue, Alan son of Henry
le Norreys claimed this tenement as kins-
man and heir of Patrick. John le Norreys
of Speke, uncle of the claimant, had come
into possession by a grant from his father,
and his right was affirmed by the jury, the
grant to Alan son of Hugh having been
in fee, and not in tail, to the issue of Alan
and Margery ; De Bane. R. 238, m. 191.

17 In' the rental of the wapentake of
West Derby for 1514 the service due is
thus recorded : ' Of the heirs of the vill of
Formby, 391. 4</.' being the 41. 8rf. due
from Quenilda dc Thornhill's half, and
the 341. So 1 , from the Walton half. The
details of the latter half are as follows s
Norris, 101. ; Formby, 151.; Gerard of
Aughton, 41. 4</. ; earl of Derby, 41. 4^.
(in addition to the 2s. $d. he paid for the

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Thus by the year 1564 three parts of the manor
had come into the possession of Henry Halsall, from
whom the estate descended to Sir Cuthbert Halsall ;
he in 1631 sold it to Robert Blundell, 1 in whose
descendants it has descended, in the same manner as
Ince Blundell, to Mr. Charles Weld-Blundell, the
present lord of this share.

The remaining portion, traditionally seven oxgangs
out of the thirty-two, was the share of the Formby
family. It appears that Master Roger de Derby held
seven oxgangs in Formby, five of Henry de Walton,

and two of William de Lee, the latter in turn prob-
ably holding of the same Henry. To Hugh de
Corona, son of Master Roger, Henry de Nottingham
granted these seven oxgangs, with the principal
messuage and all his men, as well free as others, at a
rent of 1 5/. id. a year and a pair of white gloves.'
This Hugh de Corona is no doubt the Hugh
de Formby s whose son Adam de Formby held seven
oxgangs here in 1327.* From that time only frag-
mentary notices are obtainable of the family, 5 except
in the sixteenth century, 6 until the eighteenth century

Beetham quarter), and Aughton of North
Meols (who held of Bold of Bold), u. ;

Simon le Waleys, son of Henry, rector of
Standish, to Robert Dudley and Margery

granted a portion of land to John Vause
and Joan his wife, daughter of William de

As to the Gerard share, in 1513 Joan,
formerly the wife of Nicholas Fazakerley,
released to Peter Gerard, clerk, what she
had in Formby (Kuerden MSS. ii, 268*,
n. 42) ; and in 1640 Thomas Gerard of
Aughton made a feoffment of the ' lord-
ship of Formby ' and various lands. Ibid.
269, n. 7. The rent of 45. 4</. was paid
m 1617 ; Lanes. Inq. f.m. (Rec. Soc.

the house thereon, to be held of the chief
lords by services due, viz. to Adam de
Formby yearly iJ., for so much of that
land as belongs to 7 oxgangs. Adam de
Formby and William his brother were

Two of Adam's grants are extant.
In 1328 he gave to Adam son of Richard
de Ainsdale part of Dykesland stole ;

and Norris, and extending from the high-
way between Old Formby and Altcar, to a
dyke on the west ; Formby Chart, n. 4-6.
Ralph Formby was the heir of William,
but the relationship is not stated ; he wai
in possession in the time of Edw. IV
(1463, 1474); ibid. n. 8, 9, 14. He
agreed to enfeoff Richard Sutton of Form-
by in a parcel of land called the Turnacres,

The Aughton share descended to Bar-

to Nicholas le Norreys, probably as trus-

William Formby, of Formby, esquire,

27-
In 1446 the four lords of Formby were
John Warren, Thomas Beetham, Thomas

except the oxgang held by Ameria, daughter
of Robert de Hesketh, by the grantor's
gift, and the messuage of the rector of

1 6 ; William Formby, no doubt the same,
was the first witness to a grant of lands
made in 1493 by William Ainsdale of
Formby to Nicholas Reynold ; the Long-

were Sir Edward Warren, Edward earl of
Derby, Sir Richard Molyneux, and William
Formby ; Duchy of Lane. Depos. Ph. and
Mary, Uiv, H. 2.
1 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 119,

(B.M.), n. 427.
Besides the William just mentioned as
Adam's brother, Hugh de Formby seems
to have had other children. Thus Roger
son of Hugh de Formby granted land for-

in it ; ibid. n. 22. Robert was the son
and heir of Nicholas Reynold in 1510;
ibid. n. 23.
William Formby, who may be identical
with the William of the last note, held

advowson of the church at Formby.
Formby Chart, n. i. Henry de Not-
tingham was no doubt a trustee. The

William son of Robert the reeve ; this
lay between lands of Beetham on one side
and Stockport on the other ; Norris D.

151. ; he made feoffments in 1521 and in
i 523 in favour of Maud, widow of his son
Richard, his own sons Ellis and Gilbert,

A confirmatory charter from Avice,
daughter of Roger de Derby, to the same
Hugh, describes him as son of Anilia de
Corona ; ibid. n. 2. Probably therefore
Master Roger had been twice married,

charter in 1 303 ; Whallcy Coucher, ii,
518.
Richard, son of Hugh de Formby, was
plaintiff in I 304 ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 204. Possibly it was

of the said Richard. He died 29 March,
1523, when William, the grandson, wai
aged twelve years or more; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. v, n. 54. For Ellis Formby,
see Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

he was at first known by his mother's

quence in Cheshire ; see Ormerod, Chts.
(ed. Helsby), iii, 654.
Hugh de Corona and Nicholas his
brother were the principal witnesses to
Avice' s grant.
8 Hugh de Formby gave to William de
Dudley a ridge lying in the Scalelands,
between lands of Richard d'Evyas, then

son of John le Norreys of Speke ; Norris
D. (B.M.), n. 7.
There were, however, other families
using the local surname, e.g. William, son
of William de Formby, and Margery his
wife, at Ince in 1301 ; Final COM. i, 195.
A Margery, widow of William de Formby,
was living in 1370; Moore D. n. 219.
Richard son of Maud de Formby had a
grant here; Norris D. (B.M.), . 4".

defendants to a complaint by Henry Hal-
sall in i 553, concerning trespass on Down-
holland Moss ; he described himself as
lord of the fourth part of the manor of
Formby, by descent from his grandfather,
William Formby ; Duchy of Lane. Depos.
Ph. and Mary, Ixiv, H. 2. He made a
grant in the ' Dereles ' in 1533 ; Formby
Chart, n. 36. Two years later he was en-
gaged to marry Anne, daughter of Margery

highway at one end. 'The Priest's'

being also called the Forester, was a wit-

in 1565, holding the same estate as above,

clirdng in^thVanro'tner chapters. NoHs

Two other grants concerning Rikounis-
field may be added ; one from Stephen del

this may be compared with the services
due from Hugh de Corona. The heir

de Dudley Alan, son of Alan le Norreys,
granted half an oxgang ; Hugh de Formby
was one of the witnesses ; ibid. n. 419.

as between the land formerly Dame Mar-
gery de Samlesbury's and the great pit on
the north ; the other from Richard, son of

Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, n. 35.
The son may have been the Richard
Formby whose arrest caused a riot in

former plot to his son Robert ; ibid. n. 5.
Hugh, son of Master Robert de Derby
granted to Robert, son of Richard de
Formby, the son of Albinus the priest, a
selion in the Wray, stretching from the
garden of Alan le Norreys to Hang Lane ;
also the garden which the grantor had in
Rysin Bridge and the messuage which
Roger de Argarmeols held; Formby
Chart, n. 3.
Hugyn, son of Master Robert de Derby,

1246; Assize R. 404, m. 19.
Norris D. (B.M.), n. 423 ; a grant by

D. (B.M.), . 3, 417.
A John, son of Adam de Formby, held
a burgage in Liverpool in 1331 ; Moore
D. n. 173. His son John held one in
1346.
Thomas, son of John de Formby,
married Eleanor, a daughter and co-heir
of Richard le Waleys of Uplitherland ;
Final Cone, ii, 183.
6 Hugh and Roger de Formby appear in
the poll-tax list of 1 3 8 1 ; Lay Subs. Lanes.
130/24.
William de Formby made a feoffment
of his lands in 1428, and the feoffees
4 8

Formby was the only freeholder recorded
in Formby in 1600; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 239.
The family adhered to the Roman Church,
which may be one reason for the obscurity
in which for more than a century they are
involved. Richard Formby and Joan his
wife were presented in 1598 for absenting
themselves from service ; Visitation Lists :
' Richard Formby of Formby, gent., was
fined for recusancy in the beginning of
James I's reign, and the family continued
regularly on the recusant rolls until the end
of Charles H's reign. Richard Formby

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

when Richard Formby ' was lord of this part of
Formby and also curate of the chapel. He died in
1832, and was succeeded by his son John Formby
of Maghull Hall, 2 whose son

the Rev. Lonsdale Formby was, .

like his grandfather, lord of the
manor and incumbent of the
chapel. Mr. John Formby, his
only son, is the present lord of
this portion of the manor.

In 1717 as' papists' John
Poole of Great Crosby, Richard
Rimmer, and Nicholas Summer
registered estates here. 3

Before the Conquest there
were in R4YEN MEOLS three
manors held by as many thegns ;
the assessment was half a hide,
and the value beyond the customary rent the
normal 8/.* The whole was afterwards put into
the demesne of West Derby, and in 1094 Roger
of Poitou gave the tithes of Meols, as of his other
demesne manors, to St. Martin of Seez. 5 Sixty years
later Henry II gave this vill, with Ainsdale and other
more important estates, to his falconer, Warin de
Lancaster, to hold by grand serjeanty, and John
count of Mortain confirmed the gift to Henry de
Lea, son of Warin, between 1189 and Ii94, 6 and
again in 1199 after becoming king. 7 In 1207 the
tenure of Raven Meols and Ainsdale was changed to
socage and a yearly service of zos. ; five-sixths of
which was due from this vill. s The subsequent

WALTON

descent of the mesne lordship is the same as that of
Lea and the other manors of Henry son of Warin.*

Between 1205 and 1211 Henry de Lea granted
licence to William Blundell of Ince to erect a mill on
the Raven Meols side of the Alt, with the right to
take eels at the sluice ; the mill was given to the
monks of Whalley, who in 1329 agreed with Sir
Richard de Hoghton and his wife Sibyl to pay a rent
of a gilt spur, or 4^., and reserve the eel fishery to
the lord of Raven Meols. 10

The survey of 1212 shows that thirteen of the
twenty-four oxgangs had been granted to eight tenants.
The details are : Robert son of Osbert (de Ainsdale),
two oxgangs by serving the office of reeve ; Alan le
Brun, two oxgangs by a rent of 6s., these feoffments
were ' of ancient time ' ; Richard son of Henry, two
oxgangs for 6s. by grant of Warin de Lancaster ; and
the following held by gift of Henry de Lea ; Denise,
daughter of Thurstan, two oxgangs by 5/. rent ;
William, brother of the grantor, an oxgang by a
pound of pepper ; Edwin, two oxgangs by t>s. ;
Robert, one oxgang by $s. ; Thomas, son of Sigge,
the same." In the inquest after the death of Henry
de Lea in 1289, it was stated that he held seven
oxgangs in demesne and five in service ; from which
it would appear that half the manor had been already
lost, probably by incursions of the sea."

Some of these infeudations can be traced later.
The lands of Denise daughter of Thurstan descended
to Ellen, her daughter by William de Stanton ; 13 and
subsequently to the Banastres of Bank, who held them
for many generations." William de Lancaster, baron

born at Formby, 23 April, 1701, tool
the college oath at Douay in 1720'
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Etigl. Cath. ii, 309.
Sir Cuthbert Halsall and Richard Form
by were the freeholders here in 1628, th
aying double as a convicted re

; a recusant at Formby, and his son Thomas
registered his estate as a Catholic nonjuror
- in 1717'; Gillow, loc. cit. ; Engl. Cath.
e Nonjunrs, 155. This estate was at Altcar.
1 As son of John Formby of Walton,

Richard de Hoghton and Sibyl [de Lea]
his wife held the manor of Raven Meols
by a service of 161. tf. for all service.
without puture, bode, or witness; Dods.
MS. cxxxi, fol. 36*. Richard and Sibyl

township appears to have held to the same

aged seventeen, and graduated B.C.L.

demesne lands here, with pasture and

Trans'. Hist. Sac. (New Ser.), xiv, 238.'

Formby, esquire, was proved at Chester

Richard his son ; Add. MS. 32106, n. 734.
Sir Adam de Hoghton contributed 10..

made by Edward Ireland of Lydiate ;
Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 37.
About four years later Richard Formby
enfeoffed Edward Ireland and Peter Stanley
of his lands in Formby ; Kuerden, ii, fol.

from Foster's Lanes. Pedigrees.
John Formby's brother, Henry Green-
halgh Formby, had a son Henry, born in
1816 and educated at Brasenose Coll.
Oxf. ; M.A. 1841. Following the Oxford

tenth part of a knight's fee in Raven
Meols and Ainsdale with the members ;
Harl. MS. 2085, fol. 421*.
In 1386, by a deed given at Raven
Meols Sir Richard de Hoghton gave the
manor to Henry his brother, son of Sir

pedigree to have married a daughter of
Edward Stanley of Moor Hall, at this
time.

munion with the Roman Church in 1846,
and was ordained priest. He was the
author of a large number of theological

Adam's widow Ellen; Add. MS. 32106,
. 26.
In the Feodary of 1489 Alexander de

North Meols roads were properly kept, and
report to the Quarter Sessions ; Kenyan
MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 195.
Richard Formby, esquire, was in 1709
one of the trustees of the school ; Gastrell,
Notitia, ii, 228. Mr. Formby of Formby

lishing works profusely illustrated with
instructive pictures.' He died in 1884.
See Gillow, op. cit.
OEngl. Cath. Nonjuror,, no, n8, I 55 .
John Poole's estate seems to have been

subsequent inq. p. m. the tenure of these
manors is described as the tenth part
of a knight's fee.
10 Wholly Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 497,
495,515. William Blundell had already

Diary about 1720. In 1721 the bishop of
Chester appointed him on a commission
to inquire into the patronage of the rectory
of Walton. He died 22 Dec. 1737, his
will being proved at Chester, leaving a
widow Mary, and a son John, fifteen years
of age ; also daughters, Elizabeth, who
married Robert Hesketh of Barton, Mary,
Dorothy, Catherine, and Alice as appears
by a deed of 1739 enrolled at Preston
(13 R. Geo. II) ; Piccope MSS. iii, 266.
The son John is in the printed pedigree
stated to have graduated from Clare Hall,
Cambridge ; but this it an error.

Robert Blundell of Ince.
4 V.C.H. Lanes. \, 2843.
*> Lanes. Pi ft R. 290. There was a dis-
pute in n 9 3 between the rector of Walton
and the prior of Lancaster touching these
tithes ; Lane. Church (Chet. Soc.), 112.
6 Lanes. Fife R. 432.
1 Chart. R. (Rec. Com.), 26.
8 Ibid. 171*. Henry de Lea gave
various lands in Raven Meols to Cocker-
sand Abbey; Cockersand Chartul. ii,
565-6.
9 See the accounts of Lea and Hoghton.
Free warren wa. granted in 1284 ; Chart.

to Cockersand Abbey ; Chartul. ii, 568.
" Lana. Inq. and Extents, 22. From
what follows it will be seen that the
rector of Walton had an oxgang here, no
doubt appropriated to the curate of

12 Inq. p.m. 17 Edw. I, n. 2 ; the yearly
service payable to the earl of Lancaster
remained unaltered at 161. 8</.
13 Dods. MSS. cxlii. fol. 69.
14 In 1292 three oxgangs were held by
the Banastre family, for Avice widow of
Nicholas de Lea claimed dower in two
messuages and one oxgang held by Richard

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

of Kendal, who died in 1 246, held three oxgangs by
the feoffment of Nicholas, son of William de Lea,
for 4/. yearly, with common of pasture in Formby
belonging to one oxgang, and the homage of William,
rector of Walton, and his service of one oxgang.
These lands were granted to Robert the Taylor, 1
whose widow, Hilda, in 1254 demanded her dower
in two oxgangs. 1 The share of Alan le Brun can
also be traced for some time. 3 Robert, son of Edwin,
was a benefactor to Cockersand Abbey. 4 Nicholas
Blundell, the heir of Robert son of Osbert, was in
possession of his two oxgangs in 1328.*

The Molyneux family of Melling had lands here
in the first part of the seventeenth century ; 6 and in
1 744 William Molyneux of Mossborough in Rainford
named his ' manor of Ravensmeols ' in his will ; 7
in 1757 it was purchased from his daughter, Lady
Blount, by John Formby of Formby, and has since
descended with Formby. 8

At the death of Edward the Confessor, 41NSDALE
was held by three thegns as three manors, in which
there were two plough-lands valued beyond the cus-
tomary rent at 64^., the usual rate. 9 It was given by

Henry II, with Raven Meols and other manors, to
Warin de Lancaster, 10 and has since descended like
Raven Meols. Henry de Lea, son of Warin, held it in
1 21 2 ;" and in 1327 it was held by Sir Richard de
Hoghton in the right of his wife, Sibyl de Lea, by
fealty only, without other service."

It was probably Warin de Lancaster who enfeoffed
Osbert of this manor, which
Robert son of Osbert, also known
as Robert de Ainsdale, held of
Henry de Lea in 1212, paying
IO/. 13 Robert and his family
were benefactors to the abbey
of Cockersand. 14 They acquired
lands in Great and Little Crosby,
and adopted Blundell as their
surname. 14 There is little to
show their connexion with Ains-
dale, apart from a claim of 'wreck
of the sea,' which after trial in
1292 was rejected. 16 In 1328

Nicholas, son of David Blundell, granted his manor
of Ainsdale to Gilbert de Halsall in fee : I7 and the

DDDD
ODD
DO

BLUNDELL or CROSBY.
Sable, tea billet,, four,
three, two and one ar-

Banastre, and in two oxgangs held bv
Robert Banastre, and her claim was
allowed ; Assize R. 408, m. 23. In 1 3 27
the abbot of Whalley complained that Sir
Richard de Hoghton, Robert son of Adam
Banastre of the Bank, Robert son of
Richard the reeve of Raven Meols, and
Henry his brother, had destroyed the
.luices of his mill ; Cat. of Pat. 1327-30,

10 It is possible that Henry II was

lands ; but nothing is known apart from
this charter; Lanes. Pipe R. 432. For
further details sec the account of Raven
Meols.
" Lanes. Inj. and Extents, 21.
" Dods. MSS. cxxxi, 36*. The Hoghton
family had a yearly rent of 3,. from this

which the earl of Chester arrived at Jeru-
salem'; ibid. 589-92. Robert, son of
this Adam also gave confirmation ; ibid.
59 2 > 594-
Adam son of Godfrey gave two oxgang
of land and other parcels ; Atefield and
Sheep how are named in his charter! ;
ibid. 568-570.
John, son of Thomas de Ainsdale, about

the fifteenth were Adam Banastre, Richard
and William de Dudley, and Robert and
Adam de Ainsdale ; Exch. Lay Subs.

l Inq. and Extents, 22; the enfcoffment
is described as < of ancient time.'
Robert son of Osbert de Ainsdale
granted to Cockersand an oxgang of his

they enfeoffed Robert son of Thomas of
part of it ; ibid. 594. Lawrence eon of
Thomas and Emma his wife gave three
oxgangs and other lands, partly at a rent

1 Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 77.
"Cur. Reg. R. 154,111. 10 ; the defen-
dants were Agnes, widow of William
de Lane., and William of the Spring
(de Fonte], the latter holding the two
oxgangs in Raven Meols.

held of him ; an acre and sheepfold by
the western head of Winscarth lithe ; the
' land ' in front of the canons' barn, with
the toft in which Orm Dragun dwelt, and
meadow to the midstream of Hangelan,
&c. ; and confirmed the grants made by

their part of the marsh, from Siward'i
croft to Blake moor, as much as the
canons could acquire, bringing the sand!
into use; ibid. 587-9. Lawrence is
later described as 'the clerk of Ainsdale ' ;
his son Robert confirmed his parenti*

Ughtred de Ravensmeols, whose son and
heir William granted lands here to

Godfrey; Cockersand Chartul. ii, 571-4.
His brother Richard, son of Osbert,

of silver, and every year of his life an old
cloak ; ibid. 593.

his wife Agnes, daughter of Ughtred and
Amabel ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 7 6b. He
may be the Alan son of William de
Ravensmeols, who gave to Cockersand
Abbey the croft next the house of Thomas,

land' under Gripknots, a ridge in the
Wray, and 'land' next to the canons'
' land ' in Birkdene ; others on Fald-
worthings, on the cast of Halstead how,
and in Tungland ; a scaling or shieling in

Soc.) show that the Halsalls of Halsall in
the fifteenth century held the possession!
of that house, with the fishery in Formby
and Ainsdale, at a fee farm rent of 201.
14 See the accounts of those townships.

567.
In 1246 William, son of Uctred, re-
covered from Alan de Crawehal and Goda

Melkener how; two 'lands' in the
western part of Little Oddishargh, two in
Ditchfield near Slidryhow, another called

Blundell demised all his lands here to hit
son Nicholas, he reserved to himself
' wreck of the sea ' ; Blundell of Crosby

had demised them while of unsound
mind; Assize R. 404, m. 10.
Margery daughter of Robert the clerk
of Raven Meols granted land called Hewet-
land to John de Lea before 1250 ; and a
quitclaim to the lands of Robert the
chaplain, perhaps Margery's father, was
also given by Hugh Hommouth ; Kuer-
den MSS. iv, R. 6, 586, 652.
4 Cockersand Chartul. ii, 567.
Blundell of Crosby D., K.. 156.
Royalist Camp. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.

seems to have been two oxgangs. He
desired his body to be buried in the
churchyard of St. Mary at Cockersand.
Greendale, Birchbotham, Butterclining,
Sete Knots, the Warrigate, Whitemeol-
dale and other place-names occur ; ibid.
574-86.
Warin the son of Richard added a
little to his father's gifts in Whitemeol-
dale and Wetefield ; ibid. 570-1.
Adam, son of Robert de Ainsdale,

dell pleaded that he and his ancestor!
time out of mind had held this manor and
likewise wreck of the sea. For the king
it was urged that this privilege required
an express grant, which could not in this
instance be shown. The jurors found
that Henry III had once given a wrecked
vessel to the father of Nicholas, apart
from which neither Nicholas nor any of
his ancestors had taken wreck there. Such
disasters were not frequent, none having
happened since Nicholas had succeeded to

described as a manor.

his demesne and one which had been

years or more ; Plac. lie quo War.

1 8th roll of Geo. II at Preston. See also
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 582 (6).
Ex inform. Mr. John Formby.
V.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.

he also confirmed the numerous grants
made by his father, uncle, &c., and ' all the
parcels of land of which they had seisin
at the Nativity of St. Mary in the year in

!7 Blundell of Crosby D. K. 183. Thii
Nicholas Blundell was grandson and heir
of the last-mentioned Nicholas. It ii
supposed that Gilbert de Halsall had

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

manor descended in the latter family for about sixty
years, 1 passing to the Hulmes of Maghull.*

David de Hulme died in 1418 seised of lands
called Ainsdale, worth 40;. yearly, which he held of
the king, as duke of Lancaster, in socage." In
1483 lands and fishings here were settled upon
Lawrence Hulme for life, and descended to his great-
grandson Richard, who died in 1539 seised of four
messuages, &c. 4 Edmund, his son and heir, was in
1555 defendant in a suit brought by Henry Halsall
for trespass in Meandale within the manor of Birkdale.
The former alleged that he was lord of the manor of
Ainsdale and had certain fishyards and lands adjacent
to Birkdale. The plaintiff denied that there was any
manor of Ainsdale; he had
heard that a township so named
had once existed, but it had
been overflowed by the sea, and
no trace of it was left. 5 In
July, 1555, Edmund Hulme
released to Henry Halsall all
his right to the manors of
Halsall and Ainsdale, various
lands there, and a fishery. 6
The Halsalls thus regained Ains-
dale ; but in 1630 the manors
of Birkdale, Meandale, and Ains-
dale were sold by Sir Cuthbert
Halsall to Robert Blundell of
Ince Blundell, 7 and they have since descended like
Ince. 8

The parochial chapel appears to

CHURCH have stood originally in Raven Meols, 9
but the site of the modern St. Luke's
Church, with its ancient burial ground, 10 is now
within the limits of Formby. Little is known of its
history. In 1334 a settlement was made of a dispute
as to the tithes of the fishery at Raven Meols between

WALTON

the rectors of Walton and Sefton. 11 The patronage
is attributed to the Halsalls " in the sixteenth century,
and the Formbys in the next. 13 The rector of Walton
has, however, from 1723 presented the curate in
charge, as he does the vicars now.

Its fate after the Reformation is not known. As it
was far distant from the parish church and the people
adhered to the old religion, it is probable that
services were not very regularly held ; in I 590 it was
not mentioned, while about 1612 it was reported
that only <a reading minister ' served this chapel."
The Commonwealth Surveyors of 1650 described the
chapel as ancient and parochial, and recommended
that the township be formed into one independent
parish. 15

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the
chief resident family having conformed to the Estab-
lished religion, and the old chapel having become
almost overwhelmed by the sand and otherwise unfit
for service, 16 the church of St. Peter was in 1736
erected upon a piece of waste land in a central posi-
tion," some of the material of the old chapel being
used. This church, enlarged in 1830, is a plain
brick building, with a campanile containing one bell ;
the chancel was enlarged and a side chapel built in
1873-

The following have been among the curates and
vicars :

1558-63 Thomas Wolfall 18
1604 Henry Hammond "
1622 Thomas Lydiate M
1626 Roger Wright
1650 John Wai ton 31
1657 Peter Aspinwall "
101662 William Aspinwall *
oc. 1665 Edward Birchall " 4
101698 George Birchall * 5
to 1702 Coulborn

married a Blundell. In a suit of 1323
respecting novel disseisin in Ainsdale

In 1340 William de Adbaston, paro-
chial chaplain (capellanus paroch') of

cumbent at that time, he giving 10 a
year to the wife of Dr. Clare, late rector

Gilbert de Halsall was defendant, the

Raven Meols, was a trustee ; Moore D.

of Walton.

plaintiffs being the abbot of Cockersand,

54, 545-

Bishop Gastrell in 1718 found the

Nicholas, son of David Blundell, and

1 An ancient stone coffin was found in

income of the curate to be 23 41., of

Henry de Walton and Margery his wife ;

it some years ago, but reburied. For the

which 20 was paid by the rector of

Assize R, 425, m. i.

font see Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xvii,

Walton, the rest being fees. There were

i In 1368 John de Ince and Emma his

62.

two wardens ; Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.),

wife, widow of Gilbert de Halsall, sued

'The old Catholic families in the place

ii, 227.

Otes de Halsall for Emma's dower in six

who have graves here have always been

17 A brief was obtained in 1742 and

messuages, 200 acres of land, &c. in

accustomed to bury in the old churchyard.'

1,154 was raised ; ibid. 228. This was

Ainsdale ; Otes called upon Richard son

Ex inform. Mr. John Formby.

no doubt to pay the debt, which was

of Gilbert to warrant him ; De Bane. R.

It appears from a suit in 1557 that

cleared off in 1746 ; the sentence of con-

431, m. 3454 4i2</.
See the account of Maghull.

Duchy Plead, iii, 232.

secration of the new chapel is dated
19 July, 1747.

Lana. Inq. p. m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 135.

11 Lich. Epis. Reg. iii, fol. 72. Roger,

18 Duchy Plead, iii, 256 ; Visit. List

bishop of Lichfield, decreed that the tithe of

of 1563 at Chest. He did not appear

4 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, ., 9.

the fish caught by the parishioners of Sef-

in .565.

Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

ton in the fishery of ' Moeles ' should be

" Visit. He was presented for neg-

Ches.), iii, 218.
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 16, m.

divided between the two rectors ; while
the tithe of the catch made by the

lecting to catechize and for marrying
divers persons without licence. The

134.

parishioners of Walton should belong

curacy was vacant in 1609 ; Visit. List.

7 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 90 ; see also

entirely to the rector of the latter

John Burrowes was 'reader' in 1610 ;

the accounts of Halsall and North

parish.

Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, 74.

Meols.

w See a preceding note.

80 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Che.), i,

8 See the account of Ince Blundell. In

18 Richard Formby's ' manor and chapel

65.

certain depositions of 1662, in a suit be-

of Formby ' were mentioned in his mar-

"1 Commoniv. Ch. Sur-v. 82.

tween Gerard and Blundell, an account is

riage settlement ; quoted on the pedigree

M Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.

given of a sturgeon being cast up at Ains-

in Foster, Lana. Pedigrees.

and Ches.), ii, 206. He was nominated

dale ; Lydiate Hall, I 21.
The oxgang held by the rector of
Walton has been mentioned in a previous

" Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 13.
Robert Halsall, vicar of Walton, be-
queathed 61. %d. to this chapel in 1598 ;

by the inhabitants.
Supposed to have been silenced by
the Uniformity Act in 1 662. ' William '
may be an error for ' Peter.'

Albin the priest and Robert the chap-

and Ches.), 82. The tithes of the town-

as to his ordination.

lain are also mentioned in charters
quoted.

ship, valued at 70 a year and the rent
of a cottage, I2</. were paid to the in-

* Will proved at Chester, 1698 -, not
named in the Visit. List of 1691.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

1702 Timothy Ellison '
,723 - Clayton'
1735 Thomas Mercer *
to 1772 James Mount, B.A.
1772 Lancelot Graham

1793 Robert Cort 4

1794 Richard Formby, LL.B. (Brasenose

Coll. Oxf.) s
1832 Isaac Bowman
1 847 Lonsdale Formby, B.A. (St. Catharine's

Coll. Camb.) "

1894 Thomas Bishop, M.A. (St. Catharine's
Coll. Camb.)

St. Luke's Church was built in 1852-5 near the
site of the ancient chapel ; ' a district was formed for
it in 1888. Holy Trinity Church was erected in
1890, and a district was assigned in 1893.' At
Ainsdale, St. John's has been licensed for services
since 1887."

A school was erected on the waste in 1659 by the
inhabitants ; an endowment was given in 1703 by
Richard Marsh. 10

The Church of England Victoria Home for Waifs
and Strays was opened in 1897.

Protestant Nonconformity appears to have been un-
known in Formby until 1 8 1 6, when the Rev. George
Greatbatch, a Congregationalist minister of Southport,
preached here. No regular services were held by this
denomination until 1881, when the Assembly Room
was used ; a school chapel was opened two years
later." The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel in
1877 ; they have also a mission room.

The Wesleyan Methodists and the Congregationa-
lists also have places of worship at Ainsdale, the latter
an offshoot of the Southport churches, 1877-9."

As already stated, the greater part of the population
adhered to the Roman Church at the Reformation, and
so late as 1718 Bishop Gastrell found that a quarter
of the inhabitants were still faithful. 13 In 1767 the
number of * papists ' had increased to 363. 14 The
names of the priests have not been recorded before
1701, when Fr. Richard Foster, S.J., was here, his
stipend being 16, of which 10 was given by the

people." The Jesuits had charge of the chapel down
to 1779, Dut secular priests also visited the place.
After a short interval one of the latter, the Jesuit
order having been suppressed, received charge here in
1784, and the succession is continuous from that time.
A new chapel was built in 1798 on the old site. 1 *
The church of Our Lady of Compassion was erected
in 1864 at some distance from the old one. 17

The church of St. Anne, Freshfield, erected in
1886, is connected with a girls' industrial school in
charge of the Sisters of Charity, formerly carried on
in Mason Street, Liverpool. It is served from Formby.
At Freshfield also is St. Peter's school for Foreign
Missions, begun in 1884, associated with the Mill
Hill College founded by the late Cardinal Vaughan. 1 '

KIRKBY

Cherchebi, Dom. Bk. ; Karkebi, 1176 ; Kirkeby,
1237-

This township has a length from east to west of
4^ miles, with an average breadth of a mile and a half.
The area is 4,175 acres, 19 and in 1901 the population
was 1,283. The country is open, generally flat, with
a slight rise in the centre of the township of some
1 30 ft. above sea-level. The soil is mostly reclaimed
' moss,' portioned out into arable fields, divided by
low hawthorn hedges. There is but little pasture.
Potatoes, wheat, and oats are largely cultivated in a
sandy and clayey soil. There are scattered farmsteads
and isolated plantations of different kinds of trees, with
undergrowths of rhododendrons. These plantations
are strictly preserved, and afford cover to much game,
chiefly hares and pheasants. There still exists in the
east of the township a patch of original moss-land
covered with birch-trees, heather, and cotton-sedge.
Stacks of peat are to be seen piled up by the sides of
deep ditches which intersect the moss. The roads
are typical of this part of Lancashire, being made of
roughly-laid sets. The quaint fences of flag-stones,
clamped together with iron bands, are frequently seen
in the neighbourhood. The geological formation of

iThe inhabitants 'consented to re-

M Ibid.

R. Formby], and the ground will clear the

ciated at Formby in the forenoon and at

14 Trans. Hist. Sac. (New Ser.),xviii, 215.

most agreeable young man, and will do

He laid an information in 1708 against
Henry Blundell, one of the lords of the
manor, as a recusant ; N. Blundell, Diary,

16 A letter printed in Gillow, Haydock
Paper,, 210-12, gives a graphic account of
the mission as it was about 1800. The

After mentioning the priests in the neigh-
bourhood the writer gives an estimate of
the income, 59, derived as to 24 from

a These and later presentations are
from records in Ches. Dioc. Reg.
Described as ' of West Derby.'
4 Went to K-irkby.
6 Also lord of the manor. Nominated
by the rector of Walton 31 Jan. ,794.
In the same year he became incumbent of
Holy Trinity Church, Liverpool, Formby
being served by his curate. He died in
1832, and there is a monument to him in
the church.
Also lord of the manor.

Richard Formby, esquire to the king, who

Formby it would do very well if you wish
to farm and to be among a set of humble,
well-meaning people. The congregation
at Easter is about 250 ; great numbers of
children, but not employed in any manu-
factory, so that any day or hour they come
for instructions. I had 80 at catechism
every Sunday, and about i 5 of the oldest
every Wednesday and Friday evening at
my house for instructions. The people
are a blunt, honest people, and, as old
Bordley [Aughton] calls them, "a loving
people " ; but you must lord it over them,
or at least keep a high hand, and not be

interest and rent, and 8 as alms. He
proceeds : ' The rent of your house and
ground is 24, or as I had it 8 for the
house alone without any land ; but if you
have the ground it will, I think, bring you
in free. The bench money is paid very
regular, quarterly, all the other yearly,
sent without any trouble. . . . Your con-
gregation will lie very compactly about
you ; there is no need at all of a horse,
unless for your own private satisfaction, a
mile and a half being the farthest you have
any off. The house is, or at least was,
entirely furnished, so that I had not a

York Minster and placed here.
The patronage is vested in Mrs. C.
Formby and Mr. J. Formby.
8 Trustees hold the patronage.
It is a chapel of ease to St. Peter's.
1 End. Char. Ref. (Formby), 1901, p. 5.
Nightingale, Lana. Nonconf. vi, 45,
48.

ters of you. They are a people, if they
see you wish their good, you may mould
as you please. I was happy in the ex-
treme, had the congregation been about
100 fewer. There are no rich people, and
none very poor like what we find in the
weaving countries. The house and ground
is rented of a Protestant clergyman [Rev.

a great object for a beginner.' The old
house in Priesthouse Lane has a carved
wooden awmbry.
"Ibid. 213-6; Liverpool Cath. Ann.
1901.

18 Ibid.

4,180, including 10 of inland water ;
Census Rep. of 1901.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

the entire township consists of pebble beds of the
bunter series of the new red sandstone or trias. The
Alt, which crosses the south-west corner, is joined by
two brooks one flowing from Simonswood past
Kirkby church, the other westward, between this
township and Knowsley.

Little Britain, so called from an inn, ' The Little
Briton,' is a hamlet to the south-
east of the village. Ingoe Lane
runs north and south in the
western part of the township.

The principal road is that
from Liverpool to Ormskirk ;
branches from it run east to
Knowsley and Simonswood.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire
Company's Liverpool and Man-
chester railway crosses the town-
ship, with a station at the village.

The township i
by a parish council.

Parts Brow Cross at Three Lanes Ends has remain-
ing a portion of the shaft in a stone pedestal. There
mile east of

STA
Derby

bend a

governed heads t

WALTON

In 1 176 Richard son of Roger of Woodplumpton
held it, presumably in right of his wife Margaret,
daughter and heir of Thurstan Banastre. 5 On his
death it fell to the share of his daughter Margaret,
wife of Hugh de Moreton. 6 With her husband's
consent she gave the manor, the men dwelling there
and all the appurtenances, together with her body, to
Stanlaw Abbey, to hold in free alms ; ' but on her dying
without issue, the gift became inoperative, her sisters
and their heirs claiming it. In 1 242 Robert de
Stockport, Roger Gernet, and Thomas de Beetham,
held it in right respectively of Maud, mother of
Robert ; Quenilda, wife of Roger ; and Amuria, wife
of Thomas. 8 Quenilda died

childless in 1252, and Kirkby ^.___^_
was afterwards held in moieties
by Sir Robert de Stockport and
Sir Ralph de Beetham. 9

The share of the latter, known
as Kirkby Beetham, descended
like Bootle and part of Formby, 10
was forfeited to the crown after
the battle of Bosworth, and like
then

was formerly another cross about half
the church. 1

Peter Augustine Baines, O.S.B., Bishop of Siga and
Vicar Apostolic of the Western district from 1 829 to
1843, was born at Kirkby in 1787. He was a
preacher and author of some note.*

This was one of the manors held by

M4NOR Uctred the thegn in 1066, and then
included Simonswood ; the latter being
no doubt the principal portion of the woodland appur- de Byron, and Emma, widow of Robert de Beetham,
tenant to Uctred's six manors, which measured two were suing Alan de Burnhull " and William de Wai-
leagues square, or approximately 1,440 customary acres. ton, 15 for lands which the defendants alleged to be
It was rated as two ploughlands. 3 From the beginning in Windle and Walton respectively. With Robert
of the twelfth century it formed a portion of the Widnes de Byron's daughter Maud, wife of William Gerard
fee of the Constable of Chester, parcel of his barony of of Kingsley in Cheshire, 16 this moiety of Kirkby came
Halton, being held by the fifth part of a knight's fee. 4 into possession of the latter family and descended

granted to the earl of

Derby at the beginning of Henry A ? l,,^,
VII's reign." enhanced gu/is.

The share of the former,

afterwards generally known as Kirkby Gerard, did
not long remain with the Stockports, being granted
by Robert de Stockport to Richard de Byron. 1 ' In
1292 Robert de Byron seems to have been in
possession. 13 In 1301 Thomas de Beetham, Robert

H. Taylor in Lanes, and Ches. Antij.

1311 it was found that Sir Thomas de
Beetham held the vill of Kirkby of him by

tenement from the plaintiff William del
Quick, and had afterwards enfeoffed Henry

Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. i,

the sixteenth (? tenth) part of a fee, ren-

de Byron, father of John ; Assize R. 424,

105-10.
f.C.H. Lanes, i, 283*.
4 Lanes. Inj. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 42. It is here called
the sixth part of a knight's fee, but in
other cases the fifth part ; ibid. 149.
' Farrer, Lanes. Fife. R. 3 1 ; Richard
paid 5 marks that the justices might in-
quire into the truth as to Kirkby, which
he held of the Constable of Chester.
Possibly there was some dispute as to the
boundaries of Simonswood, which Henry II
had taken into the forest. Four years
later all Richard's manors were taken into
the king's hands because he had married
his daughter Maud to Robert de Stock-
port. He had to pay 100 fine for this ;

De Lay Inq. (Chet. Soc.), 24. There is
no mention of the other moiety. See
also Lanes. Inq. f. m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 102.
" See the accounts of Bootle and Form-
by. It is supposed that Richard Beetham,
living in 1484, forfeited the family estates ;
but his niece Agnes, who married Robert
Middleton of Leighton, had a son Thomas,
ibid. ; and he, alleging that Richard
Beetham had only a life interest, appears
to have recovered part. His son and heir
Gervase died in 1548 seised of the manor
of Kirkby ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. ix,
n. ii. George Middleton, his son, and
Margaret his wife, in 1576 conveyed their

In the Feodary of Halton made about
1323 it is recorded that Sir Richard de
Byron (misprinted Burton, for Buron) held
one half of Kirkby for i plough-land,
giving for relief 101. while Ralph de
Beetham held the other half ; Ormerod,
Ches. (ed. Helsby), i, 708; Add. MS.
32107, fol. 305*. In 1328 also Robert
de Byron and Ralph de Beetham similarly
held Kirkby under Halton ; Inq. p. m.
2 Edw. Ill, ist Nos. n. 6 1. Richard de
Byron was the lord of Clayton, succeeding
his father, Sir John, between 1316 and
1318, and was probably acting as guardian
of the heirs of Robert de Byron.
Assize R. 420, m. 4 ; the jury divided

ibid. 42, 46, &c.
The marriage took place in 1205-6 ;

Henry, earl of Derby, whose title was

wibtr.^"!; 11 **'

ibid. 203. At the survey of 1212 Hugh
was found to hold 2 plough-lands of the
constable of Chester ; Inq. and Extents, 42.
7 IThalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), iii, 828.
hj. and Extents, 149. For the pedi-
gree see ibid. 40.
Ibid. 191.
1 Sir Ralph de Beetham died in 1254,
holding i plough-land in Kirkby of the
earl of Lincoln by knight's service, worth
lot. yearly ; the moiety of a mill, worth
1 2j., and the tallage of the rustics, worth 51.
yearly ; ibid. 195, 201.
After the death of Henry de Lacy in

thus secured j Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 38, m. 92.
12 This was stated in a claim by Richard
de Byron, grandson of the grantee, in
1335 ; De Bane. R. 303, m. 205.
13 He was non-suited in a plea against
Gilbert de Clifton touching a tenement
here : Assize R. 408, m. 57.
From the record of a plea concerning
land in Walton unsuccessfully brought in
1313 against John son of Henry de Byron,
Henry de Lacy of Rochdale, Richard de
Didsbury, and Jordan de Holden, it appears
that Robert de Byron had obtained the

Bootle of Melling brought concerning a
mill-dam in Kirkby, the erection of which
had caused the adjacent lands to be
flooded, the defendants were William
Gerard and Maud his wife, Joan widow of
Robert de Byron, Ralph de Beetham,
William de Tours and Emma his wife,
John son of Peter de Aghtynthwayt and
Margaret his wife, and William Baude-
knave ; Assize R. 425, m. i. The jury
ordered the mill-dam to be thrown down,
William Baudeknave and Joan de Byron
being declared guilty.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

with the other Gerard lands until the sixteenth

Cen in ry i' 5 65 Sir Thomas Gerard of Bryn sold his
moiety to Sir Richard Molyneux of Sefton ; * and the
latter's grandson, Sir Richard, purchased the other
moiety in 1596 from Thomas Stanley alias Halsall,
upon whom it had been conferred by his father,
Henry, earl of Derby.* The Molyneux family thus
acquired the whole of the manor, and it has since
descended in the same way as Sefton, the earl of
Sefton being the present lord. 4

Ingew.iith gave a surname to a resident family,
of which few particulars can be given. 4 A branch
of the Norris family settled here in the fifteenth
century ; 6 as also a branch of the Torbocks.'
William Fazakerley was a freeholder in l6oo, 8 and
his grandson William in 1628 contributed to the
subsidy. 9 The Tatlocks of Kirkby appear on the
recusant roll of 1 64 1. 10 Thomas Barker had his
lands sequestered for recusancy by the Common-
wealth." In 1717 James Harrison of Grange,
Thomas Tatlock, and William Sheppard as ' papists '

In the following year William Gerard
and Maud his wife demanded, against
Henry de Bootle and others, the moiety

1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 22. In 1 305 Robert de Byron,
Richard de Ingewaith, and Robert and

1620, and a grandson William, who died
in 1654. He had several children;
Nicholas, the eldest, was 44 years of age

in Kirkby, as the right of Isabel wife of
Robert de Nevill, which John de Byron
gave to Robert de Byron and the heirs of
his body, and which after Robert's death
ought to descend to the said Maud and
Isabel, daughters and heirs of the said
Robert; De Bane R. 251, m. 160. It
does not appear that the Nevills shared
Robert de Byron's lands in Kirkby as they
did in Melling.
The pedigree of the Gerards in Helsby's
Ormerod, Cbes. ii, 131, needs correction

1 To the aid 1 346-5 5 Maud Gerard and
Ralph de Beetham contributed for the
fifth part of a fee in Kirkby ; feud. Aids,

others were summoned to answer William
de Walton respecting certain oaks and
other trees which they had cut down and

damage' done. Richard de Ingewaith
replied that there was a wood lying between
Kirkby and Walton in which he should
have housebote and heybote, and that he
had done no trespass; Cur. Reg. R. igi,

"John Norris had lands in Garston,
which John Norris of Kirkby, his son,
sold in 1451 to Thomas Lathom of
Knowsley ; Norris D. (B. M.), n.
903-8.
Robert Norris, yeoman, in 1651, peti-

children, the heir being his nephew
William, son of Thomas, aged 6 year*
at the Visit., and living in 1677 ; Dug-
dale, Vitit. (Chet. Soc.), 109 ; will of
N. Fazakerley at Chest., dated 1677,
proved 1680. The remainders were to
his brother Edward's sons, Nicholas,
Thomas, Edward, and then to his brother
Henry's. In the will of his widow, Eliza-
beth (dated 1697), this nephew is called
'of Altcar' a branch of the family re-
sided at Hill House in Altcar about thii
time and William Fazakerley as 'of
Prescot, gent.'
This may indicate the parentage of
Nicholas Fazakerley of Prescot, a noted

duke of Lancaster's death in 1361;
Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. Ill, ist Nos. n.

Sir Thomas Gerard, who died in 1416,
held a moiety of Kirkby by knight's ser-

of his estate, which had been sequestered
because he had joined the king's forces in
the first war. He took the National
Covenant and Negative Oath, and was
restored; Royalist Comf. P. (Rec. Soc.

eighteenth century, whose father's name

six Parliaments between 1732 and hit
death in 1767 ; Pink and Beavan,
Par], Rep. of Lanes. 163-4; Diet. Nat.

2O marks ; Lanes. Inq. p. m. (Chet. Soc.),
i, 123.
In 1430 John Gerard and Thomas de
Beetham held the fifth part of a fee here ;
Dods. MSS. Ixxxvii, fol. 58*.
Sir Peter Gerard, who died in 1447,
held lands in Kirkby ; Towneley MS. DD,
n. 1465.
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 27, m. 77,
the premises are described as 40 messuages,

^ The following deeds relating to this
property are now in the possession of
Mr. Robert Gladstone, jun., of Woolton :
(a) Grant by Robert de Byron to Simon
son of Alan, of land in Buteriscroft and
Bredlendshead, which Roger son of the
chaplain formerly held ; (i) Refeoffment
by John Fleetwood, with remainder to his
daughter Agnes, 1438 ; (c) Quitclaim by
Agnes, daughter of John Fleetwood of

His great-grandson, John Nicholat
Fazakerley, ' of Prescot,' was member for
Lincoln in 1812 and later years ; Member,
of Par. (Blue Book), ii, 261, &c. He wat
the son of John Fazakerley of Wasing,
Berks, and entered Christ Church, Ox-
ford, in 1805, aged seventeen; Foster,
Alumni Oxon. According to Burke, Landed
Gentry (4th ed. 1 868), he was a grandson
of Alexander Radcliffe of Leigh, who

&c. in Kirkby and Me
of the manor of Kirkby.

This moiety of Kirkby, with other
estates, had been settled upon Joan Hal-
sail, daughter of Robert Halsall, until her
son Thomas should attain 24 years of age,
when he should come into possession, with
remainder to his heirs male ; Croxteth
D. P. iii, I. The sale to Sir Richard
Molyneux was made in consideration of
1,160 paid; ibid. P. iii, 2, 3.

4 The Molyneux family were already
landowners in Kirkby. In 1501 they
purchased from William Leyland, son and
heir of John Leyland, land in Avanes-
sergh, which had descended to the vendor
from William de Leyland, who had mar-
ried Margery, daughter of Adam de Snels-
ton by his wife Margery, in the time of
Edward II ; ibid, ii, 2. In 1548 Sir Wil-
liam Molyneux's estate, described as
3 messuages, 50 acres of land, &c., was
said to be held of the heirs of Adam
Snelston in socage by the service of one
barbed arrow ; it was worth 471. $d. per
annum clear ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m.
ix, n. 2.

In 1623 the manor was said to be held
by the tenth part of a knight's fee ; Lanes.
Inq. f. m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
iii, 390.

Robert de Ingewaith was one of the
principal contributors to the subsidy in

of all her rights in the same lands, which
Thomas had by her father's grant, 1439 ;

(d) Grant by the feoffees to Thomas Tor-
bock, son of John, and Ellen his wife,
1537 ; (e) Surrender by Ellen, widow of
Thomas Torbock of Halsall, of her life

Ji!?

Fine between Anthony Maghull, plaint
and Richard Worsley and Alice his wife,
and John Worsley and Anne his wife,
deforciants, regarding lands at Kirkby,
1591.

Isabel daughter and heir of John
Heath, and widow of John Fleetwood
of Kirkby, occurs temp. Hen. VIII;
Croxteth D.

8 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,

Nicholas Fazakerley, son and heir of
William Fazakerley and Elizabeth his
wife, sold a burgage in Dale Street, Liver-
pool, to John Crosse in 1473 ; Nicholas
was living in 1491 ; Crosse D. (Trans.
Hist. Soc.}, n. 153-5, 161.

9 Norris D. (B.M.). William Faza-
kerley of Kirkby held 28 acres in Walton
in 1639 ; Charley Sur-v. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 53.

The family recorded a pedigree at the
Visit, of 1664, beginning with the Wil-
liam Fazakerley of 1 600 ; he was fol-
lowed by a son Nicholas who died about

For the Radcliffe-Fazakerley
see Dugdale, Visit, p. 238.

Gregson says : 'John Nicholas Fazaker-
ley, M.P. for the city of Lincoln,
descended from Counsellor Fazakerley
(contemporary with the late Sir Thomat
Bootle of Lathom House), is of this family,
and until lately had many estates in the
hundred of West Derby and other parts of
the county ' ; Fragments (ed. Harland),
141. A deed of 1808 relating to his
estates is enrolled in the Common Pleas,
Trinity, 48 Geo. Ill, R. 94.

>0 trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 238.
There are but few names for this town-
ship, but they include Ellen Fazakerley,
widow ; Anne Norris, widow, and Dorothy
Norris.

" In 1651, Margery Barker, his widow,
petitioned for the removal of the seques-
tration of the two-thirds of the tenement,
which was leasehold under Lord Molyneux.
Margery and her two children were ' con-
ton certified that Thomas Barker, recusant,
had been buried at Walton in the family
grave, ' in the evening, as Papists used to
do ' ; Royalist Comf. P. i, 1 34-7.

The estates of Edward Torbock and
Lawrence Stananought of Kirkby were
confiscated and sold by the Parliament
in 1652; Index of Royalists (Index Soc.),

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

registered estates here. 1 Lord Sefton, Edward Stan-
dish, and Thomas Tatlock were the principal land-
owners in 1785.*

The church of St. Chad succeeds an

CHURCH ancient parochial chapel of unknown
origin. The name of the township *
and the invocation of the chapel indicate the existence
of a church here anterior to the
Conquest. The ancient build-
ing was replaced in 1766 by a
plain red brick structure ; 4 the
present church was begun in
1869, and consecrated 4 Octo-
ber, 1 87 1. 4 This is in the
Transition style, and consists of
chancel, nave with side aisles,
and north and south porches ;
it has a central tower, with
saddle-back roof, containing two
bells. The only relic of anti-
quity belonging to it is the
circular red sandstone font, 6 which dates from the
twelfth century, and has on the bowl an arcade of ten
round ' arches ' enclosing standing figures. The only
certain subject is the Temptation of Adam and Eve.
Below the bowl is a cable moulding formed of three en-
twined serpents, and the base has a similar but larger
moulding. The shaft is modern. In the churchyard
is a cross erected in 1875. The registers date from
1678. The later earls of Sefton have been buried here.

Practically nothing is known of this chapel previous
to the Reformation. 7 Subsequently the services were
probably not kept up regularly, and in 1566 the
people seem to have refused to pay the vicar of
Walton his dues ; in consequence a decree was made,
ordering the vicar to have certain services once on
every Sunday at least. 8 In 1590 and 1612 there
were only ' reading ministers ' serving the place. 9 In

WALTON

1650 the Parliamentary commissioners found that
there were belonging to the chapel, a chapelyard, a little
house and orchard, and a croft of
3 roods; they recommended that
it should be made a parish church,
with Kirkby and Simonswood as
its district. 10 This recommenda-
tion was repeated in 1657, and
though confirmed ceased to be
effective at the Restoration."

In 1719 the value of the
curacy was 24," but within
fifteen years after this had been
augmented to 90." In '850
the then earl of Sefton endowed
it with 1 60 a year. The bene-
fice is now a vicarage, in the gift of the earl of Sefton.
The following have been curates and incumbents :
1607 James Hartley"
1 609 Robert Hole 15
1650 Pickering 16
1656 William Williamson "
1662 Ambrose 18
1678 John Barton 19
oc. 1686 William Atherton"
oc. 1689 Ralfe Reeve"
1696 Peter Becket"
1723 William Mount, B.A.' 3 (St. Edmund

Hall, Oxf.)

1764 Thomas Wilkinson **
1786 John Rigby Gill, B.A." (Brasenose Coll.

Oxf.)

1793 Robert Cort K
1850 Robert Henry Gray, M.A." (Christ

Church, Oxf.)
1877 James Butler Kelly, D.D.' 8 (Clare Coll.

Camb.)
1 88 1 John Leach, M.A.' 9 (Caius Coll. Camb.)

1 Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, ill, 1 20, 1 2 1.

the Litany, Epistle, and Gospel of the day,

in Trans. Hist. Soc. vi, 49. One parcel

Thomas ; his son by his wife Ellen Faza-
kerley was Henry Tatlock, S.J. ; Foley,
Rec. S.J. vii, 764 ; Gibson, LyJiate Hall,
289-91. ' Tatlock' s House' stands to
the north-west of the village.
a Land tax returns of 1785 ; the three
contributed 29 out of 100 raised.
8 The only other Kirkby in England
which is a chapelry is Kirkby Muxloe in
Leicestershire, in the parish of Glenfield.
It is legitimate, therefore, to suggest that
Kirkby may formerly have been indepen-
dent of Walton.
4 A brief was issued by which 1,043
was collected ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836),

a convenient hour before noon ; if required,
they should administer the sacrament of

also, when required, solemnize matrimony,
baptize infants, purify women, visit the
sick, and bury the bodies of the dead,
according to the custom of the curates of
the adjoining parishes. The inhabitants,

their farmers' o7 proctors, all tithes, obla-
tions, obventions, and all other ecclesias-
tical dues ; and pay to the repair of the
mother church of Walton as in time past.
In a paper at Croxteth is a list of the
Easter offerings from Kirkby in the

Croft. An addition to the stipend was
granted by Queen Anne's bounty in 1768.
14 Will proved at Chester, 1607.
15 Visit. List.
16 Common. Ch. Surv. 8 1. He had just
resigned in 1650 and the cure was vacant.
W Plund. Mins. Accts. ii, 135.
" Said to have been expelled in 1662.
"Will proved at Chester, 1678.
2 Probably the same who was in 1688
made curate of Liverpool and West Derby.
His name is signed on the first terrier.
l Not in the Visit, list of 1691, when

the rector and vicar.
22 From this time there are preserved

vi, 53. It was enlarged in 1812, and a
gallery was afterwards added. A view of
the old parsonage is given in the same

A district chapelry was formed in
1872 ; Land. Gaz. 13 Aug.
Tram. Hist. Sac. (New Ser.), xvii, 6;.
An account appeared in the Gent. Mag. of
1845 ; also Tram. Hist. Soc. vi, 85, with
plates.
7 For the ornaments of the chapel in
1552 see Church Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 100 ;
and for other particulars Raines' Chantries
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 268, 276-7. For the
ancient Priest Rent ' see the account of
Simonswood.
8 Croxteth D. P. iv, I. The vicar
and his successors by themselves or other
fit curate at their own charge should say

swarm of bees 3</., a windmill 2s., a
water-mill, 45., &c.
Gibson, LyJiate Hall, 249 ; ' no
preacher.' Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS.
Com.), 13.
10 Commoniv. Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 81.
" Plund. Mins. Aeea. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 169, 178, 21 1 ; Croxteth
D. P. iv, 2.
" Gastrell, Natitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 229. The rector of Walton paid
/22 1 01. 'No dwelling house but an old
bay of building, never inhabited, in which
a school is kept for children.' The curate
also had a payment of 5 101. from the
town stock ; forty years previously this
payment had been 9 lot.
18 Terriers of :686and 1733 are printed

Chester.
s The curacy was 'vacant by the in-
sufficiency and removal of Mr. Becket.'
William Mount was buried at St. Nicho-
las's, Liverpool, 1765. He built the par-
sonage house, gave communion plate, and
left money for the poor.
* Buried at Kirkby. He invented a
gold balance, &c.
*5 Grandson of Robert Gill of Hale,
proprietor of the Dungeon Salt Works,
as Buried at Kirkby, 1852 ; aged about
ninety-five. An account of him will be
found in Trans. Hist. Soc. vi, 52.
Rector of Wolsingham, Durham,
1877; died, 1885.
Sometime coadjutor bishop of New-
foundland.
Vicar of Pemberton, 1874-81.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

There was an ancient school in Kirkby, built on
the glebe, but it was burnt down. The children
were afterwards taught in the vestry, until Lord
Sefton erected a school on his own land. 1

Mass is occasionally said on Sundays at a mission
room which is served from Maghull.*

SIMONSWOOD

Simundeswude, 1207; Simundeswod, 1*97 ;
Symondeswode, 1391.* The i is short.

This township, placed within the forest, and so
becoming extra-parochial, 4 measures about three miles
by one and a half, with an area of 2,626 acres. 5 It is
a flat open agricultural country, consisting chiefly of

through the township westwards towards the River Alt.
The geological formation is triassic, similar to that found
in Kirkby, with a small area of the middle coal mea-
sures extending across the north-eastern portion of the
moss. The population was 358 in 1901. The
Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway from
Liverpool to Wigan crosses the township.
There is a parish council.

Simonswood was taken into the forest
M4NOR after the first coronation of Henry II, and
therefore the knights who made the per-
ambulation of the forest in 1228 declared that it
ought to be disafforested and restored to the heirs of
Richard son of Roger, lords of the vill of Kirkby. 6
Hugh de Moreton, who had married Margaret,
daughter and coheir of that Richard, had in 1 207

SIMONSWOOD HALL

arable fields, with but few plantations. The soil is
partly sandy and partly peaty, with traces of old
mossland. A large patch of moss still exists in the
east of the township, with the characteristic vegetation
of white-stemmed birch-trees waving above bracken,
sedges, and rushes. Peat is dug, dried and stacked
ready for fuel, the grounds thus cleared being con-
verted into valuable arable fields, where potatoes and
other root crops, cabbages and some corn grow
luxuriantly. Copses and plantations afford cover for
much game. The district is very sparsely populated,
the farm-houses and cottages being too scattered to
be described as a village.

The Simonswood brook and another of equally
insignificant size, rising in mossland to the east, flow

proffered a palfrey for the pasture of Simonswood,
which ought to belong to his wife's manor of Kirkby ;
but though he undertook to cause no injury to the
forest, his offer was at length declined. 7

The wood was not disafforested, and until the
beginning of the sixteenth century remained parcel
of the forest and demesne of West Derby. It was
placed under the care of a forester, who permitted
pasturage and the taking of estovers by the people of
Kirkby, and safeguarded the vert and venison. The
yearly issues probably no more than covered the
wages of the forester and his bailiff; in 1257 the
issues from hay sold, turbary and perquisites amounted
to \6s. T.d. ; 8 in 1327 the gross income was
3 6s. %d. ; a and in 1348 had risen to 4 $s. 6<t. w

> End. Char. Rep. 1903.
Liverpool Cath. Annual. There are

ownship and the adjoining Fazakerley in

this, like some other portions of the
finding, is not found in the enrolment of
the Perambulation in the Close R. of 12
Hen. Ill ; Col. of Close, 1227-31, p. 100.

For the verderer tee Col. Close R.

<33-3> 74-
Inq. p.m. I Edw. Ill, n. 88.
10 Duchy of Lane. Var. Accts. bdle. 32,

he nineteenth ; see Gibson, Lydiate Hall,

9 The origin of the name is traditionally
eferred to one Simon, who defeated in a
ace a famous runner of King John's,
and in consequence received the custody

of 2j marks in lieu of the palfrey was
cancelled in 1211, the record stating in
explanation that Hugh had not, nor could
have, the pasture for which he had bar-
gained. Ibid. 240.
8 Lanes. Inj. and Extents (Rec. Soc.

given : Of the herbage, winter and sum-
mer, 4 ; of wood blown down by the
wind, 51. 6d. ; of the pannage of swine,
perquisites of the wood-motes, farm of a
smithy, honey and woodland wax, alders,
dead wood, crop (twigs), bark, sparrow-
hawks, escapes and waifs, nil.

parish of Lancaster like other forest land.
The Census Rep. of 1901 gives 2,645
acres. A small detached portion of
Welling was added to Simonswood in
1877 ; Loc. Gov. Bd. order 7,218.
Wholly Coucber (Chet. Soc.), ii, 372 ;

Thomas, earl of Lancaster, gave this
with other demesne lands of the hundred
to Sir Robert de Holand, but these after
the forfeiture were not restored to him ;
Parl. R. ii, 29*.

shown by the pardon granted in 1391 to
Sir Richard de Clifton ; he had entered
the duke's chase of Simonswood in
August, 1386, with his harriers and taken
a hind of the duke's beasts of the forest ;
Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 174.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The office of keeper of this chase was united with
that of keeper of Toxteth Park. 1 In 1 507 the king
granted ' a waste ground ' called Simonswood to
William Molyneux,' one of the

esquires of his body, at a yearly f ^ mf ^^ __ _^ ^
rent, according to the custom
of the manor of West Derby. 3
The township has since con-
tinued in the possession of the
Molyneux family.'

It appears to have been cus-
tomary for the landowners of
the district to obtain wood here
for fencing their properties.
Edward Moore of Bankhall
describes how his great-grand-
father in the time of Elizabeth
used to keep two strong ox teams, with two men and
two boys, employed during the greater part of the
winter carrying hedging wood from Simonswood for

^ ^

MOLYNEUX,
Sefton. Azu,
moline or.

WALTON

the fencing of his demesne lands. 5 Some idea of the
recent progress of agriculture may be gathered from
the scanty amount of ' corn rent ' or tithe due to the
rector or farmer of the tithes of Walton in 1658 ; the
total was 2 js. 6d, 6

William Johnson of West Derby, and William
Fleetwood 'as papists' registered estates in Simons-
wood in 1717.'

In 1571 there was a dispute as to the boundary
between Simonswood and Cunscough in Melling. 8

There was an ancient rent called the Priest Rent,
paid by fourteen messuages in Simonswood to the
curate of Kirkby; it amounted only to 8/. 44'. in all. 9

In the eighteenth century the justices began to
appoint overseers of the poor instead of the inhabi-
tants, who had formerly appointed them. There were
no churchwardens (or church tax), constable, or high-
way surveyor. Collectors of the land tax were ap-
pointed as elsewhere, and the assessor of this tax also
the poor-rate. 10

1 See the account of Toxteth.
" Hereditary master forester of the
hundred ; Croxteth D. W. 2.
Ibid. F. 2. Croxteth Park was
joined in the grant. The rent payable
for both was 16, of which 6 and 2
represented the old farms of Croxteth and
Simonswood, and 8 the new yearly in-

Simonswood was reported as overgrown
with wood, in those parts of little or no

being then at London and searching ac-
cordingly, the Act of Parliament above
mentioned was then discovered, and Dr.
Kingston gave up his pretensions.' The
insecurity of the tenure as forester wa,
due to Lord Molyneux's recusancy ; he
had already been deprived of the Con-
stableship of Liverpool Castle for this
reason ; see the hint in Norris Pafers
(Chet. Soc.), 1 60.
Moore Rental (Chet. Soc.), 125.

2. Nicholas Stopard and Anne
Barnes ; Barrow heys, Crich croft ;

3. Jane Wareing ; Rice or Rye hey,
Crumberry hey, 520.
4. Thomas Basford, ' Cots Bobs ' ;
and Jonathan Mallinson (made
two tenements barely within
memory) ; 36*.
5. Edward Stockley, Fairclough's '
or ' Plait's house ' ; i8a.
6. Edward Stockley, ' Balls ' ; 43 Ja.

upon it. The grants were next year en-
rolled on the court rolls of the manor of
West Derby ; ibid. F. 3-5.
4 See the account of Sefton. From an
abstract of title preserved at Croxteth it
appears that the tenure of Simonswood

8 Croxteth D. Richard Leyland of
Great Crosby, aged 60, deposed that the
bounds were the White Syke and the Rail
Ditch. The inheritors of Cunscough had
had the right to cut wood in Simonswood
to make staff and rails, upon the Rail

7. William and Joshua Cropper ;
hemp yard, workhouse hey, burnt
ale, bathing pit hey ; 284.
8. Richard Fleetwood, ' Salthouse ' ;
house of correction ; the an-
cient messuage had been burnt
down, and a new one built on

garded as freehold, but more usually as
copyhold, down to the beginning of the
eighteenth century. Counsel's opinion,
obtained in 1834, was that they had be-
come enfranchised, even if they had ever
been copyhold ; nothing was then known
as to the payment of the 16 rent.
According to the abstract the act of 7
Tames I, regarding copyholds of West
Derby, etc., applied to these manors ; and

upon the disputed ground as in the rest
of Simonswood ; and a beast gate was
paid for at $d. a year, to Richard Fleet-
wood for Sir Richard Molyneux his master.
He knew the North Brook, but it was
never the boundary. He knew Thorpe's
Brook, a continuation of the North Brook,
lying anends certain ground called Thorpe's
Fields. Peter Fleetwood and his father
before him, with tenants in Simonswood,

1 00.

9. William Woods ; 233. Said to
have been anciently part of the
last 5 z^a.
10. Thomas Rawlinson, sen. 'Yate
house ' j hemp yard, pinfold heys,

ii. Thomas Rawlinson, sen. 'Shep-
herd's ' ; hemp yard, pingate ;
iga.

the family seemed to know nothing to the
contrary but that they held the said forest
lands either by the said admittance from
the duke of Gloucester within the time
of memory, or by virtue of their office of

them but a precarious tenure ; and it
some way coming out as if they had been
o held, one Dr. Kingston obtained a
grant from the crown, came down into
the country, and claimed these lands, and

in Simonswood. Whereupon the family
being much alarmed, John Case, being an
old gentleman in the neighbourhood, ad-
vised the then Lord Molyneux to search
the Parliament rolls ; one Mr. Lawton,
who was then concerned for the family,

Cunscough. The White Syke lay between
Ormskirk and Halsall parishes, and
Simonswood within the parish of Lan-
caster ; Simonswood Brook ran into the
White Syke. Simonswood Lane was near
this brook, going to Simonswood Moss.
'Dirty Alt' ran between Aughton and
Cunscough.
9 From the Croxteth D. The list
was prepared in view of fresh claims
for tithe by the rector of Walton.
The 'fourteen ancient tenements' in
1769, with some of the field names,
were as follows :
I. William Tatlock, ' South Heads;'
Brick kiln hey, Chorley mounts ;

42*.

heys; nja.
13. Edward Woods, 'RigbyV ; hemp
yard; loja.
14. John Bullens ; Great and Little
Mount; 17*. The ancient mease
had been taken down and a new
one built on or near the old foun-
dation. 'These fourteen tene-
ments pay 8f. per annum " Priest's
money " to the curate of Kirkby
chapel, which is supposed to be a
modus in lieu of all small tithes
except Easter dues.' A later
list shows a 'flax meadow' in
No. 9.
l Croxteth D.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

SEFTON

SEFTON
NETHERTON
LUNT
THORNTON

INCE BLUNDELL
LITTLE CROSBY
GREAT CROSBY

LITHERLAND
ORRELL AND FORD
AINTREE

This parish, lying on the coast near the entrance of
the Mersey and bounded on the east and north by the
River Alt, has an area of 1 2,68 7 acres. The surface
is level and lies very low, so that in rainy seasons the
Alt floods a considerable extent of land ; the greatest
height is attained in the south, part of Orrell being
125 ft. above sea level.

Anciently the townships were arranged in four
quarters as follows : i, Sefton, with Netherton and
Lunt ; ii, Ince Blundell, Little Crosby ; iii, Thorn-
ton, Great Crosby ; iv, Down Litherland with Orrell
and Ford, Aintree. Each quarter paid equally to the
county lay. 1 Within recent years the seaside town-
ships of Waterloo and Seaforth, governed in combina-
tion, have been formed from Great Crosby and
Litherland respectively. In these a large urban
population has grown up, but the greater part of the
area is still rural. The agricultural land of the
parish is mainly arable, viz. 7,356 acres; while
1,869 acres are in permanent grass, and 240 in woods
and plantations. The population in 1901 was
45,846.

The parish has but little connexion with the general
history of the country. At Flodden Sir William
Molyneux of Sefton greatly distinguished himself, and
Henry Blundell of Little Crosby fell in the battle.
The change of religion made by Elizabeth was
most distasteful to the people. In 1624 and 1626
' riots and rescues,' occasioned by the unwelcome
visits of the sheriffs officers to seize the cattle of the
recusant William Blundell of Little Crosby, became a
Star Chamber matter, resulting in the imposition of a
heavy fine upon the perpetrators. 8 As was to be ex-
pected, in the Civil War the gentry took the king's
side, and their possessions were consequently seques-
trated by the Parliament. The smaller people also
suffered. 3 The Lancashire Plot of 1694 brought
more trouble on the district, 4 but the risings of 1 7 1 5
and 1745 do not appear to have drawn any support
from Sefton.

The principal landowners of the parish have long

been the lords of Sefton, Ince Blundell, and Little
Crosby. In 1792 the earl of Sefton, Henry Blundell,
and Nicholas Blundell contributed ^192 to the land
tax out of 48 1 charged upon the parish. 5

The life of the district in the first part of the
eighteenth century is well illustrated in Nicholas
Blundell's Diary. In the way of sports there were
hunting, coursing the Liverpool hounds sometimes
going so far out as Little Crosby horse-racing at
various places in the neighbourhood, as Great Crosby
and Aughton, cock-fighting, bull-baiting, and bowling
matches on the various greens. Visits were made
to Ormskirk then relatively more important than at
present to Lathom Spa, and to Liverpool ; the latter
place might be reached by road in the coach or over
the sands on horseback. Nicholas Blundell fulfilled
the usual duties of a landlord, as when he fixed ' the
boundaries between Great Crosby and the Moorhouses
that each town might know their liberty to fish in ' ;*
and there were discussions about drainage, enclosures,
and other improvements, the Foremoss Pool gutter
being mentioned several times. Lord Molyneux
desired that 'the River Alt might be scoured as
usual,' and the setting and cutting of the star grass on
the sandhills had to be regulated. Smuggling was
also carried on : ' This night (says Squire Blundell) I
had a cargo of sixteen large ones brought to White
hall .... W.Ca. covered the cargo very well with
straw.' 7

Every now and again, especially in winter, there
would be a ' merry night ' at the hall, when the
squire's sword dance might be performed or his tricks
of legerdemain exhibited to divert the company.
Companies of players seem to have visited the district
occasionally, performing here and there as they found
patronage and accommodation. Of local customs he
particularly notices the throwing at the cock on
Shrove Tuesday, and the dressing of the crosses at
Great Crosby and Ince Blundell on Midsummer Day.
The Goose Feast at Great Crosby was regularly
celebrated in the middle of October with great

1 The assessment was not equally
shared by the townships in each quarter j
thus Great Crosby paid u. 6J. and
Thornton is. towards a levy of 21. t>d. ;
Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland), 16.
The levies for the ancient fifteenth were
as follows : Sefton, i 191. i&d. ; Thorn-
ton, i8s. %d. ; Ince Blundell, i is. 9 J</. ;
Little Crosby, I 6s, SJ. ; Great Crosby,
l a. t>\d. ; Litherland, 161. 4^. ; Ain-
tree, us. 8</., making 7 151. when the
hundred paid /io6 91. 6d. ; ibid. 18.

Cr4*. (diet Soc.), 35-44-

8 Elizabeth Abraham of Thornton, a
widow, took the oath of abjuration in

cate him in popery, but finding they could
not prevail with him therein, turned him
out of doors' ; the authorities had seques-
tered his father's small estate at Holmore
Green in Thornton for recusancy, and
William would be ruined unless this
could be restored to him, now that his
father was dead ; ibid, i, 210-13, tndtx of
Royalists (Index Soc.), 42. The committee
did not altogether believe this story ; S.P.
Col. of Com. for Comf. iv, 2844.
Other humble ' delinquents ' were Law-
rence Johnson and George Leyland of
Crosby, Ellen Maghull of Aintree, and
Edmund Raphson of Ince Blundell;
Royalist Comf. P. iv, 33, 93, 112, 172.
See also the case of Humphrey Blundell ;
ibid, i, 197. William Arnold, James
Rice, and Edward Rice of Crosby had
their estates sold under the Act of 1652 ;
Index of Royalists, 41, 43, 44.
Edmund Ralphson of Ince Blundell

complained that his discharge was re-
fused, though he was always a Protestant
and frequented the parish church ; he was
suffering through a confusion with another
of the same name and place; Cal. of Com.
for Comf. iv, 2627. His discharge wa
granted.
Thomas Rothwell of Great Crosby was
a victim of the other side ; he was arrested
by the Royalists while for a short time
they held the castle of Liverpool, and
charged with having enlisted under
Colonel Moore, which, as he was warned,
was enough to hang him ; Royalist Comf,
P. i, 43, 44.
Kenyan AfSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 311,
319, 362, 369, 385.
5 Land tax returns at Preston.
6 N. Blundell, Diary, 153.
1 Ibid. 173. The goods appear to
have been casks of claret for Charles
Howard.

of land ; Royalist Comf. P. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches. ), i, 7-9.
William Bootle alleged that 'his
father and mother were Catholics and by
threats and hard usage had endeavoured
to keep him from his church and to edu-

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

festivity ; a maypole and morris-dancing are men-
tioned at Little Crosby, nor is the tossing of pancakes
forgotten. On 2 November, 1717, 'we dealt soul
loaves to the poor, it being the first time any soul
loaves were given here, as I remember.' At Easter
he gave the parish clerk ' 2d. instead of twelve paist
eggs.' On 31 December, 1723, 'there was a riding
for Anne Norris, who had beaten her husband.' He
records that on 6 October, 1717, 'it being near full
moon I cut my wife's hair off.'

When his new marl-pit was dug it was ' flowered,'
and the occasion was quite a festal one. A procession
was formed, ' the fourteen marlers had a particular
dress on their heads, and each of them carried a
musket or gun ; the six garlands, &c., were carried by
young women in procession ; the eight sword-dancers
went with them to the marl-pit, where they danced' ;
and a week later a large bull was baited, ' to admira-
tion,' at the bottom of the new pit. Again, a week
later the marling was finished with feasting and
dancing. 1 Incidentally the diarist mentions the spin-
ning of wool and the ' breaking ' of flax.* The
preceding process of 'reeling' or retting flax is noticed
in an earlier document. 3 A peculiar word he uses is
' songoars,' for gleaners.

At the present time the stories of ' M. E. Francis,'
such as In a North Country Village, have made the life
of the rural portion of the district familiar.

The regulation of the Alt, effected by an Act
passed in 1779,* was of great importance to the
whole district. Its provisions may be summarized
thus : Nearly 5,000 acres of low-lying lands along
the banks of this stream in the parishes of Altcar,
Sefton, Halsall, and Walton were rendered almost
valueless by the overflowing of the water ; certain
commissioners 5 were therefore empowered to change
and clear the course of the river below Bull Bridge in
Aintree and Melling, and to make a new channel in
Altcar, Formby, and Ravensmeols down to low-water
mark ; to clear and change the course of several
tributary brooks, but without damage to the water
for Sefton mills ; to plant star grass on the sandhills ;
to take evidence as to damage and compensation,
appoint officers, raise money for the needful works
and salaries, and prosecute offenders. 6 The first
meeting of the commissioners was fixed for 1 8 May,
1779, in Sefton church. The expenses were to be
paid by an annual tax upon the owners or occupiers
of the low lands to be improved, assessed by an acre
rate according to the improvement effected ; copies of
estimates, &c., were to be kept in the vestry of Sefton
church.

A detailed report on the state of the coast a
century ago has been printed. 7

The church of St. Helen has a chancel

CHURCH* 21 ft. by 44 ft., with an eastern vestry,

and north and south chapels 17 ft. by

25 ft., nave 21 ft. by 60 ft. with north and south

SEFTON

aisles 17 ft. wide, south porch, and west tower
1 2 ft. square with a tall stone spire. All measure-
ments are internal. There is no structural division
between the nave and chancel, the nave taking up
the first four bays of the arcade from the west,
and the quire seats occupying the fifth. The fifth
and sixth bays are enclosed with screens on north
and south, and a line of screens runs across the church
at the west of the fifth bay. The eastern bay of the
chancel projects 1 8 ft. eastward from the line of the
chapels, and is lighted by an east window of five
lights, the mullions and tracery being modern, and
north and south windows of four lights, with un-
cusped tracery and two transoms.

The architectural history of the church is not a
long one, as the greater part was rebuilt in the six-
teenth century, leaving too little older work standing
to give much clue to its earlier form. 9

The east bay of the north chapel belongs to the
first half of the fourteenth century, and the west
tower is .nearly contemporary with it. There was
formerly a north aisle of this date, part of its west
wall with the jamb of a west window still remain-
ing. If this window was centrally placed the aisle
would have been narrower than at present ; the north
arcade also was 1 5 in. further to the north than that
which now exists. There was at this time no south
aisle to the nave, as may be seen from the details of
the south-east buttress of the tower. In the early
part of the fifteenth century the north chapel seems
to have been lengthened westward, and at a later date
in the same century the north aisle was rebuilt and
made equal in width to the chapel. At some time in
the first half of the sixteenth century the chancel, the
south aisle and both arcades of the nave were rebuilt,
destroying all traces of former work except such as
have already been mentioned. A vestry east of the
chancel and a south porch also belong to this time.
There is some difficulty about the exact date. The
rebuilding has been attributed to Anthony Molyneux,
rector 1535-57, apparently on the strength of a pass-
age in his will which mentions that he has ' made
so greatt costes of ye chauncell and revestrie.' If this
may be taken to mean a rebuilding of those parts of
the church for whose maintenance he as rector was
liable, the rest of the sixteenth-century work, being
of like detail and design, may well have been under-
taken about the same time. But it is unlikely that
the rector did more than his particular share of the
work, and the few remains of inscriptions on glass
point to gifts of windows, at any rate, by other bene-
factors : Sir William Molyneux I 542, William Bulkeley
1543, and [Lawrence] Ireland 1540. These dates all
point to 1535-40 as the probable date of the rebuild-
ing. It must, however, be noted that the quire stalls
bear the initials i M, which may refer to James
Molyneux, rector 1489-1509. These initials also
occur on the screen west of the stalls, but are

1 N. Blundell, Diary, 103-5. Scc a "
article by the Rev. T. E. Gibson in
Tram. Hist. Soc. xxxiii, 1-22.
Diary, 102, 109, 32, 128.
Crosby Rec. 37.
19 Geo. HI, cap. 33.
s Their names were Thomas Stanley
of Cross Hall, Robert Moss of Sand Hills,
John Atherton of Walton, Rev. Henry
Heathcotc (rector of Walton), Henry Gill
of Ormskirk, William Halladay of the

Roger Ryding of Croston, Rev. Richard
Prescott of Upholland, and William
Gregson of Liverpool.
The names of the lands affected are
given, 'moss,' 'marsh,' and 'carr' being
frequent, while ' summer-worked Hey '
(in Melling) shows that the field wa
available for only a short time in the year.
^ Trans. Hist. Soc. xxii, 241-5. The
names of owners of land fronting the sea

T. Ashcroft, Sefton Ch.; R. Bridgens,
Sefton Ch., with plates; Sir S. Glynne,
Lanes. Ch. (Chet. Soc.), 34 ; Gent. Mag.
(1814), ii, 521, 522; Trans. Hist. Soc.
(New Ser.), xi, 37.; CarOe and Gordon,
Sefton. For the font see Tram. Hist. Soc.
(New Ser.), xvii, 61.
9 A late twelfth-century capital was
found in pulling down an old schoolhouse
which stood close to the churchyard wall
on the north-west, and may have be-

Brctherton, James Waring of Knowsley,

Tour to Alston Moor, 28, with plates;
59

other remains exist.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

accompanied with ornament of distinct Renaissance
type, and it is extremely doubtful if this can be of so
early a date as the first decade of the sixteenth cen-
tury. A displayed eagle also occurs on the stalls,
perhaps in reference to the arms of Cotton, to which
family Anthony's mother belonged. 1

The present east window of the chancel is filled
with modern tracery, inserted about 1870, and re-
placing a tracery window of five lights with three
transoms, all openings being without cusps, and the
heads under the transoms rounded. The side win-
dows are still of this type, as are those lighting the
south chapel and aisle, and would fit very well to the
probable date 1535-40. East of the chancel is a
low building, contemporary with it, and entered
from the west by a door on the south of the altar,
which is the ' revestre ' built by Anthony Molyneux,
and still used for its original purpose.

The nave arcades are of six bays with coarsely moulded
arches and piers, with four engaged shafts and moulded
capitals and bases. The clearstory has four-light windows
with uncusped tracery, the mullions crossing in the
head, and all the nave roofs are of flat pitch and
modern. The weathering of a former high-pitched
roof remains on the east wall of the west tower.

The north chapel has a tall three-light east window
of early fourteenth-century style," and the contem-
porary north window is flat-headed, of three tre-
foiled lights with reticulated tracery. Below it is
an arched recess, now containing a late thirteenth-
century effigy, while a somewhat later one lies near
by. The second window from the east has three
cinquefoiled lights under a segmental head, and the two
others to the west of it three cinquefoiled lights with
tracery over. The north doorway is small and plain,
the principal entrance to the church being by the
south porch, which has a four-centred outer arch
with a shield and I H s at the apex, and an upper
story lighted on the south by a four-light square-
headed window. Above it is a canopied niche, and
the porch, like the rest of the aisles and the clear-
story, is finished with an embattled parapet and
short angle pinnacles. It retains its original flat
ceiling with heavy moulded oak beams, and the
Molyneux arms occur on the buttresses and the labels
of the outer arch.

The west tower is of three stages with diagonal
buttresses at the western angles and a vice in the
south-west angle. The west window of the ground
story is of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil over,
and the four belfry windows are of the same type.
In the intermediate stage are small single trefoiled
lights. The tall stone spire is quite plain, and rises
from a plain parapet with four low conical angle
turrets. It is to be noted that a plinth of the same
section as that on the tower is continued round the
later part of the north aisle, suggesting that it may
be re-used material from the former north aisle, which
seems to have been contemporary with the tower.*

The great interest of the church lies in its wood-
work and monuments.

The rood screen, though damaged by repairs in
1820 and 1843, is a very fine example, with project-
ing canopies on either side. These are unfortunately
not in their original condition, the eastern canopy

W. D. CarBe, Sefton, 64.
> Each member has a plain sunk chamfer.
8 Mr. Car8e notes that the north door seems to be cut through
such a plinth. Sefton, 8.

having been formerly a canted tester with a panelled
soffit, and a brattishing of nine hanging cusped arches.
No other part of the rood loft remains, and the posi-
tion of the stair which led to it is doubtful.

The screen has five openings, each with two cinque-
foiled arches in the head divided by a pendant, and
in the central opening are double doors, unfortunately
not the original ones, which were destroyed at one or
other of the dates mentioned above. The bands of
ornament on the rails and cornice are richly wrought,
and show a mixture of the Gothic vine-trail with
Renaissance detail, as already noted. The pendants of
the western canopies are finished with angels holding
shields with Molyneux bearings or the emblems of
the Passion. The openings of the screen, as well as
of the side screens of the chancel, are filled in with
iron stanchions ending in fleurs de lys ; these side
screens have good carved cornices and cresting, and
pierced tracery in the heads, but show no Italian
detail, and their lower panels are solid, with cinque-
foiled heads. They appear to have had canopies at
one time, and to have lost them in some repair. In
the west bay of the chancel are fourteen stalls, three
being returned on each side of the chancel door, their
floor level being two steps above that of the pavement,
and the desks are set on a stone base with quatrefoiled
openings to the area below the floor of the stalls.
The standards at the ends of the desks are carved with
a variety of devices, the lower part being in all a
conventional pineapple, while above are deer, a lion,
a unicorn, a griffin, an owl mobbed by small birds,
an eagle, an antelope, &c. The letters I M occur
here as before noted. The screen across the north
aisle, at the west of the Blundell chapel, is somewhat
plainer than the rest, but has a good carved cornice
and pierced tracery in the head of each opening, and
on the lower panels a plain fluted linen pattern show-
ing classic influence. Against the north wall of the
chapel is an early seventeenth-century seat with
panelled back and return benches on east and west,
and corresponding desks in front, having on the upper
part of one of the standards a seated squirrel, the
Blundell crest.

At the east end of the south aisle is another late
Gothic screen of very rich detail with elaborately
carved uprights and solid lower panels with ornament
derived from the linen pattern, and on the top a
canopy projecting east and west, the east side being
canted like the former east canopy of the wood
screen, and the west side coved. Both have ribs and
a carved cornice with pendants, but the south end of
the screen has been damaged by galleries, and is now
partly hidden by the Sefton pew, which was formerly
on the north side of the nave, and is of the same
date and detail as the screen at the west of the
Blundell chapel.

Both blocks of seats in the nave, twelve on each
side, belong probably to the second quarter of the
sixteenth century, and have good poppy heads and a
most interesting set of carved bench ends. Those in
the north block have crowned fleurs de lys on the four
corner bench ends, and the rest have, for the most
part, various conventional floral patterns. In the
south block the corner seats have the Molyneux cross,
while the rest have an alphabet, complete except for
x, y and z, one letter to each bench end. At first
sight they suggest some method of marking the seats
analogous to modern numbering, but the absence of
any such arrangement in the north block goes

SEFTON CHURCH : THE NAVE, LOOKING EAST

SEFTON CHURCH : SCREEN AND SEFTON PEW AT EAST END OF SOUTH AISLE

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

to show that the letters are merely ornamental. It
must also be noted that the floor beneath the benches
is modern, so that they may not be in their original
positions. In various places the emblems of the
Passion occur, and several devices whose meaning is
obscure, and at the west end of the south aisle is a
churchwardens' pew containing work of the same
period, with a linen-pattern panelled front.

At the west end of the north aisle are the seats
once occupied by the members of the mock cor-
poration of Sefton, the mayor's seat being in front of
the west respond of the north arcade.

The pulpit, which formerly stood against the middle
pier of the north arcade of the nave, is now set
against the rood screen on the north side of the en-
trance to the chancel, displacing the Sefton pew, now
in the south aisle. It is octagonal, with pilasters at
the angles and two tiers of moulded panels, the
whole surface being worked with arabesques in low
relief. It stands on a tall octagonal stem and has
over it an octagonal tester with pendants at the angles
and a panelled soffit. It is dated 1635, and has two
inscriptions, one round the tester :

My sonne feare thou the Lorde and the Kinge and medle
not with them that are given to change,

and another round the cornice of the body of the
pulpit :

He that covereth his sinne shall not prosper, but whoso

confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercie ; happy

i,them[an]-

the end of the inscription being lost.

There are a few pieces of old stained glass. In the
east window of the south aisle are several symbols of
the Passion, and part of a rood, with an inscription
recording the gift of a window by Sir William
Molyneux, 1542. In the window near Margaret
Bulkeley's brass in the south aisle, is a partly modern
inscription recording the making of a window in her
memory in 1543, and in the next window is a third
inscription naming ' William ' Ireland of Lydiate and
Ellen his wife, 1540. The word William is a
modern insertion ; the original was Lawrence.

The traces of ritual arrangements, apart from those
already described, are not many. There are three
sediliaon the south side of the chancel, and a recess for
a piscina to the east of them, while in the north wall
of the chancel is a large arched recess with an ogee
head, now fitted with a door. It may be modern,
but the position is a normal one.

The north chapel as already noted belongs to the
early part of the fourteenth century, and the tomb
recess in its north wall is contemporary. In the east
wall, near the south end, is a double piscina of
c. 1330, with a flowing quatrefoil in the head over
two trefoiled arches. It may have been moved to its
present position at the building of the arcades in the
sixteenth century.

The font stands under the west tower, and is of
red sandstone, octagonal, with blank shields in sixfoils
on each face and raised fillets on the angles of bowl,
stem and base. It probably belongs to the end of
the fifteenth century, and has a pyramidal oak cover
inscribed RR : HM : cw. 1688. In the north, south,
and west walls of the tower are rectangular recesses,
those on the north and south extending eastward
beyond the line of their openings in the thickness of
the wall, and bearing marks of the fitting of shelves.
One such recess in this position would serve as a font-

SEFTON

locker to keep the chrismatory, &c., but the presence
of three points to some additional use, and this part
of the church may have been used as a vestry.

When the whitewash was taken off the arcades in
1891, black-letter texts of Jacobean date were found
in the spandrels of the arches. The panelling on
the east wall of the chancel was given by will by
Mrs. Anne Molyneux, c. 1730,' and the three brass
chandeliers hanging in the church were given in 1773.

There are six bells, the first four by Henry Old-
field of Nottingham, and the fifth and tenor of 1 8 1 5
by Dobson of Downham. The inscriptions on the
first four are :

Treble. God bles the founder heareof. 1601.

Second. Nos sumus construct! ad laudum (sic) Domini.
1601.

Third. Hec campana beata Trinitate sacra fiat. Fere
God. Henri Oldfelde made thys Beyl.

Fourth as Third, omitting the word ' beata.'

The Latin inscriptions on the third and fourth
bells are a version of the mediaeval hexameter,

Trinita

ipana beata,

and one or both of the bells may have been so
inscribed before their recasting by Oldfield.

The very interesting series of monuments begins
with the mailed effigy in the recess on the north of
the north-east chapel. The figure has knee-caps
which may be of leather, but is otherwise entirely in
mail, and wears a short surcoat and a sword-belt,
from which hangs a sword which he is drawing from
its sheath. On the left arm is a shield with the cross
moline of Molyneux. The date of the effigy is
f. 1280-1300, and it may represent William de
Molyneux, who died c. 1289. Near it is a second
effigy wearing a peaked bascinet with raised vizor, a
mail hauberk and short surcoat, and plate (or leather)
knee-caps and jambes, the feet being in mail. He is
bearded, and has a blank shield on the left arm, and
draws his sword like the other effigy. The date is
c. 1330, but there is nothing to show who is the
person represented. A curious detail is the crouching
human figure in a long gown on whom the feet of
the effigy rest. In the same chapel is a panelled altar
tomb with an alabaster slab and a damaged inscription
to Lady Joan Molyneux, 1440.

In the south aisle, and now enclosed by the Sefton
pew, is the fine brass of Margaret Bulkeley, 1528,
with a figure under a double canopy between four
shields, bearing the arms of Molyneux, Bulkeley,
Button, and Molyneux. At the feet is a long in-
scription recording her foundation of a chantry in
the church.

On the south side of the chancel is a floor-slab
with the brass figures of Sir William Molyneux and
his two wives, Jane (Rudge) and Elizabeth (Clifton),
1548. The inscription records his feat of capturing
two standards at Flodden, and over his head is the
Molyneux shield with the standards above it only
one being now perfect, that of Huntly, with its
motto or cry ' Clanc tout.' Above each of the wives
was a lozenge with heraldry, one only being now left,
and below the inscription a shield with Molyneux
with ten alliances, and the motto ' En droit devant.'
The figure of Sir William is in armour of the time,
with the curious exception that the head is covered
with a coif of mail, and the lower part of a hauberk
1 Trans. Hist. S. (New Ser.), xi, 83.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

shows above the knees. It is possible, as has been
already suggested elsewhere, that the figure represents
his actual appearance at Flodden, in old armour
hastily chosen from among the suits at Sefton on the
sudden alarm of war.

On an altar tomb just south of this slab, and
balancing the tomb of Lady Joan Molyneux on the
other side of the chancel, are the brass figures of Sir
Richard Molyneux, 1558, and his two wives, Eleanor
(Radcliffe) and Eleanor (Maghull). Below is a
rhyming inscription in eight lines and a group of five
sons and eight daughters. Of the marginal inscrip-
tion there only remains enough to identify the tomb.

In the south-east chapel are later monuments, one
of white marble to Caryll Molyneux, third viscount,
1 700, and others to his wife and daughter-in-law.

The most notable of the modern monuments is
that of Henry Blundell of Ince, who died in 1810 ;
it was designed by John Gibson and represents the
deceased relieving Genius and Poverty. 1

The church plate consists of a chalice with the

letters E if M an <^ trie inscription ' The gift
of Mrs. Alice Morton to the church of Sephton,
1695 ' ; a flagon, inscribed 'The gift of Mrs. Anne
Jackson of Sephton, 1715' ; another chalice, with
' The gift of Mrs. Ann Molyneux to the parish church
of Sephton, 1729,' and among the plate marks B.B.
for Benjamin Branker, a Liverpool silversmith ; a
cylindrical cup with handle, engraved with a crest
of three arrows, tied with ribbon, and the points

resting on a wreath ; and a silver paten, which fits
an old silver chalice now at St. Luke's, Great
Crosby.

The churchwardens' accounts begin in 1 746.'
The registers begin in 1597, but were not regu-
larly kept until 1615, from which time they are
continuous. 8

From its position the parish of
ADVQWSON Sefton appears to have been taken
from that of Walton. The earliest
record of its independent existence is in 1203, when
the abbot of Combermere and others, by virtue of a
commission from Innocent III, adjudicated in a dis-
pute as to certain tithes in Crosby between the prior
of Lancaster and the rector of Sefton. 4 In 1291
the value of the benefice was 26 13*. 4</., 6 and in
1 340 it was assessed at 40 marks for the ninth of
sheaves, lambs, and wool. 6 The net value in 1535,
including the rectory house, was 30 is. &J.' By
1718 this had increased to 300," and now the gross
value is said to be 1,300.'

The Molyneux family, as lords of Sefton, were the
patrons, 10 until after the Revolution, when Caryll,
Lord Molyneux, being disqualified by his religion
from presenting, sold the advowson to a connexion,
George, earl of Cardigan. 11 It is found in a list of
the Molyneux properties made in 1770, but had been
finally disposed of in 1 747 to the Rev. James Roth-
well, vicar of Deane," whose representatives, the trustees
of the late marquis de Rothwell, of Sharpies Hall,
are the present patrons. 13

The following is a list of the rectors :

Instituted
oc. 1203 .
oc. 1288 . .

c. 1310 . .

9 May, 1339

Richard 14 . ...
William de Kirkdale 15
Richard de Molyneux '
Gilbert de Legh " .

Ric. de Molyneux .

Cause of Vacancy

d. of Richard

1 Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xi, 56,
65, 74, 99 i see also Thornely, Lanci.
Brasm, 187, 209-41 ; and for heraldic
notes made in the i6th and i/th centuries
see Tram. Hut. Soc. (New Ser.), vi, 261 ;

a 'lbid. 96.
Ibid. 92.
< Lane. Cb. (Chet. Soc.), i, 66, 67.
Roger of Poitou had given tithes from
his demesne lands, including Great Crosby,

ton, 4j marks ; Little Crosby, the same ;
Ince Blundell, 461. SJ.
''Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 223.
The tithes were valued at 25 71. 8</. ;
oblations and Easter roll at 5 2s. SJ. ;
151. 4</. was payable to the archdeacon as
synodals and procurations.
8 Notitia Ctstr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 216-20.
There had been forty acres of glebe, but
almost all had been annexed by the lords

Merivale, in exchange for the manor o
Altcar ; Tram. Hist. Soc. xxxiv, 125.
11 Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 216.
Com. Pleas, deeds enr. vol. 147
(Mich. z ,Geo.II),325, 3 27.
18 Liverpool Dioc. Cal.
" Lane. Ch. (Chet. Soc.), i, 66 ; alsc
Cttckeriand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 752
He was witness to the charter concerning
Hagencroft in Sefton. ' Robert the priesl
of Sefton ' was witness to a Lytharr

con6rmed by John when count of Mortain ;
ibid. 8, 15. In 1193 the bishop of
Coventry confirmed Count John's grant,
and about the same time Stephen (rector)
of Walton made a composition with the
prior of Lane, as to various tithes,
including those of Crosby ; ibid. 1 1 1,

^100, were leased to Lord Molyneux for
4. A new rectory was built in 1723.
There were two churchwardens, chosen
by the townships in turn.
Among the deeds at Croxteth is a
lease, dated 1739, from Rector Egerton
to Lord Molyneux of the tithes of Sefton,

Ebor, a. 3.
15 Blundell of Crosby D. K. 237. H(
was rector in 1288 ; Assize R. 1277.

" He was a younger son of Richard d,
Molyneux of Sefton. For his disput.
with the rector of Walton see the accoun

had not then been taken out of Wai-

In 1781 the rector observed that no

Thomas, to whom between 1323 anc
1336 he made a grant of 14 acres o

two sheaves from two plough-lands in
Crosby ; Richard, the rector, and his
vicar, Robert de Walton, were allowed to
have them for life, paying is. a year, and
afterwards the prior was to have the
sheaves.
tPofc Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), p.
249.
6 ln<j. Non. (Rec. Com.), 40. The
amount was made up as follows : Sefton,
1 1 marks ; Aintree, 331. 4 rf. ; Litherland,
6 marks ; Great Crosby, 8 marks ; Thorn-

tivated lands, and that by ancient custom
'such kind of land is tithe free for the
term of seven years after the first break-
ing upon or ploughing thereof. 1 The
result was that the tenants often ploughed
it for seven years, thereby exhausting it,
and then left it.
Liverpool Dioc. Cat.
10 This will be seen from the list of
rectors. In the fifteenth century there
seems to have been an intention to
appropriate the rectory to the abbey of
62

i, 23 ; the mother was apparently Joan,
daughter of William le Boteler ; ibid.
n. 20. In 1339 Thomas de Molyneux,
son of Joan le Boteler, was pardoned, or
account of his service in the wars, fo
participation in the murder of SirWillian
le Blount, sheriff, at Liverpool; Cal. o/
Pat. 1338-40, p. 229.
WLichficld Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 113.
Gilbert was a priest. As Gilbert d.
Lcgh, chaplain, he occurs in 1330 ; Tran..
Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), iii, 60.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

27 Nov. 1339 .

Name
John de Massey '

Patron
Ric. de Molyneux

(July), 1364 .

Mr. Jordan de Holme ' . . .

Duke of Lancaster .

3 Nov. 1376

William de Oke s

19 May, 1378 .

Simon de Melburn 4 . . . .

31 Aug. 1404 .

Roger Hawkshaw 5

. Mr. Ric'.' de Winwi

oc. 1416-24 . .
oc. 1427 . . .

John Totty 6
Richard de Haydock 7 . . . .

IO Feb. 1432-3 .

Nicholas de Haydock " . . .

'. Will, de Heth, &c.

27 Oct. 1433 .

Richard del Kar 9

n ,

30 May, 1462 .

John Molyneux, M.A. 10 . . .

Rob. Molyneux, &c

12 July, 1485 .

Henry Molyneux, M.A. "

James Stanley, &c.

27 March, 1489.

James Molyneux "

Ric. Molyneux, &e

I 5 Oct. 1509 .

Edward Molyneux " . . . .

. Will. Molyneux .

i? J an - 1535-6 .

Anthony Molyneux, D.D. " .

. Sir W. Molyneux .

2 Sept. 1557 .

Robert Ballard 15

. Sir R. Molyneux .

29 Oct. 1564

John Finch ls

4 Feb. 1567-8.

John Nutter, B.D. 17 . . . .

17 July, 1602 .

Gregory Turner, M.A. I8 . . .

1633 .

Thomas Legh, D.D. 19 ....

SEFTON

Cause of Vacancy

d. Gilbert

exchange

d. Jordan de Holme

res. W. de Oke

d. of S. de Melburn

d. R. de Haydock
d. N. de Haydock
d. R. Kar
d. J. Molyneux
d. H. Molyneux
d. J. Molyneux
d. E. Molyneux
d. last rector
d. R. Ballard
d. J. Finch
d. J. Nutter
d. G. Turner

iLich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 113*. He
was described as 'clerk.' He probably
belonged to the family of Massey of Sale,
and seems to have been rector of a mediety
of Lymm also ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed.
Helsby), i, 593 ; see also Dtp. Keeper's Rep.
xxxvi, App. 328, &c.
> Ormerod, Cht:. (cd. Helsby), iii, 799.
Jordan de Holme had been appointed to
Stockport in the previous January, and
his successor, John de Massey, held it till

7 Richard de Haydock, rector of Sefton,
was the feoffee of Robert de Parr in 1427 ;
Ct. of Wards and Liveries, box 1 3 A, n.
FDi 4 .
8 Lichfield Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 121.
The patrons were William de Heth, rec-
tor of Grappenhall, Richard de Balders-
ton, and Thomas de Urswick.
Ibid, ix, fol. 122. He had been
vicar of Huyton.
"Ibid, xii, fol. I ooi. The patrons

Walton and prebendary of Salisbury ; he
founded the Molyneux chantry at Sefton.
He was the youngest son of Sir Thomas
Molyneux, and apparently his mother's
favourite ; a large part of his time was

Ibid. 35. ' He was also rector of
Walton. He built or restored the rcvestry
and chancel. He was a younger son of
Thomas Molyneux of Hawton, and edu-
cated at Oxford ; the garden wall of Mag-

rector of Ashton-on-Mersey, which he
resigned at the same time as Stockport,
in favour of another John de Massey of
Sale (ibid, i, 561), who was ordained
priest in June 1365; Lichfield Epis. Reg. v,

Richard Law, priest, feoffees of Sir
Richard Molyneux, deceased. In 1471
John Molyneux became rector of Walton
also, and prebendary of Lichfield ten years
later ; Le Neve, Fasti. He founded a

him. His will is printed by Picrope
milt (Chet. Soc.), ii, 263 ; in it he men-
tions his books of divinity, and the ser-
mons, both Latin and English, written
in his own hand ; he would have ' no

Chester ; Ormerod, Cha. i, 309. Jordan
died 14 Oct. 1376 ; he had leave to ab-
sent himself for one year in Sept. 1364,
and for two years in Sept. 1369, and to
let his church to farm ; Lichfield Epis.
Reg. v, fol. 9, 22.
8 Ibid, iv, fol. 88. John of Gaunt prc-
ented, as guardian of Richard, heir of
Sir William de Molyneux, deceased. Oke

Ibid, iv, fol. 89. He was probably of
illegitimate birth, requiring a dispensation ;
he was made subdeacon in Sept. 1378,
deacon in the following Dec., and re-
ceived letters dimissory for the priesthood
in Feb. 1378-9; ibid, vii, fol. 122*; v,
fol. H 9 A, i2oA, 32 ; also vii, fol. 174 for
an ordinance as to Sefton. In April
1392, he had leave of absence, 'in locis
honestis,' for a year, and in Feb. 1393-4
a similar leave, ' provided the cure be not
neglected and the rectory buildings be

Litherland, who died in 1465, by his will
desired to be buried in the cemetery of
St. Helen's, Sefton ; from the inventory
of his good, it appears that he owed
2i. to St. Mary of the church of Sef-
ton (See. Marie ecclesie de Sefton) ;
Moore D. n. 703. This may refer to
the altar of Our Lady of Pity, at which
the Bulkeley chantry was afterwards
founded.
11 Lich. Reg. xii, fol. 1 1 9*. The patrons
James Stanley, clerk, Sir Christopher
Southworth, Richard Clifton, and Reynold
Dyo, clerk had a grant from Sir Thomas
Molyneux of Sefton, deceased. There
was a dispute as to the right, Henry
Molyneux and Robert Mercer being pre-
sented ; they appeared before the bishop
at Eccleshall in July, and he decided
in favour of Henry's claim; Robert
Mercer, however, was to be paid 12,
and have 7 yearly for seven years,

feasting then customary. For his Ox-
ford career see Caroe and Gordon, Sef-
ton, 65, &c. He is said to have built
schools by the church ; these were
turned into cottages and later demolished ;
ibid. 54.
1* Act Books at Chest. ; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxii, 36. He refused to appear
at the visit, of 1559 ; Gee, Elizabethan
Clergy.
Paid first-fruits 23 Nov. 1564 ; Lanes,
and Ches. Recs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 409, from which volume other
references to these payments are taken.
He had been vicar of Walton.
" Paid first-fruits 21 Feb. 1567-8.
He was also rector of Aughton, 1577, and
of Bebington, 1579; ibid, ii, 409. He
had appointments in Chest. Cath., of
which he became dean in 1589. He
died at Sefton, suddenly. After his death
there were disputes as to his property

6 Ibid, vii, fol. 92. The patrons were
Master Richard Winwick, canon of Lin-
coln, James de Langton, Roger Winter,
and John Totty, as feoffees of Richard de
Molyneux, who died in 1397 ; Lanes. Inj.
p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 70. Roger Hawk-
haw was ' cousin ' of Richard Winwick ;
dying 2 Feb. 1414-15, he was buried in
Lincoln Cathedral, where there used to
be a memorial brass; Peck, Desiderata
Curiosa, bk. viii, 24.
6 John Totty, mentioned in the last
note, had long been a chaplain at Sefton ;

in H^NorririX (B.MO,' ^"(Soof to
which his seal is appended ; and Blundell
of Crosby D. K. 28.

Sir Thomas Molyneux and the late
rector; ibid. fol. 157. A Henry Moly-
neux, canon of Exeter, made his will
4 March, 1489-90, and it was proved
6 July, 1491 ; Gisborne Molineux,
Molyneux Family, 126. Another Henry
Molyneux, priest, founded a chantry at
Halsall.
u Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, fol. 122*. The
patrons were Richard Molyneux, the son
and heir of Sir Thomas, a minor, Richard
Clifton, esquire, and Reynold Dyo, priest.
James Molyneux had been rector of
Grafton, Notts, in 1484 ; Cal. of Pat.
1476-85, p. 445.
l Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 56. He

his money ; ibid, ii, 336. Anthony
Nutter of Goldshaw Booths in 1602 gave
Sir R. Molyneux a receipt for 40, his
share (and his wife's) of the dean's pro-
perty ; Croxteth D. See also Ches.
Sheaf (ser. 3), v. 95. He seems to have
been curate of Eccles in ^63 ; ibid, i,
34-
18 Act books at Chest. He paid first-
fruits 15 Oct. 1602. Previously school-
master at Wigan; Bridgeman, Wiga*
(Chet. Soc.), 235. He it was who for
some years refused to allow ' popish re-
cusants' to be buried at Sefton ; see the
account of Little Crosby,
n Paid first-fruits II Nov. 1633. He

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Instituted

21 June, 1639
3 April, 1640

21 June, 1640
c. 1646 . .

1660

8 Sept. 1675

23 Aug. 1678
30 Aug. 1684
26 Dec. 1721
13 April, 1722
12 Jan. 1763
3 May, 1802

1 July, 1863

10 Feb. 1871

10 Aug. 1883

2 Dec. 1890

Edward Moreton, D.D. ' . . . .

Joseph Thomson '

Edward Moreton

John Bradford, D.D. s

Jonathan Brideoak, B.D. 4 . . ,
Richard Richmond, M.A. 5 . . ,

Richard Hartley 6

Thomas Egerton, M.A. * . . .
Richard Rothwell, M.A. 8 . .
Richard Rainshaw Rothwell, M.A 9

J Roger Dawson Dawson-Duffield.

(LL.D., 10 Count Dawson-Duffield

Englebert Horley, M.A. 11 . .

Edward Horley, M.A. " . . .
George William Wall, M.A. ls . ,

Patron

(The king . .
I Lord Molyneux.
(.The king . .

(The king . . .

(Anne Mosley . .
Lord Molyneux
Ric. Legh of Lyme
John Clayton . .
Lord Cardigan .
James Rothwell
The bishop . . .

I Marquis de Rothwell

\d. T. Legh

exp. E. Moreton
reinstated

Id. E. Moreton

res. J. Bradford
d. J. Brideoak

)d. R. Richmond

d. T. Egerton
d. R. Rothwell

d. R. R. Rothwell

fd. R. D. Dawson-
[ Duffield

d. E. Horley

Of the earlier rectors little is known ; Dr. Anthony spectively by the rector and Sir William Molyneux, 1 '

Molyneux, 1536-57, was the most distinguished. I
1541, in addition to the rector and two chantry

but eight clergy appeared at the visitation in 1548.
Besides the parish church there was the chapel at

priests there were only two others
parish, Hugh Whitfield and Robert

1 He was instituted thrice, and twice

recorded in the Great Crosby to
Ballard, paid re- paratively little

chaplain in ordinary' ; Pat. 27 Chas. II,

be served. Even in 1554 corn-
change was shown, the rector,

and Mr. Hartley of Ireland having been

this time are given from the books,
P.R.O. in Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Notes,
i, ii. The king claimed the patronage,

the bishop on behalf of Anne Elcock, of
Fulford near York, widow of Anthony
Elcock, D.D.

Sefton church on 7 March, 1721-2,
the jury, and the decision was in favour of

of age about 1640, seems also to have
claimed it ; at Croxteth are three sepa-
rate presentations Samuel Hyde on 25
June, 1639 ; David Lloyd, 5 Nov. ; and
Edward Moreton, 8 Nov. ; Croxteth D.

Bexhill. Jonathan Brideoak was also
rector of Mobberley in Cheshire, where
the register has the following entry:
'Mr. Jonathan Brideoak, B.D., and a
long time fellow and also Junior Bursar
of St. John's College in the University of

and N. Blundell, Diary, 184.
1 Rector of Warrington till 1723, when
he was appointed to Cheadle, holding this
with Sefton until his death ; from 1746
a curate represented him at Sefton.
9 Son of the patron. He died 18 Sept.

1660, immediately after the Restoration.
He was a son of William Moreton, of
Moreton near Congleton, and a fellow

and after the death of Mr. James Stanley,
late rector of this parish of Mobberley
(who died April the 8th, 1 674), he married

'Son of the previous rector. For
for eight months, when the bishop col-

hall, and prebendary of Chester ; ' not
evenly sharing good fortune and bad,'
says his epitaph in the church, ' but
to either equal.' His son William be-
came bishop of Kildare and Meath.

gent : (July the 16, 1674) of the Old
Hall of Mobberley. By which said Mary
his wife the said Mr. Jonathan Bridecake
had the presentation of this church of Mob-
berley as true and undoubted Patroness,

the patron. He was of Brasenose Coll.,
Oxf. He died suddenly on Easter Sun-
day (5 April), 1863, aged ninety-two.
He was celebrated as a reader of the
Church service ; a memoir with portrait

the rectory had fourteen hearths in 1666 ;
Lay Subs. Lane. 2 $.
3 His name should probably be expunged

title. He was described by the commis-

said Mr. Jon. Bridecake made an ex-
change of the living of Bexill in Sussex
(which was at that time given him by his
brother Dr. Ralph Brideoak, late dd.,
Bishop of Chichester) with Dr. Bradford

&c. Among other things this account
states that about 1830 'it was customary
for the two daughter churches in the
parish to be closed at the three festivals
Easter, Whitsunday, and Christmas Day,

wealth Ch. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 85. He had been previously
stationed at Liverpool, and was a friend
of the Moores of Bank Hall. Calamy
describes him as an Oxf. man, but it
may be noted that a Joseph Thomson
of LangtreenearWigan, a relative of the

berley the 6th of April, 1684, being Low
Sunday. So that it appears he was Rector
of Mobberley nine years and about 3 quar-
ters and of Sephton five years and a halfe. .
He was buried the ninth day of April,
1684, in the Coll. Ch. of Manch. in
the Procession way over against the

10 He was educated at Corpus Chruti
and Downing Coll., Camb.; M.A. 1841,
LL.D. 1 862 ; kt. of the order of St.
Charles ; count of Monaco ; author of
Remarks on Foreign Titles, &c. He held
the sinecure rectory of Calcethorpe, and

Coll., Camb., in 1622 ; Kenyan MSS.
(Hist. MSS. Com.), 26, 30, 55. After
1660 he appears to have continued
as curate at Sefton, for he signed the
minutes down to 1669 ; Trans. Hist. Soc.
(New. Ser.), xi, 95. He afterwards lived
at Ormskirk, using, so it is related, his
private means liberally for the relief of
ejected Nonconformists ; Halley, Lanes.
Puritanism, ii, 190, 135. He was buried
ar Ormskirk in 1671.
'There was in this case a double

family, from Chetham Hill, near Man-
chester in Lancashire.'
5 Also rector of Walton. The patron
presented by grant from Caryll, Lord
Molyneux. In the Chest. Act Book
Lord Molyneux only is named. A com-

the right of patronage, the University
of Camb. having presented William Need-
ham, M.A., Emmanuel Coll. ; there are

MSS. xxxviii, 475, &c.

"Died 21 May, 1883. He was of
Queen's Coll., Oxf. ; M.A. 1 860 ; vicar
of Lever Bridge, Bolton, from 1867 to
1871. He edited the records of the Mock
Corporation of Sefton.
"Of Emmanuel Coll., Camb.; M.A.
1851. Incumbent of St. Chad's, Stafford,
1855; vicar of Eaton Socon, 1861.
" Previously vicar of Bickerstaffe ; edu-
cated at St. Edmund Hall, Oxf. ; M.A.
1869; author of The Students' Prayer
Book, &c. He died in 1906.

claimed by lapse, Bradford is called ' ex-

patronage, Mr. Egerton of Warrington
6 4

Lanes, and Ches.), 16.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Anthony Molyneux, his curate, and four others
appearing. In 1562 Master Robert Ballard, the
rector, an opponent of the Elizabethan changes,
appeared by proxy, his curate coming in person ;
three others, nominally attached to the parish, were
absent. Next year the rector was described as de-
crepit, but his curate appeared ; the names of the
other three, entered from an old list by the registrar's
clerk, have been crossed out. In 1565, no one was
recorded but the rector, John Finch, whose name is
written over that of Robert Ballard. 1 John Finch
died or resigned shortly afterwards, and in 1568
John Nutter, afterwards dean of Chester, succeeded.
Though ' a preacher,' he seems to have been but a
money-seeking pluralist, who went with the times
and joined, perhaps rather to procure favour than
out of zeal, in the persecution of his recusant
parishioners. 2 He had in 1590 an assistant, who
was 'no preacher." About 1610 the conditions
remained unaltered ; the incumbent, Mr. Turner,
was a preacher, but the curate of Great Crosby was
not.*

The Parliamentary Commissioners in 1650 were
satisfied with the two ministers they found in the
parish, but recommended that two more churches
should be erected, one at Ince Blundell and the
other at Litherland, ' both places being well situated
for conveniency of many inhabitants and distant from
any church or chapel two miles and upwards, the want
of such churches being the cause of loitering and
much ignorance and popery.' 4 No steps, however,
seem to have been taken to build them. Bishop
Gastrell found that there were 310 families in the
parish in 1718, and 156 'Papists,' with two
chapels ; there was only one dissenting family.' The
return of 1767 allows 603 'Papists' to Sefton and
154 to Crosby. 7 The growth of the seaside towns
during the last century has totally altered the con-
ditions ; the Nonconformists, for instance, formerly

SEFTON

unknown, have now many churches and meeting-
places.

There were only two endowed chantries in Sefton
church at the time of the confiscation in 1548, and
those were of recent establishment. By her will of
1528 Margaret Bulkeley, widow, gave various lands
to Sir William Leyland and other feoffees, to find
' an able and honest priest to say and celebrate mass
and other divine service ... at the altar of our
Blessed Lady of Pity,' for her soul and the souls of
John Button and William Bulkeley, formerly her
husbands, and for others. 8 This chantry was in the
south chapel. Robert Parkinson, one of the feoffees,
was the only cantarist of the foundation ; he died in
or before 1554. The endowments, which included
the mill at Thornton, were valued at 4 14*. a year.*
The second chantry, in the north chapel, was founded
in 1535 by Edward Molyneux, rector. 10 The only
priest was Thomas Kirkby, probably he whose pre-
sentation to Aughton caused much dispute." The
amount of the endowment was $ i8/. 3</."

In 1718 Bishop Gastrell found
CHARITIES about 400 had been given by
various persons to charities in the
parish, apart from Great Crosby School ; ' all these
sums,' he says, ' are in good hands and the interest
duly paid." 3 The charity commissioners of 1828
found various poor's stocks ' in existence, the origin
of which was unknown." There was then only one
charity for the whole parish, and in 1898 it was
found to have been ' discontinued before living
memory.' 15

For Sefton quarter the poor's stock was 84 in
1828, but it had been lost before iSgS. 16 On the
other hand, a benefaction by Anne Molyneux in
1728 had been increased by several donations, and
the net income of 6 \s. was in 1898 distributed by
the rector to six widows. 17 The Netherton poor's
stock of 120 in 1828 is supposed to have included

1 These particulars are from the Chest,
visit, lists for the years named. For the
ornaments of the church in 1552 see Ch.

Commendation, and Mass of Requiem, with
all suffrages and services pertaining; at
the anniversary of her death, or within

to rescue the intended endowment from
the king's hands.
" See the account of Aughton.

* Crosby Rec. (Chet. Soc.), 23. He

nesday, and Friday, but on other days as

derived from a number of scattered pai-

action, for he was delated to the Govern-
ment as showing great favour to ' papists ' ;
Lydiate Hall, 260, quoting S.P. Dom.
Eliz. ccxv.
Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 249 (quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, n. 4).
In 1592 the only presentation made
was against Ralph Williamson, who had
'had a child christened and his wife
churched ; not known where,' and who

De ProfunJis at the further lavatory ; on
Fridays once a quarter mass of the Name
of Jesus, and five times in the year mass
of the Five Wounds, for the souls of her-
self and others ; also mass on St. Mar-
garet's Day, before the image of this saint in
the church ; and on the five principal feasts
of Our Lady and on the Visitation, and
within their octaves, three masses of the
feast, with the collect, ' Deus, firma spes.'

i Notitia Cestr. ii, 219,221. Some
of the benefactions were appropriated to
particular townships.
"The accounts of the charities are
derived from the End. Char. Rep. for
the parish of Sefton, issued in 1899;
this includes a reprint of the report of
1828.
"End. Char. Rep. I, 8. Samuel
Thomas left $, the interest of which

(NewSer.),x, 190.
* Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 13.
At the bishop's visitation in 1609 there

masters, and a ' reader ' at Great Crosby ;
Raines MSS. xxii, 298.
& Common-wealth Ch, Sur-v. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 85. The minister was
paying to Mrs. Moreton, wife of the
ejected rector, 'a delinquent,' a fifth part
of the profits, according to an order by
the committee. See Plund. Mini. Acctt.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 4, 7, 54.
Notitia Cestr. ii, 216.
1 Return in the Chest. Dice. Reg.

honest priest and learned to sing his plain-
song and to help to sing in the choir at
matins, mass, evensong, and other divine
service in the said church of Sefton on
festival days.' In addition, he was to
manage the properties assigned for the
foundation.
9 Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc.), 109.
This chantry had a chalice, two old vest-
ments and a missal. The lands were in
Cuerdale and Thornton. See also Valor
Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 223.
The lands were granted by James I to
William Blake and others ; Pat. 4 Jas. I,
pt. xiii.

sixty penny loaves ; these were set
'on the parish bier, which was placed
for that purpose on the grave of the

l0p. cit. I, 8. Of the 84 30 had
been invested in the Ormskirk Work-
house and was 'lost' by the dissolution
of the old union in 1834 ; the remainder
was lent to the highway surveyors, and
interest seems to have been paid down to
1879.
17 Anne Molyneux's gift was for bread
to be given to the poor on Sundays.
The augmentations came from William
Thompson of Litherland, 1829, who left

gave particular directions as to the ser-
vices to be performed. Once a quarter
the priest was to say 'Placebo,' ' Dirige,'

Com.), v, 224. It would seem from
one of the deeds preserved at Croxteth
(Genl. i, 84) that the family were able

ve a claim Robert Davenport of
Sefton, coachman, 5 in 1845, and an
unknown donor 3.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Peter Halewood's gift of 100 in 1815, afterwards
augmented by 200 bequeathed by his daughter
Margaret ; the interest, 10 ijs. 6J. net, is distri-
buted by trustees appointed by the parish council. 1
James Holland Lancaster desired 100 to be given as
a prize for St. Philip's National School, Litherland ;
and in 1886 his representatives carried out his wish. 2

For Great Crosby the 10 left by John Lurting
and James Rice had been gradually augmented, and
in 1 898 was supposed to be represented by 44 ;
formerly the interest was applied to apprenticing poor
boys, but now is handed to the vicar of Great Crosby
to be used for the poor at his discretion. 1 Over
1,000 has in more recent times been given by the
brothers John and Samuel Bradshaw. 4 Thomas
Fowler's bequest of 20 for binding poor children to
trades appears to have been lost, 5 but the interest on
Anne Molyneux's 10 provides a junior prize in
divinity for Merchant Taylors' School. 8 George
Blinkhorn of Great Crosby, by his will dated 1820,
charged his lands with 4 a year for the benefit of
the poor ; this continues in force. 7

At Little Crosby in 1828 the poor received
2 is. 6d. a year, and a small portion of this is still
paid, a voluntary rate being levied. 8 Various sums
have been given for the school at Ince Blundell, 9 and
$ los. is still paid to the priest in charge of the
mission there for the benefit of the poor ; but as the
' constable's levy ' can no longer be enforced, various
sums charged upon it for the poor have ceased to be
paid. 10 Edward Holme in 1695 left the residue of
his estate as a poor's stock for Thornton ; it realized
100, now said to be represented by a field in
Holmer Green, let at los. a year. The parish
council has charge of this charity. 11

SEFTON

Sextone, Dom. Bk. ; Ceffton, 1242 ; Sefton, 1292,
and afterwards general; but Shefton (1300) appears
at times. Sephton became a common spelling in the
xvii cent.

This township has an area of 1,233$ acres," with
a population of 343 in 1901. The eastern boundary
is formed by the River Alt, except where the present
course of the stream has been restricted to the centre
of Sefton meadows, the whole of these lying within
the township. In time of frost they are flooded for
the amusement of skaters. The church and the mill
stand at the western edge. A few dwellings amid a
clump of trees cluster round the church ; there are
also hamlets called Sefton Town, Buckley Hill, and
Windle's Green. The moated site of the ancient
house of the Molyneux family 13 lies to the south-east
of the church, but nothing remains above the ground
of the buildings finally dismantled in 1720. Part of
it was standing till 1817. Close to the site, on the
south, is a farmhouse, known as The Grange, retaining
some seventeenth-century details, and a barn of late
sixteenth-century date, though much patched with
later work. The mill over the Alt is said to have
been built in 1595, and has a four-centred doorway
and chimney-piece which may well be of that
date.

The geological formation consists of the lower
keuper sandstone of the new red sandstone or
trias, overlaid by sand and thick boulder clay and by
alluvial deposit between the village and the River
Alt. The soil varies ; the subsoil is sand and clay.
Wheat, barley, oats, and rye are grown, as well as
potatoes ; but cabbages are now the chief crop.

The principal road is that from Liverpool to
Ormskirk ; at Sefton Town the road to Thornton
and Great Crosby branches off". The Leeds and
Liverpool Canal crosses the southern part of the
township.

Thomas Pennant, who visited the place in 1773,
appears to have been pleased with its aspect, ' placed
on a vast range of fine meadows, that reach almost to
the sea and in a great measure supply Liverpool with
hay. It is watered by the Alt, a small trout stream ;
but after the first winter flood is covered with water
the whole season, by reason of want of fall to carry it
away.' "

to the other io existing in 1828.
Op. cit. 10.
Op. cit. 4, 24. The benefaction of
Lurting and Rice is mentioned by Bishop
Gastrell (Natitia, ii, 221) ; it was for the
poor generally, and was increased by 15
left by George Williamson in 1750. In
1828 38 in the hands of the curate was
supposed to represent this sum, which
was in some way confused or inter-
changed with Fowler's benefaction.
Report, 24, 25. John Bradshaw of
Great Crosby in 1867 bequeathed 100,
and Samuel Bradshaw in 1879 gave 550
and an eighth of the residue of his
personal estate, 368 91. 4</. A portion
of the interest, according to the will of
the donors, is devoted to the poor, in
conjunction with the last named charity ;
the remainder is given to several Ch. of
Engl. schools.
Op. cit. 3, 24. The money was
given before 1733, and in 1787, when it
amounted to 30, it was paid, with 9
held by the town for the poor, towards
making a stone drain at Thornback Pool ;
i 191. as interest was in 1828 paid to
the curate of Great Crosby for the benefit

the interest to be 'laid out yearly in
Church Catechisms and other good books

the inhabitants of the township and
repaired by them. The township authori-

Crosby School.'
' Op. cit. 24. The charity did not
become operative until 1846, when John
Blinkhorn, the testator's father, died.
The property, consisting of a field in
Thorpe Lane, &c., was sold before

stated that the present school, built in
1 843, has an endowment of 1,693, of un-
known origin. This capital stock was in
1 887 in the hands of the Roman Catholic
bishop of Liverpool ; interest at the rate
of 4 per cent, is paid to the manager ot
the school.

Little Crosby left 40 to the lay-layers
and other officers, the capital to be spent
on the highways or other public work,
while of the interest half should be paid
to the officiating priest of Little Crosby
chapel, and the other half among poor
housekeepers. In addition 1 21. 6d.
had from 1762 been paid to the poor as
interest on the poor's stock of the town,
and 51. for bread had been paid by the
overseers since 1783, the donors being
unknown. The report of 1898 states
that the payments from the rates cannot
now be enforced, the constable ' having
ceased to be a parish officer since 1872.
The payment to the priest had been made
down to 1893 ; and the payment to the

i 3 V 6d. was paid by the township to the
poor; this included the interest of 100 left
by Mrs. Elizabeth Prevarius in 1759, and
of 5 left by Richard Tristram in 1727.
Mrs. Prevarius was probably the house-
keeper at Ince Blundell Hall of that
name; the capital had by 1828 been
doubled. In this year 14 14.. 6J. in
all was distributed. The 5 101. nov,
paid is the interest on the Prevarim
fund.
Op. cit. 6, 29. There is no recorc
of the conversion of the 100 which
had been increased to 110 by 1774-
into the present property.
12 The census of 1901 gives 1,231 acres,
including 9 of inland water.

no payment having been made out of the
rates * within living memory.'

i. No bread is given.
Op. cit. 5, 27. In 1828 there was

Lay Subs. Lanes. 250-9.

Downing to Alston Moor, 27.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

John Sadler of Liverpool, the inventor of a process
of transferring patterns to earthenware, was buried
here. 1

The flail was till recently used in threshing. 8

The township is governed by a parish council.

The churchyard cross has disappeared, but there are
pedestals of others. The pinfold stood in Brickwall
Lane ; the stocks were renewed in 1725 and 1791 ;
the ducking-stool is mentioned in 1 728.*

About 1 760 Sefton became the head quarters of a
social club calling itself the Ancient and Loyal Cor-
poration of Sefton. The members were in the main
merchants and tradesmen of Liverpool, who assembled
at the Punch Bowl Inn at Sefton every Sunday and
regulated their proceedings after the customs of the
borough corporation, the chairman being called the
mayor and elected in October for a year, other officers
being called bailiffs, recorder, town clerk, &c., while
there were aldermen, common council men, and free
burgesses. For a number of the members mock offices
were provided, as: An African Committee Man, Gover-
nor of the Tantum Quarry on the Gold Coast, Prince
of Anamaboe or Palaver Settler, Poet Laureate, Butter
Weigher, and Contractor for Gunpowder. A lady
patroness was also duly elected. They had their regalia,
long preserved at the Punch Bowl Inn, consisting of
two large maces and two small ones, a sword, wands,
cocked hats, and gowns, and at one time a silver oar ;
the earliest mace bears the inscription, ' The gift of
F. Cust, Esq., 1764.' They are now in the Liverpool
Museum. 4

SEFTON

At the death of Edward the Con-
M4NOR fessor five thegns held SEFTON, which
was assessed at one hide, and was
worth 1 61. beyond the customary rent. 5 It appears to
have been granted about I loo by Roger of Poitou to
the ancestor of Richard de Molyneux (living in 1 2 1 2),
and was the chief place of a fee consisting of ten and
a half ploughlands held by this family by the service of
half a knight. 6 The family of Molyneux, the head
of which may perhaps be considered to have been
one of the ' barones comitatus,' have continued to hold
the manor without interruption to the present day,
and from it are derived the titles
of Earl of Sefton and Baron Sef-
ton borne by the head of the
family.

The ancestor mentioned was
probably Robert de Molyneux,
to whom about 1125 Stephen,
count of Boulogne and Mortain,
granted land in Down Lither-
land/ In the latter half of the
century Richard de Molyneux, 8
sometimes called Richard son of
Robert, held the estates ; from
him the descent of the manor
is clearly established. 9

His son and successor was Adam, who held the
manors for about thirty-five years, and appears to have
been one of the most prominent men in the district
in his time. 10 He is sometimes described as a knight."

1 See Trans. Hist. Soc. vii, 184-8;
Gillow, Bib!. Diet, of Engl. Catholics, v,

a CarBe and Gordon, Sefton, 52.
Ibid. 120-3, quoting the churchwar-
dens' accounts. On the remains of the
crosses see H. Taylor in Trans. Lanes, and
Cbes. Antij. Soc. xix, 184-5.
< Trans. Hist. Soc. xxxiii, 223 ; xxxiv,
25 ; and CarBe and Gordon, Sefton, 132-
486. The members assembled at Sefton

Sefton, 6 ; Thornton, I ; half Down
Litherland, ij ; Cuerden, 2.
1 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 427 ; see also
the account of Litherland.
Robert received a plough-land in Thorn-
ton from Pain de Vilers, lord of War-
rington ; Inq. and Extents, 7.
The surname is derived from Mouli-
neaux (Molinelli) in the department of
the Seine Inferieure ; see Rot. Narmanniae
(Rec. Com.) i, passim. It has shown a
great variety of spellings, e.g. Mulineals,

Richard de Molyneux appears in the
Pipe Roll of 1181-2 as ottering 201. for
leave to agree with the men of Singleton ;
Lanes. Pipe R. 46. Shortly afterwards he
attested a charter by Albert Bussel ; ibid.
377. In 1194 he rendered account of
loos, for securing the king's good will
after implication in the rebellion of Count
John; ibid. 77. From this time his
name occurs frequently as contributing to
scutages, &c. ; ibid. 133 et seq.
He granted land in Larbreck to Cocker-

where they had a special pew at the west
end with three rows of seats for the bur-
ge^ses and a separate square box for the
mayor. Then they had an early dinner
in a room called the Mansion House, part
of the old Church Inn, attended the after-
noon service, and spent the rest of the
time in amusing themselves, or as they
expressed it, ' spending the afternoon with
the usual festivity and closing the day
with the utmost harmony.' Politics were

de Mulinellis, 1226 ; Mulyneus, 1242 ;
Molyneaus, 1249 ; Molyneus, 1256 ;
Molyneux, 1337. The more ancient

Molyneux, but by the fourteenth century
Me' Molyneux had become usual.
8 Perhaps there were two Richards in
succession, the earlier appearing in 1164 ;
Lanes. Pipe R. 375.
9 Robert, the father of the Richard of
1212, made several grants recorded in the

Ham Blundell of I nee ; Coekersand Char-
tul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 185 ; Whallty Coucher
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 498.
Richard de Molyneux married, it is
supposed, a daughter of one of the Gernets,
for Roger Gernet, master forester from
about 1140 to 1170, gave him Speke in
marriage, and Adam, Roger, and Vivian
soon appear among the Molyneux names ;
Inq. and Extents, 43.

1784) a halter was voted to Charles James
Fox, and the freedom of the corporation
to William Pitt. The heroes of the time
were toasted and much loyalty was exhi-
bited, as, for instance, on the king's re-

by his nephews ; and Richard himself had
also made some grants ; Inq. and Extents
12-14. One of these was to Simon his
brother of land called Hagenecroft in
Sefton ; the bounds are of interest : In

a Furness charter in the last years of
the twelfth century ; Cal. Doc. Scotland,

10 On 24 November, 1213, Adam de
Molyneux made fine with the king for

year resolutions were passed * to show the
corporation's indignant sense of the ridicu-
lous motion for abolishing the slave trade
proposed by Fanatic Wilberforce.' The
meetings continued till about 1810, but
in the later years were in the winter
held at the Coffee House, Bootle Sefton
being probably difficult of access at that

s V. C. H. Lanes, i, 2843. It should be
observed that in later times Sefton was
rated as five plough-lands only.
6 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lane, and Ches.), 1 2. The loj plough-
lands seem to have been made up thus :

the syke nearest Hagenecroft at the road
from Sefton to Thornton ; and in breadth
from Pepper-field to the next road, which
goes from Crosby towards the church.
The rent was to be 2s. a year. At the
end of the witnesses are the names Vivian
de Molyneux and Robert his brother, prob-
ably sons of the grantor. The charter is
at Croxteth, but the seal is missing ;
Croxteth D. X, bdle. iv, it. 2. This land
appears to have reverted to the lord, for in
1249 William de Molyneux gave half or
the whole of it to Robert de Molyneux of
Thornton ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Che,.), i, no.

lands ; Lanes. Pipe R. 246.
Adam paid 61. sakefee in 1226, and
was still holding the Sefton fee in 1242 ;
Inq. and Extents, 137, 147. He died be-
tween Oct. 1 246 and Feb. 1 249 ; Final
Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
104, 109. In 1228 he was one of those
commissioned to decide what parts of the
forest in Lanes, should be disforested ;
Lanes. Pipe R. 420.
11 The title ' Dominus ' is prefixed in
Whalhy Coueher, ii, 497 et seq.
An Edwin de Molyneux occurs about
1230; ibid, ii, 527.

6 7

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

William his son followed ; a number of his grants
have been preserved, 1 and his name occurs as a wit-
ness down to 1275 ;' some traditional verses say that
he was made a banneret in Gascony and died in
1289.' He certainly died before 1292, when his
son Richard was in possession of Sefton, and
concerned in various suits. 4 Richard died about
1 3 20, having shortly before made a number of grants
to his younger children by Emma, who was perhaps
a second wife. 5

William, the eldest son, succeeded. 6 In 1327 he

was one of those charged to engage men in this
hundred to serve in the Scottish war. 7 He died
before 29 June, 1336, when the manor of Sefton was
released to his son Richard, 8 who held it for nearly
thirty years, dying on 6 April, 1363,' his son William
having predeceased him in I358. 10 The new lord of
Sefton was William's son William, aged about eighteen
years at his grandfather's death. 11 His tenure, how-
ever, was but short, for he died in 1372 after distin-
guishing himself in the wars in France and Spain."
There was again a minority, this time a long one, the

1 As William de Molyneux, son of
Adam, he granted to Henry, son of Tho-

In July, 1320, William son of Richard
de Molyneux inspected various charters of

William de Molyneux, and Agatha his
wife, and their sons William, Richard, and

of Sefton ; and to Richard Fox and his
heirs several portions of land in territory
of the vill ; to William, son of Simon de
Gragnethe, he gave a part of the demesne
lands upon the Gorsthill and a messuage

Molyneux, and confirmed them ; Croxteth
D. Genl. i, 16-19. In 1321 he demanded
from Emma, his father's widow, and from
Peter and Thomas, three charters and
three bonds ; De Bane. R. 238, m. 53.

de Scarisbrick Richard granted a rent of
40 marks for the life of .Agatha his wife ;
Croxteth D. G. i, 8 ; Ee, 19.
In October, 1361, the feoffees gave to
Richard de Molyneux and Isabel his wife
the lands and tenements in Sefton, Thorn-

another grant upon the Gorsthill ; Crox-
teth D. Ee, I ; Ee, 3, 4, 6 ; Ee, 5 ; Genl.
i, 2. Speke he granted to his daughter
Joan on her marriage with Robert Erneys of
Chester ; Norris D. (B. M.), a. 480 *.
He had a brother Richard to whom he
was heir; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. I2,m.
27*.
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 278.

lying on the Moiedge in Sefton, towards
Great Crosby ; ibid. X, i, 4.
Beside his heir he seems to have had a
son Robert and a daughter Emma ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize, R. 4, m. II ; De Bane.
R. 274, m. i6</.
In 1324 Richard de Molyneux is given
as holding Sefton by the service of half a
knight's fee, 6j. sakefee, and 51. castle

Richard. At the beginning of the follow-
ing year Richard de Molyneux enfeoffed
Thomas del Hall and others of his manor
of Sefton and the advowson of the church,
and Thomas, son of Richard, released all
his right in the same ; ibid. Genl. i, 35,
31-3. At the same time the father
released all his right in the same to his
son Richard ; ibid. 34.

Molintux Family, 3 . No reference is given,
but it it possible that these lines were
once inscribed on a tomb in Sefton church.
* Assize R. 408, m. 36 d. icW. In
the former of these suits Margery, widow
of Robert de Molyneux, unsuccessfully
claimed certain tenements in Sefton. In
the latter Richard himself was plaintiffin
conjunction with William de Walton, they
alleging that William de Aintree and
others had carried away a cross from a
place called Hosyere Cross between Sefton
and Walton, probably obscuring the boun-

probably refers to William's father, in

- Rot. Scotiae (Rec. Com.), 218.
8 Croxteth D. Genl. i, 26 ; by this
Richard de Molyneux, rector of Sefton,
appointed Richard del Lund, clerk, to
deliver to Richard, the son of William de
Molyneux, deceased, the manor of Sefton
with the appurtenances, and the homage
and service of the free tenants, &c. This
Richard seems to have immediately re-
fcoffed the rector ; ibid, i, 27.
In 1332 he was defendant in a suit

tioned in charters of 1365 and 1369;
ibid. Y. i, 8 and Genl. i, 37. In 1368
she, as widow of Richard, made a claim
against William de Molyneux for a third
part of the manor of Sefton. In the
pleadings it is stated that William was
son of William the son of Richard by his
first wife Agatha; De Bane. R. 431,

1 Inq. p.m. 33 Edw. Ill, a. 99 (2nd

Nos.) ; on his marriage with Joan, daugh-
ter and heir of Robert de Holland of
Euxton and Ellel, William had received

placed. An arbitration in 1300 respect-
ing the bounds of Aintree and Sefton was
perhaps a result of this litigation ; Crox-
teth D. Genl. i, 4.
6 One of the most notable of his grants

brought by William son of Hugh de
Standish ; and plaintiff in another case ;
De Bane. R. 291, m. 185 ; 292, m. 554</.
Inq. p. m. 42 Edw. Ill, n. 40 (ist
Nos.) ; he had held the manor of Sefton

He died on i October, 1358, at Chateau
Neuf en Thimerais, a district to the north-
west of Chartres, his son William being
then stated to be twelve years of age.
A latei inquisition (Inq. p. m. 36

being a quitclaim of all his right in Little
Salton and other lands in the Lothians

remainder to his son William and heirs
male, of the duke of Lancaster, by homage

statement, but he was about two years
older.

Molyneux, ' whose heir I (Richard) am' ;
Lanes. Pipe R. 428, from Dods. MSS. Ixi,

three weeks to three weeks. The value
was about 55 a year, made up, 20

the wardship and marriage of William son
of William son of Richard de Molyneux,

Molyneux, who has been mentioned in a
previous note as living about 1200, was
an elder brother of Adam, who succeeded
to Sefton in 1213.
To Peter his son Richard de Molyneux

the rest from the estimated worth of
the capital messuage and its appur-
tenances, 140 acres of arable land at is.
an acre, and 80 acre, of meadow at
51. an acre. He had also held the manors

neux, and John de Winwick, rector of
Wigan : the right of wardship was in
dispute, the king claiming it ; Dcf.
Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. p. 346.
"He did homage to the duke of

lying in the Little Hesteholm ; and four
years later to Thomas his son, with re-
mainder to Peter, Richard granted land in
Sefton lying between Sefton and Thorn-

In 1346 he was found to hold five
plough-lands in Sefton, one in Thornton,
and two in Cucrden by the service of half
a knight', fee and by paying yearly ii,.

of his lands ; Inq. p. m. of his grand-
father Richard.
" He is called a knight in the inquisi-
tion after his son's death. The tradition

acres in the Hesteholm now Estham in
Sefton meadows ; Croxteth D. Genl. i,
6,7.
At the end of 1318 and beginning of
1319 there were a number of grants and
re-grants between the father on one side
and Peter and Thomas on the other ;
ibid. Genl. i, 8-14. Emma, it appears
from them, was the mother of these sons,
if not of the heir. Emma was still living
in 1336; ibid. Genl. i, 22. In a claim
by her for dower will be found the names
of a number of the tenants ; De Bane.
R. 240, m. 394 b.

doing suit to county and wapentake by
his tenant Thomas the Demand ; Survey
of 1346 (Chet. Soc.), 32. Litherland is
given separately, and said to be held in
tocage.
He was twice married to Agatha and
to Isabel and nine sons and daughters
are mentioned, viz. William, Richard,
John (who had sons Thomas and Nicholas),
Robert, Thomas, Peter, Simon, Ellen and
Joan ; see Croxteth D. Bb, i, 3, and Def.
Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. p. 346.
In 1337 the manor of Down Lither-
land was settled on Richard, son of

after the battle of Navarette, but there is
no confirmation to be found in the Chroni-
cles. He is further stated to have been
buried in Canterbury Cathedral, on his
return from abroad, but Weever, who
gives the inscription from a document at
Croxteth, states that there was no sign
left of the tomb. The inscription, stat-
ing that the deceased had been loved by
Edward as a friend, and that he had
fought in France and Navarre, gives the
date of his death as 1372, which seems

(cd. 1631), 234 ; and Fuller,' Worthies.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

son and heir Richard being in 1388 still a minor, 1
whose wardship was granted to a relative, Thomas de
Molyneux of Cuerdale.*

Again there was a short tenure of the manors and
a long minority, for Richard died 27 December,
1397, leaving a son and heir Richard, not quite fifteen
months old. 1 The latter fought under Henry V in
the French wars and was made a knight ;* in 1424
occurred his quarrel with the Stanleys, which
threatened to become a private war. 5 Henry VI,
for services rendered and expected, granted him and
his heirs the offices of master forester of the forest
and parks of West Derbyshire, steward of this wapen-
take and of Salfordshire, and constable of the castle
of Liverpool. 6 By his first wife, Joan, daughter and
heir of Sir Gilbert Haydock, 7 he had several sons. 8

Richard, the eldest son and heir, notwithstanding
the feud with Stanley, had been married before 1432
to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley, 9 by
whom he had several children. 10 He is stated to have
been killed at the battle of Blore Heath, 23 Septem-

SEFTON

ber, 1459, fighting on the Lancastrian side," and was
succeeded by his eldest son Thomas, who married
Anne, a daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Dutton
of Dutton, another of those who fell at Blore Heath. 11
Thomas Molyneux was sheriff in 1473 and later
years, 13 and in 1475 accompanied Edward IV on his
expedition to France; 14 in 1481 he received from
the king a grant of the manor of Ulnes Walton,
moieties of Eccleston, Leyland, Heskin and Kellamergh,
and various other lands and rents in Lancashire for
the service of one knight's fee and 100 rent. 15 He
also purchased the advowson of Walton. 16 In 1482
he joined the expedition to Scotland, and was
knighted at the recovery of Berwick. 17 He died
12 July, 1483, leaving as his heir his son Richard,
then five years of age, 18 and other children.

There was once more a long minority, during
which, as the Croxteth Deeds show, the widow, Dame
Anne Molyneux, was a vigilant guardian, bent on in-
creasing the family possessions. 19 William, a younger
brother of Richard, became heir on the latter's death,

His widow Agnes received her dower
on 7 March, 1372-3, from the manor of
Sefton, a moiety of the manor of Lither-
land, rents of the free tenants of Thorn-

a moiety of the* manor of Larbreck, a
third part of the manor of Ellel, and
lands in Newsham ; Croxteth D. Genl.
i, 38. She afterwards married Sir Rich-
ard de Balderston; Abram, Blackburn,
414.
1 Lanes. Inq. p. m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 29 ;

no; Wore. Epis. Reg. Jo. Carpenter,
fol. 58 ; also with the Robert who
married the daughter and heir of Sir
Baldwin Lestrange ; see Cal. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Com.) ; and thirdly, with the Robert
who was brother and heir of Adam
Moleyns or Molyneux, bishop of Chiches-
ter from 1445 to 1450. For Sir Richard
and Adam see the Diet. Nat. Biog. The

D. EC. 30. For descendants see G.E.C.

9 Croxteth D. Genl. i, 51. Richard

Molyneux began to acquire lands in Sef-
ton before his father's death ; ibid. X. i,
28-31.
lu Thomas, James, and Margaret occur.
James became rector of Sefton. Mar-
garet married John, son and heir of Sir

See Dtp. Keeper', Rep. xli, pp. 711,

Bulkeley of Eaton near Davenham ; she
founded a chantry in Sefton church ; see

1389, when he became surety for Matthew
de Cantsfield ; ibid. i. 16.

not named in Sir H. Nicolas's Agin-

family tradition : it is borne out to some
extent by the date of the writ Diem

of Hugh de Warburton, granted the Sef-

received from the feoffees the manors of

xxxvii, App. p. 176. He is described as

enfeoffed by William, son of Matthew de

Genl. i, 47 ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii,

Diet. Nat. Biog.
13 The marriage dispensation was granted
II July, 1463 ; Lich. Epis. Reg. x, 160*,
quoted in Ormerod, Cbes. (ed. Helsby),
i, 649. For the settlement of the in-
heritance see Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxix,
App. p. 197.
18 P.R.O. List, p. 72.
On this occasion he made a will

Molyneux ; Croxteth D. X. i, 19.
Livery of his lands was granted to
Richard, son and heir of Sir William
Molyneux on 3 Feb. 1389-90; Pal. of
Lane. Warrants (Privy Seals), n. 33.
8 For Thomas see the account of Edge
below. The wardship of Richard de

5 See the account of Liverpool,
by the king to Sir Richard ; Croxteth D.

' Croxteth D. W. 2, 3, 4. These grants
were made 28 July, 1446, upon Sir
Richard surrendering previous patents.

1372, 400 marks being paid ; Duchy of
Lane. Misc. Bks. xiii, m. 79*. In 1378
Thomas sold to Edmund Lawrence all
his right in the marriage of Richard,

v, 1943, 315*. Sir Richard Molyneux
probably died between these years, as he

Soc. xxxiv, 138.
15 By letters patent dated 22 May,
1481 ; the rent of 100 was remitted by

latter ' Richard Molyneux, esquire, one of

D. The earliest grant of Croxteth Park

Croxteth.
Lane,. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 70.
This states that Richard had in 1394
enfeoffed Master Richard de Winwick
and others of his manor of Sefton and

He was appointed sheriff at the begin-
ning of 1397; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xliii,
App. 367 ; and was knight of the shire
in 1396-7 ; Pink and Beavan, Parl. Rep.
of Lane,. 44.
He married Ellen de Urswick, after-
wards wife of Sir James de Harrington

the privileged person. Sir Richard in
1431 exchanged lands in the Mysthacre
in Sefton for the mill pool and other
lands with a road, belonging to Robert
del Riding ; Croxteth D. X. i, 26. The
constableship of the castle of Liverpool
was by a conviction for recusancy lost at
the end of the seventeenth century ; the
stewardship of Salford hundred is held
by the present earl of Sefton as heir
male of Sir Richard.
^ Her tomb is in Sefton church ; she
died 17 January, 1439-40.

ibid. F. i.
16 The acquisition is mentioned in the
will already cited. See also Croxteth D.
Genl. i, 6 1.
V Metcalfc, Sit. of Knights, 7. It is
said that his uncle, Thomas Molyneux of
Hawton, was also made a knight at the
same time by Richard, duke of Glouces-
ter ; Gisborne Molineux, op. cit. 32. A
note of Dods. (MSS. 1. 98) appears to
state that Lord Stanley made Thomas

Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 117.

(ed. Helsby), i, 712 ; Croxteth D. Genl.
i, 51. Besides the heir he had another
on, Robert, who in 1440 was tenant
of Altcar under the abbot of Meri-

West Derby in 1444, and is mentioned
in 1453 ; Croxteth D. W. I ; Blundell
of Crosby D. K. 58. John and Henry
became rectors of Sefton. Thomas

" Dame Anne Molyneux died 22 Oc-
tober, !52o; Sir William is called forty-
two years of age, which would make him
older than Richard, if the latter had bee.

on is sometimes identified with the Robert

Hawton, Notts. ; a deed of his concern-
ing the chantry founded at Walton by
his brother John is at Croxteth ; Visit,
of Notts (Harl. Soc.), p. 72 ; Croxteth
6 9

xxxix, App. p. 197 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. v, n. 39. Her will has been
printed in Lanes, and Ches. mils (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, ind Ches.), 162.

Turks an indulgence was offered in 1448 ;
see Raines, Lane,. Chantries (Chet. Soc.),

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

attaining his majority about 1502.' He took part in
three expeditions to Scotland, capturing two banners
at Flodden, and receiving a letter of thanks from
Henry VIII.* It was perhaps in his time that
Croxteth became the principal residence of the
family, as Leyland found it in 1535:' Mr. Moly-
neux, a knight of great lands, two miles from Prescot,
dwelleth at a place called Croxteth." In 1545
William Molyneux assigned certain lands to his son
Richard to enable the latter to maintain hospitality
within the manor place of Sefton. 4 He died in
1548.'

His son and heir Richard had special livery of
his lands on 1 3 June in that year. 8 He was made
a knight at the coronation of Queen Mary in
1553,' and was sheriff of Lancashire in 1566.*
Before his death on 3 January, 1568-9, having ap-
parently shown some conformity to the established
religion, ' he received absolution and did vow that he
would take the pope to be supreme head of the
Church.' '

The heir was his grandson Richard, son of William
Molyneux, only ten years of age." He was given
into the guardianship of Sir Gilbert Gerard, Master

of the Rolls, one of the stricter Protestants of the
time, and eventually married his guardian's eldest
daughter. 18 He was made a knight in 1586," twice
served as sheriff, 14 became receiver of the duchy," and
in 1611 was created a baronet, the second to hold
the new dignity. 16 Although, as might be expected
from his training, he remained outwardly a Protestant,
and joined in the persecution of the Blundells of
Crosby, 17 it was in 1590 reported that while he
' made show of good conformity,' many of his com-
pany were ' of evil note ' in religion. 18 Consequently
it is not surprising to find that his descendants in the
freer time of the Stuarts reverted openly to the Roman
Catholic faith. 19 He died 24 February, 1622-3,* an< ^
was succeeded by his eldest son, Richard, who five
years later was raised to the peerage of Ireland as
Viscount Molyneux of Maryborough.' 1 He did not
long enjoy his new honour, dying 8 May, 1636, at
Croxteth, holding the hereditary offices of forester of
West Derbyshire, steward within the wapentakes of Sal-
ford and West Derby, and constable of the castle of Liver-
pool; and possessed of the manors of Sefton, Netherton,
and Lunt, with many other manors and lands." His
son and heir, Richard, seventeen years of age, was

1 Richard Molyneux was pat
Sefton in 1489.

the queen as of her duchy of Lane, for
the twelfth part of a knight's fee, the

73. He represented the county in Parlia-
ment in 1586, 1592, and 1603; Pink

described as 'son and heir' of Sir
Thomas, showing that Richard had died
in his minority ; Croxteth D. N. 5. On
24 September, 1 502, the representative
of his father's feoffees granted various
premises to William Molyneux ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. v. n. 39.

Sefton church. The letter is at Croxteth,
as are the summonses to be ready in 1536
to join the earl of Shrewsbury (no doubt
against the Pilgrimage of Grace), and in
1542 to advance against the Scots;
Croxteth D. Genl. i, 73, 75, 76, 78.

For a fuller account of him see Diet.
Nat. Biog. and Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl.
Catb.v, 71.

The printed Visits, begin at this time
(Chet. Soc.) ; the Molyneux of Sefton
pedigrees will be found as follows : 1533,
P- '35 i '507, P- i3i '613. P- 131 i

Croxteth D. Genl. i, 80.

Brass at Sefton church. His will,
dated i 547, is among the Croxteth Deeds ;
Genl. i, 81. The inquisition preserved
says nothing of his Sefton lands ; it con-
cerns only the Clifton estates which he
held in right of his second wife, and
which descended to his son by her,
Thomas Molyneux, then over twenty-one
years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
YJi, . 6. Thomas dying without issue
they went to his sister Anne, wife of
Henry Halsall of Halsall ; Viat. of 1533,
p. 135.

6 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxix, App. p. 557.

7 Metcalfe, Bk. of Knights, 109 ; the
second quarter of the arms recorded is
peculiar.

8 P.R.O. Li*, 73-

9 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, n. 35.
This states that he held the manor of
Sefton and the patronage of the church
there, and various lands in Sefton,
Netherton, and Lunt of the queen as of
her manor of West Derby in socage, by
fealty and doing suit at the wapentake of
West Derby from three weeks to three
weeks ; it was worth 50 31. 6j</. Also
he held five plough-lands in Sefton of

repeated in later inquisitions, e.g. Lanes.
Inj. f.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.},
iii, 389 ; but there is nothing to show
how the ' manor ' of Sefton came to be
separated from the ' five plough-lands ' (in-
stead of the six of Domesday Book) and
the two portions to be held in socage and
by knight's service respectively.

Sir Richard had acquired Altcar and
various other lands.

His brass is in Sefton church. By his
first wife he had a numerous offspring.
The inquisition states that he married his
second wife, Eleanor Eyves, widow, on
30 September, 1565, and that five unmar-
ried daughters were living at Croxteth
Alice, Anne, Ellen, Mary, and Eleanor.
Eleanor was still living in 1602 ; Ducatus
Lane, iii, 468.

The eldest son William died before his
father, on n June, 1567, and was buried
at Standish ; Dods. MSS. v, fol. 61. The
other sons were Richard, of Cunscough
in Melling; John, of Alt Grange and New
Hall in West Derby ; Anthony, and

Cal. S. P. Dom. 1603-10, p. 364.

18 G. E. C. Complete Baronetage, i, 3.

" Crosby Rec. (Chet. Soc.), 23.

18 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 243 (quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, n. 4).

The most distinguished of his sons
was Sir Vivian Molyneux, for whom see
Wood's Athenae, and Gillow, op. cit. v,
70. Both Richard, the eldest, and Vivian
were sent up to Oxf. ; Foster, Alumni.

Lanes. Inq.p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 383-91. The manor of Tar-
bock was a fresh acquisition. The son
and heir, Richard, was then aged twenty-
kept at Walton ; Assheton, Journ. (Chet.
Soc.), 79.

Sir Richard's will is printed in Gisborne
Molineux, op. cit. 142.

21 G. E. C. Complete Peerage, v, 326. He
had been made a knight in 1603 (Met-
cz\h,Bk. of Knights, 164); and had served
as knight of the shire in 1625 and 1628 ;
Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 70. During
his father's lifetime in 1614 he had sat
for Wigan ; ibid. 224.

Anthony being shipped off to the West
Indies in 1586 for his recusancy (Gillow,
Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Catholics, v, 72 ; will
in Gisborne Molineux, op. cit. 142) ; but
Alexander embraced the new order and
became rector of Walton.

"Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 211 (quoting
S.P.Dom. Eliz. xlviii, n. 3 5). Sir Richard's
son John, and his daughters Anne, Joan,

11 Inq. p.m. above cited. The marriage
covenant of William, son and heir ap-
parent of Sir Richard Molyneux, and
Bridget, daughter of John Caryll and
sister of Thomas Caryll, is dated 2 June,
1558 ; Croxteth D. Genl. i, 85. A fur-

ibid, ii, i.

12 The Visit.at 15 67 gives him a daughter
of Lord Strange as bride ; p. 104.

18 Metcalfe, B*. of Knights, 136. In 1589
he purchased Edge and other Osbaldeston
lands in the parish of Sefton; Croxteth
D. X. iii, 4.

14 In 1588 and 1596 ; P. R. O. List,

59; Croxteth D. Genl. iii, 10. The
estates of the family had by this time at-
tained their greatest extent, and the fol-
lowing brief view may be given : The
manors of Sefton, Netherton, and Lunt,
the 'five plough-lands' being described as
a twelfth part of a knight's fee ; various
lands in the same ; the manors of Thorn-
ton, Hulmore, and Ince Blundell, and
lands there ; the manor of Down Lither-
land, with lands there and in Linacre,
Ford, and Orrell ; the manor of Little
Crosby, Moorhouses and Great Crosby
the manor of Great Crosby itself, re-
cently granted, is not meant by this ; the
manor of Aintree and lands there ; the
manors of Walton and Fazakerley and
the advowson of the church of Walton ;
various tenements in Kirkdale ; three-
quarters of the manor of Maghull ; the
manors (or parts) of Melling, Aughton,
Eccleston and Heskin, Euxton (with lands
there and in Cuerden, Whittle-le-Woods,
Farington, and Leyland), Lydiate, Fishwick
(and lands, &c. in Fishwick, Ribbleton and

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

entrusted to the guardianship of James, Lord Strange,
his father-in-law. 1 Lord Molyneux, with his brother
Caryll, zealously espoused the king's side on the out-
break of the Civil War, taking part in the siege of
Manchester in 1642, the capture of Lancaster and
Preston, the battle of Newbury in the following year,
and that of Ormskirk in August, 1644,' when he and
Lord Byron, being forced to forsake their horses, hid
themselves in the cornfields. 3 In May 1646, after the
surrender of Ludlow, he came in, sent his petition to
the Parliament, and took the National Covenant and
Negative Oath on 20 August. 4 His estates were of
course under sequestration, and from this time he
appears to have lived at the mercy of the Parliament,
with but a scanty allowance. He died early in July
1654, without issue. 5

His brother Caryll succeeded as third viscount. By
James II he was made lord lieutenant of Lancashire
and admiral of the high seas, a grant which, on reli-
gious grounds, gave great offence and had to be
revoked. 6 At the Revolution he was faithful to the
king, seizing Chester Castle on his behalf; 7 in 1694 he
was put on trial for participation in the ' Lancashire
Plot.' 8 He died 2 February, 1699-1700, and was

SEFTON

buried at Sefton. 9 He was succeeded by his third son,
William, who in 1717, shortly before his death, as a
' Papist ' registered his estate in the manors of Sefton,
&c. as worth ,2,352 a year. 10 He does not seem to
have had any share in the rising of 1715." His
eldest son, Richard, succeeded and, leaving only two
daughters," was at his death in 1738 followed in turn
by his brothers Caryll " and William. The latter,
being a priest and a Jesuit, in charge of the mission
at Scholes, near Prescot, on succeeding in 1745, re-
signed to his younger brother Thomas all his estates,
the reason put forward being that he was ' old and
had no intention to marry.' " It is said that on
Thomas's death in 1756 Lord Molyneux was ordered
to ' cease parish duty and appear in his own rank,'
and that he accordingly did so until his death in
1759."

His nephew, Charles William, son of the Thomas
Molyneux just named, succeeded as eighth viscount.
He was then only ten years of age. He conformed
to the established religion on 5 March, 1769,"
probably under the influence of his wife, Isabella,
daughter of the earl of Harrington, a step which was
rewarded by the grant of an earldom in the peerage

Brockholes), Tarbock, Northcnd [in
Ince Blundell], and K.irkby; also various

212 ; among other acts Lord Molyneux
appointed some of the gentry to be

of Richard, Lord Viscount Molyneur,
for raising money to discharge his father's

Richard, West Derby, Ashton in Maker-
field, Preston, Toxteth and Smithdown,
Gorchouses in Altcar, Heath Charnock,
Whiston, Heapey, and Cronton ; and a
rent of fj 191. from Hulme Walfield in
Cheshire ; with fisheries, views of frank-
pledge, free warren, &c.
He had in 1628-9 procured an Act of
Parliament for altering the settlement of
the manor of Tarbock; Croxteth D.
Genl. iii, 7.
There are notices of the first three
viscounts in the Diet. Nat, Biog.

self, convicted recusants. The lieu-
tenancy was restored to Lord Derby
in Sept. 1688; ibid. 198. A private
Act was passed after the Restoration
(15 Chas. II, c. 7) voiding conveyances
by Caryll, Lord Molyneux 'in the late

1 Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), i, 248.
8 Kenyan MSS. 293 seq; Jacobite Trials
(Chet. Soc.), 44, 62.
9 Sefton Reg ; Gillow, op. cit. v, 57.
The marriage contract of his eldest
son Richard with Mary Herbert, eldest

making provision for his brothers and
sisters, and for the payment of his own
debts. In accordance with this Eccleston
in Leyland and other manors, which had
in 1705 been settled on the marriage of
Richard with Mary, daughter of Lord
Brudenell, were sold to discharge the
various liabilities detailed in the Act. Lord
Molyneux's own debts are set down as
7,440, but this includes a mortgage of
3,000 on Woolton. Nine years later
an Act was passed for explaining and

164.0, p. 200 ; also R. D. Radcliffe's full
account of the second viscount and his
child-marriage to Henrietta Maria,
daughter of Lord Strange, in Tram. Hist.
Soc. (New Ser.), vii-viii, 245. This mar-
riaje was never completed, Lord Strange
apparently objecting. Lord Molyneux,
on 28 October, 1652, married Lady
Frances Seymour, eldest daughter of Wil-
liam, marquis of Hertford, afterwards
duke of Somerset ; Croxteth D. Genl. iv,
2 ; but Henrietta Maria did not marry
until after her affianced husband's death,

dated 29 January, 1671-2 ; Croxteth D.
Genl. v, 5. Richard was buried at Sefton,
22 May, 1672.
10 Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Catb. Non-
jurors, 113, where a copy of the certificate
of his marriage to his second wife, Mary
Skelton, is given. This took place at
Warrington, 22 July, 1716, before a
Dominican priest, Thomas Worthington.
She died in London in 1765.
He made a vigorous effort to recover
the constableship of Liverpool Castle and
its valuable appurtenances, but failed ;

marriage of Richard, Lord Molyneux ;
II Geo. II, cap. 5.
The will of Richard, Lord Molyneux,
dated 28 July, 1738, is enrolled at Preston ;
twelfth roll of Geo. II.
" His will, dated 19 July, 1744, is en-
rolled at Preston ; twenty-first roll of
Geo. II.
" Foley, Rec. S. ]. vii, 514-16. Here
is corrected the error in the ordinary
pedigrees, by which Caryll the fifth vis-
count is made the father of Richard (who
has been doubled), William and Thomas

G. E. C. Complete Peerage, vii, 264.
There is a notice of the second viscount
in Gillow, op. cit. v, 64.

11 Perhaps his age prevented it, he being
then sixty. His son Caryll died in 1745.
None of the family seem to have been

brother of Richard and the elder brother
of the others. The descent is given rightly
in G. E. C. Complete Peerage.

Lord Strange does not seem to have found

111 Richard had in 1717 registered an

Sefton Abstract of Title, p. 7, in the

(Chet. Soc.), Ill, iii, B. 8.
* Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 204.
There is a notice of Lord Molyneux's
part in the campaign in the Land. War
(Chet. Soc.), 37-9.
Royalist Comf. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iv, 149, &c. ; the houses at
Croxteth and Sefton had been plundered

Woolton; Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 151.
His son William died during his father's
lifetime, in 1707 ; he is described as
'papist' in the Sefton register. The
daughters were Mary, who died in 1752,
and Dorothy, who was living in 1740.
The former married Thomas Clifton of
Lytham, and had issue ; afterwards she

cerning the marriage between Thomas
Molyneux and Maria, widow of John
Errington.
"Foley, op. cit. vii, 516. His will,
and that of his sister Bridget, who kept
house at the Scholes, are at Stony-
hurst ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv,
190-1.

dences, as the counterparts of leases, had
been taken away or destroyed ; p. 161. It
hould be noticed that this Lord Moly-
neux is not described as a recusant,
though his brother Caryll was one.
Ibid. 165. Provision for the widow's

being buried at Sefton as his widow in
1753 ; there is also a statement that she
married Nicholas Tempest of Tong Hall
(Gent. Mag. 1737), but it appears to be a
mistake. Dorothy married John Baptist
Caryll (who died in 1788), of West

had been educated at St. Omers ; Gillow,
op. cit. v, 61. His guardians were his
mother, the duke of Beaufort (and after
his death the earl of Lichfield), and Wil-
liam Prujean of Gray's Inn. His mother
survived him, dying 14 August, 1795.

teth D. Genl. iv, 6.
Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 187,

In 1729 an Act was passed (2 Geo. II,
cap. 9) for selling part of the settled estate

the guardians to lease ; Abstract ,/ Title,

7 1

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

of Ireland in 1771.' His son, William Philip, suc-
ceeded in 1 794. He took an active part in politics
on the Whig or popular side, and though unsuccessful
at Liverpool was returned as member for Droitwich
in 1816. Retaining his seat until 1831 he was by
William IV created a baron of the United Kingdom,
as Lord Sefton of Croxteth.' He died in 1838.'

His son Charles William, who died in 1 855,'
succeeded, and was followed by his eldest son Wil-
liam Philip (died 1897),' who in turn was succeeded
by his eldest son Charles William Hylton (died 1901),
and by his second son Sir Osbert Cecil Molyneux, the
sixth earl, and present lord of the manor of Sefton. 6
See Pedigree next page.

No manorial courts are now held. Several fifteenth-
century court rolls are preserved at Croxteth ; the
officers appointed were the constables, ' birelagh ' men,
ale-tasters, afferers, and layers of the mise. A ' view of
the houses' taken in December, 1411, has also been
preserved, recording the various dilapidations which
had to be made good under penalties set forth.

The Pepperfield in Sefton, comprising 6 acres of
land lying next to the Hanecroft, was in 1 294 given
by Richard de Molyneux to his son Peter. 7 By Peter
it was granted to Richard the Judge or Doomsman
of Down Litherland in 1335 ; 8 and from Richard
' the Demand ' of Ince no doubt the same person
it passed by charter in 1344 to Robert his son and
heir and Emma his wife.' The next step is un-
known ; but in I 395-6 Richard de Eves of Thornton

gave to Henry Boys the 6 acres called Pepperfield, 1 '
and about fourteen years afterwards Richard de Eves
and Maud his wife sold it to Nicholas Blundell of
Little Crosby, Henry Boys, son of William Highson,
releasing all his right therein. 11 Next Henry Blundell
gave to Robert, son of John Molyneux of Melling, in
1454-5 a pound of pepper with the field called
Pepperfield. 1 '

The EDGE in Sefton is in one charter called a
manor. 11 An estate here was granted in 1315 by
Richard de Molyneux to his
son Thomas, 14 whose mother
Emma in 1334 inade him
steward of all her lands and
commanded her tenants to
render account of all matters
to him ; ls two years later he
released to her all his right to
the marsh of Sefton and the
heys and meadows there. 16 He
died shortly after, for at the

beginning "of ,337, Cecily, J^^".^
widow of Thomas de Molyneux, moline or ; in dexter
acquired a lease of lands in Great Mefafieur de Us argent
Crosby. 17 His son Thomas ap-
pears to have acquired the manor of Cuerdale, and
took his distinguishing title from it ; 18 his widow
Joan was at the beginning of 1388 put in posses-
sion of various lands of his, including the Edge in
Sefton. 1 * After her death his lands descended in

26 Nov. 1768, Lord Molyneux being then
twenty years of age.
A step in the peerage appears to have
been considered the proper reward for

In politics a Liberal, becoming a
Unionist in 1886. He was appointed
lord-lieutenant of Lanes, in 1858.
The peerages give information as to
the other descendants of the second and

Several of Thomas's children are known :
Thomas, Richard, Henry, and Emma.
Richard's wife was named Lettice ; it
appears that she was the widow of John
de Rigmaiden of Wyrcsdale ; Final Cone.

Lords Fauconberg and Waldcgrave. In
Lord Sefton's case it had been determined
on as early as May, 1770 ; though the
patent is dated 30 Nov. 1771 ; Cal. Home
Off. P. 1770-2, pp. 35, 404; G.E.C.
Complete Peerage, vii, IOI.
Lord Sefton showed no antipathy to
the religion he had renounced, granting

< Blundell of Crosby D. K. 30.
Ibid. K. 41.
Ibid. K.. 24. It is here described as
'six acres in Sefton, viz. Pepperfield.'
10 Ibid. K. 44.
11 Ibid. K.. 40, K. 39. Other lands be-
sides ' Pepperfield next Hanecroft ' seem
to have been included in this sale. The

Lettice was living at the Edge in 1376^

and claimed damages from Thomas le
Boteler of Marlon for breaking into her
close ; he was a creditor ; De Bane. R.
457, m. i86</., &c. Lettice was also
defendant in a Chesh. suit in 1369;
Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii, 45 1 note.
There was a son Thomas, who had a

had been served from Croxteth and
Sefton.
He represented the county in Parlia-
ment for a few years (1771-4) * Whig;
Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 85.
In 1772 Lord Sefton came to an agree-
ment with Henry Blundell of Ince con-
cerning an exchange of some of the latter's
lands in Aughton, Maghull, and Lydiate
for lands of equal value in Ince Blundell
belonging to the former ; this was con-
firmed by an Act of 12 Geo. Ill ; Abstract
of Title, 15-18.
a G.E.C. Complete Peerage, vii, 101.
So far as the estates were concerned

K.45-
"Ibid. K. 42. It may be noted that
Richard de Molyneux, living in 1212,
had granted to Richard de Thornton a
' cultura 'whether in Sefton or not is
unrecorded for i Ib. of pepper by the
year ; Inq. and Extents, 1 4.
The payment in the text seems to be
the result of the grant of a pound of pep-
per and 21. rent from the Pepperfield,
made by William de Molyneux in 1249
to his relative Robert de Molyneux of
Thornton; Final Cone, i, no.
It may be the ' alia Sefton ' of the
Fifteenth roll.
"Croxteth D. Genl. i, 7, quoted

1381-2, and who is named in the will of
his uncle Thomas de Molyneux of Cuer-
dale ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 257, 256*,
and Final Cone, ii, 136.
Richard was dead in 1368 ; his widow
was living in 1378; ibid. fol. 149,
257*.
Emma was in 1 340 contracted to marry
Richard, son of Nicholas Blundell of Little
Crosby ; the agreement between Nicholas
and Cecily provides that the former shall
sustain his son and his betrothed, and
that part of Great Crosby shall be her
portion ; ibid. fol. 257.
18 Thomas de Molyneux of Cuerdale
was killed at the battle of Radcote Bridge,

of 1798, by which the manors of Great
Crosby, Melling, Maghull, Lydiate, and
Aughton were disposed of, also a great
amount of land, in order to pay off mort-
gages and make provision for various
claims ; Abstract of Title, 36.
In addition to his political fame the

known as ' of Sefton ' or of the Edge,'
indifferently.
The grant did not include the whole of
the Edge, Tor in 1338 Robert de Riding's
share of 3 acres here was exchanged for
land belonging to William de Hokelaw
in Thornton ; ibid. Y. iii, 14.

the Edge were said to be of the clear
annual value of looj. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 29. A fuller account of
him will be given under Cuerdale. He
was called Thomas de Molyneux del
Edge in 1349; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol.
256.

and sportsman ; Ross, House of Sefton, 8- 1 o ;
also the note in G.E.C.
"Ross, lo-n. He also was a Whig,
and represented South Lanes, from 1832
to 1834; Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 95.
He was appointed lord-lieutenant of the
county in 1851.

family name is unknown ; the seal ap-
pended to this grant shows ' Per bend two
roundels counterchanged.'
16 Ibid, i, 22.
"Ibid. D. i, i. Cecily appears to
have been living in 1348; Kuerden
MSS. iv, K. 13.

7 2

later Henry Blundell and others certified
that Thomas de Molyneux of Cuerdale
had enfeoffed Gilbert de Halsall and
others of 'the manor of Edge' and other
lands in Sefton ; ibid, i, 42-43. Joan
made a feoffment of her lands in 1401 ;
ibid, i, 46.

MOLYNEUX OF SEFTON

Robert dc Molyneur (occ. c. 1125) = . .

Richard (i 164) * Robert = . . . . Gilbert de '

Richard (d. 1213) = ....(? Gernet) Simon Robert

Robert de M. (of Thornton)

289) = Roger de M. (of Little Crosby, <.'.<:.)

I *

Richard (d. c. 1320) = Emma (? 2nd wife)
I

'illiam (d. c. 1335) = .... Richard (rector of Sefton) Thomas = . . . .

Iiabel (ii) = Richard (d. 1363) = (i) Agatha Thomas de M.

[ (of Cuerdale)

William (d. 1358) = Joan de Holland (of Euiton)

* Sir William (d. 1372) = Agnes = Sir Richard de Balderston
_|

Richard (b. c. 1368 ; d. 1397) = Ellen de Urawick = Sir John Savage
= Sir Richard (b. 1396 ; d. e. 1454) = Joan Haydock (d. 1440)

-* - - 1

Sir Richard (d. 1459) = Elizabeth Stanley John Thomas M. (of Hawton)

Sir Thomas (d. 1483) = Anne Dutton (d. 1520) James

Thomas * Richard Elizabeth Clifton = Sir William (b. c. 1481 ; d. 1548) = Joan Rudge Edward

John (d. a minor) _ A _ _J

Eleanor Maghull = * Sir Richard (d. 1569) = Eleanor Radcliffe

* _ L_ _

William (d. 1567) = Bridget Caryll John (New Hall)

* Sir Richard (b. 1557 ; cr. bart. 1611 ; d. 1623) = Frances Gerard (d. 1621)

Mary Caryll = Sir Richard (b. 1593 ; cr. Visct. M., 1628 ; d. 1636) = Fleetwood Barton Sir Vivian (d. 1666)
Sir Richard (2nd Visct. ; b. 1619 ; d. 165+) * Sir Caryll (3rd Visct. ; d. 1700) = Mary Barlow

Richard (d. 1672) = Lady Mary Herbert * Sir William (4th Visct., d. 1718) = Bridget Lucy

Sir Richard (;th = Hon. Mary Sir Caryll (6th Visct., d. 1745) Thomas Joseph = Maria Lcvery

Visct. ; d. 1738) I Brudenell Sir William, S. J.( 7 th Visct., d. 1759) (d. 1756) I (wid. of John

| Errington)

I 1 | ( d - '795)

Mary = Thomas Clifton Dorothy = John Caryll Sir Charles William (b. 1 748 ; 8th Visct. = Lady Isabella

cr. Earl of Sefton, 1771; d. 1794 I Stanhope (d. 1819)

Sir William Philip (2nd Earl ; cr. Baron Sefton, 1831 ; d. 1838) = Hon. Maria Margaretta Crav
| (d. 1851)

* Sir Charles William (jrd Earl ; d. 1855) = Mary Augusta Gregge-Hopwood
I (d. 1906)

Sir William Philip (4th Earl ; K..G. 1885 ; d. 1897) = Hon. Cecil Emily Hylton Joliffe
| (d. 1899)

Sir Charles William Hylton Sir Osbert Cecil = Lady Helena Mary Bridgeman Richard Frederick

f 5th Earl ; d. 1901) (6th Earl ; b. 1871) I (b. 1873)

Hugh William Osbert (Visct. Molyneuz ; b. 1898)
(The denotes lord, of the manor.)

3 73 I0

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

the Osbaldestons of Osbaldeston,' until in 1589 the
Edge and others were sold by Edward Osbaldeston
and John his son to Sir Richard Molyneux, 1 since
which time they have formed part of the Sefton
estate of the Molyneux family.

In the seventeenth century a family named Baron
held it of them. Lawrence Baron in 1652 peti-
tioned for the restoration to him of a portion of the
tenement, two-thirds of his late grandfather's estate
having been sequestered for recusancy." ' Mr. Baron
of the Edge ' is mentioned several times in Nicholas
Blundell's Diary of the early part of the following
century. 4

Gorsthill and the family named from it have been
mentioned ; like the Edge it became the property of
Thomas de Molyneux of Cuerdale. 4

Some of the inhabitants seem to have taken Sefton
as a surname ; 6 but this was perhaps more commonly
applied after they had left the township. 7

Besides Lord Molyneux two other ' Papists ' regis-
tered estates here in 1717, viz. Robert Shepherd, a
leaseholder, and Mary Cornwallis of St. Giles in the
Fields, London, daughter of Francis Cornwallis, who
had an annuity of loo/, purchased from Caryll, Lord
Molyneux. 8

The parish church has already been described.

After the Reformation there are no records of the
existence of the Roman Catholic worship in the town-
ship until the middle of the seventeenth century, when
a chapel in the old hall was served by Benedictines or
Carmelites down to 1792. In this year Dom Vincent
Gregson, who had been there for nearly forty years,
persuaded the earl of Sefton to grant him land at
Netherton for a chapel and presbytery ; the chapel,

St. Bennet's, was opened in the following year, and is
still served by a Benedictine father. 9

NETHERTON

There is no variation in the spelling ; the definite
article was formerly prefixed.

This township was originally a hamlet of Sefton, but
appears to have been recognized as a distinct township
as early as 1624, when the county lay was fixed. 10 It
lies to the south-east of Sefton, and has an area of 1,1 26
acres." The population numbered 589 in 1901.

It is in the heart of flat, agricultural country.
The land is principally arable, producing crops of
potatoes, wheat, barley, oats, and rye, in a soil which
is a mixture of clay and sand. The country is not
interesting, for there is nothing picturesque about the
scattered farmsteads, and the trees are only large
enough to give a slight protection to the buildings
around which they cluster. The greater part of the
township lies upon the lower keuper sandstone of the
new red sandstone or trias, but on the south-eastern
side the waterstones of the keuper series occur near
the boundary of Aintree. The strata are obscured by
sand and thick boulder clay and by alluvial deposits.

The principal road is that from Aintree village to
Sefton Town. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes
through the township, and upon it is the village, about
f mile south of Sefton church. The green is enclosed
with railings.

The southern corner is crossed by two lines of rail-
way, and contains the Aintree stations of the Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire Company and the Cheshire Lines
Committee.

Mn Oct. 1461 Geoffrey Osbaldeston
granted to his son John and Elizabeth his
wife ' a messuage with the meadows, feed-

subsidy was Peter Hurdes ; Norris D.
(B.M.) ; but in 1641 is a long list of re-
cusants in the township, headed by Law-

the Edge in Sefton,' and all his other lands,
&c.,inSefton,Walton, Thornton, and Ince,
and tenements elsewhere ; Croxteth D. X.
iii, 2.

Ibid. X, iii, 3, 4 ; also Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 51, m. 39.

s Royalist Comf. P. i, 145. From the
documents here printed it appears that the
grandfather's name was Lawrence also ;
he had a lease of the Edge in 1620 from
Sir Richard Molyneux, for the lives of
Lawrence himself, William his eldest son

of Richard Tatlock. The house was di-

and his wife Ellen, and the other to Wil-
liam and his wife.

A detailed description of the house fol-
lows, with its upper and lower floors,
garrets, and farm buildings ; and several
field names, including the Coningre or
Warren and the Hemp-yard. The ' Edge
Hest holm at the South side' repeats
words in the grant by Richard de Moly-
neux in 1315.

Lawrence Baron the grandfather died
in Sept. 1652 ; two-thirds of his estate
had been sequestrated for recusancy in
1643. The son William's death is not
mentioned; Alice his wife appears to
have married again, as she is called Alice
Allison.

From the Crosby Rec. (Chet. Soc.) it
appears that the above-named Ellen Baron,
wife of the grandfather, ' together with
divers other Catholics . . . were
committed to prison in the Castle of
Chester' in 1598; p. 23. The only re-
cusant in 1628 who paid double to the

(New Ser.), xiv, 236. A
the younger Lawrence's religion is made
in 1653 it is probable that he had become
a Protestant. The sequestration was re-
moved and arrears allowed ; Cat. Com. for
Comf. iv, 3060. In 1666 Lawrence Baron
and Alice his mother paid for six hearths ;

The elder Lawrence had another son,
John, who became a Jesuit. His account
of himself, given on entering the English
College at Rome in 1625, is of much in-

nty-second year. My

of the jurors inquiring into the Altcar
riot of 1682 ; Kenyan MSS. 137.

s The earliest mention of the place is
in an undated deed by which Roger, son
of Adam son of Beatrice of Sefton, granted
to Adam his father half his land on the
Gorst hill ; Croxteth D. X. iv, i.

In 1375 Adam Hodgson and Emma
his wife sold the latter's life interest in a
messuage and twelve acres in the Gorst
hill to Thomas de Molyneux and Lettice,
widow of Richard de Molyneux ; it was
the inheritance of Thomas del Gorsthill,
Emma's former husband ; ibid. X. i, 17.
Ten years later Alan del Gorsthill sold
all his lands in that place, together with

Hodgson and Emmota his wife, to Tho-

an only brother and one sister, who, with
my parents, are Catholics. I made my

er a Je
noble

never more than forty miles from my
father's house before I took my journey

6 Richard de Molyneux in 1343 leased
land in Sefton to Henry of Sefton and
Alice his wife ; ibid. Ee. 17.

? There were Seftons at Liverpool from
an early time ; see Lanes. Ct. R. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 80. In 1354-7
Richard de Sefton of Liverpool acted as
the feoffee of Richard de Holland in a

word ' nobleman ' does not imply a title ;
the school referred to was perhaps that
at Scarisbrick, where a priest was sta-
tioned before 1620. John Baron, known
as Burton, was ordained, and in 1632
sent on the English mission to 'a country
place among poor Catholics 'possibly
Sefton. After a short time he was re-
called to the Continent and died at Watten
in 1638; Foley, op. cit. vi, 307; vii,
33.

There was at Over Darwen a family
named Baron, tenants of the Osbaldes-
tons ; Abram, Blackburn, 501.

* Diary, 135, 147, 161 : 'Lawrence
Baron of Sefton, gentleman,' was one

settlement of the latter's estate in Sefton ;
the remainders were to John, Joan, and
Agnes, children of Richard de Holland ;
Croxteth D. X. iv, 8, 9.

8 Engl. Cat/,. Non-Jurors, 108, 98. The
will of Mary Cornwallis, dated 1727, was
proved in 1730; Payne, Rec. cf Engl.
Cat*. 25.

These details are from a paper n
Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.J.xiii, 146, 147.
It is there stated that 200 persons were
in 1774 confirmed by Bishop Wilson at
Sefton.

10 Gregson, Fragments, 16.

1,124 in census of 1901 ; this in-
eludes 14 acres of inland water.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The township is governed by a parish council.

Before 1212 Richard de Molyneux had given to
his son Robert three oxgangs of land, to be held by
knight's service, 1 which, no doubt, constitute the parcel
called Arland, afterwards held by the Thornton
family.' Though described as ' in the vill of Sefton '
it was in Netherton, but the earliest mention of this
place by name is in a charter of Richard de Molyneux
of Sefton in 1318, granting his younger son Peter
certain lands, together with the water-mill in ' the
Netherton.' * A junior branch of the Sefton family
appears to have settled here, for Simon de Molyneux
of Netherton is mentioned in 1373.* In 1433-4
William Fairfellow and Agnes his wife released their
lands here to Sir Richard Molyneux, Agnes making
oath that she had made no feoffment of her lands
in Sefton, except to a daughter of Simon de Moly-
neux, named Emmote, who had died at the age of
fourteen. 4

The township does not seem to have formed a dis-
tinct manor, but was included in Sefton. 8 A park
called the Stand or New Park was formed here early
in the seventeenth century, 7 but discontinued about
1800. Stand House preserves the name. 8

The story of St. Bennet's Church has been given in
the account of Sefton.

LUNT

Lund, 1295 ; Lont, 1302 ; Lond, 1349 5 Lount,
1350 ; Lunt, 1396 ; the definite article was prefixed
down to the xvii cent.

SEFTON

Lunt is situated in the flattest fen district drained
by the River Alt, which also forms its north-eastern
boundary. The marshy pastures are liable to floods
during winter and in wet seasons. In the southern
portion there are cultivated fields where cereals and
root-crops thrive in a soil consisting of a mixture of
sand and clay. Hedges are scanty and trees few and
far between. The geological formation is the same
as in Sefton.

It was formerly a hamlet of Sefton, but its separa-
tion seems to have been accomplished before 1624.'
It has an area of 477 acres, 10 and the population in
1901 was 80. The road from Sefton to Ince Blun-
dell passes through it.

St. Helen's well, close to Sefton church, is a wish-
ing well ; a pin had to be thrown in, and if it could
be seen at the bottom of the well the omen was
favourable."

The township is governed by a parish council.

Manorially Lunt seems to have been a member of
Sefton, but land in it is on one occasion said to have
been held of the lord of Warrington," suggesting a
territorial connexion with the adjoining township of
Thornton.

Richard de Molyneux, some time before 1212, gave
to Richard Branch and to Robert half a plough-land
to be held by knight's service and a rent of 6s." In
1295 Robert son of Robert Branch granted to
Richard de Molyneux an oxgang of land in Lunt."
A family which took surname from the place may
have descended from Richard Branch. 15 Other families

1 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), I 3.
"Arland in the vill of Sefton' was
held in 1398 by the heirs of Robert Moly-
neux of Thornton ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), i, 70. The charter quoted in the
following note shows that it lay on the
border of Aintree. In 1779 fields in
Netherton were called Old and Little

his lands in Netherton and Sefton to feof-
fees ; ibid. V. i, i.
But few particulars concerning Nether-
ton have been preserved. In 1415
Richard Wilson and Emmota his wife
released to Thomas de Osbaldeston and
his heirs all their right in the vill and
territory of Netherton ; Dods. MSS. cxlix.
In 1467 Roger Wright granted to Thomas

Lunt Green to Robert son of Richard the
clerk of Thornton, at a rent of T,d., about
1260; Croxteth D. Ee. 2.
" Ibid. X. i, I.
16 The most prominent member of this
family was Richard de Lunt, clerk, who
in the fourteenth century was feoffee in
numerous instances for local families. In
1337 he granted to his son Henry a mes-

Croxteth D. Genl. i, 10, 14. The
boundaries began at the water-mill, fol-
lowing the 'fleam' of the mill stream to
the Croft ditch, and thence in a straight
line through the carr to the Alt ; up this
river as far as the Strindes, and thence to
the land of Robert de Molyneux called
Arland ; following the ditch of Arland to

tethD.V. i, 4, 5.
In 1691 John Molyneux of Copy in
Netherton and George Bradley of Melling
and Ellen his wife (only daughter of
William Molyneux, late of Netherton),
sold Copy to the Hon. William Molyneux
of Croxteth ; draft deed at Croxteth.
6 The Halmote of Sefton took cogniz-

from Agnes his mother ; and twelve
years later Henry transferred them to
Robert le Breton ; ibid. X. iv, 6-7.
Robert son of Roger dc Lunt granted
to his son John in 1309 a house and cur-
tilage in Lunt ; ibid. X. iv, 4.
Adam, son of Margery de Lunt, in
1302 granted to Peter, son of Richard

house of Adam Leanothewind and to the
cross on the Aintree boundary ; thence

roll of 5 Hen. IV, preserved at Croxteth.
7 A grant of free warren, made by

Sefton, lying in the Lunt, at a rent of
id.

land, the moss, and a ditch by Sefton field
to the mill pool and mill.
4 He wai one of the feoffees of John
Blundell of Ince ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 97.
He may be the Simon de Molyneux
who fifteen to twenty years earlier was
plaintiff in a case concerning a house
and land in Sefton. This Simon was the
son of William (who had a brother Henry),

and the park there ' among the Molyneux
manors to which it applies; Pat. 13
Jas. I, pt. x-xiii. So also does another
grant of 1637; Croxteth D. L.

Blundell's Diary (e.g. p. 221) in the first
quarter of the eighteenth century. It is
marked Stand Park on Teesdale's map of
1830, but had 'gone to decay' even in

gave a part of his land to his son Robert,
a rent of id. being payable to the
chief lord; and in 1342 Robert son of
Robert son of John de Lunt sold land
in Lunt, called the Cole Yard, to Richard
de Molyneux ; ibid. X, i, 9-10.
On the other hand Richard de Moly-
neux in .336 demised to Margery
daughter of Simon de Lunt and Richard

the property in the time of Edward I ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4, m. 25.
The case is also mentioned in Rolls 3, 5,
and 6, m. 5. The defendant was Henry
de Aintree ; and the doubtful point was
the soundness of mind of the claimant's
grandfather at the time he granted them
to his son Henry.
William de Molyneux of Netherton,
clerk, occurs in 1419 ; Kuerden fol. MS.
315, n. 458.
' Croxteth D. V. i, 2, 3. Their pro-
perty seems to have been derived from a
certain John del Dam, who in 1387 gave

9 Gregson, Fragments, 1 6.
w 478, including 3 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901.
n Caroe and Gordon, Sefton, 54.
1" Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
1 6, where John Lunt of Lunt is stated to
have done homage at Warrington in i 505
for lands in Lunt. This is the only in-
stance of the kind, and may have been
an error ; the following entry concerns
John Lunt of Thornton.
18 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 13. William de Moly-
neux, son of Adam, granted land on the

messuage and curtilage in Sefton in the
Lunt ; ibid. Ee. 18.
The Henry just named was probably
the son of Simon, who in 1 344 granted to
Richard de Molyneux and his heirs all his
lands, &c., ' as well in demesne as in re-
version, in the vill of Sefton in a certain
hamlet called the Lunt ' ; and four years
later Henry son of William son of Simon
de Lunt quitclaimed all his interest in these
lands; ibid. X. i, 11-12.
A William, son of Robert de Lunt, was
a contemporary ; as also a William, son
of Simon de Lunt ; ibid. X. i, 8 ; Y. i, 3.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

named Derleigh ' and Fowler * also held land here in
the fourteenth century.

Richard Johnson of Lunt was returned among the
freeholders in 1600.*

John Lunt as a ' Papist ' registered a leasehold
estate here in 1717.*

THORNTON

Torentun, Dom. Bk. ; Thorinton, 1212; Thorinton,
Thornton, and Thorneton, 1292.

This township has an area of 773 acres;* the
population in 1901 was 265. It is situated in flat
country consisting of pastures and cultivated fields.
The soil is loamy, producing crops of potatoes, turnips,
and corn. The pastures near the Alt lie very low
and are often flooded in winter-time and wet seasons.
Trees are not a prominent feature of the open land-
scape. The geological formation is the same as in
Sefton. In the summer the village is much resorted
to by pleasure parties. The road from Sefton to
Great Crosby passes through it. To the north-east
is a hamlet now called Homer Green, formerly
Hulmore.

There is the pedestal of a cross called Broom's Cross.
An ancient sundial on a stone pillar stands on Thorn-
ton Green ; close to it are the stocks. 6

The wakes are held a fortnight after the Great
Crosby wakes. It was formerly the custom for a
painter to be brought from Liverpool on this day to
paint the sundial pillar white with a black diaper
pattern over it.

The old oak chest, containing overseers' books and
the parish mace, has on it the letters GC. TC. 1 7 .

Dialect words in colloquial use which may be
noticed here are ' neave ' for fist, ' narky ' for fractious,
and ' coi ammered ' or ' cain ammered ' for testy or
contentious.

One of the fields is named Mass Field ; among
others are Windpool, Crane Greave, Tush Hey,
Bretlands, School Croft, and Little Eyes.

The township is governed by a parish council.

In 1066 THORNTON was held by
M4NOR Ascha, its half-hide being worth beyond
the customary rent the normal 8s.' After
the Conquest it was divided, two plough-lands being
annexed, with Ince Blundell, to the barony of War-
rington and the third to the Sefton fee. 8 Subse-
quently Pain de Vilers, lord of Warrington, granted
one of these plough-lands to Robert de Molyneux of
Sefton and the other to Eawin. 9 There were thus
three manors there.

The portion held by the lord of Sefton in chief
was granted by Robert de Molyneux, father of the
Richard living in 1212, to his brother Gilbert to be
held by knight's service ; Richard son of Gilbert
held it at the date named. 10 This tenant appears to
have assumed the local surname, and both Richard
son of Richard de Thornton and Simon son of
Richard de Thornton occur during the first half ot
the thirteenth century." Simon died before 1246,
leaving a son Amery, a minor, whose story will
follow."

In the Warrington fee the plough-land granted to
Eawin was held by his son Gilbert in 1212." This
family also assumed Thornton as a surname. Gilbert
was succeeded by his son Robert, who made a grant
to Cockersand," and Robert by his son, another
Robert, who was in possession in 1243." The
younger Robert, known as the ' Priestsmock,' had
several sons, but the eldest, Adam, surrendered all
his right in Thornton to the chief lord, William le
Boteler, who thereupon granted it to the above-
named Amery de Thornton in exchange for the latter's
possessions in Great Marlon. 16 Thus Amery came
to hold two of the three plough-lands, one from

1 Adam son of Vivian granted his
daughter Ameria certain land in Sefton ;
and Ameria, as widow of William de
Liverpool, gave to her daughter Margery
on her marriage to William de Derleigh,

'Lanes. Ina. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 7, 8, 13.
Ibid. 7, 8.
10 Ibid. 13.

In 1246, Maud widow of Richard son
of Gilbert brought a suit of dower against
Robert son of Robert and others concern-
ing lands which her husband had given
her in Thornton, but withdrew before

house built thereon, which she had had
from her father ; Croxteth D. X. iv, 3, 5.
Twenty years later Derleigh granted the
same to his daughter Emma, with re-
mainder to William, son of Richard de
Molyneux ; ibid. X. i, 14.
A John de Derleigh occurs in Garston
in the time of Edward II.

made before 1250; Whalley Cwchcr (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 524. He had land in Aigburth ;
ibid. 561. Richard de Thornton and
Simon his son attested another charter
before 1242; ibid. 525.
It appears to have been Alice, the
widow of this Simon, who in 1295 re-
leased all her right in her husband's

16 Croxteth D. Y. iii, 3. In this char-
ter William le Boteler recites that Adam
son of Robert the Priestsmock had sur-
rendered his land in Thornton, and grants
the same to Amery son of Simon to-
gether with the homage and service of
Simon son of Adam for half an oxgang,
but saving to the grantor the homage and

changed his house in the Lunt for land at
Lewen Green granted by Richard dc
Molyneux ; ibid. X. i, 7-8.
Two other families may be mentioned ;
Richard son of William Goldenough, in

law ; ibid. 586.
Henry de Thornton, witness to several
Ince and Aigburth charters of the first
half of the century, may have been of
this family; ibid, ii, 496, 560.

Blundell, and of Thomas and John sons
of the said Robert the Priestsmock ;
further he quitclaims to Amery and his
heirs the suit of court at his barony of
Warrington which Adam used to do for

the vill of Sefton to Richard de Moly-
neux ; and Henry Robinson and Ellen
his wife in 1463 gave their son Thomas
lands in the Lunt within the lordship of
Sefton; ibid. X. i, 25; iv, n.
3 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
241. John Richardson, otherwise John-
son, made a settlement of his lands in
Lunt, Sefton, and Ince Blundell in 1593 ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 55, m. 215.
4 Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 107 ; his son

5 The Census of 1901 gives 774 acres,
which include 2 of inland water.
' Lanes, and Ches. Antij, Sac. xix, 1 84 ;
also Trans. Hist. Soc. K\, 255.
7 V. C. H. Lanes, i, 2844.

cerning land in Amounderness, held by
Richard le Boteler as guardian of Amery,
son of Simon de Thornton.
" Inj. and Extents, 8.
14 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
554 ; a messuage with toft and croft be-
tween crofts of Randle the Rim and
Simon son of Gilbert.
Nicholas de Farington was tenant of
Jordan, abbot of Cockersand, in 1327 ;
he agreed to build a house and to pay
half a mark at death ; Blundell of Crosby
D. K. 29.
15 Adam de Molyneux and Robert son
of Robert held the two Warrington
plough-lands in that year ; Inj. and Ex-
tents, 147.

payable.
Adam son of Robert de Thornton was
living in 1292, when he claimed debts
from William son of Jordan de Hulton
and from William de Lea ; Assize R.4O8,
m. 95, 98, 99</.
Of the undertenants who thus came to
hold directly of the lords of Warrington,
but little is known :
(i) In a grant from Vivian .on ot
Robert de Orsau, or Orshaw, to John son
of Gerard de Hoton, it is stated that the
land he held from the Hospital of St. John
of Chester lay between the land of Alan
le Norreys and that of Amery son of
Simon ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 225.
In 1331 Richard de Yorton, who had

WEST DERBY HUNDRED SEFTON

the lord of Sefton and the other from the lord of Afterwards this portion seems to have been divided,

Warrington. 1
He had a son Simon, who seer
without issue,* and a daughter
married William de Hokelaw, and
as a widow, enfeoffed Richard de I
of the manor of Thornton. 4

married the widow of Alan le Norreys,
gave a three years' lease of his lands in
Thornton to Thomas de Molyneux ;
Croiteth D. Y. i, 2.
(ii) William son of William Blundell,

and at the beginning of the sixteenth century portions
ns to have died were held by the families of Ince, Tarleton, 6 Lunt, 6
Margery, 8 who and others. 7 Portions appear to have been pur-
in June, 1355, chased from time to time by the lords of Sefton. 8
,unt of one-third In 1597 the lord of Warrington sold his right in the
manor to Sir Richard Molyneux. 9

in the Aldfield to Robert de Riding. In Crosby D. K. 223, K. 40, K. 35, K. 34,
131 1 he gave to Hugh Drury land in the K. 37.
Masefield next to the Little Holgate, Then in 1489 Richard Tarleton gave

field ; ibid. Ee. 1 1 ; Y. iii, 7 8.

Derlogs in Thornton to Robert Ince in

Thornton, held of William le Boteler, to
Peter son of Richard de Molyneux, with
remainders to Thomas and Joan, brother
and sister of Peter; ibid. Y. i, i. In
1331 Agnes widow of William Blundell
of Ince sought dower from Peter de
Molyneux in four messuages and an oxgang
in Thornton ; De Bane. R. 287, m. 178 d.
(iii) Thomas son of Robert de Thorn-
ton gave his brother John a messuage

Sefton and Thornton from 1307 onwards ;
ibid. Ee. 13, 14, 16; while Robert son
of Hugh Drury appears in 1311, and in
1328 Hugh Drury made a grant to hi.
son John; ibid. Y. iii, 10, n.
In 1368 Isabel widow of Richard de
Molyneux claimed the custody of certain
land in Thornton held by Simon Baron,
as next of kin and heir of Margery
daughter of Simon de Thornton ; De

D. Y. iii, 29.
At the beginning of 1515 Richard de
Ince did homage and service at Bewsey
for his lands in Thornton held of Thoma.
Butler by knight's service ; Misc. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 30. In 1505
Richard Tarleton had done similar hom-
age ; ibid, i, 1 6. There is, however,
nothing to show the origin or descent of
Tarleton's share of the manor. Gilbert

value j</.; Croxteth D. Y. iii, 2.
Thomas had a son Richard, who had sons
Adam and William ; Adam had a daugh-
ter and heir Margery, who married John
son of Adam de Orshaw and had five
daughters, who divided the inheritance
among them.
This appears from a grant in 1327
by the feoffee, Robert son of Adam de
Molyneux, of Sefton, to John de Orshaw
and Margery his wife, on their marriage,
with remainder to Margery's uncle
William ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 272.
Also from a grant by Maud daughter of
John de Orshaw to 'Robert son of John
de Tarleton in 1356 ; this comprised her

' Daughter ' may be an error for sister.
8 To Margery his daughter Amery
granted land in the territory of Thornton
called Soraniscroft, as well as an acre in
the Newfield towards Sefton, a rent of
\d. being payable to the chief lord ; Crox-
teth D. Y. iii, i.
William de Hokelaw and Margery his
wife and Margaret widow of Simon dc
Thornton were in 1325 convicted of
having disseised Robert son of Thomas
Burgeys of his free tenement in Thorn-
ton ; Assize R. 426, m. 6.
William de Hokelaw in 1331 procured
land in Thornton, abutting on the green,
from William son of Simon de Lund ; and

subsidy here in 1332; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 19.
John de Tarleton of Thornton occurs
in the poll-tax list of 1381 ; Lay Subs.
Lanes. 130-24. William de Tarleton
attested a Thornton charter in 1427-8 ;
Cecily widow of William de Tarleton had
in 1440 lands in Litherland, Scarisbrick,
Lydiate, Ormskirk, and Thornton ; and
Richard Tarleton of Thornton was wit-
ness in 1421-2 and 1456-7. Blundell of
Crosby D. K. 34, K. 36, K. 27, K. 33.
The following were the services due to
the Butlers from Thornton in 1548 :
From Richard Molyneux of Sefton, 2jrf.
and a pound of pepper, and 6d. ; from
John Molyneux, zo</. ; from William
Tarleton, I J</. ; from Robert Bootle and
Elizabeth his wife, in her right, I&J.;
from Bryan Lunt, J</. Pal. of Lane.

and Little Crosby ; Croxteth D. Y. iiij
17. Maud's sisters, Agnes, Ellen, Emma,

with Robert son of Richard de Riding ;
Croxteth D. Y. iii, 13, 14.
In the following year Margery, as his

Duchy of Lane. Assize R. I, m. ij.
Very soon afterwards, in 1359, Robert
de Tarleton transferred his acquisition to
Richard de Molyneux of Sefton ; Crox-
teth D. Y. i, 6.
John de Orshaw of Thornton contri-
buted to the subsidy of 1332 ; Exch. Lay
Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 19.
1 Amcry de Thornton frequently occurs
in the latter part of Edward I's reign as
witness to charters ; e.g. Whattty Coucher,
ii, 431 (dated 1292), 503, &c.

Thornton from Richard de Molyneux,
but was non-suited ; Assize R. 408, m.
58 d. At the same time he was defendant
in another suit ; ibid. m. 68 d. ; while
three years later he was once more a
plaintiff; Assize R. 1306, m.igj.
Some grants by him have been pre-
served. By one, dated 1 296, he gave part
of his plough-land, viz. an acre near his
mill in Thornton, to Richard son of
Thomas of Little Crosby ; to be held of
the chief lord, Richard de Molyneux, by a
rent of J</.; Blundell of Crosby D. K.. 18.
He gave Richard son of Robert de Riding
a house and croft in Thornton, adding an
oxgang of land, to wit, the eighth part of
a plough-land, in 1295 ; in the following
year he granted an acre in the Meadow-
butts to John del Lunt ; the oxgang and
the acre were also to be held of Richard
de Molyneux as chief lord ; Croxteth D.
Y. iii, 4-6.
a Amery probably died before 1 300, for
in 1302 his son Simon had lands called
Witesike and Swartmoor from Richard
de Molyneux, and himself made a grant

Thornton the acre in the Newfield, and
the other in Soraniscroft above men-
tioned ; ibid. Y. iii, 15. She made a
grant to John de Molyneux in 1 346 ;
ibid. Y. 1,4.
Ibid. Y. i, 4 ; iii, 16. In the same
year, however, Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton and the heirs of Margery de
Hokelaw were returned as holding the
Warrington part of Thornton which
Adam de Molyneux and Robert son of
Robert had formerly held ; Feud. Aids,
iii, 90.

* What is known of these is stated in
the previous note.
6 The Lunt family or families long had
a holding here, and that part at least was
held of the barony of Warrington is proved
by the homage roll cited in a previous
note ; for in 1505 John Lunt of Thorn-
ton did homage for lands in Thornton ;
Misc. i, 1 8.
The earliest grant is one dated 1305,
when Robert de Molyneux of Thornton
and Simon son of Amery de Thornton to-
gether granted a small piece of land to

appear, but the following deeds may
relate to this portion of the manor :

rose to the chief lord ; Croxteth D. Ee. 1 2.
At the beginning of 1342 William son

the Thornton lands, lordships, reliefs, &c.,
which he had had from Simon son of
Robert Waron, to Robert son of Robert
de Ince, with remainder to Emmota
daughter of Robert Waron, and to the
right heirs of Margery Hokelaw ; Crox-
teth D. Y. iii, 1 8.
At Pentecost, 1398, John de Mytton,
as feoffee of William son of Walter de
Thornton, granted to the said William
and Emmota his wife all their lands in
Thornton, with remainder to Emmota
daughter of William and to Robert son of
Robert dc Ince ; ibid. Y. iii, 21.
Robert son of Robert de Ince in 1409

new approvement to Richard de Moly-
neux ; ibid. Y. i, 3. Henry son of
William made a settlement of his lands
in 1354; he had had some from his
uncle Henry son of Simon del Lunt ;
ibid, Y. i, 5 ; Ee. 23 ; Y. i, 8.
Joan daughter of Robert del Lunt
appears in 1384, making a feoffment of
the lands in Thornton she had received
from Robert son of Richard del Riding ;
ibid, Y. iii, 19, 20 ; she made a further
one in 1388; ibid. Y. i, 9 ; Ee. 27.
^ In the Croxteth D. are a few referring
to Hulmore in Thornton; it appears that
Richard Fowler sold to Dame Anne
Molyneux in 1488 a messuage and land
he had in 1476 received from Ralph
Bette and Ellen his wife ; N. 1-4 5 see
also N. 6.
8 This is clear from the references to
the Croxteth D. in previous notes.
Ibid. Y. i, 12.

messuages and lands formerly held by
William Geoffreyson ; ibid. Y. iii, 22.
Robert de Ince occurs as a witness to
charters from 1382 to 1409, and Simon
de Ince from 1414 to 1427 ; Amery and
Nicholas occur in 1418. Blundell of

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

The third plough-land, held of the lords of
Warrington by Molyneux of Sefton, 1 was by Richard
de Molyneux granted to his son Robert, who held it
in I z 12, and was the ancestor of the long line of
Molyneux of Thornton, Melling, and finally of
Mossborough in Rainford.* In 1246 Robert de
Molyneux called upon Adam de Molyneux of Sefton
as mesne tenant to acquit him of the service which
William le Boteler claimed in respect of the plough-
land in Thornton, Robert complaining that he was
distrained to do suit to the court of Warrington
every three weeks. 5 Adam agreed to discharge the
service, but his son William, on succeeding, neglected
the obligation, and three years later Robert had again
to complain that he was summoned to do ' bode and
witness' at the Warrington court, and to entertain
William le Boteler's beadles whenever they came to
Thornton. 4

In this trial Robert was represented by his son
Robert, who appears to have succeeded him, and was
about 1 290 followed by his son, also named Robert, 5
who died perhaps about 1336, when his eldest son
Robert succeeded. This Robert died without issue,
his heir being a nephew, Robert, son of Simon de Moly-
neux, then a minor. In 1358 Richard de Molyneux
of Sefton had a contest with William le Boteler of
Warrington as to the profits of the wardship. 6 In
1356 he had complained that Robert le Norreys of
Melling, and Joan his wife, with John de Lancaster
and Mabel his wife, had abducted the heir, who was
by right his ward. 7 Robert Molyneux's wife, Alice, is
said to have been a daughter of Robert le Norreys. 8
Their son Robert settled in Melling, 9 and the story of his
descendants will be found in the account of that town-
ship. Their manor of Thornton regularly descended
to Dame Frances Blount, from whose trustees it was
purchased in 1773 by the first earl of Sefton, 10 who
thus became possessed of all the manors in this place,
either by descent or purchase. This complete lord-
ship has descended to the present earl.

The Hospitallers had land here, which about

1540 was held by Henry Blundell at a rent
of 5K"

The windmill of Thornton was in 1368 in the
possession of Richard de Aughton ; " it was afterwards
assigned by Margaret Bulkeley to the sustentation of
her chantry in Sefton church, and the chantry priest
was tenant in I 548. 13

There do not appear to have been any resident free-
holders here in 1600. To the subsidy of 1628
Robert Bootle, as a convicted recusant, paid double ; M
he and his wife Jane, with a number of others, appear
in the recusant roll of 1641." Sarah Sumner, widow,
as a ' Papist,' registered an estate here and in Little
Crosby in 1 7 1 -j. K

INCE BLUNDELL

Hinne, Dom. Bk.; Ines, 1212 the common spell-
ing to 1350 ; Hynis, 1242 ; Ince, -1360.

Ince Blundell embraces a considerable area of flat,
fen country laid out in pastures and cultivated fields,
where corn, root crops, and clover-hay are produced
in a rich alluvial soil. The River Alt forms a tortuous
boundary along its north-eastern, northern, and western
edges. The low-lying fields are mostly separated by
deep ditches, which serve for division and drainage.
Near the sea coast, and near the mouth of the Alt,
there is a narrow band of sandhills. The trees clus-
tering about Ince Blundell Hall and village emphasize
the scarcity of timber in the district, for they stand
out as an abrupt mass in the bare landscape. Solitary
trees here and there incline to the south-east, showing
the direction of the prevailing winds. The lower
keuper sandstone of the new red sandstone or trias
is here entirely obscured by sand, deep boulder clay,
and alluvial deposit. Beneath the alluvium, which
covers an increasing extent of ground as the River
Alt approaches the sea, are found the beds of grey
clays belonging to the glacial drift series. The brook
called Twine Pool and Hynts Brook divides Ince from

in preceding notes. Richard dc Molyneux
of Sefton held it in 1324 by the eighth
part of a knight's fee ; Dods. MSS. cxxxi,
fol. 34.
In 1368 it was found that Richard de
Molyneux of Sefton had held the manor
of Thornton of Sir William le Boteler by
the service of 2s. and performing suit at

to Robert the Tasker land in the
southern part of the vill, next to land
of Hugh Drury's; Blundell of Crosby
D. K. 23.
Assize R. 438, m. 6 d. William le
Boteler claimed as capital lord of Robert's
land ; but it will be seen by the statement
in the text that Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton was the mesne tenant. Hence

John Page of Thornton a portion of the
lands here he had had from Alice hi.
mother in exchange for another piece on
the Broadlake ; Blundell of Crosby D.
K. 25, K. 28.
It was probably the younger Robert's
grandson Robert who in 1456-7 enfeoffed
Thomas Stanley and Thomas Molyneux,
son of Sir Richard Molyneux, late of

Edw. Ill, . 40 (ist Nos.). In 1623
the jurors could not learn what the tenure
was ; Lana. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 389.
Lanes. Inj. and Extents, 7. The name
Robert de Molyneux appears frequently

the succession of a number of Roberts
makes it almost impossible to distinguish
the different bearers of the name.
"Final Cane. (Rec. Soc. Lane., and
Ches.), i, 104 ; Assize R. 404, m. 3 d.
4 Final Cone, i, 109.
5 Possibly another generation should be
inserted.
Robert son of Robert de Molyneux
appear, in suit, relating to Melling in
1292 and 1305, his mother Margery being
alive 5 Assize R. 408, m. 32 d. 34^. 68,
36 ; R. 420, m. 4</. Margery widow of

statement was that Robert's manor of
Thornton was held by homage and fealty,
payment of loj. to a scutage of 405.,
doing suit from three weeks to three
weeks, and a yearly service of lid. He
claimed 20 damages.
^ Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 1 5.
Norreys seems to have replied with a claim
for trespass ; ibid. m. 22 d.
Joan, as widow of Simon de Molyneux,
was a plaintiff in 1 346 ; De Bane. R.
347, m. 226.
Robert came of age early in 1356, for
at Easter he brought a suit against Richard
de Molyneux for waste, sale, and destruc-
tion of lands, &c., in Thornton during
his guardianship ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 5, m. 26.
*Vhit. ofi 5 6 7 (Chet. Soc.), 99.
Thus Alice, widow of Robert de Moly-

his lands in Thornton and Sefton ; ibid.
K. 33-
10 Croxteth D. Y. ii deeds of 2 March,
1756, and 8-9 June, 1773.
11 Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84.
18 Croxteth D. O. ii, 14.
Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc.), ill.
" Norris D. (B.M.). Robert's father,
William Bootle, described a. 'gentle-
man,' died in 1595, holding five mes-
suages and lands in Thornton of Sir
Richard Molyneux ; but the inquest wa
not taken till 1628, when Robert was
thirty-five years of age ; his mother Anne
Stephenson was still living ; Towneley
MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 56.
Robert's son William was of another
mind ; see the introduction to the parish,
and Royalist Comp. P. (Rec. Soc. Lane., and
Ches.), i, 210.

1316. Robert son of Robert de Moly-
neux of Thornton in 1310-11 granted

place to Robert her son ; while Robert
de Molyneux of Melling in 1399 gave

236.
u Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 147.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Thornton. The township is nearly 3^ miles long,
the area being 2,315$ acres. 1 The population num-
bered 392 in 1901. The village is situated near the
middle of the township. There are hamlets called
Carr Houses and Lady Green ; North End includes
Alt Grange.

The greens have been enclosed. There are crosses
upon ancient bases in the village. The ' flowering '
of the cross used to take place on Midsummer Day.*
There is a sundial, dated 1 744, at the hall.

Roads from Lunt and Thornton meet at the village
and lead to Alt Bridge, where the road from Liverpool
to Southport, which here crosses the township, joins
them. The Liverpool and Southport branch of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway also crosses the
northern end of the township, and has a station for
the use of volunteers and others using the Altcar rifle
range. An old lighthouse stands near this point.

A number of minor names are given in the Alt
Drainage Act of 1 779 ; they include Shire Lane Moss,
Orrell Hill, Scaffold Lane, Hallops Hey, and Logers
Field.

The township is governed by a parish council.

In 1066 three thegns held 1NCE for
MANOR three manors ; it was assessed at half a
hide and worth beyond the customary
rent the usual 8/. 1 Early in the twelfth century it
was included in the barony of Warrington, and by
Pain de Vilers was given to Roger de Stainsby, to-
gether with half a plough-land in Barton. 4 Later,
probably on the death of Roger, 5 the manor appears
to have reverted to the chief lord, of whom Richard
Blundell, or possibly his father, subsequently held it
either by re-grant or subinfeudation made by the
former tenant.

SEFTON

Richard Blundell appears late in the twelfth cen-
tury as a witness to local charters, 6 and was succeeded
by his son William, who in 1212 held Ince and the
moiety of Barton of the lord of Warrington by
knight's service, as the third part of a fee. 7 William
made an agreement with the lord of Ravensmeols, on
the other side of the Alt, as to the formation of a
mill-pool. 8 To William Blundell juvenis he granted four
oxgangs of land in Ince, with the three villeins who
occupied them. 9 He was a benefactor to the monks
of Stanlaw, giving them his mill upon the Alt, 10 and
his land called Scholes." He appears to have received
the order of knighthood. 12

His son, Richard Blundell, was in possession in
1242." He confirmed his father's donations to the
monks of Stanlaw and added to
them half the land of Alt marsh
which Robert, citizen of York,
had drained by dykes." This
land was in 1240-1 exchanged
for another piece nearer the land
already held by the abbey ; the
residue of the marsh between
Ince and Scholes was to remain
unfilled for ever, as common
pasture. 15 The half of the
marsh was given to his daughter
Amarica on her marriage with
Gervase de Pencebech. 16 Be-
tween 1257 and 1259 Richard
Blundell granted to Henry de

Lea and his heirs a messuage and toft at the
Morhulles, with right of turbary," and in 1259,
to Henry de Sefton, clerk, all his lands at the
Moorhouses. 18

billet!, 4, 3)

1 2,318 acres according to the census
of 1901 ; 24 of inland water being in-
cluded. In addition an acre of tidal water

Lancaster, which may be dated about
1 210, allows William Blundell to use
land on the right bank of the river,

to pasture in Sudmore ; ibid. 500. Some
of these charters are now at Croxteth.
Js Ibid, ii, 502 ; Robert of York was a

boundary.
Lane,, and Ches. Antij. Soc. xix,
176-8. * f.C.H. Lane,, i, 2840.
Lane,. Inj. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 7. The superior lord-
ship remained in the barons of Warring-
ton, though the tenure was changed in
1597, as stated in the text. In 1548 a
rent of 6. was due from Robert Blundell

rent of gilded spurs, or ^d. The privi-
lege afterwards (1328) led to a dispute
between Sir Richard de Hoghton and the
abbot of Whalley ; Croxteth D. O. ii, 7.
Whalley Coucher, ii, 525. The four
oxgangs of land were to be held by knight's
service where gj plough-lands made one
fee.
10 Ibid, ii, 489-90. The grantor de-

some of his villeins to the monks ; ibid,
ii, 522-4. One villein who had been
transferred by Richard's father gave 201.
sterling for a confirmation of the gift, in-
dicating how advantageous it then was to
serTe a religious house, as compared with
a secular lord.
" Blundell of Crosby D. K.. 291. Pas-
ture as for two oxgangs was allowed.

13, m. 142.
'Nothing appears to be known of
Roger, but probably he held the manor
of Stainsby in Derbyshire, parcel of the
Domesday fief of Count Roger of Poitou ;
this had escheated to the lord of the

Blundell ; the charters gave the mill with
all its appurtenances, as well in corn as in
fish, and forbade his heirs to make any
pool or device for catching fish which
might injure the rights of the monks.
The latter might remove the mill to a

and the ' citizen of York ' is called Robert
de Preston. If Gervase de Pencebech
were the same as Gervase de Ince, the
daughter Amarica must be the Amabil of
the Whalley Coucher.
Add. MS. 32106, n. 577 ; Gilbert the

Com.), I 7 b ; Farrer, Lane,. Fife R. 20-21.
Ibid. 377 ; Tram. tfirf. S. xxxii, 183.
7 hij. and Extents, j ; strictly the ser-
yice was the proportion due from 3^
plough-lands where ten constituted a fee ;
but it was more conveniently called the
third part ; ibid. 147.

land for the mill-pool. In return they
were to pray for the souls of himself, his
wife Agnes, and his ancestors and suc-
cessors. The grants were confirmed by
William le Boteler ; ibid, ii, 494.
11 Ibid, ii, 490, 492. This land lay
within the ditch of Little Crosby on the
south, following it northward to the pool

and common of pasture were included.
18 T. E. Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 91,
quoting an Ince Blundell charter. The
author had access to these charters, of
which a few have been printed in Trans..
Hist. Soc. ixxii-iv. By one of them
Richard Blundell granted to Hugh son of
Alan de Ainsdale a messuage on the Alt ;

in Amounderness of the baron of Kendal ;
probably in right of his mother ; ibid. 3 ;
Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 526.

Alt, and following the Alt to the sea i.e.
the tract within which Alt Grange ii
situated with common of pasture of the

an oxgang of land in Ince to Benedict son
of Simon; ibid, xzxii, 190, 189.
Rose, as widow of Richard Blundell,

1212 and 1237 ; Inq. and Extents, 2 j
Lanes. Pipe R. 420 ; Lana. Lay Subs. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 12,40,41,49 ; in
the last case his name is struck through,
and Adam de Bury substituted.
<> Wholly Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 497 ;
this charter of Henry, son of Warin de

cows, and rights of turbary and housebote.
" Ibid, ii, 527.
18 Inq. and Extents, 147. His name
occurs as witnessing charters ; e.g. ibid. 20.
" Whalley Coucher, ii, 494, 498. At
the same time he enlarged the monks-
right of pasturage and gave up his right

right in the lands he had given them, as
also in the land and pasture which he had,
given to his daughter Amarica on her mar-
riage with Gervase dc Ince ; they were to
pay her a mark of silver yearly, half at
Christmas and half at Halton fair j
Whalley Coucber, ii, 501.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

He died before 1265, and was succeeded by his
grandson William son of John Blundell, a minor, as
to whose custody there was a dispute between Sir
William le Boteler and Robert de Ferrers, earl
of Derby. 1 John had a brother Robert, called
<Goch."

William Blundell confirmed his ancestors' grants to
Stanlaw, and added something on his own account ; s
and at the same time came to an agreement with the
monks as to certain approvements within the common
pasture, where their rights had been restricted, and
allowed them convenient access to the carr adjoining
Thornton. 4 On the other hand he gave them serious
cause of complaint by erecting a windmill to which
he caused his tenants to take their corn to be ground,

to the loss of the abbey's mill ; the monks accordingly
summoned the tenants, and secured an acknowledge-
ment of suit to their mill for all corn to the sixteenth
measure. William Blundell made amends by grant-
ing the windmill to the monks, and allowing them to
enlarge and improve the site. 5 He died in or before
1293.'

He was succeeded by his son William, who died
about the end of the reign of Edward II, his widow
Agnes appearing as plaintiff in 1331'; and a little later
she and her son William exchanged certain lands in
Ince. 8 It is difficult to decide if the younger William
here mentioned was the husband of Joan de Haydock. 9
Probably he was ; if so, he was succeeded by his
brothers Henry and John. 10 In the latter's time the

1 T. E. Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 93 ;
Jordan de Derby, on behalf of the earl,
afterwards resigned his right in the ward-
ship of the heirs of John Blundell of
Ince to William le Boteler ; Trans. Hist.
Sac. xxxiii, 266. As the earl's estates
were forfeited in 1266 through his parti-
cipation in the rebellion of Simon de
Montfort, a limit is afforded for this claim
of wardship.
> Richard Blundell granted to his son
Robert one plough-land at a rent of 51. ;
Croxteth D. O. ii, I. Robert Goch
quitclaimed to the monks of Stanlaw all
the land which his father Richard had

giving four marks and the above piece of
meadow.
'Ibid, ii, 509-11. William retained
the liberty of grinding his own corn either
at the windmill or the water-mill ; the
monks gave him 10 marks of silver.
Another of his charters, to William
son of Wmyr of the Moorhouses, is in
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 253. Two
others, to Matthew de Molyneux and to
Richard Flock, are printed in Trans. Hiit.
Sac. xxxiii, 267.
From Margery widow of Gilbert de
Greenoll he received a grant of four acres ;
ibid.

Agnes late wife of William Blundell of
Ince, and others, who brought an assize
of novel disseisin against Robert dc
Bebington and Beatrix his wife, did not
prosecute ; Assize R. 1424, m. II.
William Blundell in 1344 enfeoffed
Henry de Solihull, chaplain, of his manor
of Ince, and was re-enfeoffed the follow-
ing year, having married Joan, daughter
of Matthew de Haydock ; Gibson, Lydiate
Hall, 96. In 1343 a lease had been
granted to Henry, son of William Blun-
dell of Ince, with remainder to John, the
brother of Henry, and to Emma, Almeria,
and Joan, their sisters ; ibid. The pedi-

Cauchtr, ii, 503. Jordan de Derby was a
witness to this charter.
As Robert son of Richard Blundell he
quitclaimed to William Blundell, 'my
lord and lord of Ince,' all his right in
lands near the Cow Holme ; Tram. Hist.
Sac. xxxiii, 266. Margaret widow of
Robert Blundell was a plaintiff in 1283;
De Bane. R. 51, m. 72.

appeared in support of the abbot of Stan-
law, from whom certain land in Ince was
claimed by Adam son of Robert de
Thornton, Adam asserting that his grand-
father, Robert son of Gilbert de Thorn-
ton, had been disseised by a former William
Blundell ; this claim was adjudged false ;
Assize R. 408, m. 27 d. William Blun-
dell was at the same time a plaintiff

deeds, gives as father of the William who
married Joan, William whose wife was
Ellen ; this is probably a confusion with
the William and Ellen recorded above ;
Visit, of 1613 (Chcs. Soc.), 76.
William Blundell and Joan his wife
were defendants in 1 35 1, 1352, and i 355 ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. I, m. ij (Ut) ;
R. 2, m. iij ; R. 4, m. 116. William

married John de Meols, and was living a
widow in 1 3 1 1 . John son of William de
Meols and Margery his wife claimed lands
in Ince in 1292 from Henry Blundell and
Henry de Greenoll ; Assize R. 408, m.
60 d. For notices of deeds by John and
Margery, see Lydiate Hall, 95. In 1318
Peter son of Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton purchased from her an oxgang and
land in Ince ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 31.

In the following year 'his widow Ellen,
in conjunction with Richard de Molyneux
of Sefton and another, covenanted to hold
Sir William le Boteler harmless for
damages or losses in regard to wardship,
&c.' ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 95.
7 William Blundell was witness to an
agreement as to Eggergarth Mill in 1298 ;
ibid. 44.
In 1315 William Blundell enfeoffed
Adam dc Ruycroft, vicar of Huyton, of

claims for money due made by Sir John
de Molyneux in 1357 and 1358 ; ibid.
R. 6, m. 6 ; Assize R. 438, m. 18. In
1350 a violent assault with intent to
murder was made upon him in Sefton ;
Assize R. 443, m. 7. He was witness to
a charter made in 1361 ; Blundell of
Crosby D. K. 266.
10 John de Kenyon, chaplain, in 1366
granted to Joan widow of William Blun-
dell the manor of Ince, with houses,
gardens, orchards, the holt adjoining the

Hugh land in the Moorhouses in Ince,

and his daughters Emma, Maud, and

to Henry Blundell, brother and heir of

father bought from Richard Blundell,
then lord of Ince ' 5 and William son of
Hugh de Meols received the same lands

a squirrel munching, with the legend
his W charters V ibid. L ' '

of Wiiliam son of Adam de Liverpool ;
Trans. Hist. Sac. xxxii, 194; see also
Kuerden, iii, i, n. 312. William Blun-

Ince; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 202,
K.. 293-
The Goch plough-land probably came
into the hands of the Ballard family.
Wballey Caucber, ii, 503-4. Here
he describes himself as son of John
Blundell, and speaks of his grandfather
Richard Blundell, son of Sir William.
His own gift was a piece of meadow in
Ince Marsh, around which Roger de
Upton, formerly granger of the abbey,
had made a ditch ; it was confirmed by
the superior lord, William le Boteler;
ibid. 505. Confirmations were in 1283
secured from the king, who was at
Aberconway in Snowdon, and from his
brother Edmund, earl of Lancaster ; ibid.

dell, in 1331 claimed dower in lands held
by John the Harper, Gilbert del Wolfall,
and Peter de Molyneux ; her claim was
prosecuted in the next year against the
two former defendants, and as they did
not appear, she succeeded ; De Bane. R.
287, m. 178 </. ; 292, m. 66 d.
In the same year (1331) William son
of William Blundell was defendant in a
case concerning lands in Ince ; Assize R.
1404, m. 27.
8 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 96 ; details are
given.
In the same year he allowed turbary on
any common moss of Ince to William,
son of Simon, son of Henry ; and in
1337 he granted to John de Derbyshire

charter in 1351 granting land to William
de Liverpool, clerk ; Blundell of Crosby
D. K.. 157.
Henry Blundell held the manor for but
a few years, dying in or before 1370,

John de Haydock and Henry de Chather-
ton, no doubt concerning the marriage of
[Catherine, the widow, with John de
Chatherton, or Chaderton ; the deeds of
1315, 1344, and 1 345, already mentioned,
touching the succession and marriage of
William Blundell, are recited in it;
Croxteth D. O. ii, 17.
He was succeeded by his brother John,
who early in 1374 made an enfeoffment
of Ince ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 97.

* Ibid, ii, 507. The monks had begun
an action, but friends intervening an
agreement was made, William Blundell

son of William Bimmeson, with his lands
in Ince ; ibid.
In 1337 also William Blundell of Ince,

ness to a charter; Blundell of Crosby
D. K. 292. The next year he settled
10 a year on John son of Henry de

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

township became known as Ince ' Blundell ' to dis-
tinguish it from Ince near Wigan.

John Blundell was still living in 1400.' His son
William about 1387 married Isabel daughter of
William de Beconsaw ; ' and William, their son, was
contracted in marriage, as early as 1389-90, with
Alice, daughter of Nicholas Blundell of Little Crosby; '
further settlements appear to have been made in
1402.' The younger William died about 1450,
and was succeeded by his son, another William, 5 who
had a son and heir Robert. In 1463 a contest arose
between William Blundell and Richard Ballard, one
of the free tenants of Ince, concerning the division of
the waste. The latter's supporters invaded the dis-
puted land and carried off Blundell's cattle which they
found there ; and though an arbitration resulted in
favour of Blundell, the other side gave trouble for
some years. 6

At the beginning of 1479 it was agreed between
Thomas Molyneux of Sefton and William, son and
heir of Robert Blundell, that the former should not
enclose Ince Marsh, nor any part of it, until the death
of William Blundell, father of Robert ; and that then

SEFTON

the two parties should show their evidence to counsel,
and abide by their decision. 7 William Blundell the son
of Robert, in December, 1504, paid 33/. \d. as relief
to the lord of Warrington and promised to do homage,
but died before this engagement 8 could be fulfilled.
On 12 August, 1505, his son and heir Robert did
homage at Warrington in the Friars' house, and in
the following May paid his relief. 9 On his death,
six years later, 10 the Butlers took vigorous action to
secure their right of wardship over his son and heir
James, who was seized by William Molyneux of Sefton
and detained, in defiance of the jury's finding, for
some years, until, in fact, a writ was issued at Lan-
caster for the arrest of William Molyneux, with a
threat of outlawry. Then James was surrendered to
Sir Peter Legh, knight and priest, and by him de-
livered to Sir Thomas Butler at Bewsey in February,

James Blundell lived till about 1541 ;" his eldest
son William succeeded him and survived about six
years, when, dying childless, his brother Robert, then
a minor, followed. 11 Robert, having seen all the
changes of the time, was living in 1585, in which

Chatherton, and Katherine his wife ; this
arrangement was completed in 1379 ;
Lydiatc Hall, 97 ; Final Cone, ii, 1 88.
Henry de Chatherton, bailiff of the
wapentake, was in 1374 charged with a
multitude of offences; among others,
that he had endeavoured to disinherit
John Blundell. He had purchased the
reversionary rights of John's sister Emma
(who was married and had a son Richard) ;
and his explanation that he had done so
in order to secure his daughter-in-law's
income not being accepted, he was found
guilty ; Coram Rege R. 454, m. 1 3.
1 John Blundell is mentioned in various
ways down to 1401-2; Lydiate Hall,

John lived till 1401, it seems unlikely
that his son William lived till 1450;
more probably this was his grandson, who
was born before 1390.
William Blundell in 1445 enfeoffed Sir
Thomas Stanley and Henry Blundell (of
Crosby) of his manor of Ince ; Croxteth
D. 0. ii, 21.

made by which Robert son of William
Blundell was to marry Elizabeth, sister of
Thomas and Henry Dawn ; William
Blundell, grandfather of Robert, was a
party to this ; Tram. Hist. Soc. xxxiv, 135.
The elder William died before 1451,
when William Blundell of Ince conveyed

heir, and thirty-four years of age ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, n. 65. He had also
a burgage in Liverpool ; Gibson, Lydiatc
Hall, 102.
Af/K. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 16.
In the same year he made a settlement
in favour of his wife, Elizabeth, daughter
of Roger Molyneux ; others followed in
1508 and 1511 ; Gibson, op. cit. 103-4.
He also granted lands to his brother
Thomas for life, in 1509; ibid. 103.
This Thomas married a Ballard, showing
probably some appeasement of the family
quarrels, and became ancestor of the
Blundells of Cardington, one of whom

Kuerden MSS. iii. i, nn. 319, 673.
In 1375 the sheriff was ordered to
arrest and imprison John Blundell of
Ince until he paid a debt of 200 due to
Thomas de Molyneux of Cuerdale, John,
however, was not to be found within the
county and therefore his property was
seized, a full description being recorded.
He had the manor and manor-house, with
chapel, barns, &c. ; orchards, arable land,
meadow, and pasture (in Flick Moor),
cattle and sheep, rents of the tenants and
tenants at will, &c. .The outgoings

his wife, various lands at Ince ; Gibson,
Lydiate Hall, 99. Two years after this
an award was made between William
Blundell and Katherine, widow of his
father William, the arbitrator being Sir
Thomas Stanley ; Trans. Hist. Sue. xxxiv,
140.
In 1461, Roger Sherdes and his wife
Alice, daughter of William Blundell,
released to William Blundell and his wife
Agnes all claims ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall,
100. Early in the following year a
marriage was arranged by Robert Blundell

1613 (Chet. Soc.), 77; y u \t. of Beds.
(Harl. Soc.), 161 ; G.E.C. Complete
Peerage, i, 365 ; G.E.C. Complete Baronet-
age, i, 224.
1 Robert Blundell died 28 Dec. 1511,
James, his son and heir, being eight years
of age in Sept. 1517; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. iv, n, 17.
The inquisition recites the feoffment
of 1511, which was made for the purposes
of his will, directing dower to be given to
Elizabeth his wife, lands of 401. a year
value to his younger son William for life;

chief lord for the manor, 10 a year
to John de Chatherton and Katherine
his wife ; 2 marks a year to Henry Blun-
dell of Crosby, &c. The sheriff delivered
the lands, &c. to Thomas de Molyneux ;
De Bane. R. 460, m. 323.
There followed some suits by Thomas ;
De Bane. R. 461, m. 41, &c.
1 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 98.
3 The feoffees, who included John de
Beconsaw, granted to John Blundell of
Ince all the lands they had had by his
gift, with remainder to William his son
and his heirs by Isabel his wife, and to
William, son and heir of the said William,
and Alice, daughter of Nicholas Blundell ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 143.
4 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 98 ; the
feoffees named are the same as those in
the deed last cited.
* A step in the pedigree has been

dell and Joan Asshaw, their children ;
William Blundell, the father of Robert,
is also mentioned ; Trans. Hist. Soc.

X * Gibson, Lydiate Ha/1, p. 100.
7 Croxteth D. O. i, 8 ; it would appear
from this that William Blundell was very
old, and incapable of business, and that
Robert Blundell was dead.
In 1484 William Blundell arranged for
the dower of Agnes, his grandfather's
widow ; four years later he arranged for
the marriage of his daughter Mary with
Thomas, son and heir of John, son of
Richard Singleton of Inglewhite ; Gibson,
Lydiate Hall, 101.
*Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 16.
William Blundell died 18 June, 1505,
holding Ince Blundell of Sir Thomas
Boteler by knight's service, viz. by the

Jane, Margery, Grace, and Ellen ; his

11 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 30-2 ; also Gibson, op. cit. 104.
i 2 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, n. 18 ;
no change is shown in the estates ; Wil-
liam, the son and heir, was thirteen years
of age.
The inventory is printed in Lydiate
Hall, 105-6 ; the manor-house had a hall,
a parlour, a little parlour (both used as
bedrooms), a higher chamber, a new
chamber, and perhaps other rooms not

13 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, n. ^9 ;
Robert Blundell, brother and heir, was
over eighteen years of age in 1 547. The
heir, on I 5 Jan. 1 549 -50, i.e. soon after
he came of age, was called upon to fulfil
covenants made by his father for the
marriage of William Blundell and Eliza-

Williams, instead of the two in the pedi-
gree in Lydiate Halt, 84. As John
Blundell's father died about 1330 and

with lid. for suit at court; the clear
value was 10. He also held land in
Lydiate; Robert Blundell was his next
8l

Molyneux, who had taken a second
husband, Edward Holme ; Croxteth D. O.
ii, 28. In 1550 a settlement was made
II

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

year he was required, as a recusant, to provide a
horseman equipped for the queen's service or pay .24
as an alternative. 1 His son, another Robert, was a
temporizer, sheltering the missionary priests, and yet
attending the statutory services in order to escape the
heavy penalties by which they were made effective.'
His wife was a convicted recusant." He in 1596-7
secured a commutation of the tenure of the manor
from knight's service to free socage, paying id. yearly
as acknowledgement and doing fealty to the lord of
Warrington. 4 He died at Preston, 22 March,
1615-6, leaving a son and heir, Robert, aged forty
years. 6

This Robert, a lawyer of some eminence in
London, had been a Protestant, 8 but returned to the
Roman Catholic faith, and like other recusants took
the royal side in the Civil War, his sons being in arms
at Preston. Consequently his lands were raided and
seized by the Parliament, his wife being left without
support for herself and children.' At last he was able
to obtain a lease of his estate and afterwards to
repurchase it. 8 In his more prosperous days he had
greatly added to the family estates, purchasing the
manors of Birkdale, Meandale, and Ainsdale, and
Renacres in Halsall ; purchases which in the latter
half of the seventeenth century gave rise to a long
dispute between the Blundell and Gerard families. 9

He died in January, 1656-7, and was succeeded by

his son Henry, who as a known recusant thought it well
to retire to Ireland during the excitement roused by
Titus Gates ; his tenants took advantage of the diffi-
culty by withholding rents and other dues. 10 He died
in 1687, being followed by his son, another Henry,
frequently mentioned in the diary of Nicholas Blun-
dell of Little Crosby." His son and heir Robert
married Catherine daughter of Sir Rowland Stanley of
Hooton ; from which marriage resulted the possession
of this manor by the present lord, who is the great-
grandson of Thomas Weld of Lulworth, by his wife
Mary Stanley, a grandniece of Catherine." Like his
father, Robert Blundell was threatened with a prose-
cution for recusancy, the effect, it would seem, of
personal ill-will. 13 He obtained possession of the
Lydiate estate in 1760," and soon afterwards retired
to Liverpool, where he died in 1773."

He had given Ince to his son Henry as a residence.
This son distinguished himself as a philanthropist and
connoisseur. 16 His life was embittered by a quarrel
with his son, largely owing to the latter's refusal to
marry. Henry Blundell thereupon endowed his
daughters with a liberal portion of his estates. 17 The
son, Charles Robert, resenting this action, bequeathed
the manors of Ince, Lydiate, Birkdale, and Ainsdale,
and other estates to a relative by his grandmother, as
already stated. He chose as his heir Thomas, the
second son of Joseph Weld, who was the son of

by fine ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.

living and lands;' ibid. p. in (quoting

of Comp. iv, 3047. The manor and

14, m. 324.

S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxv). Many of those

lands were repurchased through William

Accounts of various settlements are

who conformed outwardly under the Eliza-

West, the lawyer of Robert Blundell ;

given in Lydiate Hall, 107 ; where also

bethan persecution refused in the somewhat

Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 119-20. The sale

may be seen the account of his killing, in

milder Stuart times, but this does not

took place under the Act of 1652 for the

his own defence, one Richard Buck of

seem to have been the case with Robert

benefit of the navy ; Index of Royalists

Sefton, for which he obtained the royal

Blundell, for in his will he directed that

(Index Soc.), 30.

pardon; 108-9.

he should be buried at Sefton 'in the

'See Lydiau Hall, 114-16; also the

Pedigrees are recorded in 1567, 1613,

usual place where my ancestors have been

accounts of Halsall and Birkdale.

and 1664; they are printed in the

buried, that is to say, under or near the

10 Ibid. p. 125.

Chetham Society's editions of the Visita-

form where I usually do sit, standing in

Henry Blundell in 1666 paid the tax

tions 1567, p. 114; 1613, pp. 76, 77 ;

the north aisle of the said church' ; ibid.

for sixteen hearths ; Lay Subs. Lane..

and 1664, pp. 38, 39 ; also Misc. Gen.

IIJ.

250/9. He and John Leathwaite of Ince

and Her. \, 66 (1613).

Robert Blundell was plaintiff or de-

Blundell were indicted as recusants in

The change of arms in 1613 should

fendant in numerous suits in the latter

1678 ; Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.).

be noticed ; Tram. Hist. Soc, (New Sen),

part of Elizabeth's reign ; Ducatus Lane.

110.

vi, 363 ; Pal. Note Book, \, 57, 109 ;
iv, 26.

(Rec. Com.), iii, 184, &c.
3 Ibid. 247 (quoting S.P. Dom. Eliz.

11 Lyd. Hall, 127. N. Blundell records :
1 6 May, 1708 'Mr. Plumbe sent an

1 Lydiate Hall 109, 231 (S.P. Dom.

ccxxxv, n. 4).

Eliz. clxxxiii,n. 61), 227 (ibid, clxxv, n. 21).

<Ibid. in.

information made against Mr. mun'dello"

He gave shelter to B. Lawrence Johnson,
and sent one of his sons to Douay ;

' Lanes. Inj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 27. This shows the change of

Ince, by Parson Ellison [of Formby]. 1
went to Ince to acquaint Mr. Blundel

Gillow, Bibl. Diet. Engl. Cath. iii, 637.

tenure, as stated in the text. Besides the

therewith ; ' and on 26 July : ' I went t(

"In 1590 he was classed with those

manor of Ince and lands in Liverpool and

Ormskirk sessions, where Mr. Molyneuj

' in some degree of conformity, yet in

Little Crosby he had had lands in Broughton,

of Bold, Mr. Trafford, Mr. Harrington,

general note of evil affection in religion,

in Amounderness and Preston ; also, per-

I, &c. compounded to prevent conviction

non-communicants' ; Gibson, op. cit., 245

haps as trustee for his daughter, the manor

We appeared in court before Sir Thoma:

(quoting S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, n. 4).

called The Hall of Garrett in Tyldesley.

Stanley, Dr. Norris, and Mr. Case, al

In the following year Thomas Blundell
released to Robert, son and heir of Robert
Blundell of Ince, his cottage, hempyard,

8 This is stated by John Blundell, who
for about a year studied at the English
College in Rome, after being educated at

justices of the peace. We Catholics tha-
got off our convictions dined all togethe
at Richard Wood's ... and [later

and land for a term of loo years for a

home and at St. Omer's : ' I was baptized

drank punch with Sir Thomas Stanley ;

a paper reciting that the grant was meant
for the father, although the son's name

. . . my parents and relations . . . have
suffered great losses on account of their

^ a i r i\ 6 Md'. ^'^
1" Ormerod, Chet. (ed. Helsby), ii, 416 :

was used ; and should the queen seize

professing the Catholic .faith. They were

Foster, Lanes. Pedigrees.

two-thirds of the rent Thomas Blundell

formerly Protestants, but since their con-

is Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 130.

would indemnify Robert an evasion of

version have been constant in the faith.

14 Ibid. 171 ; see also the account o'

the statute of 1587, by which two-thirds

I have brothers and sisters, and was always

Lydiate.

of a recusant's property was sequestrated ;
p. no. In 1592 George Dingley, a priest

a Catholic ; ' Foley, Rec. S.J. i, 246 ;
vi, 397-

"Ibid. 133. For a recovery of the
manors of Ince Blundell, Formby, Aim

who had become a government informer,

1 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 118; Civil

dale, and Birkdale by Henry Blundell, the-

stated that Robert Blundell of Ince ' kept

War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 75! Royalist

son, see Com. Pleas Recov. R. Trin. 3 -,

sundry years a recusant schoolmaster, that
is a seminary priest named Gardiner' ; and

Comp. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 199-200.

& 34 Geo. 11, m. 45.
16 See Diet. Nat. Bhg. He died 28 Au f .

had 'lodged in his house and relieved since

His house at Preston seems to have

1810. An engraving of his monument

the last statute of 27 (Eliz.) ' not only

been utilized as a prison by the Parlia-

in Sefton church is given in Gregsor,

James Gardiner but the informant him-
elf ; he adds the significant hint : ' This

mentarians in 1644; Lana. War (Chet.
Soc.), 49.

Fragments (ed. Harland), 222.
V Gibson, op. cit. 134. TheAnderton

Blundell ii of good wealth and competent

8 Royalist Comp. P. i, 201; Col. Com.

and Heaton estates were those alienated.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Thomas Weld and Mary his wife ; a lawsuit followed,
owing to his custom of calling Joseph Weld, Edward. 1
This error appeared in the will, but the intention
being clear Thomas Weld obtained possession of the
estates, assuming the additional surname of Blundell.
Dying in 1887 he was succeeded by his son Mr.
Charles Joseph Weld-Blundell, the present lord of the
manor.

Two early lists of the free tenants have been pre-
served. 1 The principal tenants were the Ballards,'
who in the end established their claim to a third of
the manor. 4 The inheritance had about 1560 come
to two daughters of Richard Ballard, named Cecily and
Dorothy, who had married respectively Richard

SEFTON

Thome and Thomas Massingberd. Cecily sold
her moiety to Sir Richard Molyneux of Sefton, 4 and
Dorothy hers to William Blundell, 6 whose son
Thomas sold to Sir Richard Molyneux, grandson of
the last-named Sir Richard. 7

The Molyneux family had already possessed an
interest in the township, 8 and on the suppression
of Whalley Abbey 9 and the confiscation of its lands in
1537, Richard Molyneux purchased ALT GRANGE
from Thomas Holt, to whom it had been granted by
Henry VIII. 10 This portion of Ince still remains in
the possession of the earl of Sefton. With regard to
other lands an exchange was effected with Henry
Blundell in 1772."

1 Gibson, op. cit. 136-44, where the

together with his lands and mill in Thorn-

A certain John Molyneux and Katherine

of the subsequent disputes.

ard ; ibid. 0. ii, 14-16. In 1417 Tho-

Downholland, Lydiate, Ince Blundell and

that leases should be given of their hold-
ings at half the current rent ; but his

John Totty and another of his lands;
ibid. 0. ii, 20. There does not seem to

ibid. Genl. i, 53, 54.
The lands of Sir William Molyneux in
1548 were stated to be held of the heirs

ibid, xxviii.
"In 1283 they were William Knott,

Aughtons, but their lands, as will be seen,
were acquired by Molyneux of Sefton.

of James Blundell in socage by a rent of
2J. 9</.; twenty years later they had

Peter de Leylandshire, Robert de Pekko,
Robert the Chanon, Alan his brother, and

from William Blundell and Joan his wife ;
the agreement stated that Thomas Ballard

the Blundells, though no rent was pay-
able ; in 1623 the tenure was unknown ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, n. 2 ; xiii,

ii, 51 1. Some of these occur in adjacent
townships ; the last-named was Simon, son
of Adam de Lunt, defendant in a fishery
case in 1292 ; Assize R. 408, m. 43.
For 1344 a fuller list has been pre-
erved ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 96.
This name occurs also in Litherland
and Little Crosby. Robert Ballardson
contributed to the subsidy of 1332 ; Excb.
Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.},
8. In the previous year Maud, widow of
William Ballard, had been plaintiff in an
Ince Blundell suit ; Assize R. 1404, m.
27. In a similar suit Robert Ballard was
a plaintiff in 1337 ; Assize R. 1424, m.

wagons, and give services with plough and
harrow like William Blundell's other
tenants ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4,m.
1 6. Thomas and William Ballard paid
to the poll tax of 1381 ; Lay Subs. Lanes.
130/24.
Robert, son and heir of Thomas Bal-
lard of Ince, quitclaimed to Sir John de
Bold in 1409-10 all rights to the land in
Bold he had by his father and his mother
Emma ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 2O2, n. 67.
The dispute between the Ballards and
Blundells which began in 1463 has been
mentioned in the text.
4 In 1 505 Robert Ballard secured a right

and Ches.), iii, 389.
The monks' official in charge was
called the 'Granger of Alt' in 1283;
Wbattcy Coucber, ii, 505. The mill was
held by a miller whose right descended to
his sons ; Alexander, the miller of Alt,
gave his son Thomas certain property, in-
cluding a third part of the mill, some-
time before 1250 ; Simon, son of Alexan-
der, released to the monks his third part
of the mill held by his father by hereditary
right, the monks having paid him 100,.;
and for 201. they purchased from the
widow her dower right ; ibid, ii, 495-7.
But little occurs to show the con-

I 9 6A, n. 33.
In 1351 Emma, widow of Robert Bal-

neux of Sefton ; Croxteth D. O. i, 1-3.
6 In 1562 Richard Thorne and Cecily

William Blundell of Ince and others for
money owing; De Bane. R. 352, m.

Lawrence Nowell and [Catherine his wife
in a plea of novel disseisin brought against
William Blundell touching tenements in
Ince. The plaintiffs did not prosecute
nd were non-suited, their pledges being
John and William Ballard ; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. I, m. ij. Richard de

manor of Ince Blundell, with lands, mills,
&c., there and in the Moorhouses, North
End, Melling, the Old Marsh, the Low
Marsh, the Elcom acre, and Black carr ;
ibid. O. i, 4, 5, 7 ; also Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 24, m. 191.
Thomas Massingberd and Dorothy

standing the liberty of Henry, earl of
Lancaster ; Henry Blundell and John his

ibid. R. 364, m. 91.
In 1366 JohnAmerison was charged
by the abbot with waste of lands in Ince ;
De Bane. R. 424, m. 279.

of John de Clough, in 1357 sold their
lands to Richard de Sefton ; and shortly
afterwards Lawrence Nowell and Kather-
ine his wife (perhaps another daughter)
old to the same purchaser all the lands
descending to Katherine on the death of

ard Ballard, in 1569 sold this half; Crox-
teth D. O. i, 9 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 33, m. 138.
7 Thomas, son and heir of William
Blundell, sold to Sir Richard Molyneux
in 1579 i an d at tne same time an agree-

Blundell proceeded against John, abbot of
Whalley, for damage in Little Crosby and
Ince caused by a flood, which he alleged
to be due to the abbot's neglect to repair
a ditch ; the abbot replied that the water
running by the ditch was the Alt flowing

Three years later William Blundell of
Ince released all his right in the lands
formerly held of him by John de Clough
by knight's service and a rent of 21. gd.,
and 7 Jrf. for relief; the new possessor
was Richard de Aughton ; ibid. O. ii, 12.
There are other notices of these transac-
tions in Final Cone, ii, 155; Dcf.
Keeper'! Rep. xxxii, App. 337 ; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. 6, m. 3.
Thomas Ballard in 1344 bought land
of Robert son of Collt of Ince ; and this
he sold, as bought of Robert Floke.tothe
tame Richard de Aughton in 1364;
Croxteth D. O. ii, 8,13. A few years
later Richard de Aughton made a settle-
ment of the lands he had acquired in Ince,

tween Sir Richard and Robert Blundell
of Ince; ibid. O. i, n, 10.
This appears to be the ' manor of North
End ' named in the later Molyneux in-
quisitions, &c.
8 By a charter of about 1260 William
de Molyneux, son of Adam, granted to
Richard Flock a messuage and lands in
Ince Marsh, which had descended to the
grantor after the death of Richard his
brother; Tram. Hist. Soc. xxxiii, 266.
This charter is similar to that given in
the Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 1 2, m. 27 b,
quoted below.
Lands in Ince are mentioned among
the possessions of Richard de Molyneux
in 1361 ; Croxteth D. Genl. i, 35.

that he was under no special obligation to
repair it; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 3,
m. 20*.
The abbot made a claim for common
of pasture about 1 500 ; Ducatus Lane.
(Rec. Com.), i, 124.
10 The grant of Alt Grange to Thomas
Holt was by letters patent dated i Aug.
1543, a rent of 4 10.. oj^. being
reserved to the crown, and he sold it in
the following November to Richard, son
and heir apparent of Sir William Moly-
neux ; Croxteth D. X. ii, I, 2, 5 ; Pat.
35 Hen. VIII, pt. iv. The tenant's
name was Moorcroft.
" The list of the lands exchanged ii
printed in the Sefton Attract of Titlt.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Alt Grange became the seat of a younger branch of
the Molyneux family, who also had a house in West
Derby, known as the New Hall, and eventually
succeeded to the manor of Huyton ; they are now

SKL. Perfess potent

azure, three wolves' headt
erased counterchanged.

represented by Mr. Edward Richard Thomas Moly-
neux-Seel. The first of them was John, a younger
son of Sir Richard Molyneux, the purchaser ; l he
was succeeded by his son Richard* and his grand-

son John. The latter's estates were sequestered by
the Parliament for his recusancy and delinquency,
and though he died early in 1649* his widow was
still petitioning in 1655.* The eldest son Richard 1
married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Harrington oi
Huyton Hey, and was in turn succeeded by his son '
and grandson, each named Richard ; the last-named :
succeeded to Huyton in right of his grandmother
Elizabeth, on the death of her nephew Charles
Harrington in 1720.* This Richard, buried at
Sefton early in 1735,' had a son Richard, who dice
a fortnight after his father, 10 and a daughter Frances,
whose marriage with Thomas Seel carried th
estates to this family. 11 The connexion with All
Grange seems to have ceased before her brother'.'
death."

Of the other free tenants the most notable wen
the Blanchards. 1 * Part of the property of the Moor-
houses seems to have been sold to Henry Blundell o
Little Crosby. 14 In 1 444 there was a contest betweer
John Coldokes and Ellen his wife and Richard John
son of Little Crosby concerning land in Ince, whicl
has points of interest."

if,/. of 1567 (Chet. Soc.), 104;
and Visit, of 1664. (Chet. Soc.), 203
Molyneux of New Hall.

'' Mentioned Royalist Comp. P. iv, 147.
In a deed of 1632 he is described as of
Alt Grange, brother and heir of John
Molyneux, deceased.

Ibid. 145-8. He had in 1634 a
lease of Alt Grange from Lord Molyneux,
at a rent of 4 71. id. He and his wife,
with many others, appear in the Recusant
Roll of 1641 in Ince Blundell; Tram.
Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 237. The

succeeded him, was buried at Sefton,
29 Jan. 1712-13 ; see N. Blundell, Diary,
1 10.

7 He registered his leasehold estate
in Ince as a 'Papist' in 1717; Engl.
Cat/i. Non-jurors, 1 54. He had an elder
brother John living in 1719, who in a
deed of this date mentioned him and his
sisters Mary and Elizabeth, also Mrs.
Elizabeth Molyneux, widow; Piccope
MSS. (Chet. Lib.), iii, 192, from Roll 7
of Geo. I at Preston.

In 1722 John Molyneux, of Alt Grange

Act of 1652; Index of Royalists (Index
Soc.), p. 43. He was buried at Sefton
3 March, 1648-9.
* Royalist Comp. P. loc. cit. ; Cal. Com.
for Comp. iv, 3171-2; the estate had
been discharged in April, 1654, on pay-
ment of a fine of 20.
The house in 1666 had five hearths
taxed ; Lay Subs. Lanes. 250-9.
s He joined with his mother in the
petition concerning the sequestration.
For his age and marriage see ritit. of
1664, p. 203.
His brother, Edward, a secular priest,

daughter of Richard Moore of Heskin ;
ibid, iii, 214, quoting second 5th Roll of
Geo. I.
8 See the account of Huyton.
9 He died at New Hall in West Derby,
and was buried at Sefton 23 Feb.
'734-5-
10 He was buried at Sefton 3 March,
1734-5 ; his will, enrolled at Preston
(second 5th Roll of Geo. II), mentions his
wife Margaret, his mother-in-law Mary
.Hawarden, his brother-in-law Bryan
Hawarden, his uncle Edward, and his
daughter Frances ; Piccope MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), iii, 256.

Towneley 1
Joseph

Diary, 109
Families
occur durin
centuries ;
For othei
bdle. I, m.
"In 13
Moorhouse;
John de A
m. 195 ; ]

Henry Blur

he was found dead on the sands, 28 April,
1704, and was buried in the Harkirk
ground at Little Crosby; N. Blundell,
Diary, p. 2, ; Crosby Rec. (Chet. Soc.),
pp. xxi, 81.

Thomas Molyneux or Wilkinson, S.J.,
is supposed to have been of this family ;
perhaps a brother of Edward. He was a
victim of the Gates persecution, dying in
Morpeth gaol, of poison given by the
physician as it is believed, though it was
given out that he committed suicide ;
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Car*, v, 69 ;
Foley, Rec. S.?. v, 657.

Richard Molyneux was buried at Sefton
7 May, 1686.

An elder son John, born in 1660 and
baptized by Mr. Parr, a secular priest,
after studying at St. Omer's, entered the
English College at Rome in 1679; <he
was always a Catholic and suffered for
his faith ' ; he went by his mother's name
of Harrington ; Foley, Rec. S.J. vi, 429.
He was buried at Sefton 28 Jan. 1692-3,
as 'John Molyneux of West Derby,
gentleman.' His brother Richard, who

relating to this family see Trans. Hist. Soc.
(New Ser.), xi, 99, 100.

11 See the account of Huyton.

12 Richard Lord Molyneux leased Alt

in 1726; Richard Molyneux of Alt
Grange is mentioned ; also his uncle
Edward and his deceased brother John,
and Margaret his wife; Piccope MSS.
iii, 244 (from a roll of Geo. II at
Preston.)

is Richard Blundell between 1249 and
1266 granted to William, son of Swain
Blanchard, two fields in his vill of Ince,
at a rent of I2</.; Blundell of Crosby D.
K. 247.

Gilbert Blanchard occurs in the list of

note. Cn in \ 304' Richfrdrson" of WUUam
Blanchard, complained that Robert, son
of Gilbert Blanchard, William, son of
William Blanchard, and Richard Blundell
had disseised him of his messuage and
land in Ince ; but he failed, as Robert
showed that he entered on one portion,
as heir, after the death of William his

grandfather, and William, son of Willian
Blanchard, by his father's gift ; Assize R
419, m. nd.

Richard Blanchard paid to the subsidy
in 1332; Exch. Lay Subs. 8. Robert,
son of Richard Blanchard, was one of th.
free tenants of 1344; Gibson, Lydiat
Hall, 97. Adam Blanchard was a jure
in 1375; De Bane. R. 460, m. 323.
Robert and Adam Blanchard contribute-
to the poll-tax of 1381 ; Lay Subs. Lanes
130/24.

Huan Blanchard, son and heir of John.
Ince Blundell in 1518 .
ley MS. CC. (Chet. Lib.), . 807.
Joseph Blanchard, of Lady Green,
713, and Richard Blanchar
holder in 1834; N. Blunder,
Gibson, op. cit. 139.
named Orshaw and Dey als .
during the fourteenth and fifteenth
; Croxteth D. O. ii, 18, 22-2^
Pal. of Lane. Feet of I .
dle. 3, m. 9.
dam, son of Robert d<
med certain land fron
John de Ashhurst ; De Bane. R. 45* ,
457, m. md. But fou
he defendant had given t >
l all the lands, &c., he ha i
by the grant of Richard, son of Williai i
del Moorhouses ; and in 1406-7 Isabe
as widow of John de Ashhurst, released a '.
her right in her husband's land t,

Nicholas Blundell of Crosby ; Jtuerde .
fol. MS. 38, n. 436, 432.

"The plaintiffs adduced a chart, r
granted by William de Molyneux (1250
80) to Henry, son of William d I
Moorhouses, of land called Ruholme i i
Ince, which William de Sileby former
held of the gift of Richard Blundell, ar 1
which descended to the grantor after tl _
death of Richard his brother, who h; .1
had the same by the gift of Sir Willia. i
le Boteler. Henry, also known as Hen. /
son of Bimme, had issue Thomas ar 1
Simon ; the former had a son Roger ar 1
grandson Alan, whose daughter and he r
was Ellen, wife of John Coldokes.

On the other side was adduced a cha -
ter by Henry, dated 1302, granting h <
son Simon a moiety of his lands he .i
according to 'the ancient charters' f
William, son of John Blundell ; for th s
gift his sons Simon and Thomas were :o

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The following registered estates as ' Papists ' in
1717 : William Brown of Lostock ; William Davy,
here and at Great Crosby ; Thomas Gore ; Thomas
Rigmaiden ; and Richard Tickle, here and at Altcar. 1
Richard Blundell, of Carr-side, registered a leasehold
house at Altcar. 8

It is probable that the Roman Catholic worship was
maintained here all through the seventeenth century, 3
either at Ince Blundell Hall or at Alt Grange, or both,
but there seems to be no evidence of it until the end
of that period. During the eighteenth century the
Jesuits were in charge. 4 The church of the Holy
Family, built in 1858, is attached to the hall; the
baptismal register dates from 1775.*

LITTLE CROSBY

Crosebi, Dom. Bk. ; Little Crosseby, xiii and xiv
cent. ; Little Crosby, 1405.

This township lies to the north of Great Crosby,
Thornback Pool being the boundary on that side.
Extending along the coast, a wide belt of sand-hills, in
which are rabbit warrens, forms an efficient protection
to the low-lying land from the inroads of the sea.
Some of the inhabitants are fishermen, who reap a
harvest of shrimps, flukes, and cockles from the sea
and broad firm sands.

Excepting those which cluster about Crosby Hall,
there are but few trees or hedges, fields being princi-
pally divided by ditches. The alluvial soil produces
good crops of potatoes and corn, whilst there are also
meadows and pastures. The lower keuper sandstones,
which here represent the geological formation, under-
lie the entire township, but, as elsewhere in the neigh-
bourhood, are obscured by sand and deep boulder
clay, and along the coast by blown sand which
obscures the grey clays of the glacial drift series.

The acreage is 1,81 1. 6 The village, hall and park
are at the southern end of the township ; to the
north are Moorhouse and Hightown, a modern

SEFTON

hamlet ; on the shore near the last-named is a light-
house, built in 1839. The population in 1901
was 563.'

The Liverpool and Southport road passes diagonally
through the township from south to north, roads to
Thornton and Hightown branching off to the east
and north-west. The Lancashire and Yorkshire
Company's line from Liverpool to Southport also
crosses it, with a station at Hightown.

The place was noted for the abundance of fine
laurels. 8

There are six crosses, one being in the village.'
At Harkirk, now within the park, a number of
Anglo-Saxon coins were found in 161 1. 10

The village well having become dry about thirty
years ago has been closed up.

Narrs Croft and Wildings Croft occur among the
field names in 1779.

A local board was formed in 1870 ;" this in 1894.
became an urban district council of six members.

LITTLE CROSBr was in 1066

M4NOR part of the holding of Uctred, and
rated as half a hide." Afterwards it
became part of the Widnes fee, and following the
descent of that lordship passed eventually to the
crown. 13 A subordinate manor was early created
here, held in 1212 by Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton ; l4 and subsequently it was granted as a depen-
dent manor to a junior branch of the family.

The first of this line was Roger de Molyneux, son
of Adam and grandson of the above-named Richard."
About 1266 Robert Blundell demanded from this
Roger an acquittance of the services which Alice de
Lacy, lady of Halton, in right of her dower required
from him, which Roger as mesne lord ought to
perform. 16

About 1287 Roger was succeeded by his son
Richard, who held Little Crosby, Speke, an da moiety
of Rainhill for nearly forty years." He married
Beatrice, apparently daughter and heir of Adam de

keep him in food and clothing for the

dictine was in charge from ,826 to ,865 ;

Soc.), p. 24, Richard de Molyneux of

ingly descended to his son William and
grandson Thomas, and so to Emma, wife

according to the Census of 1901. In

to the court at Widnes.

of Richard Johnson of Little Crosby,

addition there are n acres of tidal water,

In addition to the mesne lordship the

whose son John was joined as defendant ;

and 1,322 of foreshore.

Molyneuxes of Sefton formerly held land

Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 6, m. 26 ; R. 12,

7 There were 20 officials and 114 boys

in Little Crosby. Part had been acquired

m. 27 b.

in the truant school at Hightown, belong-

in various ways from William son of

A Thomas Coldoke was living here in

ing to the Liverpool education authority.

Adam de Crosby and Ellen, Adam's wife ;

1595 ; Ducatus Lane, iii, 332.

8 Gregson, Fragment! (ed. Harland), 224.

Croxteth D. E. i, i ; ii, 4 ; and another

William, son of Richard Bimmeson,

Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Sac. xix, 180-3

part by Dame Anne Molyneux in 1489

claimed lands in Ince in 1342; Assize

and 178. Some of them arc funeral

from Gilbert Thomasson ; ibid. E. i, 2.

R. 1435, m. 48.

crosses.

15 Roger was brother of William son

1 Eng. Cath. Non-jurors, 108, 122, 126,
148. One of Richard Tickle's daughters

10 An impression of the plate showing
these coins, engraved for Spelman's Life

of Adam de Molyneux ; Croxteth D.
Genl. n. 2 ; Norris D. (B. M.) n. 480*.

had married Richard Molyneux of Alt

of Alfred, may be seen in Crosby Rec.

He had half of Speke, and in 1256 in

Grange, and their sons John and Richard

(Chet. Soc. New Sen), and Trans. Lanes.

right of his wife Agnes half of Rainhill ;

are mentioned.

and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 219.

see Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

3 Ibid. 1 12. The Blundells of Carr-
side were a junior branch of the Ince

11 Land. Gaz. 26 July, 1870.
" f.C.H. Lanes, i, 283/1. Kirkdale and

Ches.), i, 125. Additional particulars
of his family may be seen in the accounts

family ; 'their names appear in the re-

Crosby together were one hide, of which

of these townships.

cusant rolls throughout the whole period
of persecution ' ; Gillow, Haydock Papers,

Kirkdale was half.
18 Ibid. The three plough-lands, ' where

16 Cur. Reg. R. 180, m. 18.
a " Roger was living in 1287, when he

215, where particulars are given.

ten plough-lands make a knight's fee,'

granted land in Little Crosby to Richard,

3 The first missioners certainly known

were described as the quarter and twen-

son of Thomas de Aykescho ; Blundell of

are Edward Molyneux, already mentioned,

tieth of a fee.

Crosby D. (Towneley MS. in posses-

and Henry Tasburgh, S.J. ; both in the

14 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.

sion of W. Farrer), K.. 300. Richard

neighbourhood from about 1670.

Lanes, and Ches.), 42. The relationship

Molyneux of Little Crosby was witness to

4 Foley, Rec. S.7. v, 320, 362 ; the

of Little Crosby to Sefton is usually

a charter of 1 294 ; ibid. K.. 30. The seal

priest's residence for some time was the

stated in the feodaries, &c. ; e.g. the

to a grant by Richard, son of Roger de

New House in the Carr Houses, built in

Halton Feodary in Ormerod's Ches. (ed.

Molyneux, shows a lion rampant ; Knows-

1701; and see Crosby Rec. (Chet. Soc.),

Helsby), i, 709, states it to be held

ley D. bdle. 1402, B. I.

81-2; N. Blundell, Diary, 2; Haydock

by Richard de Molyneux of Sefton for

It may be added that there is a large

Papers, 213-14.

three plough-lands and a relief of i 101. ;

collection of Little Crosby deeds in Kuer-

6 Liverpool Cath. Ann. 1901. A Bene-

and at the De Lacy Inquest of 1311 (Chet.

den's folio MS. in the Chetham Library.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Hindley, 1 and in 1312 was chosen a knight of the
shire.' An elaborate settlement of the manor was
made about the same time, 3 providing for its descent
to Richard's son John and his heirs, with reversion to
daughters Maud, Margaret, Agnes, Elizabeth, and
Margery. 4

In accordance with this settlement the son,
Sir John Molyneux , about 1325 succeeded to Little
Crosby. 4 A prominent man in the county in his
time, 6 he was twice married and had several children, 7
who appear to have died before him ; consequently on
his death in or about 1 362" Little Crosby became
the portion of his sister Agnes, who had married
David Blundell of Great Crosby. The descendants
of Agnes and David still possess the manor.

The origin of the Blundells' interest is unknown,

but, as already shown, Robert Blundell was one of
the free tenants in 1266. The earliest of the family
to appear is Osbert de Ainsdale, living about 1 1 60.*
He had several sons, the eldest being Robert, who
succeeded to Ainsdale, and had in 1190 a grant of
Great Crosby from John, count of Mortain, confirmed
when John became king ; he is here described as
John's forester. 10 He died in 1214, and was followed
by his son Roger," who within five years was in turn
succeeded by a younger brother Adam, also known as ' de
Ainsdale.' ll This Adam occurs as witness to charters
and in other ways down to about 1250. His wife
was named Emma," and their son Robert, afterwards a
knight, and called ' de Crosby ' as well as ' de Ains-
dale,' adopted the surname Blundell, which has since
been borne by his descendants."

1 See the accounts of Hindley and
Culcheth. Beatrice afterwards married
Robert de Bebington, and was living in
1549; De Bane. R. 173, m. 128; R.
286, m. 340 ; also R. 355, m. 109. The
former actions arose out of a lease of the
manor granted in 1326 by Beatrice to
Stephen de Hamerton ; Kuerden's fol.
MS. n. 399.

2 Pink and Beavan, Par!. Ref. of Lanes.

8 Richard de Molyneux, rector of Sefton,
as feoffee, gave to Richard son of Roger
de Molyneux and Beatrice his wife, all
his manor of Little Crosby in its entirety,
with remainders as stated; Blundell of
Crosby D. K. 229. A copy of this
charter seems to have been made for each
of those in the remainder, two of the series
being now at Little Crosby Hall.

The names of the homagers are thus
given : Nicholas Blundell, William son of
Adam, Richard son of Thomas, elsewhere
surnamed ' de Aykescho,' Richard Boly-
mer, Randle Wolvesegh, and William
Ballard.

Of these tenants William son of Adam
was the most important after the Blun-
dells ; Adam being son of Gilbert of Little
Crosby, originally one of the chief land-
holders in the township ; see Assize R.
408, m. 4. Adam by his wife Ellen had
a son William (occurring down to 1322),

Hugh son of William de Liverpool re-
leased to Henry, son of Nicholas Blundell,
half the manor of Little Crosby and one
oxgang, which Agnes widow of Richard
son of William of Little Crosby formerly
held.

William son of Adam of Little Crosby
gave one oxgang a twenty-fourth part of
the vill to his daughter Aline, who
married John de Hindley ; and another
oxgang to his daughter Sibyl. Richard,
son of William, unsuccessfully laid claim
to this part of his father's estate in 1334 ;

later, however, Richard recovered certain
lands and pasture rights which he had
temporarily lost through his father having
given a moiety of his lands (for his life)
to his two daughters, Sibyl wife of Alex-
ander de Whalley, and Alice (as she is
now called) wife of Roger son of Hugh
of Great Crosby, who seem to be the
Sciletia and Alice of the charters above
quoted ; Assize R. 1444, m. B.

4 The Molyneux settlement was in 1 3 \ 4
confirmed by a fine relating to a mes-
suage, five oxgangs, &c. and the manor of
Little Crosby, Richard and Beatrice being
plaintiffs, and Roger, son of Robert dc
Molyneux of Rainhill, the deforciant.
There is a variation in the statement of
the remainders which afterwards led to
lawsuits, the daughter Agnes being omitted
altogether, and Margery, then wife of John

Crosby D. K. 195. The original It at
Little Crosby.

In 1 345 he granted Adam son of
Thomas son of Wilcot half an oxgang in
Little Crosby, with the meadow which
Adam formerly held from Beatrice, the
grantor's mother ; ibid. K. 308. At the
beginning of 1349 he enfeoffed Robert,
son of William de Crosby, of his manors
of Little Crosby, Speke, and Scholes, and
all his lands in Rainhill and Appleton ;
ibid. K. 258 (original at Little Crosby).
In December, 1350, he gave to William

part of the manor of Little Crosby, of
which one oxgang was held for her life by
Agnes, widow of Richard son of William
of Little Crosby ; ibid. K. 222 (original
at Little Crosby).

6 Rot. Scot. (Rec. Com.), 307, 421, &c.

1 Sir John's first wife was named
Agnes ; Norris D. (B.M.), . 494, dated
1314. His second wife was Clemency,
daughter and co-heir of Roger de Cheadle,
and widow of William de Baguley ; Ear-
waker, East Ches. i, 170; Staff. Hiit.
Coll. (Salt Soc.), xvi, 5, 6, from a Chest.
Plea Roll of 1336; Genial. (New Ser.),

in the descent.

Richard son of Sir John de Molyneux
and Isabel his wife were defendants in a
plea of 1342; Assize R. 1435, m. 47</.

de Orrell, and then Pat
Her second husband seem
voured to secure his wife's estate for the
Molyneuxes of Little Crosby, though by
her former husband she had had a daughter
and heir, Margery wife of Simon de
Lydiate ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 122,
K. 276, K. 304, K. 216, K. 184, K. 256.
The Lydiates claimed the manor of Little
Crosby in 1342 ; Kuerden's fol. MS. n.
495-

William son of Adam granted to
Richard son of Roger de Molyneux all
his lands, including half a plough-land in
Little Crosby, with the homage of
Nicholas Blundell, and 6d. rent from the
Moorhouses, exception being made of an
oxgang held by his sister Alice and Adam
ton of Thomas ; another oxgang held by
Richard de Walton by the service of \d.,
and a third by Patrick de Prescot by a
barbed arrow ; Blundell of Crosby D. K.
251. He had several children Richard
(occurring down to 1345) who had a
son William, whose wife was named
Margery ; Thomas, who had a son Adam ;
Robert ; Sciletia ; and Alice who married
Hugh the Tunwright of Huyton, and had
a son Robert ; see Blundell of Crosby D.
K. 255, K. 258 ; also Kuerden fol. MS, n.
3 9 3, 4 > i , 49*- B 7 t hi '"'> dated 1 3 8 2-3,

:; Final Cone, ii, 19.

bably the death of the eldest son Thomas
without male issue, though by his wife
Margery de Charnock he left a daughter
Agnes, afterwards the wife of Henry de
Atherton ; see Final Cone, ii, 18 ; De
Bane. R. 344, m. 442, and R. 347,
m. 1 4 8</. Norris D. (B.M.) n. 944 is
the marriage agreement, dated 1304, by
which Thomas son and heir of Richard
de Molyneux was to marry Margery
daughter of Henry de Charnock, while
the latter', son Adam was to marry
Richard's daughter Joan.

Henry, son of Henry de Atherton of
Hindley, and Agnes his wife, released in
1 343 their right in the manors of Little
Crosby and the Scholes in Eccleston to
Beatrice, formerly wife of Richard de
Molyneux of Crosby, and Sir John de
Molyneux; Blundell of Crosby D. K.

5 Richard de Molyneux held the manor
in 1324; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 33*.
Sir John de Molyneux in April, 1328,
gave his mother Beatrice for her life all
his right in the vill and manor of Little
Crosby, excepting 5 marks of yearly rent
which he had of her gift ; Blundell of

from Roger son of Adam son of William
de Crosby, his father (Sir John) being a
witness; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 127,
259. Five years later he was plaintiff in
a case of trespass ; De Bane. R. 352, m.

8 Sir John de Molyneux was living in
1362; Norris D. (B.M.), n. 572.

9 CockersandChartul.(C\xl. Soc.), ii, 568
to 595, and notes.

1 Kucrden MSS. v, fol. 124, mi. 172,
173. See also the account of Great
Crosby.

In 1199 Robert de Ainsdale, son of
Osbert, had a protection from King John ;
it was dated at Bourg-le-Roi in Maine ;
Rot. Cart. (Rec. Com.), 18.

11 Farrcr, Lanes. Fife R. 247.'

18 Cockersand Cbartul. ii, 590, 591 ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 117.

" Blundell of Crosby D. K. 203.

14 He is described as a knight in the
deed last referred to. ' Robert de Crosby,
son of Adam de Ainsdale,' confirmed hi.
father's grants in Garston to the monks
of Stanlaw ; Wholly Coucher (Chet. Soc.),

' As Robert de Crosby, knight, he gave
to Ralph de Greenhol and Anabel hi.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Robert had before 1249 married Maud, daughter
of Agnes de Bolers of Walcot near Chirbury by her
first husband, Peter de Montgomery, clerk ; a series
of lawsuits was necessary to recover the wife's Shrop-
shire inheritance. 1 Robert is said to have accompanied
Edward I on his expedition against the Welsh in
1277,* and to the following year belongs the latest
document in which his name occurs a grant of lands
to his son Nicholas. 3

This son succeeded him, and his name occurs down
to 1319.* He was twice married.* His eldest son
David, who married Agnes de Molyneux, having died

SEFTON

before him, 6 the heir was his grandson Nicholas
Blundell. 7 The latter had already been contracted
in marriage with Aline, apparently the daughter of
Richard de Holland, 8 and dying some time before
1 35 1 9 left a son and heir John, a minor, whose
wardship and marriage fell to Sir John de Moly-
neux, in virtue of the Blundells' holding in Little
Crosby. 10 John Blundell seems to have died about
1 37 1, 11 without surviving issue, and Little Crosby
descended to his brother Henry, whose tenure endured
for some thirty-five years."

His son, another Nicholas, succeeded. He was

lister, Ralph's wife, an oxgang in Little
Crosby which Robert son of Thomas de
Ince formerly held, ' until the grantor or
his heirs should enfeoff Ralph of an ox-
gang in Much Woolton,' then held by
Robert the Heir ; Blundell of Crosby D.
K.. 270, K.. 161. The original is at
Knowsley ; bdle. 1402, n. 9.

Blundell of Crosby D. K. 165,
K. 305 ; Eyton, Sbrops. xi, 162, 163.
Eyton does not seem to have known
Agnes's family name, which is of in-

lords of Montgomery; op. cit. 120.
The charter K. 305 was executed in
the castle of Montgomery, among the wit-
nesses being Sir Adam de Montgomery,
Baldwin and Stephen de Bolers.

T. E. Gibson, Cavalier's Note Book, 6.

Blundell of Crosby D. K. 164; the
teal shows the lion rampant. The estate
included all the land Sir Robert had in
Ainsdale (wreck of the sea being reserved
to him), in Bold, Woolton, Crooks and the

and Liverpool. Nicholas was to render
for Ainsdale, &c., 6 marks, and for Little
Crosby 2 marks. The penalty is notice-
able : ' Should he fail in making these
payments he shall give to the fabric of
the King's new work at Royland
[Rhuddlan] 5 marks for each term.'
The witnesses indicate that it was
executed in Shropshire ; they include
Masters Ralph de Freningham, Roger de
Seyton, and Ralph de Hengham, justices ;
Sir Peter Corbet, Sir Ralph Corbet, and
others. A similar grant, ibid. K. 203,
has on the seal the billety coat now borne
by the Blundells. Charles's Roll, edited
by Sir George J. Armytage in 1869, gives
is the arms of Robert Blundell (n. 331) :
Azure, ten billets or, four, three, two, and
one ; on a canton or a raven sable. In
the same Roll (n. 466) Baldwin de
Boulers (?) has : Sable, a bend between
twelve billets argent.

4 He was a collector of various sub-
idies in 1295, 1301, and 1302; Parl.
Writs ; Lanes. Lay Sub*. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 188, 236, 238.

Several of his grants are known. By
one he gave an acre in Little Crosby ' in
the Sand ' to Nicholas son of Thomas de
Aykescho ; and to Adam son of the said
Thomas he gave half an oxgang which he
had bought from William son of Ralph dc
Greenhol; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 299,
K. 254. From William son of Adam of
Little Crosby he made purchases in the
Branderth and elsewhere ; ibid. K. 148,
K.. 307.

5 His first wife was named Eleanor ;
by her he had three sons David, William,
and Nicholas. Sir Robert, the father,
gave to his son Nicholas and Eleanor his
wife, on their marriage about 1270, all
his right in Great and Little Crosby and
Moorhouses ; ibid. K. 174. William,
one of the younger sons of this marriage,

was contracted in 1298 to Joan daughter
of Griffith de la Lee, probably a Shropshire
man, and had all his grandmother's pro-
perty in Walcot, Chirbury, Lydbury,
Bishop's Castle, &c., settled upon him, so
that it appears no more in the Little
Crosby evidences; ibid. K.. 154, K.. 185,
K. 187. The Blundens of Shropshire,
who recorded a pedigree in 1623, claimed
descent from the couple ; Sbrof. Vhit.
(Harl. Soc.), 48.

Nicholas son of Nicholas Blundell had
in 1313-14 a grant of land in Wedholme
from Alan le Norreys, at an annual rent

age, suitable marriage, &c. the said John,
rejecting that marriage, and without
satisfying the said John de Molyneux
respecting his marriage, intruded into his
lands and tenements.' It thus appears
that by July, 1351, John Blundell had
attained his majority and taken possession
of his father's lands. The result of the
suit is not given. In 1358 Sir John
de Molyneux, John son of Nicholas
Blundell and Ellen his wife, John Anyon
and Joan his wife, Margery widow of
Nicholas Blundell, and Emma widow of
Richard Blundell did not prosecute a

describes the younger Nicholas as his
'next of kin and heir,' but the relation-
ship is otherwise unknown; Kuerden
fol. MS. 73, n. 630.

The elder Nicholas married a Margery

Blundell of Crosby D. K. 186. She

viving until about 133; ; K. 240.
David died in or before ijn,

they made against William Blundell
of Ince ; Assize R. 438, m. 18. In the
following years also John Blundell appear!
as plaintiff; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 7,
m. 2, 3, 4, 4</. ; Assize R. 438, m. 7 ;
R.44I, m. I, id,sd.

In one of the pleas against John de
Liverpool is a pedigree of the Blundell
family ; it concerned an acre in Little
Crosby which Sir Robert Blundell had
given to Nicholas Blundell and Aline his
wife and their heirs, and which therefore
descended, through David their son, to

of Sefton, refeoffed Nicholas Blundell and
Margery his wife of lands between Ribble
and Mersey, including a windmill at Little

claimant as son of Nicholas ; Assize R. 7,
m. 1 8.

In 1364 John Blundell was called upon

Margery was to hold a moiety for her life,
paying 61. 8</. a year to Nicholas son of
David Blundell, who was to have the
other half; Blundell of Crosby D. K. I 8 1,
K. 273.

ried Richard de Holland of Sutton, and
tvas living, the second time a widow, in
1335; ibid. K. 176 and K. 208.

John

caster of Rainhill. The difference between
the charter of Richard de Molyneux,
rector of Sefton, and the later fine, in
which the name of Agnes de Molyneux
was omitted, has been pointed out. Under

John Blundell established the validity of
the earlier charter by which he as son of
Nicholas son of Agnes succeeded to Little

Nicholas son of David Blundell to Adam
son of his uncle Nicholas for a rent of </.
is in the Blundell of Crosby D. K.. 303.
Abstracts of other grants by him are con-
tained in the same volume, including the
grant of a third of Little Crosby to his
son Richard on his marriage with Emma
in 1336 ; ibid. K. 240. The wife was a
daughter of Thomas de Molyneux of
Sefton, and lands in Great Crosby also
were given ; ibid. K. 121. There do not
seem to have been any children by this
marriage.

8 Ibid. K. 262 ; the original is at Little
Crosby. Nicholas Blundell, senior, agreed
to sustain Nicholas son of David in

Molyneux without heirs ; De Bane. R.
418, m. 345; R. 425, m. ^i^d. It
appeared that John de Molyneux was

11 William son of Adam de Liverpool
in 1361 granted to John Blundell a mes-
suage and land in Little Crosby; and
three years later Richard son of Richard
de Molyneux of Little Crosby granted him
all the lands there he had received from
Richard his father ; Blundell of Crosby D.
K. 266, K. 302. John was witness to
grants made by and to Henry Blundell of

K. 1 5 8. Some misdeeds of John and
brother Henry, described in 1350

saries, Richard de Holland doing the same
for Aline, assisted by a contribution of
i mark a year from Nicholas senior.
9 In 1328 he granted to Gilbert de

ibid. K. 1X3. He was witness to charters
made in 1342 ; ibid. K. 32, K. 211.

10 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, m. j d.
The plaintiff, Sir John, stated that
though he had 'often offered to John
son of Nicholas, whilst he was under

R. 452, m. i.

12 In 1361 Henry attested the grant to
John Blundell by William de Liverpool,
cited in the last note. In a similar
manner he occurs down to 1404 ; Blun-
dell of Crosby D. K. 13. In 1377 a
presentment was made against him for
trespass of cattle and fishing in the
Mersey ; Liverpool Corp. D.

Although it would appear that Henry
Blundell of Crosby was the Henry ion of

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

knight of the shire in 1413-14, and otherwise appear
to have held an honourable position in the district.
He died about 1421, his heir
being his eldest son Henry,
who, by marriage with Joan,
daughter and co-heir of Henry
de Rixton, added a portion of
Ditton and other lands to the
family inheritance.* On his
death, about 1456, he was suc-
ceeded by his son Nicholas,*
and the latter in turn by his
son, another Nicholas, about
1476.

The younger Nicholas, when
quite a child, was married to
Margery daughter of Henry Scarisbrick ; 4 they lived
happily together for sixty years and ' never noder
cold find fote noder with oder,' but their latter
years were greatly embittered by a long strife with the
family of Molyneux of Sefton. 5 In some way Nicho-

DDDD

D D D

Ho*

BLUNDKLL or LITTLI
CKOSBY. Sable, ten billet,,
4, 3, Z, and I argent.

las Blundell incurred the resentment of Dame Anne
Molyneux, who, as guardian of her young sons, ap-
pears to have pushed to the uttermost the superior
manorial rights of Sefton, and as a result in 1507-8
Nicholas Blundell granted to her and her son Edward
for the grantor's life, the hall of Crosby, with the build-
ings, lands, windmill, and appurtenances, and the
moiety of the rents in Crosby, at a rent of 20 marks.'
In 1509 there was a settlement as to the homage re-
quired of him, 7 and in 1514 the manor was restored
to him by Edward Molyneux. 8 The case had, of
course, been taken into the courts, but Nicholas, who
died about 1520, did not see the end of it, the final
decree recognizing the rights of the Blundells being
given in 1526."

A more peaceful time followed. Nicholas's eldest
son Henry having predeceased his father, 10 Nicholas
was succeeded by his grandson James, who was of age
in 1514, and died in May, 1527," leaving as heir his
son Henry, then only eleven years of age. Henry
was succeeded by his son Richard," in whose time the

grant by a feoffee was made in 1381-2, a
Henry son of John Blundell of Crosby
attested a Walton deed in 1368 ; Crox-
teth D. Bb. iv, 26. 'Son' may be a slip
for ' brother.'
In 1398, after the death of Richard de
Molyneux of Sefton, it was found that
Henry Blundell held land in Little Crosby
of him by knight's service, paying a rent
of 4</. ; Lanct. Inj. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 70.
This rent continued to be paid down to
1798, when at the Sefton sale it was
purchased for William Blundell, then lord
of Little Crosby. Nicholas Blundell re-
cords that on 3 May, 1710, he paid 'two
groat' to Lord Molyneux' s bailiff for
two years' customary rent ; Diary, 85.
Licence for an oratory for two years at
Little Crosby was granted him in Nov.
1387, by the bishop of Lichfield, and
extended in May, 1389; Lich. Epis.
Reg. vi, fol. 123*, 125*.
In 1381-2 Nicholas son of William de
Liverpool released his right in certain
lands which Henry Blundell had had from
Hugh brother of Nicholas ; Blundell of
Crosby D. K.. 14, K. 15.
The writ Diem clausit extr. was issued
in 1406-7 ; Dep. keeper', Rep. xxxiii,

P The'seal of this Henry Blundell shows
a cross moline pierced ; no doubt adopted
from Molyneux of Little Crosby ; Crox-
teth D. Z. i, 1 8.
1 Pink and Beavan, Lanes. Par!. Repre-
sentation, 49.
Beatrice daughter of Hugh de Stanulf
and Agnes her sister, daughters and heirs
of Joan, the daughter of William Blundell
of Ince, in .388-9 granted to Henry
Blundell of Crosby and Nicholas his son,
land on the Sand ; Blundell of Crosby D.
K. 1 52. See also ibid. K. 39 and K. 1 29.
In 1396 Richard son of Henry de
Kighley acquired by fine the manor of
Lightshaw from Nicholas, son of Henry

Henry Blundell went to France in the
king's retinue in May, 1415; Dep.
Keeper's Rep. xliv, App. 564.
Henry had two brothers John and
Robert. For John his father purchased
lands in Lydiate ; he had a son Thomas,
vicar of Brackley in Northamptonshire ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 5, m. 15 j
Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 101. Robert was
rector of Aldford in Cheshire from 1421

charters of Henry VI's reign ; Ormerod,
Cbes. (ed. Helsby), ii, 759 ; Blundell of
Crosby D. K.. 15, K. 31, K. 36. For all
three brothers, ibid. K, 47.
Henry Blundell was witness to charters
as late as 1456 ; ibid. K. 58, K.. 33.
Nicholas Blundell married Ellen
daughter of John Page of Thornton ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K.. 27.
* Scarisbrick charters, n. I 66 (in Trans.
Hist. Sac. (New Ser.), xiii) ; P.R.O. Anct.
D., A. 12603.
In .479 as Nicholas, son and heir of
Nicholas Blundell, he granted to Thomas
Blundell, vicar of Brackley, Master Boni-
face Blundell, and others, his manor of
Little Crosby.
5 Gibson, Cavalier's Note Book, 10. The

Ducatiu Lane. (Rec. Com.). In 1517 Ni-
cholas Blundell complained that whereat
he had in 1512 let his manor of Crosby
to George Blundell, Edward Molyneux,
clerk, rector of Sefton, disregarding a de-
cree made in the duchy of Lane., had
expelled George from the manor. Edward
Molyneux replied that he and another re-
covered the manor against Nicholas to
certain uses, and their tenant had been
ejected by George; Duchy of Lane.
Depos. xi, B. 5, ea, 6.
The dispute also came before the Star
Chamber, which decreed that Edward
Molyneux should pay the debts of Nicho-
las Blundell out of the profits of the
manor of Little Crosby ; the jointure of
Agnes, widow of Henry Blundell, is men-
tioned ; Star Chamb. Proc. Hen. VIII,

There is extant a grant by George
Blundell to his brother Henry, son and
heir-apparent of Nicholas Blundell, of all
the manor of Little Crosby and all the
messuages, &c., including courts-leet and
liberties, which George had received from
Nicholas ; this is dated i June, 1513.
10 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. iv, n. 74.
He died on Friday, 9 Sept. 1513, which

family troubles is taken is printed more

at Flodden ; James, his son and heir, was

from the original at Little Crosby. It ap-
pears to have been drawn up by George
Blundell, a younger son of Nicholas, and
complains that the Molyneuxes had taken
away the Blundells' rights to waifs, strays,
and wreck j also their sporting rights and
rabbit warrens ; their chapel on the north
side of Sefton church ; 20 marks rent ;

sition recites the provision made in i 502
and 1503 for his second wife Agnes,
daughter of Sir Henry, and sister of
Richard Bold, including Ditton, Great
Crosby and other lands. His first wife,
espoused in 1488-9, was Katherine,
daughter of William Heaton, of Heaton
under Horwich ; Kuerden, fol. MS. 248.

prison at Lane, for 14 weeks, denied
George's right to the guardianship of his
brother's heir; and finally 'daily lay in
wait to kill and murder them.'
6 Kuerden fol. MS, 261, n. 490.

11 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. vi, n. id,
68. He had held the manor of Little
Crosby of William Molyneux by knight's
service and a rent of 4</., and lands in
Great Crosby (by a rent of ,<.), Ditton,
Ince Blundell, Bold, Hindley, Liverpool,
Orrell, and Warrington.
13 Little seems to be known of Henry
Blundell ; he was living in 1545 ; Ducatut
Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 181. Three years
later he sold a house to Richard Moly-
neux ; Croxteth D. E. i, 3 : and made a
settlement of his manors and lands in
August the same year, the remainder
being to his son Richard ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 13, m. 56.
In 1562, the will of Thomas Leyland

the last-named was daughter and heir of
Nicholas de Tyldesley of Tyldesley ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 3, m. 3 ; and
Pal. of Lane. Chanc. Misc. bdle. i, file 9,

' The writ of Diem clausit extr. on his
death was issued 12 March, 1422-3 ; Dep.
Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 24.
a See the account of Ditton. In I42Z
Henry made several grants to John, son
and heir of Thomas Renacres of Bicker-

Brandearth, Corscroft, Hayrkirk, Bergh,
Dobhey, Dalton, Ragh Winter Hey and
Wodeam.
-' Liverpool Corp. D. An endorse-
ment dated 1672 says, 'I think that the
heirs of William Molyneux have nothing
to do with Halton, and now I know no
homage that is due unto them.'
8 Deed in Blundell evidences, 19 Aug.

Cavalier's Note Book, 10-11. There are

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

family troubles recommenced. Adhering unflinch-
ingly to the ancient faith, he incurred the penalties
imposed by the laws, and died in Lancaster Castle,
19 March, 1591-2, having been convicted of har-
bouring a seminary priest. 1 His son and heir William,
who was sharing the same imprisonment, was after-
wards released, only to be arrested again and imprisoned
in London for two years. After his return to Crosby
the hall was again searched, but he escaped by flight ;
his wife, however, was taken and imprisoned at
Chester for some time. The old Lancaster indict-
ment was revived, and husband and wife lived in
hiding until the accession of James I, when a full
pardon was obtained. 1 Afterwards he incurred a
heavy fine on account of a rescue from the sheriff and
the Harkirk burial ground. He died at Little Crosby,
2 July, 1638.'

His grandson William, son of Nicholas, succeeded.
He attained his majority just about the outbreak of
the Civil War. 4 Zealously espousing the king's side,
he obtained a captain's commission in Sir Thomas
Tyldesley's dragoons in December, 1642, and raised

SEFTON

a troop of men ; but being wounded at Lancaster in
the following March and lamed for life, had to retire
from active participation in hostilities. 5 He was four
times imprisoned by the Parliamentarians, and his
lands were sequestered for seven years, after which he
was able to repurchase them through the intervention
of Protestant friends. 6 After this he went abroad,
ultimately returning to England in the same ship with
Charles II. In the reign of James II he drew up a
petition for compensation for various losses sustained
by his loyalty and religion, but it was never presented ;
in it he described Little Crosby as a ' small lordship
or manor, consisting of forty houses or thereabouts,"
and for many years remarkable ' that it had not a
beggar ; that it had not an alehouse ; that it had not
a Protestant in it.' ' The last statement seems justi-
fied by the recusant roll of 1 64 1. 8 In 1689 he was
imprisoned at Manchester for some weeks on the
order of the lord-lieutenant, and was accused of
complicity in the ' plot ' of 1 694.' He died
24 May, 1698, and was buried in the Blundell
chapel in Sefton church. His son William, who in

of Morleys mentions ' Anne Blundell, my
sister, widow,' so that Henry Blundell
had died before this ; Piccope, Wills
(Chet. Soc.), i, 162; Richard Blun-
dell was in possession early in 1561 ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 23,

Fro

I this time the pedigrees recorded
at the Visits, of 1567 and 1664, printed
by the Chet. Soc., can be used.

dell's cattle, but they were rescued ;
* whereupon he caused a privy sessions
and indicted a great many to the number
of seventy persons intending to make a
Star Chamber matter of it but in the
meantime he was proved to exceed his
commission and take bribes, and thereby
was driven the country'; ibid. 31-3.
Little Crosby Hall 'was once for four-
teen days together [beset by pursuivants]
upon the report of a wicked priest
that fell and became a minister, discover-

garet, Anne, Winifred, and Frances.
Jane the widow of Nicholas was still
living in 1638. Nicholas Blundell seems
to have lixed at Ditton, paying double to

sant ; Norris D. (B. M.).

Richard Blundell, after studying at St.
Omer's, went to the English College,
Rome, where he died 22 July, 1649,
having previously been received into the
Society of Jesus; Foley, Rec. S. J. i,

years of age. The father ' was in gaol
for recepting of a seminary' in 1590;
Lydiate Hall, 245 (quoting S. P. Dom.
Eliz. ccxxxv, n. 4). As early as 1568 he

ing what he knew of Catholics ' ; Chron.
of St. Monica's, Louvain (ed. Hamilton);

'' The grant of John Gille was dated

4 According to the inquisition last
quoted he was born on or about 1 8 July,
1620.
S A full account of his life will be

be the supreme head of the Church ' ;
ibid. in. See Crosby Rec. (Chet. Soc.
New Ser.), 21-2 ; also Stanley P. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 81, 89, 113; Gillow, Bit!.
Diet, of Engl. Cath. i, 247.
2 See Gillow, op. cit. i, 248. Crosby
Rec. 21-40, contains an account of his

and Edward Thurleston, 27 July, 1607 ;

issued touching his lands in 1601 (n. 1220);
Lanes, and Cbes. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 344-
8 Crosby Rec. 35-45. The immediate
occasion of the Star Chamb. proceed-
ings was the rescue in 1624 described

Book, 19-80; a fac-simile of the com-
mission signed by Tho. Tyldesley forms
the frontispiece. See also Gillow, op.
cit. i, 249. His history of the Isle of
Man has been printed by the Manx
Soc.
6 Royalist Comf. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 203-7, contains the petition

himself by writing ' ballads,' which he set
to music ; three of them are given,

This ground had been in use since 161 1,
when, 'having heard that Catholic recu-

Gilbert Crouch in 1653. In the Cat.
of Conminee for Comf. iv, 2692, are

sequestered for recusancy, had been
granted to ' one Lever'; in 1594, when
he was in prison in London, John Gille
obtained a grant of the two-thirds ; after-
wards a division was made, and a lease
granted to William Norris, whose sister
married William Blundell ; then Charles
Grimston obtained a new grant ; Thomas
Heaton and Gervase Travis followed, and
then two of Queen Elizabeth's cooks
two of the black guard 'begged all his
lands as a fugitive, for at this time pro-

parish church,' William Blundell 'caused
a little piece of ground to be enclosed
within his own demesne land in a place
called of old time, as it is now also, the
Harkirk.' Harkirk was used occasion-
ally for burial down to 1753; ibid.
69-85. The Star Chamb. imposed a
fine of 2,000, afterwards reduced to
500 ; Cavalier's Note Book, p. 18 (quoting
Rushworth, Hist. Coll. ii, 21).
As a convicted recusant he paid double
to the subsidy in 1628; Norris D.

dell was obliged to pay not only for his
estates, but also the sums unpaid since
1596 by John Gille and other grantees of
the sequestered two-thirds; details are
given in Crosby Rec. 89-104, the final
settlement being made in 1658. The
estate had been sold under the third Act
of 1652; Index of Royalists (Index Soc.),
42. The payment for the estate, in
which he had only a life interest, was
1,340, and for the arrears 1,167 i
Cavalier's Note Book, 29. A settlement

market according to the statute of fugi-
tives, it being supposed that he had left
the country. By the pardon from
James I he recovered his lands, John
Gille having been the only one of the
grantees who had secured any profit by
the sequestrations. Further grants of the
sequestered two-thirds were made by
James I between 1607 and 1610, but
nothing seems to have come of them ;
for instance, in 1610 Ambrose Astell,
pretending a grant from Bowes and
Beeston, seized some of William Blun-

Two of the court rolls of Little Crosby
of 1628 and 1634, with lists of the free-
holders, are printed in Trans. Hist. Soc.
(New Ser.), vii-viii, 113-22. Officers
peculiar to the manors on the coast were
the ' surveyors of the sandy copps.'
The inquisition taken after William
Blundell's death Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p. m. xxviii, n. 54 shows little change
in the lands held by him ; it recites the
provision made by him in 1631 for the
younger children of his son Nicholas
Blundell, deceased Richard, Emily, Mar-
8 9

Blundell early in 1662; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle 168, m. n. In 1666 the
hall at Crosby had fifteen hearths liable
to the tax ; Lay Subs. 250-9.
7 Cavalier's Note Book, 52-54. He and
his son William had been marked out for
banishment in 1680 ; ibid. 166-7.
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv,
236.
For the charge and arrest see Ktnyon
MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 307, 319,
362. His defence in 1694 may be read
in Jacobite Trials (Chet. Soc.), 100.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

1694 had been imprisoned and tried in his father's
place, succeeded and lived for about eight years, 1
when he was followed by his son

Nicholas Blundell, the last of the male line.* He
does not appear to have taken much interest in the
politics of the time, but his house was searched in
1715, and he had to use the hiding place, 'a strait
place for a fat man ' ; 3 and found it convenient to go
abroad for a year or two. On his return he regis-
tered his estate as a ' Papist,' its annual value being
.482 izs. zW. 4 He died 21 April, 1737, leaving
two daughters, the younger of whom, Frances, even-
tually sole heiress, married Henry Peppard, a wealthy
Liverpool merchant of Irish descent. 5 Their son
Nicholas in 1772 took Blundell as his surname ;" and
was in turn followed by his son William, 7 his grand-
son Nicholas, 8 and his great-grandson William Joseph,
the present lord of the manor.

An oxgang of land granted about 1270 by Sir
Robert de Crosby to his sister Anabel and her hus-
band Ralph de Greenhol 9 appears to have descended to

the Anyon family, 10 and was eventually sold in 1501
to William Moore of Kirkdale, 11 with whose descen-
dants it remained for over two hundred years, being
described as the twenty-fourth
part of the manor. 18 On the
sale of the Moore estates it
was purchased by the earl of
Derby, 13 but has since been sold
to the Blundells of Crosby.

Other families here were
surnamed Moorhouses, 14 Light-
foot, 15 Langback, 16 and Liver-
pool."

The hospital of St. John at
Chester also had a small piece
of land here. 18

A number of ' Papists ' regis-
tered estates in I7I7- 19

The lord of the manor and most of the people
having adhered to the Roman Catholic faith, mass has
probably been said here almost continuously in spite

MOORE or K.IRKDAL*.
Argent, three greyhounds
courant in pale table
collared or.

i He died 2 August, 1702 ; N. Blundell,
Diary, 2. The son records: 'As his life was
virtuous and edifying so was his death.'
His eldest brother Nicholas renounced
the inheritance on entering the Society of
Jesus in 1663 ; he was charged by Titus
Dates with an intention to burn the city
of London, but was released after a brief
imprisonment; Gillow, op. cit. i, 245;

ments, 223 ; Burke, Commoners, ii, 529,
and Landed Gentry.
Cal. Home Office Papers, 1 770-2, p. 634.
^ He purchased the manor of Great
Crosby in 1798.
8 A biography with portrait appeared
in the Liverpool Cath. Ann. 1895.
This charter has been recited in a
previous note. Ralph had a son William,

Lightfoot, in free marriage with his
daughter Ellen, lands which he had pro-
cured from Nicholas, son of David Blun-
dell, in the Moorlands ; Blundell of
Crosby D. K. 285. Ten years later
Roger son of Adam of Little Crosby
granted land to the same Adam Lightfoot ;
ibid. K. 288.
Nicholas Blundell in 1333 granted

Thomas Blundell, a younger brother, was
also a Jesuit; Gillow, i, 247; Foley, vii, 67.
1 See Gillow, op. cit. i, 246. One
brother, Joseph, was a Jesuit ; Foley, op.
cit. v, 342 ; vii, 66 ; his will is at Stony-
hurst ; Hht. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv,
183-4. The other, Richard, died in Mary-
land in 1704; Diary, 32.
Extracts from Nicholas's Diary were
published at Liverpool in 1895, giving a
multitude of interesting details as to
persons and customs. The following
topographical notes may be given as
specimens : ' Mr. Richard Molyneux of

appear to have sold half the oxgang to
Nicholas Blundell ; Blundell of Crosby D.
K. 283, K. 238. It was afterwards given
to Adam, son of Thomas de Aykesco ;
ibid. K. 254.
1 The descent is by inference merely.
John Anyon and Joan his wife and
John their son in 1367 received from
John Blundell a lease of land. It ap-
pears that Joan inherited from her

an oxgang in Little Crosby, mentioned
in exchanges between Joan and Henry
Blundell in 1385 and 1386. Richard

mon of pasture for all animals in Little
Crosby; ibid. K. 130. William's sons
Richard, John, and Thomas, in 1356 re-
granted to their father the lands they
had received from him ; ibid. K. 1 32.
A grant to the son Thomas, made in
1355, is at Knowsley ; bdle. 1402, n. 13.
17 The Liverpool family several times
appear in the Blundell D. as feoffees or
owners of land. At Knowsley is a grant,
dated 1 349, from Richard son of William
son of Ralph de Liverpool to John Diccon-
son of Liverpool, son of Maud del
Meles, concerning lands in Little Crosby

the boundary between his coney warren
and mine ; it was set about halfway be-

1405. The deeds are at Knowsl'ey,

death of his brother Master Robert de
Liverpool, as contained in the charter o

lane end, upon a hill called Tenpenny

11 Thomas Anyon of Brackley was the

Master Robert; Roger dc la Moore o

stones at each end of Blanchard's lane '
(p. 5) ; 'The jury met in the Town-field

discoursed about the Doostone that's set
in Richard Harrison's butt' (p. 54) ; 'I
removed the great stone as has time out
of mind stood near the Lower Bark gate
and fixed it at the turning of the causey
in the west lane' (p. 163). The frontis-
piece is a view of Crosby Hall in 1735.
Diary, ,38-
Ibid. 145 ; Eng. Cath. Nonjuron, i 50.

40 marks. About a century later there

tween William Moore and William Blun-
dell ; ibid. n. 29.
i a It so appears in the Moore inquisi-
tions ; e.g. Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 14.
13 The Knowsley deeds referred to are
described as 'relating to former posses-
sions of the earl of Derby.'
The Moores had other lands in the
Moorhouses, Little Crosby, and Ince

Liverpool were among the witnesses .
bdle. 1402, n. ii.
18 Richard son of Hugh the Little re
signed to Adam on of Robert de Ains
dale his right in an acre in Little Crosb'
held of the house of St. John of Chester ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 306. A certain
Roger in 1316-17 gave to William son of
William de Formby land held from th-
same hospital ; ibid. K. 133. Six year;
later William son of Bimme of the
Moorhouses granted to Robert his son an i

17 Oct. 1720 (p. 170) ; Foley, Rec. S.J.
v, 365, where the name is given as Pip-
pard. He is said to have been a grand-
son of Thomas Peppard, alderman and
merchant of Drogheda, who represented
the town in the Irish Parliament from
1634 till his death in 1640; Names of
Members (Blue Bk. 1878), ii, 614. A
Colonel Peppard commanded Walsh's
regiment in the Irish Brigade in 1736 ;
Foley, op. cit. v, 399. Henry Pippard
and Frances his wife made a settlement
of the manor in 1735; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 313, m. 12.
The later stages of the Blundell pedi-
gree have been taken from Gregson, Frag-

Mercer of Walton from Thomas Lin-
acre, to whom they had descended from
Thomas Wilson his grandfather ; Moore
D. n. 74910 751.
" Settlements of his estate at the
Sand, &c., made between 1361 and 1388
by William, son of William Dyken of
the Moorhouses, show that he had a son
John, and daughters, Margaret, Ellen, and
Clemency ; his wife's name was Quenilda ;
Knowsley D. bdle. 1402, n. 14, 21-22.
There are many deeds relating to the
family or families thus named in the
Blundell of Crosby D.
15 In 1332 Henry the Shepherd (Ber-
cator) of the Moorhouses gave to Adam

held of the chief lord of the fee, zd. 3
year being payable to the hospital ; Kuei
den, ii, fol. 254, n. 200. This land Robci t
in 1342 gave to Richard son of John d-
Langback; Blundell of Crosby D. K. I 4 c .
i Margaret Sheppard, Thomas Marrov,
Margery Blundell, Richard Ainswortli,
William Weedow, John Blundell, William
Grey, Thomas Blanchard, Edward Hov.
ard, Walter Thelwall, John Tickl ,
Thomas Mather, William Harrison, Brytu
Lea, Thomas Farrer, Richard Jackson,
William Wignall (also at Scarisbrick ,
James Dary, John Molyneux, and Willia:,i
Marrow ; Engl. Catb. Non-jurors, I 47 -S,
54-5-

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

of the Elizabethan legislation. 1 But few notices of
the priests who found a refuge here have been pre-
served ! until the Jesuits were placed in charge of the
mission about 1652, remaining there from that time
until 1786.* The Benedictines succeeded them, and
except for five years, continued until 1860.* Secular
priests have since done service. In 1708 Fr. Aldred,
then resident, left the hall to live in the village, an
upper room in his cottage serving as a chapel ;* in
1720 he removed to West Lane. 6 The present
church of St. Mary, designed by A. W. Pugin, and
built and endowed by William Blundell, grandfather
of the present lord of the manor, was consecrated in
1847. There is a burial ground attached.

GREAT CROSBY

Crossebi, 1 176 ; Major Grosseby, 121 1 ; Crosseby,
1212; Micle Crosseby, 1292 ; Much and Great
Crosby were both used in the sixteenth century.

The ancient township of Great Crosby, which in-
cludes Waterloo, lies on the northern shore of the
estuary of the Mersey, with a level sandy beach ex-
tending over three miles from north-west to south-
east ; it stretches inland some two miles, and has an
area of 2,168 acres, 7 of which 1,907 acres belong to
the present diminished township. The population in
1901 was 7,555, and that of Waterloo 9,839.

The country is flat and sandy, being in places still
very marshy, so that deep ditches, especially in the
north, are required to drain the fields and meadows.
The crops grown are principally oats, rye, and pota-
toes. At Hall Road there are golf-links on both
sides of the railway, and a broad stretch of sandhills,
yet unbuilt upon, extends along the northern half of
the sea coast. The geological formation consists of
the keuper series of the new red sandstone or trias,
being represented almost entirely by lower keuper
sandstones, but in the southern part of the township
the waterstone is found overlying the former. From
the shore inland for three-quarters of a mile the
underlying formation is obscured by blown sand.

The village, which lies more than a mile inland, is
becoming modernized and growing quickly, especially
along the principal road, that from Liverpool to
Southport, which crosses the township in a northerly
direction, with roads branching off to the shore and
to Thornton. The Liverpool and Southport line of

SEFTON

the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, opened in 1 848,
with stations at Waterloo and Blundellsands, also
passes through the township. An electric tramway
connects Great Crosby with the Seaforth terminus of
the Liverpool Overhead Railway.

The township of Waterloo has been carved out of
the southern part of Great Crosby. To the north of
it are Brighton le Sands and Blundellsands ; these
places consist principally of modern residences, which
afford Liverpool people convenient dwellings at the
seaside. In 1889 Colonel Nicholas Blundell gave
3^ acres to the local board for a recreation ground. 8

Crosby Channel forms the principal entrance to
the Mersey ; it is about three-quarters of a mile
wide. By constant dredging a sufficient depth of
water for the passage of the great liners is maintained.
There is a lightship in the channel.

A copper token was struck in 1667 by a Crosby
man.* A view of the place in 1715 is extant. 10
The village festival, known as the Goose Feast, was
kept in October. 11

The Crosby races used to be held once or twice a
year the first week of August was the proper time
on a course on the shore side of Great and Little
Crosby, which had been ' stooped out ' by William
Blundell in 1654 at the request of Lord Molyneux.
The date is noticeable."

The little triangular green of the village is now
paved. Here is the ancient St. Michael's Well, which
has been covered in, and is surmounted with steps and
a wooden cross. 13 There are sundials dated 1766
and 1795 at the Mulberries and Crosby House.

The ' submerged forest ' off the coast of Great and
Little Crosby was described as visible in 1 796."

A great boulder stone, found close by, is placed in
the village, protected by an iron railing.

Lawrence Johnson, educated at Oxford and Douay,
executed in 1582 and declared ' Blessed ' by Leo XIII
in 1 886, was son of Richard Johnson of Great Crosby,
and laboured for a short time in Lancashire. 15

A local board for the part not included in Water-

loo-with-Seaforth was formed in 1863 ; 16 this in 1894

became an urban district council with nine members.

GREAT CROSBY is not men-

M4NOR tioned by name in Domesday Book,

being in 1 066 one of the six berevvicks

dependent on the royal manor of West Derby." This

dependency continued after the Conquest, the manor,

I 'To the Blundells of Crosby the
Catholics of the south-west of Lanes.
were long indebted ; for their domestic
chapel and the priest who served it were

< Gillow, loc. cit., where a list will be
found.
* N. Blundell, Diary, 63. There is a
view of it opposite p. 72.

St. Luke's, as the nearest remaining festi-
val in the calendar, would probably be
chosen after the Reformation.
12 Cavalier's Nate Book, 222-4, *53-

help in penal times'; Jos. Gillow in
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.),xiii, 163-4.
"In 1568 there were 'two priests at
the hall of Crosby,' who said mass com-
monly ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 211 (quot-
ing S. P. Dom. Eliz. xlviii, . 34). Chris-
topher Small, sometime fellow of Exeter

sions to the 'chapel' and services in the
volume just quoted. On I July, 1721,
Bishop Witham confirmed 284 persons ;
p. 178.
1 Including 7 acres of inland water, in
Census Rep. of 1901 Waterloo and part
of Brighton le Sands being excluded ;

of the races, as fixed in 1682, are printed
in the work cited, pp. 267-70.
The races are often mentioned in the
Diary of Nicholas Blundell, who was also
a frequenter of the bowling green at
Crosby.
Lanes, and Ches.Antiq. Soc. xix, 178-

years ; see the account of Lydiate.
In 1586 the curate of Sefton reported
that James Darwen, a seminary priest,
was received by Richard Blundell of
Crosby; Lydiate Hall, 240 (from Harl.
MS. 360, fol. 7 i). It was for harbour-
ing one Woodruff, a seminary priest,
that Richard was imprisoned in 1590;
Crosby Rec. 21. James Forde, another
eminarist, waa there in 1592; Gillow,

and 807 foreshore. The area of Great
Crosby and Litherland combined shows

corded on the Ordnance maps of 1848.
8 End. Char. Rep. Sefton, l 899, p. 27.
' Lanes, and Ches. Antij. Sac. v, 77 ;
there It a specimen in Warrington

Trans. Hist. Soc. vii, 179.
11 Goose Feast Sunday was the nearest

Gent. Mag. Lit. Topog. vi, 260 ; from
the GM. of 1796, where a plate was

S>V '' Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. Hi,
635, where a number of references are
given. Foster, in Alumni Oxon., calls him
fellow of Brasenose, and refers to Oxf.
Hist. Soc. xii, 1 8.
16 Land. Ga*. 24 April and 2 June,
1863. For Waterloo see below in the

8 Foley, Rec. S. J. v, 3405.

day were St. Michael's on 16 October,
91

17 Sec V.C.H. Lanes, i, 2833.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

assessed as four plough-lands, forming part of the

demesne of the honour of Lancaster ' attached to

West Derby, until it was sold by Charles I in 1625

to Lord Mandeville and others. 1

From this time it descended

with Sefton until in 1798 it

was sold, the purchaser being a

trustee of the Blundells of Little

Crosby. 1 The present lord of

the manor is Mr. William Joseph

Blundell. 4

This family's connexion with
the place began in the twelfth
century, John, count of Mortain,
having granted it between 1 1 89
and 1 1 94 to his forester, Robert
de Ainsdale, at a yearly rent ol
loo/.* This grant was probably revoked after John's
rebellion in H94, 6 foron coming to the throne he
confirmed it. 7 It was, however, very soon resigned
or forfeited, for in 1212 it was found that Robert
de Ainsdale held only an eighth part of the manor,
that is four oxgangs of land, and that by the service
of being steward ; 8 the tenure was converted during
the reign of Henry III into fee farm, for IO/. yearly. 9

ID ODD

D D D

, LITTLE

CROSBY. Sable, ten bil-
lets, 4, 3, 2 and ., ar-
gent.

This portion remained with Robert's descendants,'*
whose history is given in the account of the adjacent
manor of Little Crosby.

Another eighth portion or the manor was in 1212
held by Simon de Crosby." He was followed about
1225 by Robert de Crosby; 11 Richard de Crosby '*
and others bearing the local name " occur later ; but
during the thirteenth century one Sturmi de Crosby
succeeded, and sold it to William son of Henry de
Walton. 14 This William was followed by his son
Simon" and grandson Henry, the latter being re-
turned as holding half a plough-land here in 1323-4."
Yet it would seem clear that before this date Simon
de Walton had sold his lands to Nicholas Blundell, 1 "
for they were settled as dower upon Agnes, 19 the
widow of Nicholas's son David ; and were after-
wards granted to his grandson Richard, who married
Emma daughter of Thomas de Molyneux of Sefton.**
They were in I 346 held by Emma's brother Thomas
de Molyneux, perhaps as trustee. 81 There were no
children by the marriage, and in 1352 William, as
son and heir of Nicholas Blundell, a brother of David,
claimed from Thomas son of Thomas de Molyneux
two oxgangs of land in Great Crosby which he alleged
should have descended to him." It does not appear

1 See the account of West Derby ; also
Lanes. Inq. and Extent! (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.) 20, 23. In 1176-7 Crosby
paid 361. 8</. to the aid levied on the
honour of Lane. ; Farrer, Lanes. Pipe

though the word is not used ; it included
the land with all its appurtenances in
wood and open country, &c. ; and all
liberties and free customs.
6 In 1194, Robert son of Osbert owed

disseised Sturmi; Assize R. 408, m. 35.
In another plea the plaintiff is described
as Richard, son of Simon son of Wyon ;
ibid. m. 29. He was non-suited.
Simon de Walton was holding in 1298 ;

annual entry in the sheriff's accounts of
' 30*. of increment from Crosby ' ; ibid.
113, &c.
" Pat. i Chas. I, pt. ii, 24 May ; Crox-
teth D. D. ii. The patent recites that
the king, performing his father's inten-
tions, granted to Robert Dixon and Wil-
liam Walley the manor of Great Crosby,
in consideration of 12,500 paid by
Henry, Viscount Mandeville. The sale
included the rents, &c, of free as of bond
and customary tenants, court-baron and
fines, &c., in all valued at 13 18.. of,/.,

king ; implying that he had shared in the
rebellion, or at least in its consequences ;
Lanes. Pipe R. 78.
- Kuerden MSS. loc. cit. n. 173 ; Rot.
Cart. (Rec. Com.), xli. This was granted at

as the original'. At' the same time
Robert engaged to pay 10 marks and a
chaseur for the confirmation ; Lanes. Pipe
R. 106, 114, 127.
*I,,j. and Extents, *1.
Kuerden MSS. ii. fol. 254, n. 192.
The grant altering the tenure was made

granted to Richard son of Roger son of
Abraham, half an oxgang in Great Cros-
by ; Croxteth D. D. v, 2.
i? Henry de Walton was holding in
i 124 ; Rentals and Surv. 379, m. 3.
18 Blundell of Crosby D. K. 119; by
this charter Simon granted Nicholas all
his lands in the vill, with his house and
appurtenances, homages, services, &c. It
is dated in April 1290. Another charter
has been preserved (ibid. K. 23 1) by which
Robert de Molyneux granted to Nicholas
Blundell a windmill in Great Crosby, and

On 13 March, 1625-6, Dixon and
Walley transferred the grant to Sir Tho-
mas Walmcsley, William Fazakerley,
John Nutter, and Edward Holt; Crox-
teth D. ibid. These four were no doubt

Derby, to Adam de Ainsdale, and may
therefore be placed between 1232 and
1248.
10 Inq. and Extents, 117, 286. See for
a later instance the inquisition after the
death of Henry Blundell, taken in 1516,

the mill, formerly belonging to Simon de
Walton and William de Aintree.
In 1414 Edward Blundell, probably a
trustee, granted to Nicholas Blundell two
messuages and two oxgangs in Mickle
Crosby which had belonged to Simon dc

first viscount, as in the case of Liverpool;
ee Cal. of S.P. Dom. 1640, p. 200. This

lands in Great Crosby from the king as
duke of Lane, in socage, by a rent of 101. ;

i She had the four oxgangs as dower, but
they are not said to have been Simon's ;

inquisition taken after his death in 1636;
but in 1646 the parliamentary commis-
sioners reported that his son, the second
viscount, had an estate in the manors of
Great Crosby and Liverpool, and that
there was a fee-farm rent payable out of
the same of 13 181. o|</. ; the estate
was worth over and above this rent, 30 ;
Royalist Comf. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

11 Inq. and Extents, 20. The service

" Pipe R. 10 Hen. Ill, n. 70, m. 9.
Robert de Crosby was holding in 1226 ;
Ina. and Extents, 136.
i Richard de Crosby attested local
charters of Edw. I and Edw. II's time ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 23 1, K. 1 1 9, &c.
11 Dicket of Great Crosby and Amabel

Agnes, widow of Richard de Holland of
Sutton, enfeoffed Richard de Lund, clerk,
of all her lands in Great Crosby, viz.
one-eighth part of the manor ; ibid. K.
208, K. 206.
80 In 1336 Richard de Lund gave them
to Richard son of Nicholas Blundell, and
Emma daughter of Thomas de Molyneux
of Sefton and their heirs ; the whole or part

8 Thomas Ryan was the purchaser for
the Blundells. A deed of 9 Feb., 1799,
completed the transfer. After the death
of T. Ryan in 1802 his trustees or execu-
tors conveyed the estate to Clementina
Blundell, widow of the late lord of Little

from Adam son of Gilbert Midia of Great
Crosby, and Roger son of Silvester of
Great Crosby ; Kuerden, fol. MS. 260,
575. 574-
1* Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 254, n. 193.
The four oxgangs are named ; William de

Walton's ' ; the reversion was to Nicholas
Blundell; ibid. K. 121.
'"Survey of 1346 (Chet. Soc.), 32;
Thomas de Molyneux at the same time
had four oxgangs and Richard Blundell
four.

veyed to their son and heir William
Blundell; information of Mr. W. E.
Gregson.
4 See the descent in the account of
Little Crosby.
5 Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 124*, n. 172.
The grant seems to be that of a manor,

4</. As Adam de Molyneux and Adam
de Ainsdale were witnesses, the charter
must be dated before 1250.
"In 1292 Richard son of Simon
Sturmi complained that Simon son of
William de Walton held half an oxgang
in Great Crosby, of which William had

m. iv ; also De Bane. R. 360, m. 106 ;
R. 362, m. 128. The defendant stated
that the charters alleged had been mis-
understood. At the first trial the panels
were quashed, because Henry de Chader-
ton, the duke's bailiff, was related to the
defendant, the sheriff's wife Rose being

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

whether this estate reverted to the Blundells of Crosby
or passed to the heirs of Thomas. 1

Another portion, also originally an eighth, was
held in 1212 by Roger Mallot or Malice," and de-
scended soon afterwards to Robert Mallot. 3 Thomas
Banastre held it by charter in 1298;' while in 1323-4
John and William sons of Roger had the same portion. 6
A sub-division followed, and in 1346 the tenants of
each of the three oxgangs of land which composed the
tenement were separately recorded thus : Richard de
Wall, paying is. 6d. ; Robert de Wyresdale, Roger
Bolymer, and Margery daughter of Thomas Jordan-
son, y. ; and William Rogerson with John del Dale,
half; and Henry Woodward, half, 3/. 6 Some frag-
ments can be traced further, and appear to have been
acquired by Molyneux of Sefton. 7

The greater part of the land of the manor was held
in villeinage, and in the extent of 1323-4 already
quoted is a list of the twenty-four holdings, the tene-
ments ranging from a quarter of an oxgang to three
and a half oxgangs, with a note appended that the
oxgang of land contained 5 acres, the assized rent
being at the rate of \s. 6d. for each oxgang of land.
It is further stated that 'the commonalty of the town
of Crosby holds a certain field called the Ford, and
pays los. yearly at Michaelmas.' 8 The extent of
1346 enters much more minutely into the customs

SEFTON

and conditions of the township. 9 The free tenants
remained as formerly, but William de Liverpool,
clerk, and Nichola his wife, had acquired 6 acres next
Balifield by charter of the lord's father. 10

In 1246 the town of Great Crosby was amerced
4cu. for wreckage found on the shore, because the
booty was taken without warrant and hidden."

In the reign of Henry VI there was a dispute
between Henry Blundell, lord of Little Crosby, and
the king's tenants of Great Crosby about the bounda-
ries. By the assent of Sir Richard Molyneux, steward
of the latter place, Thomas Lathom, then escheator,
was made arbitrator, and taking sixteen of the tenants
he rode with them himself to survey the boundary, set-
ting up the meres then and there, after which Henry
Blundell made a ditch along the boundary so marked
out."

It was an established rule that no man should
build any house except within the precincts of the
town, wherefore the king's tenants in 1532 com-
plained that a certain Nicholas Johnson, supported by
James Blundell of Ince and about forty companions,
had built a house on a new site, in defiance of the
other tenants and the constables of the town. More-
over ' the said Nicholas, with eight others, for about
three weeks after the said house was built, armed
with bows, arrows, bucklers, &c., kept watch by

also a relative. At the adjournment

'Rentals and Surv. 379, m. 3. The

The villeins were liable for the reap-

William Blundell did not appear and was

father, Roger, may have been the son of

ing of the lord's meadows at Derby, and

non-suited.

Silvester mentioned in a previous note ;

for carrying firewood during the lord'ft

The charters appear to be some pre-
served by Kuerden. Nicholas Blundell,

field names. In 1292, however, Margery,

timber for building the houses of the

Molyneux, rector of Sefton, of his lands,

that John son of Roger dc Crosby, and

at u. 9 f</. yearly for an oxgang in addition

and exchanged them for those which had

Roger son of Quenilda de Crosby, were

to the rent of 41. 6J. above mentioned.

belonged to Simon de Walton ; Blundell

detaining a charter from her; Assize

The villein was bound to come to the

of Crosby D. K.. 159. Soon afterwards

R. 408, m. ii.

lord's hallmote whenever summoned, could

the rector granted to Nicholas and his wife

6 Survey of 1346 (Chet. Soc.), 32.

not marry his daughter nor allow his son

Margery the lands in Crosby which had

?In 1393 it was found that Robert

to be coroner without payment for re-

then to Richard son of David Blundell

as son and heir. This Roger had a

make satisfaction for the holding, as well

K. 122, and Kucrden fol. MS. 261, .

ginson, but she and her nine sons all

the widow's right to a third would be

487.

died before her husband. This husband

allowed by a separate agreement ; the

Margery, as wife of Thomas Penreth,

married again, and had a son Thomas

chattels belonged to the lord wholly, after

in 1335 demised to Cecily, widow of
Thomas de Molyneux, her life interest in

as William Tue son of Agnes daughter of

payment of the dues of the church and
the debts of the deceased, one-third being

the lands at Great Crosby ; Croxteth D.

Margery daughter of Simon the Porter,

retained by him, and two-thirds returned

D. i, ..

brother of Roger Robinson, was the heir,

to the widow and the children or next

1 On the one hand it appears that

although Margery's sister Alice had re-

heirs. A list of the tenants at will fol-

Richard son of Nicholas Blundell, and

leased her right to William Higginson ;

lows, one of them did the ' services of

husband of Emma, had in 1345 granted

Croxteth D. D. v, 6.

the Forland'; and also those of the

all his lands in Great Crosby to Richard

William Tue granted his inheritance in

riddings, the latter being rented at is. ark

son of Sir John de Molyneux of Little

1432 to John the Cook ; he about eighteen

acre.

Crosby ; and four years later Nicholas,

months afterwards sold it to John son of

It appears further that Thomas de-

father of Richard, gave to his son Henry

John of Great Crosby i.e. John Johnson

Molyneux was then bailiff of the wapen-

the reversion of all the lands which had

who shortly afterwards settled it on

take. William Rogerson, a native, had

been held by his mother Agnes, and then

himself and his wife Margaret for life,

part of an oxgang of the lord's escheat, as

by Emma widow of Richard ; Blundell of

and then to their son Robert and his sons

of the free holding of Emma daughter of

Crosby D. K.. 207, K.. 205.

Thomas and Nicholas ; ibid. D. v, 7-12.

Alan son of Simon, late his wife, and

On the other hand Thomas dc Moly-

Richard, son of John the Cook, also granted

owed yd, to the free rent of the wapcn-

neux, as already shown, was the tenant in

half an oxgang to John son of John de

take ; Roger son of Hugh, also a native

1346; and his heirs, the Osbaldestons,

Crosby in 1429 ; ibid. D. v, 5.

by blood, had free land of the inheritance.

held lands in Great Crosby as part of their

Other Croxteth deeds concern lands of

of Almar his wife.

manor of Edge in Sefton ; Duchy of Lane.

the Ncwhouses family. In 1392 Henry

"Knowsley D. bdle. 1402, n. 10; dated,

Inq. p.m. xii, n. 28. The rent payable to

son of Robert del Newhouses settled his

at K-nowsley, 8 July, 1343, and granting

the duchy by the Blundells remained at

hereditary lands on himself and his wife

6 acres of waste in the marsh of Great

los. instead of being increased to 201.

Alice, with remainders to their children

Crosby, adjoining a place called the Bail-.

* Inq. and Extent:, 20 ; two of the four

John and Catherine, and then to Robert

liffeld, between the bounds of Crosby and

oxgangs had been forfeited because * his

and William sons of Richard del New-

Litherland, at a rent of 35. ; also granting

ancestors put them to farm to the king's

houses ; ibid. D. v, 3-4.

an acre and a rood in Liverpool.

rustics.'

Richard Newhouse was a reeve of the

"Assize R. 404, m. 19.

8 Ibid. 1 36 ; Robert was paying 71. 6d.,

chapel in 1552; Ch. Goods (Chet. Soc.),

"Lansd. MS. 559, fol. 74*. Nicholas.

showing that one of the forfeited oxgangs

104.

Lurting was one of the tenants. Thomas .

had been restored.

8 Rentals and Surv. 379.

de Lathom was escheator in various years.

<Ibid. 287.

'Add. MS. 32103, fol. 143*.

from 1431 to 1459.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

night, so that the said tenants durst not walk out in
the evening as they had been accustomed to do, and
see their goods.' Further, on the Eve of St. Michael
in Monte Tumba he had gone into the chapel and
kept the door shut, so that neither ' strange pilgrims '
nor the townspeople could enter to pray or make
their offerings. 1

Queen Elizabeth in 1602 enclosed 200 acres of
the common or waste lands of the manor, to be en-
joyed by the tenants in severalty by copy of court
roll according to the custom of the manor, paying
Afd. for every acre improved, and to be subject to the
usual fines."

The Johnson family appear to have been among
the principal tenants in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, but it is difficult to trace the family back
with certainty owing to the use of the Christian name
as surname in the precise sense, as ' son of John,' so
that the surname varied from generation to generation. 3

A number of ' Papists ' registered their estates here
in 1717 Henry Aspinwall of Croxteth, Richard
Cartwright, Edward Hatton, John Hunt, John
Johnson, Robert Johnson, John Lurting, Thomas
Syers and Mary his wife, Thomas Thelwall, and
Richard Westhead. 4

The court rolls of the manor, dating from the
time of Henry VIII, are kept in a box in St. Luke's
church gallery. A few earlier ones are at Croxteth. 5

Great Crosby Marsh was enclosed in 1 8 1 6. 6 The
old bull-croft, belonging to the township, stood in
Marsh Lane ; the assembly rooms are built upon a
portion of it. 7

Although from its name it may be

CHURCH supposed that there had been a chapel

at Great Crosby from an early time, the

first direct reference hitherto noticed is that quoted

above, in 1532. From this it will be seen that it
was a place of pilgrimage, and it may further be
gathered that the feast day was St. Michael in Monte
Tumba, 16 October. 8

The Parliamentary Commissioners of 1 650 described
it as 'an ancient chapel well situated, the present
incumbent being Mr. John Kidd, an able minister,
who hath for his salary the tithes of the said place,
being worth 30 per annum,' and they considered
that it might be made an independent parish
church. 9

The old chapel of St. Michael was replaced in
1774 by a brick building with a tower. 10 This was
pulled down in 1864, though the tower continued to
stand until 1880. The present church of St. Luke,
on the main road, some quarter of a mile from the old
one, was built in 1854. There is a graveyard.

The church plate includes a paten (date 1724)
given by Mrs. Elizabeth Martin in 1 766 ; and a
chalice (initials I.L.) of Elizabethan style, but ap-
parently of eighteenth-century manufacture, the cor-
responding paten of which is among the Sefton church
plate. There is a sundial (date 1752) in the church-
yard.

The following is an imperfect list of curates-in-
charge and incumbents since the beginning of the
seventeenth century n ; several of them were also

masters
Bef.

f the

chool :

e gra

1650 John Kidd, M.A.
1680 John Wareing, B.A. (? Emmanuel Coll.

Camb.)

1711 Gerard Wareing, B.A.
1733 Robert Bellis
1733 Anthony Halsall

1756 Edward Owen, M.A. (Jesus Coll. Oxf.)
1758 Wilfred Troutbeck

1 Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 4. Nicholas Johnson was the
husband of Margaret Blundell, sister of
James ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 85.

2 Croxteth D. D. ii, I.

Some mention of them has been
made above, with examples of the change
of surname. It is noticeable that B.

Richard Johnson and William Holt were
sworn before William Blundell of Ince
and Robin Holt of the same to claim one
half each and no more; and Thomas
Linacre was to make no alienation.

FeorTments by Richard Johnson of
Little Crosby in 1447-8 mention lands
there and in Ince Blundell ; part he held

Richardson, his father being Richard.

'The family was of considerable an-
tiquity, and suffered greatly for its re-
ligion. . . . About the middle of the
seventeenth century John Johnson of
Great Crosby, the representative of the
family, married Jane daughter of John
Molyneux of New Hall. She was a widow
in 1667, and was then paying her fines
for recusancy ; ' Gillow, l.s.c.

In 1459 Nicholas son of Jenkyn John-
son and Joan his wife and John son of
the said Nicholas entered upon a mes-
suage and half an oxgang by demise of
John Golding ; and in 1474 Henry
Nicholason sought entry into a messuage
and oxgang by demise of Alice widow
of Nicholas Jankinson; Court R. at
Croxteth.

Moore charters (n. 744) is a record of the
descent of the property of Tomlin Wilson,
who in the presence of Nicholas Blundell,
the father of Harry Blundell lately de-
ceased, had declared that his heirs were
his daughter, the wife of Richard Johnson,
and his grandson Thomas Linacre, son of
another daughter. The former had a son,
John Richardson, and the latter a daugh-
ter married to Wilkin Holt, and in 1470

daughter of Thomas Wilson of Ince;
Kuerden MSS. iii, C. 34, n. 437, 439.
His son was John ; ibid. n. 438.

Nicholas Johnson of Crosby, aged
sixty-six, gave evidence in a Downholland
dispute in 1558 ; Duchy of Lane. Depos.
Phil, and Mary, Ixxv, H. 3.

The will of Nicholas Johnson, dated
24 April, 1610, and proved at Chester
the same year, mentions his wife Eliza-
beth, his eldest son John, and other
children Richard, Nicholas, and Margery;
also his grandchild Nicholas Johnson.
This inventory, made 1 1 May, shows
goods of the value of 234.

The will of Jane Johnson, of the
Moorside within Great Crosby, widow,
dated 1 6 March, 1702-3, names her
brother and sister Edward and Margaret
Molyneux and other relations and friends,
including Robert Breres of Walton Hall.
She was a daughter of John Molyneux of
Alt Grange. Her executors were to dis-
pose of the residue of her estate according
to a schedule annexed to the will. She
devised 300 towards the maintenance of
two youths, Edward son of Edward
Molyneux of Altcar and Richard Smith
son of Margaret Smith (who married a
second husband, Thomas Widdowton of

Bootle), and in 1716 this money was
'being paid to some Popish College be-
yond seas to make the said youths priests' ;
Payne, Rec. of Engl. Catb. 151, 126;
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 203. Her
house, still standing, was in 1666 the
largest in Crosby, yet it had only four
hearths ; Lay Subs. Lanes. = .

* Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Catb. Non-
jurors, 1 10, &c. For a son of Edward

Hatton see Gillow, Bill. Diet, iii, 163.

5 In one of the Croxteth R. dated
1538, the officers are named as reeve,

(4), and supervisors of wreck of the sea
(2). The later rolls give bierlawmen,
supervisors of waifs, estrays, and wreck
of the sea, and chapel reeves.

8 The Act was passed 28 Feb. 1812;
and the award made four years later at
the Ship Inn, Great Crosby. There it a
copy with plan at the County Council
Offices, Preston.

^ End. Char. Rep. 1899 (Sefton), 26.

8 For other notes, list of church orna-
ments, &c., see Raines, Chantries (Chet
Soc.), ii, 268, 276, 277, where the chapel
itself is valued at 301. ; and Ch. Goods
(Chet. Soc.), 103.

Commmia. Cb. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 85. See also Plund. Mini.
Accts. (same Soc.), i, 7.

The church is called St. Luke's in
1836 in Baines's Lanes, (ist ed.), iv, 217.
On the 6-inch Ordnance map, however,
it is named St. Michael's, and so in Gore,
Liver fool Dir. 1853.

11 Compiled chiefly from the Bishopi'
Visit. Books.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

1783 Nicholas Rigbye Baldwin, M.A. (fellow

of Peterhouse, Camb.)
1817 Jacob Hodgson
1840 Edmund Boteler Chalmer, M.A.

(T.C.D.)

1844 Richard Walker
1855 Joseph Clark
1870 Robert Love, M.A. (T.C.D.)
1902 Frederic Arthur Bartlett, M.A. (Pem-
broke Coll. Oxf.)

Modern churches connected with the Establish-
ment are those of St. Nicholas, Blundellsands, and
St. Faith, Great Crosby. The former was built in
1874,' the latter in 1900. The incumbents are pre-
sented by bodies of trustees.

The Presbyterian Church ot England built a chapel
at Blundellsands in 1898. There is a Wesleyan
Methodist church at Blundellsands, built in 1891 ; it
has a tall and graceful spire. The Congregationalists
have a school church near the village, built in 1884. *
The Roman Catholic church of SS. Peter and
Paul, Great Crosby, was opened in 1894. The
mission was inaugurated in 1825. There are con-
vents of the Sisters of Nazareth and the Sisters of
St. Paul, the former occupying Crosby House. At
Blundellsands the church of St. Joseph was opened in
i886. 3

The grammar school was founded in 1619 by the
will of John Harrison, citizen and merchant tailor of
London, whose father had been born in Great Crosby. 4
Another school, at first called the Mistress's School,
was founded by the will of Catherine Halsall, 1758.*

LITHERLAND

Liderlant, Dom. Bk. ; Litherland, 1212. Generally
Down Litherland.

Litherland forms an uninteresting link between
the busy environs of Bootle and the more open
country towards Sefton township, since there are both
dwelling-houses and warehouses, streets, and shops, as
well as open spaces. It lies on a slightly higher level
than its seaward neighbour, Seaforth. The soil is for
the most part sandy, with a subsoil of clay. The
geological formation of the north-eastern half of the
township consists of lower keuper sandstones of the
new red sandstone or triassic formation ; that of
the south-western of the waterstones of the same
series. The strata are concealed by alluvial deposits
along the course of the Rimrose Brook, and by a
broad stretch of blown sand adjoining the coast.

SEFTON

The ancient township, from which Seaforth has now
been carved out, contains 1,205 acres. 6 It was formerly
called Down Litherland to distinguish it from the
hamlet of Up-Litherland in Aughton. The roads
from Liverpool to Southport, and to Sefton and
Ormskirk, were the principal ones, but the township
has become a residential district with numerous roads
and streets. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Company has a station at Seaforth on its Southport
line, and the Fazakerley branch of the same company
passes through the township. The Leeds and Liver-
pool Canal also passes through it.

The population in 1901 numbered 10,592, while
that of Seaforth was 13,263.

The Diamond Match Factory is the most promi-
nent industry in Litherland.

The field names in a map of 1769' show that the
Marsh was the district between Rimrose Brook and
the shore ; the Bullcroft was here. East of the
present Seaforth Station was the Holme, and to the
north Such Field and Whabs. The moss occupied
the north-eastern part of the township ; the moor
adjoined it on the borders of Orrell. The Church
Field was north of the old village, on the borders of
Ford ; the reason for this name, an ancient one, is
unknown. Aynard Hey was a strip lying between
the village and Church Field.

A local board was formed in 1863 for the part not
in the Waterloo-with-Seaforth district 8 ; in 1894
this part was constituted the township of Litherland ;
it is governed by an urban district council of twelve
members.

At the death of Edward the Confessor
M4NOR Elmaer held LITHERLAND for a manor
assessed at half a hide, or three plough-lands,
and its value beyond the customary rent was the nor-
mal 8/. 9 Within sixty years the whole had come into
the possession of the Molyneux family, and has since
descended with Sefton. It was, however, acquired in
moieties by different titles. One moiety is supposed
to have been part of the original Sefton fee ; the
other was granted in exchange for Toxteth, and for
this part a thegnage rent of 2Os. was paid, the under-
tenants in 12 1 2 being Robert de Walton and Richard
son of Siward, each holding one-half. 10 About the
year 1125 Stephen, count of Boulogne and Mortain,
had assured to Robert de Molyneux and his heir his
land in Litherland for i^s. a year apparently the
thegnage moiety." In 1324 the two portions are
clearly distinguished, Richard de Molyneux holding
one half by the service of 2O/., and the other half in
conjunction with Sefton. 12

1 A school chapel, called St. Barnabas' s,
licensed in 1864, now the day school, was
the origin of this church and parish.

Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 223.
The congregation works and maintains a
mission at Sandhills, Liverpool.

8 Liver fool Catb. Ann. 1901 ; Gillow,
Haydock Papers, 132.

For the list of recusants in 1641 see
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 237.

* In 1 570 Thomas Harrison and other
inhabitants of Great Crosby had a dispute
with the people of Litherland as to pasture
of Great Crosby Marsh ; Ducatus Lane.
(Rec.Com.), iii, 393.

6 See the End. Char. Ref. for Sef-
ton, 1899, and the Educational Section
of this work for these schools ; also
Tram. Hist. Sec. (New Ser.), xviii, 131-
7*-

6 857 acres, including 9 of inland
water ; Census Rep. of 1901.

7 Preserved at Croxteth.

8 Land Gax. 24 April and 16 June,
1863. y.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.

10 Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 12, 14. The exchange is
also mentioned in the Red Book of the
Excheq. (Rolls Ser.), 572.

11 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 427. Although
the land is called 'his (Robert's) land,'
the word used is concede, as if it were a
fresh grant. The service of 141. does not
appear again, so that it was soon raised to

l Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 34. The por-
tion held with Sefton is not usually men-
seems in the end to have been regarded
as due for the whole of Litherland.

In 1226 Adam de Molyneux paid 201.
of thegnage in Litherland; and in 1297
Richard de Molyneux rendered zo,. for
Down Litherland, and two tenants did
suit ; Inq. and Extents, 136, 288. These
tenants in 1324 were named as Adam
and William the Demands ; they did the
suit to county and wapentake.

The fusion or confusion of the two
moieties was complete by 1346, when
Richard de Molyneux held 'three plough-
lands' here, paying 20*. ; Survey of 1346
(Chet. Soc.), 34.

Richard de Molyneux, who died in
1363, was found to have held the manor
of Down Litherland of the duke of Lan-
caster, by homage and the service of 201.
yearly, and performing suit at the wapen-
take of West Derby; it had a capital
messuage, 30 acres of land each worth I zd.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

It thus appears that from

was divided into a half and two quarters ; and this is
perhaps the origin of the modern
division into Litherland, Orrell,
and Ford.

One of the two quarters at
least was probably held by a
' Demand,' a doom-man or
judge, so called from the here-
ditary service discharged in the
wapentake court as the repre-
sentative of the lord of Sefton.
There were two families bear-
ing the surname Demand, one
of which was certainly connected

very closely with Orrell. The quarter of the manor
held by the latter family cannot be traced with clear-
ness, but appears to have been held by one Siward
about izoo 1 and to have descended to the Demand
family, 1 being sold in 1335 by Richard the Demand

rly time Litherland to Peter, a younger

af Richard de Molyneux of

LKA OF FRINCH LIA.

Sable, three bars argent.

Sefton. 3 With the latter's daughter it went to John
Dandyson of Ditton, 4 and was purchased from
Richard and Peter de Ditton by Sir Richard Molyneux
and his son in the latter part
of Henry VI's reign. 5

The other quarter came into
possession of the Lea or Lee
family, 6 and descended with
other of their lands to the
Ashtons of Croston, 7 until
alienated in 1596 by Thomas
Ashton, who sold his fourth
part of the manor, with all his
lands in Litherland, Orrell,
and Ford, to Sir Richard
Molyneux. 8 There was another
family named Lee in the town-
ship whose property also came to Molyneux. 9

Richard de Molyneux had before I z 1 z gii

ASHTON OF CROSTON.
rgent, a chevron be-
veen three chaplets gules.

a year, and 301. rents of free tenants ; Inq.
p.m. 4 2Edw. Ill, . 4 o(i.tNo..).
The later inquisitions give the same
testimony ; e.g. Sir William Molyneux,
who died in 1548, held the manor of

Peter dc Molyneux also acquired land
in Orrell from Emma widow of William
Page ; Croxteth D. G. i, 7.
In 1349 William son of Peter de
Molyneux and Margery, Anabel, Agnes,

the boundaries ; Moore D. n. 692. In
1 299 Richard, son of William dc Ince,
who lived in Orrell, gave 3 roods in
this croft to William, son of Richard de
Ince, of Thornton ; they extended from

30 acres of land, &c. by the same rent of
20j. and the service of doing suit at the
wapentake every three weeks ; the clear

regranted to their' father the lands they
had had from him in the vills of Lither-
land and Orrell ; ibid. Gen. i. 30.

service of z J</. was payable, part to Henry
de Lea and part to Adam the Judge,
apparently the Judex Major named in the

^"to* '* or, <Tan C e M r
was summoned between Agnes daughter
of Robert, plaintiff, and Richard, Andrew,

events that Joan was her father's heir, for
in 1355 John son of John Dandyson of
Ditton and Joan his wife claimed from
Richard de Molyneux of Sefton the manor

Henry de Lea in 1305 claimed a mes-
suage and land here from Richard de Ince
and others; De Bane. R. 156, m. 127.
William, son of Sir William de Lea, in

three oxgangs in Litherland. Agnes re-
leased her right to the tenants, and

lands there and in Sefton, as Joan's right ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4, m. 5, m. 24 d.

de Molyneux of Sefton and others, ap-
parently concerning Litherland ; Assize

which had been Efward's and a mark of
silver also ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, n. This referred to half
only of the quarter (6 oxgangs), and in

land charter in 1361 ; Moore D. n. 721.
He took part in the Irish expedition of
Sir John de Stanley in 1386 ; Cal. of Pat.
1 385-9> P- IS 6 - I" '39* Robert the

7 The fourth part of the manor of
Litherland was included in a fine con-
cerning the estates of William de Lea
and Isolda his wife in 1372 ; Final Cone.

sole or responsible tenant, paying loj. a
year to Richard de Molyneux of Sefton.
a The evidence connecting a Demand
with Orrell is as follows :
Adam the Judge, son of William the
Judge, granted to Henry Ballard a selion in

Ditton and Joan his wife of the fourth
part of the manor of Litherland, and
various lands he had had from Peter;
Croxteth D. G. ii, 27.
Richard their son is mentioned in 1401,
and in 1420 he regranted to Peter his

A settlement was made in 1392 of a
fourth part of the manor of Down Lither-
land between Master William de Ashton,
John de Ashton, and John de Wolleton,
chaplain, plaintiffs, and Robert de Standish
and Isolda his wife, deforciants ; Pal. of

gave William Ballard land in the Nether
Bradmore in Litherland ; and this grantee

received from his feoffees all his lands,
&c. in Litherland and Orrell, and imme-

had a life interest.
Thomas Ashton of Croston was claimant

Judge made a grant in Hogh Orrell and
in Mossfield to Henry son of Robert de
Linacre, a rent of d. being payable to the
.chief lord ; and in the next year, as son
of William the Demand, he granted two
'lands' in Orrell to Henry son of Robert
-de Kirkdale ; ibid. G. ii, 10, 1 1. In
1 309 he made a grant to Roger de Roby
and Agnes his wife ; the latter may have
been his daughter ; Moore D. n. 694.
8 Richard the Demand in 1309 allowed
.turbary in Litherland Moss to Richard
on of Hugh de Linacre; Moore D.
. 695. In 1327 Richard son of Adam
the Judge and heir of William the Judge
.quitclaimed to Peter de Molyneux his
right in one oxgang in the vill of Lither-
land ; and eight years later, as Richard
the Demand, he granted to Peter son of

willing to hold them after this term, then
the rent should be 261. 8</.; ibid. G. i, 17,
18, 23. Soon after the ten years had
expired, at the beginning of 1443, he sold
the whole to Sir Richard ; while in 1455
his son Peter released all his right therein
to Richard Molyneux the son of Sir
Richard; ibid. G. i, 19, 20, 24.
Of Lea near Preston ; lords of Ravens-
meols, &c. If the suggestion in the text
be correct the Leas' quarter was that held
in 1 212 by Robert de Walton by a rent
of ICM. Nothing further is known of this
tenant or his successors, but a Robert de
Walton was about that time vicar of the
rector of Sefton ; Lane. Ch. (Chet. Soc.),
i, 66.
Henry de Lea granted an oxgang of
land in the vill of Litherland to Adam,

held lands in Litherland of [William]
Molyneux, but the jury did not know by
what service ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
iii, . 93.
Richard Ashton appears in 1558 5 Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 18, m. 41.
8 Croxteth D. G. i, 50 ; also Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 59, m. 109.
'William and Henry, sons of Roger
del Lee, were defendants in a case of
1346; De Bane. R. 345, m. 393.
William de Moston in 1409 granted
land in a field called Nether Bradmoor in
Orrell to Richard de Lee ; Croxteth D. G.
ii, 29. In 1468 Richard Formby granted
land in the same field, now said to be in
the vill of Litherland, to Roger de Lee,
with remainders to his brother Richard,
and to the heirs of their father Richard;

manor ; Croxteth D. G. i, 5, 6. Also in
1335 Philip de Molyneux conveyed land
in Ince Blundell to Richard, formerly
judge of Down Litherland, and Margery
Jilt wife ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 131.

teth D. G. ii, i.
Henry son of Henry de Lea gave to
William son of Agnes de Thornton a rood
of land by the Pikemanscroft, Orrel Syke
and Wellfield Siche being mentioned in

9 6

by Roger to his son Henry in 1486, and
soon afterwards sold by Henry to John,
son of Nicholas Johnson, who at once
transferred to Dame Anne Molyneux;
ibid. G. i, 35-40.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

oxgangs of land to Randle de Litherland by knight's Ballard, 3 Gorstihill, 4
service and a rent of 5/. 1 A family bearing the local Tristram, 8 and Witla
name appears from ti

SEFTON

Linacre, 5 Makin, 6 Mercer,'
The Moores of Bank Hall

ervce an a rent o 5/. amy earng te oca rstram, an taw. e oores o an a

ame appears from time to time. 2 acquired a considerable holding in the township,

Among the other holders of land in the fifteenth chiefly, it would seem, by purchase from some of the

entury and earlier may be named the families of earlier owners just named. 10 In 1628 the only free-

1 Inq. and Extent!, 13.
" It is possible that the)

i possible that they were also called
Demand, acting for the Sefton moiety of
the vill.

Alan de Litherland gave two selions
here to Roger son of William de Moly-
neux at id. rent ; Croxteth D. G. i, 2.
Adam de Litherland granted a selion to
William son of Gilbert de Linacre ; ibid.
G. ii, 6.

Sir Henry de Lea about 1280 granted
to Richard, son of William de Litherland,
a messuage and garden in Orrell ; and
Adam, son of William the Demand,
granted him free turbary ; Moore D.
n. 689-90. The grantee may be the
Richard son of William the Judge of
other charters.

Richard de Molyneux granted part of
his land in the vill to Richard, son of
Alice de Litherland ; Croxteth D. Ee. 7.
Then in 1313 William the Demand, son
of Adam, gave to Henry de Lea the
homage of Richard son of Richard, son
of Alice de Down Litherland ; this was
confirmed by fine, Richard doing homage
and fealty to Henry in court ; ibid. G.
ii, 13, and Final Cone, ii, 28. There

In 1313 Adam son of William Ballard
released to his son Richard all his right
in certain lands in Litherland near the
Wall Syke, in the Long Nares, Gorsti-
croft and Nether Brademoor ; Croxteth
D. G. ii, 12. Richard Ballard's land is
mentioned in a charter of 1336 ; Moore
D. . 696.

Adam son of Henry Ballard granted
land in Orrell to John de Gorsthill in
1343 ; Croxteth D. G. ii, 21.

ippeu

: ecu

ntxral

i later ; Assize R. 425, m. 2.
William the Deemer and Margery
Down Litherland were in the same ye
charged with depriving the latter's sist

of Adam the Judge leased half his land
in the fields of Orrell, and a halland in
Over Brademoor; and in 1320 Henry
granted his Litherland estate to his son
John ; Croxteth D. G. ii, 5, 17.

John de Gorsthill had further grants
from Richard the Demand in 1328 ; and
from Peter de Molyneux in 1348, Agnes
his wife and Hugh their son being named
in the charter; and he in 1356 gave all
his lands in Orrell to his son Thomas,
who was marrying Elizabeth daughter of
Richard de Riding ; ibid. G. ii, 19 ; Ee.
21 ; G. ii, 24. William de Gorsthill
attested a charter in 1401 ; and John
Bootle of Litherland gave to William de
Gorsthill of Linacre three selions in the
Broadmoor in 1437 ; Moore D. . 699,
722.

5 John son of Richard, son of Geoffrey

8 In 1361 John son of GilbeU de
Aughton re-enfeoffed John son of William
Pynnuesson of Litherland of his messuage
there, the remainders being to Richard
son of Margery daughter of Richard
Robinson del Edge, and to Tristram, John,
Alice, Margaret and other children of
Margery ; ibid. . 721.

In 1469 Robert Tristram of Litherland
gave to trustees lands in the Gorsticroft,
Commongrene, and Marsh ; and John
Tristram in 1505-6 granted certain lands
to his son and heir Thomas, who married
Margery daughter of John Rignold of
Great Crosby ; ibid. . 704, 708.

About 1650 there was an exchange of
lands between Robert Tristram alia!
Syme and others, including a ' forsyde '
for a ' hurlinghold ' on Anome halland ;
the inventory of Robert Tristram, dated
1654, is also preserved; ibid. n. 7264,
726.

John Taylor of Ormskirk in 1662 sold
to Edward Moore of Bank Hall the lands
in Litherland which he had had in right
of his wife Margaret, daughter of Robert
Tristram ; they were charged with 60
for his youngest daughter (Catherine, wife
of Thomas Harker of Barton. The de-
livery of seisin is interesting : ' John Taylor
in his own proper person did go into the
hempyard and did there cast up a sod of

oxgangs of land ; both sisters claimed by
a grant of Adam son of Adam, son of
Gilbert, but Maud failed in her suit;
Assize R. 424, m. 2.

In 1328 the same Margery claimed
from Richard son of Richard de la Moor
and others a messuage and two oxgangs
of land. It appears that she had had them
by gift of William the Demand when he
married a certain Ellen, who as his
widow was one of the defendants. The
other defendants included Richard, son of
Margery de Down Litherland, and Adam
the Little Demand. (Adam the Little
Judge was witness to a grant by Richard
son of William the Judge of Litherland,
to Richard son of Hugh the Reeve of
Walton ; Moore D. n. 691. A charter
by Adam the Great Judge has been
quoted already.) Richard de la Moor
was the heir of William the Demand, but
the charter of Margery was upheld by the
jury ; Assize R. 1400, m. 234.

grant to Henry de Bootle ; Hugh son of
Richard de Linacre in 1381-2 ; and John
de Linacre in 1401 in a grant to Henry
Dicconson de Linacre ; Croxteth D. G.
ii, 25 ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 10 ;
Moore D. n. 699. In 1415 Margery,
daughter of John Johnson of Hale, and
Alice her sister, released to John Robinson
de Linacre all their right in the lands of
Emma, daughter of John son of Richard
de Linacre ; ibid. n. 702.

6 In I 378 the feoffees granted to Richard
Makin and Agnes his wife Richard's
lands in Litherland ; Moore D. n. 697.

1450-1 granted to Henry he

all he

lands in Down Litherland lately belong-
ing to John Dicconson of Crosby ; with

Makin 5 Kuerden MSS. iii, W. *o . 30.

In 1505-6 Thomas Makin of Litherland,
and John his son and heir granted a selion

which was part of the wall of the house,
and did all the same deliver as seisin ' ;
ibid. n. 728.

Eleven years later Edward Mooregranted
a lease of premises in Litherland to Anne
Tristram, widow of Henry, their daughters
Alice and Anne being named, at a rent of
305. payable at ' the compass window of
Bank Hall ' ; the lessee was to grind at
Moore's Mill, and to set a hundred quick-
sets every year ; and though ' many of the
tenants within the lordship of Litherland
have usually been accustomed to do boons
and services by cart and hand labour,'
making a bad name for Edward Moore,
this lessee was to pay 12 in lieu of such
services; ibid. B. 732.

'The name is spelt in many ways.

In 1424 Richard, son and heir of Peter
de Ditton, granted to William, son and
heir of Thomas Wetlache, land in the
Overmoor ; Croxteth D. G. ii, 3 1 .

Thurstan Whitlegh granted a messuage

occurs in 1329 ; Assize R. 427, m. 3 d.

* By fine in 1256 an oxgang of land
was granted by Richard de Birches and
Margery his wife, of whose right it was,
to Robert, son of Adam Ballard, on his
marriage with their daughter Emma ;
Final Cone, i, 119.

William son of Adam de Molyneux
about 1270 gave to Henry son of Adam,
son of Andrew de Litherland, certain
lands at a rent of 6d. About the same
time Adam the Demand, son of Robert de
Litherland, gave two selions to Henry son
of Adam Ballard, perhaps the same Henry ;
and Alan son of Richard formerly of
Litherland gave him the Clayland lying
next to land of Robert Ballard's, and
extending from the road called Bridgate
to the road from the vill of Litherland
to Sefton church ; Blundell of Crosby
D. K. 4, K. 3, K.. I.

Thomas Makin in 1477 released to
Thomas Molyneux of Sefton all his right
in the dower lands of Ellen his mother,
and in 1505 gave land in the Moorfield
and by the shore to Edward Molyneux
son of Sir Thomas, following this with
further grants which preserve some field
names ; Sperthe in the Longchurchfield,
Elringhawes, Cockheys, Tongsharps in
the townfield, Croft Agram, and Croft
Colke, this last being in the Ford ; Crox-
teth D. G. i. 30, 43, 44. Soon after-
wards Thomas Makin and John his son

ibid. G. ii, 32-3 ; Moore D. n. 711-12. '
^ Roger Mercer of Walton, who had
sons, Gilbert and William, made pur-
chases in 1482, and William Mercer in
1519 ; Moore D.n. 705-6, 716. Crook-
field and Pulverlong occur in this last
deed.

i 535, which was confirmed six years later
by John Witlak, as son and heir of
Thurstan ; and Thomas Collins sold the
same to Richard Molyneux in 1549 (here
the name is written Quitlagh) ; ibid. G. i,
45-7. In 1555 Thomas Whytlage and
Alice his wife sold lands in Litherland
and Upholland to Sir Richard Molyneux ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 16, m.

l This will be clear from the references
to the Moore D. In addition the Moores
secured the lands of the Corker family.

Emmot, wife of William the Corker,
in 1385 received the lands of her husband
in Litherland and the vill of Orrell, from
the feoffee, the remainders being to his
sons Richard and John, and others ; and
in 1408 Peter de Ditton leased to Richard
son of William the Corker a house and
land in the Ford ; while another Richard

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

holders mentioned were the heirs of Richard Davy. 1
The recusant roll of 1641 groups the three Lither-
land townships with Aintree, and records only six
names ; Henry Bootle was probably of this town-
ship.* In 1 769 besides Lord Molyneux, the earl
of Derby, William Bolton, Richard Tristram, John
Wainwright, and others held small portions of the
land.'

For members of the Established Church St. Philip's
was built in 1863.* Trustees have the patronage.
St. Mark's is a chapel of ease. St. Andrew's, origi-
nating in the same way, has now an independent
district ; the bishop of Liverpool is patron.

There is a Wesleyan chapel in Litherland village.

WATERLOO stands on the margin of the Mersey
estuary, healthily situated, with a wide breezy pros-
pect, although the surface of the land could scarcely
be flatter. In this respect it is precisely like its
neighbours north and south. Nearly one-half of the
township is covered by the sea at high-water, for the
boundaries extend far into the estuary, whilst at
low tide there is a broad stretch of firm sands beyond
the houses and terraces which face the sea. The rest
of the land is occupied by the town of Waterloo,
which may be looked upon as an important residential
suburb of Liverpool, reached in a few minutes by the
electric railway.

The hamlet of Crosby Sea-bank grew at the be-
ginning of last century into a ' flourishing sea-bath-
ing place.' 5 The Waterloo Hotel, traditionally said
to have been commenced on the day the famous battle
was fought, gave a distinctive name to the place. 6
The first railway was that from Southport, opened in
I 848, the terminus being for a time at Waterloo ;
passengers were carried by coach to and from Liver-
pool. 7 The local government district of Waterloo-
with-Seaforth was formed out of Litherland in 1863,"
and in 1874 extended to include part of Great
Crosby. 9 In 1 894 the separate townships of Waterloo
and Seaforth were created and joined to make the
urban district of Waterloo-with-Seaforth. 10 The coun-
cil has eighteen members. The Town Hall was built
in 1862.

In connexion with the Established Church there
are Christ Church in the Litherland portion, built in
1839, sev eral times enlarged, and rebuilt in 1892 ; "
St. John's Church in the Great Crosby portion, built
in 1865 ;" and St. Mary's Church, built in 1877, and

state probably repre

consecrated in 1886. The patronage of these churches
is vested in different bodies of trustees.

The English Presbyterian church of St. Andrew
was built in 1876, a congregation having been
gathered about three years earlier. There are a
Wesleyan church and a temporary Baptist chapel.
The Congregational church, opened in 1 866, is the
result of services begun in 1 8 5 5 by the Rev. T. Sleigh,
formerly of Wavertree." The Salvation Army has
barracks in East Street.

The Roman Catholic church of St. Thomas of
Canterbury, on the Litherland side of the boundary,
was opened in August 1877 ; a temporary chapel
had been used from 1 868. u

SE4FORTH township was formed in 1894 from
Litherland, and joined with Waterloo to form an
urban district. 15 The two occupy the whole river
frontage of Litherland and part of that of Great
Crosby. The name is derived from Seaforth House,
which Sir John Gladstone built about 1815. When
the tide is low a broad stretch of sands is uncovered
and forms a favourite recreation ground of the inhabi-
tants of Liverpool, since these sands are on the north
side the nearest to the city, approached easily by the
overhead electric railway. The rest of the township
is thickly populated. The streets are level on a
sandy soil, the town being built upon land once occu-
pied by sandhills.

There are large barracks at Seaforth.

The shore has been secured by the Mersey Dock
Board.

The Established Church had the first place of wor-
ship here, St. Thomas's, built in 1815 by Sir John
Gladstone, and recently enlarged. The Rev. S. E.
Gladstone is patron.

The Congregationalists have a school-chapel, built
in 1 88 1 on a portion of the Seaforth House site;
the mission owes its origin to the Congregational
church at Waterloo, having been commenced in
i878. 16

The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady Star of
the Sea was opened in 1901 ; the mission was founded
in 1884, a stable being converted into a chapel; a
school-chapel was opened in 1890. Seafield House,
originally intended for a hydropathic establishment,
became a convent of the sisters of the Sacred Heart of
Mary, and was used for training pupil teachers." It
has now been purchased by the Dock Board.

Corker, son of Hugh, had land here in
1 506 ; Moore D. n. 698, 700, 709,

In the following year he sold his lands
to William Moore ; they included parts
of Orgreaves, South Holmes, Crosby Styes,
'a broddoll of meadow' in the Broad
Mead, and others; ibid. n. 713, 715.
The latter deed names William Corker
of Woolton.

About the same time (i 507-8) William
Moore purchased a ' Koktreland,' the Er-
ling Hawes, and other plots from William
Rose ; ibid. n. 714. Edward Moore in
1627 purchased from Edward Alcock of
Great Crosby the former inheritance of
John Johnson ; ibid. n. 724.

iNorris D. (B.M.) In 1506 Wil-
liam Davy enfeoffed Richard Crosse and
Hugh Rainford of all his tenements in
Litherland and Ford ; Crosse D. n.

4 A district was a
Land. Ga*. 4 July.

5 Baines, Dir. 1825, ii, 710. The
place is not called Waterloo in Lewis'
Gas. of 1 844 ; but this name had become
established by 1830, when a short descrip-
tion was printed in Whittle's Marina,

"Waterloo Hotel' is marked on
Greenwood's map of 1818. It is now
called the Royal Hotel. In 1824 there
was a coach from this hotel to Liverpool

in the evening, and the' Lancashire Witch
packet plied thrice a day, by the Leeds
Canal, between Crosby and Liverpool.
The hotel stands on the shore at the

169.
Tr,

u. Hist. Soc. (New Set-.),

'Map at Croxteth. Lord Derby's

the hamlet which has

Great Crosby and partly
" Bland, Soutifort, 109.
8 Land. Gaz. 24 April, 1863.

that of the 37 & 38 Viet. cap. 19.

10 Loc. Gov. Bd. Order, 31614. The

ligned to it in 1871; township of Waterloo is that part of
Waterloo-with-Seaforth in Great Crosby.
The area for the census of 1901 was 546
acres including two of inland water ; but
this included part of Brighton le Sands.
The foreshore is 265 acres.

11 The Ven. John Jones, M.A, arch-
deacon of Liverpool, was incumbent from
1850 to 1889; he had previously, from
1815 to 1850, been incumbent of St
Andrew's, Liverpool.

Land. Gaz. 26 Oct. 1877, for dis
trict.

13 Nightingale, Lanes. Nanconf. vi, 219

14 Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1901.

15 Loc. Gov. Bd. Order, 31614. Sea
forth is the portion of Waterloo-with

)f Crosby, and Seaforth lying within Litherland. Th<
own into the area is 406 acres according to the Censu
was partly in Rep. 1901 ; in addition there arc 291
Litherland . acres of foreshore.

18 Lana. Nonconf. vi, 220.

J ' Liver foal Catb. Ann. 1901.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

ORRELL AND FORD

Orhull, 1280, 1360; Orrell, or Orell, 1350
onwards.

Ford, 1 300 onwards ; Forde and Forth occur.

This township is formed of two detached portions,
Orrell to the south and Ford to the north ; their
combined area is 727 acres. 1 The population in
1901 was 2,104.

It has not been ascertained when Orrell and Ford
were separated from Litherland to form a distinct
township ; they are not recognized in the county lay,
which was settled in 1624.*

ORRELL lies on the border of Walton. It con-
tains the highest land in the parish of Sefton, about
125 ft. above the sea. Its area is 370 acres. The
Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway from
Liverpool to Ormskirk runs along the southern
border, the tunnel being now almost completely
opened, and the Mersey and Fazakerley branch passes
through Orrell. A pedestal of an ancient cross still
exists, and there is a sundial at Springwell House. 3

Orrell occurs comparatively early as a well-defined
part of Litherland, as may be seen from the numerous
references already given in the account of the manor
of Litherland ; it is, for example, called a ' vill ' as
early as 1310,' and its 'fields' are mentioned ; 5 but
there is nothing to show that it was ever a distinct
manor. It is described as a hamlet of Litherland in

!345- 6

One branch of the Demand family appears to have
taken the surname of Fox, and John son of Richard
Fox of Orrell occurs. 7 Another family of which
there is some mention took its surname from the
place. 8

SEFTON

From 1 894 the township had a parish council,
but Orrell was in 1905 taken into the borough of
Bootle.

FORD occupies a corner between Litherland,
Great Crosby, and Sefton. It touches upon the open
country and shares the refreshing sea-breezes which
come from the west. The road from Litherland to
Sefton passes through it, as also the Leeds and Liver-
pool Canal. The separate area is 357 acres. The
ford from which the place takes its name was perhaps
one over the Rimrose Brook, which divides it from
Great Crosby. 9

Ford is mentioned only casually in mediaeval
deeds, but appears to have given a surname to a
resident family. 10

Early in the eighteenth century Thomas Syers of
the Ford appears to have been the principal resident. 11

A Roman Catholic cemetery of 2 1 acres was opened
in 1855, and has the church of the Holy Sepulchre
adjoining it, built in 1861. There is also a convent
of nuns of the Good Shepherd who have an asylum
for penitent women, established in Everton in 1858
and removed to Ford in 1867 ; their church of the
Sacred Heart, built in 1887, is open to the public."

AINTREE

Aintree, 1226 ; Ayntre, 1292 the usual mediae-
val spelling ; Eyntre occurs ; Ayntree and Ayntrie,
xvi cent.

This triangular township forms the south-eastern
corner of the parish ; its area is 850 acres ; 13 the
population in 1901 was 261.

The county is extremely flat, and in the northern

1 The census of 1901 gives 727 acres ;
this includes 8 of inland water.
* Gregson, Fragments, 1 6.
Land, and Ches. Antiq. Sue. xix, 185.
* Croxteth D. G. ii, 2, quoted above.
There is no date, but the grantor was
Adam the Judge, son of William. An
earlier deed is that by which William de
Scaifreschage released to William de

These lands are mentioned in a charter
of 1318 ; ibid. Gen. i, 8.
In 1332 Richard the Demand and
William Fox of Litherland paid 2s. each
to the subsidy; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 17 ; and in 1339
Richard Fox made a grant of lands in
Litherland to Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton ; Croxteth D. G. i, 9.

Sefton boundary, which may have given
the name to this part of Litherland.
Richard de Molyneux, rector of Sefton,
in 1328 granted his brother Thomas a
portion of the waste of Litherland, the
bounds of which are thus described :
' Beginning at the bridge of the Stany-
brigg and following the boundary of
Sefton as far as the Ford, and following

Orrell ; ibid. G. i, I.
In 1366 Margery, daughter of Robert
Knot, gave her husband, Matthew del
Plat, all her lands in the vill of Orrell ;
ibid. G. ii, 26. These lands descended to
Margery's son John del Plat, who in 1430
sold them to John de Bawdon ; Kuerden
fol. MS. 315, n. 458-60.
* Croxteth D. G. ii, 5, quoted above ;
and G. ii, 1 1, the ' field ' of Orrell.
Ibid. G. i, 13. In the inquisition
after the death of Sir Richard Molyneux
in 1623 the list of manors runs 'Down
Litherland alias Litherland, Orrell, Ford,'
&c.; but when the tenures are described
it is 'the manor of Down Litherland and
other the premises in Down Litherland,
Linacre, Ford and Orrell ' ; Lanes. Inq.f.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 383, 389.
7 Richard Fox son of William the
Demand quitclaimed to Richard de
Molyneux of Little Crosby his interest in
lands purchased from Margery de Orrell ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 197. Perhaps

,35. and ,352 made claims against
Roger Hurdys of Orrell and Emma his
wife, and John Bayn of Orrell, concerning
small portions of land in Litherland ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i (Lent), m.
iij ; R. 2 (July), m. iiij.
8 Adam de Orrell was a plaintiff in
1346 and 1347; De Bane. R. 345, m.
393; R. 350, m. 3H</; this suit con-
cerned lands given by Henry de Orrell to
Richard de Orrell and Ellen his wife,
parents of the claimant, in the time of
Edward II.
William, son of Richard, son of William
de Orrell (living at the end of the thir-

lands held by Richard de Ince of Orrell
and Agnes his wife, in virtue of a grant
by Emma daughter of William de Orrell
to a former Richard de Ince ; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 9 ; R. 6, m. 7 d. ;
Assize R. 438, m. 6.
Some grants by and to William son of
Simon de Ince of Orrell may be seen in

and along this ditch to the Ford field and
then in a line to the road from the vill of
Litherland to the Stanybrigg, and along
this road to the ditch of the Stanybrigg,
and following this ditch to the first-named
boundary.' He added another part of the

land, and other easements ; all to be held
from the chief lords by the gift of a rose
on St. John Baptist's day ; Dods. MSS.
liii, fol. 76*. The Stanybrigg and its
ditch, on the road between Litherland
and Sefton, are mentioned in another
charter, granting land in Sefton to the
same Thomas ; ibid. fol. 75*.
"> John del Ford granted land in Lither-
land to the rector of Sefton, who in 1310
gave it to Roger de Roby and Agnes his
wife ; Croxteth D. G. ii, 7 ; Ee. 15.
Roger del Ford occurs in 1332 ; Excb.
Lay Subs. 1 7.
Alice de Ford granted land in the
Nether Broadmoor to Ralph de Molyneux
in 1381-2 ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 6.
11 N. Blundell'i Diary, 131, 145. The

acres in Litherland to Agnes, daughter of
Christian of Great Crosby and Richard
their son ; Croxteth D. G. ii, 8. Earlier
probably than these deeds were the grants
of lands in Sefton to a Richard Fox made
by William de Molyneux ; ibid. Ee. 3,4, 6.

Here is also a release by Henry son of
Richard son of Adam de Orrell in 1368 ;
ibid. n. 72.
There was a Ford field in Great
Cro.by. The following grant, however,
shows that there was another ford on the

will of Philip Syers of Down Litherland
was enrolled in the Common Pleas in
1778; R. 323, m. 282.
12 Li-verpoal Caib. Ann. 1901.
853 acres, including 12 of inland
water ; Census Rep. of 1901.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

portion of the township the level of the landscape is
scarcely broken by even the smallest trees, and the
hedges are but scanty. The surface, occupied by
cultivated fields, where corn and potatoes find a
congenial soil, is a mixture of clay and sand. A few
farms are dotted about the district. A patch or two
of undrained mossland near one of the railways
discloses the nature of the surface before the time
of reclamation. The geological formation consists
entirely of the waterstones of the keuper series of the
new red sandstone or trias, with alluvial deposits ob-
scuring the strata by the River Alt.

The main road from Liverpool to Ormskirk passes
through it. The Mersey branch of the Lancashire
and Yorkshire Railway joins the Liverpool and Wigan
line at the south-eastern corner. There are two rail-
way stations called Aintree, but actually situated in
Netherton, close to the great racecourse, which was
opened 8 July, 1829.

The old village is in the centre of the township,
about two miles south-east of Sefton church ; but
houses are multiplying on the Walton border, owing
to the growth of Liverpool and the rise of industries
in the neighbourhood.

The Alt Drainage Act of 1779 mentions Bull
Bridge, and gives some field names, e.g. The Chew,
Further Feirock, and Nearer Knots Field.

Aintree is governed by a parish council.

4INTREE is not separately men-

MJNOR tioned in Domesday Book ; from later

notices its assessment is found to have

been one plough-land. 1 At the beginning of the

NEVILL OF HORNBY.
Argent, a saltire gules.

thirteenth century it was held in thegnage by Henry
de Holland of Downholland in Halsall, and most of
it had already been granted out,
Alan de Holland, Robert de
Molyneux, Henry son of Gil-
bert, Hawise daughter of Ric-
hard, and Cockersand Abbey
holding in 1212.*

Mr. Irvine in his book on
the Hollands, states that ' there
is no evidence of any blood
relation between the two fami-
lies (of Holland of Down-
holland, who never rose to
any important position in the
county, and the Hollands of Upholland), and the
strong probability is that they were not in any way
connected.'

The Molyneux share, one oxgang of land, was
granted in free marriage with Alice de Molyneux to
the son of Richard Baret ; 3 it descended to the
Ridgate or Rudgate family, 4 by whom it was sold in
1 490 to Lawrence son of Henry Molyneux. 5

The remainder, or the greater part of it, seems
to have been quickly reunited into the hands
of a family who adopted the local name ; for in
1296 William de Aintree's possession was 6J- ox-
gangs of land and half of the mill. 6 The descent
is far from clear. Part at least probably including
the lordship descended to Emma, daughter of
Henry and Agnes de Aintree, and wife of Henry
son of Hugh de Atherton, 7 and part to William

1 It is supposed to have been part of
the demesne of West Derby in 1066.
Though the adjacent manor of Sefton
appears to have lost a plough-land, being
rated later as five instead of the six
plough-lands of 1066, there is nothing to
indicate that Aintree formed the missing

and one oxgang in Aintree, it was stated
that Alice, daughter of Robert de Moly-
neux, grandmother of the former plaintiff,
was seised of them. A certain Richard
Baret rendered them to Robert de Moly-
neux, his chief lord, who thereupon gave
them, with his daughter Alice, to Richard's

same, was in possession of one oxgang,
5 acres, and half an oxgang, about which
the suit had been contested a century
before ; Croxteth D. B. vi, 3 ; [,4.
Robert's son William, whose wife was
named Margery, in 1479 gave all his
hereditary lands to his brother Richard,

Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 49. Aintree is not

two sons, Adam and William, fathers of
plaintiff and defendant. William son of
Adam recovered ; Assize R. 4 o8, m. izd.

' Ibid. B. i, 7-9.
Final Cone. \, 179 ; William de Ain-
tree actually held 5| oxgangs, 221 acres

that those named held in this place;
Hawise daughter of Richard, however, is
doubtful. The service was 81. ^d. in all.
The whole of Henry de Holland's hold-
ing being jj plough-lands, and Down-
holland with Barton being i j, and Rib-

the Barets held land by grant of Matthew
de Haydock, who had ij oxgangs in
Aintree, and gave halt of this to William
Baret for life ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
xxxviii, 236.
4 William Baret dying without issue,

the mill, and on the death of Alice, widow
of Henry de Aintree, there would revert
to him another oxgang, an acre of land,
iza. rent, and a quarter of the mill. The
succession was settled upon Henry de
Aintree and his brothers Gilbert and

plough-land.
The Cockersand grant was known as
St. Marysteau ; Henry son of Alan de
Holland granted it in pure alms for the
health of his soul and the souls of his
wife and his father. The bounds were
from the Akenhead Brook, along the
bounds of Efward to the Alt as far as
Southfield Brook, from this following the
Meneway which crosses the brook as far
as Stonyford in the Alt ; in breadth from
Lunddel Meneway to the Alt ; Cockersand

Rudgate, or Ridgate, perhaps of Whiston ;
their son William had a son Richard de
Ridgate, who in 1351 had to defend his
right against Gilbert de Haydock ; the
moiety of an oxgang had been added by
this time ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R.
, (Lent), m. iij d. ; R. 2 (July), m. j d. ;
R. 3, m. ix ; R. 5, m. 26 d. The claim
by Gilbert de Haydock was defeated;
but lands in Aintree were held by him as
early as 1332; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 82. The writ con-

sons, as a Henry, son of William de Ain-
tree, occurs in 1292 ; Assize R. 408, m.
54. William de Aintree was son of a
Henry de Aintree, as appears by a suit
against him and Robert de Molyneux
brought in 1276 by William son of Adam
the Demand ; De Bane. R. 13, m. 37,
&c. He was living in 1298; Inq. and
Extents, 284. William de Aintree in
1295 granted part of his land to William
son of Thomas de Nateby ; Croxteth D.
B. vi, 2. Earlier was Richard de Ain-

described as 'a culture' in I2IZ. It
wa, held by the Wards of Maghull
in 1357 ; by Thurstan Maghull in 1451;
by John, the chaplain of Maghull, in
1461, at a rent of I2,/. ; and by Matthew

6J oxgangs, &c.,' probably refers to this
suit ; Dep. Keeper', Rep. xxxii, App. p.

Some later notices of this family occur.
In 1381 Gilbert de Ridgate contributed

It appears from a Melting suit that
Henry, Gilbert, and Robert died without
issue before 1 305 ; Assize R. 420, m. 3 d.
7 Henry de Aintree married Agnes,

1244-5 i Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4,
m. ii. On the suppression it was granted
to Thomas Holt ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p. m. xi, n. 46.
8 In a suit between William son of

John del Ridgate of Aintree received the
royal protection on proceeding to Ireland
in 1386 in the company of Sir John de
Stanley ; Cal. of Pat. 1385-9, p. 156.
Robert de Ridgate in 1426 granted

ton, and her daughter Emma was defen-
dant in various suits in 1301. Gilbert
son of William de Aintree brought a writ
of novel disseisin against her, but did not
prosecute it ; Assize R. 419, m. 3 ; also

Baret, in 1292, concerning a messuage

in 1454 Robert del Ridgate, perhaps the
100

Then Alice, widow of Henry de Ain-

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

de Aintree's daughters, Margery de Wedacre and
Alice. 1

Some minor grants occur. 8

In 1387 it was found that
Sir Thomas Nevill, son of Sir
Robert Nevill of Hornby, held
the manor of Aintree " of the
lord of Downholland by knight's
service and a rent of 8/. id. ;
that Sir Thomas was dead,
and his heir was his daughter
Margaret, then four years of
age.' As she died without issue
the descendants of Sir Thomas's
sisters became his heirs. Thus
Aintree came to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John

SEFTON

Harrington, who married John Stanley, whose heirs
Anne, wife of John Swift ; Joan, wife of
Thomas Halsall and afterwards of John Osbaldeston ;
and Thomas Grimshaw of Clayton-le-Moors and
their descendants quickly divided and sold the inheri-
tance. 6 A rent of 12 from Aintree descended from
another of Sir Thomas's sisters to Sir Christopher
Danby. 6 The Molyneux family of Sefton purchased
all or the greater part ; and the manor of Aintree
has from the sixteenth century descended with
Sefton. 7

John Bower, a freeholder, contributed to the sub-
sidy of l6z8. 8 Richard Lathom, gentleman, of
Aintree, was indicted as a recusant in 1678.' Among
the ' Papists ' who registered estates in 1717 were
Thomas Fleetwood and John Boyer of Aintree. 10

tree, claimed dower in certain lands held
by Emma ; Richard de Molyneux, her
grandfather, Simon de Balderston, and
Emma widow of William de Aintree
being joined as defendants, the grand-

acre and Margery his wife claimed mes-
suages and lands in Aintree as of the
wife's right ; De Bane. R. 280, m. 115 j
R. 282, m. 13 ; R. 288, m. ^d.
In one of the Randle Holme pedigrees

wife of Richard Beaumont and previously
of John Stanley, demised all their part of
the manors, lands, mills, &c., in Aintree
and Melling to Edward Molyneux, rector
of Sefton, for his life at a rent of 5 marks ;

who was a minor; Assize R. 419, m. 6 d.
In one statement of defence it was alleged
that William de Aintree held the parcel
in dispute for life, by grant of Henry ;
ibid. m. 7 d.
In 1323 Henry son of Hugh de Ather-
ton and Emma his wife complained that

Richard de Maghull. This family had
land in Aintree from about 1 300, for in
1301 Richard de Maghull and his wife
Alice warranted to his son Richard and
his wife certain lands in Aintree and
Melling ; Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 46. The
Maghull family continued to hold land

of the same, Sir William Molyneux being
joined with his brother the rector in the
recoveries ; Croxteth D. B. ii, i, 2, 3, 8 ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. II, m.

200.

Thomas Grimshaw married Margaret,
another daughter of John Stanley ; Whit-

had disseised them of part of their tene-
ment in Aintree ; Assize R. 425, m. 6.
Two years later he proceeded against
William the Demand of Netherton and
others, for cutting his turf ; De Bane. R.

Croxteth D. B. v, i.
John, son of Robert, son of Hiche of
Sefton in 1 3 2 1 enfeoffed Richard de Lunt,
clerk, of all the lands in Aintree which
had belonged to his father ; Harl. MS.

In 1552 a partition was made between
Richard Grimshaw, John Osbaldeston and
Joan his wife, and Richard Molyneux, by
which the last-named, who held one-third
by his purchase from the Swifts, secured

Henry de Atherton contributed to the
subsidy of 1332; Exch. Lay Subs. 27.

William, son of John del Brooks, in

ances, closes called the Great and Little

John, son of William de Cowdrey,
Otes de Halsall, and Alan, son of Alan de
Cowdrey, were accused of taking Emma,

and in 1524 Thomas, son and heir of
Lawrence Hareflynch, and Margery his

and others, a rent of jrf. from the lands
of Thomas Maghull, id. from the heirs

from Sefton church on 10 November,
'3435 the y were acquitted; Assize R.
43. m - I 3- There appears to have been
a daughter and heir Joan, who married
Robert de Nevill of Hornby. The latter
in 1346 is found claiming various lands
as the right of his wife, daughter of
Henry, and granddaughter and heir of
Hugh de Atherton of Hindley ; De Bane.
R. 346, m. 349.
In 1356 Joan, widow of Adam de Ain-
tree sought dower from Henry, son of
Simon de Bickersteth and Agnes his wife ;

Brooks, granted lands here to Edward
Molyneux, rector of Sefton ; Croxteth D.

Probably in his mother's right ; see

* Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 28 ;
though his father was living, his sisters
proved to be his heirs. Not long before,
in 1374, Adam de Hoghton held the
manor of Roger de Holland by a service
of 8. jrf. yearly ; Coram Reg. R. 454

There is a brief note of a fine between

Robert Hey, zd. from John Abbe, jrf.
from John Hesketh, and certain mes-
suages, &c., in Liverpool ; Croxteth D.
B. v, I. See also Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 15, m. 113.
6 Croxteth D. B. iv, 2. This rent of
12 issuing from Aintree and Melling is
described as formerly paid to Sir Robert
Nevill. Sir Christopher Danby in 1536
took lands in Holtby, Heworth, and
Clifton near York, in exchange.
7 In 1623 the manor of Aintree was
found to have been held by Sir Richard

1 Margery and Alice, daughters of Wil-
liam de Aintree, were plaintiffs in 1305
respecting land in Aintree which should
have descended to them after the death
of Gilbert their brother ; Assize R. 420,
m. 5. In 1307 they claimed lands from
the above-named Emma, daughter of
Henry de Aintree ; De Bane. R. 164, m.
142.
Twenty-five years later Roger de Wed-

in Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 59.
5 Sir Thomas's sisters were Margaret,
who married Sir William Harrington, and
Joan, who married Sir John Langton ;
Whitaker, Craven, n. For their descen-
dants see Whitaker, Whallcy, ii, 509, and
Craven, 234 ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 330.
In 1520 John Swift and Anne his wife,
a daughter and coheir of Elizabeth, lately

fee ; the clear value was 10 2s. ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
iii, 389.
8 Norris D. (B.M.).
* Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.).
109; see also N. Blundell, Diary, 91,
Probably Richard Lathom of Liverpool,
surgeon, 1686.
1 Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 93 ; some
particulars of their families are given.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
CHILDWALL

CHILDWALL
WAVERTREE
THINGWALL
MUCH WOOLTON

LITTLE WOOLTON

GARSTON

ALLERTON

SPEKE
HALE
HALEWOOD

The ancient parish of Childwall has an area of
16,043 acres, to which 3,252 acres tidal water must
be added and about 4,500 acres of foreshore. The
principal physical feature is the central ridge, which
rises at one point to nearly 300 ft. Thus there is a
general slope to Childwall Vale to the north-east, and
to the Mersey on the south-west and to the south-
east. Childwall Heath formerly extended along the
boundary between Wavertree and Childwall into
Little Woolton.

The parish comprises ten townships, anciently
arranged in four 'quarters' thus : (l) Childwall ; (2)
Wavertree, Thingwall, 1 Much Woolton, Little Wool-
ton ; (3) Garston, Allerton, Speke ; (4) Hale, Hale-
wood. To the ' fifteenth ' the parish paid 8 I it. <}\d.
out of an assessment of 106 y. 6d. for the hundred, 1
while to the county lay it contributed a sixteenth part
of the hundred levy, so distributed that when this
amounted to 100 the ' quarters ' of Childwall paid
as follows : Childwall, y. ; Hale, I y. 4^., Hale-
wood, 261. %d. 2 ; Much Woolton, Little
Woolton, Wavertree, l$s. d. each 2 ; Speke, 201.,
Garston, 1 5/., Allerton, 5/. 2; the total being

,(> 5'-'

Henry earl of Derby in 1591 gave his decision in
the dispute between the parishioners of Childwall in
general and those who lived in the chapelry of Hale,
touching the repairs of the parish church. On the
Hale side it was urged that they were practically
separate for worship and the sacraments, and had
never paid to the repair of Childwall church or
churchyard. The other side said it was notorious
that Hale was part of the parish, and the tithes were
collected thence as from other parts of it ; further, the
vicar of Childwall allowed 4 a year towards the
stipend of the curate of Hale ; it was proved also that
within the previous twenty years a lay had been im-
posed on the parish for church repairs and that Hale
had contributed its share, a third. Accordingly the
earl decided that Hale must pay its due proportion. 4

Though the market and fair at Hale and the ford
across the Mersey at that place must have brought
some traffic into the district, the record of the parish
has few striking events. The freeholders in 1600
were John Ireland of the Hutt, Edward Norris of
Speke, Evan Haughton of Wavertree, William Wood-
ward and Thomas Orme of Woolton, William Brettargh
of Aigburth, Hugh Leike of Childwall, Edward
Molyneux, David Ford, and William Whitefield of
Speke. 5

The ecclesiastical changes made by Elizabeth were
received with as little favour here as elsewhere in
Lancashire. The chapel at Garston had ceased to be
used for service and fell into ruin. In 1590 Edward
Norris of Speke and George Ireland of the Hutt, both
esquires 'of fair and ancient living,' were classed among
those ' of some degree of conformity, yet in general note
of evil affection in religion, non-communicants ' ; and
the wife of the former was ' a recusant and indicted
thereof.' Thomas Molyneux of Speke, one ' of the
gentlemen of the better sort,' was a ' comer to church
but no communicant.' 6 One of the Brettarghs of the
Holt became a Puritan, and suffered some persecution
from his neighbours in consequence. The quarrel
between Sir William Norris and Edward Moore indi-
cates the bitterness engendered by the attempts to en-
force conformity to the new order. The parish
afforded a victim to the laws in the person of John
Almond of Speke, executed for his priesthood in 1612.

Other indications of the condition of the parish are
afforded by the records of the bishop's visitations. In
1592 two men were excommunicated for piping upon
the Sabbath day in the churchyard ; others suffered
for standing in the churchyard and talking at service
and sermon time ; William Lathom of Allerton and
Thomas Greaves of Wavertree for talking in the church
itself at sermon time, but the latter on appearing was
excused on making a public confession of his fault ;
another was sentenced because his children did not
come to be catechized. 7 In 1635 { he churchwardens
prosecuted certain persons as absenting themselves from
church and others as recusants, others for ' usually
sleeping ' in church during the service. Thomas
Mackey of Speke was charged with having 'an ale 1
and tippling, revelling, and dancing at his house upon
the Sunday ; and Mary Norris, a widow, for a similar
offence. 6 Next year the churchwardens had to describe
the ' uncivil and barbarous manner ' in which one
Sunday the vicar (Mr. Lewis) had been attached and
apprehended ; and this at the instigation of one of the
chapel wardens of Hale. 9

In 1628 the landowners in the parish paying the
subsidy were John Pearson in Much Woolton, Nehe-
miah Brettargh in Little Woolton and Aigburth, Sir
William Norris and Edward Tarleton in Speke and
Garston, and John Ireland in Hale. 10

In the Civil War the two chief families took opposite
sides, but while Gilbert Ireland was a vigorous sup-
porter of the Parliamentary cause, the Norrises, except
Edward Norris, who died in the midst of the struggle,

sidered
erly part of
the Inuisitio

1 Thingwall, in recent tii
extra-parochial, was fo
Childwall, as appears by
Nonarum.

" The details are : Childwall, 6s. 8</. ;
Wavertree, loj. ; Much Woolton, i 51. 8</.;
Little Woolton, 1 41. </. ; Speke, I i js. J. ;
Garston, ^i is. ^. ; Allerton, 61. <)\d. ;
^d. ; Gregson's Fragments

Hale, 2 19*. 4</.
(ed. Harland), 18.

s D. (B.M.).
(Rec. Soc. Lan

, and Ches.), i,

Ibid.

6 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 227, 244, 246,
247, quoting S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv,n. 4,

7 Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), x, 184-5.

8 Local Gleanings, Lanes, and Ches. ii,

9 Ches. Consistory Papers. The vicar
also made his complaint, and further

accused this chapelwarden of not present-
ing that the wife of George Ireland, of
Hale, and Henry Wainwright, of the Hale
Bank, were reputed to live together in
adultery. It appeared that the man had
confessed his fault before the bishop's
chancellor ; but the woman denied the fact,
and purged herself by insufficient com-
purgators, there having been no publication
beforehand in the parish church.
10 Norris D. (B.M.).

Wavertree.N +

\ .
..:" " V 5..., .."" Little Wodlton

v CHILDWALL

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

remained inactive. The parliamentary commissioners
found much work in the parish in connexion with the
forfeited or sequestered estates of Royalists' and
recusants. 1

After the Restoration the lists of contributors to the
hearth tax provide a basis for judging the condition of
the inhabitants. 3 In Childwall in 1666 only three
houses had three hearths or more liable, Gilbert
Tarleton's having seven and the vicarage five. In
Wavertree William Ellison's of Greenside was the
largest, with five hearths. In Much Woolton only two
houses had as many as three hearths, but in little Wool-
ton there were nine, including Brettargh Holt with
nine hearths. Speke Hall had twenty-one hearths, and
Allerton Hall eight. In Garston there were only four
houses with three hearths at least. In Hale the great
houses of Sir Gilbert Ireland, with seventeen hearths at
Hale and twenty-two at the Hutt are prominent.

The growth of Liverpool in more recent times has
had its inevitable effect on a large portion of the parish.
Wavertree and Garston have become populous urban
districts, and were incorporated in the borough of
Liverpool in 1895 and 1903 respectively; Child-
wall, the Wooltons, and Allerton, have also a suburban
character, while Speke, Hale, and Halewood still re-
main agricultural.

The agricultural land in the parish is occupied as
follows : Arable land, 8,934 acres ; permanent grass,
2,838 ; woods and plantations, 337.'

There were races held at Childwall early in the
eighteenth century. 5

A report on the wasting of the lands by the Mersey
was made in i SaS. 6

In 1804 a company of volunteers was formed from
Hale, Halewood, and Garston, under the commander-

CHILDWALL

ship of John Blackburne of Hale, and with Richard
Weston as captain. 7

The church of All Saints 8 is situated
CHURCH on the north-eastward slope of the hill
about half-way up. The building has
has but little ancient work to show. It consists of
chancel with north chapel and vestry, nave with
north and south aisles, south chapel and south
porch, and west tower and spire.

A few twelfth-century stones have been found in the
course of repairs, but nothing in the building appears
to be older than the fourteenth century. The north
arcade and aisle were rebuilt early in the nineteenth
century, and are now again (1906) in process of
complete rebuilding. The chancel 9 has on the south
side a square-headed two-light window which may be
of fourteenth-century date, while the east window and
a north window like that on the south are modern, of
fourteenth-century style. The chancel arch of two
chamfered orders dies into the walls at the springing.
The south arcade of the nave is of fifteenth-century
date, with octagonal columns and moulded capitals, and
pointed arches of two orders. Originally of five bays,
one of its columns has been removed and two of the
arches thrown into one, in order to improve the view
of the nave from the south nave chapel (the Salisbury
chapel), which is an eighteenth-century building with
a large round-headed south window.

The south aisle has several fifteenth-century two-
light windows, and the embattled south porch is of the
same date, while the clearstory over the south arcade
has square-headed windows which may be of the
sixteenth century. In the south aisle are two arched
recesses in the wall, probably sepulchral, and in the
same place are preserved the figures of a man in plate

1 The Royalists included James, earl of
Derby, lord of Childwall, Woolton, and
Halewood ; Royalist Camp. Papers (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 225, &c.

tithes of Childwall ; ibid, i, 75-80.

William Norris, of Speke, and his son
were disaffected, while the late Edward
Norris (eldest son) had fought against
the Parliament ; ibid, iv, 219, 227 ; i, 175.
Edward Norris's lands had been secured
on a lease, though ' at the highest rate,' by
George Ireland, of Hale, who was 'ever
desirous to advance the public benefit ' ;
which lease he in 1653 desired to have
confirmed that he might recoup the heavy
charge he had been subject to, both for
lays and other taxes and for draining and
improving the property, it being ' subject
to the overflowing of salt water,' and
otherwise in decay ; ibid, iv, 14.

Humbler people suffered. Richard Rose
and a number of others describing them-
elves as labourers, living in Hale and
Garston and Speke, complained that their
property had been sequestered, not for their
own fault, but through the * delinquency '
of others, and they were too poor to take
witnesses to London to prove their titles ;
ibid, iv, 47, 53. The editor says : 'Most
of the cases seem to have been disposed of
by a marginal note, " Petitioner to enjoy it
if not a recusant." '

'William Ballard, a leaseholder in
Speke, had had two-thirds of his estate
sequestered for recusancy ; Robert Holme,
similarly treated, was supposed to be a
delinquent' also, but this seems not
to have been proved; ibid, i, 119; iii,
306.

Thomat Molyneux, of Speke, and

Thomas Plumb, of Garston, had less rigid

sequestered' they took the oath of ab-
juration, but the officers of the Pipe were

tioners had for the last three years at least
(i.e. 1648-51) been conformable to the
doctrine of the Church of England, attend-
ing their parish church on Lord's days and

had

tered for moi
C*mp. Papers,

I l.i

lancy it had been seques-
than ten years ; Royalist

of Ha

i freely contributed to the Parlia-
ment's service ; Royalist Comp. Papers
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iv, 97-100,
Richard Quick, of Much Woolton, was

(Index Soc.), 43 ; Cal. of Com. for Comp.
v, 3201.

3 Lay Subsidies Lane. 250/9 ; for a brief

til,/ i

had had the two-thirds of her estate
sequestered for recusancy, and on her death
her grandson, Thomas (son of William)
Harrison, applied for the removal of the
sequestration ; there was evidence that he
was a good Protestant, 'for he was a
constant hearer of the Word of God at the
chapel of Hale' ; ibid, iii, 165. Thomas
Harrison, of Oglet, who was a Protestant
and 'ever had been a friend of the Parlia-
ment,' prayed for the restitution of the
land of his late mother Elizabeth, widow
of Richard Harrison, sequestered many
years before for her recusancy ; ibid, iii,

had two-thirds of his leasehold estate
sequestered for recusancy ; but as he died
in 1654, and the lease had expired with
him, there was no further cause for the
sequestration ; ibid, iv, 70-1. Elizabeth
Fazakerley's estates, similarly sequestered,
were likewise released by her death in
1 6 5 5 ; Cal. of Com. for Comp. v, 3 2 3 8.

In Woolton a mistake seems to have

been made. Cliffe House, in Woolton,

which had been sequestered for recusancy,

was restored on evidence that the peti-

103

Hi,,. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 33-5.

4 The following are details :

Arable Grass Wood,

ac. ac. &c.

Childwall . 2378 . 1752 . 49
Garston . . 489 . 302 . 7
Speke and

Hale . . 3165 . 493 . 218
Halewood . 2902 . 291 . 63

5 N. Blundell's Diary, 32, 35.

6 Trans. Hist. Soc. xxii, 220-8.

7 Local Gleanings Lanes, and Cbes. ii,
206-7.

8 In one of the Norris Deeds (B.M.
n. 189) the final remainder is to the work
(opus] of St. Peter of Childwall. This was
in 1354.

There is a view of the building, drawn
in 1775, in Gregson's Fragments (ed. Har-
land), 1 88, and a description in Glynne'.
Lar.cs. Churches (Chet. Soc.), 113.

The list of pewholders in 1609 is
printed in Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.),
vii-viii, 327.

9 Sir S. Glynne (op. et. loc. cit.) notes
that the chancel has been shortened.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

armour and a lady, said on the authority of a much
more modern inscription to be those of Henry Norris
of Speke, 1524, and Clemence his wife. The tower,
which was rebuilt in 1810 on the old foundations,
except that the east wall was set further west, is of
little architectural merit. The jambs of the old east
arch of the tower remain in a damaged condition,
apparently the result of a fire. The font, of red
sandstone, is ancient, but completely rechiselled, and
appears to have been altered from an octagon to a
round.

The registers begin in 1557, the earlier entries
having been copied on parchment about 1597. The
first volume contains baptisms, marriages, and burials
up to 1613 or 1614, with a few odd entries up to
1650. The next volume begins in 1653,50 that there
is a break of about forty years ; from this time the
series appears to be complete. There is a rude draw-
ing of the church on the cover of the second volume.
The churchwardens' accounts begin a little before
1600. The tithe award and maps are in the
vestry.

The silver communion plate includes a flagon, two
chalices, and two patens, 1779.'

In the church besides the Norris brass, 1 now hung

Allerton, who died in 1 700, Theophilus Kelsall, for-
merly vicar, and others.

There is a ring of six bells, dating from 1720.

The priest of the place is men-
ADyQWSQN tioned in Domesday Book as having
half a plough-land in alms. 3 About
1094 Roger of Poitou granted the church of Child-
wall, among others, to the abbey of St. Martin at
Seez, and thus for a time it became attached to the
priory of Lancaster. This grant appears to have been
revoked by Henry I on the forfeiture of Roger's
possessions, but was confirmed in a charter by John
count of Mortain. 4 The priory received an annual
pension of 201. from the holder of the benefice,
through a compromise arranged by the abbots of
Chester and Stanlaw and the prior of Birkenhead as
papal delegates, and confirmed by Geoffrey the bishop
of Coventry about I2O5. 5

The manor having been granted to the baron of
Manchester, he also claimed the patronage of the
church, and in 1232 this right was in dispute between

Thomas Grelley and the prior of Lancaster.' The
former was successful, and a Grelley is found among
the rectors soon afterwards, while in 1293 and 1299
the king presented to Childwall, because of the
minority of Thomas son of Robert Grelley the patron. 7

The rector being a non-resident pluralist, the bishop
appears to have thought it proper to establish a vicar-
age at Childwall. Accordingly in December, 1307,3
vicar was instituted on the presentation of the rector.
He was to receive for the maintenance of himself
and the ecclesiastical organization of the parish three
chaplains and a deacon are named all oblations
and tenths, Easter dues, tithes of linen, cheese and
milk, &c. He (or they) were to have a dwelling
place on the land of the church called ' Green land,'
near the church, and to satisfy all the ordinary
charges. 8

Only two years after this Sir Robert de Holand
presented to the rectory and then assigned it to his
college of priests at Upholland. 9 In 1311 the rector
was presented by the dean of this college. Licence
for the alienation had been granted by Edward II in
June, 1310, after the usual inquiry. 10 On the trans-
ference of the college to a monastery of Benedictines in
1319, the advowson of Childwall was transferred also,
with a reservation of the usual ecclesiastical rights and
a pension of 40*. a year to the cathedral church of
Lichfield. This pension continued to be paid down
to the dissolution." The rectory was appropriated,
the monks presenting to the vicarage until the sup-
pression.

The rectory with the patronage was granted to
augment the endowment of the new see of Chester by
Philip and Mary in 1557-8," and this, after confisca-
tion, was renewed by Elizabeth in 1 56 1, 13 and the
later presentations were made by the bishops of
Chester until the see of Liverpool was created by Act
of Parliament in 1880, when the patronage was trans-
ferred to its bishop.

The tithes were farmed out " in Elizabeth's reign ''
and later to the Anderton family, 16 so the Common-
wealth surveyors found. Bishop Bridgeman had in
1632 leased the tithes to John Poole and others for
three lives for a yearly rent of 57 14*. 4</., 17 and the
lease was 'lately in the possession of James Anderton,
a Papist, and now under sequestration for his de-
linquency.' The actual value of the tithes was aboul

1 Lanes. Churches, 115.
' Thornely, Brasses, 153.
8 In 1 389-90 the prior of Upholland
had one oxgang and 10 ac. of glebe in
Childwall, Hale, and Garston, belonging
to 'the rectory ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol.
173*.
Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 289-93 A
298.
* Lane. Church (Chet. Soc.), i, 119-

21.

Cal. Pat. 1225-32, p. 512. In the
Close Roll of the same year is a royal
mandate to the bishop of Lichfield relating

1 262 Thomas Grelley granted the church
of Childwall with the chapels of Hale and
Garston to his son Peter, but the gift wai
held to be invalid ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (New
Ser.), xvii, 54.
Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 28.
9 Cal. Pat. 1307-13, p. 233.
10 Ibid. ; Cal. Inj. a.j.d. (Rec. Com.),

"AfoB. Angl. iv, 410-11. Another
pension of 1 61. 8</. was payable from
Upholland Priory to the Carthusians of
Shene, but nothing is said as to the 203.
due to the priory of Lancaster, the

under a grant to John Chatterton frorr
Henry VIII (,537) for thirty-one years
and he complained that Sir Williarr
Norris, knt. and others had by force taker
possession of tithe corn in Garston, Oglei
and Siche, and Little Woolton. Si;
William replied that John Chatterton ha<
demised them to Sir William Leyland.
who in turn granted them to the defen
dant. Being reminded that there was :
condition attached that 12 a yearshouh
be paid to Chatterton at the font stone it
St. Paul's Church in London, he replie.
that his servant Thomas Molyneux waitcc

Robert de Lathom as lord of the subordi-
nate manor endeavoured to secure the
advowson of the church from Thomas
Grelley ; Cur. Reg. R. 171, m. gj., 81 d.
The attempt was renewed in 1302-7
against Thomas, great-grandson of that
Thomas Grelley. Tear Book, 32 Edw. I,
4; DeBanc. R. 144, m. 184^.; 153, m.

^ Cal. Pat. 1292-1301, pp. 7, 429 ; De
Bane. R. 100, m. 2. Before his death in

transferred to Sion Monastery.
18 Pat. Phil, and Mary, pt. xii, m. 14.
18 Duchy of Lane. Rec. class 12, bdle.
19 (Privy Seals Eliz.). An annual rent
ofn 155. 5J,/. was now asked. The
grant was confirmed by Tames I in
1608-9 ; it included Prior's keys in Hale
and Garston Hall ; Pat. 6 Jas. I, pt.
xxiii, m. 5.
"In 1556-7 Andrew Vavasor was
farmer of the parsonage of Childwall,

three o'clock till sunset, but no one eve
came to receive the money. Duct
Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii.
224-31.
15 Norris D. (B.M.).
"Afterwards and down to 1854 the-
were leased to the Gerards of Brynn
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 258.
V A lease at this rent was granted ir
1772 to Alexander Osbaldeston of Osbal
deston, and Nicholas Starkie of Preston.

104

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

400. There was no parsonage house certainly

known, but the parish had lately bought from the of the vicarage 58 31.
earl of Derby a house for the vicar as well as two
acres of land supposed to have belonged to the par-
sonage. 1

In 1291 the rectory was valued at 40,' and in
1535 at 38 I3/. \d., out of which certain fees and

pensions had to be paid, the vicarage being worth to the bishop of Liverpool.

CHILDWALL

Bishop Gastrell about 1720 found the value
At present the gross

lue is given as 440, with a vicarage house opposite
the church. ^4 is paid to Hale chapel.

The vicar of Childwall formerly presented to
various churches within the old parish, Wavertree,
Woolton, &c., but this patronage has been transferred

The followir

list of the rectors and vicars :

Instituted

oc. 1177-8 . .
c. 1190 . . . .

Robert 5
Robert Fukes 6 ....
H (and R ) 7

Presented by
. . . Richard de Lathom

c. 1205
c. 1232-46 . .
1 260 and after .
15 Mar. 1292-3

JohnCotty 8 ....
Herbert Grelley 9 . . .
John de Droxford 10 . .

. The King . .
Sir Robert de Holani

9 -N v ' 1 39
1 8 Mar. 1310-11

Henry de Leicester " . .

. . . Dean of Holland .

Cause of Vacancy

res. of J. de Droxford
res. of A. de Preston

1 7 Dec. 1307. . Henry de Wavertree 13 .... The Rector ....
20 Dec. 1338. . Richard de Barnby " Holland Priory. . . . d. of H. de Wavertree
3 July, i 349. . Nicholas de Thome li .... d. of Ric. last vicar

i There were three tithe barns at Gar- De Banco R. 144, m. iS^J. ; pre- Childwall by the king in July, 1299, but
tton, Lea and Woolton ; a house and acre sented in the time of Richard I, according for some reason or other the presentation
of glebe at Garston brought in a rent of to the plaintiff. does not seem to have taken effect. John
i 31. 4</., and a close in Hale, called Prior's " At the time of the composition with remained rector, and on I March, 1 308,
heys, is. i id. The vicar had all the the prior of Lancaster ' H. the clerk of a further dispensation from Clement V
small tithes except such as paid a com- Childwall' was liable for the pension of directed him to resign two of his benefices

of Allerton, 101. for tithe of hemp and
flax of Allerton and Garston ; Mr. Norris
of Speke, i6s. for tithe of pig, goose,
hemp and flax in Speke and the Wool-

rector. Among the witnesses is ' R.
the clerk of Childwall ' ; Lane. Church,

121.

8 Wballey Coucher, 558, 809.

he being then only a deacon ; ibid, ii, 39.
He therefore retained Childwall, probably
without visiting it, until the day of his
consecration as bishop of Bath and Wells

Mr. Ireland of the Hutt, 1 51. for the
tithe of pig, goose, hemp and flax in Hale
and Halewood (except a few houses),
Childwall and Wiv.rtree, also pig and
goose in Allerton. The profit of the
vicarage was estimated to be about 30 a
year, including the small tithes and Easter
roll. Common-w. Church Surv. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 194-5.
* Pope Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249. In
1341 the true value of the ninth of the
corn, wool and lambs was found to be
40, made up thus : Hale 20, Speke
4 I 5;., Wavertree 4 I 31. 4^., Aller-
ton i 45., Woolton /3 6j. 8</., Much

Cur. Reg. R. 171, m. T,zd. and is prob-
ably the same as the 'Herbert Grelle
quondam rector ' of Kuerden ; Final Cone.
i, 140 n. See also Dep. Keeper's Rep. xliv,
App. 113, for mention of him in 1275.
Herbert, rector of Childwall, was in 1288
guardian of Richard, son and heir of
Geoffrey de Casterton ; De Banco R. 73,
m. 1 3. He seems to have been rector
till about 1290, but 'Richard Chaplain of
Childwall ' is witness to charters of that
period; Norris D. (B.M.), . 711, 725;
also Bold D. Warrington, G. 44.
10 John de Droxford (or Drochenesford)
is the most distinguished incumbent of

twenty years.
Roger de Droxford's presentation to
Childwall may have been refused by the
bishop of Lichfield, for in November,
1299, his brother the papal chaplain ob-
tained from Boniface VIII permission for
Roger to hold one benefice in addition to
Freshwater, although he was not a priest,
and between eighteen and twenty-five
years of age ; ibid, i, 584.
11 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, 57* ; he is described
as 'son of Hugh de Preston.' Adam de
Preston forfeited lands by adhering to
Thomas earl of Lancaster, and recovered
them in 1327 on petition to Edward III ;

Childwall 175. 4</., and Thingwall 7;.;
Nonarum 7 ? . (Rec. Com.), 40.
8 Valor Keel. (Rec. Com.), v, 222.
After the dissolution the value was found
to be 56 161. 4^. This included the
tithes of four mills : Halewood, Allerton,
Wavertree and Bushel's Mill ; Duchy of
Lane. Rentals, &c. 5/12.
4 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 164.
A list of benefactions between 1680 and
1705 included a grant of 101. a year for a
preaching minister.
A terrier of 1778 among the church
papers states that the vicar then had the
tithes of cow and calf, &c., ' for every
smoke id., for every tradesman 4^. ' ; i6j.
and 255. were paid for the demesnes of
Speke and Hale respectively ; ioi. came
rom an estate in Widnes, ' Lyon's of the
Fold'; and IDJ. from Hancock's New
House in Halewood. The latter rent
charges are still paid ; see End. Char.
Rep. (Childwall), 1904.
5 'Robert the priest of Childwall' in
1177-8 was fined a mark for some breach
of the forest laws ; Lanes. Pipe R. 38.

in Diet. Nat. Biog. He was one of the
king's clerks and keeper of the wardrobe
to Edward I. In 1290 he was presented
by the king to the church of Monewden
(dio. Norwich), and on 15 March, 1293,
to Childwall, with all its chapels and
appurtenances, followed by Kingsclere in
1296; Cal. Pat. The king presented to
Childwall by reason of the minority of
Robert Grelley.
On 27 Sept. 1298, Boniface VIII
granted him at the king's request a dis-
pensation for having while under age
obtained first the church of Childwall,
then successively those of Hemingburgh,
&c., and various canonries and prebends,
with leave to retain all those successively
held except Childwall and another, which
must be resigned the cure of souls not
being neglected, and a portion of the fruits
received being applied to the benefices ;
Cal. of Pap. Letters, \, 577. The pope at
the same time made him one of his
chaplains.
In accordance with this, Roger de
Droxford, his brother, was appointed to
105

probably the Adam de Preston mentioned
in a Holland family settlement of 1 32 1-2 ;
ibid, vi, 254.
12 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, 59. A Henry de
Leicester was one of the king's clerks in
1307 ; Cal.Pat. 1307-13^. 8. The rector
of Childwall was probably the cofferer to
Thomas earl of Lancaster in 1322, whose
misfortune is described in Beamont's
Halton, 38. He seems to have been ap-
pointed rector of Almondsbury by the
archbishop of York in 1 3 1 3, on the depri-
vation of Boniface di Saluzzo ; Cal. of Pap.
Letters, ii, 122, 1 68. It seems clear that
the last two rectors were presented merely
to hold the rectory until arrangements
could be made for its transference to
Upholland Priory.
18 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, 28. Dean of War-
rington in 1319 ; see the account of Mel-
ling. In 1336 it was reported to the bishop
that he was old and weak, and therefore
John del Femes was appointed as hit
assistant; ibid, ii, fol. noi.
" Ibid. fol. 112*.
15 Ibid. fol. 123*.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

26 Jan. 1353-4 .

John Dibbleda l
Roger de Poghden '

6 Mar. 1386-7.

Richard de Moston '

oc. 1421

Thomas Caton 4

16 Aug. 1426

William Walton *

oc. 1430-35 . .

William Mercer 6

24 Jan. 1443-4 .

Christopher Lee 7

oc. 1464 . . .

Geoffrey Whalley 9

16 May, 1473 .

.'Richard Dey, LL.B. . . . .

1 1 Nov. 1496

John Merton 10

17 Oct. 1514. .

Robert Greves "

10 July, 1546 .

John Ainsdale "

oc. 1562 . .

William Crosse

I 2 Tan i c6o 70

David Catton ls

i L jail, i ^uy /u.

24 Oct. 1588. .

Lawrence Blackborne " ....

1 8 Jan. 1588-9 .

Thomas Williamson, M.A. "...

28 June, 1589 .

Edmund Hopwood l6

oc. 1616 . . .

William Knowles "

17 April, 1617 .

Henry Taylor 18

10 Aug. 1624

James Hyett, B.D. "

20 May, 1625 .

James Critchley

7 Dec. 1632 ..

William Lewis, M.A. *>....

c. 1645 . . .

David Ellison "

18 Dec. 1657. .
2 Mar. 1 66 1-2.

Hohn Litherland a

5 Mar. 1663-4.

William Thompson "

15 Oct. 1664. .

Joshua Ambrose, M.A. **....

1 8 Feb. 1686-7

Thomas West, M.A. 25 ....

Holland Priory .
Holland Priory .
Holland Priory .

W. J. &'*R. Ainsdale
Bishop of Chester .
Bishop of Chester .

Bishop of Chester .

Com. of the County
/Lord Protector .
( Bishop of Chester

Cause of Vacancy

pro. J. Dibbleda
d. of R. de Poghder

d. of T. Caton

res. G. Whalley
d. of Richard Dey
res. last, incum.
d. of R. Graves

res. W. Crosse
[d. D. Catton]

dep. or cession of H.

Taylor
res. Jas. Hyett

res. J. Ambrose

1 He was made rector of Heysham ;
Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 131.
Ibid. fol. 131. Roger de Poghden (or
Pokeden) is frequently mentioned in local
deeds.
In 1386 the cemetery of Childwall was
suspended at the visitation held at Prescot,

tain Adam de Mossley ; the suspension

Act Books at Chest. David Catton
was one of the old clergy ; ordained priest
in 1542. He remained at Childwall till
his death, being buried there 25 May,
,588.
" Act books at Chest.
" Ibid. Thomas Williamson became
vicar of Eccles and fellow of Manch.
16 Ibid. Edmund Hopwood, literate,

91 David Ellison was described by the
Parl. Com. in 1650 as 'a painful godly
preaching minister, observing the Lord's
days, fast days, and days of humiliation
appointed ' ; Commonwealth Church Sur-u.
(Rec. Soc.), 67. It was ordered in
Aug. 1645, that 50 should be paid him
out of the profits of the rectory, seques-
tered from James Anderton, recusant con-

assistant bishop of Lichfield on the repre-
sentation of the Hospitallers, whose privi-

Norris D. (B.M.), ". 966.

borough in June, 1576 ; he was described
as 'no preacher* in 1590, but had become
one in 1607. He was in 1615 presented
by the earl of Derby to Holy Trinity,

(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 9, 50, 247.
m John Litherland was admitted on
1 8 Dec. 1657, to the parish of Childwall
on a presentation from the Lord Protector

Moston's name occurs in various deeds
down to 1413; see Norris D. (B.M.),
Moore charters (n. 74.2), Kuerden MSS. ii,
fol. 230.
< He occurs as vicar in Jan. 1420-1 ;
Norris D. (B.M.), n. 892.
Lich. Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 116.
6 William Mercer, who had been chap-

See Pennant's Acct. Book (MS.) ; Gibson,
Lydiate Hall, 249 ; Kenyan MSS. (Hist.
MSS. Com.), 12; Ormerod, Ches. (ed.
Helsby), i, 332.
17 Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, 74.
See the account of Ormskirk church.
19 Act Books at Chest. The institu-

not stated, but it was probably the death
of the previous incumbent, who does not
occur in later lists ; Plund. Mini. Acca.
ii, 209, 300. Litherland was instituted
again on the restoration of episcopacy ;
the Act Books at Chest, give 26 Nov.
1 66 1 as the date of collation.
28 Inst. Books, P.R.O.

wall in 1429-30 and in Aug. 1435 ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 168 ; Norris D.

P.R.O.

19 Hyett was promoted to Croston.

Harvard, New England, and was incorpo-
rated at Pembroke Coll. Oxf. 1655, be-

7 Lich. Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 126*. No
reason is assigned for the vacancy.
8 Geoffrey Whalley was vicar in 1464 ;
Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F.a.
Lich. Epis Reg. xii, fol. io6i. The
registrar has omitted the name of the clerk
presented ; probably it was Richard Dey,
the next vicar known,
'o Ibid, xii, fol. 230*.
11 Ibid, xiii-xiv, fol. 58*.
la Act Books at Chest. ; John Porte,
prior, and the convent of Upholland had
in 1531 granted the next presentation to
Robert Brerewood, Richard Johnson, and
Thomas Brerewood (probably of the Ches-

to be 'very diligent in his calling' ; Con-
frit, from Clergy (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 94, 1 10 ; but ejected on the out-
break of the Civil War. He was dean of
Warrington in 1640. William Lewis,
minister, residing at Little Woolton, was
buried at Childwall 6 Jan. 1659-60.
In 1640 he had trouble with some of
his parishioners over a question of pews.
He had ' enlarged ' the pulpit, which had
before been indecent and unseemly, and

Ellison and his mother had been removed
altogether. In 1636 the bishop had issued
a commission 'for the uniforming the

is probably the same as this vicar of Child-
wall, who had before the Restoration been

Oxon. ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), v, 42,
quoting Calamy's Noncanf. Memorial, ii, 3.

by Bishop Cartwright : 'The parishioners
of Childwall brought me Mr. Ambrose his

new vicar 'before Christmas, and wrote
word to my cousin Peter Whalley that I
would give it to my cousin Thomas West,'
who was accordingly instituted and made
a chaplain to the bishop. He resigned
at the Revolution, being reckoned as a

their right to William, John, and Richard
Ainsdale of Wallasey. Ainsdale paid
first-fruits 15 July, 1546 ; Lanes, and Ches.
Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and dies.), ii, 408.

parishioners therein according to their
rank and estates ' ; and it was thought
the matter had been settled ; Con. Court
Rec. at Chest.
1 06

of Northampton, of Merton College, Ox-
ford, took the M.A. degree in 1684 ; see
Cartwright' s Diary (Camd. Soc.), 16, 33 ;
Foster's Alumni ; Pal. Note Book, ii, 239.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED CHILDWALL

Instituted Name Presented by Cause of Vacancy

1 9 June, 1690 . Ralph Markland, M.A. .... Bishop of Chester . . . res. T. West

12 Jan. 1721-2 . Theophilus Kelsall, B.A. a .... ... d. of R. Markland
6 Mar. 1734-5. Roger Barnston, M.A. 3 ... d. T. Kelsall

25 July, 1737 . William Ward, B.A. 4 ... res. R. Barnston

1 8 Sept. 1740 . Robert Whiston 6 ... d. W.Ward

29 Jan. 1741-2 . Abel Ward, M.A. 6 ... res. R. Whiston

13 Jan. 1745-6 . Thomas Tonman, M.A. 7 ... res. Abel Ward

i o Sept. 1778 . Matthew Worthington 8 ... res. T. Tonman

24 April, 1797 . William Bowe 9 ... d. M. Worthington

10 Feb. 1818 . James Thomas Law, M.A.'" .... ... res. W. Bowe

1 5 Oct. 1821 . Henry Law, M.A." ... res. J. T. Law

!jNov?i8 8 29 4 ;} Augustus Campbell, M.A." . ... ... re, H. Law

20 Sept. 1870 . George Winter Warr, M.A. 13 ... ... d. of A. Campbell

1 4 Jan. 1896 . Peter Sorensen Royston, D.D. 14 . . Bishop of Liverpool . . d. G. W. Warr

1 6 Oct. 1903 . Richard Montague Ainslie, M.A. Is . . ... res. P. S. Royston

Robert Greves was vicar during the greater part of
Henry VIII's reign. In 1541 he paid an assistant
named Richard Greves ; there were three other
priests, 16 probably serving the chapels at Hale and
Garston, and the chantry priest, so that the staff
numbered five or six. At the visitation of 1 548 the
clergy remained the same in number, but at the
visitation in 1554, when the Edwardian changes had
had effect and the temporary reaction was only be-
ginning, the clergy had been reduced to three. 17 The
services at Garston chapel had probably been discon-
tinued. The vicar had held his place through several
changes ; it is not known whether he died or resigned

before the next, but in January, 1557-8 Bishop Scott
gave him leave to agree with Richard Norris, priest,
as to his retirement, Norris to pay him a suitable
pension. 18

William Crosse, the next vicar, was ordained deacon
at Chester in I555, 19 and as he answered as vicar at
the visitations of i 562 and 1565 must be considered
a conformist for the time at least ; in 1563 he was
absent, 'excused by the bishop,' and in 1569 he
resigned. He was the only clergyman who repre-
sented Childwall in I 562-3. 80

The chantry at the altar of St. Thomas the
Martyr was founded in 1484 by Thomas Norris

Camb. (M.A. 1682), was son of Ralph
Markland of Wigan ; information of
Dr. Morgan, master of the coll. For his
family see Dugdale's Vint. (Chet. Soc.),
193. He was the father of Jeremiah
Markland.
1 Theophilus Kelsall, previously curate
of St. Helens, was educated at Camb. ;
B.A. 1710. He died Feb. 1 734-5 ; monu-

aged 64 ; there are monuments to him
and his wife Dorothy (daughter of Dr.
Samuel Peploe) in the Lady Chapel in
Chest. Cath. ; Foster, Alumni ; Ormerod,
Ckes. i, 296.
8 Matthew Worthington had been
curate of Wood Plumpton near Preston
for forty-two years. With but a scanty
income to supply the wants of a large

this a mediety of the rectory of Liverpool
was added in 1829 (he afterwards became
sole rector) ; this accounts for the double
institution at Childwall. He held both
preferments till his death at Childwall on
1 5 May, 1870, in the eighty-fifth year of
his age. There is in the church a monu-
ment to his son Major P. Campbell, who
was wounded at the Alma and afterwards

8 Roger Barnston was the second son
of Roger Barnston of Churton near

bishop (Beilby Porteous), stating his case,
and asking if his lordship could use any

18 George Winter Warr had been the
incumbent of St. Saviour's, Liverpool.

Coll. Camb. (M.A. 1734), and became
rector of Condover in Shropshire and a
canon of Chester. He was twice married,
but died childless in 1782, and was
buried at Farndon ; Ormerod, Cha. (ed.
Helsby), ii, 747.
4 William Ward, son of Francis Ward
of Shervill in Devon, was educated at
Exeter Coll. Oxf. but graduated from
Edmund Hall (B.A. 1728) ; Foster,

* A Robert Whiston of Shropshire was
of Magdalen Hall, Oxf. graduating in
1739 ; Foster, Alumni.
6 Abel Ward was a Staffordshire man.
He entered Queens' Coll. Camb. as a
lizar in 1736, and was elected fellow in
1740 soon after taking his B.A. degree ;
M.A. 1744. He held his fellowship dur-
ing his vicariate, vacating it by his pro-
motion to a prebendal stall at Chester in

assistance. The bishop, struck by the
letter, raised by subscription a sum of
money for the writer, and when Child-
wall fell vacant promoted him to it.
See the letter in Baines, Lanes, (ed.
Croston), v, 44. Joseph Sharpe, minister
(curate) of Childwall, published sermons
preached there; Local Gleanings, i, 187,
192.
9 William Bowe was master of the
grammar school at Scorton, in the North
Riding, and had licence to reside out of
the parish.
10 James Thomas Law, eldest son of the
then bishop, was a fellow of Christ's
Coll. Camb.; M.A. 1815; and became
master of St. John's Hospital, Lich-
field, and chancellor of the diocese of
Lichfield. He died 22 Feb. 1876 ; Diet.
Nat. Biog.
11 Henry Law was' another son of the

from 1870 to 1880, when he had the
same dignity at Liverpool.
14 Peter Sorensen Royston graduated
at Camb. from Trinity Coll. ; M.A.
1861, D.D. 1873. He was appointed
bishop of the Mauritius in 1872, and
after his resignation became assistant to
Bishop Ryle of Liverpool, who presented
him to Childwall.
Richard Montague Ainslie, M.A.
Cambridge (1885, Pembroke Coll.), was
previously incumbent of St. Saviour's,
Liverpool.
M Clergy Lh, of .541-2 (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 16.
17 John Ainsdale the vicar, Thomas
Plombe (chantry priest his occupation
gone), marked 'decrepitus,' and James
Whitford of Hale.
W Norris D. (B.M.). For the orna-
ments in 1552, after some had disappeared,

resigning Childwall for St. Ann's, Man-
chester. He died at Neston in 1785. See
inscription in Chest. Cath.; Ormerod, Cha.

St. John's Coll. Camb.; M.A. 1823.
Following his father to the diocese of
Bath and Wells, he became canon and

1517 three new bells were made for the
church by Richard Seliock of Notting-
ham ; the great bell 518 lb., the less

President of Queens' Coll.
7 Thomas Tonman was the son of
Roger Tonman of New Radnor ; educated
at Jesus Coll. Oxf. ; he graduated M.A.
in 1 744. He was vicar of Little Bud-

(1862) dean of Gloucester, dying in Nov.
1884; Diet. Nat. Biog.
u Augustus Campbell was of Trinity
Coll. Camb.; M.A. 1812. He was
made rector of Wallasey in 1814, and
107

Norris D. (B.M.).
18 Ordination Book (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 86.
*> The above particulars are from the
visitation lists at Chester.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

of Speke to celebrate for the souls of himself and
his ancestors. 1

The church, according to an old rhyme, was
famous for ' ringing and singing.' '

CHILDWALL

Cildeuuelle.Dm.BL; Childwall,i26i ; Childewelle,
1291 ; Childewalle, 1212, 1332 ; Childewall, 1354
and onwards (common form) ; also Chaldewall, 1238;
Chaldewal, 1 305. The terminations ' wall ' and 'well '
appear indifferently. Childow is the local pronuncia-

As to the charities of the parish,
CHARITIES Bishop Gastrell was in 1718 able to

report little in addition to the schools The township of Childwall, containing 831 acres, 10 is

at Much Woolton and Hale. s The commissioners of principally situated on the slope of a low hill, the highest

28 gave a much longer list, 4 but even in 1903 the
amount for the parish as a whole was very small ; 5
Hale 6 and Halewood ' had some considerable bequests,
but the charity founded recently by Mrs. Mary Jane
Cross for the relief of poor residents of Much and
Little Woolton suffering from accidents and non-
infectious diseases is the most important from its

pont of which is 223 ft. above sea -level, commanding
an extensive panorama of a wide, flat plain lying to
the east. The district has an agreeable park-like
appearance, with plantations and pastures, diversified
with cultivated fields, where crops of corn, turnips,
and potatoes are raised. There are but few dwellings,
besides the hall and the houses which cluster about

funds of the kind. 9

The other townships have little or no the church. The geological formation consists of the

1 By charters dated 16 Dec. 1484,
Thomas Norris of Speke and John his
brother gave to Richard Norris and others
lands in Halewood, Much Woolton, and
Garston ; the income arising therefrom to
be paid yearly to Humphrey Norris, clerk,
to celebrate in the chapel of St. Thomas
the Martyr of Childwall, and after his

4 The following notes are from the
reports of the Char. Com. of 1828 (xx.
83, &c.) and the End. Char. Report for
Childwall issued in 1904. This latter
concerns only that portion of the parish
outside Liverpool in 1903.
6 The total sum available in 1903
was 504 a year, but more than half of

poor's stock of 13, an annual charge
of 13*. being paid from the rates on
account of it. This has long been dis-
continued.
7 Though some benefactions had been
lost to Halewood by 1828 three old dona-
charge of 2oj. on John Lyon's estate in

Thomas Norris or his heirs for ever. The
chapel itself was therefore more ancient
than the Norris chantry. In Nov. 1532,

chapel, and 148 of the remainder was
Mrs. Cross's newly-founded charity.
Henry Watmough by will in 1746

Peacock's farm in Halewood, founded by
Jane Hey or William Carter, and 101.
interest on 20 bequeathed in 1778 bjr

new feoffment, and they accordingly did
so; Norris D. (B. M.), . 2:9, 223.
'John the chaplain' seems to have
been cantarist in 1499 i ibid - 2 9- Jh n
Day was priest in 1494.
Canon Raines gives the names of three
others : Hulme, Henry Hill (instituted
on 2 May, 1 504), and the above-named
Thomas Plombe, who was in charge at
the suppression, being then sixty years of
age. He had a pension of 3 61. in
1 5 5 3, which was about the rental (671. jd.)

Sunday to the poor of the parish. This
was in force until 1869, when the land
was sold. The purchaser refused to pay,
on the ground that the rent-charge was

known whether the vendors were called
upon to provide for the continuance of
the benefaction. Edward Almond of
Much Woolton about 1836 left a similar
charge, void in law, for the same purpose.
The devisee of the field paid the charge
voluntarily, but his executors refused to

of his estate (850) for the maintenance
of the churchyard ; and Catherine Hen-
rietta Law French, widow, left 500 for
the church bells and other money for the
school.
8 The bequest was by her will of 1894,
proved in 1902. The net residuary estate
was 4,177. The trustees have decided
to purchase a house at Woolton for a
nurses' home, in connexion with the
Convalescent Institution, at a cost of
1,500.

income had been derived from houses and
lands in Great Woolton (265. 8</.), Gar-
ston (i 6..), Halewood (22,. 7 d.\ and

extinct. A sum of 20 having been paid
to Rector Campbell in 1848 supposed to
represent moneys given early in the eigh-

Gateacre Chapel, left in 1740 a rent-
charge of 20j. for a bread charity and
teaching poor children.

priest celebrating with the ornaments of
the parish church. See Raines, Chantries
(Chet. Soc.), 98.
A lease of the chantry lands for twenty
years was made to Edward Norris in

other money partly contributed by him-
self 120 railway stock, now yielding
4 161. id. yearly ; this is divided accord-
ing to his instructions, the chief part going
to the poor.

Hey in 1722 bequeathed a rent of 161.
charged on the New House in Halewood
it is now known as Peacock's to be
distributed to the poor on Good Friday.
In 1828 it was found to be the practice

annually 3 71. }d. to the crown ; and in
1608 Sir William Norris secured a grant
of them made by the king two years be-
fore, the same annual rent to be paid ;
Pat.4jas. I, pt. xxiii ; Norris D. (B.M.).
The inscriptions on the chantry win-
dows are recorded in the Norris Deeds ;
the account by Ormerod (in the Pann-
talia) is imperfect. Three others asked
prayers for Edmund Crosse and his family;
for Thomas Norris of Speke and John his
brother, and also for 'Sir John Lathom,
formerly lord of Aldford,' who built and
founded the chantry ; and for William
Norris, vicar of some church unnamed,
who died 18 Aug. 1460, and Richard his
brother. There is an error in the above.
Sir John Stanley was lord of Aldford 2 to
1 6 Edw. IV; John Lathom was rector
there 1461-84; Ormerod, Cbei. (ed.
Helsby), ii, 757, 759-
Pal. Note Book, ii, 279.
Notitia Ctstr. ii, 168, 171.

1753 left 100 to found a bread charity
at Hale chapel, and another 100 for
money or clothes for poor housekeepers
and widows. Ellen Halsall by her will
of 1734 left a rent-charge of 201. on a
house in Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, to
provide ' the most easy, choice, valuable,
authentic, approved, and elaborate trea-
tises' on arithmetic and mathematics to
be given to boys. These charities are
intact, but the bread distribution has been
discontinued and the money is otherwise
employed, under the authority of the
Charity Commissioners. The house in
Tithebarn Street having been pulled down
for town improvements, the 201. from it is
paid by the corporation of Liverpool,
though books have not been provided out
of it. Mary Leigh by will in 1856
(proved 1872) left 700 for the repairs
of a certain tomb, and then for a distri-
bution to the poor on the anniversary of
her death. In 1828 there was an old

108

corrected, and it is now given to the poor.
William Carter left sums of money for

49 ; all' had been lost before 1828. For
a long time down to 1864 a payment of
35. 4rf, of unknown origin, was made by
the owner of Abbey Heys in Little
Woolton and applied to parish purposes.
Nothing is now known of it.

ing to 50 for the benefit of poor house-
keepers were in 1790 invested in a cottage
and garden, producing a rent of 501. In
1820 two new cottages were built on the
old site, and out of the rent 501. con-
tinued in 1828 to be given to the poor in
cloth, the remainder of the rent being
devoted to paying the cost and interest
incurred in building the cottages.
For Wavertree, Allerton, and Speke no
special charities are recorded.
10 The census of 1901 gives 830 acres,
including 2 acres of inland water.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

the pebble beds to the south-west of the Cheshire
Lines Railway and the upper mottled sandstones to the
north-east. The soil is loamy.

An interesting road is that through the centre of
the township from Liverpool through the Old Swan
to Gateacre and Hale. 1 It is joined at the church by
a cross road from Wavertree ; another road from Old
Swan to Huyton runs along part of the northern
boundary. The Cheshire Lines Committee's Railway
from Manchester to Southport passes through the
centre of the township, and there is a station in Well
Lane, about a quarter of a mile east of the church.
The population in 1901 numbered 219.

Jeremiah Markland, a celebrated classical scholar,
was born here in 1693, son of the vicar of Childwall.*

' The roads from Liverpool," wrote Samuel Derrick
in 1760, 'are deep and sandy; consequently rather
unpleasant ; but the views are rather extensive, par-
ticularly from a summerhouse on Childwall Hill,
about three miles distant, where you have a prospect
of fifteen counties and a good view of the sea. In
the skirts of this hill are several small villages with
gentlemen's seats scattered about, well covered and
for the most part delightfully situated.' 3 Gregson
also says : 'The views from the neighbourhood of the
church, from the hall, Gateacre, and as far as Woolton
Hall ... are extensive and particularly fine. On
the west are seen with more distant eminences,
Aughton Hills, near Ormskirk, traversing a line of
country to the north-east. The prospect from Prescot
to Farnworth terminates on the south-east with a
distant view of the ruins of Halton Castle now fast
mouldering away a range of hills beyond, and
Norton Priory ... A large portion of the Mersey
water forms one of the features of this scene, and gives
great interest to a landscape that extends nearly
fifteen miles. . . This highly cultivated vale is inter-
spersed with more churches than are usually seen at
one view in Lancashire.' *

A cross formerly stood on the roadside near Well
Lane ; the base is still there. 5 Another cross stood
on the boundary of the township, near the entrance
lodge of the hall ; on the opposite side of the road
are a number of ' seats ' cut in the rock.

Well Acre is the name of a field in Well Lane just
below the church. Another well or pool at the
bottom of the slope to the north-east of the church
was known as Monk's Bath ; it was well protected by
an interior four-sided wall of masonry, and a stream
from it used to flow into the Childwall Brook a
short distance away. 6 Ashfield is the name of the
land round this well ; Mire Lake and Coneygrey

GKELLKY, Lord of
Manchester. G u 1 is,

CHILDWALL

are fields near the railway and the Little Woolton
boundary.

A local board was formed in 1867 ;' since 1894
the township has been governed by an urban district
council of five members.

Four Radmans held CHILDW4LL in
M4NOR 1 066 for four manors ; it was assessed at half
a hide, and its value beyond the customary
rent was 8/. 8 The place is mentioned again in 1094,
when Roger of Poitou gave the church to St. Martin
of Seez. 9 Afterwards Child-
wall, with the adjoining Aller- ______

ton, was given to Albert Grelley,
baron of Manchester, and in
his successors the superior lord-
ship of the manor continued
to be vested. It is recorded
among the members of the
barony down to 1473.'

Under the lords of Man-
chester a subordinate fee of
6 plough-lands was created, of
which a portion was Child-
wall, being held in 1212 by "
Richard son of Robert (de

Lathom)." In 1282 and later the regular statement
is that the Lathoms held half a fee in Childwall."
In 1473 Thomas Lord Stanley, heir of the Lathoms,
held Childwall for half a knight's
fee, paying yearly for ' sake fee '
4*. 6J. and for ward of the
castle 5*. 13 Later it appears to
have been consolidated with
Rainford and Anglezark, and
these were held together of
Lord la Warre by Thomas
second earl of Derby, who died
in 1521, by fealty and a rent
of 3/., the value being estimated LATHOM or LATHOM.

as 44 IJS. 6J. U A Similar Or, on a chief indeed

statement is made in the in- axure thr " *<"'"
quisition after the death of

Ferdinando, fifth earl, who died in 1594, but the
value had declined to ^o. 15

In 1596 Childwall formed part of the lands settled
on Thomas Stanley, 16 but reverted to the earl of Derby
in 1614." During the Civil War the earl's estates were
sequestered by the Parliament. The manor was con-
tracted for sale in 1653 to Henry Nevill and Arthur
Samwell ; the mill, then in the occupation of Isabel
Broughton, to George Hurd and George Leaf, and other
land there to John Broughton. 18 From another case

ooo

1 At present the portion to the north
of the church is available for foot passen-
ger* only ; from its direction and con-

former'times the principal roadway.

He was educated at Christ's Hospital
and at Peterhouse, Camb. ; he is still
counted among the illustrious scholars of
his university. He died at Milton, near
Dorking, in 1776. There is an account
of him in Diet. Nat. Biog.

8 Letters from Leijerpaale, i, 29, quoted
in Baines' Lanes, (ed. Croston), v, 39.

' Fragments (ed. Harland), 189 ; written
about 1815.

' Trans. His,. Soc. (New Ser.), xi, 237 ;
Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xix, 198.

6 The pool has now become dry, prob-
ably owing to the pumping carried on for

filled up. The tithe map shows a path
leading down it, but this has now been
closed and added to the field.

I Land. Ga*. 28 June, 1867.
8 See V.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.

Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 290, 298.

10 See, for example, Lanes. Inq. and
Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
54, 154; Survey of 1346 (Chet. Soc.)
42; Mamecestrc (Chet. Soc.), 379, 514,
479-

II Inq. and Extents, l.s.c. ; Feud. Aids,
iii, 81.

" Inq. and Extents, 250. In 1 322 Robert
deLathom held it, and in 1482 Lord
Stanley for half a fee owed homage and
fealty ; Mameeestre, 479. The lord of
Childwall had to provide a judge ordooms-

375-

is Ibid. 514; see also Feud. Aids,
iii, 94.

14 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, n. 68.
Add. MS. 32104, fol. 425*.

16 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
59, m. 214. See also Pat. 44 Eliz.
pt. ii.

17 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 85,

1 8 Royalist Comf. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), ii, 147-56, 166-72, 237-8.
It was found that Childwall, among other
manors, had been assigned in 1637 as
security for the payment of 600 to
Elizabeth Lady Stanley (widow of Sir
Robert Stanley) and her sons, and this was
allowed to her in 1646 (she having be-
come the countess of Lincoln), and appears

of the earl in 1651.

109

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

before the parliamentary commissioners it appears that
Childwall House had been leased to Hugh Houghton,
deceased, but the lease had expired. 1 The succeeding
earl of Derby was able to repurchase Childwall among
other lands;* and in 1657 he obtained an Act of
Parliament to enable him to sell several manors and
chief rents at Childwall, Little Wool ton, part of
Dalton, and all Upholland, &c., whereby he raised a
sum sufficient to free his estates from certain charges. 3

The manors of Knowsley, Much Woolton, Little
Woolton, and Childwall, with lands there, and the
manor house of Childwall, lately occupied by Isabel
Houghton, were in August, 1657, sold or rather
mortgaged to Dame Elizabeth Finch and Edward
Bagnell. 4 A year later, on 14 October, 1658, the
purchasers, in conjunction with the earl and countess
of Derby, for 4,700 transferred to Peter Legay the
younger and Isaac Legay, who are described as ' of
London, Merchants,' their right in the manors of
Much and Little Woolton and Childwall, with the
lands and mansion house, 5 and in the following
February Peter Legay released his right in them to
Isaac.'

From this Isaac Legay, who died in 1690, aged
sixty-five, and was buried at West Stoke in Sussex,'
the estates descended to his son Samuel, who appears
to have resided at Childwall House, and died at
Warrington in 1700, being buried at Childwall on
23 July in that year. 8 The heirs were his two sisters,
one of whom, Hannah, was married to Thomas Hollis,
and the other, Martha, to Nicholas Solly. These

ened in 1718 in the actual sale to Isaac Greene of
escot, an attorney practising in Liverpool, 9 of all
three manors and the house known as the hall of
Childwall or Childwall House, together with lands in
Much and Little Woolton and Childwall. 10

Isaac Greene " married Mary, surviving daughter
and heir of Edward Aspinall of Hale, and thus became

lord of Hale as well as of the manors of Childwall,
Wavertree, Much and Little Woolton, and West Derby.
He built a new Childwall Hall, but it was demolished
by his grandson, and a castellated building from
the designs of John Nash, the popular architect,
substituted for it. 12 Of the three daughters of
Isaac Greene the eldest did not marry, and the
inheritance was divided between her sisters, the elder
(Ireland) having Hale and the younger (Mary) Child-
wall and the other Derby manors. The latter married
Bamber, son of Sir Crisp Gascoyne. 13 Her eldest
son Bamber Gascoyne, who was member of Parlia-
ment for Liverpool (178096)" had an only
child Mary Frances, who married the second marquis
of Salisbury. Her grandson, the present marquis,
is now lord of Childwall and the other manors.
Mr. Hugh Schintz is the present tenant of Child-
wall Hall.

Land in Childwall was early granted to Stanlaw
Abbey." Richard son of Robert de Lathom gave a
' culture ' in Deepdale to Burscough Priory. 1 ' An
early charter by Robert de Grenol granted to Robert "
son of Simon, son of Orm land in the Dale, and Henry
son of Richard of the Dale transferred it to Nicholas
son of Sir Robert Blundell of Crosby. Stephen son
of Adam de Ditton released land in the Dale, perhaps
the same portion, to the above Nicholas Blundell in
izgS. 18

Childwall does not appear frequently on the Plea
Rolls, but a dispute between Robert son of Robert del
Moss and John the priest's brother continued several
years in Edward Ill's reign." Later it was found
that ^s. of issue of a messuage and ^ \ acres in Child-
wall remained in the king's hands by reason of an
appropriation made by the prior of Upholland from
John the priest's brother. 80 Childwall Lodge, a very
quaint old building, is the residence of Mr. A. Earle
member of an old Liverpool family.

i Royalist Camp. P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 267-8.

Cal. S.P. Don. 1653-4, pp. 368-9.

Scacome, House of Stanley (ed. 1793),
403 ; Commons Jour, vii, 47 I, 496, 5 1 3.

< Hatfield D. 656/12. This deed and
the next referred to were enrolled in
Chancery. See also Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 162, m. 122.

* Hatfield 0.649/3 1. 6 Ibid. 649/10.
^ He was lord of this manor ; see Dalla-

way, Wea Sussex, i, no, ill.

8 Childwall Reg. Samuel Legay assisted
in augmenting the endowment of the
vicarage in 1693; Notitia Cestr. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 1 66*.

9 Isaac Greene calls Madame Legay
Katherine, the mother of Hannah and
Martha his aunt ; she died in 1718, aged
eighty-five, just before the sale ; Norris
Paper, (Chet. Soc.), 29; Dallaway, op. cit.

I" Hatfield D. 665/2 (enrolled in the
King's Bench) and 665/9. A recovery
had been suffered at the assizes in which
Jonathan Case, on behalf of Isaac Greene,
had been demandant, and John, Lord
Ashburnham, and Henrietta Maria, his
wife, vouchees ; the latter called James,
earl of Derby, to vouch, and he in turn
summoned the Hollises and Richard Solly.
Thus all possible claimants whether

See also Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 28ij

" His parentage is unknown. It was a
saying attributed to him ' that, if he had
his days over again, he would have all

Lancashire in his hands ' ; Norrh P. (Chet.
Soc.), 29.

18 Gregson, F ragmcnts, 1 90. The house
seems to have been known as 'The
Abbey ' for a time, leading to the popular
error that there was once an abbey at
Childwall.

l For the Gascoynes see the Diet. Nat.
Biog. also the Gent. Mag. 1749, p. 380
(I.Greene); ,79,, p. ,066 (B. Gascoyne,
sen.); 1 8 24, p. 184 (B. Gascoyne, jun.). A
deed of July, 1799, between Bamber
Gascoyne and Sarah Bridget Frances, his
wife, of the first part, John Leigh of the
second part, &c., relating to the manors of
Great or Much Woolton, Little Woolton,
Childwall, Wavertree, and West Derby
and lands, &c., there and in Sutton,
Everton, and Hardshaw, was enrolled in
the Common Pleas, Mich. 40 Geo. Ill,
R. 31, m. 138 d.

14 Pink and Beavan, Parly. Rep. of
Lanes., 201. The 'bull beef and cabbage
stalks' of Childwall, an electioneering
taunt directed against the Gascoynes,
arose from the failure of an entertainment
offered by Bamber Gascoyne, senior, to the
freemen on the occasion of his son's success
in 1 780 ; Brooke, Liverpool as it was, 370.

15 tThallty Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii,
549-58. Robert son of Henry [de
Lathom] gave to Richard le Waleys half
a plough-land there, together with Dolfyn,
brother of Edwin, the service being the
twelfth part of a knight's fee. John, the
son of Richard le Waleys, quitclaimed the
same to Stanlaw, his father having so be-

110

queathed it in his testament, and Si
Robert de Lathom (grandson of the above
Robert) confirmed it. Alan son of Adan;
sold to Roger de Ireland an oxgang whicl
he had received from his lord Roger d.-
Warburton, the rent to be two whit
gloves, and Roger gave it to Stanlaw ii
perpetual alms for the same rent, Mauc
de Childwall resigning all her claim fo-
llower. Adam son of Robert de Ainsdale.
ancestor of the Blundells of Crosby, gav
to John Cotty, rector of Childwall, a sixt.
part of Deepdale culture, for a rent of %d ,
and a relief of 8</. to be paid at John' -
death.

18 Burscough Reg. fol. 45. The bounc i
touched the ford at one part, and s:
another the road from Childwall to Walto. .
This road crossed the ford.

W Perhaps an error of transcription ft r
Richard. Margery, relict of Simon de 1 1
Dale, released all her right in lands in tr ^
Dale and Childwall to her son Richard ;
and Cecily daughter of Simon also re -
leased her right to ' Richard son of Simoi ,
son of Orm' of Childwall; Kuerdt i
fol. MS. p. 96, n. 604-5.

" Blundell of Crosby evidences (Town -
ley), K. 199, 242, 234 ; see also the aboi e
note from the Whallcy Coucher.

19 De Bane. R. 279, m. 190; 29 ,
m. 87 d. John, son of Richard de Wave -
tree, is named in the remainders to tl e
property of Henry de Wavertree, vicar ->f
Childwall ; Morris D. (B. M.), n. 329. j

*> Escheator's Accts. 17/45, 3610 <;$
Edw. III.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

An enclosure act for Childwall and Great and
Little Wool ton was passed in 1805.'

WAVERTREE

Wauretreu, Dom. Bk. ; Wauertrea, 1 167 ; Wauertre
or Wavertre is the most usual form from I zoo, with
Wauertrie as a variant. Wartre occurs in 1381, and
becomes common later ; it gives the old local pronun-
ciation, Wautry.

This township has an area of 1,838 acres. 1 The
highest land is in the centre and north, rising to an
elevation of over 200 ft. : the surface slopes away in the
other directions, especially on the Liverpool side. The
old village stood on the higher part of this westward
slope, beside the road from Liverpool to Woolton, here
called High Street ; it has now grown into a town.
The eastern half of the township still retains a rural
or suburban character. The population in 1901 was

2533-

The soil is sandy and loamy ; the geological forma-
tion consists of pebble beds of the bunter series of
the new red sandstone or trias. Wheat, oats, and
potatoes are grown.

The principal roads are those from Liverpool to
Woolton, with numerous cross roads. Portions of an
old pack-horse track exist. The London and North-
Western Company's Liverpool and Manchester line
passes along the northern boundary, where is the deep
Olive Mount cutting, celebrated in the earlier days
of railway engineering. The same company's railway
to the Bootle Docks branches off to the north, while
its principal line from Liverpool to London goes
through the western portion, where there is a station.
The Liverpool tramway system extends to the top of
the High street.

Near the terminus is a small green with a pond,
and close by is Monks' well, a pin well, on which it
is said there was this inscription :

QUI NON DAT QUOD H
DAEMON INFRA RIDET.

HI4.

reproduced on the modern covering of the well. 3
Close by is a clock tower commemorating Sir James
Picton, the Liverpool architect and antiquary, who
lived in Olive Mount. To the east is a piece of
ground which by the terms of the enclosure award
must remain an open space for ever. Near it is the
old windmill.' Lower down, towards the railway, is
the fine children's playground presented to Liverpool
by an anonymous benefactor. 5 Wavertree Nook is in
the north-eastern corner of the township.

Mrs. Hemans lived in the High Street for some
time. 6

CHILDWALL

A prehistoric cemetery has been discovered here. 7
Gregson thus describes the place as it was in 1817:
' Wavertree is a pleasant village and has increased
with Liverpool, within these few years, in a rapid
manner. . . . The salubrity of the air is highly and
very deservedly spoken of. ... In 1731 the town-
ship contained fifty houses, 8 of which only three were
untenanted.'

The township was constituted a local government
district in 185 I, 9 and a town hall in the classical style
was built in 1872 in the High Street. In 1894 it
became an urban district, and in November, 1895,
was incorporated in Liverpool.

At the death of Edward the Confessor
MJNOR WAVER.TTt.EE was in the possession of
Leving, assessed at 2 plough-lands and
valued beyond the customary rent at the normal 64</. 10
After the Conquest it was added to the demesne of
the honour, and in consequence its manorial history
is identical with that of West Derby. In the Pipe Roll
of 1 176-7 is a record of the payment of I mark from
Wavertree to the tallage levied that year."

The Walton family, who held the master-serjeanty
of the wapentake, had 4 oxgangs of land in Waver-
tree by reason of this office." It would appear that
the remaining 12 oxgangs in Wavertree had been
given to Gilbert de Walton by King John when
count of Mortain and perhaps forfeited on the
count's rebellion for in 1198-9 Gilbert's son,
Henry de Walton, rendered account of a palfrey
and loos, due for having this land. He would thus
have the whole manor, though by different titles, the
service for the 1 2 oxgangs being a rent of 2 marks. 13

The old rent payable from Wavertree to the sheriff
of the county was 20^. ; this was increased half a mark
in 1 199,'* and the increased payment continued to be
made in later years ; as, for instance, in 1323, when
the stewardship of the manor came into the king's
hands by the forfeiture of Robert de Holand. 16

Occasional escheats reveal something of the value
of the place. In 1205-6 the sheriff had 70*. from
corn from Wavertree and other lands of Henry de
Walton, whose estates were then in the king's hands. 16
In the inquisition taken in 1298, after the death of
Edmund earl of Lancaster, it was found that I ox-
gang of land was held by Roger de Thingwall for a
rent of \d., and the other fifteen by various customary
tenants at the rate of 3/. an oxgang ; there were also
131 acres \\ roods of land improved from the waste
rented at \d. the acre, the total amounting to
4 9/. i^d." Again, after the forfeiture of Thomas
of Lancaster in 1322, when a detailed extent was
made of lands held by him, Wavertree, as part of the
demesne of the honour, was included. 18 In 1346, in

1 The award, with plan, may be seen at

^ V.C.H. Lanes, i, 239 ; Trans. Hist.

is L. T. R. Enrolled Accts. Misc. n. 14,

a The Census Report gives 1,837, in-
cluding 10 acres inland water.
8 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Sue. xix, 197.
There ia said to have been a cross above
the well. A view is given in Gregson,
Fragment! (ed. Harland), 191.

Lon. Gax. 27 June, 1851.
1 Y.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.
Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 35.
Confirmed by a charter of King
John ; Rat. Cartarum, 28. See the ac-
count of Walton.

Maud, widow of Sir Robert, claimed dower
in Wavertree ; De Bane. R. 281, m. 240 ;
287, m. 179 ; 292, m. 503 d.
1 Lanes. Fife. R. 206.
17 Lanes. Inq. and Extents. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 286.

,ee Tram. His,. Sot. (New Ser.), *ii, 56-9.

widow of Henry de Walton, in 1246 sued

held one oxgang and paid 4</. are not

(R. ii, 2, 5, 15). It was described as the
mill 'newly constructed' in 30 Hen. VI,
when it was demised to Edmund Crosse ;
Mins. Accts. Manor of Derby.
5 Mr. Philip Holt is said to be the donor.
Tram. Hiit. Soc. (New Ser.), i, 132.

4 in Kirkdale ; Assize R. 404, m. 5.
14 Lanes. Pipe R. 113, 126, &c. In
addition scutage and other subsidies were
payable. In 1205-6, to the scutage as-
sessed by Robert de Vipont 131. was
received from Wavertree ; ibid. 202.

were divided among eighteen tenants at
will, of whom Richard son of Alan de
Wavertree had two oxgangs, Elias de
Wavertree, William son of Malin ijeach,
Matthew de Wavertree, Ralph de Aldwin-
scales, William Hawkeshegh, and Nicholas

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

the extent of the lands of Henry, earl of Lancaster,
the turbary had increased in value to 6 i y. 4^.,
while the free tenants continued to pay \d., and the
tenants at will paid 4 icu., double the former
amount. 1

The local surname is not common, but in 1 307
Henry de Wavertree was vicar of Childwall, and in
I 329 Thomas son of Roger de Warrington was accused
of the death of Robert de Wavertree. The jury found
that the accusation was due to the malice of one
William de Schukedale, who thought that Thomas
had been insufficiently punished 1 by the hallmote
court of West Derby for striking him, and so accused
him of this more serious crime. Thomas son of
Gregory the shoemaker was the guilty person.*

The Norrises of Speke had lands here. In 1495
Sir William Norris acquired from William Brown of
Penketh an additional portion called Long Hey,
abutting on the Sandfield towards the west. Robert
Lake of Wavertree in 1499 transferred to William
Lathom of Parbold and Thomas Harebrown of
Wavertree a butt of land, running up to the ' stone
divisions ' on the north, in trust for the chaplain at
the chantry altar in Childwall church, to pray for the
grantor's soul and the souls of his parents and suc-
cessors. This seems to have been the Stonyfield,
which the churchwardens in 1552 exchanged with
Sir William Norris. At the hallmote of West Derby
in 1594 John Lake of Bromborough, Alice Holland,
widow, and Robert Ellison transferred a close called
Widow's Flat to Edward Norris, who was admitted
and paid a fine of 5^.*

John Crosse of Liverpool purchased several parcels
of land in Wavertree in 1497 from the above William
Brown of Penketh and Gilbert his son ; 5 while in
1505 Richard Crosse bought from Sir John Ireland
of Hale land in Wavertree, held by William Lake and
paying 15^. a year to the king. 6

In Queen Elizabeth's time the tenants had a dis-
pute with the lord of the adjacent manor of Allerton
about some 50 acres of waste ' bounded by Calder,
Roger, or Way stones, as appears by a plan then made
and laid down, now in the chest at Wavertree.' '

When Charles I in 1628 sold the manor of West
Derby it was contended that the manors of Everton
and Wavertree were included, but the tenants in these
townships objecting, the matter was settled ten years
later by an amended grant of West Derby lordship
and manor and the towns of Everton and Wavertree ;

thereupon the tenants of these townships paid their
rent to the purchasers. Next year the latter trans-
ferred their rights to Lord Strange, afterwards earl of
Derby. 8 The manor was sold in 1717 to Isaac
Greene, from whom it has descended to the marquis
of Salisbury. 9 In 1817 Gregson states 'the court for
Wavertree and West Derby was held under Bamber
Gascoyne for the copyhold lands, which are of inherit-
ance and fine certain.' 10

The common lands were enclosed by Act of Par-
liament in 1768."

In 1717 Darcy Chantrell of Noctorum as a ' Papist '
registered an estate of .39 in Wavertree. 18

The land tax returns of 1785 show the principal
landowners to have been Bamber Gascoyne, Thomas
Plumbe, and Rev. Thomas Dannett.

In connexion with the Establishment, Trinity
Church was built in 1 790 ; a small burial-ground
is attached. 13 A separate parish was formed for
it in 1828,'* and the incumbents are styled rectors. 14
In 1871 St. Bridget's was erected as a chapel of ease ;
it possesses a reredos of Venetian mosaic work. A
separate ecclesiastical parish was constituted in 1901.
St. Mary's, Sandown Park, was built in 1 849, and a
district assigned in 1856; the incumbents have the
title of rector. 16 St. Thomas's was built in 1896."

The Wesleyan church in Victoria Park was built
in 1872. Trinity Congregational church, Hunter
Lane, was founded about 1836, and the building
opened in 1839; there is a mission in Wellington
Road. 18

The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of Good
Help was opened in 1887," and St. Hugh's, on the
Toxteth border, in 1904.* Bishop Eton, on the
Woolton Road, has been the novitiate house of the
English province of the Redemptorists for nearly
forty years; the order acquired the place in 1851.
The church, Our Lady of the Annunciation, was
designed by Pugin. The Convent of Mercy (St.
Anthony's) in Green Lane is served from Bishop Eton.

THINGWALL

Tingwell, 1177; Thingwell, 1228; Tingewall,
1297.

This township, with an area of only 175 acres,
appears originally to have formed part of the manor
of West Derby ; but although in recent times it

del Dale one each, and the others smaller
portions. The turbary in the marsh was
worth 22t. <)d. Robert de Holand had
been responsible for the payments as

a messuage and J oxgang called Bing-
yard, and Henry son of Robert Thing-
wall, also having a messuage and J oxgang.
The tenants at will begin with William

9 See Childwall above.
10 Fragments, 191.
11 8 Geo. Ill, cap. 51 (Private) ; Lanes,
and Ches. Antij. Soc. vi, 122.

Rentals and Surveys, 379, m. 6, n;
L.T.R. Enrolled Accts. Misc. . 14, m.

In 1323-5 William son of Richard de
Wavertree paid 45. for entry to 2 acres of
land here by demise of Adam del Ale, and
izJ. for increase. Robert de Wavertree
died about the same time, and there are

tors ; Lanes. Court R. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 99, 104-6. The tenants at
will and others also held small portions of
improved land, paying usually 6d. to it.
per acre.
1 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 142. The
list of the tenants is defective, only 8J out
of the 15 oxgangs being accounted for,
and the services omitted. The free tenant*
were John son of William Moore, having

appear, but among those given are Margery
widow of William Malinson, Henry Shep-
herd, Robert de Halewood, John Tran-
more, John Overton, and John Blackburn.
a He was pardoned on payment of 40^.
8 Inq. a.q.d. 3 Edw. Ill, n. 43.
4 Norris D. (B.M.), 25-33.
6 Crosse D. (Tram. Hist. Soc. New Ser.),
n. 158-60.
6 Hale D. There is a copy of this map
in the Athenaeum Library, Liverpool. -
" Gregson, Fragments, 191. A copy is
among the Duchy of Lane, records, maps,

8 Gregson, Fragments, 146-9. There
is a copy of the amended grant (14 Chas. I)
at Croxteth (CC. ii, 1 1). Wavertree is
spoken of as a separate manor in 1340 ;
De Bane. R. 322, m. 279.

112

jurors, 148.
" There is a view in Gregson's Frag-
ments, 190. The registers begin in 1794.
ULond. Gaz. 4 July, 1828.
" Having in 1867 been endowed with
tithe rent-charges of 198, it was after-
wards declared a rectory ; ibid. 23 Aug.
1867; 27 Dec. 1867.
16 Ibid. 16 Aug. 1867 ; 26 Nov. 1867.
" The bishop of Liverpool collates to
Holy Trinity and St. Mary's ; the incum-
bent of the former presents to St. Bridget's,
and Simeon's trustees to St. Thomas's.
18 Nightingale, Lanes. 'Nonconf. vi,

"The mission was founded in 1871,
the old Town Hall being used for service.
w Begun in 1898 under the title of the
Holy Family.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

has been described as extra-parochial, it belonged
ecclesiastically to Childwall and paid tithes as part of it.
For parochial purposes it was at one time included
in the township of Much Woolton, but has since
1877 been attached to Huyton-with-Roby. 1 There
was no separate return of the population in 1901.
It consists of the estate known as Thingwall Hall,
standing on a hill, rising to an elevation of 166 ft.
above mean sea-level, in the centre of the township,
with the old manor house, now a farm house, and
a few other dwellings. The London and North-
Western Company's railway from Liverpool to Man-
chester crosses it. The geological formation consists
of the upper mottled sandstone of the new red
sandstone or trias.

Among the field-names on the tithe map of 1849
are White meadow, Hargreaves meadow, Legons croft,
Starch field, Copper flat, and Spake croft.

THINGW4LL first appears upon

MANOR record in 1177, when it was tallaged
half a mark with the other members
of the royal demesne of West Derby. 2 King John
gave it to Richard son of Thurstan in exchange for
his thegnage estate of Smithdown, 3 from which time
the tenure of this hamlet, assessed as one plough-land,
was described as thegnage. One moiety, however,
had been given to the ancestor of Henry de Walton.
In 1 21 2 Richard son of Thurstan apparently held
one oxgang in demesne ; of him Henry de Walton
held four oxgangs, Alan held two oxgangs for ^.oj.
rent, and William the remaining oxgang for zoj. The
tenant of the Walton moiety was Hugh de Thingwall. 4

The descent of the superior lordship from Richard
son of Thurstan to the family bearing the local name
has not been traced. The Walton moiety descended
with the other estates of the family until 1489, when
it passed out of sight. 5

Hugh de Thingwall and his descendants became
the chief personages in the manor. 6 Richard, the
son of Hugh, about 1250 held three oxgangs here,
another in Walton, and other land in Knowsley ; he
gave his estates to Roger his son, who married Alice
daughter of Adam de Aigburth. 7 In 1 298 William
the son of Roger held de antiquo conquestu eight
oxgangs of land i.e., the whole of the manor

CHILDWALL

rendering one mark a year. 8 He held the moiety of
the vill in 1324 for 6s. %d. a year; 9 and his son
Roger in 1 346 held three oxgangs for the twentieth
part of a knight's fee and 5*. rent. 10 Thomas
Anderton of Ince in Makerfield died in 1529 seised
of three oxgangs in Thingwall and Walton, held of
the king in chief as the twentieth of a knight's fee."

The two oxgangs held by Alan in 1212 do not
appear again.

The single oxgang then held by William was in
1346 held by William son ot John de Thingwall ; "
a John son of John de Thingwall was admitted to
land in West Derby in 1323." Later this portion was
acquired by the Mossocks of Bickerstaffe, descending
with their estates to the end of the seventeenth
century."

William Boulton held a messuage and lands here
at his death, 6 September, 1632.* In 1725 there
was a suit between John Tutt and John Mercer as
to the latter's lands in Thingwall and West Derby.
Thomas Crowther, a Liverpool merchant, was living
at the hall, then called Summerhill, in 1824.
Twenty-one years later Thingwall was purchased
from the executors of Thomas Case by Samuel
Thompson, descending to his son and grandson,
Samuel Henry Thompson and Henry Yates Thomp-
son. 16 At the beginning of 1899 Miss Annie
Thompson sold it to Sir David Radcliffe, who in
1903 sold it to a land company. 17 The mansion
house with ten acres of land became the property of
a Belgian religious order, the Brothers of Charity,
and is used as a poor-law school, known as St.
Edward's Home.

MUCH WOOLTON

Ulventune, Uvetone, Dom. Bk. ; Wlvinton, 1 1 88 ;
Wolventon, 1305, &c. ; Wolvinton, 1341. The
commoner form is Wolveton, with variants Wolfeton
(1347) disclosing the local pronunciation, Mikel
Wolveton, 1301 ; also Wlvetun, 1220, &c. ; Wolton
occurs from 1345 ; Wollouton, 1345 ; Woleton, 1350 ;
Wlton, 1380 ; Miche Wolleton, 1429. Other D.B.
name : Wibaldeslei. Brettargh appears as Bretharue
and Bretarwe in the Whalley Coucher.

1 Loc. Gov. Bd. Order 7403.

4 Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 35.

8 Ibid. 421 ; see the account of Toxteth.

* Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 21. The origin of the
Walton holding is unknown. The 1 31. $d.
thegnage rent was paid in 1226; Ibid.

6 See the account of Walton. Simon
de Walton held three oxgangs in 1346,
paying 6s. 8</. ; Survey of 1 346 (Chet.
Soc.), 30.

'Richard son of Richard de Meath
granted land in Hale to his uncle Hugh
de Thingwall ; Norris D. (B.M.), n. 126.

7 Dods. Roger son of Richard de
Thingwall released his right to land in
Hale in 1292 ; Norris D. (B.M.), n. 132.

8 Inq. and Extents, 287. He was thus
in the same position as Richard son of
Thurstan in 1212. An offshoot of the
family held lands in Wavertree.

Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 3 6A.
Survey of 1346 (Chet. Soc.), 34.

the division of Thingwall in this extent ;
only seven oxgangs are accounted for, so
that there is probably some error. Roger
son of William de Thingwall held land

in West Derby in 1325; Lanes. Court
R. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 102.
William son of William also occurs;
Ibid. 105.

In an aid apparently of 1378, Simon
de Walton is stated to hold the twentieth
part of a knight's fee in Thingwall,
another twentieth being held by William
and Roger de Thingwall; Harl. MS.
2085, fol. 421.

Another plea may be referred to, in
which Margery, widow of Roger son and
heir of Robert de Thingwall, and wife of
Henry son of John de Blackburn, claimed
dower in messuages, mill, &c., at Thing-
wall, against Richard son of Robert de
Thingwall, in 1339; De Bane. R. 318,
m. 164. Margery was a daughter of
William de Winwick. For a different
suit see R. 320, m. I 7 6</.

11 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, n. 30.
His three oxgangs were in Thingwall
and Walton. He left as heirs three
daughters-Ellen, aged 7, Margaret, 5,
and Cecily, 2.
>Sur
1 Lanes.

In the Mossock deeds preserved by
Kuerden (vol. ii, fol. 230) are several

relating to Thingwall, but they do not
show how the estate was acquired. The
earliest is dated 1393-4; by it, Joan
daughter of William de Childwall granted
lands to Richard de Thingwall ; n. 30. In
1419 Richard de Thingwall gave land
here to Robert de Wiswall ; n. 38. Other
deeds relate to feoffments of her property
by Cecily, widow of Adam the Salter, be-
tween 1409 and 1417 ; n. 29-36.

The Thingwall estate is recorded in
the Mossock inquisitions of 1593 and
i 598 ; Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. xvi, n. 28 ;
xvii, n. 87. The estate is not described
as an oxgang, but the rent payable to
the crown was 2O</., the proportion
due from an oxgang. It was sold by
the Parliament in 1653 ; Cal. of Com. for
Camp, iv, 2729.

is Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii,
n. 12 ; his son and heir was John Boulton.

The following were the Thingwall rents
in 1780 : Edward Lyon, 2s. lod. ; W.
Longworth, 2s. a., and W. Carr, is. 6d. ;
John Seth, is.^d. ; Widow Lyon, 31. $d. ;
Duchy of Lanes. Rentals & Surv. 5/13.

16 Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), v, 214,
215 ; Baines, Lanes. Dir. of 1825.

V Information of Sir D. Radcliffe.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

This township measures about a mile and a half
in length by three-quarters across, and has an area of
795 acres. 1 It consists of park-like country on the
southern slopes of a ridge which runs north-west and
south-east. The village of Much Woolton with its
residences, grounds, park, and golf-links occupies the
greater portion of the township. The eastern portion
is devoted to agriculture, crops of corn, potatoes,
turnips, and hay thriving in the shelter of the wooded
hillside. The good and wide roads are pleasantly
shaded by trees. The bunter series of the new red
sandstone or trias underlies the township ; the upper
mottled sandstones to a small extent in the eastern,
the pebble beds in the remaining portion. The
population in 1901 was 4,731.

The eastern and western boundaries lie along roads
from Liverpool which meet at the south-eastern
corner of the township, near the station (Hunt's
Cross) of the Cheshire Lines Committee's railway
from Liverpool to Manchester. A third road passes
between them through the centre, and this is crossed
at the village by the road to Garston.

A local board was formed in 1866,* and was
succeeded by an urban district council of nine members
in 1894. There are a free library, opened in 1890,
and public baths, a village club and a mechanics'
institution, this last dating from 1849.

A wake used to be held on the Green on Mid-
summer Day. A cross formerly stood in the centre
of the village ; the remains were standing until 1900,*
and after displacement have been re-erected.

Two windmills are shown in a plan of 1613, but
only one now exists, and that is in ruins. There is a
fine sandstone quarry.

The Liverpool Convalescent Institution on the
hill side was built from the surplus of the Liverpool
fund for the relief of the Cotton Famine in 1862 ;
it is intended chiefly for patients who have been
treated at the Liverpool Hospitals, but there is a
wing for private patients. The police forces of
Liverpool and Bootle have an orphanage.

The townships of MUCH and

M4NOR LITTLE WOOLTON having early
come under the lordship of the Knights
Hospitallers were said to contain five plough-lands in
all. In 1066 there were here four manors, viz. :
i. Ulventune, with two plough-lands and half a league
of wood ; it was held by Uctred and worth beyond
the customary rent the normal 6\d. 2, 3. Uvetone,

with one plough-land ; held by two thegns for
two manors and worth ^od. 4. WibaUeski, with
two plough-lands ; held by Ulbert and worth 64^.*
Before the date of the Domesday Survey the whole
had become part of the Widnes fee, and before 1212
had been granted out in alms as follows : Two
plough-lands to the Hospitallers, by John, constable
of Chester, who himself was a crusader and died at
Tyre in 1 1 90 ; three plough-lands to the abbey of
Stanlaw by his son Roger, who died in 1 2 1 1 .* This
latter grant was in Little Woolton.

The Hospitallers established a Camera at Woolton ;
in 1338 it had one messuage, fifty acres of land, five
acres of meadow, a water-mill, and 8 of annual
rent, and was let to farm for 20 marks.' The manor
of Much Woolton had the Hospitallers' lands in South
Lancashire attached to its jurisdiction, but was itself
subordinate to the preceptory of Yeveley or Stidd in
Derbyshire. A rent of ;/. a year for the five ' caryks '
(plough-lands) was paid by the Hospitallers to the
receiver of the honour of Halton. 7 The superior
lordship was still supposed to reside in the barons of
Halton ; thus in the Halton feodary the two Wooltons
are said to be held as part of the Widnes fee for
five plough-lands and to pay the relief of half a knight's
fee, that is 2 ios. s It descended in the earldom and
duchy of Lancaster, and so to the crown. 9

In 1292 the prior of the Hospitallers was sum-
moned to answer the king by what right he claimed
waif, infangthief, outfangthief and gallows in Woolton.
fines for breach of the assize of bread and beer, and
to have the chattels of fugitives, condemned person:
and other felons in Woolton, Linacre, La More,
Bretharche, and about a hundred other places in th<
county, and to be exempt from common fines anC
amercements of the county and suits of county anc:
wapentake courts. The prior in reply showed the
charter of Henry III confirming all the possession-
and franchises of his order, which charter had bcei
duly confirmed by the king himself in 1280. The
right of gallows was claimed in Woolton only. I:
was objected that in the case of lands more recently
acquired the prior was liable to the king for the
services rendered by previous tenants ; and the jur;
very considerably limited the rights claimed. 10

Probably the whole of the land was granted out ii
small tenements. 11 In 1327 the then prior made
claim against William the Woodward of Woolton foi
a reasonable account for the time he was bailiff i

Report gives 792 ;
7 Jly,

The Cen
inland water.

*Lond.Gaa. .7 July, .866.

Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xix, 20. ;
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xi, 236. In
one of the Norris D. (B.M.), dated about

now standing at the north end of the town
of Much Woolton.'

* r.C.H. Lanes, i, 2840.

5 Inqt. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 4., and see the notes there.
John, constable of Chester, also gave the
Templars a plough-land, but its position is

Hosfitallers in England (Camd. Soc.),

7 Norris D. (B.M.), dated n March,
1515-16.

Ormerod, Cbes. (ed. Helsby), i, 708.

9 In .324 Thomas earl of Lancaster
was found to have held Much Woolton for
five plough-lands (where ten plough-lands
made a knight's fee) as part of the fee

of Widnes, in right of his wife Alice,
daughter and heir of the earl of Lincoln ;
and the prior of the Hospitallers was said
to hold Little Woolton without service,
so that Much Woolton bore the whole ;
Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 33, 35*.

In .346 the king was lord as heir of
Alice countess of Lincoln ; Survey of
.346 (Chet. Soc.), 38.

To the aid of 3 Henry IV, the Lords
of Much and Little Woolton paid 6j. &d.
as for a third of a knight's fee ; the
feodary of 9 Henry VI shows that the
king as heir of Alice countess of Lincoln
held five plough-lands here, while that of
.483 states that the prior of the Hospital
of St. John had a third of a fee.

uptac. de quo Warr. (Rec. Com.),
375, 376.

11 Some early charters granted by the
priors are extant. One dating from about
1 1 80 is by Ralph de Diva, prior of the
brothers of the hospital of Jerusalem in
England, who granted to Ralph the Cook
114

and his heirs two oxgangs in Woolto i
which the brethren had by the gift of Johr .,

in hereditary right by the service of 4. .
annually paid to the Hospitallers' hous. ,
and the third part of the chattels at deatl .

Three by Prior Garner de Neapo i
(Nablous) grant respectively an oxgang t ,
Gilbert the Cook and his heirs, viz., or. :
of the two oxgangs which Hugh c-.-
Beaupeinne formerly held, for I2</. yearly ;
an oxgang to Orm son of the widow if
Woolton, rendering 2s. yearly ; and
oxgang to Andrew de Woolton, for I
annual rent. These charters are datt i
1.87, .188, and . 1 89 respectively. Orn
of Woolton occurs among the witness-!
to a Garston charter (t. .2,5-20;;
Wholley Coucher, ii, 570.

Prior Hugh de Alneto or Danet (prob -
bly between 1216 and 1 220) gave Fulk <x
Woolton an oxgang on which the tenam
had already built, for .2</. yearly; ar.
Prior Robert de Diva (about 1230) grant, c

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Woolton and receiver of his money.
occurs a complaint concerning a rescue of the
prior's cattle, taken for customs and services due.
Gilbert le Grelle had with force and arms prevented

CHILDWALL

Later there Woolton appeared against William le Smale and his
wife Alice in 1 308-9.'

In Edward IPs reign Nicholas son of Henry de
Smerley had granted land in the New Branderth

their being taken to the pound and had rescued abutting on the Portway on the east and Carkenton

them.

After the suppression of the English branch of the
Hospitallers by Henry VIII the lordship of the
manor remained in the crown for many years, 3 but
was in 1 609 granted by James I to George Salter and
John Williams of London in part payment of money
lent by London merchants. 4 It was soon transferred
to the earl of Derby, and, descending in the same
manner as Childwall, is now held by the marquis of
Salisbury. 5

The neighbouring families Ireland of Hale,

Norris of Speke,

an the west, to Henry de Garston, who transferred it
to his son Adam ; 8 and shortly afterwards Nicholas
son of Henry le Rede of Smerley and Ellis his son,
Henry de Garston, Alice daughter of Robert son of
William the Reeve, Adam son of Robert del Brooks,
and others were accused of having disseised Juliana,
widow of William son of William the Reeve, of her
tenement in Woolton two messuages and an oxgang
of land. 9 William the Reeve seems to have had
three sons William, John, and Robert. 10 The
Brooks family was concerned in a large number of

others appear in extant charters ; the two principal members of it at the end

charters as holders of land in Woolton, as well as a
number of smaller families, including one or me

of the thirteenth century were Robert and Alan. 1
William de Laghok 18 occurs down to about the end

using the local surname. In 1301 Roger son of of Edward IPs reign ; he was succeeded by his son

Alan of Much Woolton sued Richard son of Hugh Roger, living in 1345, and he in turn by William

le Fizorm in a plea of mort d'ancestor ; 6 and his son, with whom the direct line ends, the property

William son of Adam son of Richard of Much in Woolton going to his relatives in Speke."

to Thomas de Woolton an oxgang which
the brethren had received from Henry de
Walton, who had held it of them for a rent
of is. a year ; Norris D. (B.M.), 285-90.
On these charters see the essay (with fac-
similes) by Mr. Robert Gladstone, jun. in
Tram. Hist. Sac. (New Ser.), xviii, 173.
1 DeBanc. R. 269, m. ^d.

(24-5 Edw.'m

It was restored to the Hospitallers
in 1558, but again confiscated on the
accession of Elizabeth.

Pat. 7 Jas. I, pt. xvi.

'See R. Gladstone, op. cit. 'The
Lord of the manor of Childwall' [and
Much Woolton], wrote Perry in 1771,
is entitled to certain small dues for-
merly paid to the Knights Hos-
pitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, who
had a house at Great Woolton upon the
heath, where has lately been discovered
the foundation of its round tower. These
acknowledgements, paid at the rate of id.
or id. each person, amount to about 20
i ' ; Enfield, Liverpool, 1 1 5.

Fulk, ancestor of Alice, was probably to the corner of the hedge,' and abutting

the Fulk named in Prior Hugh's grant, on the Out Lane ditch ; also land in

previously cited. Richard Foukc was in Akelou field on the higher side of the

1329 plaintiff concerning various tene- street ; 'and let it be known that Richard

ments in this township, but did not appear son of William and his heirs are bound

8 Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F. 55, 61 ;
Norris D. (B.M.), 305.

Lssize R. 425, m. i ; m. 2 d.

I" For some grants by them see Norris
D. (Rydal Hall), fol. 48 ; Norris (B.M.),
297, 312.

11 Alan son of Alan del Brooks granted
to his brother Henry half an oxgang of
land in Woolton which had descended to
him from his father, reserving a house and
part of his windmill, all held of Sir Peter
de Button, of Warburton ; Norris D.
(Rydal Hall), F. 47, 54; Norris D.
(B.M.), 300. Prior Garner, in ,.87,
granted two oxgangs in Woolton to Adam
deDutton, great-grandfather of Sir Peter;
Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xviii, 184.

John son of Robert del Brooks had a
grant from Hugh son of Roger de Wool-
ton, of land in the Nether Branderth ; and

the Balschae to Akelouysfeldiseynde for
the said William [grantor] in perpetuity' ;
Norris B. (B.M.), 291, 311 ; Norris B.
(Rydal Hall), F. 41.

One member of the Brooks family
seems to have taken Punchard as a sur-
name, for Hugh Punchard del Brooks

Much Woolton, in 1319; while John
Punchard occurs in 1328 and 1330, and
Henry Punchard in 1366; Norris B.
(B.M.), 324, 332, 359, 373.

12 Law-oak, a name possibly derived
from the celebrated oak in Allerton, where
the sheriffs tourn may have been held.

18 Robert Brown, in 1316, granted to
Roger son of William de Laghok a
messuage in Much Woolton ; land under
the Cliff, abutting towards Allerton and
towards the windmill ; and his part of

> Assize R. 419, m. i,d. in 1334 his son William had from the Carkington greves, as much as belongs tc

appear that Alice was plaintiff's cousin,
for there is extant a charter of Adam son
of Richard de Woolton to John son of
John son of Fulk and Alice his daughter by
Adam's sister Agnes, granting J oxgang in
the vill ofWoolton; Norris B. (B.M.) 292.

Alice widow of William le Smale
granted to Robert son of Elias, land in
the Pilot field in Much Woolton, stretch-
ing from the Ache butts to the Long Shot,
for the rent of a red rose ; to John son of
Robert del Brooks land in the Pughol
field and elsewhere, including a selion
in Harecroft abutting on Carketon ;
Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F. 46, 52. To
William son of Adam son of Beatrice of
Hale, she gave all her part of Carketon ;
and her husband had formerly with her
consent granted land in the Cross field
and in Carketon to William the Wood-
ward ; Norris D. (B.M.), 306-7. Among
the Norris deeds are a large number re-
lating to Woolton ; those quoted here
are intended to illustrate the place names.

Pughol has a great number of spellings :
Pycyl, Puckel, Pyghill, Pyhol. ' Pulloc
field' and Pilot field seem to be per-
versions of the same. See Engl. Dial. Diet.
Carkington is below Doe Park.

ing as far as the Pughel, and in the Hare
Butts. John del Brooks acquired from
John son of Fulk de Woolton land in the
New Branderth, lying partly by the Out
Lane, and from Robert Brown land in the
Middlegate field abutting on ; Carketon
and on the Poughel, and in the Long
Farthings stretching from the Broadgate
to the Puahel field. In 1317 he had a
grant from John son of Richard, of Much
Woolton, of land near the Swynne gates
abutting towards the Crossfield and in
Pughel ; from Robert son of John, son of
Alan, of land in the Blake Branderth,
abutting towards the Pilote field, and
towards the Portway, and in Aclaw field
Branderth, abutting towards Aclaw field
and towards the Portway ; and from Alice
daughter of Adam son of William, a plot
in the New Branderth, abutting towards
the Pughel and towards the Portway.
Norris D. (B.M.), 304, 309, 314, 317;
Norris B. (Rydal Hall), F. 50, 56, 72 ;
Hornby chapel deeds. Aclaw field is
probably represented by Acre field.

An earlier grant is that from William
son of John of Much Woolton, to Richard,
son of William del Brooks, of a portion
of land extending ' from the great street

year he made a further grant of land in
the Crossfield, abutting at one end towards
the windmill; Norris B. (Rydal Hall),
F. 57, 58.

In 1384 William de Laghok of Speke
had a rent-charge of 2s. 2j</. granted him
by Roger de Walton, payable from lands
in Woolton; and in 1435 William de
Laghok and William the Webster settled
upon William son of Roger de Coldcotes,
and Katherine daughter of John de Faza-
kerley, and their heirs, a messuage and
three roods of land which had been
acquired from Roger de Bold by the said
Roger de Coldcotes; Norris D. (Rydal
Hall), F. 96 ; Norris B. (B.M.), 388.

This John de Fazakerley was the agent
in the same year in a settlement of the
lands of Ellen and Isabel, daughters and
heirs of Thomas de Woolton ; Norris B.
(Rydal Hall), F. 95, 97. In 1483 Thomas,
son and heir of Roger Fazakerley, of
Derby, granted to John, brother of Thomas
Norris, of Speke, 19 acres of his land in
the vill and fields of Much Woolton, in
Glest field, under Carkington (by Hare-
croft), in the Crossfield, Sandfield, Middle-
field, Heath, Branderth, and Accleyfield :
ibid. F. 100.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

The interest ot the Irelands commenced in the
time of Adam Austin. 1 His son John de Ireland
acquired land from Adam son of William the Wood-
ward in 1349, and made a grant to John son of
Alan le Norreys of Speke."

The Norris family had, however, before this begun to
acquire lands in the township, Alan le Norreys of Speke
being apparently the first to do so. 3 A younger son of
Alan, John le Norreys, established himself at Woolton. 4
John's elder son John, who succeeded, is mentioned in
the settlement made by Sir Henry le Norreys in 1 367.*
His marriage was arranged in 1 3 8 z, when it was
agreed that he should take to wife Anilla, daughter of
John Grelley, deceased ; for which Isabel Grelley, the
widow, gave him 26 marks ; besides which she was
to provide for him and Anilla at her table for
the first year after the espousals. William de Slene
also gave 40*. to John le Norreys on the day of the
marriage. John le Norreys occurs down to I4I4- 6
John le Norreys and Anilla had three daughters, viz.
Katherine, who married Roger Prestwich ; Joan, wife
of Henry Mossock ; and Margery, wife of Thomas
Bridge of Fazakerley. The last-named, in her

widowhood, in 1433-4, relinquished all her inheri-
tance to Joan Mossock. 7

From 1329 to 1331 a number of grants were
made to Richard de Alvandley, otherwise de Bold. 1
He was succeeded by a son Nicholas. 9 The Black-
burnes of Garston also had land in Woolton. ' The
Charnocks of Charnock," Lathoms of Allerton," and
Ormes " of Little Woolton were also landowners.

A Norris of Speke rental compiled about 1460 has
been preserved. At the end is a ' Rental of Much
Woolton, taken out of all the old rentals that were
made when it was first given to God and Saint John,
of certain chief of all the freeholders with their
obits.' "

About the beginning of Elizabeth's reign the
Brettarghs of the Holt in Little Woolton acquired
lands here. William Brettargh, who died in 1609,
held a cottage in Much Woolton in socage by fealty
and i d. rent. 15 The family are said to have owned
the site of Woolton Hall, which descended to the
Broughtons, and in 1704 became the property of
Richard, fifth Viscount Molyneux, whose widow died
there in 1766. Soon after this it was purchased by

1 One grant was made to him in 1318
by John son of Richard Fychet, of two
butts in Harecroft, ' as they lie in landoles,'
abutting on Carketon on the west and the
highway on the east ; Norris D. (B.M.),
293, 296, 322.
Norris deeds (B.M.), 358, 396. In

(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 138, 145 i
De Bane. R. 358, m. nod. A memo-
randum, dated 1372, is preserved stating
that 'Sir John le Norreys, Knight [of
Speke] received from Nicholas de Liver-
pool, clerk, five score and fifteen charters
concerning the inheritance of John le

by Anilla de Walton ; Norris D. (Rydal
Hall), F. 62-5.
9 In 1333 Ellen, daughter of Margery,
daughter of Dobbe, granted to Nicholas
son of Richard de Alvandley of Bold a
messuage which she had of the gift of
Richard, son of John Fouke her father,

Hutt held a messuage and 6 acres by a
rent of I2</. ; his cousin, John Ireland of
Lydiate, also held lands of the prior of
St. John ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. vi,

>' Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F. 45, 69,
70,73; ibid. (B.M.), 349, 35-

Forde, of Roby, which are in the keeping
of the prior of Holland by the delivery of
the aforesaid Nicholas ' ; Norris D. (B.M.),
378-9.
5 See the account of Speke. The elder
John le Norreys seems to have died before

west ; and in 1 3 50 William, son of Robert
del Low of Speke, granted him all his lands
in Much Woolton ; Norris D. (B.M.),
341, 361.
i" John de Blackburne of Garston, who
died in 1405 (Inq. p. m. 6 Hen. IV), held

was appointed seneschal of the manors of
Much and Little Woolton, by grant of
brother Henry Crounhale, preceptor of
Egle and deputy of the prior of St. John
in England, and proxy of brother John
Etton, preceptor of Yeveley and Bargh

sued John son of John le Norreys, for
a third part of 2 messuages and 4 acres
in Great Woolton; De Bane. R. 431,
m. 3 8rf.
s Norris D. (B.M.), 574, 390, 630 ;
Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F. 9,. In ,3 94

was 31. 4</.
" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, n. 28.
u Ibid, v, 7.
18 The Orme family appear frequently
in the Norris charters of Much Woolton,
from 1426 onward. At the court of

rents, services, and sodality (confrariam)
and appurtenances between Ribble and

John le Norreys 20 acres in Woolton for

i 542-3, it was found that Thomas Orme
had died seised of a messuage there, paying

were included, but Sir Henry was to dis-
charge all the burdens upon the manors,
and to pay a rent of 38 marks annually ;
Norris D. (B.M.). Sir William Norris in
I 544 acquired the Ireland of Lydiate lands
by exchange ; there were two occupying
tenants, each paying a rent and 6d. as
'average'; Norris D. (B.M.).
4 In 1349 John son of John Gilleson,
gave John son of Alan le Norreys, lands
in the Crossfield, the Crofts, and the Port-
way shot ; and Simon de Walton granted
him for life two acres on the Heath pre-
viously held by William son of John
Dobson. Thomas son of Robert del

Inq. p. m. of Robert de Walton (3 Hen. IV,
. 27) it is stated he held 20 acres of land
in Much Woolton from the prior and
hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in
Smithfield, in socage by the service of
half a mark ; the clear value was 101.
^ Mossock D. (Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 230
on). John le Norreys and Anilla seem to
have made numerous settlements of the
property about 1416, and in the following
year arranged for the succession to Joan,
wife of Henry Mossock, and in default of
heirs to her sister Katherine; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 5, m. 33.

Richard Orme, aged fifteen, was his son
and heir ; he paid his fine, and was ad-
mitted tenant according to the custom of
the manor. Norris D. (Rydal), fol. 104.
14 These names are : Thomas Norris,
Randle Charnock, Edward Lathom, Joan
wife of Henry Mossock, heir of Richard
de Parr ('now Sir Piers Leigh' later
note), Cicely wife of Sir William Torbock,
Peter Warburton, John Ireland, William
Corker, Richard Primrose, priest, William
Fazakerley, Lawrence Ireland, John Crosse
of Liverpool, Thomas Gill, Roger Wain-
wright, Richard Melling and Katherine

Watergate, the Blake branderth, the
Meadow doles, and in Aclow field near

held of the queen in socage ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, n. 28.

Richard Bushell, John Tomlinson, John
Harrison, William Webster, William
Brown, John Norris, John Richardson,

See Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F. 78, 76,
75 ; ibid. (B.M.), 396, 350, 359, 360,
362.
It was this John le Norreys (called ' of
Speke') who was concerned in some
violent proceedings regarding the manor of
Huyton. He appears to have married
Katherine, one of the claimants ; but the
manor was passed to his brother Sir Henry,
who sold it very quickly ; Final Cane.

son of Robert the Mercer of Bold';
Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 244.
Richard son of Robert del Yate gave
him a half-acre in the Branderth, with
remainders to Richard, Nicholas, and
Simon, sons, and Thomas, Henry, and
John, brothers of the grantee ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 333-8. John son of William of
Much Woolton, also granted an acre
' under the Cliff' to Richard and his sons

116

The seven following paid double the
rent at death as an ' obit ' : William
Corker, Roger Coldcotes, John Harrison,
John Faux, William the Webster, Richard
Bushell, and John Bushell.
The ' obits ' were the third part of the
chattels or other ' succession duty ' levied
by the Hospitallers as lords of the manor.
15 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.),i, ,39, .40.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

a Mr. Booth and came into the possession of Nicholas
Ashton in 1772.' He died in 1833, aged 91, having
greatly improved the house and grounds. The fol-
lowing description is given of its amenities about
1 800 : ' Woolton Hall, about six miles from Liver-
pool, upon an eminence commands grand and extensive
prospects, the two extreme points of view being
the Cumberland and Westmorland hills to the north,
and the Wrekin near Shrewsbury to the south ; from
thence also may be seen Blackstone Edge in Yorkshire
and several of the Derbyshire and Staffordshire hills ;
to the eastward the rivers Mersey and Weaver join
in view about four miles from this house, and very
soon opening into a fine sheet of water, continue
their course to the port of Liverpool. The prospect
to the south-west is terminated by an irregular scene
of Welsh mountains.' ! Charles Ellis Ashton, son of
Captain Joseph Ashton, and grandson of Nicholas,
sold the house in 1865 to James Reddecliffe Jeffrey,
of Compton House, Liverpool. It was afterwards
purchased by Frederick Leyland, a Liverpool ship-
owner, and sold again upon his death, Mr. Peter
McGuffie being the present owner. It is used as
a hydropathic establishment.

The commoners at the passing of the Enclosure Act
in 1805, included Bamber Gascoyne (one-ninth), the
earl of Derby, Nicholas Ashton, James Okill, Thomas
Rawson, John Weston, Joshua Lace, and William
Slater. Among other matters the Act provided for
the formation of Church Road. Some land in Quarry
Street is said to belong to ' the poor of Dublin,' and
rates are paid by a person representing them. 3

For the Established worship the church of St. Peter
was built in 1886-7 to replace that erected in 1826
on an adjacent site. 4 The bishop of Liverpool has
the presentation and the incumbents are styled rectors.
A mission church of St. Hilda has been founded as
the result of a bequest by Lucy Ashton, granddaughter
of the above-named Nicholas.

A grammar school now abandoned was in existence
in the sixteenth century.

In the High Street are the new Wesleyan church
(St. James's) and the Congregational church, built in
1864-5. An effort was made to establish a church
in connexion with the Congregationalists as far back
as 1822, but it failed. A second effort in 1863
proved more successful. 5 The old Wesleyan chapel,
built in 1834, is now used for unsectarian services.

The Unitarian chapel at Gateacre, formerly called
'Little Lee' chapel, is the oldest ecclesiastical building
in the township, having been licensed as early as
October, 1700, for an English Presbyterian congre-
gation already formed there. It is a plain stone
building with a bell turret. The bell is dated 1723,
and there is a ' cup of blessing,' dated 1 703-4, and
presented in 1746 by Joseph Lawton, minister for
over thirty years. The building remains with very

CHILDWALL

little alteration from its original condition. 6 It has
various endowments, 6,000 having been paid by the
Cheshire Lines Railway for land. 7 Among its ministers
is numbered Dr. William Shepherd (1768-1847),
author of a biography of Poggio Bracciolini. 8

The first Roman Catholic church of St. Mary was
built in Watergate Lane in 1765, the mission having
previously been served from Woolton Hall. 9 A new
cruciform church was built in 1860 in Church Street.
The English Benedictines are in charge. From about
1782 to 1818 Dr. John Bede Brewer, one of the
ornaments of this congregation, was in residence ; it
is said that he was on very friendly terms with
Dr. Shepherd, of Gateacre. 10 From 1765 to 1807 a
community of English Benedictine nuns from Cambrai
was established in the village. They are now at
Stanbrook, near Worcester. Richard Roskell, bishop
of Nottingham from 1853 to 1874, was DOrn at
Gateacre."

LITTLE WOOLTON

This township contains 1,388 acres." In 1901 the
population numbered 1,091.

The greater part consists of level country under
mixed cultivation, having an open and pleasant aspect.
A smaller portion on the west lies on the slope of a
ridge, which rises to 285 ft. above sea-level. The
village of Gateacre, which lies partly in Much
Woolton, occupies the south-west side, and is nicely
situated in the midst of trees and gardens. The
roads are good, and hedged with hawthorn trimly
kept. Altogether the township wears the prosperous,
respectable look of a district removed from the smoke
and murk of the city, with its feet set on the edge of
the country. Lee is to the east of Gateacre, and
Brettargh Holt, or the Holt, to the north-east, across
the brook. The greater part of the township lies on
the pebble beds of the bunter series of the new red
sandstone ; the westernmost portion and the higher
ground near the Holt are on the upper mottled sand-
stones of that series.

There are numerous roads and cross roads, leading
chiefly to Liverpool by Childwall, or Wavertree, or
Toxteth. Another road runs through the township,
turning round the Lee, to Halewood Green. Gate-
acre gives its name to a station on the Southport
branch of the Cheshire Lines Committee's railway,
which crosses the centre of the township. Netherley
lies on the eastern border, and gives a name to the
brook which bounds the township at that side, and to
the bridge on the Tarbock Road crossing this brook.

Widnes corporation have a pumping station here.

A local board was formed in i867, 13 and the town-
ship has now an urban district council of nine
members.

' Enfield, Li-utrpoel (1773), 1 1 5. The
will of Thomas Broughton, of Much
Woolton, was proved in 1686.

3 Quoted in Gregson's Fragments from
Watts' Select Vie-ws, pi. 76.

8 End. Char. Rep. The enclosure map

4 The first stone was laid 22 July,
1825, by Edward Geoffrey Stanley, after-
wards earl of Derby. The building was
in its time described as 'a handsome
structure in the Grecian style.' The
parish was formed in 1828 (Land. Gax.

I July), and declared a rectory in 1868,
having been endowed with a tithe rent-
charge of 26: ibid. 23 Aug. 1867;
21 Jan. 1868.

The present building is in the Perpen-
dicular style, with a tower containing
eight bells.

5 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 208-9.

"Ibid, vi, 192-207. It was built at
the cost of William Claughton, John Gill
and others, on land which had been
acquired from John son of Henry White-
field, to whom it had been let in 1658

by Gilbert Ireland of Hale. Reynold
Tetlaw bequeathed books to it in 174.6 ;
mils (Chet. Soc. New Ser.), i, 185.

^ End. Char. Rep.

8 Diet. Nat. Biog. ; Nightingale, op. cit.

' Trans. Hist. Sac. (New Ser.), xiii,

I5 He died at Woolton iS April, i8zz.
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, i, 291.

" Ibid, v, 450.

12 The 1901 Census Report gives 1,389,
including 2 acres of inland water.

l Land. G*K. 8 Jan. 1867.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

In the extreme western corner of the township,
serving as mere stones, are the ancient Calderstones,
with 'ring and cup' marks. 1 In the map of Elizabeth's
time, made to illustrate the dispute as to Wavertree
and Allerton boundary, these stones are called Caldway
stones, Roger stones, or dojer stones ; a Roger stone
is marked separately to the south-west of the Calder
stones.*

The ancient water-mill of the Hospitallers has dis-
appeared, but a house called Peck Mill House, supposed
to have been connected with it, survived till the
beginning of last century. 3 Dam meadows and
Damcroft are names of fields near Naylor's Bridge,
where also are the Beanbridge meadows. Other
notable field names are Monk's meadow (west of Lee
Park), Causeway field, Hemp meadow, Tanhouse
meadow, Shadows, Winamoor, and Creacre. Coxhead
farm is of ancient date ; an old form of the spelling is
Cocksshed.

The history of LITTLE WOOLTON
MANORS is bound up with that of its neighbour,
Much Woolton, except for the time, about
a century, during which it was in the possession of
the monks of Stanlaw. Roger de Lacy, constable of
Chester and lord of the fee of Widnes, after granting
Little Woolton to his uncle (Brother Robert) and the
Hospitallers in the time of Richard I, 4 changed his
mind, took it from them and gave it to the abbey of
Stanlaw, founded by his father in 1178. The
charter, granted about the year 1 204, states that
Roger gives the monks Little Woolton in alms as
freely as possible, quit from all earthly service and
secular exaction, for the souls of himself, his parents,
wife, and others. As a consequence, he ordered his
seneschal and bailiffs to make no claim on the men of
the place for any service or aid. 5 King John con-
firmed this arrangement, and in 1205 issued his
precept to the sheriff of Lancashire not to trouble the
monks of Stanlaw with respect to this manor, but to
levy all dues and services to which it had been liable
from other lands of Roger de Lacy. 6

There were some earlier tenants within the town-
ship holding by charter of the lords of Widnes. One
of them, Gerald de Sutton, sold his land (four oxgnngs)
to the monks for 1 1 marks, one mark to be paid to his
son Robert. John, constable of Chester, granted the
' vill ' of Brettargh to William Suonis, with all ease-
ments of the vill of Little Woolton, and pannage,
rendering yearly I %d. to the Hospitallers. 7 John de
Sutton afterwards held it, and disputes which after-
wards arose were settled by an agreement that Bret-
targh within its known bounds should be relinquished
by the monks, but that a strip of land between that

place and Woolton should be a common pasture, rights
of pannage and other easements to remain as before.
Robert son of John de Sutton gave all his land in
Hasaliswallehurst to the monks as well as zd. rent,
which he had received for a ridge in the croft by
Woolton mill, and Hugh [de Haydock] and Christiana
his wife released all their right in the same land. 8
Henry son of Cutus de Denton and Maud his wife,
daughter of Richard the Mason, relinquished all their
claim to the latter's land called Whitefield, held of the
abbot ; and John son of Roger de Denton concurred.'
In 1278 Edmund son of Richard de Woolton and
John de Denton sued the abbot and Alan son of
Robert for a messuage and 1 5 acres of land in Little
Woolton. 10

About 1275 the Hospitallers revived their claim to
Little Woolton, and after some negotiation the prior
promised the abbot 100 for the surrender of it.
Subsequently at Lancaster, in 1 292, Peter de Haugham,
prior of the Hospitallers, sued Henry de Lacy, earl of
Lincoln, whom Gregory, abbot of Stanlaw, had called
to warrant, for a messuage, a mill, two plough-lands,
and 100 acres of pasture there, and the earl acknow-
ledged the prior's right. Thus, ' by the consent, or it
may more truly be said by the compulsion,' of the
earl, the manor passed from the monks to the
Hospitallers, and remained with the latter till 1540."
The manor has since descended in the same way as
Much Woolton to the marquis of Salisbury.

The priors of St. John were involved in several
suits. In 1306 William son of Henry de Huyton
was charged with cutting trees within Woolton, and
the prior charged Henry de Huyton with entering
his wood by force of arms and cutting and carrying
off trees. 12 A curious case arose out of the forfeiture
of Sir Robert de Holand in 1322. It appeared
on inquiry that the Hospitallers held the manor of
Alice de Lacy, daughter and heir of the earl of
Lincoln, in pure and perpetual alms without render-
ing any other service ; its yearly value was 23 marks.
William de Tothale, formerly prior, with the consent
of the chapter, had demised the manor to one Roger
de Fulshaw for life, at a rent of 20 marks. The
tenant transferred his right to Robert de Holand, and
gave his charter back to the prior, who, without con-
sulting the chapter or troubling to make out a new
charter, passed it to Robert de Holand in the name
of seisin. Roger died in 1317, when, of course, the
charter ceased to have effect, but Robert continued to
hold the manor during the lifetime of William de
Tothale, who died in 1318, his successor, Richard
Paveley, and the then prior (Thomas L'Archer),
without any further grant or sanction of the chapter."

1 Raines's Dir. of 1825 (ii, 698)
thus describes them : ' Close by the farm
on which the famous Allerton oak stands,
and just at the point where four ways
meet, are a quantity of remains called
Calder stones. . . . From the circum-
stance that in digging about them urns
made of the coarsest clay [and] containing
human dust and bones have been dis-
covered, there is reason to believe that
they indicate an ancient burying place
.... Some of the urns were dug up
about sixty years ago, and were in the
possession of Mr. Mercer of Allerton.'

For the Calder stones see V.C.H.
Lanes, i, 240, also a pamphlet by Professor
Herdman,and Duchy of Lane. Maps, . 73.

Tram. Hi,t. Sot. (New Ser.), xii,

71-4- The house so marked in the
Ordnance Map is some distance from the

Lanes, and Ches.), i, 166; Wholly Couchcr,
iii, 809-11.

brooks.

18 De Bane. R. 161, m. 473</.; 163, m.

4 Assize R. 408, m. 64.

219.

5 Wholly Couchcr (Chet. Soc.), iii,

minq. a.q.d. 17 Edw. II, a. III.

801-3.

The accounts of the royal receiver for

Letters Pat. (Rec. Corn.), 52.

the forfeited estate of Robert de Holand

1 Norris D. (B.M.), 983. The charter

show this manor of Woolton to have been

indicates that Brettargh Holt was separate

farmed out to the prior of Upholland for

from Little Woolton.

23 a year. The prior requested a

Wholly Couchcr, iii, 804-6. Robert de

written document ; Ancient Petitions,

Sutton in 1284 brought against the abbot

52/2587. In 1323-4 there was further

an action of novel disseisin ; Assize R.

received from sales 14 81. kd., made up

1265, m. 5.
8 Wholly Coucher, iii, 807-9.

of 13 for the crop of wheat (6 acres),
beans and peas (ij acre), and oats (3

10 De Bane. R. 24, m. 4 a. 84 a.

acres) ; io. for oxen, 6rf. for skins of two

11 Ibid. 19, m. 22; 27, m. 84</.; Assize

rams and a sheep dead of the plague, and

R. 408, m. 64 ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.

ifc. for the timber of an old shecpcote

IlS

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

It does not appear that this revelation made any
difference ; the manor was in the king's hands, and in
the next reign was restored to Maud de Holand,
widow of Sir Robert; and in 1330 the prior took
action against her in regard to it. 1

In 1324 Roger son of John le Walker, of Tarbock,
and Avice his wife secured by fine three messuages,
80 acres of land, and 1 2 acres of meadow, which in
default of heirs of Avice were to remain to William de
Huyton and his heirs. The story is not clear,* but
the disputes are of interest as introducing the Brettarghs
of Brettargh Holt. William de Stockleigh, in 1355,
surrendered to Avice de Brettargh apparently the
daughter of Avice, who was the wife of Roger le
Walker his life interest in a third part of the manor
of Huyton, and in 1358 an agreement as to a third
part of this manor was made between William de
Walton and Avice and William de Brettargh, the
latter renouncing their title in favour of Walton. 3

From 1358 onwards several persons bearing the
name of William de Brettargh occur as witnesses to
charters and in other ways. 4 In 1398-9 William de
Brettargh the elder and William de Brettargh the
younger claimed from Alan le Norreys and Alice his
wife a messuage and 1 20 acres in Little Woolton, in
which the latter acknowledged the claimants' right,
receiving 20 marks. The land was to descend to the
heirs of William Brettargh the younger. 5

In 1502 William Brettargh was one of the justices
of the quorum, and in 1514 a commissioner of the
subsidy. 6 The earliest Brettargh inquisition is that of
William Brettargh, who died in 1527; he had a

CHILDWALL

cottage, a dovecote, and 100 acres of land in Little
Woolton, held of the prior of St. John by fealty and
a rent of i8</., the value

being 5 ; his son and heir __^_____^
William was eleven years of
age. 7 This son died in 1585,
having acquired by his marriage
with Anne, a daughter and
coheir of John Toxteth, an
estate in Aigburth. At his
death he held a capital mes-
suage called the Holt, a dove-
cote, a water-mill, &c.,in Much
and Little Woolton of the
queen (as of the dissolved
priory) by a rent of 1 8</. and
other land by a rent of \d. ;

a windmill in Little Woolton held of Sir William
Norris of Speke ; also the capital messuage called
Aigburth and other lands there and in Garston, by
reason of the dissolution of the hospital of St. John
outside the Northgate of Chester. 8 His grandson
William, son of William, was the heir, and aged
fourteen years. 9

The grandson married Katherine, sister of John
Bruen of Stapleford, a famous Puritan. 10 There was
only one child, Anne, of this marriage." William
Brettargh married secondly Anne, daughter of William
Hyde of Urmston, 1 * by whom he had a son Nehemiah,
who took part in the defence of Lathom House with
the rank of lieutenant. Nehemiah had paid 10 in
1631 as composition on refusing knighthood. 13

KTTARGH OF BRKT-

TARGH HOLT. Argent,
a fret gules; on a chief or
a lion passant of the second.

blown down by the wind ; the expenses
were is. 6d. for wages for three weeks

was such as that her husband was further
builded up in religion by her means, and

11 From her descended Anne Gerard,
wife of Edward Norris, M.D. of Speke.

before the premises were let to farm. The

his face daily more and more hardened

w Earwaker, East Ches. i, 405.

lock consisted of 3 plough horses, 9 oxen,

against the Devil and all his plaguey

" Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.),

5 cows, 2 heifers, 4 young oxen (2 sold),

agents, the Popish recusants, Church

169-70; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

1 calves, 2 rams (died of the plague), 194

Papists, profane atheists, and carnal Pro-

Ches.), i, 213. He and his sons James,

sheep (one died of plague), 141 ewes, 70

testants, which swarmed together like

John, and Edward are on the Preston

hogs, and a goat ; also a wagon, two

hornets in those parts.' It was, however,

Guild Roll of 1642 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and

ploughs, a harrow, &c. ; L.T.R. Enrolled

her dread that her husband would re-

Ches.), 147.

Accts. Misc. n. 14, m. 77.

nounce Protestantism. See Lanes. Funeral

Nehemiah is described as an 'honest

1 DC Bane. R. 28o,m. 320 J. ; 284, m.

Cert. (Chet. Soc.), i, 37-40 ; and her life

good fellow' by William Blundell of

37 </

in S. Clark's Marrow of Eccles. Hist.

Little Crosby, but was most of his life a

See the account of Huyton.

One outrage their neighbours perpe-

heavy drinker ; going ' merry to bed ' one

Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 333 ;

trated upon their cattle is recorded in the

night he was found dead next morning ;

Final Cone, ii, 156.

State Papers, the Norris family being

Trans. Hist. Soc. xxxvi, 37.

* See Norris D. (B.M.). There was

implicated. The bishop of Chester and

His son and heir James, according to

also a family named Brettargh at Oscroft in

his associates conclude their report thus :

the same authority, was ' adorned in the

Tarvin ; Ormerod, C/ies. (ed. Helsby), ii,

*We commend our proceedings herein,

days of the usurpation with the virtues

307 ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxvi, 447 ;

as also the poor gentleman so greatly in-

then in fashion ; he was a singular zealot

Rep. xxix, 96. John Brettargh was vicar of
Rhuddlan in 1406 ; ibid. Rep. xxxvi, 57.

jured by these barbarous facts, and in
them the common cause of religion and

and a very sufficient preacher ' ; but after
the Restoration the ' mask fell off,' and

s Final Cone, in, 51.

of justice, to your favour, from which

he ruined his health by excessive drink-

Duchy Pleadings (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 1 5 ; Tram. Hist. Soc. (New

only we may expect reformation of these
great outrages of late committed by

ing. Riding home after a bout at War-
rington he fell from his horse, sustaining

Ser.),iii, 159; KLuerden, ii, fol. 207*.

Catholics, not without the designments of

injuries from which he died a little later ;

' Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, n. 36.

pestilential seminaries that lurk amongst

ibid. He recorded a pedigree in 1664;

The service agrees with that in the an-

them' ; Cal. S.P. Dom. 1598-1601,

Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 57. His will

cient charter to William Suonis quoted

482-5.

was proved in 1666. The will of his

above. William's wife Eleanor survived

In the declaration of ' Grenloe, a priest,'

widow, Deborah Chandler, was dated and

him. She was a daughter of William

about I 599, occurs the following : ' What

proved in 1686 ; she desired to be buried

Lathom of Allerton and so related to the

I lay down cannot be proved, unless we

in the chancel of Childwall church next

Norris and Harrington families ; Pal. of

had as free liberty, law and favour as our

the body of her late husband, James

Lane. Sessional P. Hen. VIII, bdle. 2.

adversaries have against us, viz. that

Brettargh. There are mentioned her

8 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. xiv, n. 60.

Mr. William Brettargh or his disciples

daughters Hitchmough, Hanna, Phoebe

'In 1591 an action was brought

have said that if her majesty should grant

Potter ; her grandchildren, Thomas Bret-

against William Brettargh and Maud his

any toleration to the papists, she was

targh, Edward and Phoebe Richardson,

mother by inhabitants of Woolton re-

not worthy to be queen, and before that

and Deborah, wife of Mordecai Cocker of

Ducatu, Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 259.

should be given " ; which speech of tole-

James's 'son Jonathan, born in 1656,

Woolton, as her funeral panegyric states,
'among inhuman bands of brutish Papists,

the earl of Essex was the worthiest to be,
and that as the papists look for a change,

he presented a book ; Local Gleanings
Lanes, and Ches. ii, 115. He died at the

enduring many temporal grievances from

there would be a change by Michaelmas

beginning of 1685; Childwall Registers.

them ; yet her knowledge, patience, mild

day, as near as it was, but little to their

His will is at Chester, dated 6 February,

inclination and constancy for the truth

good ; ' Cal. S.P. Dom. i 580-1625, p. 400.

1684-5, and proved 23 May, 1685. The

119

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

Another local family was that of Orme, of numerous
branches ; in the reign of Elizabeth there were Ormes
at the Lee, in the Portway, and at Wheathill, in
Little Woolton. There was a succession of Thomas
Ormes at the Lee; 1 one died in March, 1622-3,
leaving as heir his granddaughter Jane, daughter of
his son Thomas, whose wardship was undertaken by
Sir William Norris of Speke. She married Edward
Fairhurst of Liverpool. 8

The Little Woolton court rolls of the middle
of the sixteenth century have many interesting
features. 8 The officers appointed were the con-
stables, burleymen, hill bailiffs, 4 lay layers, affeerers,
bailiff of the vill, and ale fonders ; surveyors
of the highway also occur. The ' cross in the
Oak lane ' is mentioned ; there were two stone
bridges Astowe bridge and Benet bridge and it was
forbidden to rete hemp or flax at either of them, or to
wash clothes or yarn at the former. Breaches of
manorial customs were duly brought before the court
for punishment such as obstructing or diverting the
water-courses, fishing in other men's waters, and dis-
regarding the orders of the officers of the manor.
The morals of the people were also cared for. 5 In
1559 it was ordered that no tenant, free or copyhold,
should suffer any crow, commonly called ' ruckes or
Whytebyll croeys,' to eyre or breed within his tene-
ment. Hugh Whitfield of Gateacre had broken
the pinfold and taken a lamb seized in distraint ;
perhaps, as a result of this, it was ordered that ' an
able pinfold ' be made on the green. Transfers of
land made by sale or on the death of a tenant were,
of course, important parts of the business of the
court. Cases of assault and trespass, and also of debt,
came up for trial and sentence. Hospitallers' privi-
leges were guarded by an order that every tenant
should have a cross set upon his house as was accus-

tomed. At the same court the 'reeves of our Lady's
stock at Huyton ' were summoned for a debt.

In 1785 the land was owned by a large number of
persons, as shown by the land-tax returns ; the prin-
cipal were James Okill for Lee, who paid about a
fifth of the tax ; James Brettargh for the Holt, and
William Barrow.

In connexion with the Established Church, St.
Stephen's was built in 1873 as a chapel of ease to
Childwall, and made a separate ecclesiastical parish in
1893. The bishop of Liverpool is patron.

GARSTON

Gerstan, usual to the end of xv cent. ; Gerston,
1201 ; Garston, common from 1500; Gahersteng,
1205, and final g occasionally, leading to confusion
with Garstang.

The township, bounded on the south-west by the
River Mersey, has an area of 1,625 acres. 6 The
division between Garston and Toxteth is marked by
Otterspool, a name now given to the waters of the
Mersey, where a brook flowing through Toxteth falls
into that river. Another brook flows or did flow
diagonally through the township ; and a third used
to pass through the village and discharge by a narrow
gorge into the Mersey ; a small portion is still visible.

The country is flat, covered with the pleasant subur-
ban colonies of Aigburth and Grassendale, with streets
of houses set in flowery gardens, many running at right
angles to the principal main roads, and leading down
to the river bank. Grazing fields are scattered
amongst the houses and streets, especially near the
river. Garston itself is a seaport town, with docks,
iron and copper works, and large gas works. On the
outlying land are cultivated fields where some crops
are grown. These include potatoes and corn.

testator desired to be buried in the family
burial place at Childwall; no children

are also mentioned. See also Baines'
Lanes, (ed . I 836), iii, 744.

steward at Trafford House; another,
Richard, was one of the victims of the

wife Anne and his brother-in-law Henry

mended for appointment as a justice of

he was imprisoned and died of fever

ment of his estates is mentioned.
Jonathan was followed by his son
James, educated at Jesus College, Cam-
bridge ; Pal. Note Bk. iii, 268, and in-
formation of Dr. Morgan, master of the
College. He married Anne, daughter and
coheir of John Hurst of Scholes near
Prescot ; Land, and Ches. Antiq. Notes,
ii, 17; the licence was granted 23 July,

'in debt and young'; Norris Papers (Chet.
Soc.), pp. in, 164. He is described as
< of Aigburth,' but was then offering the
estate for sale. He died between 1741
and 1765, his son and heir being James
Brettargh, who was the last of the family
to dwell at the Holt, and was buried at
Childwall 28 January, 1786, aged eighty-
five. The will of James Brettargh of

Notes, 13 ; Stretford (Chet. Soc.), ii, 156 ;
Gillow, Haydock Papers, 141, 159;
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Eng. Catholics, i,
290.
1 In 1582 it was found by the jury of
the manor court that Thomas Orme, or
Ormeson, had died seised of a messuage
called the Lee, and 19 acres of free land,
held by rent and service of two barbed

Newton. This seems to have interfered
with the husband's academical career, as
he did not graduate. Anne Brettargh,
his widow, a professor of the ancient
faith, was living at Prescot in 1750;
Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.), iii, 362, from

January, 1786, and proved in 1789, men-
tions only his ' daughter Holt,' the wife of
Robert Clelland of Wavertree ; the value .
of the estate was between 100 and 300.
Members of the family settled in
Liverpool, Manchester, and elsewhere ;

he paid at the rate of \id. per acre.
Thomas Orme was his son and heir, and
of full age.
" Norris D. (B.M.).
Ibid.
4 Otherwise hill haywards, hill lookers,

sister, the other coheir, is described as

targh, an attorney's apprentice in Man-

was dug upon the hill.

same document it appears that James
Brettargh was living in 1741. The will
of Anne Brettargh, widow of James
Brettargh, esq. of Brettargh Holt, made

1745, becoming an ensign in the Man-
chester Regiment ; he was captured at
Carlisle, condemned for treason and trans-
ported in 1749 ; Pal. Note Book, ii, 1 1 8.

' common chider ' of the neighbours, and
must leave the township. Margaret
Hastie kept Anne Dosen in her house,
' being a priest's woman,' and must send

in 1763, and again at Chester in 1788,
after the death of James Brettargh the
elder, her son . The other children men-
tioned are John Brettargh and Elizabeth
Wagstaffe, widow ; they were living in
1788, when James Brettargh the younger,
' of Pendleton, Schoolmaster,'was described
as Anne's grandson and heir ; Peter
Brettargh and Catherine Royle of Salford

Manchester) were friends of John Byrom's
about 1724-8 ; Remains (Chet. Soc.), 1,97,
295.
Richard Brettargh, steward of Henry
Blundell of Ince, caused the births of his
children to be recorded in the Sefton
registers they were not baptized at the
church. One of his sons was Jonathan
Brettargh, 'the devil's darning-needle,'
120

Orme had kept unlawful ' gamoning ' in his
house ; another had ' bulling and a bull-
ing alley.' Peter Skillington as a re-
setter of ' vagabonds and valiant beggars,'
was fined 6d.
6 The census gives 1,673 acr > includ-
ing 22 of inland water ; to this must be
added 888 acres of tidal water and 524
acres of foreshore.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Altogether the district is a curious mixture of indus-
trial, agricultural, and residential features.

The geological formation consists entirely of the
pebble beds of the bunter series of the new red
sandstone or trias. To the south-east of Garston
cliffs of drift boulder clay abut upon the river.

There was a total population of 17,289 in 1901.

A local board, formed in 1854,' became in 1894
an urban district council ; but the township was
incorporated with Liverpool by a Local Government
Order in 1903. There are public offices, library, and
accident and smallpox hospital.

The road from Liverpool to Garston and Speke
remains the principal road in the district, running
parallel with the river bank, and about half a mile
from it. The Liverpool tramways reach as far as
Garston. The Cheshire Lines Committee's railway
passes through the township, and has stations at
Aigburth, Otterspool, Mersey Road (close to the
Liverpool cricket ground), Grassendale (Cressington
Park), and Garston. The London and North Western
Company's line to Warrington and Crewe passes
along the north-eastern boundary, with stations at
Mossley Hill near the northern corner, and on the
Allerton Road ; from the latter station, called Allerton,
a branch line curves round into the town of Garston,
where there is a station formerly the terminus of the
Warrington line. The docks at Garston belong to
the London and North Western Railway Company ;
the other railway has a connexion with them.

The sugar works (glucose) have ceased work owing
to the cases of arsenical poisoning traced to them.

Formerly there were salt works which had been
removed from the Salthouse Dock at Liverpool, 8 and
at one time the fishery was of importance. 3

' The whole hill of Mossley commands a charming
view of the River Mersey and Wirral hundred in
Cheshire, with the distant hills of Wales . . . The
view is equally commanding at Mossley Hall, formerly
the spot where the Ogdens . . . had their country
seat . . . (It) was lately rebuilt by Peter Baker,
mayor of Liverpool 1795), and was afterwards the
residence of the Dawsons ; it is now (1817) that of
William Ewart."

There were anciently two crosses in Garston. The
base of one lies opposite the site of the south porch of
the old chapel ; the other was by the mill dam. The
base stone of this latter one has been re-erected near
St. Francis' Church, with a new plinth. 5

' In a field below the dam of the old Garston mill
was found some years ago a curious relic of penitential
discipline a scourge of iron with spiked links. It

CHILDWALL

had seven lashes of chain, possibly to chastise the flesh
for the seven deadly sins.' 6

In a report made in 1828 upon the changes wrought
by the tides it is stated that ' the line of low water
did not alter materially,' but ' the steep clay banks '
were constantly being worn away. A detailed de-
scription is given, beginning at Speke and going north-
wards to Toxteth. At the southern end ' the land is
said to have lost about 1 5 yds. in width along the
whole front in about twenty-five years ; ' the salt works
to the north of this had been built (1793) upon the
strand ; then came the pool, to the north of which
more of the strand had been enclosed, one part having
been a vitriol works (before 1793). Further north
the tides had made great ravages, about 1 5 yds. in
twenty years being a rate given. In some places an
attempt had been made to protect the bank by means
of walls, but these had been overthrown ; at Otters-
pool, at the extreme north, ' a stone-paved slope or
sheeting ' seems to have been more successful. Here
there was a snuff mill (1780). It is incidentally
stated that the manor courts had ceased to be held. 7

This township is not mentioned by
MANOR name in Domesday Book ; it formed part
of the demesne of the capital manor of
West Derby, being one of its six berewicks. 8 Its
customary rating was four plough-lands, and in 1212
it was held in thegnage by the yearly service of 2CU. 9

Shortly after 1088 Garston was given by Roger the
Poitevin to his sheriff Godfrey, who gave it in alms
to the abbey of Shrewsbury, together with his little
boy Achard, who was to become a monk there.
Count Roger confirmed the grant, and about 1121
Henry I renewed the confirmation. Ranulf Gernons,
earl of Chester, some twenty years later issued his
notification and precept to the bishop of Chester, and
to his justices 'between Ribble and Mersey,' directing
that the monks of Shrewsbury be left in peaceable
possession of their lands and rights in that district,
and particularly in Garston ; and ' let Richard son of
Multon do service to them from Garston completely
and fully as he craves my love ; and that no one of my
men may demand anything from Richard, I proclaim
him absolutely free from all (services) due from
Garston, desiring nothing but prayers therefrom.'
Henry II also in the first year of his reign confirmed
the grant, and about the same time Reginald de
Warenne, as seneschal of the lord of the honour of
Lancaster (1153-64), specially ordered his justices
and ministers to see that the monks had peaceable
possession of Garston with the men and all things
pertaining to it, without injury or insult. 10 Later

1 Lend. Gaz. 7 July, 1854.
a 'About 100 persons are employed
here (1825) chiefly in the simple process
of dissolving this rock [from Northwich]
n salt water, and afterwards boiling the
brine, which then becomes salt ' ; Baines'
Dir.
8 At the beginning of the eighteenth
century Thomas Patten of Warrington,
writing to Richard Norris of Liverpool,
lays : 'You very well know the mischief
hat is done on the River Mersey, or at
east have frequently heard what vast
umbers of salmon trout are taken so as

salmon a week at a fishing in or near
Speke, but of late hath taken very few or
' none, of which he hath complained to me,
and he imputes this loss to the destruction
of the fry ' ; Norris Pafer: (Chet. Soc.),
37-8.
'About twenty-five years ago,' wrote
M. Gregson in 1817, 'the chemical pre-
paration for bleaching was manufactured
here by Mons. Bonnel, on its early intro-
duction into England, but the work has
long since been discontinued. Vitriol
works were also carried on for a short
time at Garston . . . There are a few

corn, Hale, Garston, and Toxteth Park.
It is to be lamented that so much small
fry is destroyed, particularly during spring
tides ; as their food being thus taken
away, the large fish are prevented from
visiting our shores as usual ' ; Fragments
(ed. Harland), .93.
Gregson, l.s.c.
6 E. W. Cox, in Trans. Hist. Soc. (New
8er.), iv ; also Trans. Land, and Chts.
Antiq. Soc. xix, 203.
E. W. Cox.
7 Joseph Boult in Trans. Hist. Soc. xx,
160-5. Th<: "ilway company's dock.

cloyed and they cannot get sale for them
hey give them to their swine. Your
brother did formerly take three or four

Liverpool shore . . . Many fishgarths,
we are sorry to find, are stalled down from
Runcorn Gap to Liverpool, viz. at Run-

121

Lanes. Inij. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 19.
10 Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 270-86.
16

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

still, in 1227, Henry III included it in his general
confirmation. Another confirmation was issued as
late as 1331. Strange to say, after the monks had
taken such pains to vindicate their right to the place,
they showed no further interest in it, and it does not
appear either in the Valor or in Ministers' Accounts
of the sixteenth century. 1

The above-mentioned Multon is the earliest
manorial lord of Garston of whom there is any record.
He had three sons Richard, Henry, and Ralph
and perhaps Matthew was another son. To Henry
and to Matthew he made respective grants of three
oxgangs of land, for the rent of ^'i\d., and to the
ancestor of Thomas (living in 1212) he gave four
oxgangs at 30 d. This ancestor may have been the
other son Ralph, who had at least one oxgang, after-
wards the property of Stanlaw.' Richard son of
Multon, who held Garston about 1146, was the
father of Adam de Garston, who in 1201 and various
subsequent years paid his contributions to the scutages. 5
Adam died in 1 206, leaving a widow Margaret, after-
wards married to Richard de Liverpool, 4 and sons
Adam and Richard, both young. The wardship of
the heir was purchased by his uncle Robert de Ains-
dale.'

Adam the son of Richard was lord of Garston for
many years, dying in 1265. He, like his father,
was a benefactor to monasteries. 6 He also granted to
Roger the miller of Barwe the third part of his mill
in Garston with a fishery in Mersey and half the
fishery of the mill pool. 7 Adam also came to an
agreement with Alan le Norreys about the fishing in
the pool of Garston, binding himself that none should
fish there without Alan's consent, under a penalty of
4<3.f. to St. Mary of St. John's Church at Chester. 8
He died about 1265, and at the inquest it was found
that he had held four plough-lands in Garston in chief

of Robert de Ferrers, earl of Derby, by a rent of lot.
per annum, doing suit to county and wapentake, and
that he held nothing of any one else. Of the land
seven oxgangs (worth <)s. 6d.) were in demesne, and
twenty-five in service ; there was a mill worth a mark
yearly. His son John, of full age, was his next heir.'

John de Garston gave in alms two small portions
of his waste in Aigburth to the monks of Stanlaw. 10
He appears to have died about 1285, leaving his
brother Adam as his heir ; and in the inquest ot
1298 it was found that Adam de Garston had been
lord of the place, and that his heir was in the king's
hands by reason of minority. 11

The succession at this point is doubtful. Probably
the ' Adam, son of Adam, formerly lord of Garston,'
who about the end of the thirteenth century made
grants to his brother Robert and his sister Margery,
was the son and heir ; " but a John son of Adam de
Garston occurs about the same time, leaving a
daughter Sibota and a son Robert. 13 In any case,
however, the inheritance came to an Ellen de Garston,
who early in Edward IPs reign married Robert de
Blackburn," thenceforward called ' lord of Garston.'

It will here be convenient to give some notice of
the other branches of the Garston family. The
inquest of 1212 shows the following members of it
holding portions of the land : (i)The heir of Adam de
Garston held four plough-lands of the king for 201. in
thegnage this is the main line, whose fortunes
have been recounted ; (ii) Hugh son of Henry, three
oxgangs for 22^., of the gift of Multon ; (iii) Thomas,
four oxgangs for zi. 6d., by the gift of Multon ;
(iv) Henry son of Matthew, three oxgangs for Z2\d.,
of the gift of Multon ; (v) Simon, three oxgangs for
2 2 \d., of the gift of the aforesaid Adam his brother;
these thirteen oxgangs were held of the lord of Garston ;
(vi) there were three acres held in alms. 14

1 Man. Angl. iii, 521-3 ; Cal. Pat.

Mersey ; and other lands in the Rother-

for two parts and the miller for one;

1330-34, p. 39.
Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 564.

rake, and elsewhere. He gave the monks
water rights also ; a fishery called the

Norris D. (B.M.), 662-3.
8 Ibid. 665. Alan le Norreys had ac-

8 Lanes. Pipe R. 279, 153, 178, 204.

Lachegard ; rights in the water adjoining,

quired the half fishery on the millpool

Adam granted in alms to Cockersand Abbey

for the benefit of the convent at Woolton

granted to Roger de Barwe ; ibid. 730.

land from his demesne in Aigburth in the

grange, the monks to use it as they pleased ;

To William son of Alan and Amicii

western corner of the township with pas-

liberty to make another fishery on the

his wife Adam de Garston granted an ox-

ture for 500 sheep and 20 cows, and for

Mersey anywhere as far as Otterspool ;

gang of land formerly held by Suard the

mill at Garston into the Mersey, and a

brother Richard, with the land in Aig-

Allerton, near St. Mary's Well, and be-

place (wherever they might choose) to

burth and the fisheries appertaining to it,

tween the 'meneway' of Halcwood and

make a tannery or fulling mill, with its

the rent to be iSJ. To his daughters

named; Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii,

necessary pool. All these gifts were in
pure alms, with the reservation that the

by Yseult his wife, Alice and Margery, he
gave 3j oxgangs with all liberties except

554, 557. He also granted his brother

monks should full for him the cloth made

as to the fishes of his pool ; and to Simon

Simon three oxgangs at a rent of n\d. ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 19.
Richard de Liverpool's Garston ditch

in his own house, and that without pay-
ment ; Whalley Coucher, ii, 559, 563-9.
He granted to his uncle, William de
Backford, son of Adam, parson of that

de Garston he allowed the 4 oxgangs for-
merly held by Henry and Alice, the parents
of Simon, for a rent of zi. 6d. ; ibid. 666,
668, 664.

is mentioned in an early charter (Whalley

place, half an oxgang in Alton (elsewhere

His widow Hawise surrendered to the

Coucher, ii, 565) ; and he was a witness

Holtum) in Garston, for a service of four

monks of Stanlaw all her dower right in

to other charters.

barbed and winged arrows each year ; and

the lands Adam had given them ; Whally

Mbid. ii, 555*.; Lanes. Pipe R. 279 ;

to the hospital of St. John outside the

Coucher, ii, 584.

Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 128. The Ains-

Northgate of Chester, some further land

9 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 232.

dale family had lands in Garston ; see
Blundell of Crosby evidences (Towneley

with half a fishery on the river, which the
brethren afterwards granted to the same

10 Whalley Coucher, ii, 560-74 ; one of
them was in the Middle dole.

MSS.), K.. 1 6, 17; Whalley Coucher, ii, 573.

William de Backford for a rent of i zd.

To Adam son of Henry de Garston he

8 To Cockersand he gave additional land

This holding was with Adam's consent

gave several plots of land in the Gorstie-

in Aigburth, 'with the consent of all the

transferred to the monks of Stanlaw;

hol, Humbeldale, Rotherrakes and else-

free tenants,' and another piece apparently
in the hamlet called Brooks ; Cockersand

ibid, ii, 578-81. The originals of some
of these charters are among the Norris D.

where ; while to Agnes, one of his sisters,
he gave lands in Echyndale moor ; and to

Cbariul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 556-7. He gave

(B.M.). He confirmed also for a present

Adam son of William de Garston and

to Stanlaw Abbey land in Aigburth, with
the usual easements, for three marks of

of half a mark, the gift of three oxgangs
which Adam de Bickerstath had made to

Ellen his wife a piece in the Brugegrevis ;
Norris D. (B. M.), 690-3.

silver, and an annual rent of id. or a pair
of gloves ; an oxgang which Ralph, son of
Multon, had held ; a plot called < farthing '
with a right to use the road, going and

the same abbey ; ibid, ii, 577.
^ The grantor was to find wood for the
mill and carry it to the site, but Roger
was to make the mill ; as to the pool and

11 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 287.
Norris D. (B. M.), 673-4.
13 Ibid. 693, 763, 786, 822.
14 The name is often spelt Blakebura.

returning beyond the moor as far as the

the millstones Adam was to be responsible

14 Lanes. Inj. and Extents, 19.

122

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Hugh son of Henry son of Multon gave two of his
three oxgangs to Hugh de Moreton, for the rent of a
pound of cummin, and they were then given to Stan-
law Abbey. 1 Hugh and his son Richard continued
to hold the land as tenants ; Richard transferred the
third oxgang to the monks in return for a gift of five
marks.*

Thomas is not heard of again ; but his four oxgangs
may be those granted by Adam de Garston to Simon
son of Henry de Garston, at the ancient farm of
zs. 6d. Simon gave lands in Aigburth to Stanlaw
Abbey. He is probably the Simon the clerk, son of
Henry, who attested several charters ; his father was
also a clerk. Simon had a son Henry and a daughter
Maud, who married John Minting, her father giving
them one oxgang on their marriage. 3

Henry son of Matthew had a daughter Aubrey (or
Albreda) who married William Rufus (Roo) and had a
son Walter. Aubrey gave to the monks of Stanlaw
two of the three oxgangs which descended to her,
receiving seven marks and an annual rent of a pair of
white gloves ; and the other oxgang she sublet to
Adam de Ainsdale, who granted this also to Stanlaw,
together with half an oxgang he held of Roger Balle.
Walter duly ratified his mother's gifts. 4

The three oxgangs of Simon brother of Adam de
Garston do not occur again, unless, indeed this
Simon, and not Simon son of Henry, was the father

CHILDWALL
rrated

of John son of Simon, whose story has been
above. 4

Adam de Garston III had, beside his heir, a
younger son Robert living as late as 1353, and com-
monly known as ' the lord's son.' As stated, Robert
received one oxgang from his brother Adam, who
had had it from their father, with reversion to their
sister Margery. This oxgang he in 1341 gave to
Adam his son for the old rent of $d. to the chief
lord ; with reversion to Margery. 6 In 1 343 John
del Femes, chaplain, gave to Robert all the latter's
lands in Garston and fishery
in the Mersey, with remainders
in succession to his sons Wil-
liam, Roger, and Thomas. 7

Robert de Blackburn held
Garston for nearly forty years,
dying about the year 1354;
his wife Ellen is mentioned in
1332. He acquired various
portions of land from the

minor owners ; from Richard BLACKBURN or GAR-
son of Richard de Toxteth, STON . Argent, a /i

two OXgangS and land in Gras- undee between three mul-

sendale ; from Roger de Hale le " sable -

in Quindal Moor and the Dale;

from Adam Wade in Mukelholm ; from Henry de

Easthead, and Margery his wife, in Ychyndale Moor ;

1 Wholly Coucher, ii, 569, 570, 577.
For this and other grants see Whattey
Coucker, ii, 575, 573, 561, 576. Adam
de Garston as superior lord ratified the

dower ; ibid. 668. Henry son of Simon
had four, as above stated ; John the clerk
seems to have had one ; ibid. 695. Alan
del Moss appears to have had one or two ;

three daughters, Alice, Wymark, and
Iseult ; she quitclaimed to the monks of
Stanlaw, with her daughters' consent,
Henry son of Gilbert the Little of Gar-

this he calls the grantor Richard de Bicker-
.tath ; ibid, ii, 577.
Norris D.(B.M.), 664, 704 5 WW/gr
Coucher, ii, 582.
Simon son of Henry may also have been
the father of John son of Simon, who had
a son Simon, husband of Iseult; their chil-
dren were Roger and Ellen. The former
married in 1334 Ellen daughter of Robert
del Eves, but had no issue by her, and she
afterwards married Henry de Torbock.
The inheritance thus passed to Ellen the
sister of Roger, and in 1365 she sold it
to John de Blackburn, lord of the manor.

held by Adam de Ainsdale and ij by
Roger son of Siward ; Wholly Coucher
(Chet. Soc.),ii, 571, 583, 584. This land
seems to have come into the possession of
Stanlaw, and may be included in the 7 J.
The church or chapel of Garston had one,
unless this was considered part of the
demesne ; Norris D. (B. M.}, 743. Hugh
son of Lette seems also to have had ij ;
ibid. 675. Adam son of Adam II had
one, which afterwards passed to his brother
Robert ; ibid. 674. There may be others.

widow of Richard de Garston (or Bicker-
stath) already mentioned ; Wholly Cou-
cher, ii, 589, 576. The daughter Wymark
appears to have been a person of some
importance ; her daughter Alice was
known by her mother's name and her
husband Adam called himself ' son-in-law
of Wymark.' One of Alice's charters

Hungry hill, Bridge greves, Galghstan
field, Long doles, and the moss ; in an-
other the Grossefield is named ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 707, 708, 747. Adam son of

ages, 30 acres of land and 3^. rent., with

held not directly of the lord of the manor,

1290 a grant of land in Quindal Moor

Norreys of Speke, Adam de Minting and
William Jenkinson Hulleson of Garston,
for lands held of Ellen ; she received
100 marks; Norris D. (B. M.), 707,
767, 777, 835, 808, 833-7 ; Final
Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,

73-

There had been a dispute as to posses-
lion between Henry de Torbock and his
wife on one side and the Blackburns and
others on the other side, resulting in
favour of the former ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 2, m. ii.
4 Wholly Coucher, ii, 575, 571, 582.

Another point to be noticed is that the
holder, while keeping his ' oxgang' intact,
would sell the approvements from the
waste belonging to it. For instance the
above-named Hugh son of Lette sold to
Adam, lord of Garston, land in the field
called Gorsticroft, ' to wit as much as be-
longs to an oxgang and a half of land.'
John the Clerk also granted ' as much as
belongs to one oxgang of land in the place
called Quindal moor'; afterwards he
granted to another person ' all the part
which belongs to the oxgang which John
has in the said vill [of Garston], lying

Richard son of Richard de Thornton
was among the benefactors of Stanlaw,
giving land in Aigburth which he had re-
ceived from Richard son of Hugh ; ibid.
ii, 561. He was followed about the
middle of the thirteenth century by a
Henry de Thornton, perhaps his son.
Henry, who had a daughter Christina
(Norris D. 19), was followed by a Simon
de Thornton ; Simon's widow Alice in
129; relinquished all her claim upon any
lands her husband had given to Stanlaw ;
Wholly Coucher, ii, 586.
Other families occur. Simon de

death of Adam de Garston in 1265 only
7 of the 32 oxgangs remained in the lord's
hands ; the remainder had all been granted

The abbey of Stanlaw had 7j oxgangs
including the land of the Chester hospital.
Suard the thegn had one which passed to
Richard brother of Adam II, and after-

son-in-law of Wymark of Garston, and
Alice his wife granted < all their part of
the waste in Quindal Moor, as much as
belongs to their oxgang of land in the vill
of Garston'; Norris D. (B. M.), 675,
670, 695, 708.
Norris D. (B. M.), 788.
7 Ibid. 794.

son Adam in 1325-6, holding lands in
Garston ; perhaps a descendant was
William de Molyneux, who about 1410
married Katherine daughter and coheir
of John Godmonson and Aline his wife ;
Norris D. (B. M.), 676, 669, 759, 886.
John the Clerk already mentioned was son
of Martin of Churchlee ; he married

Norris B. (B. M.), 666. Alice and Mar-
gery, daughters of Adam II, had 3 J ox-
gangs, of which 3 had been his mother'i

Alan del Moss, who had sons William and
Hugh and a daughter Alice. This last,
known as 'the widow of Garston,' had

son John, who like his father appears in
many thirteenth-century charters ; ibid.
689,694-701.

123

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

and from Robert del Eves lands and a fishery which
had belonged to Simon son of John de Garston. 1

Robert de Blackburn was succeeded by his eldest
son John, who even before his father's death seems to
have taken an active part in managing the estate.*
He was lord of the manor for about fifty years,
dying on 8 January, 1 404-5 , s and during this long
period seems to have been constantly acquiring fresh
portions of land.* At the inquest taken after his death
it was found that he had held the manor of Garston
of the king as duke of Lancaster, by knight's service,
6 oxgangs in Downham, lands in West Derby, Hol-
land Place in Halewood, lands in Allerton and in
Woolton. His heir was his grandson John, son of
Robert, who was then fifteen years old and more. 5

John, the grandson, 6 died early and without issue,
and the inheritance came to his sister Agnes, who
married Thomas, younger son of Sir John de Ireland
of Hale. Thus the manor passed to the Irelands, who
by the same marriage acquired Lydiate, the property
of Agnes's mother, which they made their principal
residence. 7 Little appears to be known of their con-
nexion with Garston. 8 The inquest taken after the
death of John Ireland in 1514 states that he held the
manor of Garston of the king as duke of Lancaster in
socage for a rent of 2os., lands in Allerton of the
priory of Burscough by the rent of a grain of pepper
if demanded ; in Woolton of the prior of St. John of
Jerusalem in England, and in Halewood of the earl
of Derby. 9 His grandson Lawrence, in 1543, ex-
changed the manor of Garston and lands and water-
mill there and in Much Woolton with Sir William

Norris of Speke, taking the latter's lands in Lydiate
and Maghull. 10

The Norris family had long had a fair holding
in the township, the rents in 1450 amounting to
j io/." A junior branch seems to have resided
there for a time." The manor continued in the
Norris family, descending like Speke, until near the
end of the eighteenth century. 13 The dismember-
ment and sale of the estates began in 1775." In
February, 1779, the corporation of Liverpool pur-
chased the manorial rights of Garston, with the
intention, it was said, of regulating the fisheries in the
Mersey, but in April of the following year the manor
was sold to Peter Baker, a Liverpool shipbuilder, and
his son-in-law John Dawson, captain of the privateer
Mentor, which in 1778 had captured the French
East Indiaman Carnatic with a rich booty. Certain
reservations made by the corporation were afterwards
given up. In January, 1791, Baker and Dawson
conveyed the manor to the trustees of Richard Kent,
a Liverpool merchant, who had died before the com-
pletion of the sale. Elizabeth Kent, his daughter,
had married (in 1786) Lord Henry Murray, son of
the third duke of Atholl ; and they joined with John
Blackburne of Liverpool 15 in procuring (at the latter's
expense) an Act of Parliament 16 for destroying the
entail and enabling the trustees to sell the Garston
estate. John Blackburne purchased the manor under
this Act, with various lands in Garston, but exclusive
of the advowson of Garston chapel, the mill dale and
pool, and certain rights ; he also purchased indepen-
dently other lands in Garston, and transferred his

1 Norris D. (B. M.), 757, 771, 772,
783, 790.

garet his wife, and Joan daughter of Adam
de Minting in a plea concerning a messuage

scendants continued the same course,
until, as stated, they acquired the manor

lands and the third part of a mill at
Garston with Roger Kenesson of Crosby
and Maud his wife. {Catherine, bastard
daughter of Ellen daughter of Roger de
Garston, had held the tenements by fealty
and a rent of \dd. and Maud claimed as
the true heir, asserting that she had en-
feoffed Katherine ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 2, m. viiirf. ; m. xi d ; Assize
R. 435, m. io ; m. 30 ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 3 (2 to 4 Duke Henry).
About the same time Adam son of

fishery in the Mersey ; and against William
de Whitfield in the same claim. The
defendants did not appear, and John
recovered seisin ; De Bane. R. 460,
m. 375 d.
He made a feoffment of his lands in
1357, including the manor of Garston,
with its demesne lands, mills, fisheries,
&c., and lands in Allerton. No remain-
ders are recited in the deed ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 816, 817, 841.
* Towneley MS. DD, 1457.

in the reign of Henry VIII. Norri. D.
(B.M.), 761, &c.
12 In 1400 Johnson of Richard le Nor-
reys held lands in Garston and Speke, and
in 1448-9 John Norris of Garston and
Katherine his wife enfeoffed Thomas
Blackburn, chaplain, of all their lands in
Garston and Allerton. Two years later
these were released to John Norris of
Kirkby, son of John Norris late of Garston,
and he in turn transferred them to Thomas
Lathom of Knowsley, who conveyed them

de Blackburn and his sons John, Thomas,
and Robert had disseised him of his free
tenement in Garston 2 messuages and
l z acres. Robert defended himself by the

the wardship and marriage of John, son of
Robert, son and heir of John de Blackburn,
was made to John de Osbaldeston, and a

(B. M.), 877, 903-! 3.
13 A large number of their leases from
1550 to 1680 have been preserved in the

by knight's service and that he took pos-

later ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 532 ;

tenements ; in many ' boons and average* '
were required in addition to the money
rent, the 'rent capon' being specially
mentioned. Some interesting and de-
scriptive field names occur ; thus in one of
1577 Leafurlong, abutting on the road
called Greengate ; Bridge Greaves ;
Whyndow Hey (the older Quindal, in the
southern corner of the township), the
higher lane and the way from Garston
chapel to Speke Hall are mentioned.
" The Hon. Topham Beauclerk and

age ; the jury, however, found that the
tenure was socage, and that Adam had
been unjustly disseised ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 2, m. ii.
2 In 1348 John acquired lands in
Humbeldale from Adam de Minting and
in Mukelholm from Richard son of Roger
Dogson, and made further purchases in
later years ; Norris D. (B. M.), 798, 800,

s The writ Diem clausit extr. was issued
20 January ; Off. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii,
App. ;.
4 In 1357 John de Blackburn acquired
from Robert son of John son of Adam de
Garston, land in Edgefield, Wytefield, and
Quindel Gate, and the reversion of lands
belonging to Ellen the widow of John :
Norris D. (B. M.), 818, &c.
At the end of Edward Ill's reign John
de Blackburn appeared in court against
John son of Henry del Brooks and Mar-

^ Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 25-6. See the
account of Lydiate.
8 The feodary of 1430 states that
Thomas de Ireland held the manor of
Garston in right of his wife, paying 201.
and performing suit of county and wapen-
take, and going with the bailiff ; Dods.
MS. Ixxxvii, fol. 57.
9 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, n. 16.
10 A list of the tenants and their rents is
preserved among the Norris deeds (B. M.).
The total rent was 16 2s. 8</. including
' broad arrows ' valued at ^d. each.
11 In 1326 Alan le Norreys of Speke ac-
quired land by the Kirkway and abutting
on Quindal Moor from Robert the 'lord's
son ' ; continuing he later bought land
called 'Farthings' in Branderth, near
Allerton Brook, and other holdings in the
Brooks, securing in 1339 that of Sibota,
daughter oi John son of Adam de Garston.
Other acquisitions followed ; and his de-

124

of Garston in August, 1774; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 392, m. 64.
15 He was nephew of the Thomas Black-
burne who married Ireland Greene of
Hale, and son of John Blackburne of
Liverpool (mayor, 1 760). He was mayor
of Liverpool in 1788. Gregson, Frag-
ments, 194. Blackburne House in Hope
Street, Liverpool, was a residence of his ;
Picton, Memorials, ii, 152.
33 Geo. III.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

CHILDWALL

Liverpool salt works to this place. He willed this
estate to his only child Alice Anne, wife of Thomas
Hawkes of Himley, in Staffordshire, and about 1823
she disposed of them, the manor being sold to the
Garston Land Company. The duchy of Lancaster
afterwards made a claim to the manorial rights, 1
which are now said to be divided among the Light-
body* family and several companies. 3

The neighbouring families of Ireland of Hale and
Grelley of Allerton also had lands in Garston. In
1 306 Thomas Grelley demanded against Adam de
Ireland and Avina his wife two messuages and an
oxgang of land in Garston. 4 One of the fields was
known as Gredley's Acre.

The lands of Whalley Abbey were at the confisca-
tion found to be leased to Lawrence Ireland for a
rent of 4..* Some of the lands were by Queen
Mary appropriated to the endowment of the Savoy
Hospital in London ; 6 and on this being dissolved
they were sold. 7 They were held by Topham Beau-
clerk, the heir of the Norris family, about 1775.

Garston Hall was originally the grange house of
the monks of Upholland, who, as appropriators of the
rectory of Childwall, held the land of the church in
Garston and the tithes. 8

In 1350 John, prior of Holland, appeared against
Nicholas de Bold and others on various charges, in-
cluding one of carrying away his goods and chattels
(valued at I oos.) at Woolton and Garston, and breaking
into his fold at the latter place. 9 After the dissolution
the hall became the property of the new see of
Chester, as part of the rectory of Childwall, and was
farmed out with the tithes to the Andertons and Gerards.
It was a half-timbered building, standing on a rock
overhanging the lower mill-dam. There is a tradi-
tion that a room in it was used for Roman Catholic
worship during the time of proscription, which is not
unlikely, considering who were the lessees. 10

The hamlet of Brooks, in which the early Norris
holding seems to have chiefly lain, gave a name to

one or more families dwelling there." The principal
of these had its origin in a certain Gilbert living
early in the thirteenth century. Richard, son ol
Gilbert de Brooks, gave to Roger his brother land
called Carran, stretching from the river dividing the
Carran of Speke from the Carran of Brooks, to the
chief ridge of Roger's heir, and from the river of
Garston to the boundary of Allerton ; Roger son of
Robert de Brooks gave to Hugh son of Lette of
Garston, land near the river of Slodekan, and near the
river of Quitefelf ; and John son of Roger Punchard
granted to Alan le Norreys of land between the
Hollow brook and the highway, one head extending
to the house of Robert de Blackburn on the west and
the other towards Carran in the east." The Tran-
mole or Tranmore family had a small holding at
Brooks which ultimately passed to Norris of Speke,
the rental of 1454 stating that Wilkyn Plombe and
John Jenkynson paid <)s. \d. rent ' for Tranmoor's
lands.' l3

Grassendale " had risen to the dignity of a hamlet
by the time of Elizabeth.

4IGBURTH seems at first to have been the
descriptive name of a district at the north-west end
of Garston and the west of Allerton. It was very
largely in the hands of religious foundations Stanlaw
(Whalley), 16 Cockersand, and to a small extent the
hospital of St. John at Chester. Under these houses
probably the local families held. Henry son of Hugh
de Aigburth is mentioned as holding land in the Brooks
about 1270, in a charter to which Adam de Aigburth
was a witness ; and Alice daughter of Hugh de
Aigburth was in 1274 the wife of John de Garston,
son of Robert called the Mouner." Adam de Aig-
burth about this time made an exchange with the
monks of Stanlaw of land in the moor at Aigburth. 18
He is described as ' forester of Toxteth,' and may
therefore be the Adam de Toxteth who was the
ancestor of a family holding land in Aigburth down
to the sixteenth century. 19 Adam de Toxteth in

1 This statement of the recent descent
of the manor is abridged from a full
account by Joseph Boult in Trans. Hist. Sac.
xi, 147, 190, with map.
"Adam Lightbody about 1775 bought

" A large number of charters referring
to Brooks are among the Norris D.
(B.M.).
A charter of John son of Adam de
Ireland of Hale to his son David (1349)

William de Tranmole of Hale granted to
his son Richard land in Brookfield in
Garston ; ibid. 805. This Richard, about
1 367-8, acquired further lands in the same
place from John son of Alan de Brooks,

descendant Robert Lightbody sold Island
Farm to the Liverpool Land Company ;

tion of bounds : 'All my lands and tene-
ments ... in the vill and territory of

from John son of Simon le Mercer of
Aigburth ; and another in Brooks from

ground.
Information of Rev. Dr. Oliver.
* De Bane. R. 161, m. 481.
* frtally Coucher, iv, 1235.
6 Pat. 4 and 5 Phil, and Mary, pt. xv.
1 Norris D. (B. M.).

1334 by Roger bishop of Lichfield, which
states that brother William of Doncaster,
formerly prior, resided alone in the manor
house at Garston, contrary to the rule and
to good order, and commands the monks
to recall him to Upholland at once under
the threat of the greater excommunication.
It would appear that ex-Prior William had
quarrelled with his monastic brethren, and
they had sent him away to Garston for the
sake of peace ; Lich. Reg. iii, fol. 60 k.
The ex-prior on his return was to rank
next after the prior in church, refectory,
chapter, dormitory and elsewhere.

le Brokes, within the boundaries hereafter
written, namely : Beginning at the Stan-
bergh where the two brooks join in one

following the rivulet as far as the land of
the Abbot of Cockersand, and so as far as
the boundary of Allerton in the eastern
side, and so following the boundary of
Allerton to the boundary of Speke, and so
following the boundary of Speke to the
aforesaid brook, and so following that
brook to the aforesaid Stanbergh.'
Hale D.
l" Norris D. (B. M.), 709, 716, 727.
18 This family appear in Hale, where in
1292 Richard son of Richard de Tranmoor
had 12 acres, and William son of Richard
1 1 acres ; Plac. de qua Warr. (Rec. Com.),
228. About 1280 Roger son of Robert
de Brooks gave part of his land here to
Richard de Tranmole and his heirs, for his

860. Then in 1429 Roger de Tranmore
of Garston sold to William le Norreys of
Speke all his lands in Garston and Aller-
ton ; ibid. 893, 638.
14 Contracted from the old Gresselond
Dale.
15 Aykeberyt, Aykeberk, Aykeberg,
early; Haykebergh, 1327; Aykebergh,
1361 jEgberigh, 1600; Ackeberth, 1537 ;
Aykeberthe, 1544.
The old hall of Aigburth is believed
to have been the grange of the abbot of
Whalley. In 1291 the grange at Ayke-
berwe, with half ploughland, was valued
at 51. ; assized rents brought in i it. and
the profit of the stock was 95. -jd. ; Pofe
Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 259.
17 Norris D. (B. M.),; 1 2, 743. A Robert
de Aigburth had land near Hechindale
Moor ; ibid. 694.
18 Whalley Coucher, ii, 562.

1 E. W. Cox in Trans. Hist. Soc. (New
Ser.), iv, 1 36. A view of the building is
given.

silver and the ancient farm of lod. to the
chief lord ; Norris D. (B. M.), 714, 715.
In 1 298 William de Tranmole was witness
to a charter j and in 1349 John son of
125

Aigburth' and 'Adam de Toxteth' are
witnesses to charters in the latter half of
the thirteenth century, but never to the
same charter.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

1292 made an unsuccessful attempt to recover from
Abbot Gregory a messuage and 30 acres of land of
which he said he was disseised by the former Abbot
Robert. 1 On the other hand he was successful in
resisting a claim by Robert de Thornyhead of Hale. 8
Margery, Adam's widow, granted to Adam son of
Henry de Garston land in the Rotherrakes, and may be
the Margery de Aigburth who had land in Quindal
Moor.'

Roger de Toxteth, the son and heir, may be the
Roger the clerk, or Roger de Toxteth, clerk, concerned
in many of the local charters of his time. 4 By a fine
in 1315 this Roger arranged for the succession to his
property ; 5 the remainders after Roger's own children
(unnamed) were to Thomas son of Wenthlian
daughter of Anyan Voyl, to Floria daughter of
Wenthlian, and to John SOB of Richard de Toxteth. 6
Roger appears to have died in 1327, and in 1331
Thomas son of Roger de Toxteth made a claim against
Margaret widow of Richard as to land in Garston,
but did not prosecute it. 7

The succession is not clear at this point. The
next in evidence is Adam de Toxteth, a witness
to charters in 1 342. He appears to have died early, 8
for in 1 344 there was an arrangement made as to the
succession to lands of his young son Roger, by Roger
de la More on the one part and John (son of William)
de la More on the other ; the latter was about to
marry Adam's widow Katherine, a daughter of John
del Ford. 9 Some years later the duke of Lancaster's
escheator took into his hands all the lands in Garston
that Adam de Toxteth had possessed, alleging that
Adam had made them over to Roger atte More (on
trust) after he had committed a certain felony. At
the trial in 1352 the jury found such to have been

the case, and said the duke should have the issues for
six years, amounting to 9, which John de Liverpool
must pay. 10 Restitution, however, must have been
obtained, for in 1360, when Roger the son and heir
of Adam came of age, John de la More released to
him two-thirds of his lands."

About 1361 Roger de Toxteth made a settlement
of his lands in Garston, Aigburth, Halewood, and
Wavertree on his marriage with Agnes daughter of
William de Slene. 1 ' The succession again becomes
obscure for nearly a century. 13

In 1484 a marriage was arranged between James
son of John Toxteth and Isabel his wife, and
Alice daughter of Thomas Norris of Speke. u John,
probably a son of James, in 1525 entered into a bond
in 20 to perform certain covenants. 16 In 1 544
there was a settlement of disputes between John
Toxteth of Aigburth and Henry Tarleton of Faza-
kerley on the one part and Sir William Norris on
the other part. Sir William had enclosed a piece of
waste in Aigburth Lane, as common appertaining to
the manor of Garston ; and he further claimed the
marriage of Ellen Toxteth, younger daughter and one
of the coheirs of John, for Richard Norris son and
heir apparent of Henry Norris of West Derby.
Arbitrators were appointed who decided in favour of
Sir William, expressing the wish that he would be
' good master ' to the tenants of John Toxteth and
Alice his wife, as before the variance. 16 The elder
daughter, not mentioned here, married William
Brettargh of the Holt in Little Woolton ; and this
family owned a portion of Aigburth until the be-
ginning of the eighteenth century. 17

The mention of the Tarleton family is interesting ;
in one way or another they were connected with

1 Assize R. 408, m. 41 d. In 1295 the
plaintiff and his son and heir Roger re-
leased to the abbot their claim ; Whalley
Ccucter, ii, 587, 588.
Assize R. 408, m. jod. The follow-

Richard de Toxteth in 1347 had land
and a fishery in Aigburth and the Holme
in Garston ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 230.
Roger de Toxteth in 1323-4 claimed
from Robert de Blackburn and Ellen

following years John de la More and his
wife claimed from John le Norreys dower
right in a messuage and 30 acres of land
in Garston ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 6,
m. 5 ; Assize R. 438, m. S d.; Duchy of

Aldouse - s. Henry - s. Henry - s. Robert

land, and from Roger dc Stanihurst and

as part of the same series of actions that

Norris D. (B. M.), 723, 679.
* Roger's brother Richard was a clerk
also. Nothing further seems known of
the other brother William, but there was
a sister Agnes who married Richard
'called Wade' and had a daughter Floria,
who married John de Derlegh. Adam de
Toxteth gave to his daughter Agnes on her
marriage a plot in the newly ploughed
land outside the Bridge greves, for the

as his inheritance through his mother
Margery de Garston. In the following
year Adam son of Robert de Blackburn
(a minor) appears as claimant of the same
properties ; De Bane. R. 251, m. 117 J. ;
255, m. 224 ; 257, m. 204.
7 Assize R. 1404, m. 18. The widow,
however, released to Thomas the lands
her husband had held in Garston and
Aigburth ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 231*.

(non-suited) for novel disseisin against
John le Norreys ; ibid. R. 6, m. 5 d.
" Norris D. (B.M.), 22, 829, 830. The
remainders were to John de Blackburn,
Richard son of Thomas de Molyneux,
Stephen son of Anyon le Waleys, and
Richard son of John de Toxteth.
18 Roger occurs among witnesses to
charters down to 1391 ; he was followed
by John de Toxteth, occurring 1400 to

(B. M.), 724 ; see also 680, 684. Richard

Wade on his daughter's marriage gave her
all his lands in Garston for the rent of a
rose (1329), and in later years Richard
Wade junior and Agnes widow of Richard
Wade quitclaimed, and Roger de Toxteth
also; Norris D. (B. M.), 748, 750, 753,
760.
In 1325 Roger had a dispute with his
brother Richard's widow Agnes and son
Richard and with Adam Wade concerning
land in Garston. The younger Richard
claimed to hold as heir of an elder brother
William, deceased, and Agnes claimed for
dower. The jury, however, held that
Roger's claim was justified, his brother
having had no more than a life interest ;
Assize R. 426, m. 6.
5 Described as 8 messuages, 100 acres
of land, 6 acres of meadow, 100 acres of
pasture, and 8 acres of wood in Garston.
Final Cone, ii, 21, 22. John sun of

Toxteth at Prescot ; Assize R. 430, m. 27.
Norris D. (B. M.), 21.
10 Assize R. 432, m. i.
11 The other third was the dower of
Roger's mother (John's wife). Roger had
younger brothers, John and Thomas ; the
next remainder was to Richard son of
Thomas de Molyneux ; Norris D. (B. M.),
192.
Various suits arose out of the marriage
of Roger's mother to John de la More
(mayor of Liverpool in 1351). They re-
covered in 1 346 the third (dower) part of
a messuage, 26 acres of land, and 2 acres
of meadow against John de Toxteth and
Richard his son; De Bane. R. 348,
m. 126 d.
In 1357 John son of Alan le Norreys
of Speke proceeded against John de la
More for taking cattle in Garston in a
place called the Thorns; while in the
126

from 1474 onwards ; Norris D. (B.M.).
In 1448 Robert abbot of Cockersand
claimed 91. $d. rent from lands in Aigburth
in Allcrton, unjustly held by John Thorn-
ton, master of St. John's Hospital, Chester;
and i ^d. rent in Garston, unjustly held by
Richard Toxteth, and the jury agreed to
uphold his claims ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
n, m. 39.
Norris D. (B.M.), 928-31.
16 Ibid. 23.
" Ibid. 24.
By fine in 1570 William Brettargh
and Anne his wife transferred to William
Lathom and William Spencer houses and
lands in Aigburth and Garston ; and three
years later William Brettargh, son and
heir apparent of the above, sold to Edward
Norris of Speke the same for 160 ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 32, m. 135 ;
35, m. 27.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Aigburth until the beginning of the nineteenth cen-
tury, but the succession and connexion of the various
Tarletons is not quite clear during the period. 1

The jury of the leet in 1686 ordered that the lord
of the manor of Garston should have free privilege
to set hunting gates, &c., according to his worship's
pleasure, for hunting or any other recreation, dis-
turbers to forfeit zo/. 2

In 1717 the following ' Papists ' registered estates
in Garston : James and William Dwerryhouse of
Grassendale, Thomas Fazakerley, and Edward Hitch-
mough. 3

The principal landowners in 1787, as shown by
the land-tax return, were Thomas Tarleton and
Elizabeth Lightbody.

St. Wilfrid's 4 chapel existed at an early
CHURCH date ; and appears to have been considered
parochial, even if not an independent parish
church ; thus ' Henry parson of Garston ' is witness to
a charter in the first quarter of the thirteenth century. 5
Just before Adam de Garston's death the chaplaincy
became vacant, and he claimed the patronage as of an
independent church, presenting to the bishop of Lich-
field for institution a clerk named Reginald de Sileby ;
but Herbert Grelley, rector of Childwall, opposed,

CHILDWALL

asserting that Garston was only a chapelry, and in his
own charge as rector. The bishop, after taking ad-
vice, agreed that Herbert, as rector, should hold it as
long as he held the rectory, and (as compensation)
pay from the goods of the chapel 3 marks a year to
Reginald in the Black Friars' Church at Derby. 6
The right of patronage was not decided ; but the
question does not seem to have been raised sub-
sequently. 7 Besides Henry the parson other early
chaplains are mentioned Ralph, 8 Richard, 9 and
Roger, ' chaplain of Garston and of Hale.' 10 Later
chaplains, who probably ministered here, were John
de Femes," John del Dale," Robert Boton," William
Whitfield, 14 Adam the Mason, 15 William de Waver-
tree, 16 William Fletcher, 17 Thomas de Blackburn, 18
Richard Challoner, and John Fletcher. 19

From remains of the mediaeval building discovered
during the demolition of the eighteenth-century
chapel in 1888, it appears that it dated from the time
of Edward I, and was repaired or practically rebuilt
about 1500.* It seems to have been abandoned for
worship in the reign of Edward VI, when it is
spoken of as nuper cafella' 1 The building remained
in use only as a rent-receiving place, many of the
lessees being bound to pay their rents at or in the

1 See Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii,
677. It is clear from the above that the
Tarletons of Fazakerley were the parent
stock of the Aigburth family. Richard
Tarleton, who died in August, 1555, was
the son of Henry Tarleton ; he had no
lands in Aigburth. His heir was his son
William, aged 21, in 1569; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, /.. 31. Henry's
second wife Margaret and William's
mother Edith (who had married William
Lathom) were both living.
In 1576 William Lathom and Edith
his wife and William and Edward Tarleton

John succeeding to it ; Engl. Cath. Non-
jurors, p. 1 30. The latter by his will
(Piccope MSS. Chet. Lib. iii, 238, from
Roll of 2 Geo. II at Preston) left the
Aigburth estate to his brother-in-law
William Molyncux of Mossborough, who
in 1731 sold it to George Warrington of
Chester ; ibid, iii, 244 (from an unnum-
bered roll at Preston). Sec also Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 307, m. 52;
between William and George Warrington.
Aigburth passed in succession to John
Hardman of Allerton in 1753 ; to John
Tarleton, a Liverpool merchant, in 1772;

William land in the Cleyforlond, for
which he was to pay annually a halfpenny
to Garston chapel on St. Wilfrid's Day.
Norris D. (B.M.), 667, 706.
In 1 274 John de Garston (son of Robert
called the Mouner, deceased) and Alice
his wife, daughter of Hugh de Aigburth,
released to God and St. Wilfrid and to
Herbert Grelley as rector all their claim
in that oxgang which Richard son of
Multon had given to Garston chapel ;
ibid. 743.
s W 'bailey Coucher, ii, 570. The chapel
is occasionally called aclaia in thirteenth

lands in Aigburth, Garston, Fazakerley,
and other places, to Cuthbert Scholefield
and William Bower ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 38, m. 3. About ten years
liter Edward Tarleton occurs in a Fazak-
erley case; Ducatvs Lane. (Rec. Com.),

seat or pew in Childwall church was
appropriated to Aigburth Hall. See the
above-quoted essay in Tram. Hist. Soc. xx,
181-9.
" Norris Paftn (Chet. Soc.), p. 16.
s Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. Non-

6 Norris D. (B.M.), 742, 734. Regi-
nald de Sileby accepted the bishop's
ruling and renounced any claim he might
have upon the chapelry, under pain of
excommunication (bells ringing and can-
dles lighted) should he not pay the ten

nate' recusant in, 593, but 'could not be

Hitchmough, the priest-informer who

was, as a recusant, assessed 10 for the
El's service in Ireland ; Gibson,
u Hall, p. 261, 262 (quoting S.P.
. Eliz. n. ccxxxiii, and vol. cclxvi,

Edward Tarleton died 7 July, 1626,
holding lands in Aigburth of Sir William
Norris of Speke, also in Walton and
Fazakerley ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m.
MIX, 34.
His successor was his son Edward
Tarleton, aged forty-five when the inquest

patrons for gain, was a brother of this
Edward and described as 'of Garston.'
Entering the English College at Rome in
1699 he gave his parents' names as
Thomas and Mary, and his age as twenty-
four. The government gave him the
vicarage of Whcnby in Yorkshire, but he
did not long enjoy it, dying in or before
1724. See Payne, Rec. of Engl. Catholics,
p. 121-75 Foley, Rec. S. /. vi, 450,
v, 349-
4 About 1260 Adam lord of Garston

to Garston on account of the minority of
the heir of Robert Grelley, and Adam de
Garston allowed him to present for that
time; De Bane. R. 100, n. z.
Norris D. (B. M.), 662.
9 Ibid. 741 : William, a clerk, was his
son. Richard was living in 1263 ; Assize
R. 1196, m. 5.
i Norris D. (B. M.), 743 (i 274). Prob-
ably the 'Roger de Meles, chaplain of
Garston ' of n. 749.
" Norris D. (B.M.), 85 ; about 1329.

in 1628 paid double to the subsidy
(Norris D.), and died in June, 1653,
leaving by his wife Dorothy two sons,
Edward, who survived his father but a
week, and Richard. On account of their

Toxteth, granted to God and blessed
Wilfrid and the chapel of Garston and to
Roger son of William land in Quindal
Moor, to be held in alms for ever as
chapel property, on condition that Roger

"Ibid. 582; about 1370.
"Ibid. 857 ; 1385.
Norris D. (Rydal Hall), F. 87 ;
'chaplain of Garston chapel,' 1395.
Norris D. (B. M.), 883-4; 1407.

Cal.ofCom.forComf.^izo}.

burning before St. Wilfrid's altar at all

18 Ibid. 903-7 ; 1450.

known ; but Winifred, who married

a wax light before the great cross, to be

Hist. Sac. (New Ser.), iv, 121-35, where

daughter of the elder Edward : Dugdale,
y-mt. (Chet. Soc.), p. 108. Dorothy
inherited Aigburth and by her marriage
with John Harrington of Huyton brought
it to this family, their sons Charles and

mass should be celebrated there; \d. a
day to be paid to the chapel fabric for
default. About the time Wymark
daughter of Alice, 'the widow of Garston,'
granted to her uncle Adam son of
I2 7

attempt is made to reconstruct the old
building.
Lanes. Chantries (Chet. Soc.), ii, 268,
276. For the ornaments in 1552 see
Ch. Goods (Chet. Soc.), 91.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

chapel, or more particularly in the south porch. In
1605 the ' right worshipful ' Edward Norris, in his
old age, made an endeavour to keep it in repair, and
desired his son to find a suitable chaplain for it. 1
The work seems to have been completed in 1 609,'
The Norrises, as lessees of the tithe-barn at Garston,
received the tithes of that ' quarter ' of the parish,
and may have been responsible for the repair of the
chapel.

The Commonwealth church surveyors found the
' very ancient ' chapel in ruin and decay, and without
an incumbent. They considered it fit to be made a
parish church. Garston Hall paid I y. \d. to the
farmer of the tithes, ' as land belonging to the parish
of Childwall.' 3 The Norrises of Speke became
Protestants about this time, but it was nearly fifty
years before they did anything for the chapel. Then
Katherine, widow of Thomas Norris, by her will in
1707 left 300 for a new building, and in 1715 and
1716 her son Edward, lord of the manor, carried out
her wishes at a cost of about 360, and gave 300
as an endowment for a minister, by this means secur-
ing 200 from Queen Anne's Bounty.

The old building was entirely demolished, a font
being found in the rubbish. The new chapel of St.
Michael, a plain but substantial stone building, was
erected on the site. Several gravestones were found
in the chapel-yard, and there Edward Norris himself
was buried in 1726.* There is a tablet to his
memory on the church. A district was formed for
it in 1828,* and the existing church was built in
1876-7. The registers date from 1777. The lord
of the manor of Speke is the patron, and the follow-
ing is a list of the curates and vicars : 6

1716 James Holme '

1730 John Norris 8

1738 Thomas Barlow 8

1744 Abraham Ashcroft

1786 Jonathan Casson

1805 James Ashton

1810 Marcus Aurelius Parker

1811 John Vause, M.A. (Fellow of King's

College, Cambridge)
1836 John Gibson (first vicar, 1867)
1869 John Fitzgerald Hewson, B.A.
1 884 Thomas Oliver, D.D. (T.C.D.)
Aigburth was formed into an ecclesiastical parish in

1844;' St. Anne's church had been built in 1837.

Mossley Hill became an ecclesiastical parish in 1875 ;

the cruciform church of St. Matthew and St. James

on the crest of the hill has a conspicuous central
tower. A mission church of St. Barnabas has lately
been opened. Grassendale was made into an ecclesi-
astical parish in 1855 I0 for the church of St. Mary,
built in 1853. The patronage of the three benefices
is in the hands of different bodies of trustees.

At Garston the Wesleyan Methodists have two
churches ; the Welsh Methodists and the Methodist
Free Church each one.

There are a Congregational church " and a Baptist
church. The Presbyterians have a church, built in
1894, with a mission hall. The Welsh Calvinistic
Methodists have a place of worship. At Aigburth
also there is a Wesleyan Methodist chapel.

At Grassendale is the Roman Catholic church of
St. Austin, served by the English Benedictines ; it was
opened in 1838, but represents the mission formerly
maintained by several of the older families in the dis-
trict, as the Harringtons of Aigburth. 1 * There is a
small cemetery adjoining. At Garston a temporary
chapel of St. Francis of Assisi was opened in 1883,
the building having formerly been used by the Congre-
gationalists ; the present church, on an adjacent site,
was opened in 1905.

ALLERTON

Alretune, Dom. Bk. ; Allerton, 1 306. The local
pronunciation is Ollerton.

Allerton is a suburban township containing 1,586
acres, 13 pleasantly situated on the gentle slopes of a
ridge which rises on the eastern side to 230 feet above
sea level, overlooking the River Mersey across the
adjacent township of Garston. There are several
large residences with their private grounds set in the
midst of pastures and a few arable fields. There are
plantations of trees, some of a fair size for a suburban
district. An air of tidiness reigns over what remains
of the natural features, with neatly-kept hedges and
railed-in paddocks, and shrubs grown to rule and
measure. The roads are good, and the soil, ap-
parently clay and sand, appears fertile, and is of
course much cultivated ; good cereals are successfully
grown. The pebble beds of the bunter series of
the new red sandstone or trias underlie the entire
township.

The London and North-Western company's railway
from Liverpool to London skirts the south-western
boundary, having stations called Mossley Hill and
Allerton. The population in 1901 was 1,101.

imt has been preserved of the
of 140 which he set aside

already prepared (perhaps the old one)
and for some repairs. The new tower
was to be six yards higher than the top of
the cross on the west end of the chapel ;
the builders were James Haworth of
Aughton and his brother Henry Haworth
of Bradshaw. One of the items is 'To
Gryse for a stone cross 31. 4^.' The
will of James Haworth, 'Freemason'
(1607), directs that first of all provision
shall be made for the completion of ' my
work begun at the chapel of Garston.'
He died at Garston.

A new bell, ' tunable to the third bell
now hanging in the steeple,' was provided
and cast at Congleton by George Lee, the
Nottingham bell-founder, the cost being
32 51. 6d. : it is mentioned that the
' old saints bell ' weighed 90 Ib. ; Norris

D. (B. M.) There were three wardei
of the chapel.

a A stone found in rebuilding had upo
it the initials and date, in three compar

11 Founded 1875; school chapel opened
1883 ; Nightingale, Lanes. Nancanf. vi,

E N

1607

E S K

E. W. Cox, op. cit. (n. 27 on plate).

s Common-wealth Church Surv. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 69, 70.

4 E. W. Cox, op. cit, where description

Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 169, 170.

<-L<md. Gaz., 4 July, 1828.

6 Ex Inform. Rev. Dr. Oliver an
others.

~> Schoolmaster at Woolton ; buried
the chapel, 5 Feb. 1729-30.

8 Schoolmaster at Woolton.

9 Lond. Gax. 27 August, 1844.
"Ibid. 6 March, 1855.

128

TV,, tf/,,. So,. (New Ser.), xiii, .54.
In 1717 Richard Hitchmough the in-
former deposed that ' at Mrs. Harrington's
of Aigburth was one silver chalice and
paten, which he had seen and used when

Henry Challoner, who' entered the
English College at Rome in 1659, gave
the following account of himself : ' Only
son of William and Anne Challoner, born
at Garston . . . made his rudiments at
Crosby and his humanity studies at
St. Omer's College. His father was of
humble rank, and his friends had suffered
severely for the Catholic faith ; he had
two sisters ;' Foley, Rec. S. /. vi, 399.

"The Census Report of 1901 gives
1,589 acres, including 14 of inland
water.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The Calderstones estate, formed in 1828 by Joseph
Need Walker of Liverpool, 1 has lately been purchased
by the corporation of Liverpool. The ' famous Aller-
ton oak,' mentioned in the Directory of 1825, still
stands on the lawn of the house, a very large and
ancient tree.

A local board was formed in 1868 ;* in 1894 it
became an urban district council of nine members.

4LLERTON was in 1066 held by
M4NOR three thegns for as many manors, the
assessment being half a hide, and the
value above the customary rent the normal 8j. 3 In
the twelfth century it became a member of the barony
of Manchester. It is not mentioned by name in the
survey of 1212, but had apparently before that time
been held in conjunction with Childwall by the lords
of Lathom, who had recently resigned their rights here.*

There was here about the same time a family who
bore the local surname. Richard son of Robert de
Allerton gave to the canons of St. Werburgh of
Warburton whatsoever in Aigburth belonged to his
fourteen oxgangs of land in Allerton, as shown by the
marks and crosses of the brethren, with common
rights and easements of his fee in Allerton. His son
Robert, with the assent of his uncle Gilbert, son of
Robert de Allerton, granted three acres between the
' Twiss ' and St. Mary's Spring, next to the four acres
given them by Richard son of Robert son of Henry.
He further gave his portion of ten oxgangs of land
upon Flasbuttes in the east of Aigburth, between the
Stonebridge and the moss. 5

CHILDWALL

In 1241, an assize of mort d'ancestor having been
summoned between Robert son of Richard de Aller-
ton and Geoffrey de Chetham and Margaret his wife,
the former quitclaimed his right in twelve oxgangs of
land in Allerton, i.e. half the manor, to Thomas
Grelley, lord of Manchester, who had been called to
warrant. 6 From this time no resident family assumed
the local name.' The superior lordship thus formally
recognized continued to be held by the barons of
Manchester down to the seventeenth century. 8

A subordinate manor of Allerton was formed for
one of the members of the Grelley family, the earliest
known tenant being John Grelley. His son Robert
and widow Joan were in 1 306 holding respectively
two-thirds and a third of the manor, which were
claimed by Thomas son of Robert Grelley, the superior
lord, by writ of formedon. 9 Robert, however, con-
tinued to hold the manor until the beginning of
Edward Ill's reign, 10 when he was succeeded by his
son John," whose name occurs down to about 1380.
In 1382 Isabel, widow of John Grelley, negotiated
the marriage of her daughter Anilla with John
le Norreys of Much Woolton."

The descent of the manor is obscure at this point.
Probably there was an elder daughter who inherited
it. It was afterwards held by the Lathoms of Par-
bold. Their earliest appearance in Allerton is in
1441, when Edward de Lathom obtained by fine
from Richard de Pemberton and Elizabeth his wife
six messuages, a mill and lands here. 13 A confirma-
tion of the descent is obtainable from two Mossock

i The house was previously called the
Old House.
>Lond.Ga*. 3 January, 1868.
V.C.H. Lanes, i, 2844.
4 In 1209 Robert Grelley, then baron
of Manchester, laid claim to certain
services which Richard son of Robert
ought to render him from a tenement
in Allerton, and the matter was settled
by the latter resigning to the superior
lord the tenement concerned. Final Cone.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 35, 36.

Allerton to Gilbert, son of Robert de
Liverpool, of three acres (24 ft. in length)
in Catranscroft and the Twiss, reaching
to the lands of Cockersand and the
Hospitallers, and lying among the land
bought by Gilbert from Richard son of
Robert de Lathom. Blundcll of Crosby
evidences (Towneley MS.), K.. 198.
'Final Cone, i, 91. Geoffrey de
Chetham twelve years later appeared as
complainant, alleging that the monks
of Stanlaw had forcibly taken some of

Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 4.
In 1323 the justices, William de Herlc
and Geoffrey Le Scrope, stayed a night
at the house of Robert de Gredele in
Derbyshire ; Assize R. 425, m. 14.
11 See Mameeestre (Chet. Soc.), ii, 266 ;
also Norris D. (B.M.), n. 782.
John Grelley was made a verderer
in 1334; Duchy of Lane. For. Proc.
1/17. In 1334 and later John Grelley
disposed of his lands in Chorlton by Man-
chester. In 1389 he is spoken of as

Richard son of Robert de Lathom, from
a claim to the manor made as late as
1316 by Robert de Lathom, by a writ
De avo against Robert Grelley. In the

Plae. (Rec. Com.), p. ,30 ; Cur. Reg. R.
!50, m. 9.
^ William de Allerton and his sons had
lands in the adjoining township of Speke.

shows the Grelley coat, without difference.
See De Trafford D. n. 19, 124-5. J ohn
Grelley and Isabel his wife are named in
1358 ; Assize R. 438, m. 14.

back to the tenant of 1209. De Bane.
R. 216, m. 12 9 J. ; 219, m. nzrf.
It was no doubt the same Richard son
of Robert who gave half a culture here
viz., half of Exstanesfold to the priory
of Burscough. Man. Angl. vi, 460. It
was held of the priory about 1400 by
John de Blackburn of Garston, in socage

William son of Thomas de Allerton, a
claimant of land here in 1362, whose
great-grandfather was named William ;
De Bane. R. 410, m. 63.
8 In 1327 John de la Warre held this

of the' fourth part of a knight's fee and
suit to county and wapentake by the

of Diem el. extr. on the death of John
Grelley was issued i March, 1380-1 ;
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. p. 354.
A Gilbert Grelley occurs in Woolton
between 1350 and 1360. In 1345 John
and Gilbert Grelley had pardons on
condition of serving in Gascony when
summoned ; C/./Jf. 1 343-5, pp. 530-1.

MSS. DD, 1457. After the dissolution
it was acquired by the Ditchfields of
Ditton. Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii,
n. 19.
s Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
559-61. Land in Allerton is mentioned
among the possessions of the abbey in
1292 in the Placita de quo Warranto
(Rec. Com.), p. 339. In 1501 the abbey

Plomb, and 6d. for Puntercroft from Sir

Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 35.
In 1346 it with Childwall and Dalton
formed half a fee, suit to county and
wapentake being performed by John
Grelley ; Sari/, of 1 346 (Chet. Soc.), 42.
There is a similar record in other aids.
In 1623 Allerton was held of Edward
Mosley as of the manor of Manchester
by knight's service and i</.rent; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
iii, 406.

n. 6z ; 6, m. 40. The interval is partly
filled by the occurrence of William de
Slene, during the greater part of
Richard II's reign, as appears from the
Norris deeds of this time. He con-
tributed to the poll tax of 1381 ; and in
1391 the bishop of Lichfield granted him
a licence for an oratory within his manor-
house in the parish of Childwall ; Lich.
Reg. vi, fol. 127. He is also mentioned
in the Chetham Society's volume of

(Chet. Soc.), 1249.
The Richard son of Robert son of
Henry is obviously the lord of Lathom.
The 'Twiss,' a tongue of land be-
tween two brooks, is mentioned in a
grant by Richard son of Robert de

claimed lands in Chorlton-upon-Medlock
from them and in Garston from Adam
de Ireland and Avina hii wife.
lIn 1327 Ellen Grelley contributed
to the subsidy, but in 1332 Robert
Grelley is the name given ; Exch. Lay

129

was for the time lord of the manor, but
there is nothing to show the reason for
it. He may have married the eldest
daughter of John Grelley; all that is
known is that he married the widow of
John de Rainford.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

inquests of the time of Elizabeth ; ' in that taken in
1594 after the death of Henry Mossock his land in
Allerton was stated to be held ' of the heirs of Robert
son of John Grelley ' ; but in that of his son Thomas,
four years later, ' of Richard Lathom.'

Robert Lathom of Allerton, who married a daugh-
ter of William Norris of Speke, occurs from 1472
onwards ; he died at a great age in September, 1516,
and was succeeded by his son William, then over sixty
years old.' The Lathoms were both royalists and
recusants.* Their estates were seized by the Parlia-
ment during the Civil War, and the manor was sold 4
to John Sumner of Midhurst in Sussex, in March,
1654. The price agreed upon was 2,700* It
was not, however, till the beginning of 1670 that
Charles, son and heir of John Sumner, obtained
possession from Thomas Lathom, son and heir of
Richard, by further payment ; later in the same year
the whole was sold to Richard Percival and Thomas
his son for 4,755, of which sum Charles Sumner
received 3,300, and Katherine Lathom, widow,
and her son Thomas the remainder. 6

Richard Percival, born in 1 6 1 6, was engaged in
business in Liverpool. 7 He and others who refused
to make the declaration required by the Test and
Corporation Act were removed from their alderman-
ships in l66z. 8 He died in 1700, being succeeded
by his son Richard. 9 The younger Richard had
three sons and four daughters. The eldest of the
sons, John Percival, failed in business about 1722,'
and the father, apparently overwhelmed by misfor-
tune, retired to Manchester, where he died in 1725."

The Allerton property had been fully settled, but
in 1726 Richard Percival of Liverpool, son and heir
of John, with the assistance of Thomas Aspinall of
Toxteth Park, who had intermarried with this family,"
cut off the entail in order to aid his mother, who out
of her 100 a year had given up 50 to help to pay
her husband's debts. Ten years later he sold the
estate for 7,700 to the brothers John and James
Hardman, the latter being distantly related by
marriage ; he then retired upon 100 a year to
Wavertree Hall, where he was living in 1760, a
recluse, bent upon the discharge of his father's debts. 13

John Hardman died in 1755 " soon after his elec-
tion to Parliament, his brother James having pre-
deceased him in 1746. The former had no children,
but the latter left three sons and a daughter, all of
whom died young, and the widow continued to
reside at Allerton till her death, 12 February 1795.'*

The estate was purchased by William Roscoe and
James Clegg, the manorial rights being held jointly."
The former resided at the hall for some time, 17 but on
his failure in 1 8 1 6 his portion was sold to James
Willacey of Barton Lodge near Preston, from whose
representatives it passed in 182410 Pattison Ellames
for 28,000. In 1836 the purchaser was living at
the Hall and Samuel Joseph Clegg, son of James
Clegg, at Green Hill in Allerton. 18 After prolonged
litigation among the representatives of the families of
Willacey and Ellames, the manor or reputed manor,
demesne lands, and hall estate were offered for sale in
September, 1868, by order of the court of Chancery.
A sale was not then effected ; 19 but later the Ellames

i Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, n. 28 ;
xvii. n. 87.
' Ibid. v. n. 7. A fuller history of
this family is given in the account of
Parbold. For a claim to the manor in
1601 see Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.),
iii, 465.
William and Thomas Lathom of

1641; Tram. f. So*. (New S.),
xiv, 243.

The confiscated estates of Richard,
Edward, and William Lathom of Allerton
were sold under the Act of 1652 ; Index
of Royalists (Index Soc.), 43.
5 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland),
191, 192. Richard Lathom was lord
of the manor at that time ; Cal. of Com.
far Camp, iv, 319.
6 Gregson, l.s.c. In Gregson's time
(1817) there still remained on an out-
house the initials and date , .
proving that the Lathoms L
resided there till the Restora- R , K
tion. Thomas Lathom was 1

of whom married Dr. Samuel Angier, a
popular medical practitioner in Liverpool,
while the younger, Jane, married James
Hardman, brother of John Hardman,
member of Parliament for Liverpool in
1754. See Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby),
i, 588.
Richard had a younger brother Thoma3,
who purchased Royton in 1662.
8 Picton, Liverpool Municif. Rec. i, 238.
Trans. Hist. Soc. l.s.c. The other son,
Thomas, mentioned in the agreement for
the purchase of Allerton, does not occur
subsequently.
10 ' John Percival of Allerton, gentle-
man,' was one of the trustees of the old
Presbyterian chapel at Gateacre in 1715 ;
Nightingale, Lanes. Noneotif. vi, 195.
He married Margaret Crook ; see Local
Gleanings Lanes, and Ches. ii, 24.

above; Fishwick, Rochdale, p. 521, and
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), vi, 77.
18 Gregson, l.s.c. Roscoe's purchase was
made in .799 ; see the Life by Henry
Roscoe, i, 243. Most of the details given
by Gregson have been by Mr. Robert
Gladstone, jun. checked from the original
deeds, many of which are in the possession
of Mr. N. J. Cochran-Patrick (formerly
Kennedy), of Ladyland, Beith, N.B., one
of the proprietors of Allerton, by virtue of
his descent from James Clegg.
There has been a great deal of liti-
gation owing to the early deaths of James
Hardman's children and the want of
proper settlements. Claimants occasion-
lly come forward still, with many ex-
ravagant stories. A pedigree of the
Hardmans may be seen in Tram. Hist. Soc.
x, 153, where some account is given of

the elder sons, John and Richard, who
may have been dead, and created a trust
for his third son as incapable of managing
his own affairs. The personal property
was left to two of the daughters and two
of John's six children, but the testator
was probably insolvent, as the will was
not proved. Fuller details may be seen
in the paper already referred to.

ween two claimantsRichard Pilkington
nd James Russell, whose shares came
o Roscoe and Clegg.
Richard Pilkington made a feoffment
of the manor of Allerton and the other
Hardman estates in Allerton, Great
Woolton, Garston, Aigburth, Grassendalc,
Childwall, and Liverpool in 1759; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 363, m. 4.

joined with Charles Sumner in the fine
of 1671 which concluded the series of
transactions ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdlc.
1 86, m. 122.
^ For an account of the family see
Tram. Hist. Soc. i, 61-6. Richard was
bailiff of Liverpool in 1651 and mayor
in 1658 ; he lived in Water Street, and
his house had six hearths rated in 1663.
In 1668 he leased from Edward Moore
of Bank Hall the 'new fabric which is
already begun, called the Phcenix Hall,
near the bridge in Fenwick Street,' under-
taking to complete it according to the
design ; Irvine, Liverpool in Cbai. II' i
Time, pp. 145, 167. One daughter married
a son of Edward Williamson (mayor in
1 66 1) ; another, Catherine, married
George Leigh of Oughtrington, and had
three sons and two daughters, the elder

was at one time partner with William
Roscoe ; Gregson, l.s.c.
13 Gregson, op. cit. p. 192 ; Trans. Hist.

" He was an executor of the will of
Joseph Lawton, minister of Gateacre
chapel, who died in 1747; Nightingale,
op. cit. vi, 199. He was chosen to
represent Liverpool as a Whig in April,
1754; his successor was elected in
December, 1755 ; Pink and Beavan,
Parly. Ref. of Lanes. 199.
ls The widow's virtues were recorded
by William Roscoe. See Gregson as

I 3

his right to a moiety; ibid. bdle. 371,
m. 4 ; in a later fine (bdle. 384, m. 4)
n 1770 Edmund Ogden and Mary his
wife were joined as deforciants with
James Russell and Anne his wife.
W There is a description of the hall
n the Lanes, volume of Britten's Beau-
ties of England and Wales, p. 215, with
a view. The scenery of Roscoe's ' Inscrip-
tion,' printed at the end of his translation
of the 'Nurse,' appears to have been
suggested by his estate here.
18 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 759.
19 Ibid. (ed. Croston), v, 65.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

trustees sold the hall and manorial rights to Lawrence
Richardson Baily of Liverpool, 1 after whose death in
1886 Mr. Thomas Clarke of Liverpool and Cork
purchased the estates and is the present lord of the
manor.'

Three daughters were the issue of the above men-
tioned marriage between John le Norreys of Woolton
and Anilla Grelley, one of them being Joan, who
married Henry Mossock. In 1417 by fine dealing
with lands in Allerton, Ditton, Huyton, and Speke,
the succession was arranged.* The Mossocks re-
tained property at Allerton until the seventeenth
century. 4

The Norrises of Speke also held land in Allerton of
the Lathoms. It was situate in the Marshfield and
had been the property of the Brooks family of
Garston. 5

Some part of the holding of Cockersand Abbey had
early been farmed to Ralph Saracen, a citizen of
Chester, who gave his right to the Hospital of
St. John the Baptist outside the Northgate, the
brethren thereof being bound to render 5*. yearly to
the abbey. 6 On the suppression of the abbey these
lands were granted to Thomas Holt, 7 and were after-
wards sold to Edward Molyneux. 8

Among the more recent landowners may be men-
tioned the Earles of Liverpool,
who began to purchase about __________

the beginning of last century.
Sir Hardman Earle, of Allerton
Tower, was made a baronet in
1869; he died in 1877, and
was succeeded by his son Sir
Thomas, who died in 1900,
and his grandson Sir Henry
Earle, D.S.O. General Sir Wil-
liam Earle, C.B., C.S.I., a son EARLE of ALLERTON
of the first baronet, was killed TOWER^ 0r tlr^pal-
in the Soudan on 10 February, let, gules each charged
1885; there is a statue to -with an escallop in chief
commemorate him in front of f the feld.
St. George's Hall, Liverpool. 9

An enclosure of waste was made in 1822, the lords
of the manor at that time being Samuel Joseph Clegg
and James Willacey. 10

Two small ' Papist ' estates were registered in
1717; William Walmesley of Liverpool, watchmaker,
/~3 5 for a house held for the life of Anne his wife ;

CHILDWALL

and Thomas Miller of Garston, for houses here and
at Garston, .10."

The church of All Hallows was built in 1872 for
the accommodation of members of the Established
Church. A parish was formed for it in 1876. The
incumbents are presented by Mrs. Bibby. The
stained glass windows were designed by Sir E. Burne-
Jones and executed by William Morris.

SPEKE

Spec, Dom.Bk.; Spek, 1317; Speck(e), 1320; Speke
common from thirteenth century, with variants as
Speek, 1332; Speyke, 1500; once'Espeke' occurs.
In the sixteenth century frequently ' The Speke.'

This district contains some of the best wheat grow-
ing land in the hundred, and has a considerable river
frontage opposite the widest portion of the River
Mersey. There are scattered plantations amongst
open fields, where barley and oats as well as wheat
grow well in light, sandy, or stiff clay soils. There
are no brooks. The village of Speke consists of a
small group of cottages near the church, a mile from
a railway station. Other houses are scattered thinly
over the district. The river bank in places is flat,
but principally consists of high clay banks. Upon
and about these the botanist may find many plants
locally uncommon. The geological formation con-
sists of the bunter series of the new red sandstone or
trias ; the pebble beds underlie the entire township.
The area is 2,504^ acres, 12 of which the demesne of
Speke Hall occupies 765 acres. Oglet" is a hamlet
by the Mersey.

In 1901 the population numbered 381.

The road from Garston to Hale crosses Speke in
two branches, and is met at the village by the road
coming south from Woolton. The London and
North- Western Company's line from Liverpool to
Warrington passes through the northern part of the
township, and has a station.

The remains of Hunt's Cross were described in
1895 as 'a displaced massive square stone socket,
lying in a barn, at the crossroads, near the station.' "

At the boundary of Speke, Halewood, and Hale
there is a piece of land called Conleach. Here
formal challenge fights used to take place between the
inhabitants of the adjoining villages.

1 Ex Inform. Mr. T. Algernon Earle.

Liverpool in 1885.
9 Ex Inform. Mr. T. Clarke.
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 4,
m. 33 ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 230. See
also the accounts of Much Woolton for
Norreys, and of Bickerstaffe for Mos-
sock.
It would appear from a suit of 1352
that the father of John le Norreys had
then some land in Allerton, for he
appeared against Robert son of Robert,
son of Richard le Norreys of Burtonhead,
to claim a messuage and eight acres ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 2, m. iiii (July)
and m. iiii (Oct.)
Kuerden, loc. cit. records a grant in

enclosure being forbidden ; Kuerden loc.

Norris D. (B.M.), 11-18. Among
the Norris deeds are depositions respecting
the rights of common here, the Lathoms'
tenants objecting to those of the Norrises
sharing, on the ground that the property
in respect of which rights were claimed
lay beyond the boundary.
Cockersand Charlul. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
561. The property was known as the
Moss Grange ; Rentale de Cockersand (Chct.
Soc.), 5.
In 1523 Thomas Crue, clerk, master
of the Chester Hospital, leased out the
fields or closes called the Moss Grange
within the parish of Childwall for a term
of 77 years, a rent of 331. ^. being

murder Griffith if he came near the
place, according to his complaint ; Duchy
of Lane. Pleadings, Hen. VIII, x, G. 4.
? Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, . 46.
8 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 50,
m. 91 ; the rent of 51. from Moss Grange
was included.
9 An account of the family, with pedi-
grees and portraits, by Mr. T. Algernon
Earle, is given in Trans. Hist. Soc. (New
Ser.),vi, 13-76.
10 Liverpool Corp. D.
/. Cath. Non-jurors, 126, 155.
' Coz. Walmesley the watchmaker ' dined
at Little Crosby in 1712 ; N. Blundell's
Diary, 106.
"The 1901 Census Rep. gives 2,526,
including 9 acres of inland water ; there

John son of John, son of Simon de
Garston.

< In 1662 Richard Lathom of Allerton
granted Thomas Mossock 5$ acres
'(Henthorn head), on the west of the
Mossock holding in Allerton, further

David ap Griffith and Robert Griffith ;
and after their death the latter's son
William held possession for about five
years, being forcibly expelled in May,
1537, by Sir William Norris and others.
Sir William ordered certain persons to

about 2,373 of foreshore.

" Ogelot, Oggelot, and Ogelote oc
early ; Oglot, Ogloth, also commo
Okelot, 1321 ; Hoglote, 1384.

" Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.),
237-

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

The township is governed by a parish council.

In 1066 SPEKE was one of the manors

M4NOR held by Uctred ; it was assessed at two
plough-lands and its value beyond the

customary rent was the normal sum of 64^.' When

the Lancashire forest was formed, Speke became part

of the fee attached to the chief forestership held by

the Gernet family and their descendants the Dacres.*
The interest of the master foresters in Speke was,

however, merely that of supe-
rior lord after Roger Gernet,

living in 1170, had granted

the manor to Richard de

Molyneux of Sefton in free

marriage.' No service was

attached to the grant,' and

the Molyneux family did not

long retain Speke in their

immediate holding. Before

1 206 half of the manor had

been granted in free marriage

with Richard's daughter to
William de Haselwell, a grant
confirmed by a charter of

Benedict Gernet as chief lord. 5

The other half of Speke seems to have been granted
by Adam de Molyneux to his younger son Roger,
together with Little Crosby and other lands, 6 and
descended to Sir John de Molyneux of Little Crosby,
who died about 1361.

Under the nominal lordship of the chief forester
there were thus at the end of Henry Ill's reign the
mesne tenancy of Molyneux of Sefton, 7 and the
subordinate tenancies of Roger de Molyneux and
Patrick de Haselwell. William de Molyneux of
Sefton granted in free marriage with his daughter
Joan to Robert son of Richard Erneys, a citizen and
merchant of Chester, all his lands and wood in the
vill of Speke with the homages, wards, and reliefs of
the heirs of Patrick de Haselwell and Roger de
Molyneux, the grantor's brother. 8 This grant was
confirmed by Richard son of William de Molyneux
about 1 290, or before the death of Robert Erneys. 9

GEKNET, chief forester
of Lancashire. Gules,

crowned or, -within a
bordure engrailed of the
last.

s or Cms-i-rn.
Argent, on a mound vert
an eagle -with wings en-
dorsed sable.

The origin of the Erneys family seems to be un-
known. Robert FitzErneys was settled at Chester
early in the thirteenth century. 10 He was sheriff of
the city in 1257 and 1259,
and his nephew Robert, who
married Joan de Molyneux,
served in the same office several
times, and probably died during
his term in 1292-3."

Richard, the son of Robert
and Joan, appears to have been
but an infant at his father's
death. The earliest deeds in
which he took an active part
concern the marriage ot his
sister Mabel with Thomas de
Carleton in 1308; but from
1311 onwards many of his

charters are extant. In 1314 he and his mother
made an exchange of lands in Speke with John le
Norreys and Nicholaa his wife." In 1332 he granted
his manor of Speke to John le Norreys for life, by
the service of a rose yearly for the first four years,
and afterwards of 40 marks ; and at the end of 1339
he granted to Alan le Norreys, son and successor of
John, and to his sons Alan and Hugh for life all his
lands in Speke, and the rents of the free tenants and
tenants at will, by the yearly service of a rose for four
years and 40 in silver afterwards. 13 After this he
intervened but little in Speke.

In 1341 he made a small exchange of land with
Sir John de Molyneux, and a year afterwards a mar-
riage settlement was executed in favour of his son
Thomas and Agnes his wife, daughter of Alan le
Norreys. 14

Probably Thomas died without issue, for the next
Erneys to be mentioned is Roger son and heir of
Richard Erneys, who in 1369 made a feoffment of
his lands and tenements, rents and services, mills and
fisheries, in the vill of Speke, &c. 15 Richard Erneys,
the father, seems to have been still living in 1351,
and Roger is first mentioned nine years later in con-
junction with Sir John de Molyneux and Sir Henry

1 y.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.

charter, and in a suit in the hundred of

it, except to the Flemings ; Col. of Pat.

forester ; and at the inquest taken after
h-s death it was found that ' in the vill of
Speke he held 2 plough-lands of William
earl of Ferrers ' ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 43, 188.
In 1324 William de Dacre, who
married Joan the daughter and heir of
Benedict Gernet, held Speke; Dods. MSS.
cxxxi, fol. 336.

6 In 1276 William de Molyneux,
Roger de Molyneux, Patrick dc Haselwall
and Nicholaa his daughter, Alan le
Norreys and Margery his wife, with
Henry son of Cecily, were charged by
Thurstan de Holand with depriving him
of 100 acres of his land in Hale. It was

Various grants made by him are extant.
At Speke one of his first acts (1282) was
to come to an agreement with the other
holders there respecting the windmill.
He received a third part of it, including
the site, suit, right of way, and all other
easements ; the miller to be chosen by
the assent and will of the parties to keep

In the feodary of 1484 Lord Dacre, as
' next of kin and heir of Roger Gernet,' is
called the chief lord; Duchy of Lane.
Misc. cxxx.

boundaries, and these he recovered ; As-
size R. 405, m. id.
^ This is not mentioned in the Moly-

penses to be provided by them in their due
proportions ; Norris D. (B.M.), 481, 482.
" Ibid. 486. Like his father Richard

8 Lanes. Inj. and Extents, 4.
* In 1251-2 'William de Molyneux
holds [2 plough-lands in Speke] in free
marriage and Roger Gernet received
nothing from them ;' Inq. and Extents, 188.
In i 524 Molyneux was said to hold Speke
by knight'8 service.
5 'A very old deed sealed with a man
on horseback,' preserved by Kuerden (iv,
S. 19). Among the witnesses arc Hubert
the Bastard then constable of Layc', and
Adam, dean of Ryscham.
For the Heswall family see Ormerod,
Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii, 511. A John de

showing that William de Molyneux of
Sefton made various grants of land in
Speke to Robert son of Richard de Lay-
coc, William de Allerton, Thomas Redi-
man del Peyc, and Robert de Mossley ;
Norris D. (B.M.), 453-6. Some are
quoted subsequently.
8 Ibid. 480.
Ibid. 467.
10 It is possible that he was one of the
well-known Norman family of that name
who held lands in Essex, Norfolk, and

11 Norris D. (B.M.). In 1274 he had

ter, and he duly served as sheriff and
mayor (1327-8). He and Joan his wife
purchased land in Speke from Adam son
of William de Allerton, and in 1332 he
acquired more from Elias son of Roger del
Hulle;ibid. 508, 508*, 5,6,567,479-
These he transferred in 13 34 and 1339 to
Alan de Mossley and Ellen his wife and
their heirs; ibid. 521, 531. The wife
was probably the 'Ellen daughter of
Richard Erneys' whose land is mentioned
in some later deeds ; ibid. 563, 565.
Ibid. 5,7, 533,533. -

u !!**

132

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

le Norreys, in pleas concerning lands and encroach-
ments at Speke. 1

In 1379 he made an arrangement with Cecily,
widow of Sir John le Norreys, as to the custody of
the heir, Henry le Norreys. 1 The next step seems
to have been the marriage of Henry le Norreys with
Roger's daughter Alice ; and as the latter became
heir of the Erneys properties on the death of John
her brother about 1396,* the Norreys family acquired
the lordship of Speke, in which their subordinate
tenancy of a moiety became merged.

It now becomes necessary to trace the story of this
family. Alan le Norreys of Formby 4 had at least
three sons, Henry, Alan, and John. The son Alan
about 1275 married Margery daughter of Sir Patrick
de Haselwell. As dowry Sir Patrick granted ' half his
part of the vill of Speke, to wit the fourth part of
the whole vill, retaining nothing,' to Alan and his
heirs by Margery, performing the knight's service be-
longing to half a plough-land where 21^ ploughlands
made the fee of a knight. 5 About the same time
Sir Patrick gave the other half plough-land to his
daughter Nicholaa and her heirs, who is found shortly
afterwards to have married John le Norreys, a brother
of Alan. 6 Thus the Haselwell moiety passed to the
Norreys family. 7

It is from the younger pair that the Norrises of
Speke derive their origin, for Alan 8 and Margery left
a son Patrick who died without issue in 1313, having
granted to his uncle John, son of Alan le Norreys, all
his lands and tenements, homages, rents and services

CHILDWALL

of free men and natives and their sequel and chattels,
mills and sites of mills. 9 John le Norreys thus be-
came sole possessor of the Haselwell share of the
manor. He made several purchases and exchanges of
land, and by the lease in 1332
from Richard Erneys he further
improved his position. 10 He
died shortly afterwards, his son
Alan succeeding. In 1334 the
three lords of Speke, Sir John
de Molyneux, Alan le Norreys
and Richard Erneys, made an
agreement with Robert de Ire-
land, lord of Hale, respecting
the boundaries between the two
vills, as to which there had
recently been debate in a plea gules,
of novel disseisin at Wigan. 11 third <
Alan pursued his father's policy,
purchasing additional plots of

land, making exchanges with Sir John de Molyneux,
and renewing the lease of the manor from Richard
Erneys."

Alan died in 1349 or 1350." Henry his son,
who succeeded him as lord of the manor, had begun
to add to the estate, and in 1360, being made a knight
about that time, :4 exchanged certain lands with
Sir John de Molyneux, agreeing on the view of four
men that Sir John should have 4^ acres lying be-
tween Speke Greves and the vill of Speke, saving to
Sir Henry his mill, and should grant the same amount

"f"

1 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 8, m. 14 ;
Assize R. 441, m. 5.
In 1367 Roger Erneys, being of full
age, received a fifth part of the manor of
Little Neston in Ches. in right of his
mother, Joan, sister and co-heir of John
le Blund (White) of Chest.; Ormerod,
Ches. ii, 539.
2 She and Geoffrey de Osbaldeston,
her second husband, were to take charge
of the land and the heir, viz. Henry son
and heir of Sir John, and half the manor
of Speke (the Norreys part). Should
Henry die while a minor they were to
have charge of his sister Katherine, pay-
ing to Roger or his executors 25 marks of

Alan le Norreys and his wife Margery
and by Nicholaa de Haselwell against
Thurston de Holand, of Hale, concern-
ing boundaries ; and by the agreement as
to the mill above mentioned made in
1282 between Robert Erneys and Joan
his wife on one side, and Alan le Norreys,
Margery his wife, John le Norreys and
Nicholaa his wife on the other ; Assize R.
405, m. id.; 1238, m. 35; 1239,
m. 40</.; Norris D. (B.M.), 481, 482.
8 He may be the Alan le Norreys of
Lanes, who had several official appoint-
ments 1297-1307. See Palgrave's Part.
Writs, i, 761.
9 Norris D. (B.M.), 506-7. This

from the one bound to the Wallbrook as
it descends to the Mersey, and following
the crosses and marches directly to the
ditch of Speke, and thence to the Cross-
field towards the north ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 520.
"Ibid. 518, 519, 553, &c. In 1334
he granted to Henry his son and his wife
Agnes, daughter of Robert de Ireland,
9 J acres in Speke in the Sheepcote Field
and 8 messuages and 39 acres held by

ibid. 525. A- few years later he made'
provision for his other sons; in ,339 he
gave to his son John and his heirs a
messuage and two oxgangs in the town-

six months from Henry's death, supposing
that Katherine should in that event be
living and under 14 years of age ; Norris

fine in 1320-1 between John de Nor-
reys, plaintiff, and John de Calveley
and Margaret his wife, deforciants, of a

other liberties, with remainders in
succession to John's brothers Richard,
William, Alan, and Hugh ; ibid. 530.

D. (B.M.), 588.
s Roger Erneys occurs down to 1395 ;
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxvi, App. p. 98.
Most of these particulars are from the
Norris Charters; one of them, dated
1421, is a grant to Sir Henry le Norreys
and Alice his wife, daughter and heir of
Roger Erneys. At the Chester Port moot
in June, 1395, John Erneys claimed an
oven as grandson and heir of Richard
Erneys Information of Mr. W. F.

* He was son of Hugh le Norreys.
His first wife was Margery by whom he
had Henry and Alan; John was the
issue of a later marriage ; De Bane. R.
236, m. 177; 247, m. 170^. &c.
Henry's son Alan made many attempts

latter remitted all right to John le Nor-
reys, who gave them 10. About the
same time a corresponding agreement
was made regarding part of the manor of
Little Caldy in Cheshire this being in
exchange for Speke. It would appear
that Margaret was the daughter of Alan
le Norreys and Margery, and that she, as
well as her brother Patrick, died without
issue, as their tenement in Little Caldy
afterwards reverted to Norreys of Speke,
who held it down to about 1 540, when
Sir William sold it ; Final Cone. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 40 ; Ormerod's
Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii, 489 ; Dep. Keeper's
Rep. xxvii, App. 117.
"Norris D. (B.M.), 475, 477, 490,

his sons Hugh, Alan, Richard, and
William, (b) Hugh, Alan, Richard and
John, and (c) Alan, Richard, and John ;
ibid. 550, 55!, 555.
In 1335 Alan le Norreys of Speke
had exemption for life from being put on
juries, &c., unless his oath were necessary
pursuant to the statute, and from being
mayor, escheator, &c., against his will.
This was renewed in 1339. Cal. of Pat.
1338-40, p. 319.
18 In 1350 Katherine widow of Sir
Robert de Lathom sued Henry le Nor-
reys of Speke, John his brother, and John
Grelley, as executors of the will of Alan
le Norreys of Speke, for the sum of
40 marks, afterwards increased by 20 ;

which were held by John le Norreys of
Speke.
' Norris D. (B.M.), 457.
Ibid. 458.
7 The date of the marriage is fixed ap-
proximately by suits (1276-8) brought by

the sheriff in 1324 as one of the
knights, &c., of the county holding lands
of the yearly value of 15 ; Par!. Writs,
ii (,), 639.
It was agreed to set up three crosses
and other bounds and marches, beginning

79</.; 364, m. 89</.; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. I, m. 3 d.
" He is not described as ' knight ' in
August, 1360, but had become one before
next year ; cf. Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 8, m. 14 ; Assize R. 441, m. i d.

133

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

of land, as profitable to Sir Henry as that was to
Sir John ; the moor to lie in common to them and
their tenants as it used to be, with right of turbary. 1
In 1354 he obtained a grant of free warren in all
his demesne lands of Speke. 1

Sir Henry had a son and heir John, who married
Cecily, daughter of Hamlet de Mascy of Puddington
in Cheshire.'

Of Sir John le Norreys, the next lord of Speke,
but little is known. In 1369 he granted to feoffees
his manor of Speke, together with lands in Garston,
Hale, Woolton, Walton, Ince, and Lydiate. 4 He
died about three years afterwards, leaving a widow
and three young children Henry, Katherine, and
Agnes. In November, 1372, an agreement was
entered into by Cecily his widow with Nicholas le
Norreys of Halsnead, 5 and Gilbert le Norreys,
coroner, with regard to the children. She was to
be responsible for their living and clothing, such as
belonged to their estate, for the next twelve years,
and to make suitable provision for each of them when
they were married. 6 But as already stated Roger
Erneys, as superior lord, quickly intervened, 7 and in
1379 released to Cecily and her second husband the
custody of the heir. At this time Henry was still
under age, and the daughter Agnes is not mentioned.

Except for the dispute with John le Norreys, re-
lated in a note, Sir Henry's tenure seems to have been
undisturbed. By his marriage with Alice Erneys he
became lord of the manor. 8 In 14.16 he made pro-
vision for his son William on his marriage with Eliza-
beth, daughter of Sir James de Harrington. 9

William, son and heir of Sir Henry, succeeded
about 143 i.' A grant of land was made by him in
1433-4, and he occurs in 1453 in a bond for 40
from William Gerard." He had a large family, and was
succeeded by his son Thomas, who married a distant
cousin Lettice," daughter and heir of Thomas Norris
of West Derby ; by her he had six (or seven) sons
and five daughters. 13 He died in 1487-8, seised
of a messuage and land in West Derby, of four
oxgangs and other land in Formby, also of the manor
of Speke and land, meadow, wood, heath, and pasture
in Speke, but the jurors at the inquest did not know
of whom, he held the same. William Norris, his son
and heir, was then twenty-eight years of age."

Sir William Norris, the successor, must therefore
have been born about 1459. His knighthood appears
to date from 1487, after the battle of Stoke, in which
case he must have fought there on the Lancastrian
side. 1 " He was contracted in marriage as early as
1468 to Katherine, daughter of Sir Henry Bold."

i Norris D. (B.M.), 548, 566, 5/o,

annual value of 221. clear, was claimed by

"Marriage covenant, .446; Lanes.
Chant. (Chet. Soc.), i, 98 n.
18 In 1464 he made an arrangement
with the prior and convent of Upholland
for the daily celebration of mass at an
altar in the church by one of the monks
(to be deputed weekly according to the
cursus tabule sive scripture sue} for the souls
of Sir Richard Harrington, his parents
and benefactors ; saying between the

about 1358 Henry le Norreys of Speke

of the forest with greyhounds and bows
and arrows, and has been so these ten
years past.' For instance, in 1348 he
had hunted and taken a buck in the
forest, giving half of it to John Grelley ;
Duchy of Lane. Forest Proc. 1-20.

head of Great Woolton ; Lanes. Inj. p. m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 79, and Towneley MS.
UD. 1462. In a grant made directly to
him, he is called son of Agnes Mosley ;
Norris D. 191.
Naturally his claim was not well
received by Sir Henry's grandson, another
Sir Henry, then lord of Speke ; but it

Henry le Norreys (perhaps the son)
with William de Holland of Hale went
abroad on the king's service in 1359,
having letters of protection granted ;
ibid. p. 347.
In October, 1367, the bishop of Lich-
field granted a licence to Sir Henry le

agreed that this Sir Henry should have

fundis, Pater Noster, Ave Maria, the
collect Inclina Domine, and other suitable
prayers. Every year also on 17 August,

rendering him a red rose, but John's heirs

Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. p. 4 ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 630-1. By later deeds (634,
635) it appears that the dispute went on

was to be solemnly kept at the high
altar, with mass and office of nine lessons,
a bier (libitina) being erected in the choir

house of Speke ; Lich. Epis. Reg. v, fol. 18.
8 The indenture in French settling this
marriage is described by the compiler of
the Norris pedigree about 1600; but he
ascribes it to Edward I's reign ; see
Ormerod in the Topographer, ii, 374.
Sir Henry had children apparently
by several mistresses, for whom he
thought it right to make provision in
1367, not long before his death, by en-
feoffing Roger Poghden vicar of Child-

decision of Sir Richard Molyneux of
Sefton, who allowed the Speke family
land of the value of 201. yearly.
< Ibid. 584.
6 He was one of the executors of the
will, Cecily being the other ; De Bane.
R. 41:9, m. 10.
Norris D. (B.M.), 585-7.
1 The plea as to the custody of land
and heir by Roger Erneys -v. Cecilia, who
was wife of Sir John le Norreys appears

candle burning at each end. An annual
rent of 8 marks was assigned for this, to
revert to Thomas Norris and his heirs
should the monks fail to fulfil their con-
tract; Norris D. (Rydal Hall). Sir Richard
was uncle of Thomas Norris. He placed
one or two windows in Childwall church,
and founded there the chantry of St.
Thomas the Martyr.
" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. vol. iii,
n. 38. A rental of the Norris properties
compiled for him has been preserved
(B.M.). It is annotated by his great-
grandson Sir W. Norris.
is Metcalfe, Bk. of Knights, 17. His
arms are not given. The other Sir
William Norreys (said by Dugdale to
have fought at St&ke) was knighted at
Northampton in 1458, and his son
Edward, grandfather of Lord Norris of
Rycot, was knighted at Stoke (Metcalfe,
p. 2, 14). The arms given to this Sir
Edward (viz. Ravenscroft) were quite
different from those of Norris of Speke,

wood, in Oglet and Contelache in Speke.
These lands the vicar at once regranted
to Sir Henry, with remainders to Richard
son of Cecily de Culcheth, to Henry son
of Sir Henry, to Robert son of Alan son of
Alan le Norreys, and to John son of John
le Norreys of Woolton ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 574, 575. By another deed he
granted land for his son Henry and the
heirs of the body of Margaret de Lancas-
terin the Dep. Keeper's version it
appears to be ' Henry son of Sir Henry,

m. 183; 462, m. i6J.
8 In 1400 he entered into a recognizance
in xo marks before Hugh Holes, justice
of the King's Bench, to abide by the
judgement of the king and his council as
to his leaving the king's army in North
Wales, taking with him cattle, &c, but
the 20 oxen and 200 sheep taken from
him at Halton were to be restored to
him; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxvi, App. p. 279.
Norris D. (B.Mf), 600.
10 Sir Henry occurs in the Chester

mainders to Richard son of Cecily de
Culcheth, to Robert son of Agnes de
Myntynge, and to John son of Agnes del
Mosshead. Henry and Robert son of
Agnes de Myntynge died without heirs
male ; Richard son of Cecily de Culcheth
had a son and heir, John Norreys, who
was convicted of felony and hanged in
1401-2 j and so the property, of the

Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. p. 633, 197, &c.
"Norris D. (B.M.), 611, 615. In
1458 a marriage was arranged between
his daughter Elizabeth and Thomas son
and heir-apparent of William Gerard of
Ince, for which a dispensation had been
obtained as early as 1449, the parties
being related in the third degree ; ibid.
643-5.

y,,it. (Harl. Soc.), 289.
i Norris D. (B.M.), 646, 650, 651,
653. There were covenants as to the
dower of Lettice wife of Thomas Norris,
and as to the provision to be made for
younger sons and brothers. Lettice had
sworn upon the holy evangelists before
Sir Thomas Gerard and other witnesses
that the whole of her inheritance in

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Sir William died I September, 1506, seised of the
manor of Speke, and lands there and in Siche, as also
in West Derby, Formby, and Oglet. His son and
heir, Henry Norris, was then aged twenty-eight and
more. 1

Henry Norris had in 1500 married Clemence, one
of the daughters and coheirs of Sir James Harrington,
of Wolfage and Brixworth in Northamptonshire.*
On the division of the Harrington property in
1516, half of Blackrod fell to Clemence. 5 Henry
Norris is said to have fought at Flodden, in company
with his brother William, under the leadership of Sir
William Molyneux. 4 He died at Speke 7 July,
1524, leaving as heir his son William, then aged
twenty-three or more. The manor of Speke and the
other lands, &c., in Speke, Siche, and Oglet were said
to be held of Sir William Molyneux, by knight's
service, except two parcels of land in Speke held of
the same Sir William in socage by the rent of 1 8^. 5

William Norris was knighted between 1530 and
1535, upon what occasion does not seem to be
recorded. He made several exchanges and sales of
various Norris properties, parting with Caldy, but
buying the Grosvenor lands in Lancashire, exchanging
lands in Formby, Lydiate, and Ince Blundell for others
in Garston and elsewhere. 6 He dwelt sometimes at

CHILDWALL

Blacon near Chester, but Speke was his principal
residence.' In 1544 he engaged in the Scottish
expedition of Lord Hertford, and it is notable as an
indication of his character that the spoils he brought
home were books. 8 He seems also to have fought at
Pinkie, as the arms and initials on the ' gwyddon '
won by Sir William Norris in Scotland are those of
David Boswell of Balmuto, whose sons fell there. 9
In 1554 he represented Liverpool in Parliament. 10
Three years later he was too infirm for military
service in person." In 1563 he compiled his
'Genealogical Declaration,' 18 and on 30 January,
1567-8, was gathered to his fathers, being buried at
Childwall four days later. 13

Edward Norris, his son and heir, was of the age of
twenty-eight years. A considerable portion of Speke
Hall was built in his time. It does not appear that
he took any marked part in the religious controversy
of the age, though he held the Speke estates for the
greater part of Elizabeth's reign," but at the end of
his life he desired his son to make provision for the
maintenance of a ' sufficient chaplain ' at Garston
chapel, 15 200 being the sum named ; bequeathing
also 60 for a schoolmaster at Much Woolton. He
had in 1605 provided 140 for the rebuilding of the
tower of Garston chapel. In 1605-6, 'being him-

Lanes, and North Wales (except at
Bodiarda and Beaumaris in Anglesey)
should descend to her son William.

third and fourth degree ; and a settlement
was made by Sir William Norris for the
benefit of the bride, the properties includ-

which the original is among the Norris
deeds (B.M.), is printed in the Topographer
and Genealogist, ii, 362-73, with an im-

cured by William, but not if she pro-
cured it. For this marriage Sir Henry
Bold was to pay 215 marks, but Thomas

the tenure of James Robinson ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 657-60.
Soon after his father's death Henry
Norris made arrangements for his mother's

cnd of the second line should be added
' son of Sir John son of Sir Henry.'
18 In the inquisition after his death he
is said to have held Speke of Sir Richard

what he had received of that sum should
Katherine die within six years without
issue ' inheiritable ' by William. Kathe-
rine survived her husband and son, and
was living in 1524.
1 In 1511, about three years after the
inquest had been made, Henry Norris
came into the Court of Chancery at Lan-

the income of her jointure lands (as set-
tled by Thomas Norris) was to be ascer-
tained by her son (or William Brettargh)
and Dame Katherine 'going lovingly to-
gether to the tenants ' to learn ' the parcel
of the lands and what rent every tenant
gives' ; ibid. 66 1 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. v, n. 63.

ston of the queen, as of her manor of
West Derby, in socage by a rent of 201.;
tenements in Hale of George Ireland by a
rent of 55. ; in Halewood of the earl of
Derby by a rent of 241. ^J. ; in Allerton,
of Richard Lathom ; in Much Woolton
of the queen as of the late priory of St.
John of Jerusalem in England by a rent of

had caused the escheator to enter into
possession. Speke and the other lands
had been described as held of the king as
of his duchy of Lancaster by knight's ser-
vice, whereas Speke was held of William
Molyneux in socage by fealty, the lands
in Formby of the earl of Derby, and only
the land in West Derby of the king as
duke. Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. iii,

Sir William Norris's will (28 April,
1492) grants to his sons James, William,
and George 401. each to be paid when
they go to service ; should any of them

4 Ormerod, Parentalia (Norris, 30,
31, 47). He had a general pardon from
Henry VIII in the first year of his reign ;
Norris D. (B.M.).
4 Duchy of .Lane. Inq. p.m. v, n. 63 ;
the will of Henry Norris is recited in it.
The brasses of Henry and Clemence in
Childwall church are figured in Orme-
rod's Parentalia and Thornely's Lanes.
Brasses.
6 A detailed list of the lands exchanged
in Lydiate and Garston is extant.
7 Leland, Itin. v, 55 ; vii, 48. Bla-

the Mersey ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m.
xi, n. 22.
For his attitude in religion see Gibson,
Lydiate Hall, 1 86, 195 ; Raines, Chantries
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 177.
A pedigree was recorded in 1567;
n,it. (Chet. Soc.), 83-6.
14 He was returned in 1590 as a sus-
pected person, conforming to some degree,
but of 'evil note,' his wife was a notorious
recusant, and in 1598 he had to pay 15
to the queen's service in Ireland on her
account ; his children seem mostly to have
adhered to the Roman Catholic faith, and

to be found at the school according to
their degree, and should one become a
priest he was to be maintained till twenty-
four years of age at school ; otherwise
they were to have 261. SJ. each until
advanced 'in service or fee' of 1001. a
year. Should any of them take and keep
paramours they were to lose their right
under the will. His son Henry must
help his sisters Lcttice, Margaret, and Joan
till marriage, when each was to have 40
marks. He desired his wife and eldest
son to live together ' aythur to socur oder.'
His uncles Richard and John Norris were

Oxford.
8 Fourteen folio volumes now pre-
served in the Athenseum Library at
Liverpool have his autograph inscriptions
stating that ' Edin Borow ' was won on
8 May, 1544, and that the said books
were 'Gotten and brought away by me
William Norris of the Speike, K.., the
I ith day of May aforesaid,' and being now
the books of him the foresaid Sir William

Speke as heirlooms.
9 Ormerod, Parentalia, where a sketch
of the banner is given. Sir William's
eldest son William is said to have been
killed at Pinkie.

at least one of them suffered for it. See
Gibson, Lydiau Hall, 244, 247, quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, a. 4. In 1586
the vicar of Kirkham reported 'Richard
Brittain, a priest receipted in the house of
William Bennet of Westby about the be-
ginning of June last, from whence young
Mr. Norris of Speke conveyed the said
Brittain to the Speke .... (who) re-
maineth now at the house of Mr. Norris
of the Speke .... by common report ' ;
Baines, Lanes, quoting Harl. MS. 360,
fol. 32. See also Cal. of S.P. Dom.
1598-1601, p. 482; and Crosby Rec.
(Chet. Soc.), 23.
15 It should be remembered that Garston

granted by Hadrian di Castello, the papal
nuncio, from his residence at St. Paul's in
London, the parties being related in the

i 80.
11 Lanes. Lieutenancy (Chet. Soc.), 17.
"Sir W. Norris's 'Declaration,' of

'35

services, and that Roman Catholics at the
beginning of James I's reign were hoping
to be allowed liberty of worship.

A HISTORY OF

self aged and sickly and his children many in number,'
he made a release of all his lands to his son Sir
William, and dying during the summer of 1606, was
buried at Childwall. 1

His eldest son William, who had resided at Blacon,
succeeded him. He was made a Knight of the Bath
at the coronation of James I.* The end of his life
was embittered by a quarrel with his son 3 and a
heavy fine inflicted by the Star Chamber. 4 These
troubles seem to have hastened Sir William's end
for he died in October, 1630.*

William his son was described as a recusant
in 1624, and died 10 July, 1651. He married
Margaret, daughter of Thomas Salisbury, of Llewenny. 6
It does not appear that he took any part in the Civil
War, 7 but a younger son Thomas, who inherited the
estates, had in 1650 fallen under the displeasure of
the Parliament as ' adhering to and assisting the forces'
of the king. His estates were described as 'the
manor and capital messuage of Speke, with the
demesnes thereof, three cottages, two windmills, two
water-mills and lands of the yearly value of 224 5/. %d.,
and the like estate in reversion of certain messuages
and lands in Speke and Garston, then rented out at
69 ifs. 6d.' The fine imposed was .508 ; and
there is no mention of any recusancy. 8

Thomas Norris, aged forty-six in 1664,' held Speke
till his death about 1686. He married Catherine,
daughter of Sir Henry Garvey, an alderman of
London, and had by her a family of seven sons and
four daughters. The eldest son Thomas was aged
eleven at the visitation ; he was sheriff of Lancashire
in 1 696,' and member of Parliament for Liverpool
after the Revolution, being a Whig in politics." He

loughby

LANCASHIRE

married in 1695 Magdalen, daughter of Sir Willo;
Aston, bart. Their only child Mary succeeded
the estates on the death of her uncles " without male
issue, and married Lord Sidney
Beauclerk, fifth son of the first
duke of St. Albans. He was
' a man of bad character . . .
notorious for panting after the
fortunes of the old and child-
less.' The marriage took place
in 1736, and the only son was
Topham Beauclerk, the friend
of Johnson and Reynolds, who
married Diana, daughter of
the third duke of Marlborough,
the divorced wife of Lord
Bolingbroke ; by her he had a
son Charles George Beauclerk, 13
who in 1797 " sold the Speke
estates to Richard Watt, a
Liverpool merchant.

The new possessor was born at Shevington in
Standish. In his youth he was the driver of the only
hired carriage then in Liverpool ; having been taught
at a night school he went out to Jamaica, where he
amassed a fortune of half a million sterling. 16 Speke
became the property of his nephew, Richard Watt of
Bishop Burton in Yorkshire, who died in 1 8 1 2, 16 and
was succeeded by his son, grandson, and great-grandson,
each named Richard. The last of these, who died in
1865, was succeeded by his only child Adelaide (born
19 May 1857), the present lady of the manor. 17

Speke Hall stands a little back from the shore of
the Mersey, protected by belts of trees on the west

BEAUCLERK. Quarterly
first and fourth France
and England quarterly,
second Scotland, third Ire-
land, over all a sinister
baton gules charged with
three roses argent.

1 FUJI. Cert. (Chct. Soc), 41, 42.
a Metcalfe, Bk. of Knights, 151. About

1 94. Two years later he was a ' convicted
recusant,' paying double taxes; Norris D.

" The 500 tons of timber to be taken
out of the cavaliers' woods for the benefit

the same time licences to travel were

(B.M.).

of Liverpool included some from William

granted to two of his sons, Edward and

Edward Moore of Liverpool, a magis-

Norris's ; Picton, Liverpool Municip. Rec.

Alan.

trate and a Protestant, had questioned the

145.

From the Norris D. (B.M.) it appears

churchwardens of Childwall as to Sir

He was named in a commission of

that the eldest son Edward having died

William's attendance or non-attendance

array in 1642. Farington P. (Chet. Soc.),
76 Sec also Feet of F. Lanes. Aug.

became heir apparent and was allowed to

therefore lay in wait for him, and accused

1652.

reside at Blacon with his wife and family.
About 1625 Sir William wished to raise

him of ungentlemanlike dealing. On
Moore hinting that the churchwardens

8 Royalist Comp. P. iv, 227-30. See
also Norris P. (Chet Soc.), 13-15. In

money by a mortgage on this property,

had misrepresented his conduct, Sir

1642 Edward Norris, the eldest son, had

to London to set forth his interest in the

was summoned before the Star Chamber

rington. This may be the reason why

through. It appears that the son had

wards reduced'to 250 j Rmhworth, fittf.

Parliament for her allowance of a third

been promised an annuity of 40 by his

Coll. pt. 2, vol. ii, App. p. 35 (quoted by

from her husband's estate ; Royalist Comp.

father, which had never been duly assigned

Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 156) ; Cal. of S.P.

P.iv, 219.

to him, and though he professed the

Dom. 1631-3, p. 80.

Dugdale's Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 220.

greatest respect and obedience he resolved

5 His will and the disposition of his

1 P.R.O. List, 73.

to hold possession of Blacon till the an-

property mav be read in Royalist Comf.

Pink and Beavan, Lanes. Parl. Rep.

nuity was secure, and in this course he

P. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,

192. Other members of the family also

professed to have the support of * his

176-9.

served ; ibid. 193, &c.

ghostly father.' On Sir William's death

It was about the same time that Lord

13 Those who had Speke were Sir

the son brought actions against the trus-

Wentworth made compositions with

William Norris, bart. (cr. 1698), who

tees of Speke, and at length obtained

various recusants; Sir William Norris,

died 1702, s.p. ; Edward Norris, M.D.

possession; Cal. of S.P. Dom. 1634-5,
p. 172, 199.

whose income was estimated at 600 per
annum, was charged 60 ; Cal. of S.P.

who died in 1726, leaving two daughters ;
and Richard Norris, Mayor of Liverpool,

The Star Chamber fine arose out of

Dom. 1629-31, p. 428.

1718.

religious differences. Sir William had

The inquisition taken after Sir

13 For these and other particulars of the

been accused in 1626 of sending arms and

William's death is in Towneley MS. C 8,

family history see the Norris P. (Chet.

money to Flanders ' to the king's enemies

13 (Chet. Lib.), 916. The manor of

Soc.), p. xi-xx.

beyond seas' ; Cal. of S.P. Dom. 1625-6,
p. 304. A younger son Henry is called

Speke was held of Lord Molyneux.
6 Her father was executed in 1586 in

For a recovery of Speke Manor, &c.,
by Lady Diana Beauclerk, see Com. Pleas

'Captain' in 1622, and is said to have

connexion with the Babington plot ; he

Rec. R. Hil. 35 Geo. Ill, m. 55; also

served in Flanders.

was grandson of Jane, daughter and coheir

Enrolled D. R-55, m. 25 d.

Sir William was described as < not con-

of David Middleton of Chest. For

15 Brooke, Liverpool, 177-8.

formable to the laws ecclesiastical now
established,' in Richard Fleetwood's will,
1626; Wills (Chet. Soc. New Ser.), ii,

William Norris's issue see Visit, of 1 664
(Chet. Soc.), 220 ; also Ormerod, Paren-
talia, ped. IV.

16 A view of Speke Hall appeared in
the Gent. Mag. of 1804, pt. i.
V Burke, Landed Gentry.

I 3 6

SPEKE HALL : THE CHIMNEY-PIECE IN THE GREAT CHAMBER

SPEKE HALL : SOUTH BAY OF THE HALL

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

and north, and set in picturesque grounds which as
yet show little traces of damage from the chemical
fumes which have done so much to destroy the beauty
of the neighbourhood.

The house is an admirable specimen of timber con-
struction, being built round a central court and
enclosed by a wide moat, now
dry and grass grown, the chief
entrance being on the east,
reached by a stone bridge of
two arches spanning the moat.

The hall is at the north
end of the west wing, with
the great chamber adjoining it
on the north, the kitchens and
offices being in the south wing,
and the chief living rooms on
the north and east. The build-
ings appear to be of two main J ji^'de-lh, 7/7
dates, the south and east wings, changed.
except the north end of the

latter, being the parts built by Edward Norris about At the north-east angle of the house, wh
i 598, while the north and west wings are of earlier
detail, and probably date from the beginning of th

CHILDWALL

is set in a projecting bay with a six-light window on
the first floor. In the spandrels of the arch are the
initials of Edward Norris and his wife Margaret
(Smallwood).

The bay is more richly treated than the rest of
the front, having a band of quatrefoils in the gable,
and below the first-floor window and above the latter
band is Edward Norris's inscription : ' This worke
twenty-five yards long was wholly builded by Edw: N:
Esq: Ano. I 598.' To the left of the entrance, when
the outer door is passed, is the porter's lodge and the
passage to the kitchen wing, and on the right a wider
doorway opening to the corridor running round the
inner side of the north and east wings, and giving
access to the ground-floor rooms. South of the
porter's lodge is a projecting bay, the ground-floor
room in which has an arched head to its east window,
and is said to have been the chapel ; it is now a ser-
vants' hall. North of the main entrance is a large
room with fireplaces at each end, and doubtless once
divided into two ; Tt is now used as a morning room.

the

junction between the early and late sixteenth-century
work occurs, is a large gable projecting eastward the

tury. There is nothing to show that details of its windows showing that it belongs to the

anything older than this is standing.

older part of the building. Edward Norris's work

Edward Norris's work follows the older building in begins from this point southwards, and includes
general design, and is apparently a completion of an
interrupted scheme, the main differences being in the
smaller details, which show a marked renaissance feel-
ing completely absent from the older work. The
irregular setting out of the court is probably due to an
alteration from the design during the course of the
later work, the kitchen wing being swung southwards
in order to allow room for a bay window in the south-
west angle of the court, making an architectural balance
to the hall window in the north-west angle. This care
for symmetry is a sign of the growth of classical taste
characteristic of the latter part of the sixteenth century,
and is worthy of note in a building which in other
respects is thoroughly Gothic in general effect.

The barge boards and gable finials are the most
elaborate features, the cinquefoiled traceries of the
former being imitated, though with somewhat clumsy
detail, in the later sixteenth-century work. The rich

all

the rest of the east wing, about 80 ft. long, thus
agreeing fairly well with the 25 yds. mentioned in his
inscription over the entrance doorway.

The rooms on the ground floor of the north wing
are for the most part unimportant, the largest being
that at the east end, now a billiard room ; but at the
west end is the chief staircase, nearly opposite the
upper entrance to the hall, and beyond it the great
chamber, a splendid room with a richly worked plaster
ceiling, and a large fireplace at the north-west, lighted
by an eight-light window on the west, and a deep bay
window on the north. The details of the latter show,
however, that it is of later date than the room. Over
the fireplace is a very elaborate chimney-piece of
wood, with many figures representing members of the
Norris family ; the execution is very inferior to the
general details of the room. At the south-west angle
a small stone entrance porch has been added, bearing

quatrefoiled panelling of wood and plaster, which is the date 1612, and the initials of William Norris and
used to such excellent purpose in many of the old his wife Eleanor (Molyneux).

timber houses of the district, occur

the

The great hall, which adjoins the great chamber on
yard and garden front of Speke, and the close set the south, is of the full height of the two stories of the

upright and diagonal timbers, and the variety and
unequal projections of the gables, make the house

house, and has a flat panelled ceiling with diagonal
ribs and heavy moulded beams, and at its upper

hole perhaps the most attractive of all the beautiful north end a canopy with a panelled soffit over the site

timber-built houses which the county has to show. of the high table, which with the dais on which it

The roofs are covered with heavy grey stone slates, stood has long since been removed. The width of

making a charming contrast with the black and white the hall is 25 ft. 6 in., and its extreme length 33 ft.
walls, and a panelled cove runs round the walls and
across the gables at the eaves level. The main fram-

ing posts, sills, and heads is of oak loin, square,
resting on dwarf walls of red sandstone ashlar, and
towards the court the uprights, set about 5 ft. 6 in.
apart on the south wing, and about 7 ft. elsewhere,
are marked out by shallow wooden ' buttresses ' with
profiles suggested by the weatherings of masonry but-
tresses, many times repeated.

The bridge by which the entrance doorway is

At the north-east is a fine bay window of four canted
sides, with twelve square-headed lights divided by a
transom, and a flat panelled ceiling with moulded ribs
converging to a carved central boss. On the transom
is carved a vine trail. On the opposite side of the
hall, at the north-west corner, is a rectangular chamber
opening with its full width to the hall, but of less
height, and having a large fireplace on the south, and
a six-light window on the west. The hall itself is
lighted by a large four-light window on either side
below the projecting bays, and has also on either side
range of upper windows. The four-light windows

reached is built of sandstone ashlar, with two round-
headed arches and cutwater piers, and the doorway

itself has a four-centred sandstone arch flanked by are insertions of the end of the sixteenth century or
wing walls of masonry with heavy stone cresting, and later, and it is probable that the body of the hall was

3 137 l8

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

originally lighted from the upper windows only.
The greater part of the south or lower end of the hall
is taken up by a great fireplace with a heavy carved
wood lintel and seats in the ingle. Above the fire-
place is a panelled and embattled front, in plaster, and
to the west of the fireplace, over the entrance from
the screens, is a wooden gallery, entered from the
first-floor rooms to the south. The hall is completely
panelled in wood, that at the upper end being specially
notable, both for its deep mouldings and free-standing
fluted pillars, and for the tradition that it formed part
of the loot of Holyrood Palace in 1 544.

From the screens at the south end of the hall a
porch gives access westward to the gardens through a
sandstone arch with renaissance cresting, built in
1605 by Edward Norris, and bearing his initials and
those of his wife Margaret (Smallwood). The rooms
south of the hall passage are of little interest internally,
that immediately to the south-west being used as a
drawing-room, and the others as housekeeper's room,
cellar, store-room, and butler's pantry. The bay
window corresponding to that at the north-east of the
hall is, and has been from the first, divided into two
stories, the upper being now used as a bedroom. The
drawing-room and butler's pantry with the rooms
over them belong to the older work, the block now
containing the cellar, &c., being added to range and
harmonize with the former, but clearly showing its
later date by the differences in detail.

The external elevation of the range just described,
facing westward to the garden, forms one of the most
charming pieces of domestic architecture in the
country. The gables have lost, in all cases but one
(that over the north-west bay of the hall), the carved
barge boards which so greatly enhance the effect of
the east front, and only three of the tall hip-knobs
remain, but these defects are more than compensated
for by the variety and richness of the timber-work,
and the different sizes and projection of the gables.
The frames of the first-floor windows, set out slightly
from the wall face, and the moulded brackets which
carry them, are good examples of a class often found
in the Lancashire houses.

The southern wing contains the kitchen and offices,
its salient feature being the massive stone chimneys
which take up nearly the whole of the south front.
From its west end a modern range of buildings runs
southward, bounding the paved yard, from which a
bridge leads southwards over the moat to the site of
the farm buildings.

On the first-floor of the house corridors run round
the inner sides of the north, east, and south ranges,
opening to a series of rooms which, apart from their
furniture, have little architectural interest. The roof
space is, as usual, plastered and clay-floored, but has
one unusual feature, a small room with a fireplace
over the servants' hall, which, as has been said, may
have been the chapel. There is a small staircase to
this room. It is worthy of note that the ridge of the
roof of the north wing is over the centre of the range
of rooms on the upper floor, and not over that of the
full width of the range including the corridor, which
has separate timbers carrying down the slope of the
roof. It is possible that this may imply a retention
of an older arrangement of the house ; but nothing
else in the detail gives any support to the idea. The
gabled roof of the north-east bay window of the hall is
apparently a later addition, as the embattled plate of
the hall continues behind it, and there is also the head

of an upright timber with part of an applied wooden
' buttress 'like those elsewhere in the court.

A MS. inventory of household stuff at Speke Hall
in 1624, preserved at Rydal Hall, Westmorland, 1 gives
a list of the rooms then existing. It is not possible
to identify all the rooms mentioned, and the order in
which they are named does not give much help, but
the list is of sufficient interest to be quoted in full :

The chamber called the little nursery

The chamber called the great nursery

The withdrawing chamber

The chamber over the compast window

The chamber at the stair-head

The chamber over the old chapel called Sir
Thomas Gerard's chamber

The painted chamber

My lord's chamber

The chamber over the school
The inner chamber

The chamber over the gates

The Chapel chamber

The chamber next to Mr. Tyldesley's

Mr. Tyldesley's chamber

The School chamber

The seller chamber

The great parlour

The little parlour

The hall

The new little Chapel

My mistress' chamber

Mrs. Wolfall's chamber

The kitchen chamber

The corn chamber at the stairhead
The inner chamber

The trunk chamber

The cheese chamber

The chamber over the little parlour
The inner chamber

The old Chapel (chests and lumber)

The store house

The closet over against the kitchen chamber

The porter's chamber (bedstocks)

The brewer's chamber (bedstocks)

The chamber next the new bridge where the
gardens lie

In the New Building:

The chamber next the brew house

The chamber where the chimney is

The tailor's chamber

The dove house chamber

The work house (bedstocks)

The horse keeper's chamber

The chamber where the servants lie, which is on

the left side of the stairs
The chamber on the right side of the stairs
The ox keeper's chamber
The chamber over the dog kennel
The chamber adjoining the stairhead
The Upper Gallery
The Lower Gallery (pikes, &c.)
In the false roof (int. al. one canopy, one clock

and a bell, some armour)
In the outcast window by the kitchen where the

yeomen dine
The dey house
The brew house

Kindly ,

licated by Mr. R. D. Radcliffc, F.S.A.

138

SPEKE HALL : THE HALL, PANELLING AT UPPER ENU

SPEKE HALL : THE HALL, FROM THE NORTH-WEST BAY

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

The Boulting house

The bread loft

The Kitchen

The Dry larder

The wet larder

The Scullery

The new kitchen

The feather house

The buttery

It will be seen that the first sixteen rooms seem to
be on the upper floor. Among them the chamber
over the gates is perhaps that over the main entrance,
and the chamber over the compast window may be
that in the upper part of the bay window at the
south-west angle of the inner court, already noted.

The great parlour and little parlour, mentioned
next to the hall, would appear to be the great chamber
and the room at the north-west angle of the hall.
For the ' new little chapel ' it is difficult to suggest a
site. The mention of the new building should point
to Edward Norris's work, done in 1598 and after,
and the upper and lower galleries may be the inner
corridors. Some of the rooms mentioned may have
been detached from the main building the dey-
house or dairy, for example, would most likely be so.
At the present day the house is rich in old furni-
ture of all kinds, and has some good tapestry. There
is a little old glass in the upper windows of the hall,
with the initials of William Norris, which must date
from the early part, of the seventeenth century.

The portion of Speke granted, probably, by Adam
de Molyneux to his son Roger descended as stated
above to Roger's son Richard and his grandson Sir
John. 1 Richard son of Roger de Molyneux in 1314
made a grant to John his son of the moiety of his
land in Speke, with the moiety of the windmill, the
homage and service of John le Norreys, William de
Laghok, Roger de Culcheth, William de Molyneux,
and Margery, wife of Adam le Roo, for lands which
they held of the grantor, rendering yearly 12 of
silver. 2 In 1328 Beatrice, widow of Richard, made
grants of her dower-right in the Bankfield to her son
John, and in other lands to John le Norreys and Alan
his son and Emma, wife of Alan. 3

Sir John Molyneux made various agreements as to
the property, already alluded to, and about the end of
his life granted to Margery, formerly wife of Richard
de Bold, and to trustees, his manor in the vill of
Speke, and all his lands there, including the wood

CHILDWALL

called Speke Greve, with the homage of Sir Henry le
Norreys, the heirs of Richard de Laghog, John le
Molineux of Oglet, Cecily le Roo, and the heirs of
Roger de Culchet.'

Early in 1366 Henry de Charnock granted to
William his son and his wife Margaret, all his lands
and tenements in the vill of Speke, with homages,
rents, wards, reliefs, services, of free tenants, and their
appurtenances and easements as fully as Sir John de
Molyneux had held them after the death of his father
Richard. 5 The Molyneux manor thus descended to
the Charnocks in accordance with the settlement of
Richard de Molyneux, and the family continued to
hold land here till the sixteenth century. 6 The estate
seems then to have been acquired by the Norris
family.'

Having thus traced the main line of Molyneux of
Speke, mention must be made of William de Molyneux,
son of Roger, and younger brother of Richard. He
appears to have been settled on a small holding in
Oglet."

The name of Molyneux frequently occurs in the
Norris leases and documents as that of farmers in the
neighbourhood of Speke. In 1584 Edward Norris
granted a lease in Garston to Thomas Molyneux,
Edward his son, and Margaret wife of Edward, in
consideration 'of the good, faithful, diligent, and
acceptable service of Thomas and Edward Molyneux.'
The last named died about 1618, and the lease was
renewed to his son Robert and Elizabeth his wife.'

Speke itself gave a name to a family, or perhaps
several families. In 1 292 Roger son of Henry de Speke
claimed from Alan le Norreys and his wife Margery
a tenement in Speke by Hale of which he said they
had disseised him. He was non-suited. 10 This Speke
family held or farmed the mill of Speke, for in 1315
there was a release by Adam son of William de Speke
to Adam son of Roger de Speke, miller, and Alice his
wife and their heirs, of land in the field called Oglet
Siche ; and William son of the former Adam joined
in the act." Richard son of Gilbert de Speke trans-
ferred to Alan le Norreys in 1334 two oxgangs of
land in Speke."

William de Molyneux of Sefton granted to William
de Allerton, for his homage and service, 22 acres in
Speke 1 1 near Walleton near the wood of Speke,
and 1 1 near Oglet Siche to hold in fee and inherit-
ance of the grantor with common easements, wood
and mast, rendering yearly 5/. of silver. 13

1 For this family see the account of
Little Crosby. Roger de Molyneux gave
a small portion to Alan the Sumpter,
otherwise called Alan of Amounderness,
and Alan late the Sumpter of the abbot
of Stanlaw, who secured other small plots
from the other lords of Speke ; Norris D.
(B.M.), 451-2, 459, 461.

nity were charged with entering the lands
of Sir John de Molyneux in 1359 with
force and arms and digging turf there.
This looks like an organized attempt to
resist some claim he had made ; Assize R.
451, m. 3.
* John son of Sir Henry le Norreys, and
Robert de Charnock were among the

Robert Charnock in 1498 gave lands in
Speke to feoffees ; Crosse D. 162. Henry
Charnock, who died in 1534, held land
in Speke of Sir William Norris in so-
cage ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. via,
a. 28.
7 Sir William Norris purchased various
lands in Speke, &c., from Thomas Char-

were remainders in succession to Mar-
garet, Joan, and her heirs by Adam ton of
Henry de Charnock, Agnes and Elizabeth,
sisters of John. At the same time Richard
granted to John his son and Agnes his
wife a moiety of his lands in Speke for the
yearly rent of a rose, with remainders to
John's sisters Joan de Charnock, Mar-
garet, and Maud, and to David and John
Blundell, who were sons of Agnes, another

"Ibid. 509-1.
< Ibid. 572-3. There is some error in
the dates.
Thirty-two persons of Speke and vici-

deeds (B.M.), . 573*. This collection of
deeds appears to include all the Molyneux

6 In '1375 William de Charnock
brought a suit against Robert de Wiswall
and others for taking turf at Speke, and
another against Geoffrey de Osbaldeston
and others for breaking his weir at Speke ;
De Bane. R. 459, m. 49.
Among the Norris deeds are an extent
of William de Charnock's portion of the
manor dated 1384-5, and rentals of ten
years later and 1399; also rentals of
Henry de Charnock 1409, and Robert
Charnock 1480 and 1489.

139

bdle. 28, m.93.
8 Many deeds relating to him and his
descendants will be found among the
Norris D. (B.M.).
Norris Leases (B.M.).
10 Assize R. 408, m. 36^. Roger was
in 1306 charged with an attempt to kill
William de Ireland ; Assize R.4zi,m.4</.
11 Norris D. (B. M.), 504, 505.
1" Ibid. 526. From other deeds in the
same collection (543-546, and 590 on)
can be traced the transfer of the Speke
family holdings to the Norris family.
18 Ibid. 454. The family can be traced
a little further by means of these deeds.

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE

The Mossley family's holding was also originally
granted by William de Molyneux, who gave Robert
de Mossley for his homage and service 10 acres in
three different places in Speke, and a fishery between
Walton brook and Lithe brook, with the usual rights
of wood and mast, at a yearly rent of 2s. 6J} Robert
seems to have been followed by Alan de Mossley, who
married Ellen Erneys; in 1334 Richard Erneys
granted to Alan and Ellen his wife a tenement in
Speke by rendering a red rose yearly.'

The hamlet of Oglet gave its name to a family.
In 1 344 John son of Roger de Oglet granted to Alan
le Norreys an acre there extending from the sea to
the moor ; and John son of John de Oglet in 1358
enfeoffed Robert de Yeldesley, chaplain, of all his
lands, which Robert regranted to John and Emmot
his wife, with remainders to Alice and Margery,
daughters of Roger Alkoc. 3

The rental of Thomas Norris, compiled about 1 460,
gives the names of all the tenants with their rents
and services. 4 The demesne lands, ' lying to the
hall,' included Oglet wood with the Branderth, the
two 4-acre heys with Danyes croft, Holboche field,
Coningry field, Wethersfield with the Calf hey, the
hey by the greenway side, the near and far z acres
in the moss. The windmill, z6s. 8</., was added
later. The 'averages' or day-works expected from
the tenants are recorded : Every tenant that pays
i os. of rent or above gives a day with his plough and
another with his ' worthynge ' cart ; if his rent is
under ids., he shall bring his horse and his 'youle'
to fill a day. Every tenant holding above 101.
shall fetch two cartfulls of hay from Redall
meadow ; under I o/., a day to make hay or else give
\ti. Also every man a day to delve turves and every
house a day to ' shear ' in harvest or else pay 2^.

The Ven. John Almond or Lathom, known on the
mission as Molyneux, was born at Speke of recusant
parents about 1565 and went to school at Much
Wool ton. He was afterwards taken to Ireland.
Thence he went to the College at Rheims and to
Rome, where he was ordained priest, returning to
England as a missionary in 1602. After labouring
for ten years he was arrested, tried and condemned
for high treason on account of his priesthood, suffer-
ing in the usual manner at Tyburn on 5 December,
i6iz. s

The recusant roll of 1641 contains a long list of
names in Speke and Garston, including the familiar
ones of Holme, Challinor, Molyneux, Mercer, and
Plumbe. 6 On 29 March, 1714, Nicholas Blundell
of Crosby records : ' I went in the forenoon to
Edward Lathom's in Speke Town in hopes to have

heard prayers [i.e., mass]. I found Mr. Maor there,
but he had done before I came.' ' William Harrison
and John Rice as ' Papists ' registered estates in Speke
in 1717; Rice had land also in Eccleston. 8

In connexion with the Established Church,
All Saints' was built in 1876.' The vicarage is in
the gift of Miss Watt of Speke Hall.

HALE

Hales, 1176; Hale, 1201 the universal spelling
from about 1250.

Hale is a riverside township, the southern and
eastern limits being washed by the Mersey, which
curves round Hale Point, the most southerly land in
the county, whereon stands a lighthouse. The
northern boundary is mainly formed by Rams Brook.
The land is flat, interspersed with plantations and
farms ; rows of straight, tall Lombardy poplars being
noticeable features of the open landscape.

The park and grounds of Hale Hall occupy a large
portion of the river frontage. The village of Hale
is a straggling one, with some pretty cottages set in
flowery gardens. The surrounding country is entirely
agricultural. Crops of barley, wheat, and turnips are
grown, on loamy and sandy soil with a mixture of clay.
It is said to be one of the best wheat-growing districts
in Lancashire.

The geological formation is the same as in Speke,
with alluvial deposits by the banks of Ramsbrook.

To the north is the hamlet of Ciss Green, and at
the western corner, on the banks of the Mersey, is
Dungeon, where a century ago there were considerable
salt works, 10 long since discontinued. The village is
much frequented in summer by pleasure parties. The
population was 524 in 1901.

Roads spread out from the village in several direc-
tions, and a footpath leads north-west. The area is
1,651 acres." The highest ground is but little over
Soft. ; the lowest is in the Decoy Marsh, so called
from a decoy for wild fowl formed near Hale Point.

The celebrity of the place is the giant John Middle-
ton, called the ' Child of Hale.' He was born in
1578, and buried in 1623 in the churchyard, where
what is called his tombstone is shown. He was
gft. 3 in. in height, and was taken to London in 1617
to be shown to James I, who gave him 20. "

The cross upon the highway is mentioned in a
charter of 1387."

A ferry from Hale to Runcorn was established at an
early period. It had been discontinued for want of
a boat for two years in the time of King John, causing
a loss of 201. per annum to the revenue. 14

1 NorrisD.(B.M.}456; Oglet, Birechis,
Blakemoor, Hocwood, and Seabank are
named. Ibid. 521, 531.
3 Ibid. 548, 568,569.
4 It is a long roll among the Norris D.
(B. M.). In the same collection are a
large number of leases of the Tudor and
Stuart periods. They show that the
practice was still common of changing the
surname in such cases as Tohnson thus
in 31 Elizabeth there is a lease.to Edward
Huchemough and Jane Richards-daughter,
about to be his wile ; and in 5 James I is
one to William Edwardson, whose father
was Edward Williamson. In some cases
e.g. William Jameson, son of James Law-
renson an alias is added (alias Lawrenson,
in the case mentioned). ' Customs, boons,

services, and averages' are usually men-
demands for rent hens,' as well as the
rights in ' meadows, leasowes, feedings,
pastures, fishyards, and fishings in the
river Mersey,' more or less amply granted
to the lessees.
5 Cause of Beatification allowed to be
introduced 9 December, 1886. See Chal-
loner, Missionary Priests, ii, n. 152 ; Stan-
ton, Menology, 586, 687 ; Pollen, Acts

7 N. Blundell, Diary, 122. Two years
later James Almond the elder, of Speke,
was reported to be a ' Popish priest ' ;
Payne, Engl. Cath. Rec. 89.
8 Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 1 1 8.
8 For the district and endowment see
Land. Gax. 29 Oct. and 12 Nov. 1875.
10 Owned by Nicholas Ashton of Much
Woolton.
" The census return is 1,654 acres, in-
cluding 7 of inland water ; there must be

description of him as 'one of the learnedest
and insolentest' of those charged ; Gillow,
Biiliogr. Diet, i, 56. There is a curious
story as to his judge, Dr. King, bishop of
London.
Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 243.

I 4

of foreshore.
Harland and Wilkinson, Lanes. Tra-
ditions, 31. There are portraits at Hale
Hall and High Legh.
13 Norris D. (B.M.), 152.
Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 249, 253.

WEST DERBY HUNDRED

Formerly there was a ford in general use. John
Walley of Runcorn in 1423, in attempting to ride
across to Weston by it with two horses laden with
fish from Formby, was drowned, though the fish-laden
horses crossed safely. In 1465 the court rolls record
that a certain John Jackson of the north country and
some companions crossed by it with horses, cattle, and
sheep, and were stopped by the bailiff until they paid
the toll called ' stallage.' ' The ford was in constant
use in the Civil War period and later, being mentioned
in the deeds of the Halsall charity bequest in 1734.

M. Gregson in 1817 mentions a project for em-
banking the Mersey from the marsh at Ditton down to
Garston or even to Knott's Hole at the Dingle.
' Opposite the Dungeon two miles of land in breadth
might be enclosed before the present salt works, where
the river is fordable at low water.' *

In the early part of the last century a fair for toys
and pedlery was held on 19 November, when a large
number of persons called freemen, chosen by the
manor court, appointed a mayor. A wake was held
on the Sunday next to 1 5 August.* The Great
Court of Hale used to be held on the Wednesday
before St. Andrew's Day, and a court-leet and court-
baron on Michaelmas Day, when constables, coroner
(for Hale only), 4 water bailiffs, burleymen, aletasters,
and house and fire lookers were chosen ; 4 but courts
have not been held for many years.

The lord had a toll (412'.) from every vessel casting
anchor within the bounds. 6 It was the duty of the
water bailiff to collect this due or to make distraint
for it. From the old court rolls it appears that money
found on a drowned man brought ashore at Hale, like
other things cast up by the river, went to the lord as
' dower of the sea.' '

The township is governed by a parish council.

HALE with HALEWOOD formed

MANOR one of the six berewicks of King Edward's

manor of West Derby in io66. 8 By

Roger the Poitevin its tithes were in 1094 granted to

the abbey of St. Martin of Seez. The gift was con-

CHILDWALL

firmed by John when count of Mortain, and by
Henry III in 1227.'

The manor remained in the king's hands during the
twelfth century. 10 Henry II, after his first coronation,
placed part of it perhaps that afterwards known as.
Halewood within the forest, viz. from the Flaxpool
to the Quintbridge ; but it was disafforested in
Henry Ill's reign, according to the charter of the
forest." The assized rent of 4 los. was increased in
1 200 by z los., so that in later years the sheriff of
the county answered for j to the treasury. 12

By charter, dated at Rouen, 9 November, 1 203,
King John granted to Richard de Meath 13 the vill of
Hale in its entirety, rendering every Michaelmas for
all service the increased rent of j above mentioned.
The vill was to be held by Richard and his heirs by
hereditary right."

The words as to descent by hereditary right led to
trouble. Richard de Meath was a clerk and beneficed,
having been presented to Swineford church in 1203
and again in 1207," so that he may have been in holy
orders. Yet he allied himself with one Cecily de
Columbers, 16 and had four sons and two daughters by
her. In 1226-7 he granted to Cecily de Columbers
and her children begotten by him and their heirs the
vill of Hale and its appurtenances, to be held of
Richard himself during his life, and after his death of
his brother Henry de Walton and his heirs, ' who,'
he declared, ' are my heirs.' The remainders were to
Cecily's children in turn Richard, Geoffrey, Adam,
Henry, Emma, and Cecily ; ' and so to all other
children that the said Cecily may have by me.' The
holder was to pay annually to Henry de Walton and
his heirs the 7 due to the king and I2</., or a
pound of pepper, in addition." About the same
time (viz. on 19 July, 1227) Henry III confirmed
his father's grants to Richard, as well as the latter's
charter granting Hale to Henry de Walton and his
heirs. 18

Richard de Meath lived for several years after this
charter, 19 dying, it is supposed, about 1235. He was

1 Family of Ireland Blackburne, 75, 79.
a Fragments (ed. Harland), 214. It was
about here that William Massey of Pud-

14 Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), 1 1 3. A reser-
vation of hunting and pleas of the crown
is cancelled on the charter roll. In re-

" A grant of the site of a mill in the
pool between Hale and Ditton, together
with half the water and fish there, was

1715, after the Jacobite overthrow at Pres-
ton ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii, 560.
8