GOLDWIN^S \\ITH
HARRIETS>\ITH
Dictorfa Ibfstor^ of tbe
Counties of, Englanb
EDITED BY WILLIAM PAGE, F.S.A.
A HISTORY OF
VOLUME V
THE
VICTORIA HISTORY
OF THE COUNTIES
OF ENGLAND
LANCASHIRE
LONDON
CONSTABLE AND COMPANY LIMITED
This History is issued to Subscribers only
By Constable & Company Limited
and printed by Eyre & Spottiswoode Limited
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
ICTORIA HISTORY
OF THE COUNTY OF'
LANCASTER
EDITED BY
WILLIAM FARRER, D.Lrrr., AND J. BROWNBILL, M.A,
VOLUME FIVE
LONDON
C CONSTABLE AND COMPANY LIMITED
DA
670
CONTENTS OF VOLUME FIVE
PACK
Dedication . . . ..... . . . . . . . . v
Contents ............... ix
List of Illustrations ...... ....... xi
Editorial Note ......... ..... xiii
Topography. General descriptions and manorial descents by W. FARRER, D Litt., and
J. BROWNBILL, M A. Architectural descriptions by C. R. PEERS, M.A., F.S.A.,
and F. H CHEETHAM. Heraldic drawings and blazon by the Rev E E. DORLING,
M.A., F.S.A
Salford Hundred (continued}
Deane ............... i
Flixton ............. .42
Radcliffe 56
Prestwich-with-Oldham . . . . . . . . . . .67
Bury 122
Middleton 151
Rochdale 187
Bolton-le-Moors . . . . . . . . . . 2 35
Index to Volumes III, IV, and V 305
Corrigenda ............... 409
C
ix
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
View of Winander Meer, near Ambleside ......... Frontispiece
Deane Church from the South-east ....... full-page plate, facing 4
Halliwell : Smithills Hall : Garden Front ...... 14
P^n . ......... 15
,, East Side of Quadrangle . . . . . . . .16
East Side ........... 17
.8
Kenyon Peel Hall, Plan . . . . . . . . . 32
c. 1 88 1, before restoration . . full-page plate 34
\
j
}
} ...... full-page plate, facing 60
J
> > ...... ,, ,,
Gatehouse
Oak Doors of Gatehouse
Flixton Church : South-east View . . . . . . . . . . -43
Shaw Hall .. ............ 49
Urmston Hall : East Side ............ 53
North Front ............ 54
RadclifFe Tower, from the North-west
, _ ,
the South-west
Plan . ..... . 61
Church, Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Interior looking East . . . . . . . . .63
from the West ........... 64
Prestwich Church, Plan ........... 69
RadclifFe Church, c. 1850
Prestwich in 1850
Alkrington Hall .............. 84
Tonge Hall ........... full-page plate, facing 86
Plan . .87
Oldham : Chamber Hall from the South-west
Back of Chamber Hall showing old Barn
Old Plan . ............. 100
Church in 1824 )
)
\ ........ full-page plate, facm? 70
J
)
} ' ' f^P^ P^, facing 96
>
Werneth Old Hal] ' , 4
Prestwich : Deyne Hall, taken down 1837 1
TJ TT 11
Royton Hall J
Chadderton Hall .............. 1 1 8
Foxdenton Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Middleton Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 53
Plan . -154
Tower Arch . "I
?..... fu/i-page plate, facing i c 6
The Nave looking East J
The Grammar School . . . . . . - . . .160
Boar's Head Inn : The Front . . . . . . . . . .162
xi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PACK
Hopwood Hall, from the South-east .... . full-page plate, facing 170
Dining-room .... 172
Drawing-room 174
Great Lever Hall ")
/"MJ /">l. II" " * * ' " * * " " "
Old Chapel J
Rochdale : Amen Corner . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Church 195
Castleton Hall 202
Main Staircase ............ 203
Butterworth : Belfield Hall, Plan 216
... full-page plate, facing 216
Clegg Hall 220
Blatchinworth : Pike House, Littleborough . . . . . . . . .228
Bolton : Old Parish Church, taken down 1866)
_, . . , \ full-page plate, facing 238
Market Place in 1 8 1 6 . . j
Little Bolton Hall 253
Tonge : Hall i' th' Wood ........ full-page plate, facing 256
,, . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Plans 258
Darcy Lever Hall .......... full-page plate, facing 264
Bradshaw Hall .......... 272
Turton Tower, c. 1844 ......... 274
270
,, Plans 277
from the South-east ....... full-page plate, facing 278
Rivington : Seal of School, 1566 ............ 290
Lostock Hall full-page plate, facing 298
LIST OF MAPS
Index Map to the Parish of Deane . . ,
Parishes of Radcliffe and Prestwich
,i Parish of Bury . . .
Middleton . . .
Rochdale
Bolton
2
57
122
152
188
236
Zll
EDITORIAL NOTE
IN addition to those whose help has been acknowledged in previous
volumes, the Editors desire to record their obligations to the following :
Mr. H. Ince Anderton, Mr. S. Andrew, the late Mr. J. Dean, Lieut.-
Col. Henry Fishwick, F.S.A., Mr. W. Hewitson, Rev. W. Nicholls,
Mr. S. Partington, Colonel John Pilkington, F.S.A., Mr. J. P. Rylands,
F.S.A., Mr. Giles Shaw, and the Town Clerks of Bolton, Heywood,
Middleton, and Rochdale.
For the use of plans and for information regarding the architec-
ture of the county, the Editors are indebted to Messrs. Austin and Paley,
Mr. W. D. Caroe, M.A., F.S.A., Mr. Jonathan Simpson, Mr. C. W.
Sutton, M.A., Mr. Henry Taylor, F.S.A., Mr. Isaac Taylor, and
Mr. Edgar Wood.
For the use of photographs and blocks for illustrations the Editors
desire to express their obligations to Sir Lees Knowles, Bart., Lieut.-Col.
Fishwick, F.S.A., Lieut.-Col. Pilkington, F.S.A., Mr. A. B. Sparke and
the Bolton Library Committee, and Mr. Giles Shaw.
xni
A HISTORY OF
LANCASHIRE
TOPOGRAPHY
THE HUNDRED OF SALFORD
(Continuation)
DEANE
RUMWORTH
HORWICH
HEATON
HALLIWELL
WESTHOUGHTON
HULTON, LITTLE
HULTON, MIDDLE
HULTON, OVER
FARNWORTH
KEARSLEY
This parish, originally the northern half of the
parish of Eccles, takes its name from the dean or narrow
wooded valley, on the edge of which the church stands. 1
A little brook runs down the valley northward to the
Croal. The whole was held of the lord of Manchester,
in part directly and in part under the mesne fee of
Barton. 1 The district measures about 8 miles from
north-west to south-east, and has a total area of
20,102 acres. The geological formation consists of the
carboniferous rocks, the Coal Measures in the southern
and central parts, the Gannister Beds and Millstone
Grit in the northern that is, in Heaton, Horwich and
Halliwell. The church stands as near as may be to
the centre of its irregularly-shaped district.
Of recent formation the parish has but little record
beyond that of industrial progress, being largely in-
fluenced by Bolton, within which a large portion of
it is now included.
The following is the present apportionment of the
agricultural land : Arable land, 2,375 acres 5 P er ~
manent grass, 10,798 ; woods and plantations, 354.
Details are given as follows :
Arable
Acres
Deane
2,071
Deane
IO
Horwich
4 6
Smithills
7
Heaton
2
Farnworth
4
Kearsley
235
Grass
Acres
493
1,811
1,104
1,199
613
284
Woods, &c.
Acres
190
5
144
15
For assessment purposes it was divided into four
quarters Rumworth, Farnworth, and Kearsley ; Hea-
' ton, Horwich, and Halliwell ; Westhoughton ; the
three Hultons. Each quarter contributed 1 14*. i\d.
to the county lay of 1624, when the hundred had to
raise ioo. 3 To the fifteenth Rumworth, together
with Lostock in Bolton, paid 1 4*. ; Heaton with Halli-
well, 1 3/. ; the three Hultons, I o/. ; Westhoughton,
I5/. \d. ; Horwich was not reckoned, and Farn-
worth and Kearsley were included with Barton-on-
Irwell. 4
The church of ST. MART is pictur-
CHURCH esquely situated on high ground above a
small stream that flows past it on the
west, and consists of a chancel 28 ft. long by 19 ft. 6 in.
wide, nave 71 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft. gin., north aisle
1 3 ft. wide, with organ chamber at the east and vestry
at the west end, south aisle 1 5 ft. wide, south porch
and west tower 9 ft. square ; these measurements being
all internal. With the exception of the tower the
building belongs to different periods of the I5th and
to the beginning of the i6th centuries, with modern
additions. The tower is of 14th-century date, and
probably belongs to an older church which the 15th-
century building replaced.
The church is built of rough wall-stones, and has
battlemented parapets to chancel, nave, and aisles, with
three crocketed pinnacles on the east end, and leaded
roofs. The details are poor, the windows all being
late in style, with rounded uncusped heads to the lights,
the clearstory consisting of an almost continuous line
of square-headed three-light windows.
The church appears to have been originally a small
14th-century building, the nave covering the area now
occupied by the two westernmost bays of the present
nave, probably without aisles and with a chancel and
western tower. Early in the 1 5th century the church
was extended eastward by the addition of two bays
forming a new chancel, probably built round the for-
merly existing one and taking up the space now occu-
1 Rochdale is another parish taking its
name from the position of the church ;
Wilmslow in Cheshire, is another. There
are no townships so named, but each of
them gives its name to the village around
the church.
2 Part at least of Hulton was held in
thegnage with Worsley, and the mesne
lordship of Barton and therefore of Man-
chester was usually ignored.
8 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland), 22;
also 15. 4 Ibid. 1 8.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
pied by the third and fourth bays of the nave. The
next alteration to this 14th-century church, which
had a steep-pitched roof, the line of which was re-
vealed against the east wall of the tower in 1878
and is still preserved in the plastered face, seems to
have been the pulling down of the north side of the
new chancel in the 1 5th century and extending it
northward to the width of the present aisle. The
two arches on this side are the oldest in the church,
and are of different section from the others. Later
the chancel and its northward extension were further
extended by a bay, and the south side rebuilt with
three arches opposite those on the north side. The
original 14th-century nave appears to have been
standing till the beginning of the 1 6th century, 4 when
it was pulled down and the present nave arcade con-
structed and the clearstory added, leaving a small
portion of the 14th-century walls on the west end
immediately to the east of the tower. The area of
the original building and these three extensions now
form the extent of the nave and aisles, a later exten-
sion of the chancel having apparently taken place
shortly afterwards, early in the i6th century. The
chancel was lengthened a further loft, in 1884.
The organ chamber north of the chancel was added
in 1887.
The chancel has a large seven-light pointed window
on the east with central transom and plain perpen-
dicular tracery in the head. The lights have rounded
heads and are uncusped. On the north side is a
modern arch to the organ chamber, and the south wall
has a five-light flat-pointed window with double tran-
som and rounded heads to the lights. The chancel
is open to the nave, and is only less in width by the
projection of the chancel walls in front of the nave
piers. Both chancel and nave are under one continuous
flat-pitched oak panelled roof of modern construction
(1884), but following the old lines.
The nave has an arcade of five pointed arches resting
on octagonal piers, with moulded capitals, the arches
of two plain chamfered orders, except to the earlier
third and fourth bays on the north side, where the
chamfers are hollowed. The second pier on the
north side shows the junction of this earlier work with
the later 15th-century work of the nave in the clumsy
thickening out of the pier and the awkward way in
which the western arch springs from it. The capitals
of the first pier from the west on the north side and
those of the later half of the thickened pier are carved
with rude stone heads. The nave is lighted by an
almost continuous row of square-headed clearstory
windows, each of three lights with rounded heads,
The aisles have lean-to roofs and wood and plaster
ceilings, lighted by a double row of square-headed
windows of three and four lights, the walls apparently
having been raised and the upper windows intro-
INDEX MAP
to the
PARISH
6 The date 1510 is inscribed on one of the roof timbers ; Raines, Lanes.
2
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
duced to light the galleries. The galleries were put
up in 1849 and removed in 1884. The aisles extend
the length of the nave, but the north aisle now ter-
minates at the east with an open arch to the new
organ chamber. There is an ancient piscina in the
south-east corner, and a good pointed doorway of 14th-
century date at the west end of the north wall opposite
the first bay. This doorway, however, seems to have
been originally on the west side of the tower and to
have been removed to its present position when the
new western tower entrance was constructed. The
south aisle has a five-light transomed window under a
flat-pointed arch at its east end. The south porch is
modern.
The tower, the ground floor of which is used as
a vestry, has walls 4 ft. thick and opens to the
nave by a pointed arch, above which, within the
line of the old roof, is a doorway 4 ft. 6 in. high and
2 ft. wide. The ringing chamber above is gained by
a ladder, there being no vice, and the upper part of
the arch is filled by a glazed screen. Externally the
tower is very plain, with diagonal buttresses and a new
west doorway and a window above. There is a clock
in the south side, and the upper stage on each face has
a square-headed two-light louvred belfry window, the
lights with trefoiled heads. The tower finishes with
an embattled parapet and angle pinnacles.
The fittings are mostly modern, but there is a good
1 6th-century black oak pulpit with back and canopy,
the renaissance detail of which is rather elaborate. 6
The interior of the church is plastered and painted,
the walls of the chancel and nave having a series of
figures of great English churchmen, principally leaders
of the Protestant Reformation. In a glass case at the
end of the nave are preserved the works of Bishop
Jewell and other 16th-century Protestant books.
The churchyard is very extensive and lies on the
north, east, and south sides of the building, being
entered from the road on the south through a stone
lych-gate erected in 1903. It has been extended at
different times, the last extensions being in 1876 and
1893. The ancient yew tree on the south side is
now dead, but the trunk and branches remain with a
picturesque covering of ivy. On the same side is the
base of a stone cross which formerly stood in Junction
Road, before which it is stated that George Marsh
spent a night in prayer before he gave himself up at
Smithills. A new shaft has been erected on the old
base with an inscription recounting the tradition. 63
There is also a pedestal sundial on an octagon shaft
with the name of the maker (W. Leigh, Newton) and
the latitude and longitude. In the churchyard there
were formerly effigies of a knight and a lady, but these
have disappeared. 7
There is a ring of six bells, rehung in 1873.
The plate consists of a chalice of 1607 ; a chalice
of 1655, incribed 'The guift of Mr. John Aynsworth
unto the Parish Church of Deane in Lancasheire in
the yeare of our Lord, 1655 '; a cover paten of the
same year, inscribed ' The guift of Mrs. Judeth
Hulton unto the Parish Church of Deane in Lan-
casheire in the yeare of our Lord, 1655,' and with
the arms of Hulton of Hulton ; a credence paten of
1729, inscribed ' Ex donatione Annae Kenyon Viduae
Georgii Kenyon, nuper de Peel in Com. Lane.
Armigeri 1729,' with the arms of Kenyon impaling
Egerton in a lozenge, and the mark of William
Atkinson ; two patens of 1782, with the mark of
Daniel Smith and Robert Sharpe 73 ; two small flagons
of 1 80 1, inscribed 'Presented ist January 1828 to
the Parish Church of Dean, by Jane Daughter of
Peter Brooke, Esqre. of Mere Hall, Cheshire, and
Relict of William Hulton, Esqre. of Hulton Park,
who Died 24th June 1800'; a credence paten of
1846, given by the parish in that year ; and a paten
of 1901, Birmingham make, inscribed 'The gift of
Mrs. Elizabeth Marsh unto the Parish Church of
Dean, in Lanes., on the Coronation of Ed. VII,
June 26, 1902.'
The registers begin in 1637, but there are earlier
transcripts at Chester.
Although St. Mary's, Deane, is
dDPOWSON mentioned in 13th-century deeds,
and its chaplain described as ' parson,' 8
it was not until 1541 that an independent parish was
assigned to it. Until that year the chaplain had been
nominated by the vicar of Eccles, within whose parish
Deane was included, and had received from him 4
a year as stipend. 9 Henry VIII, having after the
suppression of Whalley Abbey constituted Deane a
parish by letters patent, assumed the patronage, which
till recently remained in the Crown, the vicar being
appointed by the Lord Chancellor. The present
patrons are Simeon's Trustees, by purchase in 1877.'
Inquiries made in 1546 and 1549 showed that
apart from the glebe the vicar had no fixed income
beyond the 4 paid by the vicar of Eccles. 11
In 1650 the vicar of Deane received, besides an
6 The reredos and organ fronts were
designed by the present vicar (Rev. H. S.
Patterson), and the screen under the tower
arch was made in the vicarage by village
talent.
6a Marsh's known doctrinal standpoint
is adverse to the 'tradition.'
' Glynne, Lanes. Churches, 95-6.
" a These are not ecclesiastical plate,
being really salvers or waiters on three-
fhaped feet.
8 ' Thomas, persona de la Dene,' at-
tested a Great Lever deed, in favour of
Siward son of Robert the chaplain of
Deane ; Lever Chartul. (Add. MS. 32103),
no. i. Waldeve was another of the early
chaplains ' capellano de valle Sancte
Marie ' ; Hulton Evidences, 3.
Thomas de Perpoint granted to the
monks of Stanlaw, holders of the church
of Eccles, all his land by the chapel of
St. Mary, Deane, the boundaries given
showing the land to be the glebe land of
the church ; viz. from the chapel ceme-
tery on the west side as far as the Kirk
Brook, then by the Muckle Brook to the
ditch, and by a hedge to the east side of
the cemetery. This grant was confirmed
by Robert Grelley, lord of Manchester, in
1276; Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), i,
6o-2.
Farnworth in the parish of the Deane
is so described in a charter of 1292 ;
Lever Chartul. no. 52.
Piers Crompton and Thomas Street
were ' parish priests ' of Deane at dif-
ferent times between 1505 and 1522 ;
Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 104, 107.
9 The vicar of Deane in 1544 claimed
the pension of 4 a year, which the vicar
of Eccles refused to pay on the ground
that Deane having been made an inde-
pendent parish he had no responsibility
for it and received no dues from it. The
appointment of a separate chaplain for
Deane was referred back to an ordinance
by the Bishop of Lichfield in 1277. The
letters patent of Henry VIII ordered that
the vicar of the new parish ' should have
the cure of souls, say mass, and administer
the sacraments, and bear all the charges
belonging to the said vicarage, provided
always that the said vicar should not
receive of the king any higher stipend
than the late chaplain had' ; ibid, ii,
197-9.
10 The advowson was sold by the Lord
Chancellor under the Act 26 & 27 Viet,
cap. 1 20, known as the Lord Chancellor's
Augmentation Act ; information of Messrs.
Sandilands & Co., solicitors to Simeon's
Trustees.
11 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 234. In
the inquiry of 1546 the value of the
glebe was stated as 1 31. \d., and it was
said that the 4 was paid by the farmer
of the tithes ; this was corrected in the
later inquiry.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
old stipend of jlo, lla a share of the rectorial tithes,
sequestered from a * delinquent,' Mr. Anderton of
Lostock. 12 Bishop Gastrell recorded the income as
18 1 9/., of which 5 was from surplice fees and
10 was paid by the impropriator of the tithes;
The following is a list of the vicars :
20
Institution
Feb. 1541-2
oc. 1563 . .
15 Oct. 1575 .
31 Mar. 1593
- 1597 . . .
i Mar. 1636-7 .
Aug. 1643. . .
19 Nov. 1662
2 June 1663
22 Nov. 1673
4 Dec. 1673
13 Jan. 1712-3 .
29 May 1767
13 June 1776
16 April 1818 .
6 Feb. 1830 .
7 April 1855 .
May 1868 .
7 April 1877 .
Name
William Rothwell 16 .
Richard Ormishaw K .
David Dee, M.A. IS .
Lancelot Clegge 19 . .
James Pendlebury 10 .
Richard Hardy, M.A."
John Tilsley, M.A.
I John Angier, M.A. n .
[Richard Hatton 14 . .
James Rothwell, B.A. K
Thomas Withnell, M.A.
but in 1714 money and lands to the value of 700
were given in augmentation. 13 The value of the
benefice is now stated as 400 a year."
In 1724 there were eleven churchwardens, each
hamlet choosing one by house-row. 15
Patron Cause of Vacancy
King d. last inc.
Queen d. last inc.
King
King
. . . Queen d. R. Hatton
. . . King d. J. Rothwell
Robert Lathom, M.A. " , ...:.. d. last inc.
Thomas Brocklebank l8 . . . . d. R. Lathom
Edward Girdlestone, M.A. w . . res. T. Brocklebank
Francis Henry Thicknesse, D.D. so . Queen res. E. Girdlestone
William Bashall, M.A. S1 . . . . res. F. H. Thicknesse
Henry Sheridan Patterson M . . . Simeon's Trustees . . . res. W. Bashall
lla It does not seem to be known when
this 10 was granted by the tithe owner.
12 Commoniv. Cb. Stint. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 37. The remainder
of the parochial tithes was divided among
the chapelries.
In 1723 Sir Lawrence Anderton sold to
Francis Loggin (Colston) the rectory (i.e.
the tithes, &c.) ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 289, m. 93. Francis Coulston sold
it to James Edge in 1734; Piccope MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), iii, 250 (from Roll 5, Geo. II
at Preston); and in 1735 Ralph Banks pur-
chased it from James Edge ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 313, m. 39. By 1782 a
moiety seems to have been acquired by the
Kenyons ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 635, m. 2.
18 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 37, 38.
The augmentation consisted of 107 in
money and a house and lands worth 420,
held for that or other charitable use at the
discretion of the trustees ; 200 was added
by Queen Anne's Bounty.
Giles Marsh, by his will of 1615, left
10 towards the procuring of a yearly
stipend for the curate at the Deane
Church, for a school; Harl. MS. 2176,
fol. 32.
14 Munch. Dioc. Dir.
15 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 39.
16 Act Bks. at Chester. Paid first-
fruits 28 June 1542; Lanes, and Ches.
Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
408. William Rothwell was one of the
king's chaplains ; Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.),
28. He was still vicar in 1552 ; ibid.
*' Nothing is known of the clergy at
Deane between 1552 and 1563, when
Richard Ormishaw's name is recorded in
the visitation list. A Richard Ormishaw,
vicar of Acton in Cheshire, died 1559.
18 The Church P. at Chester Dioc.
Reg. begin here. The surname is other-
wise given as Dewhurst. He was ' no
preacher* in 1590; S.P. Dom. Eliz.
xxxi, 47. 19 Church Papers.
20 In 1 60 1 he was charged with drunken-
ness, fornication, and other offences ; he
was in addition ' suspected not to be of
sound religion ' ; Visit. P. at Chester.
About 1612 he was described as 'a lewd
(i.e. unlearned) minister, neither preacher
himself, nor will suffer any other to
preach ' ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App.
iv, 12. Nothing is said of any chapelries.
He contributed 131. 4</. to a subsidy in
1622, the lecturer (or curate), Mr. Hor-
rocks, paying 3 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 66.
81 The institutions from 1636 to 1776
are taken from the Inst. Bks. P.R.O. as
printed in Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Notes.
Richard Hardy signed the Protestation
early in 1642 but is said to have been
expelled as a Royalist.
22 Educated at Edinburgh, laureated
1637 ; a minister at Deane under Alex-
ander Horrocks of Westhoughton in 1641 5
married Margaret daughter of Ralph
Chetham and niece of Humphrey Chet-
ham ; showed himself a zealous and in-
tolerant Presbyterian on the outbreak of
the Civil War ; promoted to the vicarage
of Deane in August 1643 ; signed the
'Harmonious Consent,' 1648; described
as ' a painful, godly, preaching minister '
in 1650, about which time he, like many
other Presbyterians, refused to take the
engagement and suffered a temporary loss
of his benefice. He assisted in the forma-
tion of the Chetham Library, having been
nominated a trustee by the founder.
Ejected from the vicarage in 1662, he was
allowed to reside in the house, and with
the goodwill of the new vicar and the
tolerance of Bishop Wilkins afterwards
preached in Deane Church, as the
'lecturer,' until Bishop Pearson silenced
him in 1673. After this he retired to
Manchester, where he died in Dec.
1684. From a full account by J. E.
Bailey in Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Notes, i,
191, 205 ; ii, 102 ; see also Diet. Nat.
Biog.) ; will in ffills (Chet. Soc. new ser.),
i, 169.
28 Only son of the celebrated John
Angier of Denton (see Diet. Nat. Biog.] ;
born 1629 ; sent to Emmanuel College,
Cambridge, and being (as it is supposed)
expelled, went to New England, graduat-
ing M.A. at Harvard in 1655. Return-
ing to England he was ordained in 1657
and placed at Ringley. Conforming he
was made vicar of Deane in 1663, where
it is supposed he stayed till his death ;
Manch. Classis (Chet. Soc.), 408-10.
24 This vicar seems to have been a
Presbyterian at heart ; the second institu-
tion was necessary because he had not re-
nounced the Covenant. He connived at
the occupation of Horwich Chapel by
a Nonconformist ; Notitia Cestr. (Chet.
Soc.) ii, 42, 43 ; Ch. P. at Chester. He
was, of course, 'conformable' in 1689;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 229.
His will was proved at Chester, 1712.
25 Son of Ralph Rothwell of Bolton ;
educated at Brasenose College, Oxford ;
B.A. 1711 ; Foster, Alumni Oxon. He
purchased the advowson of Sefton, to
which his son and grandson succeeded.
He died 1 6 May 1766.
26 Educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; M.A. 1755; Foster, Alumni;
Manch. Sch. Reg. (Chet. Soc.), i, 31. His
presentation is dated 2 June 1766.
27 Son of Nicholas Lathom of Wigan ;
educated at Brasenose College, Oxford ;
M.A. 17763 Foster, Alumni.
28 He had been curate of Bradshaw.
89 Educated at Balliol College, Oxford ;
M.A. 1829. In 1854 he was appointed
residentiary canon of Bristol, and resigned
Deane. He was beneficed in the west of
England, and distinguished himself by
his interest in the condition of the agri-
cultural labourers. He died at Bristol in
1884; see Diet. Nat. Biog.; Baines,
Lanes, (ed. Croston), iii, 131.
80 Educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; M.A. 1854; hon. canon of Man-
chester 1863 ; vicar of Brackley 1868 ;
Bishop of Leicester (suffragan of Peter-
borough), 1888.
81 Educated at St. John's College, Ox-
ford ; M.A. 1855 ; left Deane to be curate
at St. Barnabas's, Kensington.
32 Educated at the Church Missionary
College, Islington, and served in India
1862-6 ; rector of Bartlow, 1872-7.
p
a
u
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
There does not seem to have been any regularly
founded chantry at Deane, but in 1522 Richard
Heaton stated that he had caused an aisle to be built
in the church, which he calls a * parish church,' and
paid most of the charge ; and had, in addition,
* edified a chapel of timber ' in the aisle, wherein was
an altar, with images of the Holy Trinity and
St. Anne. 31 In 1552 Lambert Heaton claimed a
chalice and suit of mass vestments in Deane Church
as heirlooms. 34
The Clergy List of 1541-2 shows that there were,
in addition to the vicar, two priests whose stipends
were paid by two of the squires ; 35 there were pro-
bably at least two more attached to the chapels at
Westhoughton and Horwich, for in 1548 the vicar
and six others were recorded in the bishop's visitation
list. There is no entry in 1554. The staff had
dwindled to three by I563 36 the vicar and the
curates of the two chapels ; and two years later one of
the curates had gone, the vicar, Richard Ormishaw,
and the curate of Horwich, Peter Makinson, being
those recorded. 37 In 1592 it was reported that the
curate did not catechize, and that the annual per-
ambulations were neglected. 38
In the I yth century some improvement was
effected, but the normal staff does not seem to have
risen above three, even under the Commonwealth. 39
From the account of the vicars it will be seen that
clergy and people were of the Puritan school, one of
the chapels after the Restoration being held by Non-
conformists for many years. Here, as elsewhere in
South Lancashire, the growth of the population has
led in recent times to the erection of many new
churches and the subdivision of the parish.
Reports on the charities of Deane
CHARITIES have been made m 1828 and I9O2. 40
For the whole parish there is a small
endowment supposed to be part of a greater sum ; the
interest has been added to the church poor's money. 41
Farnworth shares in several charities. 41 Kearsley also
shares some. 43 A special benefaction for Little Hulton
has been lost. 44 The poor of Horwich receive 84
from the legacy of Joseph Ridgway, and there are
some other charities. 45 For Westhoughton there are
no endowments for the poor. 46 Middle Hulton has a
share in two Worsley gifts. 47 Rumworth receives 60
a. year from a farm given by Ralph and James Cromp-
ton. 48
83 Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.) i, in. Certain evildoers had
entered the church by night and destroyed
the timber work of his chapel. John
Hulton of Farnworth in 1486 bequeathed
20 marks to the building of a north aisle,
and a missal for the use of the chapel
there to be ' bygget ' ; Wills (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 23.
M Ch. Gds. 27.
84 Clergy List (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 13.
86 John Heaton in 1559 was in danger
of losing house and goods for taking away
a mass book from the curate of Deane
* since the Queen's Majesty's proceedings ';
all the books were burned ; Ch. Gds. 30,
quoting S.P. Dom. Eliz. x, 286, &c.
8 7 From the Visit. Lists at Chester.
The list of ornaments in Cb. Gds. 26, 27,
shows that the church was well supplied,
there remaining in 1552 eight sets of
vestments ; others had disappeared. There
were also ' sixteen pieces of old linen used
about the sepulchre.'
88 Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. xix, 60.
Sir Gilbert Gerard, farmer of the bene-
fice, did not provide quarterly sermons.
89 The ' lecturer ' at Deane was also
curate of Westhoughton.
40 For the later inquiry there are two
reports one for the part of the ancient
parish now within the borough of Bolton,
and the other for the remainder.
41 Deane was entitled to a share of 500
bequeathed by John Guest, for Bury and
other places. This is supposed to have
been represented by ,63, which in 1786
was in the hands of John and James Edge
of Moss, who paid 3 31. as interest.
About 1 8 1 8 payment ceased on the death
of the last of that branch of the family, but
the vicar of Deane afterwards succeeded
in recovering 100 from its representa-
tives for principal and interest. This was
invested in a plot of land and a house, the
rent of which was for a long time 9 a
year. Owing to disputes as to the exact
area of the site, and the dilapidation of
the building, the income has declined.
A sum of money formerly producing 4
a year had been lost before 1828.
48 George Seddon in 1664 left ,100
for the poor of Farnworth and Kearsley,
to be spent on linen and woollen cloth.
The overseers of the townships now receive
z los. a year, which is distributed in
doles of cloth.
Farnworth, Little Hulton, Middle Hul-
ton, and Westhoughton participate in the
1,100 memorial fund raised to comme-
morate the Hon. Algernon Egerton ; the
interest is given towards scholarships.
43 See last note. Kearsley also shares
in the charities of William Baguley,
founded in 1728 ; the income is distri-
buted in doles of calico, &c. Jonathan
Greenhalgh gave 20 to build a culvert,
on condition that the township should
give i a year to the poor in linen cloth.
This was still in operation in 1828, but
had ceased long before 1862. Anne Cross
in 1814 left 200, the interest of which
was to be divided yearly among ten aged
and infirm poor men and women. The
capital is now represented by 193 con-
sols. The interest is distributed accord-
ing to the testator's wishes.
44 About 1828 there was a rent-charge
of i, which had been paid for forty
years at least for the poor from some un-
known source. The payment was after-
wards discontinued, apparently on the
death of a trustee. The trustees of the
charity of Adam Mort of Astley used to
give us. a year to the poor of Little
Hulton, but this was judged irregular and
discontinued.
45 Joseph Ridgway, by his will of 1841,
left about 15,000 for charitable uses in
Horwich and a large sum for a school in
Bolton. The sum apportioned to the poor
is distributed in articles of clothing or
bedding, the average value of the dole
being 71.
Richard Pilkington in 1786 left 50,
and Morris left 15 for the poor of
Horwich. In 1828 it was found that
the trustees had built a cottage on Kit-
field with the money, and the rent, 5 101.,
was distributed in linen cloth. The gross
rent is now over 7 a year, and is distri-
buted every few years in doles of calico,
&c., preference being given to poor persons
attending the New Chapel. Robert
Greenhalgh in 1807 left two cottages
partly for the minister of this chapel and
partly for the poor ; the latter portion of
the income now amounts to 9 131. a
year, and is distributed periodically in
calico, &c. The benefactor desired a
preference to be given to those attending
the chapel.
From the estate of Richard Shaw, who
died 'm 1897, a net sum of 185 has
been received by the trustees of Lee
Congregational Chapel for the benefit of
the poor ; the interest is given in food and
clothing.
In 1802 Thomas Schofield conveyed a
piece of land for the benefit of the land-
owners of the township. He is ' believed
to have been a defaulting overseer, and to
have given this land in payment of a debt
of 79 due to the parish.' The Lee Mill
has been built upon the land, for which a
rent of 6 zs. %d. is paid. At one time
this money was distributed among the
poor ; then it was allowed to accumulate
for many years, and has been applied to
the provision of a free library.
4S In 1828 3 was paid by the over-
seers out of the rates, and distributed to
the poor in doles of linen cloth, in respect
of a gift by Ann Rycroft and France,
which was supposed to have been used for
the repair of the workhouse. The work-
house was sold, and the payment of the
3 ceased, there being no proof of the
advance of charity money towards it.
4 7 The Algernon Egerton Memorial Fund
has been mentioned. The other is the
charity of Dame Dorothy Legh, who in
1656 gave money for the minister of
Ellenbrook Chapel and the poor of Wors-
ley and Middle Hulton. A place called
Common Head in Tyldesley was pur-
chased, and in 1828, according to old
custom, a quarter of the rent was reserved
for the poor, one-third of the sum (about
5 IOJ.) being given to the overseer of
Middle Hulton, who distributed it at his
discretion. The share for this township
is still one-twelfth, but now amounts to
30 a year. Doles of blankets, &c., to
the value of 51. or ioj. are distributed.
43 Ralph Crompton, M.D., by his will
of 1623, and James Crompton his brother
in 1636 left a sum which with interest
amounted to 442 by 1653, chiefly for
the school at Deane, but in part for the
poor. In 1828 the estate appropriated to
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
RUMWORTH
Rumh worth, 1242 ; Rumworth, 1278 ; Rum-
\vrth, 1292 ; Romeworthe, 1346.
Rumworth is the central township, and contains the
parish church. It measures about 2^ miles from east
to west, but the average breadth is a little over a mile ;
the area is 1,244 acres. The River Croal forms the
northern boundary, and from it the surface rises to
the south. In the western part of the township is the
reservoir called Rumworth Lodge.
The main road is that from Bolton to Wigan,
passing by Deane Church ; to the east is that from
Bolton to Tyldesley, on which is the hamlet or suburb
of Daubhill. The London and North Western
Company's line from Bolton to Kenyon crosses the
eastern end, with a station called Rumworth and
Daubhill.
In 1901 the population of Rumworth and Middle
Hulton was 14,053.
Agriculture is still an important industry ; there are
collieries ; and cotton manufactures and bleach works
are carried on.
The Bolton Industrial School is in Rumworth.
Part of the township was incorporated with Bolton
in 1872 ; the remainder was added in 1898.
RUMWORTH was in 1212 joined
M4NOR with Lostock in Bolton as the third part
of a knight's fee, held of the lords of
Manchester. 1 In later times the Andertons of Lostock
claimed a manor in Rumworth,* but the Hultons of
Hulton and Farnworth were usually said to hold the
third part of a fee in Rumworth and Lostock, per-
forming suit of court and rendering for sake fee 4*. 6</.,
for ward of Lancaster Castle 3/. 6d., and puture of
the serjeant and foresters. 3 The last-named service
was commuted into payments of zSs. and i6s. re-
spectively from the fourteen oxgangs of land in Rum-
worth, and the eight oxgangs of Lostock. 4
With Farnworth the manor of Rumworth was pur-
chased by the Hultons of Over Hulton, and has
descended in this family. 5 Sir Charles Tempest, the
heir of the Andertons, had a large estate in the town-
ship.
The local surname occurs, 6 but nothing is known of
the family.
The Hospital of the Savoy had a rent-charge of
5 marks out of the manor of Rumworth. 7
The contributors to the land tax in 1789 were
Henry Blundell, who paid nearly five-sixths, Black-
burne, and William Hulton. 8
The inclosure award is preserved at Preston.
The parish church of Deane has been described
above. St. George the Martyr's, Daubhill, was built
in 1880 ; the patronage is vested in trustees. 9
The school at Deane was endowed in 1636 ; it
probably existed already.
HORWICH
Harewych, 1277 ; Horewyche, 1327.
The township of Horwich has an area of 3,254^-
acres, 1 and measures about 3 miles from north to
south, by 2 miles across. The highest point, 1,475 ft.,
is in the extreme north ; from this the ground slopes
downward to the south, but most rapidly to the west,
where about 3 50 ft. is reached. Along the south-
western border the Coal Measures occur, on Wilders
and Horwich Moors the Millstone Grit, and in the
intermediate slopes the Gannister Beds or Lower Coal
Measures.
A little to the south of the Rivington Reservoirs
lies the town of Horwich, built at the junction of two
the latter service was a copyhold farm
(Bannister's) in Tottington Lower End,
let at 38 a year, which sum was distri-
buted in gifts of money from lot. to 2os.
each. The rent has increased to 60 a
year, and is now distributed in doles of
blankets, sheets, and flannel of the value
of js. each.
John Laithwaite in 1728 left 10 for
a bread charity. For some time IQJ. a
year, afterwards increased to 2OJ., was
given in bread out of the rents of the
Crompton Charity, it being understood
that the capital had been expended in
improvements of that estate. The special
payments for bread had ceased by 1828, it
being thought better to use the rent other-
wise.
1 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 5 5. The heirs of Thomas de
Pierpoint then held them, and Richard de
Pierpointin 1242 ; ibid. 154. Rumworth
and Lostock together had three plough-
lands.
a See for instance Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 156, m. 174, relating to a settle-
ment in 1654. The Andertons' title was
derived from the Athertons of Atherton,
who had lands in the township, held (with
Lostock, &c.) by a rent of nd^ but do
not appear to have claimed a manor ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 39 ; viii,
40.
Richard son of Thomas de Pierpoint
was defendant to a claim for a tenement
in Rumworth in 1276 ; Assize R. 1238,
m. 31. In 1 282 and 1302 William son of
William de Anderton and Almaria his
wife held Rumworth [and Lostock] for
the third part of a knight's fee ; Lanes. Inq.
and Extents, i, 248, 314. In 1292 William
de Anderton and Almarica his wife were
defendants jointly with John de Bradshaw
and Cecily his wife, in a claim put forward
by Robert de Sunderland respecting land
and a share of the waste in Rumworth ;
Almarica was the daughter and heir of
Thomas de Pierpoint, while Cecily had
dower ; Assize R. 408, m. 9.
The Athertons' holding in Lostock and
Rumworth was the subject of disputes in
1337 and 1347 ; ibid. 1424, m. 8 ; 1435,
m. 1 8.
8 The title of the Hultons appears to
have been derived from a purchase made
by Richard de Hulton in 1310, Almarica
or Ameria, widow of William de Anderton,
selling the manor ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 4.
The details in the text are from the
survey of 1320, Richard de Hulton being
tenant ; Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), 288,
341. In 1331 Richard de Hulton claimed
certain tenements in Rumworth from
John la Warre and Joan his wife, but did
not proceed ; Assize R. 1404, m. 27.
John de Hulton, of Manchester and of
Farnworth, received lands in Rumworth
from Richard de Hulton, who made a
division of his estates about 13 34; ibid.
1435, m - 4- In 1346 the heirs of
John son of Henry de Hulton were re-
turned asholdingthe third part of a fee in
Rumworth and Lostock which the Pier-
points had formerly held ; Feod. of 20 Edw.
Ill in Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 181. In 1473
John Hulton held the lordship of Rum-
worth by the ancient services, rendering
for sake fee 31., and for castle ward
2J. 4</. two-thirds of the earlier pay-
ments; Mamecestre, 480, 496. The manor
remained with the Farnworth branch of
the family till the middle of the I7th
century. Thus William Hulton of Farn-
worth was in 1556 found to have held it
of the lord of Manchester by the third
part of a knight's fee and the rent of
4*. 6d. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, 32 ;
see also Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 470. The manors of
Farnworth and Rumworth were subjects
of fines in 1658 and 1659 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 163, m. 67 ; 164, m. 52.
4 Extent of 1322 in Mamecestre, 377,
401 ; the remaining two oxgangs in Rum-
worth must have been the glebe of Deane
Chapel.
5 The manor of Rumworth is expressly
included with Over Hulton in a settle-
ment of 1738 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 321, m. 3.
6 In 1292 Ellen, widow of Richard de
Lostock, alleged that Mabel, wife of
Henry de Rumworth, was keeping two
charters from her; Assize R. 408, m. 13.
Richard son of Henry de Rumworth had
lund in Middleton near Bury in 1317;
Final Cone, ii, 22.
"' Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 30.
8 Land tax returns at Preston.
9 For a legacy to it see End. Charities
Rep. (Bolton Borough) for 1904, p. 129.
1 3,257, including 39 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
roads from Bolton, which are the principal ones tra-
versing the township. To the south-east of the town
are the great locomotive works of the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway Company, the main industry of
the place. The company has a short branch from
the Bolton and Preston line, with a terminus at
Horwich, opened in 1870. There is an electric
tramway to Bolton. The Thirlmere aqueduct passes
through the township.
To the hearth tax of 1666 the largest house con-
tributing was that of Thomas Anderton, with six
hearths ; the total number was seventy-six.*
The population in 1901 numbered 15,084.
Great bleach works and cotton mills have long been
carried on here, also calico printing. There are fire-
brick and tile works, important stone quarries, and
several collieries. The northern part of the township
is moorland ; the chief crop is grass.
A local board was formed in 1872 ; 3 this in 1894
became an urban district council, the township being
divided into four wards, each returning three mem-
bers. The meetings are held in the Public Hall,
built in 1878. The Railway Mechanics' Institute
was built in 1887-8.
There is a weekly newspaper.
The moor was inclosed in i8i5-i8. 4 The Hor-
wich race meetings lasted from 1837 to 1847.* Pace-
eggs used to be collected by the children on the
Sunday before Easter. 6
The two pyramidal cairns called the Two Lads are
variously supposed to mark the resting-places of two
sons of early kings, or of two boys who lost their way
on the moor and died of exposure. 7
HQRW1CH was the forest or chase of
MJNOR the barons of Manchester, 8 by whom it
had been afforested perhaps as early as the
reign of Henry I. Hence it first appears in the re-
cords as the scene of poaching raids, headed some-
times, it would appear, by neighbouring gentry. 9
Various surveys have been preserved, 10 that of 1322
being very full. It states that in Horwich there were
sixteen plots of pasture, not measured because of their
extent in wood and open ground, and two of these
plots made a vaccary or booth. After describing the
eight vaccaries, the extent proceeds : ' The wood of
Horwich contains a circuit of sixteen leagues, and is
yearly worth in pannage, aeries of eagles, herons and
goshawks, in honey, millstones, and iron mines, in
charcoal-burning, and the like issues, 6os. ; of which
the vesture in oaks, elms, and wholly covered with
such, 1 60 marks. The said wood is so thoroughly
several that no one may enter there without licence,
and of every beast found there without licence the
owner shall give for that trespass 6</., by fixed cus-
tom.' "
In course of time the woods were cleared and Hor-
wich became an ordinary agricultural township ; but
the survey of 1473 gives only four tenants' holdings. 18
3 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
8 Land. Gaz. 20 Aug. 1872.
4 Hampson, Harwich, 191 ; by Act of
55 Geo. Ill, cap. 31 (private).
5 Hampson, op. cit. 229-35.
6 Ibid. 239.
7 Ibid. 36, 37. On pp. 67-70 is related
the story of a ghost-laying exploit of the
Rev. S. Johnson, curate of Horwich.
8 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xix, 1 7.
9 In 1 246 John de Blackburn gave a
mark for licence to concord with Thomas
Grelley in a plea ' as to why they chased
in his forest ' ; Richard de Ollerton and
Henry de Whalley also giving a mark for
a similar licence. The three acknow-
ledged that they had no right to chase in
the forest of Horwich, and that in future
neither they nor their heirs should chase
therein without the leave of Thomas
Grelley and his heirs ; Assize R. 404,
m. 8.
Eight years afterwards a number of men,
with dogs, bows, and cross-bows, entered
Thomas Grelley's parks in Manchester
and his forest of Horwich and took and
carried off the wild animals therein ; like-
wise seizing the forester and abducting
him ; Lanes. Inj. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 193.
Again in 1277 Robert Grelley pro-
secuted Martin de Rumworth and Robert
son of Robert de Leigh for carrying off
the deer of Horwich Wood ; De Banco
R. 21, m. 57 d.
A century later Sir John La Warre
impleaded Nicholas de Worthington and
others for cutting down trees and breaking
closes at Horwich ; ibid. 459, m. 38,
10 d. ; 463, m. 6.
10 A brief extent of 1282 is printed in
I<ancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 247 ; there were
then eight vaccaries, worth 19 yearly ;
pannage and the eyries of sparrow-hawks
were worth 40*. There wete three
foresters.
In 1322 it was stated that these three
foresters gave to the lord for their
bailiwick, one year with another, 4.
They answered to the lord for all agist-
ments and trespasses, pannage, honey, vert
and venison, &c. They were sustained
by the townships lying adjacent to the
forest ; this being charged on Lostock as
8 oxgangs of land ; Rumworth, 14 ; Hea-
ton, 4 ; Halliwell, 3 ; Sharpies, 4 ; Long-
worth, 2 ; and Anderton, 7 ; the total
being (inaccurately) given as 40 oxgangs.
At the hawks' nesting time the people of
these townships, being warned by the
foresters, gathered at Horwich Lee, and,
after being sworn, were sent through the
forest to see what nests had been made ;
from this time until St. Barnabas the
foresters themselves had to keep watch in
the forest day and night. When the
young hawks were hatched the villagers
were again sent through the forest to
collect the nestlings, which they had to
deliver to the foresters or bailiffs of the
lord ; see Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), 376,
377-
11 Ibid. 366, &c.
The eight vaccaries are thus described:
1. Aquous Booth Lee (wood) and Little
Hordern (moor), together with 531.4^. a
year, furnished also ten carts of hay ;
2. Ridley (wood) and Sharpen Lee
(moor), 6oj. and twelve loads of hay ;
3. Calverley (wood) and Wild Boars
Clough or Great Hordern (moor), 53*. 4^.5
4. Wilderhurst (wood) and Brodned
(moor), 66s. %d. and twelve loads of hay ;
5. Lestold (meadow and pasture), 6oj.
and twenty loads ;
6. Hardersollins (moor) ;
7. Horwich Lee (wood) and Egberden
or Haghead (moor), 66s. 8J. and one load
of hay ;
8. Oaken Lee (wood) and Egberden or
Withinrod (moor), 66s. 8</. and twenty
loads.
In 1430 Lord La Warre granted to
feoffees lands called Oaken Lee Wood,
Wilderswood, Calverley Wood, &c., with
all oaks growing at Horwich Lee, at a
rent of 26^ marks ; Anderton of Lostock
Evidences (Mr. Stonor), no. 2.
A traditional story of the vengeance of
a band of foresters and outlaws, the wife
and three children of the lord being mur-
dered by them, is told in Hampson's
Harwich, 18-21.
12 Mamecestre, 484; viz. : Ralph Rad-
cliffe, holding a pasture at the rent of
,8 1 6s. So 1 .; Edward Greenhalgh, four
messuages in Horwich Lee at ^3 131.4^.5
Edward Hulme, six messuages in Oaken
Lee at 10 41. id. ; and William Heaton,
three messuages at Ridley Wood at zos.
In 1425 the feoffees restored to James
son of Geoffrey Greenhalgh a messuage
with the lands adjacent, called Horwich
Lee Wood, within bounds beginning near
the Roodgate, by the division between the
wood and the moor, as far as the head of
the Clough between the Strinds and
Ridley Head ; by the Clough to Olton
Brook to boundary stones between Los-
tock and Horwich Lee Wood ; by these
stones and others between Blackrod and
the same wood to the stones between the
wood and Oaken Lee Wood, and so to the
starting point ; Anderton Evidences, no. i.
In the reign of Henry VIII disputes
arose between Richard Heaton and Bryan
Heaton concerning Ridley Wood and
Park Wood, Bryan claiming by a grant
from his brother William son and heir of
Richard Heaton, deceased. The bounds
of Ridley Wood began at the head of the
Clough between the Strinds and Ridley
Head, went down the Clough to Holton
Brook to the bounds of Lostock, by these
to the water of Yaresworth, up this to
Greenwall Syke and so to a paling between
Ridley Head and Horwich Moor. The
evidences produced showed that the land
had been granted originally by the ances-
tors of Lord La Warre ; Duchy Plead.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 121 ; ii,
219.
For some other disputes see Ducatus
Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 130, 189, 183.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Among the tenants were the Heatons of Heaton and
other neighbouring families. 13 In the Subsidy Lists
of 1541 " and 1622" no landowners are named in
Horwich.
At the Court Leet of Manchester in 1598 the
constables of Horwich presented a number of persons
for tithing men. 16
The Andertons of Lostock, successors of the Heatons,
acquired the manor of Horwich and held it in the
1 7th century and onwards. 17 Henry Blundell was
the chief landowner in lj8S. lB The minor family of
Anderton of Horwich sprang from Thomas Anderton,
a younger brother of Christopher Anderton of Los-
tock (1592), who settled in this township. His son
Lawrence, who became a Jesuit, was the author of
the famous hymn, ' Jerusalem, my happy home,' and,
under the alias of John Brereley, of various controver-
sial works, such as The Protestant's Apology for the Roman
Church, printed at the secret press at Lostock. 19 Law-
rence's brother Christopher was prothonotary of the
common pleas at Lancaster by patent dated 1607.
Administration of the goods of Thomas Anderton of
Horwich, apparently son of Christopher, was granted
in 1 669 to his brother William. The horrible death
of this William (Dr. Anderton of Wigan) is described
by Oliver Heywood (Diaries, iii, 211). His will was
proved in 1675 ; his executors were to bring up his
son Thomas, aged eight, in the * knowledge of the
true Catholic church.' The guardianship was en-
trusted to Anne Anderton, widow (grandmother),
and Anne Tootell (aunt).
Thomas Willoughby, a descendant of the second
Lord Willoughby of Parham, married Eleanor daugh-
ter of Hugh Whittle of Horwich, and lived at Shaw
Place in Charnock. Being erroneously supposed to be
the heir male he was summoned to Parliament as
Lord Willoughby of Parham. He died in 1692, and
was buried at Horwich. His son, two grandsons, and
a great-grandson followed him in the title. They
were Presbyterians. The last of them, Hugh Wil-
loughby, enjoyed the title from 1715 to 1765; he
was president of the Society of Antiquaries in 1754.*
In 1322-3 the herbage of the wood called Le
Twecheles, now Twitchills, could not be agisted,
through the deficiency of cattle in the district, owing
to the Scottish raid at midsummer, 1322."
Among those whose estates were sequestrated for
* delinquency ' by the Parliament in the time of the
Civil Wars was Philip Martindale of Horwich, chap-
man."
A chapel of ease existed at Horwich
CHURCH before the Reformation, for in 1552 it
was found provided with the ornaments
for saying mass. There were also three bells, * which
are the poor men's of the town, bought with their
own money, and the said bells not yet hanged up.' n
In 1565 the commissioners for removing superstitious
ornaments reported to the Bishop of Chester that they
had taken from this chapel * vestment, alb, altar-cloth,
corporas, and other idolatrous gear.' " There was
then a curate there," but the chapel seems afterwards
to have fallen into obscurity and is not mentioned
again 16 till the survey of 1650, when Mr. Henry
Pendlebury usually preached there on Sunday without
any stipend beyond the people's offerings. 17 The re-
commendation to make Horwich a separate parish
was not acted upon, and it is probable that down to
the Revolution nothing more than a Sunday service
was performed by the vicar or curate of Deane. In.
1669 numerous meetings of Nonconformists were re-
ported in this parish, and at Horwich Chapel there
was a * conventicle,' but the ringleaders had been
prosecuted.* 8
After the Revolution, with the connivance of the
vicar, the chapel was used by Nonconformists, but in
1716 Bishop Gastrell recovered it for the Established
Church, and it has since been retained. There was
a chapel stock of ^190, in the hands of Nonconforming
trustees, who refused to pay the interest when the
chapel was taken from them. In 1723, however,
18 The inquisitions show the following
to have held lands in Horwich : Barton
of Smithills, Hulton of Farnworth, Hul-
ton of Over Hulton, and Greenhalgh of
Brandlesholme.
Andrew Barton was in 1549 said to
have held a moiety of the manor of Hor-
wich, eight messuages, &c., of Lord La
Warre by a rent of 8 161. 8</.; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 27. He was the
heir of Ralph Radcliffe of 1473.
Thomas Greenhalgh was in 1577 found
to have held eight messuages, &c., in
Horwich (not called a manor), of the lord
of Manchester by a rent of ^3 131. ^d. 5
ibid, xii, no. 10.
14 Mite. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 139 ; the contributors for 'goods' were
Bryan Heaton and four others.
14 Ibid. 151; James Urmston and James
Stones were the contributors.
16 Mane A. Ct. Leet Rec. i, 140. The
constables of Horwich seem to have been
summoned to the court till 1733, but had
ceased to appear ; ibid, vii, 25.
17 In the inquisition of Christopher An-
derton in 1593 his tenement in Horwich
is mentioned incidentally only as an ap-
purtenance of Lostock and Heaton held
of the manor of Manchester ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no. 41. James Ander-
ton his son and heir purchased the manor
of Horwich from Nicholas Mosley and
Elizabeth his wife and Rowland Mosley
and Anne his wife in 1599 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 61, no. 351 ; Anderton
D. no. 76.
In 1620 part of Andertons' land in
Horwich was held of the king by knight's
service, and the remainder of the lord of
Manchester ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 164. The manor is
named in an Anderton settlement of 1654;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 156, m.
174. Later it descended in the same
manner as Anderton to the Blundells and
Stonors.
18 Land tax returns at Preston.
19 Foley, Recs. S. J. iv, 7 1 3 ; he had a
nephew Thomas, also a Jesuit. A list of
his works is given by Gillow, Bill. Diet.
of Engl. Cath. i, 34 ; v, 204 (pedigree
erroneous). See also Diet. Nat. Biog. In
1630 Thomas Anderton of Horwich com-
pounded by an annual fine of 8 for the
two-thirds of his estate liable to sequestra-
tion for recusancy ; Lucas, ' Warton '
MS. (from Thoresby). Dorothy Walton
compounded similarly by 2.
20 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, viii, 156-8,
referring to W. D. Pink in Gen. (old
ser.), iv, 34-9, and to the Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv (Kenyon MSS.) ;
see also Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii,
14, 38. The co-heirs of the last of this
line were his sisters Helena wife of
Baxter Roscoe of Anglezarke in Bolton,
and Elizabeth widow of John Shaw of
Heath Charnock.
21 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.), ii,
185 n.
22 Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), iv, 121.
33 Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 27 ; see also
Raines, Chantries (Chet Soc.), 273, for
the sale of two bells.
84 Gastrell, Notitia (Chet. Soc.), ii,.
41.
25 Peter Mackinson ; he was one of
the Marian priests, having been ordained
by Bishop Scott in 1558, on the title of
Robert Barton of Smithills ; Ordination Bk.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 101.
26 There is no mention of Horwich in
the list of the Kenyon MSS. or the Clerical
Subs. (Rec. Soc.).
2 ? Commoniv.Ch. Surv, (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 37. An allowance of 20
was made to him out of the tithes, and
it was said that ,100 had been sub-
scribed ' by the well affected ' of the chap-
elry, but no interest had been received for
five or six years from Richard Holt of
Ashworth, who held the principal.
James Walton, ejected from Shaw
Chapel in 1662, is said to have preached
at Horwich in 1648 ; Nightingale, Lanes.
Nonconf. iii, 99.
28 Visit. P. at Chester.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
100 was given by the vicar of Deane and 100 by
Lady Moyer, and in the following year 200 for the
old chapel stock was recovered from the trustees by a
decree of the Commissioners for Charitable Uses. 29
The old chapel was rebuilt in I779, 30 and the new
one having fallen into decay was taken down when
the present church of the Holy Trinity was opened
in 1831 sl on an adjacent site. It is in the decorated
Gothic style, with western tower. A separate ecclesi-
astical district was assigned to it in 1853." The
patronage is vested in the vicar of Deane, and the in-
come is 370 a year.
The following is a list of curates and vicars 3S :
00.1671. John Barton
1702. John Horobin, B.A. (Jesus College,
Cambridge)
1720. Nathan Pierpoint, B.A.
1724. Robert Harvey, B.A. 34
1732. John Norcross, B.A." (St. John's Col-
lege, Cambridge)
1765. John Norcross, B.A. 16
1788. Samuel Johnson, M.A. 37 (Brasenose
College, Oxford)
1826. David Hewitt, B.A. (Trinity College,
Cambridge)
1853. Henry Septimus Pigot, M.A.* 8 (Brase-
nose College, Oxford)
1901. George Henry St. Patrick Garrett 39
1908. Samuel Sheppard
A school church was erected in 1889, and enlarged
in 1 897 ; this was in 1 902 replaced by St. Catherine's,
a chapel of ease. St. Elizabeth's iron mission church
was built in 1902.
Methodism was introduced into Horwich by a
preacher from Bolton about the beginning of last
century. A room in a mill at Wilderswood was used
for a time ; but a chapel was opened in or about
i8io. 40 The Independent Methodist chapel in Lee
Lane was built in 1867, the congregation having
originated some years earlier in a gathering of tee-
totallers. 41 The Primitive Methodists once had a
chapel on Horwich Moor, 42 and the Independent
Methodists also have a place of worship.
A Baptist church was built in 1890.
A large proportion of the population refused to
conform at the Restoration, but nothing is known as
to their ministers or organization, 43 until, as stated
above, the chapel at Horwich came into their hands
about the Revolution. 44 On being ejected in 1716
the Dissenters erected a meeting-house called the New
Chapel ; this was enlarged in 1805, and other altera-
tions have been made more recently. It is now in
the hands of the Congregationalists, though for a short
period in the 1 8th century the ministers are said to
have been Unitarian/ 5 A second Congregational
church, known as Horwich Lee Chapel, was erected
in 1856, replacing one built in I774- 46
A Unitarian church was erected in 1 896.
The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the
Rosary was built in 1886.
HEATON
Heton, 1302 ; Heyton, xvi cent.
This township is usually known as Heaton-under-
Horwich to distinguish it from the other Heatons in
the neighbourhood. It has an area of 1,743^- acres.
The highest point, just over 1,000 ft., is in the
north-west corner. The River Croal forms the
southern boundary.
Two roads between Bolton and Horwich cross
Heaton from east to west. The Lancashire and York-
shire Company's railway from Bolton passes along the
southern boundary, and has a station called Lostock
Junction at the western end, where there is a junction
of the Preston and Wigan branches.
The most thickly populated part of the township is
the eastern end, it being a suburb of Bolton. In 1901
the population was returned with Halliwell.
Coal and slate-flags are found, but not in great
abundance.
A School Board was formed in I883. 1
The township was incorporated with the borough
of Bolton in 1898.
Fifty-six hearths were liable to the tax in 1666 ;
the largest house was that of ^Thomas Lomax, with
five hearths. 1
In the 1 2th century HE4TON,
M4NOR assessed as one plough-land, appears to have
been held in moieties by knight's service of
M Notitia Cestr. ii, 41-4. The letter of
the vicar of Deane states that he had put a
conformable clergyman into the chapel as
soon as the Nonconformists had left ; he
allowed him the surplice fees and 2
besides, which with offerings gave an in-
come of about ,14. As to the chapel
stock, he had witnesses to prove that the
interest had been paid to ' episcopal con-
forming clergymen ' in the reigns of
Charles II and James II, and till some
time after the Revolution.
Gastrell states that a curate was licensed
to Horwich in 1702. There was one
warden for the chapel, chosen by house
row.
Lady Moyer was Rebecca daughter of
Alderman Sir William Joliffe and wife of
Sir Samuel Moyer of Pitsea Hall in Essex,
who died in 1716 ; Canon Raines in Gas-
trell, loc. cit.
80 See Hampson, Harwich, 55. A brief
for collections was issued in 1777.
81 The building was assisted by a Par-
liamentary grant. Joseph Ridgway of
Ridgmont, one of the principal land-
5
owners, contributed. An account of this
family is given in Hampson, op. cit. 181
203.
82 Lond. Gaz. 10 Jan. 1854.
88 Church Papers at Chester.
84 Also curate of Westhoughton.
85 R. F. Scott, Admissions to St. John's
College, iii, 44, 311. John Norcross was
also master of Rivington School.
86 Son of the preceding ; ibid, iii, 121,
565. Succeeded his father as master of
Rivington School. An abstract of his
will is given by Hampson, op. cit.
62.
87 Foster, Alumni Oxon. For his father
Henry see James Hall, Nantwich, 349.
88 Son of a former incumbent of St.
Helens.
89 Formerly vicar of St. Paul's, Prince's
Park, Liverpool.
40 Hampson, Harwich, 98-102.
41 Ibid. 1 02. For a charity in connexion
with this chapel see Endowed Charitiet
Rep. (Deane) of 1903, p. 39.
42 Hampson, op. cit. 103.
48 A preaching-place at the house of
Thomas Welsby was licensed in 1672,
during the brief Indulgence ; Nightingale,
op. cit. iii, 99. Bishop Gastrell in 1717
recorded that half the small population
were Dissenters ; Notitia, ii, 41.
44 In 1689 Horwich Chapel was already
in the hands of the Nonconformists, and
was so certified and recorded ; Hist. A/55.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 231.
45 Nightingale, op. cit. iii, 98-1 10. The
first minister ejected from the old chapel
was John Walker, who is said to have
received 100 a year from the govern-
ment on account of his services at the
rising of 1715. An account of the en-
dowments and charities may be seen in
the Endowed Charities Rep. (Deane) of
I93 PP- 33- 6 -
46 Nightingale, op. cit. iii, 110-15.
The erection of this second meeting-place
is supposed te have been due to the
Unitarianism of the older chapels at Hor-
wich and Rivington. For endowment,
&c., see Endowed Charities Rep. 39.
1 Lond. Can. 26 Oct. 1883.
2 Subs. R. bdle. 250. no. 9, Lanes.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
the barons of Manchester. One moiety was included
in the Barton fee, 5 the Hulton family being the
under-tenants ; 4 while the other half was held with
Worthington, 5 but afterwards severed, and held as
the tenth part of a knight's fee by a family which
assumed the local name.
The earliest known is a Randle de Heaton, 6
followed in hereditary succession by Ellis, John, and
John. 7 The younger John made a settlement in
1332, from which it appears that he had sons John,
Adam, and others. 8 He or his son John was living
in 1355.' The son is said to have married a daughter
and co-heir of Robert de Huyton of Billinge, and thus
acquired the Birchley estate. 10 Richard de Heaton
was in 1385 appointed a keeper of the peace in Sal-
ford Hundred. 11 Richard's son and heir William
married Joan daughter and heir of Gilbert de
Billinge, 12 and thus increased the family estate in
Billinge. William and Joan were living in 1 422,"
but for the succeeding century little is known of the
family. 13a William Heaton
was holding the manor in
1473 by the ancient ser-
vice. 14
The next to occur is Richard
Heaton who recorded a pedi-
gree in 1533, from which it
appears that he had been twice
married. 15 William, his eldest
son, left two daughters, Jane
and Alice ; and by his second
wife Elizabeth, daughter and
eventual co-heir of Sir Richard
Aughton of North Meols, he
HEATON of Heaton.
Argent on a bend en-
grailed sable three bulls'
heads erased of the feld.
9 Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 54. By 1241 the four oxgangs of
land in Heaton seem to have become
separated from Barton and held by Richard
son of Christiana de Alreton ; Final
Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 88.
4 From the later descent it is probable
that the above Richard son of Christiana
was the younger Richard de Hulton, who
was quickly succeeded by his brothers
William and David, the latter continuing
the line. Thus in 1256 David de Hulton
was holding half a plough-land in Heaton,
in which his brother's widow was claiming
dower; Final Cone, i, 122. In 1302
Richard de Hulton son of David was
holding the tenth part of a fee in Heaton
of Thomas Grelley ; Inq. and Extents,
i, 314.. In 1324 Richard de Hulton was
returned as holding half a plough-land in
' Davyd Heton ' by a thegnage rent of
6s. %d. ; Duchy of Lane. Rentals and
Surv. 379, m. 13. In the later division
of the Hulton lands this probably went to
the families of Farnworth and Halliwell ;
and some part was obtained at a later time
by the Hultons of Over Hulton. Thus
William Hulton of Farnworth was in
1613 in possession of lands in Heaton ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 266 ; and Randle Barton of
Smithills, who died in 1611, also had
lands in Heaton ; ibid, i, 208.
5 Inq. and Extents, i, 54. Thomas de
Worthington was holding half a knight's
fee of Robert Grelley in 1212. In 1282
the manor was called Worthington,
Coppull, and the appurtenances ; ibid.
250. Later Worthington is called 'half
a fee, except the tenth part," the tenth part
being Heaton. It is unlikely that there
was only one manor in Heaton and that
it was held in succession by the Hultons
and Heatons ; for Richard de Hulton
and John de Heaton are mentioned
together in 1320, when, however, only
the latter is stated to have held the tenth
part of a fee, the former holding by the
rent of a pair of spurs or zd., and puture
of the Serjeants and foresters ; Mamecestre
(Chet. Soc.), 288, 290.
6 The Heaton family were perhaps the
successors in title of Henry de Bolton,
who in 1 22 1 offered himself against
Robert Grelley in a plea concerning the
fixing of boundaries between Henry's
ands in Heaton and Robert's in Hor-
wich ; Cur. Reg. R. 79, m. 24. Li-
cence of deafforestation in Heaton was
in 1225 granted by the king to Robert
Grelley for Henry de Bolton ; Cal. Pat.
1216-25, P- 576. By fine in 1227
Robert Grelley acknowledged Henry's
right to land within the following boun-
daries : from Yaresworth Brook up by
Ridley Syke to the middle point between
two brooks falling into the syke towards
the west, and so up between the brooks to
the great road between Halliwell and
Rivington, and to the High Edge, then by
the Edge around Helmshead to the
boundary of Halliwell ; Yorks. Feet of F.
file 1 8, no. i.
Randle de Bolton was plaintiff in 1246
respecting lands in Heaton ; Assize R.
404, m. lod.
7 In 1278 Adam son of Richard de
Heaton was non-suited in a claim for com-
mon of pasture brought against Ellis son
of Randle de Heaton ; ibid. 1238, m.
31 d. Ellis de Heaton appears as plaintiff
in 1292, alleging that Randle his father
was disseised of two parts of 4 acres of
wood and 3 acres of pasture in Heaton
by one Roger de Pendlebury, who demised
them to William de Pendlebury, from
whom they appear to have been acquired
by Richard son of David de Hulton ; ibid.
408, m. 49. He made a similar claim
against Hugh de Halliwell (ibid.), but
failed in both cases.
In 1301 John son of Ellis de Heaton
was defendant in a claim made by John
del Shaw for reasonable estovers in Hea-
ton, without view of the foresters, for
housebote and heybote ; ibid. I32i,m. 9 d.
According to the surveys of 1320 and
1322 John de Heaton owed homage and
fealty for the tenth part of a fee in
Heaton under the Forest, and rendered
yearly for sake fee 8</. and for ward of
Lancaster Castle izd., and puture of the
Serjeants and foresters ; Mamecestre, 288,
379-
At that time four oxgangs in Heaton
contributed proportionally to the main-
tenance of the foresters of Horwich ; ibid.
376, 377-
8 Final Cone, ii, 89. The children of
John son of John de Heaton named in
the remainders are John, Adam, Roger,
Robert, Richard, Joan, and Agnes. The
estate was the 'manor' of Heaton-under-
Horwich ; no other estate there seems to
have been so described.
In 1362 Richard Langtree and Margaret
his wife brought a suit against Henry son
of Adam de Heaton for waste, &c., in
Heaton by Horwich ; De Banco R. 411,
m. 217 d.
9 Hugh de Worthington and John de
Heaton held of John La Warre half a
knight's fee in Worthington and Heaton-
under-Horwich, which William de Worth-
ington formerly held ; Feud. Aids, iii, 89.
10 There does not seem to be any direct
IO
proof of this marriage, but it agrees with
the descent of the estate.
Thomas son of Roger Banastre of
Wrightington in or before 1361 married
Aline daughter of John de Heaton ; John
was a witness to the grant of lands then
made ; Piccope's MSS. iii, 2 (communi-
cated by Mr. J. H. Partington).
11 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 523.
Richard de Heaton and Isolda his wife
held a fourth part of Billinge in 1374 ;
De Banco R. 454, m. 141.
12 Raines MSS. xxxvii B, 61. Dis-
pensation granted in 1398.
18 Final Cone, iii, 81.
18a A petition addressed to the Lord
Chancellor in 1440 seems to refer to this
family. In it Richard Barton of Middle-
ton alleged that he had purchased the
marriage of William son of Richard son
of William Heaton, intending to wed
him to his daughter Agnes. The younger
William, under fourteen years of age, had
been hidden away by Alexander Standish
and his sister Isolda Heaton, who desired
to procure a divorce between him and
Agnes ; Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 9, no. 204.
Richard is described as ' the heir of
Heaton' in a document of 1461 relating
to a corrody in the priory of Marrick on
Swale, granted by Richard to his cousins
William and Oliver Entwisle successively,
and then by William son of Richard
Heaton to his uncle Robert Heaton ; Ch.
Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 29 (from the Weld
Blundell D.).
14 Mamecestre, 480. It was held by
' the service of the tenth part of a knight's
fee and puture, and the rent of &d. a
year, with izd. for ward of the castle."
Katherine daughter of William Heaton
married Henry son of Nicholas Blundell
of Little Crosby in 1488-9 ; Kuerden,
iii, C, 34, no. 580.
15 Visit, of 1533 (Chet. Soc.), p. 194 ;
the arms seem to be those of Billinge and
Heaton quarterly.
In 1530 Richard Heaton of Heaton
gave to feoffees his manor of Billinge
with lands, &c., in Billinge, Birchley,
Rumworth, Lostock, and Ulverston. His
will mentions his son William and Joan
his wife and their children Alice and
Jane ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 151, m. 8.
He died after the Statute of Uses (1536),
and his will was held to be void ; Duchy
of Lane. Dep. xxxiv, G, la.
For pleadings regarding the woods in
Horwich, between two of the younger
sons, Richard and Bryan, see Duchy Plead.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 119 ; ii,
219 ; the former seems to be wrongly
dated.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
had no issue. 16 He died in 1542, when family dis-
putes, which had already begun, were continued with
energy. Miles Gerard of Ince, who had married
William's daughter Jane, claimed the manors of
Heaton and Birchley, Alice, the other daughter,
having died without issue. 17 The manors, however,
passed to the heir male, William Heaton son of Ralph,
half-brother of the William named above. A settle-
ment was made in I55z, 18 but the new owner appears
very soon to have fallen into difficulties and mort-
gaged his possessions. 19
Christopher Anderton, said to be descended
from the lords of Anderton, obtained an interest in
the matter. In 1562 he purchased the adjoining
manor of Lostock, with lands in Rumworth and
Heaton, 20 but it was not till 1572 that he actually
obtained the manor of Heaton, and many years more
elapsed before his estate was secure. 11 It is stated
that the mortgage money was offered to him by the
Heatons just after the expiry of the term, and, to the
great scandal of the neighbours, he refused it and kept
the manors." Heaton descended in the same way as
Lostock to the Blundells of Ince. Henry Blundell,
who died in 1810, annoyed that his only son refused
to marry, bequeathed the Anderton properties to his
two daughters. A division took place, and the manor
of Heaton, with lands in Heaton and Rumworth, fell
to the share of Elizabeth wife of Stephen Tempest of
Broughton near Skipton. By a family arrangement
Henry Tempest, a younger son, received this moiety,
and his son Charles Robert, on being created a
baronet in 1 866, gave Heaton as his seat. 23 Sir Charles
died in 1 894, leaving a daughter, Mary Ethel, as heir ;
she married Miles Stapleton, tenth Lord Beaumont,
who was accidentally killed in 1895, and has two
daughters.
In 1789 the lands of Henry Blundell paid five-
sixths of the land tax. Mr. Starkie had a small
estate. 24
From the old Heaton family descended Martin
Heaton, Bishop of Ely from 1599 to i^og. 25
In the Subsidy Rolls of 1541 and 1622 Heaton is
joined with Halliwell.
The estate called ROGERSTEJDcan be traced back
to the time of Edward III.* 53 It was held early in the
1 5th century by Roger de 'Walmersley,' J5b and de-
scended by 1591 to Roger * Walmesley. 56 In 1726
it was sold by Roger Walmsley of Bolton to Pierce
16 Duchy of Lane. Dep. liv, H, i ;
it was alleged that the feoffees of Richard
Heaton the father of William in 1532
conveyed the manor of Heaton, with mill
and messuages in Heaton and Horwich,
to the use of Richard for life, and then
to the use of William his son and heir for
life, and then of Ralph Heaton and heirs
male. (This feoffment is among the
Anderton D. no. 4.) On behalf of Eliza-
beth daughter of Sir Richard Aughton,
widow of William Heaton, and before
1 549 remarried to John Bold, it was stated
that William was seised in his demesne as
of fee, and therefore she claimed as jointure.
*7 Ibid, xxxiv, G, I. Miles Gerard son
and heir of Thomas Gerard of Ince
alleged that by his marriage settlement
it was arranged that if William Heaton
died without male issue one half of all
the manors, &c., in Billinge, Birchley,
Rumworth, Lostock, Horwich, and Ulver-
ston, was to go to the said Jane ; and if
Alice, the other daughter of William
Heaton, should die without issue, the
other half should also be Jane's. Heaton
was otherwise settled. The disputes
began before William's death, which took
place on 25 November 1542, for his
answer to some of the pleadings is pre-
served. His widow Elizabeth immediately
after his death complained that the
Gerards had expelled her from Birchley.
Humphrey Winstanley, who had
married Jane, in 1560 complained that
Christopher Anderton, William Heaton,
and Ralph Heaton had entered his wife's
inheritance. William Heaton claimed as
heir male, under a settlement made in
1 540 by William the father of Jane,
apparently on his marriage with Elizabeth
Aughton ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, xlvii,
W, 13.
18 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 14,
m. 142; and ibid. m. 103. The defor-
ciants in the latter were John Bold and
Elizabeth his wife, William Heaton,
and Lambert Heaton. The fine con-
cerned two messuages, &c., 60 acres of
land, with meadow, pasture, wood, moor,
and moss in Heaton. An annuity of 541.
for life was granted to Elizabeth Bold,
with ultimate reversion to William
Heaton ; the messuages, &c., being given
to Lambert Heaton and Katherine his
wife and their male issue ; in default to
Fernando Heaton and Richard, Geoffrey,
Bryan, and Vane Heaton.
19 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 50.
In 1560 Roger Heaton as son and
devisee of Richard Heaton, one of the
younger sons of the Richard Heaton of
1533, claimed the manor of Heaton
against William Heaton and Mary his
wife by virtue of a lease ; and later Alice
the mother of Roger, who had married
Thomas Aughton, was joined in the suit ;
Duchy of Lane. Plead. Ixiii, H, ga ;
cxvii, H, 1 6. William Heaton was
plaintiff or defendant in other suits in
the early part of Elizabeth's reign ; Ducatus,
ii, 243, 311, 323, 363. Ralph the son
and heir of William Heaton of Birchley
occurs several times from 1568 to 1574;
ibid, ii, 363 ; iii, 13.
William Heaton, merchant tailor of
London, of the parish of St. Martin
Orgar, acquired an interest, by purchase
or mortgage, from the above William
Heaton, in the lands and manor of
Heaton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdles.
24, m. 158 ; 27, m. 145 ; Duchy of Lane.
Plead. Ixiii, H, 9 ; Anderton D. no. 20,
24, 35-
20 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 24,
m. 96 ; and further in the account of
Lostock. 21 Lydiate Hall, 55.
As early as 1572 an agreement was
made for the sale of the manors and lands
between Christopher Anderton, William
Heaton of London, and Ralph son and
heir of William Heaton 5 Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 232, m. 5. Two years afterwards
Christopher Anderton procured Heaton
from Humphrey Winstanley and Jane
his wife and William Gerard probably
only their reversionary rights in it ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 38, m. 80. In
1583 he made a settlement of the manor ;
ibid. bdle. 45, m. 25 ; while in 1589 he
and his sons James and Thurstan seem
to have made a further agreement or new
purchase ; ibid. bdle. 51, no. 25.
Christopher Anderton died in 1592,
holding the manor of Heaton under Hor-
wich, &c., of the lord of Manchester ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no. 41.
The bargain, however, was not even then
II
secure, for three years later his son and
heir, James Anderton, procured the manor
(or reversionary rights in it), from Richard
the son and heir apparent of Fernando
Heaton, late of London ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 59, m. 17. Besides the
manor the estate embraced eighty mes-
suages, two water-mills, &c.
Katherine widow of Lambert Heaton
and Fernando their son surrendered land
in Heaton in 1581 ; in 1593 Richard
Heaton son of Fernando, described as ' of
Alone in Westmeath,' sold his claim on
the manors to James Anderton ; Anderton
D. no. 43, 67, 68.
22 Harland and Wilkinson, Lanes. Le-
gends, 44 ; some evidence in its favour
is printed in Lydiate Hall, 56.
28 Lydiate Hall, 134, 135. In Baines'
Dir. of 1825, 'Henry Tempest, coal
proprietor, of Broughton Hall, Yorkshire,'
occurs under Heaton.
24 Land Tax Ret. at Preston.
25 He was the son of George Heaton,
of London, whose kinship to the parent
stock has not been ascertained. His
mother Joan daughter of Sir Martin
Bowes, lord mayor in 1545, died in giving
him birth, having dedicated him ' to God
and the Reformed Church.' He was
educated at Westminster and Oxford,
held various preferments, and was in 1599
promoted to the see of Ely in order to
make certain alienations of its lands.
He was the 'proud prelate' whom Eliza-
beth threatened to ' unfrock,' according
to the story. He made the alienations ;
see Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, 171
(from Strype's Annals, iv, 490) ; Foster,
Alumni , White, Elizabethan Bishops, ^Ql;
Cooper, Athen. Cantab, i, 442.
253 In 1364 Hugh Thirlewinde and
Katherine his wife, daughter of Alice
daughter of Stephen de Cockerham, mort-
gaged a tenement in Heaton ; Starkie of
Huntroyde D.
25b He had it in 1419, when it was
called Rogersted ; ibid.
26 See Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 16, &c. Roger Walmes-
ley died 31 May 1624 holding two
messuages, &c., in Heaton of Christopher
Anderton ; Towneley MS. C, 8, 13
(Chet. Lib.), p. 1287.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Starkie of Huntroyde. 17 It has now become a
cemetery belonging to the Bolton Corporation.
For the worship of the Established Church Christ
Church was consecrated in 1896 ; the vicar of Deane
is the patron.
HALLIWELL
Haliwell, 1246; Harywal, 1273; Halewell,
Haliwelle, 1277-8.
Halliwell is divided into two portions by a brook
which runs east into the Tonge ; the southern por-
tion, Halliwell proper, adjoins Bolton, of which it is
becoming a suburb ; the north-western, Smithills, is
still rural. The whole has an area of 2,479^ acres. 1
Halliwell proper has a breadth of about two miles ;
the surface rises a little from east to west. Smithills
stretches about three miles in a north-westerly direction,
rising steadily from under 5006. to over 1,475, on
the border of Horwich. To the north of Deane Brook,
almost to the limit of the township towards Bolton,
the geological formation consists of the Millstone
Grit. The town of Halliwell and Smithills Hall lie
upon the Lower Coal Measures.
The principal road is that from Bolton to Horwich
and Chorley, on both sides of which dwelling-houses
are spreading ; another road leads more northerly
through the Smithills portion.
The population in 1901 was 25,849, but this
includes Heaton also.
Halliwell has for a century been famous for its
bleach works ; there are also cotton mills.
A local board was formed in 1863.* In 1877
part of the township was taken into the borough of
Bolton. In 18943 separate civil parish was formed
for Smithills, but four years later this also was absorbed.
Tokens issued in 1652 and 1666 are extant. 3
In the latter year seventy-five hearths were assessed
to the tax ; the manor-house at Smithills (Sir Row-
land Bellasyse) had nineteen hearths, but no other
dwelling had more than four. 4
The manor of HALLIWELL was
MANORS originally a member of the lordship of
Barton, 5 and seems at first to have been
part of the possessions of the Pendlebury family. 6
William son of Roger de Pendlebury in 1289 granted
to Richard son and heir of David de Hulton the
whole vill of Halliwell with its appurtenances, with
the homages of Robert de Shoresworth and Hugh de
Halliwell for the lands they held ; an annual rent of
a silver penny was payable. 7 In 1302 it was held by
Richard de Hulton of the lord of Manchester by the
tenth part of a knight's fee. 8 Three oxgangs of land
here contributed to the sustenance of the foresters of
Horwich. 9 In 13256 Richard de Hulton granted
to his brother John land in Hulton and Westhough-
ton, 10 and this is supposed to be the John de Hulton
of Halliwell, whose son and heir Richard was in 1351
contracted to marry Margery daughter of Adam the
Ward of Sharpies. 11 Nothing further is known of
this branch of the Hulton family, but in 1473 Robert
Hulton held the lordship of Halliwell by the ancient
service. 11 Adhering to the Yorkist side his lands
were confiscated in 1487 and conferred by Henry VII
on the Earl of Derby. 13 The manor descended regu-
larly for a century ; in 1601 it was held by Edward
Stanley. 14 About that time it seems to have been
sold, part going to Robert Marsh of Halliwell, 15 whose
son-in-law Samuel Shipton, clerk, was in possession in
1638 ; 16 afterwards it descended to Samuel Aspinall, 17
and then disappears from notice. 18
SMITHILLS was held by the Hospitallers, and
*7 Huntroyde D. ; PaL of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 295, m. 89. It descended
with Huntroyde till 1879, when it was
sold to the Bolton Corporation.
1 The Census Report of 1901 gives the
area of Halliwell (with Heaton) as 4,229
acres, including 1 24 of inland water.
a Land. Gaz. 27 Nov. 1863.
8 Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Sac, v, 78 ;
William Boardman issued one.
4 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
* Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54.
6 Roger de Pendlebury in 1246 re-
covered seisin of lands in Halliwell against
Randle de Bolton, Mabel widow of Henry
de Bolton, Adam de Heaton, Robert and
Matthew his brothers, and others ; Assize
R. 404, m. i.
Amabel widow of Elias son of Roger
the Clerk was in 1273 petitioner respect-
ing lands in Pendlebury and Halliwell
Roger de Pendlebury being defendant ;
De Banco R. 5, m. 102.
7 Towneley MS. GG, no. 1808. In
1 303 Alice widow of William de Pendle-
bury claimed dower in nineteen messuages,
180 acres of land, &c., against Margery
widow of Richard de Hulton, and against
Roger and William, sons of Richard ; De
Banco R. 164, m. 206.
8 Lana. Inq, and Extents, i, 3 14.
9 Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), 377.
11 Hulton Pedigree, 5.
11 Ibid. ; three parcels of land, called
Farnegoy, Rethfield, and Broxope in Halli-
well, were granted to Richard and Mar-
gery and their issue, with remainder to
Richard's brother Roger.
12 Mamecestre, 480 ; the service was
the tenth part of a knight's fee, puture,
a rent of %d., and 8</. for ward of the
castle.
18 Robert Hulton had taken part in the
Simnel rising, and was attainted after the
battle of Stoke ; Rolls of Parl. vi, 397.
Early in 1489 his manors of Halliwell
and Smithills and various lands were
granted to the Earl of Derby ; Pat 4 Hen.
VII, 25 Feb.
14 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 63, no.
281. William, Earl of Derby, and Edward
Stanley, esq., were the deforciants, the
property being described as the manor of
Halliwell, with twenty messuages, &c.,
300 acres of land, &c., and 21. rent in
Halliwell and Smithills.
15 The plaintiffs in the fine were the
feoffees of Robert Marsh. He died in
1 6 24 holding lands in Atherton of Thomas
Ireland and the reversion of a messuage,
40 acres of land, &c., in Halliwell after
the death of Alice, Countess of Derby,
widow of the fifth earl, held of the king
as the hundredth part of a knight's fee ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxv, no. 14.
A rent of 13 91. 6d. continued to be
payable from the manor of Halliwell to
the Earl of Derby, and in 1653 it was
sold, together with the manor of Bolton,
as part of the confiscated estates of the
seventh earl, to Charles Worsley ; Royalist
Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
ii, 240. This rent was recovered, and in
1715 formed part of the estate of the
Derby family ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 276, m. 75.
16 Ibid. bdle. 129, no. 1 3 ; the manor of
12
Halliwell and land, &c., there and in
Atherton were held by Samuel Shipton,
clerk, and Abigail his wife, daughter and
heir of Robert Marsh. An inquiry re-
specting it was made in 1641, after the
death of Abigail, when her estate was
described as three-twentieths of the manor,
held of the Earl of Derby by a rent of
33*. $4. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxix,
no. 69.
Samuel Shipton, M.A., of Brasenose
College, Oxford, was rector of Alderley,
Cheshire, from 1630 to 1643, when he
was ejected as a Royalist ; he was rein-
stated in 1660 and held this benefice till
his death in 1670. He recorded a pedigree
in 1663. Abigail, his first wife, was born
in 1614 and died in 1640, and bore a son
and three daughters, who all died young.
Shortly afterwards the husband married
again ; Earwaker, East Ches. ii, 633, 634.
l ? According to the Inq. p.m. of 1641
Abigail Shipton's heir was her aunt Mar-
garet's son, Samuel Aspinall, who received
the manor of Halliwell and lands there
and in Atherton in 1651 from Samuel
Shipton and Elizabeth his (second) wife,
and Sir Henry Delves, bart., and Roger
Wilbraham, junior, these being probably
trustees ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
147, m. 135.
18 A fine of 1747 concerning lands in
Halliwell, Wigan, &c., also included the
chief rents of the township ; the defor-
ciants were Edward Hurst, John Rothwell
and Margaret his wife, William Battersby
and Jane his wife ; while the plaintiffs
were Richard Rothwell and Thoma
Marsh ; ibid. bdle. 339, m. 93.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
appears to have been held under them by the Hulton
family, passing with the manor of Blackburn to the
Radcliffes in 1335." The Radcliffes of Smithills
occur during the I5th century, having made the
place their chief manor.* Sir Ralph Radcliffe, the
third of the same name in succession, dying about
1460," the estates went to the heir male, Ralph son
of Sir Ralph's brother Edmund ; and he leaving a
daughter and heir Cecily, they passed to her husband
John Barton of Holme, near Newark,* 3 and they and
their descendants retained possession until the i8th
century.
John Barton, having made a settlement of his
manors and lands in 1514, and seen his son Andrew
married to Anne or Agnes daughter of Sir William
Stanley of Hooton, renounced the world, and in July
1516 entered the monastery of the Observant Friars
at Richmond in Surrey, and was there professed."
Andrew Barton added a moiety of the manor of
Oswaldtwisle 24 to the family possessions, recorded a
pedigree at the visitation of I533,* 4a and died in
1549, l eavm g a son an d heir Robert, then twenty-
four years of age.* 6 Robert Barton, who succeeded,
was the justice to whom George Marsh surrendered
19 This seems the most probable account
of the matter, as Smithills and Blackburn
afterwards descended together, but there
are no charters concerning Smithills avail-
able, and it may, of course, have been held
by the Radcliffes under the Hospitallers.
20 Some family deeds, relating chiefly
to the manor of Oswaldtwisle, are pre-
served in Towneley MS. OO, no.
1645-76. See also Abram, Blackburn,
251-5.
21 The first Sir Ralph was knight of the
shire in 1397 and 1404 ; Pink and Beaven,
Parl.Rcpre. of Lanes. 44, 46. The writ of
Diem daunt extr. af er his death was issued
12 May 1406 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii,
App. 5. Ralph his son had livery soon
afterwards; Abram, op. cit. 251. He
was knighted by the Duke of Bedford
at Leicester in 1426 ; Metcalfe, Bk. of
Knights, I.
Sir Ralph Radcliffe II was a knight of
the shire in 1413, 1423, and 1427 ; Pink
and Beaven, op. cit. 49, 52, 53. In 1424
Ralph son of Sir Ralph Radcliffe made
a feoffment of lands in Salford, &c., in
which his brother George, rector of Hough-
ton, is named ; Towneley MS. OO,
no. 1656. This was in connexion with
the proposed marriage of his son Ralph
with Ellen daughter of John Massey of
Tatton, as appears by the above-cited in-
quisition, in which is also given a settle-
ment of 1431 in favour of Cecily, Sir
Ralph's second wife. There are named
her son Edmund Radcliffe, and daughters
Emma and Douce. Sir Ralph's brother
Nicholas is named among the remainders.
He died in Jan. 1432-3, but Smithills is
not named in the inquisition after his
death, though Ralph, his son and heir,
then twenty-nine years of age, is described
as 'of Smithills' ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 34-6.
In the same year (1433) the feoffees
delivered to Ralph son of Sir Ralph Rad-
cliffe the manor of Smithills, and lands in
Much Hoole, Croston, Leyland, Ulnes
Walton, Edgeworth, Bradshaw, Turton,
Halliwell, Egburden, Sharpies, Harwood,
Bolton, Blackburn, Flixton, Lostock,
Tonge, &c. ; Towneley MS. OO, no.
1658. The escheator also was ordered to
deliver lands to Ralph Radcliffe of Smith-
ills, son and heir of Ralph son and heir of
Sir Ralph, and Ellen his wife, daughter of
John Massey of Tatton ; Dep. Keeper's
Rep. xxxiii, App. 34. Two years later
Cecily widow of Sir Ralph de Radcliffe
was indicted for felony; ibid. 35. In
1436 Ralph Radcliffe granted to feoffees
various lands, with the reversion of the
lands in Heaton and Horwich, which
Cecily widow of Sir Ralph had held in
dower. This was for the benefit of his
wife Janet, and there were a remainder to
Edmund his brother and a dowry of
So marks for his sister {Catherine. Ed-
mund was still a minor ; Towneley MS.
OO, no. 1657.
The third Sir Ralph left a daughter and
heir Joan and a widow Katherine ; and
disputes quickly arose between them and
Elizabeth widow of Edmund Radcliffe
and Ralph son of Edmund, the heir male ;
OO, no. 1645, ^646. The date of the
former of these (29 Hen. VI) is uncertain ;
perhaps it should be 39, for it quotes deeds
of 37 Hen. VI. The writ of Diem clausit
txtr. was issued 4 Aug. 1460 ; Dep. Keeper's
Rep. xzxvii, App. 177.
The daughter Joan is said to have mar-
ried Ralph Barton of Holme.
82 Ralph Radcliffe died in Oct. 1485,
his daughter Cecily being then twelve
years of age ; she was immediately mar-
ried to John Barton. At the inquisition
taken in 1506 it was found that Ralph
Radcliffe had held the manor of Tingreave
and various lands, but of whom the lands
in Smithills, Heaton, and Halliwell were
held the jury did not know. In 1475, as
Ralph son and heir of Edmund Radcliffe,
he had granted the manor of Smithills and
all his lands in Lancashire to feoffees,
and by his will directed them to make an
estate to Agnes his wife of specified lands
in Flixton and Lostock ; to others he
granted the mill of Smithills, the park, and
a close called Croftliff, with lands else-
where. Provision was made for Ellen,
Ralph's sister ; also for Elizabeth daughter
of Sir Ralph Radcliffe ; and 7 marks a
year was to be paid ' to an honest priest
to celebrate divine service in the church
of Bolton.' Denis Haworth was the priest
chosen, and he prayed for twenty years in
Bolton Church for the said Ralph and his
ancestors.
As heir male of the Radcliffes Nicholas
Radcliffe of Worsley in 1498-9 sought to
regain the manors of Smithills and Tin-
greave against John Barton and Cecily his
wife. He was son and heir of Ralph son
and heir of the Nicholas Radcliffe named in
the inquisition of his brother Sir Ralph in
1433 ; and claimed under a settlement by
which Oliver and Nicholas, the brothers
of Sir Ralph, should have succeeded in
tail male ; Pal. of Lane. Writs Prot.
14 Hen. VII ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.),
ii, 34.
A change of feoffees was made in
1503, the manor of Smithills being then
held for the use of John Barton and
Cecily his wife ; Towneley MS. OO, no.
1647. In 1504 there was a recovery of
the manor, John Barton and Cecily being
tenants ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii,
no. 12, 97.
John Barton was son of the above-
named Ralph Barton and Joan ; see Visit.
of 1533 (Chet. Soc.), 198, where is an
account of the origin of the family, from
Thoroton, Nottt. (ed. Throsby), iii, 157.
23 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 82.
The manor of Smithills and lands there
and in the neighbourhood were stated
to be held of Thomas West, Lord La
Warre, but the services were unknown.
Andrew Barton, the heir, was aged eigh-
teen. The father's will is very lengthy ;
it provides that Smithills shall be given
to his son Andrew on attaining his ma-
jority, with remainders to his younger
sons Alexander, Leonard, and Francis ;
then to the heirs of Sir Ralph Radcliffe
his grandfather. His brother, Stephen
Barton, had an annuity of ^4 to enable
him to study at Cambridge or the Inns of
Court. James Bolton, priest, was to have
7 marks a year, 'provided that he say
divine service in the chapel of the manor
of Smithills and pray for me, for the soul
of Cecily sometime my wife and for the
souls of all our ancestors,' and execute
other duties assigned to him by the testa-
tor. By a later deed he gave 10 to
Nicholas Clerk, priest, to study art or
divinity at Cambridge or teach grammar
at Bolton-le-Moors ; money to the re-
pairs of the Friars Preachers' house at
Lancaster ; to Bolton and Deane churches
money for pixes, altar cloths, &c., 'so
that the most high and excellent sacra-
ment of the altar may be more reverently
ministered there ; ' money to his brothers
Stephen and Christopher, his sister Eliza-
beth Ardern, and his bastard brother John
Barton ; lastly he willed ' that a table of
alabaster be bought and given to the
chapel of Our Lady in the church of
Holme, and that the table now being
there be restored to the chapel of Smithills;
the said chapel in Holme to be repaired
and necessary ornaments to be given to
the same.'
24 In 1 547 a general pardon was granted
to Andrew Barton of Deane and of the
Inner Temple ; Various Coll. (Hist. MSS.
Com.), ii, 2.
2 ^ Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 197.
24 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 27 ;
he had held the manor of Smithills and
lands there of the king, as of the late
Prior of St. John of Jerusalem, in socage
by a rent of izd. He was a commissioner
for levying the subsidy of 1541 ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 141. His
will with an inventory is printed in Pic-
cope's Wills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 98-103.
He desired to be buried in Bolton Church;
left 5 a year for the free school at Win-
wick, 12 marks to his chaplain, John
Pincock, and 10 a year for some years
to Ralph Barton (a younger son) ' towards
his exhibition and learning.' Certain
plate was given to his son Robert as an
heirloom, and ' all the chapel gear except
one suit of vestments, the best but one.'
Various deeds of Andrew Barton's, 1538
to 1548, relating to Blackburn, are pre-
served in Towneley MS. OO, no. 1648,
1652, 1674-8.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
in 1554 ; the story went that Marsh, in his emphatic
denial that his teaching was heretical, stamped so
forcibly on the hall pavement at Smithills that the
mark of his foot remained in the stone. 26 Robert
Barton dying childless in 1580," the manors went to
his brother Ralph, reader in Gray's Inn. Ralph,
who died in 1 592, 28 was succeeded by his son Randle 29
and grandson Sir Thomas. 30
Grace, the daughter and heir of Sir Thomas,
married Henry Belasyse son of Thomas, first Viscount
BARTON. Azure a
fesse between three harts'
heads caboshed or.
BELASYSE, Viscount
Fauconberg. Argent a
che-veron gules between
three fours de Us azure.
Fauconberg. 31 Henry died during his father's life-
time, leaving among others two sons, Thomas, second
Viscount and first Earl Fauconberg, who died with-
out issue in 1 700 ; 3 * and Sir Rowland Belasyse, who
seems to have resided at Smithills, 33 and whose son
Thomas in 1700 succeeded his uncle as third viscount. 34
Thomas, his son, the fourth viscount, sold Smithills
in 1722 to the Byroms of Manchester. 35 About a
hundred years later it was purchased by Richard
Ainsworth, owner of extensive bleach works in the
neighbourhood, 36 and has descended to his grandson,
Colonel Richard Henry Ainsworth, the present
owner.
Smithills Hall stands on high ground 2 miles
north-west of Bolton, on the slopes of the moors from
which the town takes its name which, less than
2 miles away, attain a height of over 1,200 ft. The
hall itself is situated just above the 500 ft. contour
line, well outside the town radius, protected by trees
on the north and set in picturesque grounds, but with
a view southwards from the house embracing the
smoke and chimneys of Bolton. The site is a
naturally defensive one, being close to the junction
of two streams, one the Astley Brook, a quarter of
a mile to the south, and the other the Raveden Brook,
more immediately to the east. 37 The other sides
were protected by a moat which existed at no very
remote period, and the moors behind the house would
form a natural protection in that direction.
26 The story is given in Fuller's Worthies.
2 ? Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 24. ;
the estates were unchanged. Ralph Bar-
ton, brother and heir, was fifty-seven years
of age. A settlement was made in 1565 ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 27, m. 100.
A pedigree was recorded in 1567; Visit.
(Chet. Soc.), 21. Robert's will is printed
in Wills (Chet. Soc. new ser.), i, 39-42;
Margery, his wife, was the executrix ; she
afterwards married Richard Shuttleworth
of Gray's Inn ; Towneley MS. OO, no.
1654-6; Ducatus (Rec. Com.), iii, 118,
139. Some deeds by Robert Barton and
Thurstan his brother are in Towneley
MS. OO, no. 1649-51, 1653, 1674-6.
For the muster of 1574 Robert Barton
was required to equip two light horses,
&c., being third on the list of gentry of
the hundred ; Gregson, Fragments, 30.
28 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, 50.
29 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 207-12. Randle Barton
died at Smithills 10 Dec. 1611. By an
indenture of 1607 there given, he settled
the capital messuage called Smithills, the
lands, meadows, &c., in Heaton, Halliwell,
and Sharpies, known as the demesne lands
of Smithills, the water-mill in Halliwell
called Smithills mill, and all pools, waters,
water-courses, multure, toll, and suit there-
to belonging ; certain messuages and
lands in Halliwell and Horwich, the coal-
mines found or to be found in the said
tenements, &c., to the use of himself and
Elizabeth his wife for life, for jointure of
Elizabeth, and then to the use of Thomas
Barton for life and heirs male. The
tenure is stated as above of the king,
as of the late priory of St. John of Jeru-
salem, by i zd. rent ; the clear annual
value was ^10.
Thomas Barton the son and heir was
twenty-eight years of age.
For an Edward Barton who died in
1598 near Constantinople, see Pal. Note
Bk. ii, 82.
80 Sir Thomas was knighted in 1619 ;
Metcalfe, Knights, 176. He was one
of the commissioners for the subsidy of
1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 16 1. He made a settlement in
1627, probably on his daughter's marriage;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 1 1, no. 24.
A further settlement was made in 1652,
the deforciants being Sir Thomas Barton,
Grace Belasyse, widow, and Thomas Be-
lasyse ; ibid. bdle. 152, m. ^7. Sir
Thomas does not appear to have taken
any active part in the Civil War, being
probably disabled by age, and his estates
were not interfered with by the Parliament.
There is a pedigree of the family in
Whitaker's Whalley,i\, 319, 320.
81 Henry Belasyse and his family were
strong Royalists, and adherents of the
ancient faith or favourable to it. Henry
died in 1647; his epitaph is printed
in Collins' Peerage (ed. 1779), v, 359.
He had seven sons and seven daughters.
His lands having been seized by the Par-
liamentary authorities, his widow Grace
and her father in 1651 petitioned for the
restoration of the manor of Oulston, the
lease of which had been assigned to her
on her marriage ; Cal. of Com. for
Advances, i, 421.
A meeting of Roman Catholic gentry
at Smithills in 1666 led to a disturbance,
the Bolton women being convinced that
they were met to cut the Protestants'
throats ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App.
vii, 41.
82 He was born in 1628. Though
married to a daughter of Oliver Crom-
well and a member of his House of Peers,
he favoured the Restoration. He was
put out of the lord lieutenancy of the
North Riding by James II, and afterwards
took part in the Revolution; in 1689
he was advanced to an earldom by Wil-
liam III; G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iii, 323.
A settlement of the manors of Smithills,
Quarlton, &c., was made in 1679 ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 202, m. 4.
88 Sir Rowland was made a Knight of
the Bath at the coronation of Charles II.
He died in 1699, and like his wife (heiress
of Davenport of Sutton) was buried at
Bolton ; Earwaker, East Cbes. ii, 442.
14
He professed the old religion ; Gillow,
Bib!. Diet, of Engl. Cath. i, 179.
84 In 1717 as a 'papist' Thomas Lord
Fauconberg registered an estate in the
manors of Sharpies, Quarlton, &c., sub-
ject to annuities to his brothers ; Engl.
Cath. Nonjurors, 113, 114, 149. He
died in 1718.
85 He was born in 1699 ; sold Smithills
and other estates after coming of age ;
conformed to the Established religion in
1737, and was advanced to an earldom in
1756. He died in 1774; G.E.C. utsup.;
Abram, Blackburn, 255.
Some further particular* are given in
the account of Pendleton, of which he
had a moiety in right of his wife. The
deed of sale is enrolled at Preston (Roll 8
of Geo. I), and recites that Thomas, Lord
Fauconberg, had for 11,057 6s. sold to
Thomas Eyre of Stockport and Thomas
Foxley of Manchester his manors of Halli-
well, with Smithills Hall and lands, Hor-
wich (with lands there), Sharpies and
Quarlton ; Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
iii, 220. Joseph Byrom of Salford pur-
chased Smithills in 1722 for 4,688;
Raines, Byrom Ped. (Chet. Soc.), 38.
Edward Byrom in 1779 paid 2s. 6d.
to the duchy for Smithills ; Duchy of
Lane. Rentals, 14/25 m.
86 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 46;
here it is stated that traditionally Smithills
was dependent on Sharpies, the service
being a pair of spurs and the use of the
cellars at Smithills by the lord of Sharpies
for a week in each year.
In 1749 the owner of Sharpies Hall
had a chief rent of 6s. <)d. issuing from
Smithills Hall, and the demesne and other '
lands in Halliwell, then the inheritance
of Edward Byrom of Manchester, mercer;
Bolton Hist. Glean, ii, 188 (from Pic-
cope MSS.). In Burke, Landed Gentry, is a
pedigree of the Ainsworth family.
8 ? The Astley Brook joins the Eagley
Brook (above which is situated Hall-i'-th'-
Wood) a little more than a mile east of
Smithills, the two streams together form-
ing the River Tonge.
<
o
a
CTJ
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
There is a tradition of a house on the present site
as far back as the year 680, and that date is rather
humorously carved on a stone over the door to the
great hall, 38 but the oldest part of the present building
probably belongs to the early part of the I5th cen-
tury, and may be even later. The rest of the house
is of different dates continually altered and added to.
The western part has been so much altered that it is
difficult to reconstruct the original plan, but the north
and east wings of the older part of the house yet
constitute one of the most interesting examples of
timber construction in Lancashire, though much
changed in appearance by later additions in stone.
With its modern extensions at the west, the house,
which is of two stories, has a long frontage facing south
of over 270 ft., well broken up both as regards plan
and skyline, and forming a composition of great pic-
turesqueness. The walls are variously of stone and
timber, these materials being used in the modern
work, and all the roofs have stone slates. Almost the
whole of the walling to the old part of the house,
however, has been restored or otherwise renewed,
whether in stone or timber and plaster, but portions
of the ancient construction are preserved and show in
several places. The greatest part of the ancient work,
however, is best seen from the inside.
The oldest part of the house lies to the east and is
built on three sides of a quadrangle about 60 ft. wide
and 70 ft. from north to south, open on the south
side. The great hall occupies the north wing, with
the great chamber at its east end, and the kitchen and
offices on the west. The east wing, containing the
family apartments, terminates at the south with the
domestic chapel, approached by a corridor next the
courtyard. The staircase is in the north-east angle,
forming an external bay with a gable facing west.
Between the chapel and the great chamber is a large
room, possibly a withdrawing - room, with a large
bay window looking east. The north and east wings
being no longer inhabited retain the original charac-
teristics of the ancient plan, though much altered
from time to time ; but the old west wing has been so
much modernized that the original arrangement ot
rooms has been to a great extent lost, though the
kitchen and offices occupy pretty much their old
position. The house seems to have been extended
* so to TO to p w
15
16 .
I6 1 * - REBUlLl
1579. REBUILT
MODERN
88 The stone bearing this date is said
to have been found about 1820 at Smith-
PLAN OF SMITHILLS HALL
(The modern west wing is not shown)
ills and 'placed over the portico to be
more conspicuous.' See Bolton Reflector,
15
16 Aug. 1823, quoted in Hist. Ghan. of
Bolton and District (First Series, 1881), 15.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
westward beyond this at different times, but chiefly
probably about the year I579, 39 by the addition of
a stone gabled wing facing south, which now forms
the central portion of the main front. The whole
of the building west of this again, with frontages both
north and south, is modern work executed within the
last twenty-five years, 40 but in harmony with the
older parts.
The original house seems to have been confined to
the three sides of the existing quadrangle, there being
no indications of buildings having existed on the
south side, except that a former gateway which stood
at the south end of the west wing would seem to
suggest that the courtyard might have been inclosed
all round, or was intended to be so. It existed,
however, in this position (where the south end of
and the front is now formed of the remaining three
sides.'
Very little of the black and white work facing the
quadrangle is original, and much of it the quatrefoil
panel to the great hall and the gable in the north-
east corner facing south is paint on plaster. On the
west of the quadrangle it is all modern, and only that
on the east wing between the chapel and the great
hall has any semblance of old work. The walls on
the north and east are of stone up to half their height,
above which is a wide band of quatrefoils with a
cove above under the eaves. The west wing was
originally built without any corridor, but in the
iyth century a passage was made on the first floor
supported on an arcade of oak columns, forming a
verandah to the lower rooms. This has been retained,
the modern drawing-room now is, immediately opposite
the west door of the chapel) till a comparatively
recent time, and is so shown in old illustrations of the
house. 41
Against this, however, must be quoted Nathaniel
Hawthorne's description of the place in his note-
books, 25 Aug. 1855, in which he says : 'The house
formerly stood around all four sides of a quadrangle,
enclosing a court, and with an entrance through an
enclosure. One side of this quadrangle was removed
in the time of the present Mr. Ainsworth's father,
and in a reconstructed form is one of the most pic-
turesque features of the courtyard.
The great hall, which is 346. 6 in. long (including
the screens) by 25 ft. wide, has been a very fine
apartment, but is now much mutilated, though for-
tunately the screen and original open-timber roof still
remain, and the restoration of the room to its original
appearance would not be difficult. Towards the end
of the 1 8th century the hall was used as a brewhouse,.
and the outer walls are then supposed to have been
raised and a new roof of flatter pitch was added above
89 This date with the initial* R. B. is
on a stone in one of the gables.
40 From designs by George Devey,
architect.
41 A writer in 1824 says : 'The court-
gate which you observe on entrance
exhibits nothing remarkable. .... On
entering through this gate I came into a
square courtyard partly paved and partly
overgrown with moss and weeds. On
16
the left hand is the principal entrance to
the house, and this part of it is all that
has not been altered by the present pro-
prietors.' John Brown, Hist, of Great
and Little Bo/ton (1824), 289.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
the old one, the original ridge-line being retained. 48
A floor was probably also inserted, but the hall is now
open to the roof for a little more than half its length
at the east end, the present floor being over the
screens and the first bay beyond a distance of about
1 6 ft. From the evidence of the timber framing of
the roof and screens the hall would appear to have
been erected during the first half of the 1 5th cen-
tury, 43 and therefore before the Bartons came to
Smithills, but the original timber-framed walls seem
to have been rebuilt in stone about a century later.
The walls have been again largely rebuilt in recent
times and are about 3 ft. thick to their original height,
above which they are set back on the inside. All the
windows are modern, replacing older square-headed
ones of plainer type. The screens are at the west
of the principal spring. The roof (which is about
2 7 ft. to the ridge) is divided into five bays of un-
equal size, the disposition of the principals giving a
short bay at each end (6 ft. over screens and 4 ft.
over dais), and in the centre, with larger bays of
8 ft. between. The two central coupled principals
probably indicate the presence of a louvre, as there is
no fireplace in the hall or sign of there having been
one. The timbers of the roof are very massive and
plain, the chief ornament consisting of shaped wind
braces forming quatrefoil panelling along the whole
length. At the east end of the room the original
timber construction of the wall behind the dais remains,
but the dais and canopy over have disappeared. The
roof over the short eastern bay is modern. The
whole of the wall west of the screens preserves its
SMITHILLS HALL, EAST SIDE
end and the dais at the east, but a brick wall and the
floor above at the west effectually hide from view the
old arrangement at that end. The screen or ' speeres,'
is however still in position, and the passage way
remains intact with its original oak outer doors at
each end and a stone porch on the north, and with the
three usual openings (two of which are built up)
opposite to the hall, leading to the kitchen passage,
buttery, and pantry. The ' speeres ' stand 4 ft. 6 in.
from the walls, on a low stone base, with octagonal
angle posts 1 2 in. in diameter having moulded caps,
from which the curved braces forming the underside
ancient timber construction and is enriched with
curved braces to its full height, those in the upper part
forming large quatrefoil panels. The roof of the
hall is carried on stone corbels about I oft. from the
floor, one of which is carved with an eight-leaved
rose. One of the middle principals, however, is
continued on the south side down to the floor, which
was most likely the case with the others before the
rebuilding of the walls in stone. The west end of
the hall between the * speeres ' was probably occupied
by a standing screen and without a minstrels'
gallery, but there are traces of one having been
n This may have been done before,
when the corridor was added on the west
side and the eaves of both roofs brought
into line.
48 The hall is very similar in construc-
tion and design to that of Baguley in
Cheshire, and is sometimes said to have
17
been copied from it. Smithills, however,
is much less in height, Baguley being
37 ft to the ridge.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
inserted later, the floor of which would probably be
about the height of the present modern floor over
the screens. 44
The great chamber at the east end of the hall is
now cut up and hardly recognizable, but was formerly
a room 33 ft. long by 14 ft. 6 in. wide with windows
north and south and a large fireplace on the east side,
all of which features still remain though difficult to
distinguish. The ceiling is low and crossed by four
moulded beams and a single one its full length form-
ing ten square panels, and there is a room over. The
window at the south end under the gable facing the
quadrangle is an original square-headed one with
moulded wood mullions and diamond quarries.
Beyond the great chamber a small lobby marks the
junction of the north and east wings, with a door to
a small open court on the north. From this court
some external timber construction can be seen on the
north and west sides, together with the massive stone
chimney of the great chamber one of the few parts
of the building that have not been much restored.
On the floor of the lobby itself is shown the footprint
of George Marsh, the Protestant martyr, carefully
preserved under a grating.
The large room at the north end of the east wing
may have been used as a dining-room after the aban-
donment of the great hall, or possibly as a withdraw-
ing-room. It is 33 ft. in length and 1 9 ft. wide, and
at its south-east corner is a large bay window 1 1 ft.
square separated from the room by an arched opening
with carved spandrels. The great distance of the
room from the kitchen is rather against its having
been used as a banqueting hall, though there appears
to have been a doorway to a cellar (at a lower level)
at the north-east end. The ceiling is divided into
four bays by three richly moulded oak beams with
moulded brackets supported on wood corbels and longi-
tudinally by three smaller beams, similarly moulded,
making twelve squares, each square being enriched by
moulded joists about a foot apart. The ceiling of the
bay is boarded, with thin moulded ribs nailed on
forming a star-shaped panelling. The bay itself
preserves its old timber construction, and goes up two
stories, finishing in a gable; but the windows are only
old on the north and south sides, where the original
diamond quarries and moulded mullions and transoms
remain. 45 On the east the window frame is modern with
square chamfered detail and large square quarries. The
north and east walls of the room have been rebuilt in
brick, but the west and south walls show the old
timber and plaster construction, but are otherwise
plain. The fireplace on the east side and the win-
dows near it are modern. Originally the room was
richly panelled in oak, 46 and must have presented a
very handsome appearance, but a good deal of the
oak panelling is now in the modern dining-room on
the other side of the house. The room over was
called the Green Chamber, and is that in which the
examination of George Marsh is said to have been
held.
The domestic chapel is 42 ft. long and 2 1 ft wide
at the west end, tapering to 1 8 ft. at the east. In
1856 a fire did much damage, entirely destroying the
roof and all the furniture, and the interior has there-
fore little archaeological interest, all the fittings being
modern. The entrance from the house corridor is at
the north-west corner, and there is a door at the
west end opening to the garden. There is a large
square-headed mullioned and transomed window at
each end, three smaller windows of three and four
lights in the south side, and one of four lights at
the east end of the north side. The coloured glass
is all new, except in the east window, where por-
tions of the original heraldic glass are preserved,
with the Stanley arms and badge conspicuous among
them.
On the north side, separated from it by a wall,
a room was formerly used as a vestry, 47 1 8 ft. by
1 4 ft., above which, open to the chapel, was the
family pew approached by a door from the corri-
dor above. The vestry has now been thrown into
the chapel as a kind of transept, and the pew turned
into a gallery. The chapel is still used for public
worship.
The rooms in the ancient west wing have been
wholly modernized and have no particular interest.
They consist of an ante-room and a modern drawing-
room of irregular shape, with a narrow staircase on
the west side adjoining the fireplace, which, carried
up with an external timber gable next to the chimney,
makes a rather happy feature in the garden front.
In the ante-room is a good carved oak mantel with
the date 1694 and the initials A.B. West of these the
house is more or less modern, the lyth-century addi-
tions which immediately adjoin the old west wing
having been a good deal reconstructed and restored.
The dining-room and library, however, are interesting
rooms on account of their oak wainscot, that of the
dining-room being, as before stated, the original
panelling from the later hall on the other side of the
house. It consists chiefly of long linen pattern panels,
with square panels below and an elaborate cornice above.
On the west wall is a series of fourteen panels
carved in the top part with heads within circles, and
below with various designs, four having the Barton
oak leaf and acorn, three the buck's head, two a
molet, and the rest various patterns of interlaced work.
A central additional panel has the sacred monogram
" I.H.S." as an interlaced pattern under an ogee
head. 48 The library adjoining (between the dining
44 ' At some subsequent period, but
still in Gothic times, a minstrels' gallery
was inserted, the mortices for which are
still conspicuous.' Henry Taylor, Old
Halls in Lanes, and Ches. (1883).
45 There is also a moulded sill on the
south side, but that on the north is
modern.
46 Dr. Aikin, writing in 1795, says:
'At Smithells is still remaining a wain-
scotted room, the panels of which are
adorned with upwards of fifty heads cut
in the wood which are supposed to repre-
sent different persons of the family '
(Descr. of the Country from thirty to fifty
miles round Manchester). By 1824. a great
part of the panelling had been taken
away, some of it being in the room
above, but the walls of the room
were still ' particularly curious for con-
taining carvings in wood ' ; John Brown,
Hist, of Great and Little Bolton.
*7 According to the description in
Brown's Hist, of Bolton (1824), this room
originally formed part of the hall or with-
drawing-room on the north side, which
apartment had been thus curtailed by the
then owner.
48 On either side of the bay window in
this room are painted the arms of the dif-
ferent families connected with Smithillg,
as follows :
1. Radcliffe impaling Norley, 1330
2. Barton impaling Radcliffe, 1505
3. Barton impaling Stanley, 1567
4. Belasyse impaling Barton, 1641
5. Byrom impaling Bradshaw, 1723
6. Ainsworth impaling Aspinall,
1801
7. Ainsworth impaling Noble, 1807
8. Ainsworth impaling Byrom,
1833.
HALLIWELL : SMITHILLS HALL, c. 1845
(From a Drawing by J. G. DoJJJ
r*-
'Sbrv-
LITTLE HULTON : WHARTON HALL
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
and drawing-rooms), is also elaborately fitted up with
black oak but mostly of later date than that of the
dining-room, the detail being of very pronounced
renaissance type, and consisting of scriptural and other
subjects with quaint inscriptions. The wall between
the library and the ante-room contains an old fireplace
now built up and completely hidden, and north of
the library is a room lit from the ceiling, now called
the dome-room, which is in the site of a former open
area. It has a good carved oak I yth-century mantel
and door, 49 and contains a sideboard dated 1642.
The rooms on the first floor have no points of
interest.
Externally the north front of the house is almost
entirely modern, the only old portions being at the
east end, where some of the old stone windows and a
moulded string-course remain. The east elevation is
the least altered, showing as it does the old timber
and plaster bay and gable over in an almost unrestored
condition.
The gardens lie on the south and east of the house,
a terrace wall extending along the whole length of
the south and east fronts, the coping of which is on a
level with the grass of the lawn so as to keep the view
over the park uninterrupted from the ground-floor
windows. The terrace staircase enhances the general
effect of the external elevation by increasing its height,
and the long terrace walk, which is 1 5 ft. wide and
extends the full length of the south front, is below
the level of the lawn. At its west end is a raised
mound approached by three flights of steps.
Egburden, later Egbert Dene, seems to have
included the whole north-western part of Halliwell,
known as Smithills Dene and Smithills Moor. 50 It
was part of the lands of the barons of Manchester, 51
and was held of them by the Bartons of Smithills. 52
In addition to the Hospitallers the Canons of
Cockersand had land in alms in Halliwell. 53
The local surname occurs. 54 Richard Lees was a
freeholder in i6oo. 55 Adam Mort of Astley M and
others are recorded to have held lands here in the
times of Charles I."
William Swinburne, a Halliwell recusant, in 1653
petitioned to be allowed to contract for his sequestered
estate. 58
The principal landowner in 1788 was Miss Byrom,
others being Roger Dewhurst, Aspinall, and
Escrick. 59
The most notable man springing from the town-
ship is the George Marsh, already mentioned, who
was condemned and burnt to death at Chester on
24 April 1555 for teaching Protestant doctrines, and
refusing to compromise. 60
In recent times several places of worship have been
49 No doubt brought from the other side
of the house.
50 In 1322 it seems to have been divided
into two portions ; one was called Hag-
head and joined with Horwich Lee ; and
the other was called Withinrod, a parcel
of moorland ; they were vaccaries. See
Mamtcestre, ii, 366, 367.
61 Thomas La Warre, lord of Man-
chester, in 1404 made a feoffment of
1,000 acres of waste and pasture in the
town of Heaton called Egburden ; Chan.
Inq. p.m. 5 Hen. VI, no. 54. From
this and the preceding note it will be seen
that the district was in or bordering upon
Horwich and Heaton ; it also adjoined
Sharpies, as is seen from a charter by
Thurstan de Holland in 1429, quoted in
the account of that township. It is marked
in Halliwell, as Egbert Dene, in the
ordnance map of 1848. It may have
been attached to this township through
being owned by the Smithills family.
61 It is named in the Barton inquisi-
tions, but the tenure is not stated ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 82 ; xiv, 24 ; xvii,
50.
43 Eight charters are recorded in the
Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 698-
702. Nesta de Westhoughton granted
land next to the assart of the Hospital-
lers, the hedge of Crosscliff's End being a
boundary; in 1268 Roger son of Robert
held this land at a rent of 6d., half a
mark being payable at death. The same
Nesta gave another part of her land, held
in 1268 by Roger son of William, at a
rent of %d. and half a mark at death.
Thomas the Clerk of Eccles, Margery de
Pendlebury, Ellis de Pendlebury, William
Moscrop, and Robert his son, and Robert
de Sharpies were also benefactors. Among
the field and boundary names there occur
Tahaureise, Swinbodeslache, Lanulache,
Brentspert, and Longlands End.
In 1294 Joan daughter of Austin de
Crosscliff granted to Richard de Hulton all
the land in Halliwell she had held of the
Abbot of Cockersand ; Hulton Fed. 5.
In 1461 a Cockersand rental shows
that Richard Hal ton held the abbey lands
freely at a rent of zs. He would prob-
ably be of the Halliwell branch of the
family.
54 In 1292 Richard de Houlton and
Hugh de Halliwell claimed a tenement
against Ellis de Heaton, but were non-
suited ; Assize R. 408, m. I4d.
66 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 250.
66 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxv, 33 ;
the property was held of the king.
6 ? John Harper, who died in 1628,
held three messuages and lands of the
king as the two-hundredth part of a
knight's fee ; his son John, a clerk, was
thirty-three years of age ; ibid, xxvii, 72.
Richard Johnson, who died in 1629,
leaving as heir his ten-year-old grandson
John (son of John) ; also held land in
Halliwell of the king ; ibid, xxviii, 33,
77-
Thomas Worthington, chapman, held
the Little House of the king ; Thomas
his son and heir was fifteen years of age ;
ibid, xxviii, 6.
Robert Sharpies alits Ward similarly
held land of the king ; dying in 1623 he
left a son and heir Robert, aged thirty-one;
Towneley MS. C, 8, 13 (Chet Lib.),
1089. Martin Taylor, also a tenant,
had a son Robert, aged twenty-eight,
in 1636 ; ibid. 1178.
58 Cal. of Com. for Compounding^ v,
3178.
59 Land tax returns at Preston. Roger
Dewhurst purchased an estate in Halli-
well in 1715, and died in 1728, aged
fifty-six. His son Roger was born at
Halliwell Hall in 1716, and died in 1806 ;
his diary (1784-6) has been printed ;
Bolton, 1 88 1.
60 The only account is in Foxe's Act*
and Man. (ed. Cattley, vii, 39-68) ; see
also Ches. Sheaf (3rd Ser.), iii, 37, &c.;
iv, 89. It is derived mainly from his own
record of his earlier examinations ; the
source of the later portion of the story is
not given. The Marsh family continued
to reside at Halliwell ; one of them, as
19
shown above, acquired part of the manor ;
another, James Marsh, who died in 1637,
held lands there of the king by the thir-
tieth part of a knight's fee ; his son and
heir Thomas was twenty-three years of
age ; Towneley MS. C, 8, 13, p. 859.
George Marsh was born about 1520,
and worked his farm till after the death
of his wife, about the beginning of
the reign of Edward VI. Embracing the
Reformed doctrines he went up to Cam-
bridge, and graduated in 1551 or 1552
from Christ's College. He became curate
to Lawrence Sanders, who had benefices
in London and Leicestershire, and was
ordained deacon in London in May 1552,
and priest later by the Bishop of Lincoln.
On the accession of Mary, he returned
to Lancashire, and had thoughts of going
abroad; but in Jan. and Feb. 1553-4,
seeing the overthrow of the reforms, he
could not refrain from denouncing it, and
was reported to have spoken ' most hereti-
cally and blasphemously . . . against the
Pope's authority and Catholic church of
Rome, the blessed Mass, the sacrament of
the altar,' &c.
This outburst being coincident with
Wyatt's rebellion, attracted the attention
of the court, and the Earl of Derby re-
solved to seize the preacher. Marsh,
however, was a brave and resolute man ;
and after a mental struggle on the moors,
he decided to surrender himself. He was
sent to Lathom and examined by the earl
and his council, while Dr. Brassey ana
others argued with him, endeavouring
to induce him to recant. This was in vain,
and he was in April sent to Lancastet
to await trial. At the sessions Marsh
was brought up, but no civil offence being
proved against him he was at last handed
over to the bishop, and about the end of
the year taken to Chester. It is signifi-
cant of his doctrine that ' children-con-
firming,' 'mass-hearing,' &c., were all
classed by him as ' blasphemous idolatry '
and 'heathenish rites forbidden by God."
After four months at Chester the bishop
(George Coates) finding his arguments and
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
erected in the township. For the Established Church
St. Peter's was built in 1 84O, 61 followed by St. Paul is
in 1848 ; 61 in 1874 and 1875 respectively St. Luke s
and St. Thomas's M were added. The patronage is in
the hands of trustees, except in the case of St. Paul s,
to which Colonel R. H. Ainsworth presents.
is a chapel at Smithills, 65 and a Wesleyan chapel at
Delph Hill. , . ,
The Roman Catholic church of St. Joseph, which
originated in 1881, was opened in 1900."
WESTHOUGHTON
Westhalghton, 1292, and usually ; Westhalton,
1302 ; the Wat is often omitted. Westhaughton
and Westhoughton, xvi cent.
This township, the largest in the parish, has an
area of 4,341 acres, 1 having an average breadth of
over 2 miles from north-east to south-west, and an
extreme length of nearly 3$ miles from north-
west to south-east. The highest ground is that
along the north-eastern border, over 480 ft. being
reached in one place ; the surface slopes generally
downwards to the south-west, the lowest point, about
120 ft., being in the extreme southerly corner.
Borsdane Brook separates it from Aspull ; another brook
divides it from Hindley, and joins a stream rising on
the northern edge of Westhoughton and flowing south
through Leigh to Glazebrook.
The road from Manchester to Chorley goes through
the northern side of the township, passing the hamlets
of Chequerbent, Wingates, and Fourgates. West-
houghton village is near the centre of the township,
on the crooked road from Wigan, through Hindley
and Hart Common, to Bolton. From the village
roads go north to Wingates, east to Chequerbent, and
south to Daisy Hill and Leigh ; there are numerous
cross roads. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
has several lines ; the main line from Liverpool to
Manchester crosses the township north-easterly, with
a station, called Westhoughton, to the north of the
village ; a branch runs north to join the Bolton and
Preston line, and has stations called Dicconson Lane
and Hilton House ; a second branch runs east to
Pendleton, and has a station at Daisy Hill. The
London and North-Western Company's Kenyon and
Bolton line crosses the eastern corner of the town-
ship, with a station called Chequerbent.
The population in 1901 was 13,339.
Agriculture is still one of the principal industries
of the township ; the soil is clay, and oats and pota-
toes are the chief products. Cotton and other goods
are manufactured, and there are coal mines. Bobbin,
spindle, and shuttle making, and nail manufacturing
were engaged in in 1825. A once flourishing trade
is now extinct.
It appears to have been at Westhoughton that
Adam Banastre and others made their confederacy in
October 1315.*
A battle was fought on the common in 1642 be-
tween Lord Derby's forces and the Parliamentary
levies ; 3 and Prince Rupert is stated to have mustered
his troops there prior to the attack on Bolton in 1 644.
A token was issued at Daisy Hillock in 1652.*
The hearths liable to the tax in 1 666 numbered
98. The largest house was that of William Worth-
ington, having six hearths ; Ralph Brown and William
Leigh had five each. 5
A local board was formed in 1872.' In 1894 an
urban district council was formed, having twelve
members elected by four wards. In 1898 part of
Over Hulton was added, Hulton ward returning
three members to the council. Mr. Carnegie has
given a library building.
Westhoughton gives its name to one of the Parlia-
mentary divisions of South-east Lancashire.
Peter Dodd's Well was regarded as an indicator of
the weather. 7
It is difficult to trace the early descent
M4NOR of WESTHOUGHTON. The whole
township seems to have been held of the
lords of Manchester, chiefly by the Barton family, 8
but partly by the Pendleburys. The latter also held
lands in the Barton portion. About the middle of
the 1 3th century Sir Gilbert de Barton granted to
Henry de Sefton, clerk, and his heirs or assigns the
whole lordship of Westhoughton, with escheats, ward-
ships, &c. ; the homages of Roger de Pendlebury and
others ; escheats and liberties of the tenement of
Thomas the Small ; with all liberties of the lordship
in pastures, woods, and plain, sor-hawks and deer,
waters and pools, ways and paths, mill pools, and
others. Further, he granted that Henry and his
successors should be quit of all suit of the court at
Barton as well for Westhoughton as for Aspull. 9
Henry de Sefton quickly bestowed the lordship
upon the abbot and canons of Cockersand, who had
already come into possession of a considerable estate
in the township by a series of grants beginning about
1 200. Beside the lordship he granted them the
third part of the vill, which he must have held in
persuasions of no avail, proceeded to trial,
and there being no recantation, con-
demned him. There was a pathetic scene
in the Lady Chapel of the cathedral, the
old bishop pausing at times in reading
the sentence in hopes of signs of yielding,
and the people praying the accused to give
way. Marsh, however, remained steadfast,
and was burned at Boughton accordingly.
81 For endowment see Land. Gaz.
% Aug. 1873.
M Ibid. 24 July 1874, and 1 1 Aug.
1876, for endowments.
M Ibid. 31 Oct. 1876, district ; 16 Nov.
1877, ii June 1880, and n Nov. 1881,
endowments. There is a mission chapel,
St. Margaret's.
M Ibid, i July 1879, district ; 25 Mar.
1 88 1, endowment.
65 The above-quoted will of John
Barton, 1514 shows that he had a chapel
there.
66 Kelly, Engl. Catb. Millions, 199.
1 4,344, including 14 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901.
8 Coram Rege R. 254, m. 52 ; the place
is called Haulton, near Blackrod.
8 Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 125;
the Parliament's men were beaten through
their magazine exploding.
4 Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. v, 93 ;
the initials H. D. M. may indicate Henry
Molyneux.
* Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
'Nether Hulton,' with 103 hearths, was
probably part of it, for Nathaniel Moly-
ncux's house was there, with six hearths.
6 Land. Gax. 24 Sept. 1872.
20
7 Local N. and Q. (Mane h. Guardian),
no. 791.
8 Lanct. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54.
9 Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
690 ; the consideration named for this
grant is three marks of silver given me
in my great need,' but no doubt there had
been previous loans or assistance.
Thomas the Small, whose share is men-
tioned specially, afterwards killed a certain
Thomas de Byron ; he was outlawed, and
his lands were taken into the king's hands,
the abbot making fine and recovering the
lands. In 1292 his son John claimed them
from the abbot, who called Richard [de
Ince] son of Henry de Sefton to warrant
him, and John was non-suited ; Assize R.
408, m. 26 d.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
demesne, with all its appurtenances, including fish-
ponds, honey, and hawks. For this the canons gave
him 50 marks. 10
SRINSOP, in the extreme north-western corner of
the township, also came into the possession of Cock-
ersand. In 1235 it was granted by Gilbert de Barton
to Richard de Bracebridge, being reckoned as three
oxgangs of land. 11 Probably it reverted to the Bartons
and was included in the grant of Henry de Sefton.
The manor-house of the canons seems to have been at
this place.
In a suit of some seventy years later it was declared
that in 12612 Adam, Abbot of Cockersand, had
held half the oxgang at which the vill was assessed ;
and Roger son of Ellis de Westhoughton and John
de Rylands each held a moiety of the remainder. In
the year named the said Roger granted his fourth
part to the abbot, so that three parts of the lordship
were in the hands of the canons in 1 3 34.^ It is
probable that the Rylands' share was subsequently
acquired by the canons; but this family long after-
wards continued to hold land in the township. 13
10 Cockersand Chart, ii, 688 ; for Henry
de Sefton see further in the accounts of
Ince and Aspull in Wigan. The abbot
-was to render i%d. to the chief lord for
all services and customs.
The Cockersand estate had been derived
from variou* benefactions. Hugh son of
William son of Nest granted ' the whole
third part of the vill,' with the homages
and services appurtenant, for which he
received 31 marks ; ibid, ii, 678. It
is possible that this was the ' third part '
afterwards held and surrendered by Henry
de Sefton. William son of Nest had
granted to Thomas son of Ellis de Pendle-
bury land in Ballesley, bounded by the road
from Houghton to Aspull, Ridley brook,
Green lache, and Aldersnape head, &c. ;
and Thomas, in turn, granted it to the
canons ; ibid. 679.
Thomas de Houghton, clerk, made
aeveral grants of land ; between Well
brook and Town brook, and between the
latter and Ballsdean brook ; in Birchley
and by his grange at Conware ; and all
his land of Birchley and Sandeveshurst.
Cecily his wife confirmed these grants ;
he appears to have received the lands
from Austin de Houghton, being confirmed
in them by Robert the rector of Winwick;
ibid. 680-3. This may be the land of
Thomas son of Swain for which Gilbert
<le Notion and Edith his wife also granted
a confirmation ; ibid. 687.
Roger son of Adam de Pendlebury gave
all his lands in Westhoughton, except
Snydale ; ibid. 677. There were also
donations from the Rylands family ; ibid.
685. Ellis de Pendlebury granted the
Priest's croft ; its bounds followed the
Town brook as far as the road to Aspull,
then by a syke by Recingpool moss to the
lache going into Bradley brook, across
from this brook beyond the carr, and as
far as the Town brook ford lying on the
north side of Hugh's house ; ibid. 688.
Robert the mercer of [West] Derbyshire
afterwards surrendered his claim to this
croft ; ibid. 687.
Several rentals of the abbey are known ;
ibid, iii, 1232, &c. In 1251 and 1260
the farms of Westhoughton amounted to
91. 8^f. ; Thomas de Whittleswick was
the chief tenant. The rentals of 1451
and 1461 give long lists of tenants ; John
Rigby held Ballsdean ; Thomas Laith-
waite, Brinsop ; and James Holden, Wind-
yates.
11 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 61. A service of four barbed
arrows, or i</., was due from it. The
place is not named in the Cockersand
Chartulary, though it occurs in the rentals;
and the Cockersand manor seems always
to have been reckoned as one oxgang.
la Coram Rege R. 297, m. 121, printed
in Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Notes, i, 6. The
rating of the township at one oxgang of
hide land seems an instance of beneficial
assessment ; two plough-lands would have
been more reasonable. It appears, indeed,
that in 1296 Margaret widow of Ellis de
Turton claimed against the Abbot of
Cockersand dower in a messuage and
plough-land in Westhoughton ; De Banco
R. 1 14, m. 86.
The abbot's moiety must have been the
result of the grants recorded in the pre-
vious note ; nothing is said in the suit as
to his lordship of the whole vill granted by
Henry de Sefton. Roger son of Ellis de
Westhoughton granted to Cockersand all
his claim in the waste in return for 8 acres
lying near his land of Birchley and another
8 acres lying near his land of Rylands.
This is the only grant in the Chartul.
(691), and is no doubt that mentioned in
the text.
John son of Thomas de Houghton in
1331 did not prosecute a claim he made
against the abbot in Westhoughton ; As-
size R. 1404, m. 19.
18 An account of the family, with illus-
trative deeds, by Mr. J. Paul Rylands, was
printed in the Gen. (1880), iv, 170-8.
The fields now called 'Ryelands' lie to
the south-west of the Quakers' meeting-
house on the road from Westhoughton to
Hindley.
John son of Robert de Rylands granted
to the canons of Cockersand all his land
in Ballesley, and followed this by a sur-
render of his claim in the waste, founded
on a charter by Adam de Pendlebury, in
return for 14 acres by the Wallbrook and
Warcock Hill ; Chartul. ii, 685, 686.
In Fine R. 80, 10 E i, m. 10, he is
called John del Rylondes de Halughton.
He was a juror at Manchester in 1282
to inquire into the value of knights' fees,
&c. ; Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), i, 1 68.
The abbot and canons of Cockersand
about 1280 leased to John the Jew the
land which they had from Richard de Ry-
lands in Westhoughton ; John also held
the land granted by John de Rylands, and
another portion bought from William de
Rylands ; Cbartul. ii, 694.
Richard son of John de Rylands (Duchy
Misc. 3/9) was probably a clerk, as he is
styled Master Richard in 1282 ; Assize
R. 10 Edw. I (Rec. Soc. xlvii, 175). He
is named in 1302 ; Assize R. no. 418, m.
2. He was the first witness to a settle-
ment, dated at Hulton 3 Nov. 1338, of
Adam de Hulton's lands in Westhoughton;
Mr. Hulton's D. Richard de Rylands
was a juror re Bradshagh in 1317. He
had at least two sons, William de Rylands,
named in Duchy of Lane. Misc. 3/9 and
Misc. R. div. 25, bdle. 2, no. ii, and
John de Rylands, who married a kins-
woman of Adam de Hindley, and in 1306
was wounded in an affray at Wigan ; As-
size R. no. 421, m. i d.
William and Robert de Rylands of
Westhoughton contributed to the subsidy
in 1327 and 1332.
In the Coram Rege Roll of 1334 (R.
297, m. 83) it is recorded that the Abbot
21
of Cockersand successfully claimed 14
acres of wood against John son of John de
Hulton, Robert son of Robert de Pendle-
bury, Richard de Bradshagh and Roger and
Adam his sons, and William de Rylands.
The jurors stated that the abbot was sole
lord. In the same roll (m. 121), how-
ever, it is also recorded that William de
Rylands and Agnes his wife claimed com-
mon of pasture in 100 acres of wood, and
200 acres of moss and pasture against the
abbot, Robert de Rylands, and Roger
Walet.
In this action William claimed as son
of Thomas son of the above-named John
de Rylands, the abbot admitting that in
1262 John de Rylands had held one-fourth
part of the lordship, and that the same had
devolved by descent upon William. It
therefore appears that in the year 1334
the Rylands family still retained their
right to one-fourth part of the lordship,
and the finding of the jury was in accord-
ance with the abbot's evidence. But it
seems probable that they were in fact
mesne tenants of the Abbot of Cocker-
sand, though in all probability their tenure
of their lands in Westhoughton com-
menced at a period anterior to the acqui-
sition of the manor by the abbey.
In the De Banco Rolls of 1333 and
1334 (296, m. 387, and 300, m. 232)
there are records of a dispute between
Ellen and Margery, daughters of Maurice
de Rylands, and Adam son of Richard de
Bradshagh regarding a messuage and land
in Westhoughton, from which it appears
that Ellen and Margery were sisters and
heirs of Richard de Rylands.
In 1348 Agnes widow of William de
Rylands granted to her nephew (nepos]
Adam son of Richard del Grange her part
of a messuage, water-mill, and horse-mill,
&C., held of the Abbot of Cockersand ;
Thomas Hodgeson de Rylands is men-
tioned ; Chart, ii, 755 (Add. MS. 32107,
fol. 190^).
In 1371-2 Robert de Maunton, chap-
lain, and John le Mort, executors of the
will of William son of Robert de Rylands
appeared against the Abbot of Cockersand
claiming that 30 acres of land and 10
acres of wood demised by the abbot to
William were unjustly held against the
said executors ; De Banco R. 443, m.
122.
The Abbot of Cockersand in 1395-6
leased to William Rylands and Thurstan
and Thomas his sons a tenement 'upon
condition that if they die within the term
[19 years] the abbot may re-enter, and
that they shall not alien without licence,
and that they shall repair the houses dur-
ing the term, and after the death of every
one to pay 1 3*. 4</.' ; and in the next year
the abbot gave a reversion to Thomas,
Lawrence, and John Rylands ; Local
Glean. Lanes, and Cbes. ii, 225, from
Duchy of Lane. Misc. R. div. 25, Z./u.
Lawrence de Rvlands of Wexham
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The Byrons also had lands in the township. 14 In
1320 the Abbot of Cockersand was said to hold the
fortieth part of a fee in Westhoughton, paying id.
for sake fee and 6<t. for ward of the castle ; " and the
same tenure continued in I473. 16
As in the case of most monastic estates, possession
by the canons was marked by few disputes or inci-
dents of note. In 1272 they procured a delimita-
tion of the boundary between Westhoughton and
Lostock on the north. 17 The abbot made complaints
in 1343 and 1359 concerning the cutting down of
his trees. 18 An inquiry was made in 1385 concern-
ing the surrender of lands to find a lamp to burn for
ever in the choir of the abbey church. 19 A few
years before the Dissolution disputes broke out be-
tween the abbot and his tenants as to the right of
renewing their nineteen-year leases.* The manor
was farmed to Sir Thomas Langton in I 538.*'
Some years after the suppression the manor of
Westhoughton was granted by the king to James
Browne, citizen and haberdasher of London, for
1,035 I is. %d., to be held by the tenth part of a
knight's fee and a rent of $ 14.*. 8^. M His
descendants continued to hold it for about a century. 13
They resided at Brinsop.
The Brothertons of Hey seem to have succeeded
them. 84 The ' manor ' was in 1836 said to be held
by Lord Skelmersdale ; but none is now claimed by
Major Lionel Wilbraham, to whom this estate has
descended. 25
Brinsop Hall was in the first half of the 1 8th cen-
tury in the possession of John Widdowes, who mar-
Bucks., had protections on going into
France in the retinues of Sir William
Philip, Sir Thomas Beaumont, and
others, between 1429 and 1439 ; Def.
Keeper's Rep. xlviii, App. The will of
Alice Rylands of London, proved in 1442,
contains a bequest to Wexham Church ;
Commissary of Lond. fol. 96.
Nicholas Rylands in 1474, when
seventy-eight years of age, in Leigh parish
church, swore upon a book that he had
never made a feoffment to Thomas
Stanley and Piers Legh, or to Roger Hul-
ton of the Park, sen., of his lands, &c.,
within Westhoughton ; nor had he made
a feoffment to his son William of his
father Robert's lands in Westhoughton,
Lowton, and Pemberton ; Gen. iv, 1 74.
The MS. containing this is now in the
Grosvenor Museum, Chester. Nicholas
had, in 1430, married Margery daughter of
Sir Thomas Gerard ; ibid. 172.
Ralph Rylands in 1503-4 released to
Anne widow of Geoffrey Shakerley, and
Peter son and heir of Geoffrey, all claim
on lands, &c., in the parishes of Winwick,
Leigh, and Deane ; ibid. 175.
Members of the Rylands family appear
in the rentals of Cockersand as tenants of
the abbey. In 1451 and 1461 Peter and
Hugh Rylands each held a tenement, pay-
ing what was then a substantial rent. In
1501 Peter's tenement was apparently
held by the wife of Geoffrey Shakerley,
and Hugh's tenement by Humphrey Ry-
lands ; and the latter one was held by
another Peter Rylands in 1537. Another
Peter was living at Westhoughton in
1587 ; Co. PaL Plea R. 29 Eliz. no. 261,
m. 19.
Ralph Rylands of Westhoughton re-
moved to Culcheth at the beginning of
the 1 7th century, and his descendants sub-
sequently settled at Warrington, with
which town they are still identified. One
of them, Mr. Peter Rylands, of Warring-
ton, was the Parliamentary representative
of that town in the latter part of the last
century ; Ped. in the Coll. of Arms.
Other members of the family continued
to reside in Westhoughton and neighbour-
ing townships. Peter Rylands of Daisy
Hillock, Westhoughton, agent for seques-
trations under the Parliament, died in
1663, leaving a son Peter, M.A. Trin.
ColL Dublin, who became treasurer and
vicar-choral of Limerick Cathedral, and
died without issue in 1695, having mar-
ried Diana daughter of Sir Drury Wray,
bart. who was remarried to Archdeacon
Twigge of Limerick ; Gen. iv, 177-8.
14 Geoffrey son of Geoffrey de Byron
for 1 5 marks released to the canons of
Cockersand all the land he had held of
them at a rent of I2</.; and Richard son
of Robert de Worsley gave a quitclaim
also; Chart, ii, 690. In 1292 Richard
du Boulton, Richard son of Roger de
Worsley, William de Aintree, and others
claimed a tenement in Westhoughton
from the Abbot of Cockersand, but were
non-suited ; Assize R. 408, m. 46.
14 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii, 71.
18 Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), 480. It
appears, however, that the abbot paid a
rent of 1 3*. $d. to the lord of Manches-
ter ; Duchy of Lane. Rentals and Surv.
bdle. 5, no. 2.
V Chart, ii, 675-6. The bounds
followed Bishop's lache to Buckshaw
brook, up this brook to its head, then
along Mother lache, between the rushy
land and the deep moss, to Winyates carr
and then to the head of Redshaw, crossing
the moss from this point in a straight
line to the syke between Rumworth and
Suynul (? Snydale).
18 Assize R. 430, m. 6d.; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. 7, m. i d.
19 Sir John de Ipre and John de Titter-
ington, vicar of Mitton, desired to give a
messuage and 40 acres in Westhoughton,
held of the Abbot of Cockersand, for the
purpose named. The premises paid a
rent of -id. a year to the abbot, who held
them of Sir John La Warre as of the
fee of the barony of Manchester in free
alms, and by the service of id. yearly ;
Chan. Inq. p.m. 8 Ric. II, no. 69.
20 Some of the tenants it appeared had
held their lands without taking the trouble
to renew their leases; but in 1530 it
was ruled that they must renew at the
expiration of the term, paying a penny to
the abbot as 'earnest penny,' or 'God's
penny,' and another penny to the steward
as 'entry penny,' according to the cus-
tom ; Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 192-4.
About 1520 Richard Urmston, who had
married Ellen daughter of Nicholas Hoi-
den, claimed on her behalf a tenement in
Westhoughton. The actual holder, Peter
Williamson, claimed in right of his wife,
who was a widow and married him with-
out the abbot's consent, whereby, it was
alleged, her right was forfeited ; ibid, ii,
1 50. The claim of Ellen Gorton, made
about the same time, has some interesting
details ; ibid, i, 99.
21 Local Gleanings Lanes, and Ches. i,
181.
22 Pat. 37 Hen. VIII, pt. 4, m. 24.
The lands of the monastery of Cocker-
sand, including the manor of Westhough-
ton, were recovered in 1821, Richard
Dashwood being vouchee ; Pal. of Lane.
Assize R. Lent, 2 Geo. IV, rot. 12.
22
28 It was found in 1588 that James
Browne at his death in 1587 had held the
manor of Westhoughton and various lands
of the queen by the twentieth part of a
knight's fee ; its value was 10 a year.
In 1562 he had granted it to his son
Robert, who had married Anne daughter
of John Langtree, with remainder to
Robert's son James ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xiv, 37.
Anne daughter of William Banaster
married Browne of Brinshope ; Dug-
dale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 25. Anne wife
of James Browne, and Mary wife of Jame*
Browne, both of Westhoughton, were re-
cusants in 1619 ; Manch. Sess. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 82.
In 1622 James and Robert Browne
made a settlement of the manor of West-
houghton and seventy messuages, &c.,
1,000 acres of land, 300 acres of meadow,
&c., in the township ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 101, no. 6.
James Browne held the manor by the
twentieth part of a knight's fee at his
death in 1633 ; Robert his son and heir
was forty years of age ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xxvii, no. 2. The will of James
Browne was proved at Chester in 1633.
In 1636 Robert Browne of Brinsop and
Richard Browne his son and heir conveyed
to Christopher Anderton certain messuages
on the north side of the king's highway
between Manchester and Chorley ; An-
derton D. no. 1 1 6. In 1 6 5 5 Westhoughton
was counted among the Anderton of Los-
tock manors, but does not appear later ;
ibid. no. 123.
In 1665 Ralph Browne obtained a ver-
dict against James Browne for depastur-
ing; Exch. of Pleas, Hil. 16 & 17 Chas. II,
m. 39. The will of Ralph Browne of
Brinsop was proved at Chester in 1689.
Kuerden about 1690 speaks of the
Browne of Ince near Wigan being brother
of the Browne of Brinsop ; Local Glean.
Lanes, and Cbes, i, 214.
The deforciants in 1650 were Sir
Thomas Smith, Dr. Edmund Mainwaring,
and Peter Leycester, all Cheshire men, and
probably trustees ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 149, m. 103.
M Recovery at the Lent Assizes, 1812 ;
William Brown Brotherton and wife, and
Thomas William Brown Brotherton,
vouchees.
Disputes concerning the inclosing of
the commons had occurred in the I7th
century between Atherton and Brotherton;
Lanes, and Cbes. Rec. ii, 247, 293.
25 Baines, Lanes, iii, 49, and informa-
tion of Mr. William Roper. The Wil-
braham estate consists of a number of
farms acquired in various ways.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
ried Margaret Roby. Their daughter Esther inherited
it, and by marriage in 1 749 conveyed it to her hus-
band James Milnes of Wakefield ; their son, also
James Milnes, bequeathed it in 1805 to his cousin
Benjamin Gaskell of Clifton in Eccles, whose grand-
son, Mr. Charles George Milnes Gaskell of Thornes
House, Wakefield, is the present owner.* 6
The change of tenure from monastic to secular
lords was accompanied by a number of lawsuits
respecting the customs of the manor."
The Pendlebury family, already mentioned, held
SNFD4LE of the lord of Manchester as early as 1 2 1 2, zs
and appear to have retained it
down to the end of the i6th
century, 39 when it passed to
the Worthingtons, who re-
mained in possession for a
century and a half. 30 On
the bankruptcy of William
Worthington in 1744 it
was purchased by the Starkies
of Huntroyde, who still re-
tain it. No manorial rights
are exercised. 31
STARKIE of Hunt-
royde. Argent a bend
sable between six storks
2S Information of Mr. Milnes Gas-
kell.
87 Numerous references to these suits
will be found in the Ducatus Lane.
I n X 553 James Browne complained
that William Reeve and others had forcibly
entered two messuages and 100 acres of
land, parcel of his manor of Westhoughton,
* by reason of a feigned custom they call
tenant right.' The defendants claimed
common of pasture and turbary for fuel to
be burnt in their tenement. William
Pendlebury deposed that his father Nicholas
had had a messuage and land for the
' town's term ' of nineteen years, paying
to the Abbot of Coekersand 14*. lod.
He had succeeded his father, and paid an
'earnest penny or God's penny,' and an
entry penny, and was one of those affected
by the settlement between the abbot and
his tenants already mentioned. Others
said that plaintiff was 'very covetous,
cumbersome, insatiable, and extreme' with
his tenants and farmers, and was trying
to evade or upset the settlement. Plain-
tiff, who lived at Brinsop, denied this, and
said that defendants, acting on bad advice,
were troubling him needlessly. One of
them had admitted that a scholar in his
house, since gone to Cambridge, had ad-
vised him to say that 8*. he had paid was
for a fine for his house, whereas it was
for arrears of rent. Ralph Browne, brother
of James, acted as his bailiff"; Duchy
Plead. Hi, 14.5-51.
James Browne was again plaintiff in
1556, Adam Hulton and others being
defendants. He claimed to have suc-
ceeded the Abbots of Coekersand as lords
of the manor, and of the waste. Many
approvements had been made, cottages and
mills built, mostly long before the Disso-
lution. The abbots had held courts, taken
perquisites and profits, and appointed con-
stables and other officers. The defence
attempted was that the lord of Manchester
was the true lord of the manor and of the
wastes, and that the Abbot of Coekersand
had paid a chief rent of i8i/. a year for
his lands in Westhoughton ; Duchy of
Lane. Dep. Ixxiv, B. 2.
Probably as a consequence of this the
jury at Manchester Court Leet in 1557
found that a rent of i8</. was due from
the township of Westhoughton, but had
been withheld ; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. i,
35. Nothing further is heard of this
claim, James Browne having no doubt
justified his title. The constables of
Westhoughton were summoned to attend
the Manchester court down to the end of
the 1 7th century, but had ceased to ap-
pear ; ibid, vi, 254.
From a summary of depositions made in
1588 it appears that the manor-house had
been the grange of the Abbots of Cocker-
sand. The decrees previously made against
the alleged ' tenant right ' were recited,
and it was stated that the old name was
' town term.' Against the claim of custom
the following reasons were alleged : Most
of the tenants had taken leases from James
Browne the grandfather of the James
Browne of 1588 ; a great part of the
tenants were not the heirs in blood of the
old tenants ; many of the tenements had
been inclosed from the waste ; some ten-
ants had assigned their tenements without
the leave of the lord ; most of them had
committed waste ; and many of the wives
of deceased tenants and their heirs had
not taken up their tenements within the
prescribed twelve months; Duchy of Lane.
Misc. bdle. 3, no. 9.
28 Snydale has taken many forms.
Albert Grelley, jun. gave Ellis de Pen-
dlebury ' Sliuehale ' by i zJ. or by a sor-
hawk a year, and Ellis held the land in
1 21 2 ; Inq, and Extents, i, 58. From its
position it appears to be the Suynul or
Suinhul (? Sniuhul) of the Coekersand
Char, (ii, 676-7), which Roger son of
Adam de Pendlebury excepted from his
grant to the abbey.
It should be noticed that the Pendle-
burys had lands also in Halliwell, of which
there is a part called Smithills.
In 1320 Robert de Pendlebury held
' Smythell ' for one sparrow-hawk or izd. ;
Mamecestrtj 290.
Isabel Hulton and {Catherine her
daughter in 1449 received 39 from the
lands called Snydale in Westhoughton for
the marriage of {Catherine, from Sir Geof-
frey Massey of Worsley and Margery his
wife ; Ellesmere D. no. 221.
Henry son of Robert de Pendlebury
and Joan his wife had in 1363 and
later years disputes with Hugh de Leigh,
John de Leigh, and John son of Rich-
ard de Leigh, concerning messuages,
&c., in Westhoughton ; De Banco R.
413, m. 100 ; 418, m. 315 d. ; 438, m.
209 d.
In 1532 Roger Pendlebury of West-
houghton was murdered in his house. An
inquest was held, but, as his brother and
heir William averred, by the favour and
contrivance of Ralph Bradshagh the cor-
oner, the jury found the crime had been
committed in self-defence ; Duchy Plead,
ii, 51.
29 Adam son of Roger Pendlebury in
1531 granted a lease of Snydale to Adam
Hulton of the Park ; Towneley MS.
RR, n. 58.
In 1574 a settlement was made of a
messuage, windmill, 40 acres of land,
&c., in Westhoughton, by Roger and
Ralph Pendlebury ; after these the re-
mainders were to William, Nicholas,
Adam, Richard, and Lawrence Pendle-
bury in succession ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 36, no. 83.
A sequel to this arrangement is given
in Duchy of Lane. Plead, clxv, P. 8.
William, a son of Robert Pendlebury of
'Snythyll,' in 1595, alleged that Roger
2 3
proper.
P e n d lebury,
the son and
heir of Robert, had been seised of the capital
messuage called ' Snythull,' with barns, or-
chards, fishings, &c., in the parish of Deane.
Having no sons, Roger settled the estate
on his brothers successively Ralph, Wil-
liam (plaintiff), Nicholas, Adam, Richard,
and Lawrence. Ralph having died, Roger
sold to Christopher Anderton the mar-
riage of his daughter Anne, afterwards
wife of James Worthington, with the re-
version of the estate should Anne die
childless. In 1613 James Worthington of
Sneithell and Anne his wife had a son
Ralph, twelve years of age ; Visit, of 1 6 1 3
(Chet. Soc.), 126; also Visit, of 1567
(Chet. Soc.), 28.
There was a recovery of Snydale in
1585, Christopher Anderton being tenant
and Roger Pendlebury vouchee ; Ander-
ton D. no. 48. The marriage of Anne
Pendlebury the daughter had been granted
in 1580 as appears by an exemplification
at the request of James Worthington ;
ibid. no. 74.
80 The sale, or more probably mort-
gage, referred to in the last note, was
made in 1584, ten years after the settle-
ment, when Christopher Anderton ac-
quired from Roger Pendlebury and Anne
his wife the capital messuage called Sny-
thell, with lands in Westhoughton and
Golborne ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
46, m. 190.
James Worthington, of ' Snithell ' and
Barnard's Inn, a younger son of Lawrence
Worthington of Crawshaw, married Anne,
daughter and sole heir of Roger Pendle-
bury ; Visit, of 1613 (Chet. Soc.), 126.
He contributed to the subsidy as a land-
owner in 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 1 60.
His son and heir Ralph was twelve
years of age in 1613. Ralph Worthing-
ton of ' Smithells ' was a member of the
Presbyterian classis in 1646 ; Baines,
Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 227.
In 1690 William Worthington and
Ralph, Peter, and John Worthington made
a settlement of the 'manor of West-
houghton ' and of messuages and lands
there and in Thornton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 225, m. 53.
From William Worthington the tithes
of ' Snydle or Snythill,' &c., were pur-
chased in 1726-7 by William Leigh ;
Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.), iii, 234, from
Rolls I & 2 of Geo. II at Preston.
William son of William Worthington
of Bolton matriculated at Queen's Col-
lege, Oxford, in 1739, being fifteen years
of age ; he proceeded to the B.A. degree ;
Foster, Alumni Oxon.
William Worthington was vouchee in
a recovery of the manor in 1745 ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 560, m. 8 d.
81 Information of Mr. Daniel Howsin
of Padiham.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Other families holding land here were the Brad-
shaghs," Hultons," Leighs, 14 Reeves, 35 and Moly-
neuxes. 16 Many other names may be gathered from
rentals and inquisitions. 87
The only freeholders named in 1600 were James
Browne, Robert Leigh, William Molyneux, and
Thomas Richardson.* 8 James Browne, James Worth-
ington, and William Leigh contributed to the subsidy
of 1622 as landowners.* 9 In 1786 the principal
owners were the Duke of Bridgewater, Milne,.
R. Wilbraham Bootle, William Hulton, Starkie,
Worthington, the Misses Molyneux, and Thomas
Green. 40
There was a dispute as to inclosures in 1631 2. u
The inclosure award, with two plans, may be seen at
Preston."
Westhoughton was the scene of Luddite riots in
1812; four men were executed for joining in them. 4 *"
* Adam son of Richard de Bradshagh
in 1331 acquired a messuage and land ; the
remainders were to his brother Henry, and
to Richard son of John de Bradshagh ;
Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
ii, 80.
88 In 1311-12 Richard son of Richard
de Hulton released to the abbey of Cocker-
sand all his claim to wastes and pastures
within Westhoughton, reserving common
of pasture and reasonable estovers for
himself and his tenants ; Hulton Fed. 6.
Ellen daughter of John de Hulton
granted to Hugh de Hulton and Agnes
his wife her toft and croft called the Park
and her meadow with appurtenances in
Westhoughton ; Towneley MS. RR., no.
103.
John son of Adam de Heaton m 1337
claimed a messuage and lands against
Adam son of Richard de Hulton. The
defendant said he held jointly with Roger
his son, not named in the writ. The
claim was not pursued ; Assize R. 1424,
m. 9 ; 1425, m. 2.
In later times lands in Snydale in West-
houghton were held also by the Hultons
of Farnworth ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
iii, no. 26.
An agreement was made in 1521 be-
tween Adam Hulton of Hulton and
William Hulton of Farnworth respecting
lands in Westhoughton, Manchester, Bar-
ton, Lever, and Bolton ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 132, m. 6.
Adam Hulton, a tenant in 1556, men-
tioned in a previous note, was son of
William and grandson of Adam Hulton.
In 1597 Adam Hulton and Alice his wife
made a grant of their messuage, &c. ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 58, m. 275.
84 Kucrden has preserved short notes of
some deeds of this family, but they are
very unsatisfactory, dates being seldom
given and no details of the lands con-
cerned ; iii, H. 4. Among them are grants
from Hugh de Leigh to John his son and
Margery daughter of Henry de Ains-
worth, Edw. Ill (no. i) ; from Henry
son of Laucoc son of Ranne (?) de West-
houghton to Richard son of John de Leigh,
I2(?) Edw. Ill (6) ; from Mabel de Leigh
to John de Leigh of Cheetham and his son
Richard de Leigh of Westhoughton (9) ;
from Robert de Pendlebury of West-
houghton to Richard de Leigh, 9 Hen. VI
(16) ; from the trustee to Richard de
Leigh, with remainders to his sons James,
William, Roger, Thomas, Thurstan, and
John, 23 Hen. VI (18) ; from the trustees
to James Leigh, with remainders to Agnes
daughter of Henry Hindley, for her life,
and to Robert son and heir of John Leigh,
?Hen. VII (21, 22) ; from John Leigh,
senior, to Robert his son and heir, 6 Hen.
VIII (27) ; from Robert son and heir of
John [Leigh] to trustees, with remainder
to John his son (29) ; Robert Leigh was
living in the reign of Philip & Mary (35).
From the Cockersand rentals it may be
seen that Richard Leigh was a free tenant
in 1451, his rent being zid. ; James
Leigh in 1461 ; and John Leigh in 1501
and 1536. John Leigh of Westhough-
ton, aged sixty and more, was witness in a
tenant-right dispute in 1521 ; Duchy
Plead, i, 1 08.
Robert Leigh son of John Leigh, and
John Leigh grandson of John Leigh, were
among the defendants in the dispute of
1556.
In 1571 ten messuages and land m
Westhoughton, Duxbury, Chorley, and
Hindley were the subject of a fine, the de-
forciants being John Leigh and Robert
his son and heir, the latter's wife being
named Anne ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 33, m. 49.
John Leigh of Westhoughton, who
died in 1 6 1 8, held lands of the lord of
Westhoughton in socage by izd. rent, the
estate being six messuages, a water-mill,
&c. ; he also had lands in Hindley, Dux-
bury, and Chorley. William Leigh, his
son and heir, was twenty-seven years of
age ; I. ana. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 133.
This son was afterwards rector of
Standish, and ancestor of the Leighs of
Singleton Grange; Dugdale, Visit. 183.
A later William Leigh occurs in 1686 ;
Excb. Dtp. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
67.
85 James Reeve of Westhoughton, aged
fifty-four, was a witness in 1521 ; Duchy
Plead, i, 101. William Reeve, as al-
ready stated, was a defendant in 1553 ;
ibid, iii, 145. Robert Reeve was fre-
quently a juror in the time of James I ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. i, 36, &c. He is prob-
ably the Robert Reeve who died in 1 640,
holding a messuage, &c., in Westhough-
ton of the lord of the manor, and another
at Penketh ; Richard his son and heir
was fifty-three years of age ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xxx, 37,
86 From the Rentals it appears that in
1451 John Sale was one of the free ten-
ants, paying 6s. \od. ; the wife of John
Sale held the same in 1461 ; the wife of
John Molyneux in 1501 ; and Henry
Molyneux in 1536.
Robert Molyneux, who died in July
1545, held one messuage, &c., of James
Browne as of his manor of Westhough-
ton, by services unknown, and another of
the same by a rent of 6s. loo 1 . ; he had
married Anne daughter of Thomas Ma-
kand, and left a son and heir William,
about four years old. Robert's father,
William Molyneux of Mouldsworth, Che-
shire, had held the above tenement, and
another called Warcock Hill, which he
sold to Roger Urmston of Lostock ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 32. In a later
inquisition (1561) the service is called
'knight's service and the rent of 6s. io</.';
Anne, the widow, was then living at
Haigh, and William the son was nine-
teen years old and more ; ibid, xi, no.
50.
William Molyneux, perhaps his son,
was frequently a juror in the time of
James I ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. i, 28, &c.
24
Henry Molyneux of Westhoughton
was in 1646 a member of the Presby-
terian classis ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. iS68),.
i, 227. His will was proved at Chester
in 1662.
A number of allusions (about 1690) to-
Nathaniel Molyneux of Daisy Hill in
Westhoughton and some of his letters
will be found in Kenyon MSS. (Hist. AfSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv). He used ' to ex-
change broad money for narrow ' (p. 1 74),
according to an informer. His son Thomas-
matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, in
1683, and entered Gray's Inn ; Foste^
Alumni. He was afterwards knighted. He
married Margaret More, heiress of the
Mores of Loseley, and died in 1719 ; see-
G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, ii, 176.
His son, Sir More Molyneux, knighted
in 1724, entered Corpus Christi College,
Oxford, in 1709, aged nineteen; became
a commissioner of excise, and died in
1769. His son, Thomas More Molyneux,
of Wadham College, died in 1776 ; Foster,
Alumni Oxon. In 1750 John Probyn
purchased from Sir More Molyneux,
Richard Wyatt and Susannah his wife,
and Jane Molyneux, spinster, twelve mes-
suages, 50 acres of meadow, &c., in West-
houghton and Great Bispham, and the
manor and rectory of Westleigh ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 345, m. 85. For
the later descents of the More Molyneux
family see Burke, Landed Gentry.
87 There were nine free tenants in
1251. In 1451 there were only five
John Sale, Richard Leigh, Richard Hodg-
kinson, Henry Isherwood, and Margery
Chaddock. This arrangement was un-
altered down to the Dissolution. Deeds
of Richard Hodgkinson, in 1457, are re ~
corded in Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App.
175-
The inquisitions post mortem of Isabel
Harrington (1519), Alexander Osbaldes-
ton (1543), Roger Downes of Worsley
(1639), and Ralph Holden (1634) show
that they had had some lands in the town-
ship, but the tenures are not stated ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 2 ; xxvii,
no. 54 ; xxvii, no. 39. The heir of the
last-named was his nephew James Holden,
son of Richard ; but Ralph had a son
William. Francis Locker was in 1631
found to have held a messuage and land*
of the king by the two hundredth part of
a knight's fee ; Francis, his son and heir,
was just of age ; Janet, the widow, wa*
living at Chorley ; ibid, xxv, no. 40.
Some particulars of the Hart family's
holding are given in Duchy Plead, ii,
157-
88 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
246-9.
89 Ibid, i, 1 60.
40 Land-tax returns at Preston.
41 Pleas of Crown, Lane. bdle. 330.
43 The Inclosure Act is 1 1 Geo. I,
cap. 32.
48 See Lanes, and Ckes. Hist, and Gen.
Notes, iii, 80 ; Manch. Guardian N. and Q.
no. 638, 660.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
The canons of Cockersand probably
CHURCH maintained a chaplain on their manor.
A chapel existed in 1552." It was a
small thatched building, which in 1731 gave place to
a brick church ; 44 this again was replaced in 1869-70
by the present church, known as St. Bartholomew's,
built at the expense of John Seddon. 46 There was
* no service ' there in i6o5, 47 but this may have been
a temporary cessation. The Commonwealth surveyors
recommended that it should be made a parish church, 48
but nothing seems to have been done until 1860, when
a district chapelry was formed. 49 The income is given
as 442. The vicar of Deane is patron. The fol-
lowing have been curates and incumbents : M
oc. 1627 John Ridgeley"
oc. 1630 Alexander Horrocks"
1651 John Isherwood 5I
oc. 1671 John Edleston
1696 Wood
1700 Joseph Leese, B.A. (Christ's College)
1720 William Orme, B.A.
1732 Robert Harvey, B.A. 44
1755 J ohn Chisnall, B.A."
1782 Thomas Whitehead, M.A. (Glasgow) 66
1788 Thomas Heys, M.A. (Oxford) a
1 8 1 6 Chris. Bateson, B.A. (Pembroke Coll.)
1825 Thomas Fogg, B.A. (St. John's College,
Oxford) M
1842 James Richard Alsop, B.A. (Brasenose
College, Oxford)
1868 William Henry Rankin, M.A. (Corpus
Christi College, Oxford) "
1869 Kinton Jacques, M.A. (Brasenose Col-
lege, Oxford) "
1890 Christopher Cronshaw 6t
1908 George Henry St. Patrick Garrett,
M.A., B.D. (T.C.D.)
Also in connexion with the Established Church,
St. John the Evangelist's, Wingates, was built in
1858, and had a separate district assigned to it in
1 860 ; the vicar of Deane is the patron. 63 St. James's,
Daisy Hill, was opened in 1 88 1; the Bishop of Man-
chester presents to it. 64
The Wesleyan Methodists have had a place of
worship since 1785. The Primitive Methodists also
have a chapel.
The Congregational Church at Westhoughton
originated from preaching begun in 1 8 1 1 ; a room
was built in 1817, and another in 1826 ; after which
a church was formed. In 1853 a chapel was built. 64
The Society of Friends began meetings here in
1806 ; 6 the meeting-house was built in 1823. A
graveyard is attached.
In 1586 the vicar of Deane presented that 'divers
priests ' were harboured at the house of Ralph Holme
of Chequerbent, 67 but apart from this there seems no
record of the survival of the old religion in the town-
ship. The church of the Sacred Heart was built in
1894, replacing one opened in I873. 68
A school was founded about 1 740 ; another at
Wingates in 1818.
OVER HULTON, MIDDLE HULTON,
LITTLE HULTON
Helghetun and Hulton, 1235 (same document) ;
Hilton, 1288, 1292 ; Hulton, 1292 ; the form Hilton
continued in use till the xvii cent.
The ancient district of Hulton, having an area of
4,540 acres, in time became three townships. QVER
HULTON, the western portion, has an area of 1,316
acres, 1 and measures about 2 miles from north to
south, by a mile and a half across. Hulton Park
occupies much of the southern part of the area. The
ground slopes from about 500 ft. in the north to
300 ft. in the south.
The road from Deane and Bolton to Atherton and
Warrington runs along the eastern boundary, and is
crossed about the centre by that from Manchester
and Walkden to Westhoughton and Blackrod.
The crossing is marked by the hamlet of Hulton
Lane Ends. To the north of the road are several
collieries. The London and North Western Com-
pany's line from Bolton to Kenyon Junction passes
along the north-western boundary. There is no
44 The Royal Commissioners in 1552
found at the chapel ' a chalice and other
ornaments for a priest to say mass in ' ;
Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 27. The build-
ing itself was redeemed from the king's
hands for 1 3*. d. or zos. ; Baines, Lanes.
Chantries (Chet. Soc.), ii, 277-8.
In Mary's reign tenants of Westhough-
ton complained that James Browne had
caused an interruption of the service in the
chapel ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 296.
45 Gastrell, Nofitia (Chet. Soc.), ii, 45.
Bishop Gastrell found the certified income
to be only 41*. 6d. ; about 50 stock be-
longed to it, and the contributions had
been as much as 20 a year. In
1719 it was augmented with land to the
value of 200, taken from the common
at inclosure ; and there was a good house
for the curate.
48 Bolton Journ. 7 May 1887.
4 ? Visit. P. at Chester.
48 Commonwealth Cb. Suri>. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 38 ; 40 a year had
been appropriated to it from the tithes of
Deane sequestered from Mr. Anderton.
49 Land. Gaz. 25 Jan. 1860 ; for endow-
ments, ibid. 3 Mayi844, and 14 Nov.i873.
40 The Church Papers at Chester Dioc.
Reg. only begin in 1 700. There was a curate
summoned to the Visitation of 1562, but
he had disappeared by 1565. There was
'a minister* there in 1635 ; his name is
not recorded, but he would be Alexander
Horrocks ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 112.
61 Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, 200 ;
he was ' unlicensed and illiterate, and
would not allow a Common Prayer book
to lie in the chapel.'
M Calling himself ' minister of the Gos-
pel at Deane' he subscribed the 'Har-
monious Consent' in 1648. Two years
later he was described as a ' godly, orthodox
divine'; Commonwealth Ch. Surv. ut sup.
He is often said to have been vicar of Deane,
but this seems to be a mistake ; he was
curate of Westhoughton (and Deane) and
lecturer at the parish church. He died at
Turton in 1650. See a notice of him,
with his will, in Pal. Note Bk. iii, 23.
ss Plund. Mint. Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), i, 104. After the Restoration
James Bradshaw, formerly rector of Wigan
and expelled from Macclesficld in 1662,
used to preach in Westhoughton Chapel
25
occasionally ; Bridgeman, Wigan Ch.
(Chet. Soc.), 470.
64 Will proved at Chester, 1755. He
left ,100 for the benefit of the township ;
this was applied to the school. He was
curate of Horwich for part of the time.
i& He had been curate of Walmsley in
Turton and lecturer at Bolton ; Scholes
and Pimblett, Bolton, 330.
48 He also had been lecturer at Bolton ;
ibid.
47 Was curate also of Culcheth (q.v.),
but resided at Westhoughton.
68 Afterwards incumbent of Hornby.
49 Author of Faith and Practice, &c. ;
afterwards vicar of Bednall.
60 Rector of Meysey Hampton, 1869.
81 Afterwards rector of Brindle.
82 Previously vicar of St. Matthew's,
Bolton. M Land. Gam. 31 Mar. 1860.
84 Ibid. 10 Feb. 1882 for district.
84 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iv, 123.
86 Life of Jos. Buckley, 97.
87 Baines, Lanes, quoting Harl. MS. 360,
fol. 32.
68 Kelly, Engl. Cath. Missions, 425.
1 1, 2 1 6, including 12 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
village. The population in 1901 was 1,038.* Some
portion of the area was in 1898 incorporated in the
borough of Bolton, the remainder being added to
Westhoughton.
MIDDLE HULTON, over 2 miles from north to
south, and a mile and a quarter from east to west,
has an area of 1,517 acres. In the northern half of
the township a height of over 500 ft. is attained, but at
the southern boundary the land is below the 300 ft. line.
The principal road is that from Manchester and
Swinton to Westhoughton, which is joined by one
from Farnworth passing west through the hamlets of
Hollins and Edgefold. Several roads run from north
to south. There is no village, but on the northern
boundary dwellings are being built, which are an
extension of Bolton. In 1901 its population was
included with Rumworth.
This township was in 1898 added to the borough
of Bolton.
LITTLE HULTON is of irregular shape, part of
it cutting Walkden off from Farnworth. Its area is
1,707 acres. 3 The surface slopes generally from
380 ft. in the north-west to less than 200 ft. above
sea level in the south-east.
The principal road, through the centre of the
township, is that from Manchester to Westhoughton
on the line of an old Roman road ; from it others
spread off to Farnworth on the north and Tyldesley
on the south. Along it are dwelling-houses almost
the whole way. The district called Peel occupies
the centre of the southern half; Wharton lies in the
south-west corner. The London and North Western
Company's Bolton and Eccles line crosses the centre
of the township, and has a station on the main road,
called Little Hulton. There are a number of col-
lieries in the township, and these are served by special
railways. The population was 7,294 in igoi. 4
A local board was formed in 1872,* and this was
in 1894 replaced by an urban district council, the
twelve members being elected by two wards.
There are extensive collieries in Little Hulton and
Middle Hulton. 6
The hearth tax return of 1666 yields the following :
In Over Hulton 41 hearths, with only one large house,
that of William Hulton, 9 hearths ; Middle Hulton,
66 ; Little Hulton, 102, the largest houses being those
of Roger Kenyon, Margaret Mort, and Robert Mort,
with 15, 14, and 6 respectively. 7
The early history of the manor ot
M4NOR HULTON is obscure. It was held by
the Barton family, for the most part in
conjunction with Worsley in thegnage. 8 This was held
under them by the Worsley family, who, as to part
at least, came into possession about 1200.' Their
manor was described as three-fourths of Hulton ; 10 the
remainder, two oxgangs, being the lordship of the
Hulton family, in Over Hulton.
This last family is obviously of Welsh origin ; the
first Lancashire members of it lorwerth and Madoc,
sons of Bleiddyn are sup-
posed to have been among
the faithful vassals of Robert
Banastre, expelled from Wales
about 1 1 67." lorwerth de
Hulton held two oxgangs in
Hulton, and received from
King John, when Earl of
Mortain, Broughton and Ker-
sal Wood in Manchester. 11
lorwerth was living in 1212,
when he held in chief the vill
of Pendleton, in exchange for
Broughton. 13 He had a nu-
merous family, 14 and dying in 1215" was succeeded
by his son Richard, who in 1219 had a lease of the
Worsley portion of Hulton, 16 and about the same time
secured from Edith de Barton a confirmation of the
two oxgangs in Hulton which his father had held of
her ; a rent of zs. was payable. 17 Richard also had
a grant of land in Little Hulton from Richard de
HULTON of Hulton.
Argent a lion rampant
gules.
s The Westhoughton portion only.
8 1,699, including 39 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901. 4 Pop. Ret, 1901.
* Land. Gaz. 25 June 1872.
8 Baines' 1825 Directory shows acotton-
spinner in Little Hulton, a muslin manu-
facturer in Middle Hulton, and dimity
and fustian manufacturers in Over Hulton.
7 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 65.
9 Hugh Putrell granted to Richard, son
of Elias de Worsley half a plough-land
in Worsley at the rent of 101., and half a
plough-land in Hulton at 61. So". ; ibid,
i, 65 (from the Ellesmere D.). Hugh
Putrell was the grantee of Edith de Barton
in 1195 (Lanes. Pipe R. 94); but by 1212
the manors seem to have reverted to Edith
and her husband Gilbert de Notion ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extrnts, loc. cit.
The Hulton 6s. Sd. was in the time of
Elizabeth supposed to be the rent of
Middle Hulton ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870),
',447-
10 In 1323 the whole service of the
manor of Worsley due to the chief lord
was 201. ; and in 1385 it was stated that
the manor of Worsley was held in socage by
i 31. tfd. rent, and three-fourths of Hulton
by 6s. -jd. ; Ellesmere D. no. 162, 172 ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 23.
u A pedigree of the Hulton family, con-
taining illustrative documents, prepared by
the late William Adam Hulton of Pen-
wortham and printed privately about 1 840,
has been used in these notes.
lorwerth de Hulton and Madoc his
brother were witnesses to a grant by
Gilbert de Lymme ; Hulton Ped. 48.
Robert son of lorwerth, son of Bleiddyn
de Hulton, released lands to David de
Hulton ; ibid. 2. See Final Cone. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 216.
By a deed undated Llewelyn son ot
Madoc de Eueras granted to Griffith his
firstborn son land in Hulton ; Towneley
MS. DD. no. 1288. Six of the witnesses
have Welsh names, thus affording addi-
tional evidence of a foreign colony in the
place. la Chart. R. (Rec. Com.), 27*.
18 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 65.
14 Robert, one of his sons, has been
mentioned above. Robert de Hulton and
his son Robert attested a grant by Gilbert
de Barton ; Wballey Couch. (Chet. Soc.),
i, 50. Ellen daughter of Robert de Hul-
ton remitted all her right in 8 acres in
Barton ; Hulton Fed. 2. Jordan, a brother
of Robert de Hulton (probably the younger
Robert), was rector of Warrington ;
Wballey Couch, iii, 919.
Meuric and Meredith de Hulton are
said to have been sons of lorwerth. Roger
son of Elias de Halton granted to John
son of Meuric de Hulton land between
Willamhespittes and Bradebroch ; Hulton
Ped. z. William son of Meredith de
26
Hulton released certain lands to Richard
son of David de Hulton in 1297 ; ibid. 3.
Paulinus de Haughton granted to
Cecily, daughter of lorwerth de Hulton, a
third part of Haughton ; ff 'bailey Couch.
'. 59-
15 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 252, 256.
Richard, his son, owed 20 marks for relief
of his father's lands.
16 Final Cone, i, 41. The six oxgangs
had been pledged to lorwerth de Hulton
for a term which had expired in 1219.
On Richard de Hulton acknowledging the
title of Richard de Worsley, the latter
leased them to him for seventeen years, at
the end of which term the land was to re-
turn quietly to the Worsleys, ' unless in the
mean time Richard de Hulton or his heirs,
with good intent towards Richard de
Worsley or his heirs, should do something
whereby the land ought finally to remain
to them.' An earlier suit respecting the
matter, in which lorwerth was defendant,
is mentioned in Curia Regis R. 42 (i 206),
m. 1 8.
At a later time David son of Richard
de Hulton gave to Richard son of Geof-
frey de Worsley a formal release of any
claim he might have in the six oxgangs ;
Ellesmere D. no. 41, 47.
l " Hulton Ped. i. It should be noticed
that the service due from Over Hulton to
the lord of Manchester was in the i6th
century a rent of 4^.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
Worsley. 18 He was Serjeant of Salfordshire in
I222. 19
Richard de Hulton died before 1230, leaving as
heir his son Richard, then a minor. 20 This son
appears to have died without issue, and was succeeded
in turn by his brothers William and David, who
married Beatrice and Agnes, daughters and co-heirs of
Adam de Blackburn." To David de Hulton William
de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, in 1251, granted his lands
in Flixton and the manor of Ordsall. 22 David had
several children, and was still living in 1282." About
1285 he died," being succeeded by his son Richard, 25
who in 1304 obtained from Edward I a grant of free
warren in all his lands of Hulton and Ordsall, also in
Flixton and Heaton, outside the bounds of the royal
forests. 26 The ' Park ' long continued to be the
distinctive name of the estate. Before 1312 he was
followed by his son, another Richard." At this point
there is some uncertainty in the succession. Richard
son of the last-named Richard, being childless, effected
a partition of the estates. 28 Farnworth and Rum-
worth went to one branch of the family, while Hulton,
with lands in Westhoughton and Rumworth, were
bestowed upon Richard de Hulton's uncle Adam, 29
from whom the hereditary succession is continuous to
the present time ; Ordsall with Flixton and Halli-
well with Blackburn passed to different branches of
the Radcliffe family.
Adam de Hulton was in possession in 1335, about two
years after the grant by his nephew, 30 and a settlement
was then made of his park in Hulton and Westhoughton,
and his lands in Rumworth, Denton, and Manchester,
with the manors, mills, and appurtenances. The
occasion was the marriage of Adam's son Roger with
Aline daughter of Adam de Lever. sl Roger had by
1355" been succeeded by his son Roger, a minor, 13
M Hulton Ped.T,. The grant included all the
land between Holesyke and Wholewhics-
waghe Brook and between Farnworth and
Tyldesley, the service being a rent of iz</.;
it was made when Sir William de Vernon
was sheriff of Lancaster, apparently as
early as 1204 ; P.R.O. List, 72.
19 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 133.
M Final Cone, i, izi, quoting Curia
Regis R. 107, m. 29 d., from which it ap-
pears that Robert de Hulton, being sum-
moned to justify his assarts in the woods
near Pendleton, adduced a charter of
Richard de Hulton, and called Richard,
son of the said Richard, to warrant him.
Richard the son being a minor and in
ward to the Earl of Chester, the case was
adjourned.
This younger Richard is probably the
Richard son of Christiana de Alreton who
had four oxgangs of land in Heaton under
Horwich in 1241.
21 Final Cone. loc. cit. ; Abram, Black-
burn, 251. As Beatrice widow of Wil-
liam de Hulton in 1256 claimed dower
in the Hulton lands in Salfordshire, it
would seem that William was the elder
brother and that David had succeeded him.
In Hulton itself he held two oxgangs of
land, one in demesne and one tenanted
by David son of AugereL
David is said to have had two other
brothers Roger and John ; the latter was
rector of Radcliffe ; Hulton Fed. 4.
22 Gregson, Fragments, 347.
23 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, \, 249. His
children are stated to have been Richard,
Adam, Cecily, and John ; Hulton Fed. 4.
Cecily Daykins daughter of Hulton was
a defendant in 1348 ; Assize R. 1444,
m. 4.
84 Agnes, David's widow, claimed dower
in 1285 ; De Banco R. 59, m. 75.
85 In 1297 Richard son and heir of
David de Hulton made an agreement
with Richard son and heir of Henry de
Worsley, concerning an exchange of a
mediety of Little Haughton for lands and
easements in Hulton. The former re-
ceived 5 acres in the Gulnecroft, lying
next to his own land, and release of a road
leading to his mansion ; Eilesmere D.
no. 53.
Richard de Hulton acted as a juror in
1299 ; Inq. and Extents, i, 305. In 1301
he withdrew a claim against Richard de
Worsley and others respecting common of
pasture in 100 acres of land, &c., in Hul-
ton ; Assize R. 1321, m. I2</. He granted
land in Farnworth to William de Priest-
croft ; Hulton Fed. 4.
His wife Margery is said to have been
a daughter of Robert de Radcliffe, and to
have married secondly Geoffrey de Chad-
derton ; ibid. 5.
88 Chart. R. 97 (32 Edw. I), m. 2, no.
40.
27 As early as 1294 Richard son of
Richard son of David de Hulton received
from Joan daughter of Austin Crosscliff
lands in Halliwell, which she held of the
Abbot of Cockersand ; Hulton Fed. 5.
Richard, John, and Roger, sons of
Richard de Hulton, attested a Sharpies
charter about 1307; Harl. MS. 2112,
fol. 145/181.
In 1 3 1 i-i 2, when Richard was evidently
in possession of the lands, he released to
the Abbot of Cockersand all his right in
the wastes and pastures of Westhoughton,
reserving, however, common of pasture
and reasonable estovers for himself and his
tenants ; Hulton Fed. 6. He gave his
brother John in 1325-6 certain lands in
Hulton with reversion of the dower of
his mother Margery in Westhoughton ;
ibid. 5.
In June 1311 agreements as to bounds
and an exchange of lands in Hulton were
made by Richard de Hulton (probably the
son of Richard) and Richard de Worsley ;
Cartelache is named as the ' true division
between Salfordshire and Derbyshire ' ;
Eilesmere D. no. 56-7.
28 In 1331 Richard son and heir of
Richard de Hulton, in making a grant to
Robert son of Adam de Hulton in Irlam,
mentions his grandfather Richard ; De
Traffbrd D. no. 267.
In 1334 Richard de Hulton of Ordsall,
convicted with others of having broken
into the king's park at Ightenhill, re-
ceived a pardon ; Coram Reg. R. 298,
Rex m. 2.
Richard de Hulton had a wife Maud,
from whom he was divorced ; Assize R.
438, m. 15 d.
Sir Nicholas de Langford in 1344 at-
tempted to unsettle the disposition of the
estates, alleging that Richard de Hulton
had in 1334 granted him a rent of 200
marks, in case that he made an aliena-
tion without Nicholas's consent ; Assize
R. 1435, m. 40. Among the defendants
were John de Hulton of Manchester and
Roger de Atherton, who had received lands
in Rumworth ; Adam de Hulton and
Avice his wife, who had twelve messuages,
200 acres of land, &c., in Hulton, two
messuages, 40 acres of land, &c., in West-
houghton, and a messuage and land in
Rumworth. The defence was that Richard
27
had made an enfeoffment of his lands with
the advice of Sir Nicholas.
29 In 1333 Richard de Hulton, lord of
Ordsall, granted to his uncle Adam de
Hulton and his heirs all the grantor's land
in Westhoughton,with his manor and tene-
ment in Hulton, and that part of his lands
in Rumworth formerly held for life by
Richard del Meadow; Hulton Fed. 6. The
armorial seal shows the lion rampant, with
the legend : si . RICARDI . DE . HILTVN.
Richard son of Richard de Hulton
(perhaps of the Farnworth family) and
Adam his brother attested a local charter
in 1293 ; Eilesmere D. no. 49.
80 Adam de Hulton was a plaintiff in
1333 ; Cal. Pat. 1330-4, p. 498.
In 1334 Richard son of Alexander de
Denton claimed a fourth part of the manor
of Denton against Adam son of Richard
de Hulton and Avice his wife; De Banco
R. 338, m. 126 d.
Adam and his sons Roger and Robert
occur in 1343 ; Cal. Close, 1343-5, p. 82.
81 Hulton Fed. 7. There were remainders
to Robert and Hugh, brothers of Roger.
The lands in Denton and Manchester
seem to have come to Adam de Hulton
with his wife Avice ; ibid. ; a deed of
1316-17 being quoted.
Although the marriage of Roger the
son was arranged in 1335, it does not
seem to have taken place until 1346, when
the parents of the parties agreed as to
dower and maintenance ; ibid. 8. Roger
de Hulton was in 1343 found guilty of
overthrowing John de Hulton's house at
Rumworth ; Assize R. 430, m. 1 8.
Adam de Hulton had two other sons
named in a grant of 1347, by which
Roger and Robert, already named, gave
the reversion of a rent from Tyldesley to
their brothers Adam and Lowe ; Hulton
Fed. 9.
82 Roger son of Roger de Hulton is
found claiming the manor as early as
1356; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m.
14, 1 8. He was called to warrant in
1355, being then a minor ; ibid. R. 4,
m. 4.
88 Roger son of Roger de Hulton had
the king's protection from all actions in
1371, on his setting out for Calais, in the
retinue of Nicholas de Tamworth, captain
of the town ; De Banco R. 444, m. 34 d.
Roger de Hulton was living in 1389,
when Hugh de Ince and others released
all actions to him, his son Roger, William
son of Adam de Hulton, &c. ; Hulton
Fed. 9.
In 1396-7 the feoffees of Roger de
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
and his grandson Adam,* 4 and Adam's son and heir
Roger married Ellen daughter of John Hulton of Farn-
worth. 1 * Their son Roger x had a son and successor,
also Roger, who married Katherine, a daughter and
co-heir of Sir James Harrington of Wolfage," and had
a son Adam, who married Alice, the daughter and heir
of John Hulton of Farnworth.* 8 From this time, and
perhaps partly in consequence of the marriages named,
the Hultons of the Park became more prominent, and
soon outstripped their namesakes of Farnworth.
Adam Hulton was in 1523 summoned to take part
in the Scottish expedition led by the Earl of Surrey. 39
Ten years later a short pedigree was recorded at the
herald's visitation. 40 He was succeeded by his son
William, who died in September 1555,*' leaving a son
and heir Adam, married in infancy to Clemency
daughter of Sir William Norris of Speke." Adam
Hulton died in September 1572," leaving a son and
heir William, then of full age, who died in 1624,"
having survived his son Adam 4i and grandson Wil-
Hulton restored to him his manor of
Hulton, and lands there and in West-
houghton, &c., with remainder to Adam
his son ; and in 1404 Richard son of
John de Hulton of Halliwell resigned to
Roger son of Roger de Hulton various
lands in Hulton, Westhoughton, and
Rumworth which had belonged to Roger's
father, Roger, and his grandfather Adam;
Hulton Fed. 10.
William de Hilton, who, as a witness
of the French wars, was called upon to
give evidence in the Scrope-Grosvenor
trial, was perhaps son of this Roger ;
ibid. ; Scrope-Grosvenor R. 309.
84 In Dec. 1417 the feoffees of Adam
de Hulton restored to him the manor of
Hulton, &c., with remainder to his son
Roger, and a further remainder to the
heirs male of Adam's father Roger ;
Hulton Fed. II.
Adam's daughter Alice married Thomas
de Culcheth in or about 1420 ; ibid.
84 Ellen daughter of John Hulton and
* lately wife ' of Roger Hulton of the Park,
had lands in Nether Darwen, Bolton, and
Rivington in 1459 (3 June 37 Hen. VI) ;
ibid. 12.
In 1432 a settlement of boundaries was
made between the lands of Sir Geoffrey
Massey and those of Roger Hulton in
Hulton and James Hulton in Rum-
worth ; Def>. Keeper' t Rep, xxiii, App. 33.
In 1437 Roger Hulton of the Park
agreed with Thomas Tyldesley for the
marriage of his daughter Alice with James
son and heir apparent of Thomas ; and in
J 459 ('7 Au S- 37 Hen. VI) Alice widow
of James Tyldesley granted certain lands
to Roger Hulton her father, Roger Hulton
her brother, and Thurstan Tyldesley ;
Hulton Fed. 11-12. The last deed is per-
haps dated 37 Hen. VI instead of 36 in
error; in which case Roger Hulton, senior,
died between 17 Aug. 1458 and 3 June
1459.
86 From a deed quoted in the last note
it is clear that Roger Hulton had a son
Roger, perhaps the Roger Hulton who
in 1458-9 arranged for the marriage of
his daughter Agnes to Richard son of
William Heatou ; ibid. 14. Roger son
and heir apparent of Roger Hulton of the
Park was a trustee for Thomas Tyldes-
ley in 1465 ; Yates Evidences.
7 Hulton Fed. 14. A dispensation for
the marriage of Roger Hulton and Kather-
ine Harrington, related in the fourth de-
gree, was granted by Paul II, and issued
by the Bishop of Lichfield in Aug. 1469 ;
Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, fol. 149 A.
In 1500 Katherine, widow of Roger
Hulton, had her dower in Denton.
In 1473 Roger Hulton held the manor
of Middlewood in Hulton of the lord of
Manchester by the twentieth part of a
Tcnight's fee and puture, a rent of qj. and
castleward jd. ; Mamccettre, 497.
88 Hulton Fed. 15. The contract of
marriage, made 20 Oct. 1485, shows that
Roger, Adam's grandfather, was still liv-
ing ; the father is described as Roger
Hulton the younger of Hulton Park, and
the mother Katherine is named. Adam
was to be ready to wed Alice within ten
years from the date of the contract; Roger
promised to make an estate of 10 marks
a year clear value in favour of Alice, and
John Hulton would pay 80 marks to the
parents of Adam.
The parties being related in the fourth
degree through the marriage of Roger and
Ellen Hulton above recorded, a dis-
pensation was obtained from John de
Giglis, papal commissary in England, in
1489, a competent donation being made
to the crusade ; ibid. 16.
89 Ibid. 1 6 ; Adam Hulton had engaged
to provide forty able men for the expedi-
tion.
40 Vmt. of 1533 (Chet. Soc.), 209;
three descents are recorded Adam, his
son William, and his grandson Adam,
with a record of the marriages and the
younger children.
Adam Hulton, squire, contributed to
the subsidy of 1541 as for '30 in
lands '; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.},
i, 141.
41 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, 40 ;
Hulton Fed. 19. William Hulton died
seised of the manor of Over Hulton, with
messuages, lands, &c., in Over Hulton,
Westhoughton, Manchester, and Denton:
he had also possessed certain lands of the
inheritance of William Hulton of Farn-
worth lying in Harpurhey, Denton, Open-
shaw, and Chorlton. The manor of Over
Hulton and the lands in Westhoughton
and Manchester were held of the lord of
Manchester by a rent of q.d. Adam the
son and heir was thirty-six years of age.
In 1556 after 'certain variances and
debates' between Elizabeth widow of
William Hulton and Adam Hulton the
son and heir, Lord Mounteagle and his
son were chosen to arbitrate concerning
the widow's dower ; among other things
they decided that ' sixteen quarters of coals
yearly [should] be laid upon the bank of
the same coalpit, at [Adam's] own proper
costs, to the use of the said Elizabeth for
her natural life ; and it [should] be law-
ful for the said Elizabeth to command her
said tenants to lead yearly four quarters of
coal to her house if she be resident within
ten miles of Hulton Park '; Hulton Fed. 1 8.
48 The agreement for this marriage was
made early in 1530, messuages, &c., in
Wigan, Westhoughton, Hulton, and Den-
ton to the value of 10 being given to
trustees ; ibid. 17 ; Norris D. (B.M.).
In 1561 Norroy King of Arms granted
a crest to Adam Hulton ; Hulton Fed. 21.
In 1565 Adam Hulton and Sir William
Norris assigned lands in Harpurhey and
Gotherswick for the use of Adam's
daughter Margaret, she ' being very tender
and young,' with reversion to Adam son
of William son of Adam Hulton the
grantor, and to William brother of the
younger Adam ; Norris D. (B.M.).
28
43 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, 4 ;
Hulton Fed. 21. There was no change in
the lands recorded.
44 Mane A. Ce. Leet Rec. iii, 122 ; the
date given in the Inq. p.m. of his grand-
son (7 Chas. I) is 2 Jan. 1628, which must
be erroneous. He is said to have been
eighty- four when he died, and had therefore
seen the important changes in religion and
dynasty which distinguished the times.
William Hulton of the Park and his wife
were in 1586 reported to be 'obstinate'
in their adherence to the ancient faith ;
Baines, Lanes, from Harl. MS. 360, fol.
33-.
Six years later one of the Government
informers stated that ' Mr. Hulton of the
Park hath this day a recusant to his school-
master whom he hath kept in house many
years ' ; Lydiate Hall, 259 (from S.P. Dom.
Eliz. ccxv). Margaret Hulton and Cuth-
bert her son, Mary Hulton and Elizabeth
her daughter were presented as recusants
in 1592 ; Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xiii,
60. William Hulton of Hulton, esq.
(' infirm') and Cuthbert Hulton were recu-
sants in 1619 ; Manch. Sest. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 82.
In 1574 he was required to furnish a
light horse, a caliver, and a morion for the
county muster ; Gregson, Fragments, 30.
A settlement of the manor of Over Hul-
ton and the family lands was made by him
in 1582 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
44, m. 22.
William Hulton of Park was the only
freeholder in the township named in 1600
and 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 246, 1 60.
In his will, made in Aug. 1624, he con-
fessed ' to die a true Christian Catholic,'
and desired to be buried in his chapel in
Deane Church, near the burial-place of
Margaret his late wife. In fulfilment of
a covenant made i Apr. 1557 between
his father Adam and his mother-in-law
Elizabeth Kighley of Lightshaw, he di-
rected that certain of his goods should be
regarded as heirlooms ; they included two
standing beds in Pendlebury chamber,
valued at 5 ; Hulton Fed. 22.
The writ of Diem clausit extr. after the
death of William Hulton is dated 1 6 June
1625 ; ibid. 25.
45 Adam Hulton, of Brasenose College,
Oxford, matriculated in 1579, aged fifteen;
and his brother William two years later ;
Foster, Alumni Oxon. There is a reference
to him in Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii,
504.
Adam died in Dec. 1 597, and was buried
in the collegiate church at Manchester ;
he had married Alice daughter of William
Baguley, of Manchester, clothier, and his
son and heir William, then ten years old,
came of age in or before 1612; Manch.
Ct. Leet Rec. ii, 275 ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xvii, 80. He had a messuage
in Deansgate, Manchester, in right of his
wife, whose mother Ellen Baguley was a
widow in 1587 ; Hulton Fed. i, 24.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
liam ; 46 his successor was his great-grandson Adam,
born in 1607.
Adam Hulton had livery of his lands in November
1632," and died in 1652.** He does not appear to
have taken any part in the Civil War on one side or
the other. 49 His son and heir William contested the
borough of Clitheroe in April 1660 ; he had a majority
of the free burgesses in opposition to William White,
elected by the freemen at large, and the latter being
unseated on petition, William Hulton represented the
borough from July to December i66o. M He re-
corded a pedigree at the visitation of i664. 51 He
died thirty years later, 5 * being succeeded by his son
Henry, 53 who died childless in 1737. The manor
then passed to William son of Jessop Hulton, Henry's
younger brother, 44 who was in turn succeeded by his
son, grandson, and great-grandson, each named Wil-
liam. 55 The last of these, sheriff of Lancashire in
1810, and constable of Lancaster Castle, died in
1864; his son and heir, William Ford Hulton, 56
dying in 1879, was followed by his son Sir William
Wilbraham Blethin Hulton, also constable of Lancaster
Castle, created a baronet in 1905." He died in 1907,
and was succeeded by his son Sir William Rothwell
Hulton, the present lord of the manor.
A number of deeds and other records have been
preserved, showing how the Worsleys and their suc-
cessors dealt with their estate in Hulton. 58 It has
46 William Hulton the younger, described
as 'of Manchester, gentleman," died 6 Sept.
1613 holding Harpurhey and other lands
near Manchester, as well as some in Hul-
ton, Farnworth, Heaton, and Wigan ; those
in Hulton and Farnworth were held of the
lord of Manchester by the hundredth part
of a knight's fee. In 1610 he engaged
that before Whitsuntide 1612 he would
provide for the jointure of his wife {Cather-
ine daughter of Robert Hyde of Norbury
in Cheshire, mention being made of
* mines of coal and cannel ' on his land.
Adam Hulton the son and heir was six
years of age on 5 July 1613 ; Land. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
265.
Some time after the death of William
Hulton a further inquisition was taken
(1631), and it was found that the manor
of Over Hulton, with a capital messuage
called the Park, with messuages, orchards,
lands, dove-house, two water-mills, &c.,
was held of Rowland Mosley as of his
manor of Manchester ; there were other
lands in Westhoughton and Rumworth,
also held of the manor of Manchester. In
default of hein male of William Hulton
the grandson, the remainders were to
William, Robert, Henry, and Rowland
Hulton, younger sons of William Hulton
the grandfather ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxv, 20. {Catherine widow of Wil-
liam Hulton the grandson was living at
Todmorden in 1631. She married Saville
Radcliffe, called ' father ' in Adam Hul-
ton's will.
4 7 Hulton Fed. 26. The endorsement of
the writ has ' Adamus Hulton, infra eta-
tem,' though if the inquisition of 1613
is correct he must in 1632 have been
twenty -five years of age.
48 Ibid, where his will is printed in full;
his son William was the principal legatee,
but his ' mother Radcliffe ' and other re-
lations are mentioned.
49 Either Adam or his brother Edward
(stated to have died in 1645) was a cap-
tain in the Parliamentary army, for in
Jan. 1643-4 a correspondent of George
Rigby of Peel mentions that ' Captain
Hilton, your brother-in-law," was then a
prisoner at Chester ; it was proposed to
exchange him 'for one Mr. Browne, a
minister, now prisoner at Manchester' ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 61.
John Hulton of Darley also stated about
the same time that ' the last man living
upon my land that was able to bear arms
is with Captain Hulton's company'; ibid.
63.
Pink and Beaven, Parl. Rep. of Lanes.
*53
51 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 159;
this records William Hulton's age as thirty-
eight, and states that his son William
(not entered in the printed Pedigree) was
then five years of age.
sa He seems to be the Mr. Hulton '
frequently mentioned in Henry Newcome's
Diary and Autobiography (Chet. Soc.). He
sympathized with the persecuted Noncon-
formists of the time ; Oliver Heywood,
Diaries, i, 197. By his will he devised
all his estates at Hulton and elsewhere
in Lancashire and at Bryanstown in West-
meath to his eldest son Henry and heirs
male ; then to his other sons Jessop,
Charles, Francis, and Edward successively
in tail male ; Hulton Fed. 28.
43 His name occurs in the list of
' Papists' ' estates returned in the time
of George I ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 195.
M Upon the death of William the
testator his eldest son Henry entered on
the several estates devised to him as afore-
said and continued in possession thereof
till his death, which happened in the end
of the year 1737, when he died without
issue, having a short time before his
death married Eleanor Copley. Jessop,
the second son, died in the life of his
brother, and left issue one son, William.
Charles, Francis, and Edward also died
in the life of Henry, without issue. Upon
the death of Henry the said William
Hulton the son of Jessop entered into
possession of the several estates descended
to him, and his uncles Charles, Francis,
and Edward having all died without issue,
the remainder in fee expectant, as well
as the estate tail, vested in him ' ; Hulton
Fed. quoting an old abstract of title.
In 1740 he made a settlement of the
manors and lands of Over Hulton, Rum-
worth, Farnworth, Kearsley, Denton,
Longworth, and Clegg Hall in Butter-
worth ; ibid. 29 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 321, m. 3.
William Hulton died in April 1741,
aged twenty-five.
55 William Hulton, only son of the
last-named William, matriculated from
Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1757, being
seventeen years of age ; Foster, Alumni.
In 1763 he made an arrangement with
his mother and her second husband (Ed-
ward Clowes of Manchester) regarding
lands in Hulton and Westhoughton ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 369, m. 89.
In 1772 an Act was passed to enable
him to charge his settled estates in Lanca-
shire as a provision for his wife (Ann
Hall) and younger children. The tim-
ber growing upon the manors of West-
houghton, Harpurhey, and Denton was
valued at 4,200 ; Hulton Fed. 29. He
died in the following year.
One of his sons, Henry (born 1765,
died 1831), entered Christ Church, Ox-
ford, in 1784, and became Captain ist
2 9
Royals and afterwards lieutenant-colonel
commandant of Lower Blackburn local
militia, and treasurer of the county, had
a son William Adam Hulton (180287),
barrister and judge of the county court,
who compiled the Hulton Pedigree already
quoted, and edited the Wballey Coucher
for the Chetham Society ; a notice of
him will be found in the Diet. Nat. Biog.
William Hulton son of the above-
named William was sheriff of Lancashire
in 1789, and died in 1800. His son
and heir William matriculated from Brase-
nose College in 1804, aged seventeen,
and was created M.A. in 1807 ; Foster,
Alumni. For recoveries of the Hulton
manors in 1783 and 1809 see Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 638 ; Assize R. Lent 49
Geo. Ill (R. 9).
86 Of Christ Church, Oxford, 18305
Foster, Alumni.
57 See also Foster, Lanes. Pedigrees ;
Burke, Commoners, iv, 29 ; Burke, Landed
Gentry , and Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston),
iii, 138.
58 In 1292 Joan daughter of Richard
de Worsley claimed the manor of Hulton
against Henry de Worsley and John de
Brunscales. Her right being acknow-
ledged it was agreed that ' Henry should j
find all necessaries, as in sustenance and
clothing, for the said Joan at his house
during the term ' of two years, for which
he had a lease of the manor, and then pay
her 80 marks, ' for which she granted that
the manor should wholly remain to him
and his heirs in perpetuity'; Assize R. 408,
m. 30 d.
In 1305 Margaret widow of Henry de
Worsley claimed dower in Hulton from
Henry son of Richard son of Henry de
Worsley ; she had married Robert son of
Richard de Radcliffe ; De Banco R. 153,
m. 124 ; R. 156, m. 92 ; R. 159, m. 98 ;
182 d.; R. 161, m. 92, 155.
In May 1341 Geoffrey son of Henry
de Worsley came to Hulton with force
and arms, entered his father's house, and
broke the beer barrels, consuming beer to
the value of 41.; he also broke the hedges
of Richard de Hulton of the Wich ; Assize
R. 430, m. 16.
In 1350 Alice widow of Henry de
Worsley sought dower in Hulton against
Amabel widow of Geoffrey de Worsley ;
Geoffrey, the kinsman and heir of Henry,
though a minor, warranted Amabel, and
it was ordered that Alice should have
equal lands as her dower ; De Banco R.
363, m. 107. See also Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 7, m. 7 (Lent 1359), at which
time Amabel was the wife of John le
Comyn of Newbold.
The Worsley family acquired lands
from the smaller holders. Thus Richard
de Worsley repurchased from Richard
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
come down, in the same manner as Worsley, to the
Earl of Ellesmere. 59
In this part of the manor were several subordinate
estates or manors. WHARTOX or Warton gave its
name to the family owning it, 60 and was afterwards
held by the Asshetons of Great Lever and the
Morts. 61 It was sold to a colliery company," and is
now owned by the Earl of Ellesmere. 63 Wharton Hall
is a two-story farm-house of brick and timber and
plaster construction, facing south. The plan follows
the usual type of a central block with gabled pro-
jecting wings east and west. The house is in a moder-
ate state of repair, and the half-timber work in the
lower part of the east wing, which is coved at the level
of the first floor, is original. The north wing is faced
in brick, the upper part of which is painted to repre-
sent half-timber work, and the gable and upper part
of the east wing is similarly treated. The west wing
has been extended westward and the pitch of the roof
altered, but the line of the old gable still remains at
each end. The house has been almost entirely re-
faced in brick, but the original timber construction
shows at both ends of the west wing. With its
yellow-washed walls, grey stone slate roofs and red
brick chimneys, the house has rather a picturesque if
tumble-down appearance, emphasized to some extent
on the back by the addition of low modern out-
buildings.
PEEL, or Wicheves, was in the I3th century
acquired by a branch of the Hulton family, 64 who
son of John de Hulton land, called the
Meres, which his father Geoffrey had sold
to John de Hulton, and of which the
latter's son Robert was the tenant. The
purchase included all the vendor's rights
in Hulton except housebote and heybote
in the wood for 'his man* dwelling in
Baldman's Head ; Ellesmere D. no. 46.
This also was acquired by Henry son of
Richard de Worsley in 1293 ; ibid. no. 39.
The above-named Robert son of John
de Hulton left a widow Maud and daugh-
ters Margaret, Ellen, Maud, and Margery;
and a part of his land was given to Mar-
garet in 1293 on her marriage with
Richard ' called the Legate ' of Ince ; in
1334 Margaret daughter of Robert de
Hulton released to Henry de Worsley all
her right in Hulton ; ibid. no. 49, 58.
Geoffrey de Worsley granted to David
son of Henry the Knight lands within
bounds starting at David's house and go-
ing by the Out Lane (Hot Lane) to the
brook coming down from the hall ; then
by the brook and clough and ditch to the
starting-point ; also land called Cookman
Croft ; the rent for all to be 2J.; ibid. no.
48. David afterwards gave the land to his
eldest son Adam ; no. 42.
John son of Richard de Bradshaw gave
all his lands in Hulton to Geoffrey son of
Thomas son of Litkoc de Salford ; and in
1 307 Geoffrey sold it to Henry de Wors-
ley ; ibid. no. 44, 55.
Henry de Worsley in 1296 gave the
mill of Hulton to his son and heir
Richard and Margaret his wife; ibid. no. 51.
Alice widow of Henry de Worsley in
1 3 54 gave her life interest in the demesne
of Wood Hall in Hulton (viz. in Wood Hey
and Moor Hey) to Thomas Thirlwind and
Alice his wife at a rent of 231.; the grant
included pasturage, mast, profits of spar-
row-hawks, bees, &c., and wood for build-
ing and burning; ibid. no. 59. She had
a further rent of 121. from land tenanted
by William de Shakerley and Margaret his
wife ; ibid. no. 60.
Hulton Hey, a piece of inclosed
pasture, was the subject of grants in 1467
and 1484 by William Massey and Sir
Geoffrey Massey respectively; ibid. no. 70,
7 1 -
The lessees in 1484 had leave to build
and marl on the ground 'at their own
oversight,' while Sir Geoffrey undertook
to maintain the hedges and ditches. The
rent was a peppercorn for four years, and
then 5 marks a year. See also Ducatus
1 Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 21.
In 1556-7 Richard Brereton and Joan
his wife and Adam Hulton, as holders of
Hulton Moor, were summoned to answer
lobert Grundy of Rumworth for a seizure
jjj cattle on what he alleged to be Rum-
worth Moor ; PaL of Lane. Plea R. 201,
m. n.
69 See the account of Worsley.
60 Some early deeds of the Wartons (or
Wauertons) are given in Towneley'
MS. DD, no. 939-44. Gilbert de Warton
was witness to an early Worsley charter ;
no. 951. William son of John de War-
ton about 1310 gave lands to John son of
William de Warton. In 1335 William's
son and heir Thomas married Margaret,
daughter of John de Chisenhale.
In 1356 John de Warton claimed a
messuage and land in Wharton by Eccles
against Hugh de Rylands ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 5, m. 4. Denis de Warton
attested deeds in 1407 ; De Traffbrd D.
no. 302, 303 ; and one of the same name,
if not the same person, a Hulton yeoman,
occurs in 1444 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
3, m. 1 6.
Denis Warton in 1446 granted to
feoffees, including his son John, all his
lands in Tyldesley and Hulton. He had
received them in 1440 from the trustee of
his brother John, the heir apparent being
Ralph son of Denis. Ralph Warton in
1469 granted to Katherine his wife,
daughter of John Bradshagh, deceased,
various lands in Hulton lying to the north
of the highway from Blacklow to Walk-
den Moor and between Hollow Syke and
Goodrich Brook ; together with the 2s.
service of William Warton for the Intake.
These notes are from the Yates Evi-
dences.
Robert Langton in 1587 purchased
from William Warton five messuages, a
windmill, dovecote, lands, &c. ; and four
years later Richard Ashton of Mawdsley
and Jane his wife were in possession ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 49, m. 44 ; bdle.
53, m. 87
William Warton's difficulties are said
to have arisen from his adhesion to the
old religion. He is described as ' attainted '
in leases of his possessions by the Crown
in 1593 and 1595 ; Pat. 35 Eliz. pt. iv ;
37 Eliz. pt. ix.
61 Ralph Assheton of Great Lever,
who died in 1616, held ' the manor, lord-
ship, or capital messuage called Warton
hall ' of Sir Peter Legh and Dorothy his
wife (heiress of Worsley), by fealty and
the rent of a pair of gloves, price ^d.
each of them ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 289.
Robert Mort, a strict Nonconformist,
owned it in the second half of the I7th
century. He was about to leave for
America in 1688, when the Revolution
occurred and promised a cessation of the
persecutions to which he had been sub-
jected for religion. Matthew Henry
called him ' one of the greatest examples
30
of humility, charity, and primitive
Christianity that our age has known.'
He was followed by his son Nathan, whose
son John, born in 1 702, removed to Chow-
bent, where he carried on a fustian cutting
business ; he was ' an active member of the
society of Unitarian Christians at Chow-
bent, and was noted for his piety and bene-
volence' ; Pal. Note Bk. iii, 251, where is
a notice of his funeral sermon.
Nathan Mort, who died about 1723,
was succeeded by his son Adam, who
died about 1730, leaving his daughter
Mary his heiress. She married Thomas
Earle of Liverpool and died in 1785,
leaving two daughters to inherit Wharton
Hall and the other Mort estates. The
elder daughter Maria married her cousin
Thomas Earle of Spekelands ; and the
younger married Richard Gwillym of
Bewsey ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), vi
7 6 > 39. 44-
62 It was about 1870 sold by the Earles
and Gwillyms to John Gerard Potter and
others, who formed the Wharton Hall
Collieries Co., Ltd., and worked the
mines.
68 The Bridgewater Trustees purchased
it from the Colliery Company in 1881.
The information in this and the preceding
note is due to Mr. Strachan Holme,
Walkden.
64 Gilbert de Lymme, with the assent of
his wife Jocasta, granted to Maurice son
of Ithel land in the Wich, with bounds
beginning at Fairhurst Brook and going
up to the middle of Wichiard, thence by
the bounds of Farnworth to Alrenehead,
and down Wichshaw to the bounds of
Tyldesley ; Hultor. Fed. 48 (from the Yates
Evidences). Alice daughter of Gilbert re-
leased her right in the same to Richard
de Wicheves ; Yates Evidences.
Henry de Tyldesley granted to Richard
son of John de Hulton [of Farnworth]
certain lands in Tyldesley, the bounds of
which began at Herbertsclough, followed
Cartlache to Wich Brook, and by this to
Cartlache and Fairhurst Syke, and thence
back by the marked oaks to the starting
point; Hulton Fed. 33. This land in
Tyldesley adjoined Wicheves, the estate
which gave a surname to Richard.
Henry de Worsley in 1299 granted to
Richard son of Richard son of John de
Hulton all his land in the Wyt [Wich]
between Hulton and Worsley as described
in the charter from Gilbert de Lymme
and Jocasta his wife to Thomas their son ;
Ellesmere D. no. 54.
Thomas de Lymme granted land in
Wicheves to John son of Meuric, at a
rent of zs. ; Yates Evidences.
Henry son of Henry de Tyldesley
granted a rent of 1 8J. from the hey called
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
appear to have sold it to the Tyldesleys. 66 From these
it passed to Edmund Fleetwood of Rossall, 66 and after-
wards to the Morts. About
the middle of the 1 8th cen-
tury Joseph Yates of Man-
chester purchased it, 67 and
about seventy years later his
descendants sold it to Ellis
Fletcher of Clifton, a colliery
proprietor. 68 Peel Hall is a
modern house erected in 1840
by Matthew Fletcher, from
the designs of Sir Charles
Barry. It stands in the site
of an older hall which was a
stone building consisting of a
centre and two wings with three gables to the front.
All that is left of the old hall is part of the moat,
which has been made into an ornamental lake. 68 *
Another PEEL, known as Kenyon Peel Hall, 69 was
RIGBY. Argent on a
cross fiory azure ji-ve
mullets or.
about 1600 in the possession of Alexander Rigby ; he
gave it to a younger son George, 70 whose daughter and
heir, Alice, 71 brought it to her husband Roger Kenyon
of Parkhead and his descend-
ants, the present owner being
Lord Kenyon of Gredington. 72
Kenyon Peel Hall is situated
about a quarter of a mile south
of the ancient highway, run-
ning from Manchester in a
north-west direction towards
Bolton, and is on the southern
slope of the high ground lying
between the valley of the Ir-
well on the north and Chat
Moss on the south. Before
the locality was given over
to collieries and manufacture
KENYON, Lord Ken-
yon. Sable a che-veron
engrailed or between thret
crosses fiory argent.
the situation must have been a pleasant one, but to-,
day the house lies amidst surroundings which have
the Ral to Richard son of John son of
Meuric ; Hulton Fed, 48. Henry son of
Henry de Tyldesley was defendant in a
Hulton suit in 1313-14 ; Assize R. 424,
m. 4 d.
Hawise, as widow of Richard de Wich-
eves, demised to Henry son of John de
Hulton her right in the Hope Hey in
Wicheves in the vill of Worsley ; Hulton
Fed. 34. Hawise is said to have been
a daughter of Gilbert de Lymme.
Richard son of Richard son of John de
Hulton in 1295 released to the same
Henry de Hulton all his right in the
Hope Hey, held of Gilbert de Lymme
and his heirs by the rent of a rose ; ibid.
At the same time John son of Hugh de
Hulton released to Henry his uncle his
land in Wicheves in the Hope Hey, the
bounds touching those of Farnworth at
one point ; ibid. Joan widow of Adam
son of Richard de Hulton of the Wich-
eves in 1336 released to her father-in-
law all her dower lands in Worsley and
Tyldesley ; ibid. 35.
5 The Peel of Hulton is named as
early as 1395 among the lands of Thomas
son of Henry de Tyldesley, whose son Peter
appears to have married Maud daughter of
Richard Mort ; Yates Evidences.
In 1465 Thomas son and heir of James
Tyldesley, who was son and heir of Thomas
Tyldesley, was a minor in ward to Sir
Geoffrey Massey of Worsley; ibid. James
Tyldesley had married Alice daughter of
Roger Hulton of the Park ; the contract
is dated 1437 ; Hulton Fed. 12.
Thomas Tyldesley of the Peel in 1501
leased the Fennyslack in Worsley to James
son of Thomas Mort; ibid. In 1523
the feoffees of Thomas Tyldesley made
provision for an annuity for Elizabeth his
wife ; ibid.
The wardship and marriage of Thomas
son and heir of James Tyldesley of Peel
was claimed by Sir John Brereton in 1530 ;
Ellesmere D. no. 76.
To Lora Browne, widow, formerly
wife of the above-named James Tyldesley,
dower was assigned in 1546 from the
lands of William Tyldesley of the Peel
of Hulton, or Wicheves Hall, with ten
messuages, a water-mill, &c.; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 12, m. 278.
84 In 1550 William Tyldesley seems to
have mortgaged or sold his estate, Robert
Fleetwood and John Stokes being plaintiffs
in a fine of that year ; ibid. bdle. 14, m.
153. Thirty years later Edmund Fleet-
wood, esq. was in possession ; ibid,
bdle. 42, m. 39. From the Yates deeds
it is evident that Edmund Fleetwood was
owner in 1574, Thomas Mort of Dam-
house being in possession. Edmund Fleet-
wood of Rossall died in 1622, holding a
capital messuage with 120 acres in Wors-
ley and Little Hulton of the lord of Wors-
ley ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 316.
6 7 For a notice of this family see Ab-
ram, Blackburn, 408, 409 ; also Baines,
Lanes, (ed. Croston), iii, 150. Joseph
Yates of Manchester married Ellen
daughter and co-heir of William Maghull
of Maghull; he died in 1773, and his
eldest son having left three daughters
the Peel estate passed to the heir of his
younger son, Sir Joseph Yates, justice of
the King's Bench, and afterwards of the
Common Pleas. Sir Joseph had settled
at Cheam in Surrey, and was buried there
in 1770; Foss, Judges ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
His son Joseph sold Peel to Ellis Fletcher.
Some deeds relating to the estate are given
in Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 147.
The Rev. William Allen, author of
Collectanea Latina, at one time resided in
the house. He was minister of Peel
Chapel, and had a boarding school.
68 From Ellis Fletcher it has descended
to his granddaughter, Mrs. Wynne Corrie.
She married the Hon. Robert Wellington
Stapleton Cotton, son of Lord Comber-
mere, but was divorced in 1 879. There
was no issue of this marriage. She
afterwards married Mr. Wynne Corrie ;
Burke, Family Rec. 181. See also the
account of Clifton in Eccles.
68a Trans. Antiq. Soc. xvii, 242.
69 For a view see N. G. Philips, Old
Halls of Lanes, and Ches. 57.
7 Leonard Asshaw of Shaw in Flixton
was in 1595 found to have held lands in
Hulton of the lord of Worsley ; Duchy of
Lanes. Inq. p.m. xvi, n. A daughter
married Alexander Rigby, who appears to
have had her portion in Hulton ; Ducatus
Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 332, 350.
Alexander Rigby of Goosnargh, who died
in 1621, held a messuage and lands in Hul-
ton and Tyldesley, which with land in
Turton he gave to his younger son, George
Rigby; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.) iii, 458.
7 1 Alice Rigby, spinster, made a settle-
ment of the manor of Peel, with lands in
Over Hulton, Little Hulton (otherwise
Lowest Hulton), Worsley, Goosnargh,
Turton, Wigan, Hopwood, Thornton near
3 1
Chadderton, Clayden, Manchester, Hun-
dersheld, Rochdale, and Rivington ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 160,01.63. A
further settlement was made in 1680 by
Roger Kenyon, Alice his wife, Leftwich
Oldfield, Alice his wife, and Jane Ha-
worth, widow ; ibid. bdle. 202, m. 101.
? a Dugdale, Vhit. 166 ; Abram, Black-
turn, 752. Roger Kenyon made Peel his
residence. He represented Clitheroe in
Parliament from 1690 to 1695 as a Tory ;
Pink and Beaven, op. cit. 257. He
was also clerk of the peace for Lancashire
and Governor of the Isle of Man ; a very
large amount of information about him is
contained in the Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, passim. His eldest son Roger,
named at the Visitation of 1664, died
before him, and George Kenyon, a younger
son, Tory representative of Wigan from
171010 1714 (Pink and Beaven, 232) suc-
ceeded to Peel. A third son, Thomas,
was grandfather of Lloyd Kenyon, suc-
cessively Attorney General, Master of the
Rolls, and Lord Chief Justice, created a
baronet in 1784, and raised to the peerage
as Baron Kenyon of Gredington in 1788 ;
see Kenyon MSS. ; Life, by the Hon.
George Kenyon ; Foss, Judges ; Diet.
Nat. Biog.
George Kenyon married his cousin Ann
daughter of Edward Kenyon, rector of
Prestwich, and dying in 1728, was suc-
ceeded by his son and grandson, both
named George. Roger and George Ken-
yon sons of George Kenyon, a lawyer,
entered St. John's College, Cambridge, in
1719, being aged seventeen and sixteen
respectively ; R. F. Scott, Admissions, iii,
17. The last George Kenyon, who died
in 1770, left several daughters, co-heirs,
of whom the eldest married Sir Thomas
Hanmer, bart. The first Lord Kenyon
married Mary daughter of the second
George Kenyon cousin by both father
and mother ; and his son, the second lord,
also married a cousin, Margaret Emma,
daughter of Sir Thomas and Lady Han-
mer. Their grandson, the present Lord
Kenyon, is the owner of Peel Hall. Alice
Kenyon, sister of Mary, Lady Kenyon,
held' Peel Hall till her death in 1836,
when it passed to her nephew, the second
Lord Kenyon. For an account of the
family see G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iv,
3 5 8-60 ; also pedigree, Baines, Lanes, (ed.
Croston), iii, 148, and Piccope's MS. Pedi-
grees (Chet. Lib.), i, 218. See also Pal.
Note Bk. iv, 56, 143.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
robbed the country of any of the beauties it formerly
possessed.
The house appears to have been built about the
years 1631 to 1634. Both dates are on the build-
ing, and probably it was in course of construction for
some time prior to the latter year. The gatehouse
and other detached buildings were erected shortly
after. The house is a highly picturesque half-timbered
building on a low stone base, two stories in height,
facing the south, and occupies the north side of a
small courtyard, to the south of which is a larger
courtyard, on to which the stables and outbuildings
open. Behind the stables to the south is the stable
yard the whole forming a symmetrical arrangement
of three quadrangles which gives to the hall and its
outbuildings an appearance of size and importance
which with less systematic planning it would not
have possessed. Though retaining a great many of
the characteristics of the older Lancashire houses, both
as regards plan and elevations, Kenyon Peel at the
same time exhibits the influence of new ideas, these
buildings showing evidences everywhere of a well
thought-out plan, and a desire for balance and sym-
metry. In its general arrangement and appearance
the hall is not very much altered from the time it was
built, though there was a good deal of work done in
the interior in the way of fittings and decorations in
the 1 8th century, and a brick wing was added at the
back on the west side of the house at the same period.
A later extension at the north-east was made as late
as 1870.
Owing to mining operations many settlements
have occurred and at one time the house was
allowed to fall into disrepair and had to be shored up.
It was restored, however, in the early eighties, but
the work then done has destroyed a good deal of the
original detail and has substituted a rather hard fresh-
ness in place of picturesque decay. The half-timber
front has been renewed in a manner which does not
strictly carry out the design of the old work. All the
barge-boards and hip-knobs are new, and the old grey-
stone roof coverings have been replaced by blue slates.
The building nevertheless retains a picturesqueness
which it owes to its arrangement and plan as well as
to its more strictly architectural features.
The house itself consists of a main block standing
east and west, with three projecting gabled bays, the
middle one of which contains the porch. At either
end of the main front is another projecting bay,
the whole forming a kind of irregular r'H shape.
The principal front thus has seven gables, five facing
south and one at each end facing inward to the court-
yard. These many gables, especially when seen at a
distance from the south-east in conjunction with the
gatehouse, give a broken and irregular skyline which
is very pleasing. The return ends of the two outer
wings are faced with stone, and the remainder of the
sides and the whole of the back elevation is in brick.
A portion of the timber framing, however, shows at
the back of the hall. A lead spout-head on the west
side of the house bears the date 1741 and the
initials G ^ P .
The plan of the house itself shows the influence of
the old ideas, the great hall occupying the central
position, with a passage answering to the screen at
the west end opposite the porch. The porch and bay
window of the hall are under the central projecting
gable, the unusual position of the bay being due to
considerations of symmetry in the external arrange-
ment. The great hall, which is in no way emphasized
in the exterior elevation, is a low room, 30 ft. in
length (including the passage) by about 20 ft. wide,
with a bay window 6 ft. wide and 8 ft. deep at the
south-west corner, and mullioned windows on the
north and south with a fireplace at the north-west.
The room was probably used much as a modern dining-
room, but is now the drawing-room. The ingle
nook in the north-west is now built up and a modern
fireplace inserted. There are windows on both sides
of the room. The hall is panelled all round, with
classic pilasters to the bay window and to the door-
cases at the east end. Most of the panelling is
the original oak wainscot, but it has been repaired
with pitch pine, and the whole is now painted white.
The ceiling, which is only 8 ft. 6 in. high, is crossed
by four beams and is quite plain. Beyond the hall on
the east end of the house is the present dining-room,
a small room 17 ft. square, looking on to the inner
courtyard. It is lined with 18th-century panelling
and has a semicircular recess on each side of the fire-
place. Beyond is the main staircase, with twisted
balusters and square newels, and half balusters against
the walls. Behind the dining-room is another smaller
room looking east, also lined with 18th-century
panelling and now called the housekeeper's room. At
the other side of the staircase, at the end of the east
wing, is the oak parlour, or smoke room, which, as its
name implies, is also panelled, and has a fine Jacobean
chimney-piece, the upper part being divided into three
panels by four allegorical female figures. The centre
panel has the arms of Kenyon quartering Rigby.
To the west of the great hall are rooms correspond-
ing to the dining-room and oak parlour, called respec-
tively the pomegranate room and the library. The
pomegranate room takes its name from the plaster
ornamentation of the ceiling, but is otherwise plain.
The library is lined all round with deep bookshelves
with wooden fronts of 18th-century date, and there
are cellars under these two rooms. Upstairs there are
portions of oak panelling in some of the bedrooms,
but nothing of special note except in Lord Kenyon's
bedroom, over the oak parlour. This room contains
some very good 17th-century oak panelling, with
richly carved upper panels and cornice. Over the
fireplace, forming part of an elaborately carved mantel-
piece, are two painted armorial panels with the date
1637. The ceiling, which is plain, is arched in
section, and the door is 18th-century work. The
bedroom over the drawing-room has also an arched
ceiling with plaster ornamentation near the springing.
The floors all over the house are very uneven owing
to the settlements. There is a second staircase on
the west side of the house with old oak treads but
modern varnished balusters. The whole plan indicates
the period of transition in manners which in other parts
was much earlier than 1630, but which was necessarily
delayed in the country districts. There are no corridors
in the house, most of the rooms being more or less ,
passage rooms.
In a document dated 1783, now at the house, the
courtyards are called the ' green court ' and the * flag
court,' the former being apparently the outer. The
portion of the grounds between the house and the
road on the east side is called the ' wilderness,' and
mention is made of ' barns, stables, shippons, fold, &c.,'
on the south side. The wilderness was an irregularly-
3-
s-
ffi
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
shaped triangular piece of ground bounded on two
sides by the road, and on the west by a fence wall,
with gateways leading to the entrance-way from a
lane at the back of the house. In the outer angle of
the wilderness was a brick * arbour,' built presumably
in the i8th century, and a small pond. The gardens
proper lay along the full length of the west side of
the house and outbuildings, with a private walled-in
garden directly to the west of the hall.
The courtyard in front of the house is about 80 ft.
by 5 oft. It is partly inclosed on the east and west
by the projecting wings of the house, and beyond, by
a high stone wall. In the middle of the south side is
the gatehouse, a two-story building with a central
gateway, and one room on each side. The upper
floor consists of one apartment, said to have been a
court-house, but now used as a servants' dormitory.
The gatehouse is a solidly built structure of stone with
mullioned windows, a grey stone-slated roof finishing
with a stone gable at each end, and at each corner of
the building is a tall brick chimney, square at the
bottom and set diagonally above. On the ridge of the
roof is a bell-cote, now boarded up, and till lately
containing a bell reputed to be of silver. It was
made by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1731,
and was inscribed, ' Come away make no delay,' but
was stolen some years ago at the time when repairs to
the house were being made. The two bottom rooms
of the gatehouse are entered from the inner court only,
and not from the gateway passage. The oak doors
hung midway in the gateway passage are double
hung, and have a wicket. On their top rail is carved
*G R B Peace be within these walles 1637.' The
initials are those of George Rigby and Beatrix (Hulton)
his wife. On each side of the inner quadrangle
leading to the gardens beyond are stone doorways
with picturesquely stepped gables of good early
Renaissance type, with spiked finials. The gateway
on the east side of the court has the date 1631
with the arms of Rigby on the lintel, and the
initials c R on a panel in the gable above. The door-
way of the opposite side has the initials G R B on both
sides, and facing the courtyard the date 1634. These
little stone gateways flanking the inner courtyard,
taken in conjunction with the rather severe mass of
the gatehouse and the black-and-white work of the
house, are very effective, and seem to put a touch of
refinement into the building which it otherwise
would lack. The courtyard itself, crossed in each
direction by flagged paths between squares of grass,
has a formality quke in keeping with the Renaissance
spirit of the gateways.
The outer courtyard is 1 30 ft. long from west to
east and about 70 ft. wide, its area being thus more
than double that of the inner courtyard. It extends
up to the road on the east side, having a wide entrance
gateway with massive stone piers surmounted with
balls, and narrow side gates, facing to the road.
There is a mounting-block outside the side gate
nearest the house. On the west side is a wall with
a central stone alcove, surmounted by a figure of a
boy, and in front of this a sundial on a pedestal.
The court is partly turfed, and has a curved carriage
drive, which takes away somewhat from the formality
which the classic style of the alcove would suggest as
necessary. The range of stable buildings which
bounds the quadrangle on the south side is a massive
stone structure with a gable at each end facing north,
and good mullioned windows with hood-moulds.
There has been a good deal of alteration, and the old
flat-arched doorways are built up. But generally the
building retains its original appearance, and in the
part now called the Shippon is a central stone pillar.
On its eastern gable is the date 1668 with the arms of
Kenyon impaling Rigby. The roofs at this end of
the building, together with the great barn, are of grey
stone slates, while the rest of the buildings are
covered with blue slates. The south front of the
stables faces the lower or stable-yard, which has a fine
stone-built barn with massive buttresses on its east side.
The west side of the yard is bounded by a high brick
boundary wall separating it from the house gardens,
and the south-west corner is occupied by a picturesque
brick dove-house presumably of 18th-century date,
with stone dressings and grey stone-slated pyramidal
roof. The west end of the stable range facing the
garden was erected in 1722 by Lloyd Kenyon, and
rebuilt again in 1864, as an inscription sets forth.
On this side of the building also is an elaborate shield
of arms with helm, crest, and mantling, carved in
stone. The Rigby arms occur again on the head
of a gate in the fence wall to the north-east of
the house.
Among the former proprietors in the townships
were the Farnworth 73 and Valentine families. 74
The land tax returns of 1789 show that in Middle
Hulton the chief contributors were the Rev. Mr.
Bagot and his tenants, who paid over one-fifth ; the
Duke of Bridgewater, Miss Killer, and others paid
smaller sums. In Little Hulton in 1788 Joseph
Yates and his tenants paid more than half, the re-
mainder being contributed by Mrs. Ann Kenyon, the
Duke of Bridgewater, the Rev. Walter Bagot, Peter
Shakerley, and others. In Over Hulton in 1802
the trustees of William Hulton seem to have been
the sole proprietors. 75
7* Geoffrey de Worsley granted to Hugh
rector of Standish land called the Edge
and Hope Croft, at a rent of i id. ; Elles-
mere D. no. 45. Rector Hugh afterwards
gave all his land that which Richard the
clerk of Irlam farmed and Hope Croft to
Adam de Farnworth ; a pair of white
gloves was to be paid yearly to the grantor
and I2</. to the chief lord of the fee ; ibid,
no. 43. William son of Hugh de Standish
claimed a messuage and lands in Hulton
from Roger son of Adam de Farnworth in
1292, alleging that Hugh had demised
them to Adam. The claim failed ; Assize
R. 408, m. 48 d. Adam son of Roger de
Farnworth in 1301 sought estovers in 60
acres in Hulton against Richard son of
Henry de Worsley and others ; Assize R.
321, m. 8 d.
In 1370 Henry de Farnworth leased
lands in Hulton Edge (except Hopecroft),
which were part of his mother Maud's
dower ; Ellesmere D. no. 63. Another
lease was made by Richard son of Henry
de Farnworth in 1397; no. 65. Eight
years later the Hulton lands were granted
to Richard son of Richard de Farnworth
and Alice his wife, daughter of Thomas
the Roper ; no. 69. Nicholas Farn-
worth and Margery his wife in 1494
assigned to trustees an annual rent of
71. 3</. from the Edge in Hulton ;
no. 74. A few years later this and other
Farnworth lands were sold to Joan Dame
33
Stanley, the heiress of Worsley ; no.
110-14.
A family named Edge resided on this
estate. In 1551 there was a suit between
George Grundy and Ellen widow of John
Edge respecting Hobb Croft in Hulton,
held under the manor of Worsley ; Duchy
Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii,
119). In 1564 John Edge sought lands
in Middle Hulton from Dame Jane Brere-
ton and others; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.),
ii, 281 ; iii, 4158.
7< In 1487 Thomas Valentine and John
his son and heir apparent granted to
George Valentine son of Thomas for life
lands in Hulton called Woodcroft, Herber-
croft, Dowers, and Wood Hey ; Vaudrey D.
7* Land Tax Ret. at Preston.
In connexion with the Established Church Peel
Chapel, St. Paul's, was built in 1760 by Joseph
Yates ; several of the Yates family are buried there. 76
It was rebuilt in 1828 and in 1876, a district
chapelry having been formed in 1874." The patron-
age is vested in Lord Kenyon. Services are held in
St. Andrew's School, Over Hulton.
The Presbyterian Church of England has the old
Wharton Chapel, the congregation originating with
the Nonconformists of 1662, under the protection of
the Mort family; the chapel was rebuilt in 1723.
The Moravians held services in it from 1755 till about
1800; afterwards the Congregationalists used it till
in 1 860 it was given to the Presbyterians. It had
been very poorly attended. 78 A new church was
built in 1901.
The Wesleyan Methodists' Chapel dates from
1817, and that of the Primitive Methodists from
1823. Each denomination has since added another.
The Roman Catholic Church of St. Edmund, King
and Martyr, was opened in Little Hulton in i876, 79
and rebuilt in 1899.
FARNWORTH
Farnworth, Farneworth, Farnewrth, 1278-9.
Farnworth, anciently a hamlet in Barton, after-
wards became a separate township, and in modern
times has grown into a small town, with numerous
industries.
It measures about 2 miles from east to west, with
a breadth of a little over a mile. The area is 1,502
acres. 1 The surface slopes generally from west to
east, the lowest ground being in the north-east corner,
where the River Croal forms the boundary ; this
part is called Darley. Will Hill Brook, part of which
has been utilized to form reservoirs, forms the northern
boundary. The town has grown chiefly in the
eastern half of the area, on both sides of the great
road from Manchester to Bolton, and the main road,
which here joins the former, leading north from
Eccles. A third important road, known as Plodder
Lane, goes westward through the centre of the town-
ship, the hamlet called Dixon Green lying upon it.
Highfield lies in the south-west corner ; to the east
of it is Blindsill, and the hamlet of New Bury is near
the middle of the southern boundary. Presto Street,
near the eastern boundary, indicates the position of
Prestall, which stood on the boundary of Kearsley,
perhaps partly within it. Halshaw Moor is in the
same quarter. Birch House is situated on the north-
east side of the Manchester and Bolton road, there
called Market Street. Moses Gate is the district on
the northern boundary, through which the same road
passes, and Harper's Green lies to the south-west.
The population in 1901 numbered 25,925.*
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's line from
Manchester to Bolton s goes through the north-eastern
corner of the township, and has a station called Farn-
worth and Halshaw Moor and another called Moses
Gate on the southern and northern limits respectively.
The London and North Western Company's line
from Bolton through Eccles to Manchester crosses the
centre of the township from north to south, and has
a station called Plodder Lane, close to Dixon Green.
In 1666 there were ninety-one hearths liable to
the tax ; the largest houses were those of Urian Leigh
and Jonathan Doming, with six hearths each. 4
There were large paper mills, 5 iron foundries, 6 and
cotton mills ; 7 brick and tile works, and extensive
collieries. A newspaper is published on Fridays.
A local board was formed in i863. 8 The town-
ship is now divided into six wards, denoted by points
of the compass, each returning three members to the
urban district council, which replaced the local board
in 1894.
Gas is now supplied by a company formed in 1854.'
There are market, park, baths, and cemetery under
public control. Monday and Saturday are the mar-
ket days. There is a fair held on the third Monday
in September. 10 The Bolton Workhouse is built in
the north-west corner of the township.
For a few years there were races on the moor. 11
Doming Rasbotham, writing in 1787, recorded
that the Croal was * extremely subject to floods,' by
which * great quantities of paving stones and gravel '
were carried down. It then produced * trout,
shoulers, dace, gudgeons, and eels.' Farnworth Hall,
the property of the Duke of Bridgewater, was then
standing ; butter had been churned by a late tenant
by means of a water-mill. The farms were small,
and occupied by manufacturers, willing to pay some-
thing from the labour of their looms for the con-
venience of a few acres to support two or three
cows. Oats and potatoes were grown. Coal was
worked and conveyed to Worsley by subterranean
canals. In all the cloughs or dingles the alder grew
spontaneously ; charcoal was made of it ; oak and ash
also grew. 11
Coins have been found. 13
Originally merely a hamlet in Barton,
M4NOR FARWVQRTH does not seem to have
been recognized as a manor or lordship
till late in the I3th century. At that time, it was
divided, being held partly of the lords of Manchester
7* Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 42.
77 Land, Gaz. 20 Mar. 1874.
7 s Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconformity, iv,
1 08. An account of its endowments may
be seen in the Endowed Charities Rep.
(Deane) of 1903, p. 32.
7 Kelly, Engl. Catb. Missions, 252.
1 1,504* including 42 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901.
3 Pop. Returns, 1901.
8 Opened 29 May 1838 ; Dixon Fold
Bridge, Stoneclough Bridge, Tunnel (now
Farnworth), and Moses Gate were the
stations in Kearsley and Farnworth.
4 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9.
5 At Darley Mill in 1783 two vats
were employed, making six packs of coarse
paper weekly ; Doming Rasbotham in
B. T. Barton's Farnworth and Kersley
(Bolton, 1887), 9. This work gives a
good account of the history of the town-
ships during the i gth century. The story
of the Crompton family and their paper
and cotton factories is related ; p. 266, &c.
The old Pack Horse Road is described on
p. 30.
6 Ibid. 263 ; the first foundry started
in 1838.
7 For an account of James Rothwell
Barnes (who died 23 Mar. 1849), and the
foundation of the Farnworth cotton mills
see the above-quoted work, pp. 83-6, 272
87.
8 Land. Gaz. \\ Sept. 1863.
34
9 Barton, op. cit. 60-6. From 1835 it
had been supplied by James Berry, a
brazier, who, without authority, ran pipet
from his own apparatus.
10 It is said that the ' wakes ' owe their
date to the opening of St. John's Church
in Sept. 1826; ibid. 74. A fair, how-
ever, had been held in July for some time
before 1783 ; ibid. 14.
" Ibid. 79.
12 Ibid. 9-15.
Farnworth Hall had been purchased
from Lord Semple, who had it with his
wife, Miss Gaskell, of Manchester. Raines
says that in 1849 it was occupied as
cottages.
u Ibid. 7, 15 ; mediaeval and later.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
directly and partly of those of Barton. 14 Thus in
1282 'a certain plat' rendered $s. a year to Robert
Grelley. 16 In 1278 Richard de Redford and Richard
the Chief of Farnworth were described as lords of the
place. 16 Soon afterwards the heir of Richard the
Chief seems to have disposed of his share to the Hul-
ton and Lever families. 17
At the Manchester Barony Survey of 1320 Adam
de Lever of Great Lever, Henry de Hulton, and
Richard de Redford held Farnworth by homage and
fealty, a rent of 6s. , and puture of the Serjeants.
Henry de Hulton further paid 3/. a year for the
Mossyhalgh ; and John son of Adam de Farnworth
held lands by a rent of 6d. and puture ; the total rent
was thus 9/. 6d. w In 1326 three parts of the manor
of Farnworth was settled on the heirs of Adam de
Lever. 19 In 1473 it was found that the Lever por-
tion of the manor paid a rent to Manchester of 3*. 6</.,
the Hulton portion 4^. 6d., and the Redford portion
divided between Adam Prestall and Richard Seddon
is. ; a total of g/. 10 The 6d. from Geoffrey de
Farnworth has been omitted. 11
Of these different shares of the manor the principal
was that of the Hultons, and was usually described
absolutely as * the manor.' The Lever share has
descended with Great Lever to the Earl of Bradford ;
the descent of the Redford part, which seems to have
been diminished by many alienations, is given under
Kearsley.
The Hultons of Farnworth descended from John,
said to have been a younger son of David de Hulton."
Henry son of John de Hulton is frequently mentioned
about the end of the I3th century, 23 and, as stated
above, held a share of the manor in 1320. John the
son and successor of Henry " had a grant of Harpur-
hey in Manchester from John La Warre in I327, 25
and a few years later had Oakenley in Horwich. 26
He was followed by William de Hulton, who, appar-
ently as a child, had a lease of Mulwardscroft in
Manchester in 1337," and made a settlement on his
heirs male of the manors of Rumworth and Farnworth,
and various messuages and lands in Farnworth, Rum-
worth, Lostock, Kearsley, Irlam, Barton, Breightmet,
Snydale, Westhoughton, Middleton, Great Lever,
Bolton, and Lower Hulton ; also in Worsley, Man-
chester, Harpurhey, Denton, Gorton, and Gothers-
wick. 18
William lived on till late in the century, 29 and was
14 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54. Sir Gilbert de
Barton afterwards released his right in the
' vill ' of Farnworth to Thomas Grelley ;
De Trafford D. no. 298.
15 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 245. A
Leinsig de Farnworth occurs in 1184-5 5
Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 5 5.
16 Assize R. 1238, m. 34. They were
defendants in a plea for common of pas-
ture brought by Roger de Farnworth ;
Adam son of John de Lever, Adam son
of Eve de Prestall, Henry de Blindsill
(Blyndeshull), and Matthew son ofSiward
de Farnworth, were the other defendants.
They asserted that Roger held of them,
but the jury found that he held most of
his land of Robert Grelley, only 6 acres
being held of John father of Richard (? the
Chief), still surviving ; thus a verdict was
given for the plaintiff.
J 7 Adam the Chief of Farnworth was
living in 1 246 ; Assize R. 404, m. 6. The
same Adam granted to Adam son of
Robert land in Farnworth beginning at
Walkden Brook; Ellesmere D. no. 78.
To John son of Emma de Lever he quit-
claimed all right in the lands of Leising
de Lever except one oxgang in Farnworth;
Lever Chartul. (Add. MS. 32103), no. 15.
Richard the Chief, already mentioned,
is the next of the family to occur. He
seems to have died before 1295, leaving
sons Richard and William. Richard son
of Richard, ' called the Chief,' made seve-
ral grants to Adam son of John de Lever
at the beginning of 1295 ; in one of them
Farnworth is described as ' a hamlet in
the vill of Barton,' the land being held of
the chief lord of the honour of Manches-
ter; but in another a share of ' the liberties
and easements of the vill of Farnworth '
was included ; ibid. no. 54-6.
William son of Richard the Chief suc-
ceeded his brother very quickly. In Sept.
1295 he enfeoffed Richard de Redinall,
clerk, of Whitcroft, formerly held by his
uncle William, and Hawkley, held by
Henry de Hulton, as well as of his lands
in Kearsley ; they were held of the lord of
Manchester by a rent of 3^.; ibid.no. 61-3.
These were soon afterwards restored to him
by the feoffee ; no. 65. He sold his lands
to Adam de Lever and Avice his wife in
1277, with all buildings and gardens,
corn and hay, homages, rents, reliefs,
&c. ; ibid. no. 64. Avice was probably the
widow of Richard the brother of William
the Chief ; she had already granted lands
to Adam ; no. 66. William sold some of
his estate to Henry de Hulton ; no. 45.
He does not appear again except in releases
of actions in 1299 and 1304 ; in the for-
mer case to Adam de Lever and his sons,
Henry de Hulton and his son Henry,
Adam de Heaton, and others ; in the
latter case also to the parties named
(except the younger Henry de Hulton) ;
no. 70, 74. John the Chief made a similar
release of actions in Oct. 1303 ; no. 73 ;
There does not seem to be any later notice
of the family.
It seems very likely that this was the
family which held the 'plat' in Farn-
worth of the lord of Manchester by a rent
of 5*.
18 Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), 289, 290.
From the later rental it would seem that
Adam de Lever paid 3;. 6</. of this sum,
Henry de Hulton is. 6d. t and Richard de
Redford it. The two former amount to
51., the rent from the 'plat' in 1282, of
which 3;. 6</. is about three-quarters.
19 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 62. Adam son of John de Lever
had married Agnes daughter of Henry de
Hulton, and in 1322 had settled upon her
son John various lands in the hamlet of
Farnworth, the bounds beginning at Lam-
ford Brook ; Hulton Fed. 36.
20 Mamecestre, 478. At this time John
Hulton of Farnworth was life tenant of
the Lever portion in right of his wife
Joan, previously wife of Adam Lever ;
Henry Grundy and Richard Halliwell
were the actual occupiers.
21 The list of free foreign tenants
made about the same time includes
Ralph Ashton, John Hulton, and Richard
Redeworth (? heirs of Richard Redford)
for Farnworth ; John Hulton for Moss-
hulme in Farnworth ; and Geoffrey de
Farnworth for tenements in Farnworth ;
ibid. 517.
22 Hulton Fed. 5. For Richard de
Wicheves, younger son of John de Hulton,
see the account of Little Hulton.
23 Henry son of John de Hulton granted
to Adam son of John de Lever the White-
croft with the sparth adjacent, and his part
35
of the hey between Whitecroft and Walk-
den ; Lever Chartul. (Add. MS. 32103),
no. 25. This had been purchased by
Henry de Hulton from William son of
Richard the Chief; no. 45. Henry de
Hulton was a witness in 1297 and 1302
(no. 64, 75), and made a grant in 1299
(no. 72).
24 In 1316 John son of Henry de Hul-
ton granted to his father all his lands in
Farnworth, Great Lever, and the Wich-
eves ; ibid. no. 80. John de Hulton made
a grant in 1341 ; no. 93.
25 Hulton Fed. 36. The grant was made
to Adam son of Robert de Radcliff and
Alice his daughter, wife of John son of
Henry de Hulton, and to the heirs of Alice.
26 Ibid. 20 Jan. 1333-4. In 1341
John de Hulton gave his son Adam and
his issue certain land in Manchester, lying
on Thourishul ; ibid. 37.
Margaret daughter of John de Hulton
in 1332 released to her brother William
all her claim to a burgage in Manchester
lying between burgages of Adam de Chorl-
ton and Roger de Radcliffe ; ibid.
2 ? Ibid. The lease was for nine years.
It is possible there is some error as to the
William de Hulton to whom this lease
was granted. William son of John de
Hulton in 1353 had a dispute with Wil-
liam son of Robert de Worsley, who had
married Ellen, next of kin to the plaintiff,
concerning Harpurhey and lands in Hul-
ton and elsewhere ; it appeared that Alice,
William de Hulton's mother, was a bas-
tard, and that William had been left a
minor; Assize R. 435, m. 9 d.
28 This was quoted in the 16th-century
suits narrated below. In 1369 William
de Hulton and John de Lever made an
agreement by which the former granted
to the latter the homage, relief, and rent
of 2s. due from John son of Adam Quin-
neson ; and John de Lever in exchange
released all claim for the spoiling and cut-
ting down of woods and timber in Wil-
liam's several tenements in Farnworth
and Great Lever ; Lever Chartul. no. 99.
29 William de Hulton died in Oct. 1392;
his son John was of full age and married
to Elizabeth daughter of Sir William de
Atherton ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.),
i, 48 (the editor points out that there is
some error in the dates).
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
followed by his son John so and his grandson James,
who came into possession at the beginning of the
reign of Henry VI. 31 He had two sons, William and
John, whose descendants enjoyed the manor. Wil-
liam Hulton 31 had a son John, whose only child
Alice married Adam Hulton of Over Hulton. The
manor and entailed lands on John's death in 1487 "
passed to his brothers and their heirs ; Richard, the
eldest, was an idiot ; M Christopher, who married
Margaret one of the daughters and co-heirs of Sir
James Harrington of Wolfage, was one of the feoffees
of his brother John ; 33 and James left a son William,
who succeeded to Farnworth. 36 His son John died
before him, leaving an infant son William as heir to
his grandfather, who died in 1 556,^ and two daughters,
Christian and Katherine. 38
The estates went to the descendants of John the
younger son of James Hulton, named above. John,
it is stated, had a son Alan, whose eldest son John
Hulton 39 was a clerk, and the right descended to a
grandson Alan son of John's brother Alexander. 40
The younger Alan had several sons Thomas, John,
George, and William ; George is stated to have
received the larger share of the inheritance. 41 George
Hulton, who was the issue of a second marriage, left
sons and daughters ; a they sold the manors of Farn-
80 The writ of Diem clautit extr, after
the death of John de Hulton of Farn-
worth was issued on 12 Mar. 1422-3 ;
Dtp. Keeper'* Rep. xxxiii, App. 24. The
Inquisition, as printed by the Chetham
Society (ii, 5), states that he died 28 Dec.
I422,leaving a son and heir James, twenty-
six years of age. He had held ' certain
lands in Barton called Farnworth ' of the
lord of Manchester ; also in Rumworth
and elsewhere.
An arbitration in 1417 between John
de Hulton, John Valentine, and Richard
Valentine on the one part, and Adam de
Hulton and Richard his son on the other,
respecting lands in Tyldesley, resulted in
favour of the former ; Adam de Hulton
was to pay 10 marks to John and restore
to Richard Valentine a horse and three
cows which he had wrongfully seized ;
Hulton Fed. 38.
Ellen daughter of John de Hulton
married Roger de Hulton of the Park ;
ibid. 12.
81 A bond by James de Hulton of
Farnworth, dated 1427, is printed in
Hulton Ped. 39.
83 In 1445 Randle Hulton of Man-
chester and another were acquitted of the
charge of shooting Richard Whitehead
and giving him a mortal wound ; among
the accessories were John Hulton, Wil-
liam son of James Hulton, and Edward,
William's brother, all of Farnworth ; Pal.
of Lane. Plea R. 8, m. 23^ ; 9, m. 29.
88 Hulton Ped. 41, where is printed the
inquisition, not taken till 1496. This
states that he held the manor of Farn-
worth, and lands there and in Kearsley,
Westhoughton, Manchester, Harpurhey,
and Lostock of Thomas West, Lord La
Warre, and other lands in Breightmet and
Bolton. Alice, his daughter and heir, in
1489 married Adam de Hulton, she being
then fifteen years of age, and he fourteen.
Christopher Hulton, brother of John, had
taken the profits since his brother's death.
In 1500 Christopher Hulton made a
settlement of Farnworth Hall, &c., in
favour of Margaret his wife, with re-
mainders to the heirs male, &c. ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 89, m. 3 ; see also R. 95,
m. 6 d. A feoffment by him in 1503
concerning the dower lands of Joan, the
widow of John Hulton, is printed in the
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 543 ; she was
the -widow of Adam Lever; see Lever
Chartul. no. 194, 195.
Christopher Hulton seems to have died
in i $09, when Richard Radcliffe, as trus-
tee, claimed lands in Rumworth and West-
houghton for the benefit of Margaret his
wife ; other trustees had taken possession
of Farnworth Hall 5 Pal. of Lane. Plea
R. 1 08, m. 1 8.
In depositions taken in 1559 (Ander-
ton D. no. n) it was stated that Christo-
pher Anderton had confessed to making
untrue depositions in a Chancery suit
brought by Adam Hulton of the Park,
and so had retained possession of lands in
Snydale in Westhoughton, &c. ; repent-
ing on his death-bed, he desired his wife to
restore the deeds and the lands to the true
owner, but she also retained them till her
death, in spite of the counsel of ' divers
of her ghostly fathers.' She died at
Mobberley in 1516, and then desired her
sister, Eleanor Leycester, and others to
see that restitution was made.
84 Hulton Ped. 39 ; his wardship was
granted to his wife Elizabeth and to
Thomas Hulton his cousin, 40 a year
being payable to the Crown during his life.
See Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 26.
85 Hulton Ped. 40.
86 In 1521 William Hulton, in order
to end the disputes with Adam Hulton
of the Park respecting the inheritance of
Alice daughter and heir of John Hulton,
released his lands in Snythill (Snydale) in
Westhoughton, Harpurhey, Denton,Open-
shaw, and Gorton, with reversion to Wil-
liam in the event of the failure of male
heirs of Alice. Adam Hulton, on the
other hand, allowed that the lands in Bar-
ton, Lever, and Bolton should remain to
William and to the heirs male of James
Hulton his father, according to the will
of John Hulton, elder brother of James
and father of Alice ; Hulton Ped. 41-3.
After William Hulton's death Adam
Hulton claimed the fulfilment of the
agreement Christian, the widow, and
Alan, the heir, being defendants ; Duchy
of Lane. Plead, xxxviii, H. 21.
W Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x. 32 ; he
held the manor of Farnworth and lands
there and elsewhere in the neighbourhood,
of the lord of Manchester, by a rent of
561. He also held the manor of Rum-
worth and other lands. His grandson and
heir was four years of age.
The agreement for the marriage of
John, son and heir of William Hulton of
Farnworth, and Alice, daughter of Sir
William Radcliffe of Ordsall, was made
in December 1 548 ; there was some dis-
puting concerning it ; Duchy of Lane.
Plead, xxxiii, H. n.
88 Numerous references to the litigation
which ensued will be found in the Duca-
tus Lane.
Christian Hulton, widow of William,
aged seventy, stated that he had entrusted
to her certain lands in Farnworth, &c.,
which he had received under the will of
John Hulton his uncle fifty years before,
to enable her to keep and educate William
Hulton the grandson, also Christian and
Katherine ; and to find two priests to say
mass daily for the souls of William her
husband and John his uncle ; Duchy of
Lane. Plead, xxxviii, H. 6. Francis
Tunstall and Alice his wife, the widow of
John Hulton the younger, also claimed
the custody of her three children against
the grandmother, as well as Farnworth
Hall and certain parts of the estate from
which they had been ejected ; ibid, xl,
T. 1 6, 21, 2in.
89 Vicar of Blackburn 1561 to 1580 ;
died 1582 ; Abram, Blackburn, 287.
40 These details are from the pedigree
recorded in 1567 ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), n.
Alan is called 'son and heir* of Alex-
ander, and also ' base son ' ; probably he
had been born before marriage, the second
son, George, being legitimate.
A claim was put forward by James
Hulton of Chorley, as son of Edward, son
of John Hulton, the great-grandfather of
Alan, citing the feoffment by William de
Hulton in the time of Richard II. John
Hulton, clerk, and Alan Hulton were the
defendants ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, xxxviii,
H. 19 ; xlii, H. 10. John Hulton gave
his pedigree as son of Alan Hulton, son
of John Hulton, son of James Hulton,
in reply to James Hulton ; ibid.lix, H. 19.
Katherine and Christian Hulton, the
daughters, in 1564 laid claim to some or
all of the Farnworth manors and lands as
co-heirs ; but John Hulton, clerk, as heir
male, justified his title ; ibid, lix, H. iga ;
Ixxxii, H. 2. It was stated that Adam
Hulton of the Park had claimed the
manors of Farnworth and Rumworth as
heir general.
In 1560 there was a recovery of the
manors of Farnworth and Rumworth, fifty
messuages, a water-mill, &c., John Hul-
ton, clerk, and Alan Hulton being the
holders ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 207,
m.3.
Alan Hulton was living in 1581 \Duca-
tus Lane, iii, 79.
41 Hulton Ped. 43, 44 ; also contem-
porary pedigree in Lever Chartul. fol. 51.
No reason is given for the preference
shown to the younger son.
As early as 1574 Alan Hulton became
bound to Christopher Anderton and others
not to disinherit his son John, but power
was reserved to alter this, provided a ma-
jority of those to whom he became bound
consented ; and this power he exercised
in 1587 when he bestowed all his manors
and lands (with a small exception) on his
second son George Hulton ; Anderton
D. no. 29, 49.
43 George Hulton complained in 1598
that certain persons were intruding on his
lands in Farnworth and Kearsley, and
digging coal pits there ; Dueatus Lane.
iii, 376. He died 19 March 1609-10,3!
Farnworth, holding the manor of Farn-
worth, with the capital messuage and
various lands, &c., there, of Sir Nicholas
Mosley as of his manor of Manchester in
socage, by the rent of 41. 6d. 5 the manor
LITTLE HULTON : KENYON PEEL HALL
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
worth and Rumworth, and the rest of the inherit-
ance. 43 The manors were acquired by the Hultons
of Over Hulton. 44
John the elder brother of George Hulton was
seated at Darleys in Farnworth. He died at Black-
burn 2 1 July 1 606, holding also lands in the Fylde
and at Over Darwen. Darleys was held of Nicholas
Mosley as of the manor of Manchester, and was
entailed on John Hulton's male issue, with remainder
to George Hulton of Farnworth ; John Hulton the
son and heir was thirteen years of age. 45
The small part of the manor held by a family
which adopted the local name, appears as early as
1 246, when Emma de Farnworth mother of Adam
claimed half an oxgang of land then in possession of
Adam the Chief. 46 Nine years later Adam de Farn-
worth claimed that Gilbert de Barton, as mesne lord,
should acquit him of the service for his oxgang and a
half demanded by the superior lord, Thomas Grel-
ley. 4r It was probably about this time that Gilbert
de Barton released his claim to half of the ^s. rent
due from Adam's land. 48 Adam left two sons, Richard 49
and Roger. 50 Of these the former left issue, 51 but
the inheritance, or the chief part of it, appears to have
descended to the heirs of Roger. 52 By the end of the
1 5th century the heir was Nicholas Mitchell alias
of Rumworth, of the same, by the third
part of a knight's fee and the rent of
41. 6d. ; and various lands in Kearsley,
Bolton, and Lever. Thomas, his son and
heir, was born in 1601. The inquisition
recites the agreement made in 1593 on
his marriage with Margaret, daughter of
Robert Hyde of Norbury ; gives the
names of the children as Thomas, George,
Richard, Elizabeth, Mary, and {Catherine ;
and adds his will ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 468.
The Hulton Pedigree gives an elder son
William, born in 1594, who left issue, but
this seems to be erroneous.
48 In 1649 Judith Hulton, widow (of
Thomas, the heir above-named), was
plaintiff, and William Hulton (younger
brother of George, father of Thomas) and
Elizabeth his wife were deforciants of the
manors of Farnworth and Rumworth, and
houses, mill, lands, and common rights
there and in Lever ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 146, m. 76. In 1658 Richard
Bradshaw was plaintiff and Judith Hulton
and George Hulton (probably the younger
brother of Thomas) deforciants of the
manors, &c. ; ibid. bdle. 163, m. 67. A
year later the same Richard Bradshaw
was plaintiff and William Hulton and
Elizabeth his wife deforciants of the
manors ; ibid. bdle. 164, m. 52.
William son of George Hulton of
Farnworth became minister of Ringley
Chapel ; Barton, Farnivortb, 156.
44 Farnworth and Rumworth appear
among the manors of William Hulton
of Over Hulton in 1738 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 321, m. 3.
In 1787 it was recorded that 'William
Hulton, esquire, of Hulton Park, claims
the lordship of the waste of this town-
ship ; hath frequently exercised the right
of driving the commoners and hath gotten
coal under Halshaw moor ; but he holds
no court, nor is there any tradition of a
court having ever been held ; and, except
the instances I have given, and a few ap-
plications to him for liberty of making
brick upon the waste, I can find no traces
of any manorial title ; ' Doming Ras-
botham in Barton's FarnwortA, 1 1.
43 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 68. During last century
Darley was a seat of Benjamin Rawson
of Nidd Hall, Yorkshire, and his daughter
Elizabeth.
46 Assize R. 404, m. 6 ; Adam the
Chief gave J mark for licence to agree.
4 " Final Cone, i, 1 1 6 ; Thomas Grelley
had claimed 31. from Adam de Farnworth
for Gilbert's default. Gilbert promised
to acquit him. The case proves that the
Farnworths* land was held under Barton.
48 Lever Chartul. no. 34, 35 ; Adam's
mother Emma was a daughter of Leising
de Lever, and she had had the oxgang and
a half from her father on her marriage
with Siward de Middleton. From a char-
ter quoted below (Ellesmere D. no. 85) it
appears that Adam's father was named
Robert de Farnworth. Adam de Farn-
worth may therefore be identified with the
Adam son of Robert son of Wrgem, to
whom Adam the Chief and John de Lever
granted land in Farnworth at a rent of
id. ; Ellesmere D. no. 78, 79, the latter
deed being endorsed ' service of Richard
de Farnworth.'
49 Richard de Farnworth in 1277
brought an action to compel John son
of Gilbert de Barton to adhere to the
above-cited fine respecting acquittance
of the service demanded by Thomas Grel-
ley ; De Banco R. 21, m. 10 ; R. 27, m.
87 d. ; R. 29, m. 10. In 1295 Richard
son of Adam de Farnworth granted to
Adam de Lever land which he had re-
ceived from Roger son of Meredith de
Hulton ; Lever Chartul. no. 57. This
Roger son of Meredith de Hulton was
also called Roger son of Meredith or
Marmaduke de Hulton, and was engaged
in suits with the Levers in 1301 onwards
concerning lands in Farnworth ; Assize R.
1321, m. 4, 11, 13 ; 418, m. II d.
12.
50 In 1283 Adam de Lever granted to
Roger son of Adam de Farnworth the
moiety of three parts of 1 2 acres, approved
by Henry de Blindsill by the high road
through Walkden to Manchester, and re-
leased all claim to certain homages and
services from lands which Adam de Farn-
worth had purchased from John de Lever,
a rent of i %d. being due ; Lever Chartul.
no. 48. This Roger is no doubt the Roger
de Farnworth, clerk, who in 1278 was
suing Adam de Lever for common of pas-
ture in Farnworth; Assize R. 1238, m.
33d. Some grants by Roger are pre-
served : To Adam de Lever he gave a
moiety of the wood inclosed adjoining
Kearsley ; and to Richard de Redford an
approvement of the waste ; Lever Chartul.
no. 28, 38.
61 In 1298 Roger son of Meredith de
Hulton gave to Richard (? Robert) son of
Richard de Farnworth land which had
been formerly held by Henry son of
Robert de Hulton ; ibid. no. 71.
52 In 1292 Adam son of Roger de
Farnworth gave a mark for licence to
agree with Roger de Farnworth respecting
the warranty of a charter ; Assize R.
408, m. 7. Nine or ten years later
Adam son of Roger de Farnworth and
John the son of Adam made claims, as
by inheritance, for lands held by Robert
son of Richard de Farnworth ; Assize R.
1321, m. 4 ; 418, m. 6a, 1 1 d.
A dispute of some interest occurred in
1313-14, when Robertson of Richard de
Farnworth claimed a messuage and lands
in Farnworth and Walkden against John
son of Adam de Farnworth and Hawise
37
his wife, who alleged an enfeoffment by
Roger de Farnworth. The places named
had been called 'towns' in the writ, but
the jury decided that Walkden was neither
town nor hamlet, but only a place within
Farnworth ; Assize R. 424, m. 3.
The family contentions appear to have
been settled in 1328 by Robert son of
Richard de Farnworth releasing to John
son of Adam the lands in Hulton and
Farnworth formerly held by Roger de
Farnworth, Robert's uncle ; Ellesmere D.
no. 80.
John de Farnworth, whose wife was
named Mabel (no. 62), had a son Henry,
living in 1373 when Adam son of John
de Lever granted an inspeximus of a
charter granted by his ancestor John de
Lever to Adam son of Robert de Farn-
worth, the lands having come into Henry's
possession ; ibid. no. 85, and see no. 79.
The witnesses' names prove that this
Adam de Farnworth must be the Adam
son of Emma already named. In 1366
Henry de Farnworth had granted lands
to Richard de Farnworth (probably his
son, though not so described), with re-
mainders to Richard son of Agnes
daughter of Henry Atkinson de Heaton,
and to Richard son of Mabel daughter
of Ellis de Ridley ; to this deed Henry
affixed his own seal and that of the said
Richard de Farnworth ; no. 84. In 1393
Henry de Farnworth of Worthington and
Joan his wife were re-enfeoffed of lands in
Hulton and Farnworth, with remainders
to Henry's children, Richard, Avice, and
Joan ; no. 87. Henry was dead in 1394 ;
no. 2.
A William Tasker had had a bond from
Henry de Farnworth in 1376, and received
one from Henry's son Richard in 1394,
while in 1397 he and his wife Emma had
a grant of Mabotsfield in Farnworth ;
ibid. no. 86, 88, 89, 25. In 1426 Richard
son and heir of William Tasker sold to
Sir Geoffrey Massey of Tatton all his
right in the lands of Richard de Farn-
worth ; no. 92.
Richard de Farnworth in 1405 gave to
trustees his lands in Farnworth and Hul-
ton ; his father's widow Joan was still
living ; ibid. no. 90. Richard left a son
Richard, who married Alice, daughter of
Thomas Roper (no. 69), and two daughters
Alice and Margery. Geoffrey son of
the younger Richard in 1454 granted to
feoffees his lands in Farnworth and Hul-
ton, gave to Sir Geoffrey Massey Tasker's
Place in Farnworth, formerly the property
of his grandfather Richard, and also
granted to Sir Geoffrey the marriage of
Hugh Farnworth, his son and heir ap-
parent ; ibid. no. 93-5. In 1459 and
1466 various arrangements respecting
Tasker's Place were made among the
Masseys ; no. 97-100. An arbitration in
1474 between Lawrence Farnworth and
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Farnworth, 53 who, in conjunction with his mother,
sold it to Dame Joan Stanley, the heiress of Worsley, 54
and it has since remained part of the Worsley estate,
now owned by the Earl of Ellesmere.
Some of the Lever estate in Farnworth was granted
to the Byroms on the marriage of John Byrom with
Margaret daughter of William Lever in 1437." Part
was sold to Adam Crompton in 15 84."
The Hospitallers had lands in Farnworth before
1292." It was held under them by the Worsleys of
Booths, 58 who, however, did not long retain it. After
the suppression of the order their Farnworth estate
became the property of the Earls of Derby, under
whom the Rishton family held it, having, it is said,
purchased from the Worsleys in I573- 59 The
mansion-house, known as Birch House, has passed
through many hands. In the latter half of the
1 8th century it was the property and residence of
Doming Rasbotham, a man of literary tastes, who-
made collections for the history of Lancashire ; he
died in 1791, and there is a mural tablet to com-
memarate him in Deane Church. 60
George Hulton and Henry Schoolcroft were free-
holders in 1 6oo. 61 Among earlier landowners appear
the names of Lynalx 62 and Dutton. 63
The land-tax returns of 1789 show that the town-
ship was divided among a great number of proprietors.
Of these the Duke of Bridgewater contributed the
largest individual share of the tax about a twelfth. 64
The commons were inclosed in I798. 65
There are four churches in the township in con-
nexion with the Established religion ; of these All
Saints', Moses Gate, opened in 1881, is a chapel
of ease to St. John's, Halshaw Moor. 66 St. James's,.
New Bury, was built in 1862-5 5 the patronage is
vested in trustees. 67 St. Peter's, consecrated in 1886,.
Alice daughter of Geoffrey Farnworth
and wife of Nicholas Ashton, resulted in
the latter's favour ; it appeared that Geof-
frey's lands had been tailed to the heirs
general ; Ellesmere D. no. 101. In 1485
Thomas Ashton, son and heir of Sir John
Ashton, as his father's executor, granted a
discharge of all claims on the Farnworth
estate, having received 20 from Alice,
widow of Robert Brown, Margery, widow
of Robert Mitchell, Peter Bradshaw, and
Ralph Brown ; no. 103.
Alice Ashton cannot long have survived,
for in 1478 another arbitration was ar-
ranged in order to determine the heirship
of the lands of Richard Farnworth, father
of Geoffrey, lying in Deane parish ; his
issue had all died out, and therefore his
heirs were his sisters, then still living
Alice Farnworth and Margery Mitchell,
wife of Robert Mitchell, sometime of
Nantwich ; they were the lawful daughters
of Dicon de Farnworth by Janet daughter
of Dicon del Ford of Swinley in Wigan ;
ibid. no. 28.
58 Nicholas Mitchell was the son of
Margery above mentioned ; he seems to
have adopted his mother's maiden name on
succeeding to the Farnworth inheritance.
M There are a large number of deeds
among the Ellesmere collection relating
to the transfer of the Farnworth lands in
Farnworth and Hulton. In 1480 Robert
Mitchell and Margery his wife and Robert
Browne and Alice his wife released to
Nicholas the son and heir of Margery
the inheritance of the said Margery and
Alice ; Nicholas had married Margery
daughter of James Hulme of Blackrod ;
no. 1 02. In 1498 Margery Mitchell alias
Farnworth and her son Nicholas granted
to feoffees all their lands in Hulton,
Kearsley, Farnworth, and Barton, and the
feoffees transferred to Richard Baron of
Wigan, with remainder to his brother
Ralph ; ibid. no. 105, 1 06. In the fol-
lowing year Margery, widow of Robert
Mitchell, and daughter and heir of Richard
Farnworth, released to Joan Stanley,
widow, daughter and heir of Sir Geoffrey
Massey, the inheritance which had been
sold to her by Margery's son Nicholas in
1490 ; Nicholas Mitchell confirmed the
same; no. 111-13. Dame Joan after-
wards (1504), as widow of Sir Edward
Pickering, granted a lease of land in Over
Hulton to Margery and Nicholas ; no. 114.
x ** Lever Chartul. no. 124, 126-8,
13.1-3. The lands, to which an addition
was fnade in 1561, were in the possession
of HetfT on and heir apparent of John
\
Byrom at the beginning of 1582 ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 23, m. 18 ; 46,
m. 1 60.
56 Ibid. bdle. 46, m. 46 ; Henry Byrom
was the vendor. There is no mention of
lands in Farnworth in his Inq. p.m. of
1614. The Milnehouses or Milneheys
was part of the Byrom property ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 227, m. 3.
Adam Crompton at his death in 1590
held a messuage, &c. in Farnworth and
Middleton of John Lacy, lord of Man-
chester, in socage, by a rent of 4^. ; James,
his son and heir, was twenty years of age
in 1594 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi,
1 8. James Crompton died 30 Aug.
1631 holding a messuage and land in
Farnworth of the lord of Manchester ;
John, his son and heir, was thirty years of
age ; Towneley MS. C. 8, 1 3 (Chet. Lib.),
244.
*7 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 375.
58 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, 5, of
Robert Worsley, 1533 ; a rent of izd.
was paid. See also Kuerden, v, fol. 84.
In 1787 a rent of is. a year was still
paid to Bamber Gascoyne, lord of the
manor of Much Woolton, as successor in
title to the Hospitallers ; Barton, Farn-
zvortb, 12.
59 John Rishton, who died 22 Dec. 1633,
held a messuage, garden, two orchards, 10
acres of land, &c. in Farnworth, of the
Earl of Derby, as of the suppressed Hos-
pital of St. John of Jerusalem in England.
William Rishton, his son and heir, was
thirty-five years of age ; Towneley MS.
C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 997.
60 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 44 ; his
collections were used by Baines. A por-
trait of Doming Rasbotham is given.
His father, Peter, married Hannah, one
of the daughters and co-heirs of John
Doming of Birch House, by whom he ac-
quired the estate. Doming was born in
1730 ; in 1754 he married Sarah daugh-
ter of James Bayley of Manchester, and
had five children Anne, Dorothy, Peter,
Doming, and Frances. He wrote a tragedy
called CoJrus and various essays, and was
also an artist. He was high sheriff in
1769. He died 7 Nov. 1791.
After his death Birch House was sold
to John Bentley, whose son again sold it ;
James Carlton and William Barton Whit-
tarn (who died in 1888) were successively
owners; Bolton Journ. Aug. 1885.
61 Misc. {Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
246,251.
Henry Schoolcroft of Farnworth died
in 1614 holding of the lord of Manches-
38
ter a messuage and lands in Farnworth,
Kearsley, and Worsley by 6d. rent ; these
he devised to Anne his wife on condition
that she maintained Henry Towneley and
Ellen his wife and their issue in food and
clothing. Ellen was the daughter and
heir, and of full age ; Land. Inj. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 283.
Henry Tong of Farnworth died about
the same time seised of messuages and
lands held of the lord of Manchester j
John, his brother and heir, was twenty-
six years of age ; ibid.
Evan Grundy died 15 Mar. 1630-1,.
holding a messuage and lands in Farn-
worth of the lord of Manchester ; Robert,
his son and heir, was fifteen years of age - T
Towneley MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.),
463. Robert Grundy died two years later,
leaving a brother John, aged thirteen, as
heir ; ibid. 461.
62 In 1342 William de Lynalx received
lands in Farnworth and Barton from
Robert, son and heir of Robert de Walk-
den ; Ellesmere D. no. 81. These he re-
leased to John Maunton, chaplain (proba-
bly as trustee), in 1380 ; Manch. Corp. D.
68 Richard Dutton in 1569 sold lands in
Farnworth and Worsley to Christopher
Anderton ; five years later he sold others to
Alan Hulton ; the former parcel appears
to have been sold in 1592 to George Hul-
ton, who thus acquired the Dutton lands ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 31, m. 136 j
36, m. 197 ; 54, m. 3 ; see also Ducatut
Lane, iii, 449, 490.
64 Land tax returns at Preston. Among-
the other contributors were : Edward
Whitehead, Leighs, Richard Entwisle,
John Green, Doming Rasbotham, Richard
Entwisle, jun., Abraham Lowton, and John
Barnes. i
65 Barton, Farn-wortb, 383. In the Act
William Hulton of the Park was de-
scribed as lord of the manor, and the
principal landowners were the Duke of
Bridgewater, the Earl of Derby, Lord
Bradford, Sir John Parker Mosley, Le
Gendre Pierce Starkie, Rev. Walter Bagot,
Peter Rasbotham, &c.
There is a copy of the award, with a
plan, at the County Council offices,
Preston.
66 Barton, Farnivortb, 244.
'" For the repair fund see End. Char.
Rep. (Deane), 1903, p. 25 ; for district
assigned, Land. Gats. II May 1866. The
schools were built in 1839, the colliers
of the neighbourhood making the start, and
services were held there until the church
was built ; Barton, op. cit. 221-7.
LITTLK HULTON : KENVON PEEL HALL : GATEHOUSE
LITTLE HULTON : KENVON PEEL HALL : OAK DOORS OF GATEHOUSE
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
is in the gift of the vicar of Farnworth. 68 Of St.
Thomas's, Dixon Green, built in 1879, the Bishop
of Manchester is patron. 69 The Church Army has a
mission hall.
The Wesleyan Methodists have five churches
Wesley, in Church Street, Moses Gate, Long Cause-
way, Plodder Lane, and New Bury. 70 The Primitive
Methodists and Independent Methodists also each
have one. 71 The New Connexion formerly had a
preaching room at New Bury, but gave it up in
1846."
The Baptists opened a chapel in 1879 ; ra this was
succeeded by the present church in 1907.
The Congregationalists were the first to esta-
blish a place of worship in Farnworth, the old
chapel being built in 1808. Now they have three
churches. 74
There is a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel.
The Catholic Apostolic church has an iron build-
ing.
There is also a barracks of the Salvation Army.
The Roman Catholic church of St. Gregory the
Great originated in 1852. After using an old ware-
house and other buildings a small chapel was built,
which in twenty years' time proving too small, the
present church in Presto Street was erected, and
opened in 1876.
Dixon Green School was founded in 1715.
KEARSLEY
Kersleie, 1268 ; Keyresley, 1443 ; Kyrsley, Kerse-
ley, xvi cent. Kersley continues in use as an alterna-
tive spelling.
Kearsley, formerly a part of Farnworth, has become
a separate township. Its north-eastern boundary is
formed by the Irwell, and the road from Manchester
to Bolton passes north-west through the centre, having
a length of a mile and a half within the boundaries.
The total area of the township is 997 acres. 1 The
surface in general slopes from the higher land on the
south-west border to the steep banks of the Irwell.
Lower Kearsley, by the bridge over that river, is often
called Ringley, being considered part of Ringley in
Pilkington.
Kearsley proper clusters along the south-east end
of the main road mentioned ; but Farnworth is ex-
tending over the Kearsley borders in the north, and
Stoneclough is a hamlet near the Irwell on the road
to Radcliffe. Clammerclough is a district to the
north-west of the last - named, and lies between
Darley in Farnworth and the Irwell. Kearsley Moss
formerly occupied the south-west quarter of the town-
ship. The Manchester and Bolton line of the Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire Company passes through Kearsley
parallel to the high road, and has a station near Stone-
clough called Kearsley.
In 1901 the population recorded was 9,218.*
The township is a busy industrial place. There
are collieries, iron foundries, paper mills, power-
loom mills, spindle works, and chemical works ; *
bricks and tiles are made and cotton-spinning car-
ried on.
A local board was formed in 1865 ;* in 1894 this
was replaced by an urban district council of twelve
members elected by two wards, east and west.
William Hulme's house, with seven hearths, was
the only large one in the township in 1666, when
the total number of hearths liable to the tax amounted
to thirty-nine. 5
Doming Rasbotham in 1787 wrote thus : 'Oak
and alder trees have been found deeply embedded in
the turf upon Kearsley moor. The timber was as
black as ebony,' but not so well preserved as usual. 6
There was anciently no manor of
M4NOR KEARSLET, which was merely a part
of Farnworth, itself a hamlet in Barton.
The earliest deed relating to it is a grant of the whole
by Edith de Barton to Cockersand Abbey. 7 A num-
ber of the neighbouring families had lands and common
rights in Kearsley, and one of the lords of Farnworth
appears to have been specially associated with it, so
that it will be convenient to give the descent of his
family in this place.
Richard son of Adam de Redford, who was living
in 1276, is the earliest on record. 8 He was succeeded
68 Barton, Farn-worth t 246-50.
89 Mancb. Dioc. Dir. For district see
Land. Gaz. 14 Sept. 1880. Barton, op.
cit. 241-4 ; schoolroom services had been
held from 1867.
7 Barton, op. cit. 227, 234. Assem-
blies for public worship began at Dixon
Green about 1810. A chapel was built
in Market Street in 1830, and a larger
one in Church Street in 1860-1. A
school chapel at Moses Gate was opened
in 1872, and a chapel built five years
later.
7* Ibid. 232. A mission was begun in
1835 and the first chapel in Queen Street
built in 1840, succeeded by a larger in
1860.
7 J Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 143.
78 Barton, op. cit. 409 ; services had
begun in hired rooms and then in a
cottage in 1873.
74 Ibid. 162 ; the old chapel was en-
larged in 1837, and the present Market
Street Chapel opened in 1850, the old
building continuing in use for class-
rooms, &c. Schools were established at
Dixon Green and New Bury. Albert
Road Chapel, originating at the former
centre in 1856, was opened in 1862 ; the
first Francis Street Chapel in 1869, and
the second in 1884; ibid. 182-90;
Nightingale, op. cit. iii, 135-49, views of
the four churches are given. There is
also a mission-room.
1 1,005, including 25 of inland water,
according to the 1901 Census Report.
Pop. Returns, 1901.
8 Clammerclough Cotton Mill was built
about 1828 ; Barton, Farnvuorth, 84. Ben-
jamin Rawson's Alkali Works were esta-
blished earlier.
4 Lond. Gaz. 17 Oct. 1865. In Barton's
Farnivorth, pp. 89-101, are printed extracts
from the township books from 1809 on-
wards. The constables and burley men
were officials.
5 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
6 Barton, Farn-worth t 1 6.
7 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
709. This charter gives a portion of her
land in Farnworth, ' the whole of Kearsley
with all its appurtenances' within bounds
as follows : Up the deep lache from Irwell
towards Stockbridge, then going down Fle-
thithaleth to the Irwell again ; for the
health of the soul of Edith's son John.
39
Kearsley is not named in the Cockersand
Rentals, so that the grant may have been
revoked or exchanged.
8 Assize R. 1238, m. 34.
In 1294 Richard son of Adam de
Redford released to Adam son of John
de Lever all his claim to lands held by
the latter in Farnworth and Great Lever ;
Towneley's LeverChartul.(Add.MS.3 2103
no. 1-260), no. 53. The same Richard
gave to Adam de Lever, for the service
of an arrow, land which Henry de Blinds-
hill had approved beyond Walkden ; no. 27.
To his brother Henry he granted all the
land of Hassumbottom, the Hokensnape
and Ritherake being among the boun-
dary marks, no. 40. To Richard son of
John de Hulton he granted 6 acres on
the north side of Walkden Bank, at a
rent of a pair of white gloves, Richard
de Hulton at the same time allowing
certain approvements of the waste of
Farnworth ; no. 43. The elder Richard
was still living in 1297 when, as Richard
de Redford the elder, he released to Robert
son of Jordan (de Hulton), rector of War-
riugton, all his right in land in Barton
and Farnworth ; no. 69.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
regularly by his descendants, Richard, 9 John, 10 and
another Richard. The last-named, who married
Alice daughter of Robert de Worsley, 11 left two
daughters as co-heirs Ellen, who married Adam son
of Henry de Prestall, 1 * and Alice, who married a
Standish, and left a daughter and heir Joan, wife of
Richard Seddon."
The Prestalls' share descended to a son Richard u
and granddaughters Joan and Isabel. Joan Prestall
was three times married. Her first marriage, in
infancy, was not ratified ; her second husband was
John Leigh, by whom she had a son Thomas, 15 whose
son Richard sold the inheritance to Ralph Assheton of
Great Lever ; 16 her third husband was Edmund Bolton,.
Richard de Redford the younger at-
tested a charter in 1295 ; Towneley'g
Lever ChartuL (Add. MS. 32102, no.
1-260), no. 60 ; and another in
1297 as Richard son of Richard de Red-
ford ; no. 69. In the year before he
had made an agreement with Adam de
Lever respecting the mediety of three
parts of approvements in Hope Hey and
opposite Blindeshill and Whitecroftjno.59.
From Henry de Worsley he procured a
confirmation of his common of pasture
within bounds beginning at Hope Lache,
at the Farnworth end of it, then by the
Hope Hey to Wicheshaw Lydiate in Wich-
eves in Worsley (Little Hulton), by the
highway to Longshaw, and straight to the
Edge in Lepar Lache, by Black Lache to
Walden Brook, and up the brook to the
Hope and the starting-point ; no. 67. He
made an exchange with Henry son of
John de Hulton in 1 299 ; no. 72. Richard
de Redford was one of the lords of Farn-
worth in 1 320; Mamcestre (Chet. Soc.),289.
10 John de Redford was a witness in
13165 Lever ChartuL no. 8 I. To John son
of Henry de Hulton he in 1321 released all
his right in the mill and land called Peck
in the hamlet of Farnworth and in all
land of the mill within the lanes by which
the king's highway went on to Manches-
ter, John de Hulton allowing him to grind
freely at the mill ; no. 86. From Adam
son of Henry de Blindishill, he in 1326
acquired the land called Ashinbottom (no
doubt the Hassumbottom of a previous
charter) ; no. 88. In 1341 he agreed to
an exchange of lands in the Newfield,
the Marsh, and Black Bottom with John
de Hulton ; no. 93.
11 Richard son of John de Redford in
1350 received from his feoffee all his lands
in Farnworth, with remainders to his heirs
by Alice ; ibid. no. 94. At the same time
a rent-charge of 1 31. 4^. out of the Farn-
worth lands was settled on Alice daughter
of Robert de Worsley ; no. 95.
18 The Prestall family occur in the
1 3th century ; Adam son of Eve de
1 Presthall ' being named in 1278 and
1392; Assize R. 1238, m. 34; 418,
m. 3 d. The same Adam was witness to
a Farnworth charter; LeverChartul. no. 24;
in 1299 he had a release of actions from
William son of Richard the Chief ; no. 70.
Probably he is the same as Adam son of
Henry de Prestall who received from the
first Richard de Redford a grant of a
mediety of three parts of Farnworth, the
boundaries following Rodenden to the
Irwell, by this stream to Greenlache, up
the lache to the highway, and so back to
the starting-point ; no. 21. This land he
gave to Adam de Lever ; the rent of ftd.
was due to the chief lords ; no, 22.
Early in 1330 Henry de Prestall, per-
haps the son or grandson of Adam, received
from Adam de Lever the mediety of three
parts of Prestall Banks, a rent of -j\d.
being payable ; ibid. no. 90. Richard de
Farnworth, as trustee, in 1350 restored to
Henry de Prestall all his lands in the
hamlet of Farnworth in the vill of Barton,
with remainder, after his death, to Agnes
daughter of Robert de Walkden, for her
life, and then to Agnes' children Adam,
Philippa, and Maud, and their heirs, in
succession, and in default to the right
heirs of Henry de Prestall ; Lord Elles-
mere's D. no. 82. In 1364 Henry de
Prestall gave to Adam son of Agnes,
daughter of Robert de Walkden, all his
lands in Farnworth, with similar remaind-
ers ; ibid. no. 83. From its terms this grant
was probably made on Adam's marriage.
An indenture of 1394 has been pre-
served, made between Ellen and Alice,
daughters and co-heirs of Richard de Red-
ford, concerning land called Herefield in
Kearsley; from this agreement for par-
tition it appears that Ellen was then the
widow of (Adam) de Prestall and Alice
the widow of Jordan de Tetlow ; Lever
Chartul. no. 260.
18 The pedigrees of the Redford heirs
were compiled in 1598 by Ralph Assheton
of Great Lever ; but as to the Seddon
portion he is careful to state : ' I had it
but by the report of Thomas Marcroft,
without the sight of his evidence,' though
for the other portion * I set it down by
the sight of my own evidence ' ; ibid. fol.
7<D/>. From the deed last quoted it is
plain that Alice married a second time.
In 1473 Adam Prestall held of the
lord of Manchester his capital messuage
with the appurtenances, value 10 a year,
by a rent of 6J. ; and Richard Seddon
held a message, &c., value 5 marks, also
by a rent of 6d. ; Mamecestre, 478.
14 The paternity of Richard is not stated
in the deeds preserved.
Among the De Trafford deeds are some
relating to Farnworth. The land to which
they refer had belonged to Robert son of
Robert de Walkden in 13805 he granted
it to Robert de Walkden, bastard son of
Cecily de Hough, who, with his brother
John, sold it to Richard de Prestall in the
beginning of the reign of Henry VI 5 no.
299-308. Adam de Prestall was a witness
in 1380 5 no. 300. Richard' smother was
named Ellen, his wife was Elizabeth, and
his son and heir Adam was in 1425 es-
poused to Margaret, daughter of Otes de
Holland 5 no. 308, 309.
In 1419 Richard Prestall leased to
Hugh son of Jack Hulton land then
occupied by Hugh in Farnworth, with re-
mainder to Hugh's brother Roger ; Ellcs-
mere D. no. 91. In 1426 William and
Roger Lever were bound to Richard
Prestall, and he to them, in 100 to
abide an arbitration as to certain disputes ;
Lever Chartul. no. 116. In 1445 Richard
Prestall complained that Giles Lever
of Barton and a number of others had
broken into his close and destroyed his corn
and grass ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 7, m. 5 b.
A little later John Lever made a similar
complaint, Richard Prestall, William
Prestall, and Richard, William's son,
being among the accused ; ibid. R. 8,
m. 3.
Another arbitration took place in 1478,
Alice widow of Richard Prestall and Sir
Geoffrey Massey being on one side, and
Sir Ralph Assheton, Ralph his son, and
others named on the other side ; the
latter had to pay to the former a certain
40
sum of money ' in the chapel of St. James-
the Apostle in the parish church of Man-
chester between the hour of ix of the clock
afore noon and the third hour after noon ' 5.
Ellesmere D. no. 226.
15 Lever Chartul. no. 239-59,^6 record
of a long series of disputes concerning this,
portion of the Prestall inheritance, arising
from the child marriage of Joan with
Adam Prestall. It may be observed that
the Leighs are described as of Highfield '
in Farnworth, for the Redford properties
were not confined to Kearsley.
In 1 510 John Ashley of Ashley in
Cheshire agreed with Edward Bolton and
Joan his wife, late wife of John Leigh of
Highfield, one of the daughters and heirs
of Richard Prestall, concerning the mar-
riage of Thomas Leigh, son and heir of
John and Joan, with Elizabeth, daughter
of John Ashley 5 no. 229. Alice, the
mother of Joan, and Isabel her sister,
wife of Henry Southworth, are mentioned.
In 1527 Thomas Leigh of Prestall and
James son of Edmund Bolton of Highfield,
referred their disputes to arbitration, which
resulted in favour of the former 5 no. 240.
An exchange was made.
About 1555 the contention as to the
legitimacy of the Leighs was brought to a
trial. James Bolton alleged that Joan
Prestall married (i) Adam Prestall, who
died without issue, and (2) Edmund Bolton,
father of the petitioner (who was only
twelve years old at his mother's death
and under age at his father's) ; the Leigh
marriage was adulterous; no. 245. Thomas
Leigh, one of the six children of John and
Joan Leigh, made reply ; he had been in
possession for twenty-six years, viz. from
the death of Edmund Bolton ; no. 246.
About 1557 Cuthbert, Bishop of Chester,
certified that the disputed marriage was
lawful, no. 254 ; but on the accession of
Elizabeth a new petition was made, and
in 1 56 1 the queen ordered the new Bishop
of Chester to make inquiry as to the dis-
puted marriage 5 no. 247. This was favour-
able to its legality, and in 1562 an award
was made between James Bolton and
George, his son and heir apparent, on the
one side, and Thomas Leigh and Richard,
his son and heir apparent, on the other.
The latter were adjudged in the right, but
directed to make a lease of certain lands
at a rent of 6s. %d. to James Bolton ; no.
248-52.
In 1575 Thomas Leigh of Highfield
and Richard his son, with Richard's wife
Katharine, sold Prestall to James Bolton ;
no. 253. This seems to have been followed
by a fine in 1578, Thomas Leigh being
dead ; PaL of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 40,
m. 38.
16 The fact of sale is stated in the pedi-
gree compiled by Ralph Assheton, but the
deeds are not transcribed. In the in-
quisition the lands in Kearsley are grouped
with those in Farnworth ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 287. A
'manor* of Kearsley is mentioned in 1628;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 14, no. 8.
The Leigh family continued to hold
property in Farnworth down to the end of
the 1 8th century; Barton, Farnworth, 159.
SALFORD HUNDRED
DEANE
whose great-grandson, Robert Bolton, was living
in 1598, and had Prestall. 17 Isabel, the other
Prestall co-heir, married Henry Southworth, but
had no children, and her share was sold to the
Traffords. 18
The Seddons' share descended to Giles, 19 Ralph,
and Thomas Seddon, son, grandson, and great-grand-
son respectively of Joan and Richard. Thomas Seddon,
who died during his father's lifetime, left two daughters
as co-heirs. Elizabeth, the elder, married Thomas
Marcroft, 20 and had a son Robert ; Cecily, the younger,
married Peter Seddon, and left a son Ralph, described
as of Pilkington.' J1
Of all these the Boltons and Marcrofts are specially
associated with Kearsley. There does not appear to
be any record of their history. Robert Marcroft sold
his lands to Richard Ashton, who in 1651 sold to the
Starkies of Huntroyde ; Kearsley Hall is still in the
possession of this family." In 1836 Ellis Fletcher of
Clifton owned the waste. 23 The only ' manor * of
Kearsley claimed in recent times is that of the
Hultons of Over Hulton, apparently as part of the
Farnworth estate acquired from the Hultons of
Farn worth. 84
Kearsley occurs as a surname. 25
In 1790 the principal landowners wereLe Gendre
Starkie, Sir John Mosley, and Jonathan Doming. 26
Kearsley Hall was in the I jih century the residence
of William Hulme, the founder of the Hulmeian
exhibitions at Brasenose College, Oxford."
In connexion with the Established Church, St.
John's, Halshaw Moor, on the boundary of Farn-
worth, was built in 1826, and had a district assigned
to it in i829. 28 The incumbent, with the designa-
tion of vicar of Farnworth, is appointed by Hulme's
trustees. St. Stephen's, Kearsley Moor, was built in
1871 ; the vicar of Farnworth is patron. 19
The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists each have
chapels. 10
The Congregational Church, built in 1901, replaces
a school-chapel. A Sunday school had been held as
early as 1845."
The Swedenborgians have a place of worship known
as New Jerusalem. 31
*' See previous note. Robert Bolton of
Kearsley frequently served on juries in
the time of James I. He died 30 Aug.
1638, holding a house and lands in Kears-
ley, Farnworth, and Worsley of the lord
of Manchester ; Robert his son and heir
was twenty-eight years of age ; Towneley
MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 65.
18 This statement is taken from the
pedigree compiled by Ralph Assheton. Sir
Edmund Trafford and Edmund his son
and heir in 1582 joined in selling twenty
messuages, a water-mill, &c., in Prestall,
Kearsley, and Farnworth to Nicholas
Mosley ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
44, no. 39. These lands subsequently
appear in the Mosley inquisitions ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
66.
19 In 1494 Joan widow of John Hulton
of Farnworth granted to Giles Seddon of
Kearsley all the lands which Oliver Seddon
had held of her in Kearsley and Rudaden;
Lever Chartul. no. 197 ; and in 1 506 Ralph
Assheton the younger likewise demised to
Giles Seddon of Kearsley, Katherine his
wife, and John, Adam, and Arthur Seddon
their sons, lands tenanted by Oliver Sed-
don ; no. 198.
In 1553 Thomas Marcroft and Eliza-
beth his wife and Peter Seddon and Cecily
his wife sought lands in Kearsley and
Farnworth from Giles and William Seddon;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 279.
20 Richard Leigh of Highfield and
Thomas Marcroft of Kearsley were
among the proprietors of Farnworth in
1598 ; Lever Chartul. no. 204. Thomas
Marcroft of Kearsley was living in 1 600 ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
249.
21 A division of a tenement in Kearsley
held in common by Henry, Earl of Derby,
Ralph Assheton of Great Lever, and Ralph
Seddon of Pilkington, was made in 1589.
The tenement had been Oliver Seddon's,
and the following rents were due from it :
To the Earl of Derby, ^^d. ; to Ralph
Assheton, lot. and four hens; and to Ralph
Seddon, 6;., two hens, and two days'
' shearing ' (reaping). The lands held by
Thomas Marcroft in right of his wife
Elizabeth are mentioned ; Lever Chartul.
no. 205.
A 'manor' of Kearsley is mentioned
among the Earl of Derby's possessions in
163 1 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 18,
no. i.
Peter Seddon of Prestolee in Prestwich,
and Ralph Smith of Unsworth, trustees of
Hugh Parr of Kearsley, and John Parr,
his only son and heir apparent, settled
lands in Kearsley and a house in Man-
chester in 1654 ; Hulme D. in.
For the Seddons of Outwood and Kears-
ley see Nathan WalivortKs Correspondence
(Chet. Soc.).
23 Information of Mr. Daniel Howsin
of Padiham.
28 Baines, Lana. iii, 42.
34 Kearsley was usually named among
the Hulton manors ; e.g. Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 321, m. 3.
25 Richard de Redford, Adam de Lever,
and Richard the Chief granted to John
son of Adam de Kearsley 3 acres of the
waste in Backbottom, with housebote, hey-
bote, and other liberties ; Lever Chartul.
no. 30. The compiler has added a note
that the land was (in 1607) supposed to
be the Little Keys, part held by Thomas
Marcroft and part by Oliver Seddon.
See Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen.
Notes, i, 249.
28 Land tax returns at Preston.
a ? Barton, Farnivortb, 143. See the
account of Reddish.
88 Loud. Gaz. 13 Jan. 1829. It
was built under the 'Million Act,' by
which several Lancashire districts bene-
fited. For an account of the origin and
progress of this church see Barton,
Porn-worth, 191-216. The foundation
stone was laid in 1824; the church was
opened in 1826, and greatly enlarged in
1871.
29 For district, Lond. Gas. 6 Feb. 1872.
The foundation stone was laid in 1870, and
the church was consecrated in July 1871 ;
Barton, op. cit. 236-40.
80 Ibid. 231, 365. The Wesleyans be-
gan to hold Sunday services in 1835 ; the
chapel was built in 1870. Meetings had
begun even earlier in Lower Kearsley ;
schools were built in 1836 and a chapel
in 1865.
81 B. Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii,
142.
82 Barton, op. cit. 372-5 ; services
were begun in 1827, and a chapel erected
in 1836; the present church was dedi-
cated in 1878. The Rev. Woodville
Woodman, pastor from 1837 to 1872,
was a man of some note.
!
4
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
FLIXTON
FLIXTON URMSTON
The parish of Flixton, 1 a compact area of three
plough-lands ancient assessment lying in the tongue
between the Irwell and Mersey, appears to have been
cut off from Barton ; the boundary between them is
a straight line running east and west, while the
eastern boundary is merely a part of that between
Barton and Stretford, also a straight line running
south from the boundary of Whittleswick to the
Mersey. Similarly the division between the com-
ponent townships of Flixton is a straight line running
southwards. The area is 2,581 acres, and the popu-
lation in 1901 was 10,250. The geological forma-
tion consists of the Upper Mottled Sandstone (Bunter
series) of the New Red Sandstone.
From its position the parish has had a quiet and
uneventful history. It lies out of touch with the
old main roads from Manchester to Warrington and
to Chester, and only one of its local gentry has taken
any prominent part in the movements of the day,
namely Peter Egerton of Shaw, an active partisan
of the Parliament during the Civil War.
To the ancient 'fifteenth' Flixton paid 14*. 6d.
and Urmston 8/. 6</., the hundred in all paying
41 I4_f. \d? For the county lay of 1624 Flixton
was assessed at 3 js. ^\d. when the hundred paid
jioo, the townships of Flixton and Urmston con-
tributing in the proportions of seven and four. 8
The parishioners of Flixton making the Protes-
tation in 1641 numbered 171, being headed by the
two squires and the curate. 4
To the hearth tax of 1666 eighty-nine hearths
were found liable in Flixton, where the only house
with more than four hearths was that of Leonard
Egerton, with eleven ; and sixty hearths in Urmston,
where the chief houses were those of Roger Rogers
and Richard Starkie, with nine and six hearths
respectively. 4
There are at present 863 acres of arable land in
the parish, 8 1 3 devoted to permanent grass, and 3 to
woods and plantations.
The church of ST. MICHAEL stands
CHURCH at the east end of the village on high
ground about 250 yds. north of the
River Mersey with a very extensive view from the
churchyard southward over Carrington Moss. It
consists of chancel 2 7 ft. by 1 7 ft., with north vestry
and organ chamber, nave 36ft. 6 in. by 17 ft. 6 in.
with north and south aisles, and west tower 1 3 ft.
square. These measurements are all internal. The
south aisle extends the whole length of the nave and
chancel, and is 6 1 ft. 4 in. long by 1 2 ft. 3 in. wide.
The north aisle is the same width and 37ft. loin,
in length. Though the foundation is a very ancient
one, and a church is known to have existed here
since the 1 2th century, the present structure retains
so little ancient work that little or nothing can be
said of the development of the plan. Two fragments
of what appear to be 12th-century stones with
lozenge ornament are built into the east wall on the
outside, but apart from these the oldest work in the
building is contained in the chancel, which, in some-
thing of its present form, dates from the i 5th century.
It has been so much rebuilt, however, that little or
nothing of the original work remains except in the
reconstructed walling, the lower part of which appears
to be old or entirely rebuilt of ancient masonry.
The 15th-century church apparently occupied
pretty much the same area as at present, with the
exception of the north vestry, and stood in all prob-
ability till the 1 8th century. In 1731 the parish
rebuilt the tower 6 in the style of the day, and in
1756 the nave and aisles. The chancel had to be
partly rebuilt in 1815, when one of the piers gave
way and the wall fell in. 7 In 1851 the north-east
vestry was built ; and in 1863, the tower, of which
there had been a partial restoration in 1824, was
declared unsafe, and the ringing of the bells was
stopped. A general restoration took place in 1877,
when the galleries which had been erected in the
1 8th century were removed, the ceiling opened out,
new seats put in, and two doors, one at the west end
of the north aisle and the other at the east end of the
south aisle, were built up. In 1888 the tower was
entirely rebuilt and the ringing of the bells resumed.
The church is built of red sandstone, the roofs of the
chancel, nave, and aisles being covered with stone
slates, and that of the vestry with green slates.
The chancel of two bays is open to the nave without
structural division and has an east window of late
15th-century style, of three cinquefoiled lights under a
four-centred head in modern stonework. Its east
wall stands slightly in front of those of the vestry
and south aisle, and has diagonal buttresses at the
angles. On the north are the vestry and organ
chamber, and on the south an aisle. Before the
building of the vestry the north wall was solid, with
an external buttress, 8 but has now an arcade of two
low arches of two chamfered orders springing from
an octagonal shaft and responds with moulded capitals.
The west respond is built against a 3 ft. length of
old walling which marks the extent of the north
aisle. The vestry and organ chamber are built in
15th-century style, and are separated from the aisle
by an arch constructed when the east wall of the
aisle was taken down. On the south side the chancel
has an arcade of two pointed arches of two chamfered
orders, the crowns of which come immediately under
the wall plate. They spring from octagonal shafts
21 in. in diameter with moulded capitals and cham-
fered bases, and are probably a modern copy of the
1 For map of this parish, see Eccles.
9 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland),
1 8.
8 Ibid. 15, 22.
4 Richard Lawson, Hist, of Flixton
(1898), 148, 149. This work, containing
a large amount of information regarding
the parish, has been freely drawn upon
in the present account. A similar work,
published in the same year by David
Herbert Langton, has also been used.
5 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9.
4?
6 Inscription on tower ' This steeple
was rebuilt at ye sole charge of ye Parish
Anno Domini 1731.'
7 Baines, Lanes. (1836), iii, 164.
8 See drawing of building in 1731, in
Lawson, Hist, of Flixton, 5.
SALFORD HUNDRED
original 15th-century arcade, erected after the accident
of 1815. The height of the pillars to the top of the
capitals is 7 ft. 9 in., but on the north side the pier to
the new arcade is only 5 ft. 3 in., and the arch above
of corresponding height, leaving a wide extent of wall
space above, which has lately been decorated with a
frieze of painted figures. This difference in height
is accounted for by the roof of the vestry being con-
siderably lower than the roofs of the chancel or aisle.
The nave arcade of the I 5 th-century church was a
continuation westward of that on the south side of
the chancel, but in the 1 8th century it was swept
away and the present classic nave and aisles erected
between the newly-built tower and the older chancel.
The nave has three semicircular arches on each side,
springing from circular stuccoed columns of the Tus-
can order standing on pedestals 3 ft. high. There
are three columns on the north side and two on the
south, with a half column against the upper part of
the octagonal stone pier at the east end. The junc-
tion of the 18th-century work with that of the
chancel is clumsily effected, and
indicates the evident intention
to carry the rebuilding east-
ward. The spacing of the bays
on the north and south is un-
equal, the columns not coming
opposite each other, and on the
north the beginning of a fourth
semicircular arch butts against
the wall at the west end of
the chancel. The north aisle
extends slightly further west-
ward than the south, and is
lighted by three high round-
headed windows on the north
side and one at the west, with
moulded sills, architraves, im-
posts, and keystones. The
south aisle is lighted along its
side by four similar windows
and one at each end. In the
south-west corner is a semi-
circular-headed doorway with
pilasters and pediment, and a
smaller round-headed window
over. The nave and aisles
have open timbered roofs of plain king-post type.
The tower, as previously stated, is a modern re-
building of the 18th-century one, and has a round
arch towards the nave. It is of three stages marked
i by string-courses, with a vice in its south-west corner
entered from the outside, and is a mixture of classic
and 18th-century Gothic detail of no particular archi-
tectural interest, but a fair example of its kind. The
angles, like those of the aisles, have drafted quoins,
and at the corners of the embattled parapet are urn
ornaments. The lower stage has a round-headed
west doorway with a three-light debased Gothic
window breaking the string-course above, and over it
FLIXTON
the inscription recording the rebuilding of the tower
in I73 1 - The upper stage on each side has a round-
headed three-light window with stone louvres and
label over. The window head has a keystone round
which the cornice above breaks, and which is carried
up as an intermediate pilaster in the middle of the
parapet surmounted by an urn. In the second stage
on the north side is an inscription to the effect that
the tower was rebuilt in 1888 in commemoration of
Queen Victoria's Jubilee. There is a clock presented
in 1889 in the second stage on the north and east
sides.
There is a 17th-century oak chest in the vestry,
but generally speaking all the fittings of the church
are modern, mostly dating from 1877 or ^ ater - The
font is under the tower, and an oak screen separating
the baptistery from the nave was erected in 1903.
At the west end of the south aisle was formerly a
brass to the memory of Richard Radcliffe of Newcroft
(died 1602), but during a recent decoration of the
church it has been removed to the vestry. It bears
FLIXTON CHURCH : SOUTH-EAST VIEW
the figures of Radcliffe in armour and his two wives,
kneeling at each side of a book desk, with the three
sons of the first wife, and the two sons, three daugh-
ters, and three infants (swaddled) of the second.
The first wife Bridget (Caryll) widow of W. Molyneux,
kneels with her three sons opposite to Radcliffe, while
the second wife and her children kneel behind him.
Over the desk is a shield with the arms of Radcliffe
of Ordsall with helm, crest, and mantling, and on
each side a shield with the arms of Radcliffe impaling
those of his wives. 8a
There is no ancient stained glass.
Until 1 806 there were four bells, of which one r
83 The inscription is as follows : ' Here
lyeth y e bodie of Richard Radclyff Esquire
of Newcroft, yongest sonne to S r William
Radclyff of Ordsall, whoe in his life was
Captaine over CC. foote at y* siege of
Leeghte, & at y* rebellion in y north, hee
had first to wife Brigett y* daught : of
Thomas Carell of Warnam in y e County
of Sussex y 8 widowe of W. Mollynex
sonne & heyre of S r Richard Mollinex
and had issue by her 3 sonnes. He had
to his 2 wife Margret y 6 daught : &
heyre of John Radclyffe of Foxdenton, &
had issue by her 2 sonnes & 6 daughters
whereof 5 daughters are deceased. He
being of the age of 67 years departed this
43
life the I3th of lanuaire in Ano. Dom,
1602.' The two last lines have been re-
newed in modern lettering on a separate
strip of brass. They formerly read ' where
of v daughters are deceased. He beinge
of the age of 67 years, deceased the I3th
of lanuarie in Ano Dom 1602.'
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
known as the poor folks' bell, was subscribed for by the
villagers. Three of them bore the motto ' Jesus be our
speed,' and the fourth ' Leonard Asshawe, Peter Eger-
ton, Esq. 1624.' 9 These were recast in 1 806 by John
Rudhall of Gloucester, and four new ones added by
public subscription, the first peal being rung on
25 January 1808. On arrival at Flixton the tenor
bell was placed mouth upwards in a field and ten
guineas' worth of double strong ale put in for the popu-
lace to regale themselves with. 10 Some of the bells
were recast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1887.
The curfew is rung between 29 September and
25 March, and a bell, locally called the 'Pudding
bell,' is rung every Sunday at one o'clock and again
at two, the origin of which is said to have been to let
the people of Carrington know that there would be
service at Flixton in the afternoon.
The plate consists of a flagon, 1776 (the gift of
William Allan, esq., Davyhulme), a chalice and two
patens, and a large almsdish, 1875.
The registers begin in 1570. There is a loose
leaf of the churchwardens' accounts for the year
1690-91, but the account books do not begin till
1707."
Additions to the churchyard were made in 1868
and 1887. The oldest gravestone is dated 1669, and
there is a pedestal sundial on the south side of the
church with the names of the churchwardens and
maker (James Sandiford, a Manchester clock-maker),
and the date 1772.
The advowson of the church be-
4DVOWSON longed to the Grelley moiety of
Flixton, and was granted with it to
Henry son of Siward. On the foundation of Bur-
scough the church was granted to the priory, 1 * and
appears to have remained in its possession till far on
into the I3th century." Then, by some unknown
means, the rectory was acquired by Bishop Roger
Meuland about 1290 and transferred to the cathedral
of Lichfield, becoming the portion of one of the pre-
bendaries, who took his title from it. 14 William
Burnell died possessed of the prebend of Flixton in
I3O3, 15 but nothing is stated as to any appropriation
in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas in 1291, when the
annual value was returned as 4 13*. 4^. 18 The
prebendaries, who leased out the tithes, &c., 17 ap-
pointed a resident curate, this system continuing until
the patronage was about 1860 transferred to the
Bishop of Manchester, as representing the Bishop of
Lichfield, who had collated to the rectory-prebend. 18
The incumbents are styled rectors, and have the tithe
rent-charge and glebe. 19 The value of the ninth of
the wool, &c., in 1341 was 4.* In 1534 the
prebend was valued at j or jio." The Common-
wealth surveyors in 1650 found that the farmer of
the tithes, Peter Egerton of Shaw, had assigned a
house to the curate, worth 20 a year, and also, by
order of the Committee of Plundered Ministers, paid
him the 16 rent due to the prebendary. 82 Bishop
Gastrell, about 1717, recorded that the lessee paid
the curate 30 a year, and surplice fees and other
dues amounted to ^4 more. 23 The present income
is .300 with a house."
The following have been curates * 5 and rectors :
oc. 1541 Nicholas Smith K
oc. 1547
oc. 1552-4
Ralph Birch"
Edward Smith l8
9 In 1558 Leonard Asshawe left money
in his will for the purchase of bells for
the church. His intention seems to have
been carried out and the bells recast in
1624 at the expense of Peter Egerton of
Shaw.
10 Manch. Guard. Local N. and Q. no.
1095, 1108.
11 Lawson, Flixton, 24, 43 ; the accounts
for 1708 and 1724 are printed in full.
Copious extracts will be found also in
Langton, Flixton, 53-71. For briefs, p.
24; and for the constables' accounts, see
Lawson, op. cit. 64. The register for
1688-9 is printed in Pal. Note Bk. iii, 28.
12 Documents relating to it are printed
in the Dep. Keeper" t Rep. xxxv, App. 35 ;
and ibid, xxxvi, App. 200 ; also in Farrer,
Lanes. Pipe R. 350-5. From these it
appears that Robert son of Henry de
Lathom granted the church of Flixton
and its appurtenances to the priory about
1189. A little later Roger son of Henry
and Henry son of Bernard granted the
church in pure alms to Henry the Clerk,
*on of Richard, for his life. This presen-
tation appears to have been opposed by
the canons, but by a local inquiry it was
found that Henry son of Siward had last
presented in the time of peace, and that
Roger and Henry were his heirs. Henry
the Clerk, of the Tarbock family, about
1230 resigned all his claim to the prior
and canons, receiving a pension of 2 marks,
payable by Master Andrew the physician,
the rector.
13 Flixton Church was included in
charters of confirmation received from
William, Bishop of Lichfield, in 1216 ;
and from his successor Alexander in 1232,
the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield and
the Prior and Convent of Coventry as-
senting ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxv, loc. cit.
Robert de Hulton released his claim to
the patronage, but in 1269 the Prior of
Burscough asserted his right to the patron-
age against Jordan de Hulton ; Dep.
Keeper's Rep. xxxvi, loc. cit. ; Curia Regis
R. 194, m. 36 ; 196, m. 10 ; 215, m. 5.
Few names of the earlier rectors are
known. Master Andrew is named in the
last note. In 1246 William, rector of
Flixton, claimed Gilbert de Nutchil and
Adam the Earl as his ' natives," but did not
appear in court ; Assize R. 404, m. 7.
Adam the Earl (comes] attested several
Barton Charters.
14 Le Neve, Fasti (ed. Hardy), i, 602.
The most notable name in the list of pre-
bendaries which is given is that of William
de Wykeham, afterwards Bishop of Win-
chester, who exchanged this stall for other
preferment in 1361.
In 1387 the king claimed the right of
presentation to the church of Flixton,
then vacant. This probably refers to the
prebend; William Boule was the defendant
while William de Borel is given as preben-
dary by Le Neve ; Coram Rege R. Hil.
10 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. z d.
15 Le Neve, Fasti.
16 Pope Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249.
V See Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii,
312, 513. Sometimes the right to nomi-
nate a curate was included in the lease.
18 'In 1756 the nomination of the in-
cumbent was claimed by the Warden and
Fellows of Manchester, but without suffi-
cient title ' ; Raines, in Notitia Cestr.
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 56.
19 In 1863 the benefice was endowed
with the tithe rent-charge formerly pertain-
44
ing to the prebend of Offley with Flixton in
Lichfield Cathedral ; and three years later
it was declared a rectory ; Land. Gae.
20 Nov. 1863 ; 3 April 1866.
20 Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. Flixton
answered for 53*. 4</. and Urmston for
z6s. %J.
21 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 132 ; v,
226.
32 Commonwealth Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 16. The commis-
sioners approved of the situation of the
church ' about the middle of the parish,
very convenient for the parishioners to
resort unto.' The tithes were worth about
42 a year ; and those of Urmston about
27. Peter Egerton had secured a lease for
three lives from the late Stockett Lutwich,
prebendary. See also Plund. Mins. Accts.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 37, 63, 87.
23 Notitia Cestr. ii, 5 5 ; the total value
of the prebend seems to have been 65 a
year. In 1673 the church had three
wardens and three assistants.
24 Manch. Dioc. Dir. In 1833 the en-
dowment was stated to be 600 private
benefaction, ,200 royal bounty, and
1,400 Parliamentary grant.
25 John del Wood of Flixton, chaplain,
occurs in 1367 ; P.R.O. Anct. D. C. 1 196.
26 Clergy List (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 13 ; he was paid by Mr.
Nicholas Darington, the prebendary.
2 ? Visit. List of 1 548 in the Chester
Dioc. Registry. Birch's name is erased,
and 'Edward Smith, curate,' inserted.
This may have been done in preparation
for the next visitation.
28 Ibid. 1554; also Ch. Gds. 1552
(Chet. Soc.), 10, and Piccope, Will*
(Chet. Soc.), iii, 57.
SALFORD HUNDRED
FLIXTON
00.1563 Robert Radcliffe I9
1565 Richard Smith so
oc. 1588 Nicholas Higson "
oc. 1604 William Hodgkinson"
c. 1 6 1 o Jones 33
oc. 1613 George Byrom"
oc. 1622 Edward Woolmer, 35 B.A. (Oriel
College, and All Souls, Ox-
ford)
1660 Thomas Ellison M
oc. 1663 Barrett"
oc. 1664, 1691 John Isherwood, B.A. W
oc. 1709 Edward Sedgwick* 9
1723 John Jones, M.A. 40
1752 Samuel Bardsley, B.A.* 1
1756 Humphrey Owen, B.A." (St.
John's College, Oxford)
1764 Timothy Lowten, M.A. 48 (St.
John's College, Cambridge)
1771 Thomas Beeley "
1807 Samuel Stephenson, M.A.
(Trinity College, Cam-
bridge)
1816 Henry Burdett Worthington, 46
M.A.
1823 William Asteley Cave Brown
Cave, 46 M.A. (Brasenose Col-
lege, Oxford) 47
1842 Arthur Thomas Gregory, 43 B.A.
(Lincoln College, Oxford)
RECTORS
1863 Charles Barton, 49 B.A. (Dublin)
1873 Richard Marsden Reece, 50 B.A.
(St. John's College, Cambridge)
1906 Arthur William Smith
The ecclesiastical history calls for little comment.
There were no chantries, and the curate appears to
have been the only resident ecclesiastic. At the
Reformation the prebendaries of Flixton were con-
formists," but the curates seem to have changed with
each visitation. The church was fairly well provided
with 'ornaments' as late as 1552."
In 1592 the only charges against the curate and
wardens were that no collectors for the poor were
appointed and that the \^d. fine for not attending
church was not levied. 53 In 1641 the curate reported
that there were no * delinquents ' in the parish, the
people ' being all protestants and no papist ' among
them. 64 The curate in 1680 was suspended for three
years for refusing to read the prayer for the queen,
the Duke of York, and the royal family."
Land for a schoolhouse was leased in 1643, but
the school seems to have been built in 1662 upon a
patch of land by the roadside." It was sold in 1 86 1 . M
Each of the townships in the parish
CHARITIES has some small charitable endowment,
the total income being li ii/. 8</.,
of which 7 1 5/. zd. is for the poor. A few old
benefactions have been lost. 69
89 Visit. List, 1 563. A Robert Radcliffe
was made subdeacon at Bishop Scott's last
ordination, 1558; Ordin. Bk. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 113.
80 Visit. List, 1565; T. Jerman, the
prebendary, is duly given as rector.
81 Buried at Flixton 9 July 1588 ; Reg.
sa Buried 12 Feb. 1603-4.
88 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 12;
he was ' a preacher.' Possibly the John
Jones who about this time was made
vicar of Eccles.
84 From a list prepared by the late Mr.
Earwaker.
84 He was 'lecturer' at Flixton in
1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 66 ; curate in 1634-6 ; ibid. 95. He
took the Parliamentary and Presbyterian
side, and signed the ' Harmonious Con-
sent' of 1648. In 1647 he was accused
of celebrating ' clandestine marriages'
i.e. possibly according to the Prayer Book
form ; Mane A. Classis (Chet. Soc.), i, 79.
About the same time the churchwardens
were ordered to remove the font; ibid, i, 46.
Woolmer was described as 'an able and
godly minister' in 1650; Commonwealth
Ch. Sur-v. 17. He remained in charge
till his death, just before the Restoration,
being buried 8 May 1660.
86 Manch. Classis, iii, 342-7 ; after-
wards rector of Ashton under Lyne.
W Named by Baines.
88 He signed the registers as minister
in 1664. He was 'conformable* in
1689 ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
229. He appears in the Visitation List
1691. He was buried at Eccles as 'late
minister of Flixton,' 8 May 1715.
89 Buried at Flixton, Oct. 1722 ; see
also Noritia Cestr. ii, j6n. One of these
names was of Jesus College, Cambridge ;
B.A. 1685.
40 He died 8 Sept. 1751, having been
more than twenty-eight years the ' faith-
ful and diligent pastor ' of the place ;
M.I. The Church Papers at Chester
begin with him.
41 Probably the Samuel Bardsley of
University College, Oxford, B.A. 1 748 ;
Foster, Alumni.
42 Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, 102.
Also rector of St. Mary's, Manchester,
1756-89 ; died 1790.
48 Scott, Admissions St. John's C. iii, 1 50.
He graduated as second wrangler in 1761,
and afterwards settled in America; Baines,
Lanes, (ed. Croston), iii, 308. ' There
appears to have been some difference of
opinion between Mr. Lowten and some
of the parishioners, according to an un-
dated copy of a document I have seen, and
which appears to be a petition . . . that as
Mr. Lowten, to end the matter, was
willing to resign, Mr. Beeley might be his
successor. Mr. Lowten was evidently the
possessor of a large amount of land in
Davyhulme, as i ,070 was yielded from the
sale of it in 1769' ; R. Lawson, Flixton, 20.
44 Died 25 Feb. 1807, aged 69 ; M.I.
Probably the Thomas Beeley of Stock-
port, who matriculated at Oxford (Trinity
College) in 1760, aged 21, but did not
graduate ; Foster, Alumni. For notice
of John Sudlow, curate about 1794, see
R. Lawson, 20.
4i Became vicar of Grinton, Yorkshire,
in 1822.
48 Son of Sir William Cave, ninth
baronet ; born 1799.
4 ? Educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford; M.A. 1824; rector of Stretton en
le Field, Derbyshire, 1843 ; died 1862.
48 Exchanged Flixton for the rectory of
Trusham, Devon.
49 Previously incumbent of Brom-
borough, 1850 ; and rector of Trusham
1860. Exchanged for Cheselbourne, Dor-
set, in 1873.
60 Rector of Cheselbourne, 1872. In-
hibited 17 June 1884, the church being
served by curates in charge.
45
81 They were Nicholas Darington
1530-53 (?), and Thomas German 1553-
68 ; Le Neve.
sa Ch.Gdt. (Chet. Soc.), 9, 10. There
were two bells in 1552 ; the number was
afterwards doubled, two of the bells bear-
ing date 1624 and 1633 ; ibid. ii.
83 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xiii, 63.
A piper and his host were censured for
playing in a house at evensong on a holi-
day and giving the sworn man ' bad
words.'
54 R. Lawson, op. cit. 149.
65 Ibid, quoting ' Raines MS.'
*7 Lawson, Flixton 48 ; Gastrell,
Noticia, ii, 57. James Birch was licensed
as the master in 1684 ; Stratford's Visit.
List.
68 Endowed Charities Rep. Flixton, 1900,
p. 5.
59 An official inquiry was made in Dec.
1899 ; the report, issued the following
year, includes a reprint of the report of
1826. The following is a summary :
For Flixton Peter Warburton in 1769
left 60, half for the schoolmaster and
half for the poor. This was laid out on
the workhouse at Flixton, and in 1826
the overseers paid 3 as interest, 1 los.
going to the poor. On the sale of the
workhouse in 1861 the guardians paid
,60 to the official trustees ; the interest,
now only 351. %d. t is paid to the national
school. The workhouse building still
exists in 'Moorside Road. Three other
benefactions of 10 each, made at the
end of the I7th century, were lost by
1807; and 30 for the school by John
Wood in 1779 was lost in 1815 in law
expenses.
Peter Gregory, before 1786, left 10
for bread for the Urmston poor; land, now
called Manchet Field, was purchased with
it, and in 1828 the rent of 2 a year was
distributed according to the benefactor's
wishes under the superintendence of the
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
FLIXTON
Flixton, c. 1200.
The township of Flixton measures about 2^ miles
from east to west, with an average breadth of nearly
i^ miles. Its area is 1,564^ acres. 60 The general
slope of the surface is from the north and east towards
the opposite boundaries, the Mersey and Irwell, but
nowhere is a greater height than 65 ft. above sea-level
attained. The village and church lie near the centre
of the southern boundary, with Shaw in the south-
eastern corner. The population in 1 901 was
3,6 5 6. 61
The principal road is that from Irlam where
formerly there was a ferry over the Irwell, as now
over the ship canal to Urmston and Stretford.
From that road another runs southward to the church
and then to the side of the Mersey ; there is a bridge
over the river at Carrington. 6 * From the church a
second road runs east to join the former one at Urms-
ton. The Cheshire Lines Committee's railway from
Manchester to Liverpool crosses the township diagon-
ally, and has a station at Flixton, opened in I873. 6 *
The Manchester Ship Canal passes along the western
border, between large embankments, and has recently
been adopted as the boundary of the township. 64 It
should be observed that as the Mersey's course has
varied from time to time, its stream as at present is not
everywhere the exact boundary of the township and
county. The land by the river on the south is called
the Eea. In the south-west corner the land was
assigned partly to Irlam and partly to Flixton.
The annual wake was held on the Sunday next
after St. Michael's Day ; it was noted for eel
pies. 65
The government of the place since 1894 has been
in the hands of a parish council.
A company of the 1st Volunteer Battalion Man-
chester Regiment, formed in 1872, practises at the
drill hall.
Thomas Wood, a Methodist minister and writer,
was born at Flixton in 1761 , 66
The well between Shaw Hall and Shawtown is.
never known to fail. 67
Thralam, Cawdoe, and other field-names are re-
corded in a deed of i6^g. 69
A stone celt was found in 1846 near Shaw Hall. 69
The stocks in the village were taken down about
1823."
The land in the township was formerly to a great
extent in the hands of yeomen," who also were hand-
loom weavers. 73
Throwing at cocks on Shrove Tuesday, pace-egging
at Easter, and other customs, were practised. 74
The place first appears in the records
MANORS as contributing a mark to the aid on the
vills and men of the honour of Lancaster
in 1176-7."
From surveys of 1212 and 1226 it appears that t.t
that time, and probably for a century before, FLIX-
TON was held in moieties, one half belonging to the
demesne of the Crown, the other to the barony of
Manchester. 76 The former or Salford moiety was
granted with Ordsall to David de Hulton, 77 and passed
to two branches of the Radcliffe family of Ordsall and
of Smithills, 78 descending with these estates till the
minister of the parish and the churchwar-
den for Urmston. In 1870 a portion was
sold to the railway company in considera-
tion of a rent-charge of 1 151., and the
remainder produces 4 a year. A month-
ly distribution of bread is made at the
church ; attendance at the service is not
required, but the recipients are supposed
to be members of the Established Church.
The balance is distributed at Christmas.
A later bequest for the same purpose
had been lost before 1826. David Higgin-
son in 1854 left 250 in augmentation of
this charity ; only about 40 was realized,
which was paid in 1890 to the minister
and churchwardens of Urmston, but
nothing had been done with it up to 1899,
as it was thought that no further distribu-
tion of bread was required.
Richard Newton in 1800 left ^100 to-
wards the education of ten poor children
of Urmston ; the capital is now represented
by 107 consols, and the income,
2 i8j. 8</., is paid to the Urmston
National School. Some other bequests
for education have been lost. A charge
of 201. for this purpose, recognized by the
owner of Newcroft in 1826, was repudi-
ated after the sale of the Shawtown
school in 1861.
Two other charges on the Newcroft
Estate zs. 6d. for a sermon and zs. 6d.
for ringing the bells on 5 Nov. have
also ceased to be recognized.
60 1,458, including 44 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901. The changes of boun-
dary made in 1896 resulted in a loss to
the township.
C1 Population Ret.
88 Old Carrington Bridge, pulled down
about 1 840, was a foot bridge, and carts
had to cross by the ford. Another ford
the Stone ford was opposite Flizton
Church, and others by Shaw Hall and
Hillam Farm ; Langton, Flixton, in.
63 The station is known as ' the best
laid out on the C.L.C. system ' ; R. Law-
son, Flixton, 135.
64 In 1896 by Local Govt. Bd. Order
34989.
60 Lawson, op. cit. 87-92.
66 Ibid. 114, quoting obituary notice in
Meth. Mag. 1826 ; Local Gleanings Lanes,
and Ches. i, 235. Robert Costerdine,
17261812, was another; Preston Guardian,
quoting Meth. Mag. 1814.
67 Lawson, op. cit. 58 ; Langton, Flix-
ton, 91.
68 Local Gleanings Lanes, and Cbes. ii, 3 ;
see also Langton, Flixton, 104-5, f r a
full list.
69 Arch. Journ. vii, 389.
71 Langton, op. cit. 99 ; the scold's
bridle was also in use.
78 For list of landowners and tenants in
1818 see ibid. 142, &c.
78 Lawson, op. cit. 96.
74 Ibid. 83 ; Langton, op. cit. 95, &c.
75 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 34. This no
doubt refers to the Salford moiety. See
also 151, 202.
78 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 57, 138.
77 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland),
347. The old farm of this moiety of
Flixton had been raised by zs. 6d. about
1199, Lanes. Pipe R. 131, 148. In 1226
it produced los. ; the Hultons held it
with Ordsall as the sixth part of a knight's
fee ; Inq. and Extents, i, 138, 312. Agnes
widow of David de Hulton in 1292 had
dower in Flixton ; Assize R. 408, m. 92 d.
Some Hulton disputes are noted below in
the account of the Valentine family. In
1335 Richard de Hulton of Ordsall granted
a piece of waste in Flixton to Thomas
son of Adam de Hulme ; De Traffbrd D.
no. 295, endorsed 'Hulme demesne.'
The tenure is stated variously at dif-
ferent times. In 1346 John de Radcliffe
held a moiety of Flixton in socage, pay-
ing a rent of zos., and double rent as
relief; Add. MS. 32103, foL 1466.
Richard son of John de Radcliffe in 1369
claimed the moiety of the manor of Flix-
ton (except 20 acres and the moiety of
the mill) against Ralph son of William de
Radcliffe, under a grant of Richard de
Hulton of Ordsall to John son of Richard
de Radcliffe ; De Banco R. 435, m. 63.
78 Richard de Radcliffe, who died in
1380, held three parts of the moiety of
Flixton by knight's service and a rent of
IDS. ; it contained six messuages and 80
acres of arable land, worth u. an acre
yearly ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 8.
Sibyl widow of Richard, afterwards
wife of Sir Roger de Fulthorp, held as
dower ten messuages, 100 acres of land,
&c., in Flixton, by knight's service and
the rent of 171. 6d. ; Chan. Inq. p.m.
1 6 Ric. II, no. 15 ; also Dtp. Keeper's Rep..
xl, App. 528. (Sibyl's husband is called
Ralph de Radcliffe in Fine R. 192, m. 1 1.)
Sir John de Radcliffe died in 1422
holding a moiety of Flixton of the king
as duke by the service of ioj. ; Lanes. Inq.
(ut sup.), i, 148. A settlement of the
Ordsall moiety of Flixton was made in
1431 by Sir John de Radcliffe and Joan
his wife, upon his son Alexander and
Agnes his wife ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 96. John Rad-
cliffe in 1442 held the moiety of the
manor of Flixton of the king as duke in
socage, by a rent of 101. ; its clear value
SALFORD HUNDRED
FLIXTON
century, when the Radcliffe of Ordsall moiety
was sold to the Asshaws of Shaw 79 and the RadclifFe
of Smithills moiety, which had in the meantime
descended to the Bartons and their heirs, was sold to
a number of proprietors. 80 In 1779 a total rent of
2O/. was paid to the duchy by Greatrix (13*. 9</.)
and a number of others. 81
The Manchester moiety, which included the church,
was granted as one plough-land by Albert Grelley
senior to Henry son of Siward, to be held by the
yearly service of io/. 82 It did not, however, descend
like Lathom, having become parted among younger
branches of the family, so that about 1200 Roger son
of Henry and Henry son of Bernard were in possession
* by hereditary right.' ffl The descent is obscure, but
the whole seems to have been acquired by the Hulton
family, 84 who held the other moiety. After the partition
of their estates about 1330 one half, called SHAW,
was held by the Hultons of Farnworth, and of them
by the Valentines, 85 while the other half was divided
between the two RadclifFe families, like the Salford
moiety, and was in like manner disposed of in the
1 7th century. 86
Thus about 1500 the manor of Flixton was held in
a number of fractions, viz., the Salford moiety by
RadclifFe of Ordsall and RadclifFe (or Barton) of
Smithills ; and the Manchester moiety as to two-
fourths by the same families, and as to the other half
by Valentine, of Hulton of Farnworth as mesne
tenant. 87
The Valentine family appear early in the I 3th cen-
tury. 88 In 1292 William Valentine secured from
Richard de Urmston and Siegrith his wife the third
part of two messuages and two oxgangs in Flixton ; 89
was IOCM. ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1480.
William Radcliffe held it in like manner
in 1498 ; Lanes. Inq. (ut sup.), ii, 124.
Sir Alexander Radcliffe in 1549 held it
by knight's service and a rent of ioi. ; his
son, Sir William, in 1568, held it by the
sixth part of a fee and IQJ. ; and this is
the statement in later inquisitions ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, 26 ; xiii, 33 ; xv,
45 ; xvii, 35. From the above it would
seem that the Ordsall family's holding was
at some time divided, half being given to
the Smithills family, the rent payable
being reduced from 201. to lew.
William son of William de RadclifFe
was plaintiff in 1 368 respecting the moiety
of Flixton and lands in Blackburn ; De
Banco R. 431, m. 408 d. Sir Ralph de
Radcliffe claimed a moiety of Flixton in
1401 ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 530.
Ralph Radcliffe of Smithills, who died in
1485, held lands in Flixton of the king
by knight's service ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. iii, 97. On the other hand the tene-
ment of his heir, John Barton, in Flixton
was in 1517 said to be held of the lord of
Manchester; ibid, iv, no. 82. The later
Barton inquisitions state that the moiety
of the manor of Flixton was held of the
Duchy by the sixth part of a knight's fee
and the rent of IQJ., the same as for the
Ordsall part ; ibid, ix, no. 27, &c. Among
the Duchy rents paid to Queen Elizabeth
occurs Richard Barton for half of Flix-
ton, ID*.' ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston),
i, 447. A similar finding was recorded in
1612 after the death of John Barton ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 211.
See also Lanes, and Cbes. Recs. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 323, 325, 327.
' 9 In 1 608 Leonard Asshaw purchased
from Sir John Radcliffe the manor of
Flixton, with messuages, dovecote, lands,
&c., in Flixton and Shaw, and free fishings
in the Mersey and Irwell ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 71, no. 26. From the in-
quisition quoted later it would seem that
this included only the Manchester manor,
but nothing further is known of the Ordsall
holding.
80 In an account of Flixton by Dr.
Leech (Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. iv,
187) it is stated that the Bartons' estate
' seems to have been settled on Henry
Bellasys and his wife Grace [Barton],
but the greater part was sold off before the
death of Thomas Barton [her father],
One of the deeds in the possession of Mr.
Royle of Flixton . . . sets forth that in
consideration of ,240 Thomas, Lord Fau-
conbridge, Sir Thomas Barton, Henry Bel-
lasys, and Grace his wife conveyed to John
Hyde of Urmston certain lands in Flixton
in the occupation of tenants named Platt,
Wright, and Harper. This sale took place
in 1628 ; and a second deed shows that in
the following year a portion of land was
conveyed by John Hyde to one John
Harper, a shoemaker.' A further sale
took place in 1631, the purchaser being
Thomas Walkden ; Loc. Gleanings Lanes,
and Cbes. ii, 45. The manor of Flixton
was included in Barton settlements of
1615 and 1627, but does not occur later;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 88, no. 34 ;
in, no. 24.
81 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 14, no.
25 m.
88 Inq. and Extents, i, 57. Albert Grelley
died about 1162. The 'heir' of Henry
son of Siward, who held in 1212, is not
named, but the manor seems to have been
given to the Parbold branch of the Lathom
family.
88 Lanes. Pipe R. 353, 355. These
deeds concern the church, but the manor
no doubt descended in the same way.
In 121 2 William de Flixton was de-
fendant against Henry son of Bernard in
a plea of land, but there was no trial as
Henry did not appear ; Curia Regis R.
56, m. 15.
84 It must have been this moiety which
wasini255 held by Jordan de Hulton, when
he assigned dower in seven oxgangs and i 5
acres of land in Flixton to Amiria, widow
of Robert de Hulton ; Final Cone. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 150. Richard
son of David de Hulton in 1292 success-
fully defended his title to the manor of
Flixton probably the Manchester moiety
against Henry Whythoud of Coppull,
Almarica his wife, William de Anderton,
Almarica his wife, and others ; Assize R.
408, m. 48 d.
A rent from Flixton is named in the
inquisition after the death of William
Hulton of Farnworth in 1557 ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m., x, no. 32.
85 See the account of the Valentines
later ; the mesne lordship of the Hultons
of Farnworth was often ignored. In 1 320
Richard de Hulton and Richard Valentine
held a moiety of Flixton in serjeanty, ren-
dering iSd. for sake fee and puture of
the Serjeants ; and Richard de Hulton
[? alone] rendered IQS. and puture for a
moiety of Flixton ; Mamecestre (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 289. The word 'moiety' may
refer to the whole of the Manchester part
of Flixton, or to two parts of it held by
different services. The total rent was
us. 6d. The sake fee for the moiety of
Flixton occurs about 1300 j Inq. and Ex-
tents, i, 301.
47
86 In the above cited inquisition after
the death of Sir Richard de Radcliffe in
1380 he was found to have held a fourth
part of a moiety of Flixton of John La
Warre, lord of Manchester, by knight's
service and the rent of zod. a year ; in
this part, as in the other part he held,
there were six messuages and 80 acres of
arable land, each worth is. a year. It is
mentioned once again as ' a messuage in
Flixton,' in 1569, after the death of Sir
William Radcliffe ; it was held of Lord
La Warre in socage by a rent of zod. ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, no. 33.
Ralph Barton of Smithills was in 1593
recorded to have paid zod. to the lord of
Manchester for a 4 moiety ' of Flixton ;
Maneb. Ct. Leet Rec. ii, 69.
87 The Manchester moiety was thus de-
scribed in 1473 : Thomas Valentine, half,
by a rent of 8s. zd. and puture ; Ralph
Radcliffe, a quarter, by zod., and Alex-
ander Radcliffe of Ordsall, a quarter, by
zod. ; in all, in. 6d. t the same total as
that in 1320 above recorded ; Mamecestre,
iii, 479. The division as thus described
has been followed in the text, but as the
rent for one oxgang was ie,d. it would
appear that the Radcliffes had one ox-
gang each and Valentine six, i.e. perhaps
the original moiety together with two
oxgangs acquired in 1292. The sake fee
seems to have been divided thus : 5 d., </.,
and 8d.
88 William le Valentine attested a Bar-
ton deed in 1222; De Trafford D. no.
250. In 1261 William Valentine of
Flixton, in a suit against Jordan de Hul-
ton in a plea of land, made William his
son his attorney ; Curia Regis R. 171, m.
84 d. Somewhat later William son of
Valentine de Flixton attested another
Barton deed ; De Trafford D. no. 206.
In 1278 Richard de Urmston convicted
Jordan de Hulton and William son of
William son of Valentine de Flixton of
levying a ditch in Urmston to the hurt
of his free tenement, the passage of his
cattle being impeded; Assize R. 1238,
m. 33. The defence was that it was in
Flixton. Six years later in another suit
in which the same plaintiffs and defen-
dants occur Richard the brother of Wil-
liam Valentine was among the latter ;
Assize R. 1265, m. 5 d.
89 Final Cone, i, 1 74. Richard and Sieg-
rith also in 1292 recovered two parts of
two messuages and two oxgangs against
Richard de Hulton and Thomas the Pro-
vost ; Assize R. 408, m. 30 d. In the
preceding year there had been suits between
William Valentine on the one side and
Richard de Urmston and Siegrith his wife,
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
and in 1 308 Richard Valentine obtained from William
Valentine an acknowledgement of his title to certain
messuages and lands in Flixton, which William was to
hold for life. 90 Richard Valentine was a tenant in
I320, 91 and Richard and Robert his son were among
the defendant landholders of Flixton in I338. 92
Richard de Langley and Joan his wife at Pentecost
1352 claimed the wardship of John son and heir of
Robert Valentine, against Thomas del Booth and
John son of Robert de Worsley, on the ground that
Robert had held a messuage and 80 acres in Flixton
of Joan La Warre in socage, and Joan the plaintiff
was next of kin to the heir on his mother's side, * to
whom the inheritance could not descend.' The heir
had already been married to a Worsley, and the
plaintiffs' claim being upheld damages were awarded
to them. 93 If this refers to the main line of the
family the heir must have died shortly afterwards, for
in 1355 William son of John de Hulton successfully
claimed the rent due from John son of Richard
Valentine and heir of his ' ancestor ' Robert Valentine,
for lands in Flixton held of the plaintiff, who in turn
held of the lord of Manchester in socage by a rent of
8s. a year. Plaintiff and defendant were both minors
and had been taken into ward by the Lady La Warre,
on the allegation that they held by knight's service,
and the wardship of John Valentine had been granted
by her to William son of Robert de Worsley. 94
John Valentine died in 1395-6 holding land called
the Shaw in Flixton, and leaving as heir his grandson
John son of Richard Valentine, fourteen years of
age. 95
Nearly eighty years later Thomas Valentine held a
moiety of the Manchester part of Flixton of Lord La
Warre in socage by a rent of 8/. 2</., giving puture
of one serjeant and doing suit
to the court of Manchester. 96
In 1476 John son and heir
apparent of Thomas Valentine,
on his marriage with Joan,
apparently a daughter of Wil-
liam Holland of Clifton, made
a settlement of the estate in
Flixton granted him by his
father. 97 Joan the daughter
and eventual heiress of John
Valentine is stated to have
married Lawrence Asshaw of
Shaw ; she had no children
by him, but made him a grant
of her lands, which he in turn bequeathed to his
nephew Leonard, a younger son of Roger Asshaw
or Ashall of Hall on the Hill in Charnock. 98
The younger Leonard died on 31 December 1594
holding the manors of Astley and Shaw, and various
lands in Flixton, Tyldesley, Worsley, Hulton, Barton,
ASSHAW. Argent on
a che-veron between three
martlets vert at many
crosses formy Jitchy of the
field.
and Richard de Hulton and others ; Assize
R. 1294, m. 8.
In 1290 Richard de Urmston and Sieg-
rith his wife had claimed a third of two
oxgangs against William son of William
de Flixton no doubt Valentine ; Coram
Rege R. 122, m. 9.
Richard son of David de Hulton in
1292 was non-suited in a claim respect-
ing a tenement in Flixton against William
Valentine, William Valentine, and Rich-
ard son of William Valentine ; Assize R.
408, m. 32 d., 21. On the other hand
William Valentine also was non-suited in
a claim against Richard de Hulton and
Thomas de Urmston for throwing down a
dyke in Flixton, &c. ; ibid. m. 32 d.
A fine in 1303 between Richard de
Hulton and William Pyke of Flixton and
Alice his wife may refer to the Valentine
holding ; Final Cone, i, 202.
90 Final Cone, ii, i. Richard Valen-
tine, clerk, attested an Irlam deed of about
1310; De Trafford D. no. 263. Later
(in 1351) there is mention of a Joan
wife of John son of Robert de Worsley,
who was sister and heir of a Richard Va-
lentine, who had had lands in Urmston ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, m. i.
91 Mamecestre, ii, 289. Richard le Valen-
tine contributed to the subsidy of 1332 ;
Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 38.
93 Hugh de Walkden claimed and re-
covered a rent of zos. and robe with hood
(worth 201.) granted him by Richard de
Hulton the elder out of his lands in Flix-
ton. The defendants included the said
Richard and Maud his wife, also Robert
de Legh, Richard de Hulton the younger
and Margaret his wife, John de Radcliffe
the elder (holding half the mill), and Rich-
ard de Radcliffe (holding the other half) ;
Assize R. 1425, m. 3, 3 d.
Six years later Adam de Hulton made
a similar claim against John son of Rich-
ard de Radcliffe, holding a moiety of the
manor, Richard the son of John, William
son of Robert de RadclifFe, Robert Valen-
tine and Agnes his wife, John son of Henry
de Hulton and Alice his wife, and many
others; Assize R. 1435, m. 34 d.; also
m. 39.
The above-named Maud wife of Richard
de Hulton afterwards married Robert de
Legh, and made a number of claims in
1351 and later against the Radcliffes re-
specting the moiety of the manor and the
mill of Flixton ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. I, m. 5 d. ; R. 2, m. i ; R. 4, m. 6 d.,
m. 29. John de Radcliffe, as holding the
estate of Robert son of Roger de Rad-
cliffe, defended by producing a quitclaim
by the Leghs to the said Robert ; ibid. R.
5, m. 25 d. ; see also Dep. Keeper' t Rep.
xxxii, App. 332, 336, 33 8.
The rent of a robe, or 20*., was claimed
again in 1360 by Thomas son of Henry
de Trafford ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 8,
m. 1 3. He had in 1 3 34 claimed 20 marks
rent from Richard de Hulton ; Coram
Rege R. 297, m. 1 1 5 d.
93 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 2, m. 5 d.
Joan was daughter of Jordan [de Tetlow] ,
brother of Agnes wife of Robert Valen-
tine the father. A ' de ' is here and in
some other cases inserted before Valen-
tine ; usually ' le ' is inserted.
94 Ibid. R.4, m. 13. William de Wors-
ley stated that the service due was 241. a
year, but William de Hulton corrected
this. Damages of 6or. were granted and
a fine of io*. imposed.
95 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 69 ;
the tenure is not stated. John Valentine
attested an Urmston deed in 1445 ; Had.
MS. 21 12, foL 1 60.
96 Mamecestre, ut supra.
97 Vawdrey D. One field was named
the Broadhey.
Another Vawdrey deed is the decision
of the arbitrator in 1508 regarding close*
within the demesne of the Shaw, in con-
sequence of disputes between Joan widow
of Gilbert Langtree and Katherine widow
of John Valentine.
48
From deeds cited in the account of
Bentcliffe in Eccles it appears probable
that Joan Langtree was the widow of the
John Valentine of the text, and Katherine
the widow of his elder son John. The
other son Thomas left two illegitimate
children, one of whom was the ancestor of
the Valentines of Bentcliffe, so that on
Thomas's death about 1550 the Shaw
estate went to his sister or her heirs.
There is a legend of a ' Sir Ralph
Valentine ' who in setting out for Bos-
worth field vowed that he would return
alive or dead. He was slain, and his wife
on receiving his body at Flixton fell down
dead ; R. Lawson, op. cit. 52.
98 Piccope's Wills (Chet. Soc.), i, 81 n,
quoting Harl. MS. 1987, fol. 2, 5. The
will of Lawrence Asshaw ' of the Shaw,'
here printed, dated 4 July 1558, directed
that he should be buried at Flixton, and
that 20 marks should be spent on bells
for the church, and in making a parclose
within it, requiring the parish priest and
parishioners there to pray for the souls of
himself and others ; and that other sums
should be given to the poor of the neigh-
bourhood and expended on the paving of
the highway between the tithe barn and
the church. There are numerous be-
quests, but nothing is said as to the descent
of the manor. Settlements of his estates
had, however, been made in 1521 (when
Joan his wife was joined with him)
and in 1554; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. ii, m. 197 5 bdle. 15, m. 82.
Lawrence Asshaw had before his death
to defend his title to lands in Flixton ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 279.
The feoffees complained that Thomas
Asshaw, nephew of Lawrence, and others
came to the Shaw just before Lawrence's
death and took away a number of deeds,
and afterwards Thomas obtained possession
of the house and demesne lands. One of the
defendants alleged that he took the deeds
at the desire of Joan wife of Lawrence ;
Duchy of Lane. Pleadings, xxxvi, M. 4.
SALFORD HUNDRED
&c. In 1587 he had settled the manor of Shaw and
various lands upon his second son, Lawrence, who,
however, died without issue two years later, and then
a fresh settlement was made in 1591 in favour of the
third son, Leonard, and his heirs male." The eldest
son, Edward, was still living, thirty-four years of age,
in April 1595. Shaw and the lands in Flixton were
stated to be held of George Hulton by fealty and a
rent of 1 6/. 100
Leonard, who thus inherited Shaw, died there
12 April 1633, holding the manors of Shaw and
Flixton, with views of frank-
pledge, the former of Tho-
mas Hulton of Farnworth
in socage, and the latter of
Edward Mosley, as of his
manor of Manchester, also
in socage by a rent of 1 8</.
Elizabeth, his daughter and
heir, thirty years of age, was
the wife of Peter, son of Sir
Ralph Egerton of Ridley in
Cheshire. 101
Peter Egerton, who thus
became lord of Shaw and
Flixton in right of his wife,
was one of the most pro-
minent men in the county
during the Civil War period.
He was sheriff in l64l. 1M
On the outbreak of the war
he embraced the side of the
Parliament, taking part in
the defence of Manchester
in 1642 10S and the sieges of
FLIXTON
Lathom House ; as General Egerton he received the
surrender of this place in December i645. 104 He
died in 1656 by the accidental administration of
poison. 105
He was succeeded by his son Leonard and grand-
son Peter. 106 The family appear to have become im-
poverished, and their lands were gradually sold in the
latter part of the i yth century. Peter Egerton died
in 1712, and his son John sold the Shaw Hall estate
in 1722 to William Latus. 107 On the new owner's
death in 1 764 it was advertised for sale. 108 It passed
SHAW HALL
99 Leonard Asshaw matriculated at Ox-
ford (Brasenose College) in 1584, being
fifteen years of age ; B.A. 1588 ; Foster,
Alumni.
100 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no.
II j see also M.anch. Court Leet Rec. ii, 91,
121. In the settlement of 1587 Edward the
son and heir was associated with his father ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 49, m. 4.
He was buried at Flixton 4 May 1611.
The Asshaw estates also came to this
family on the death of Lawrence's elder
brother Thomas.
101 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxviii, no.
39. As stated above he had purchased
the RadclirFe manor of Flixton in 1608,
but the tenure stated in the inquisition it
that for the quarter of Flixton held of the
lord of Manchester, the rent being i8</.
instead of 2O</. as in 1473. The inquisi-
tion recites a fine, Lent, 8 Jas. I. Jane
the widow was living at Shaw. Peter
Egerton and Elizabeth Asshaw were mar-
ried at Flixton 28 April 1610.
A pedigree was recorded in 1613 ; Visit.
(Chet. Soc.), 6. Leonard Asshaw in 1631
paid 25 fine on refusing knighthood ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 21 5.
His funeral certificate is printed in the
Record Society's volume, p. 198.
^ 1M P.R.O. List, 73.
108 Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 45,
52, 333. Soon afterwards the Parliament
appointed him a magistrate ; ibid. 60. In
1 the following year he was placed on the
committee for sequestering 'delinquents'
estates' ; ibid. 90; and in 1645 on the
military committee; ibid. 210.
104 Ibid. 167, 212; also Lanes. War
(Chet Soc.), 62.
105 He was buried at Flixton 22 May
1656. Henry Newcome states that he
4 used to take flour of brimstone for some
distemper he had ; and he sent the maid
into the closet, and she mingled it with
milk and he drank it, and it proved mer-
cury ; and by this woeful mistake he was
poisoned and died within a few hours ' ;
Autobiog. (Chet. Soc.), i, 79.
108 A settlement was made in 1662 of
the manors of Shaw and Flixton, with
views of frankpledge, free fishery, &c., by
Leonard Egerton, Mary his wife, and
Peter son and heir apparent ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 168, m. 100. A deed of
sale to John Lowe in the same year is
printed in Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches.
1,276.
A pedigree was recorded in 1664 ; Dug-
dale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 102. Leonard's
age is given as forty-seven, Peter's as
twenty-two ; and that of Peter's daughter
Mary as one year.
Leonard Egerton was buried at Flixton
15 Jan. 1679-80; and Mary his widow
2 April 1681. Peter Egerton was buried
26 Mar. 1699. Soon afterwards, 3 Aug.
1699, an annuity of 25 a year was
charged on Shaw Hall in favour of Mary
Egerton, widow, by her son Peter Egerton
and Anne his wife ; Local Glean. Lanes,
and Ches. ii, 3.
107 These particulars are from Dr.
Leech's paper already quoted, 191 ; he
states that the last Peter Egerton was one
of the leading florists of the county.
Peter Egerton was sheriff in 1703 ;
P.R.O. List, 74.
In 1707 Peter Egerton and Anne his
wife made a settlement of the manor of
49
Shaw, and a messuage and lands in Shaw
and Flixton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 258, m. 37.
For the fine accompanying the sale to
William Latus the deforciants were John
Egerton, Anne Egerton, widow, Henry
Leigh, and Thomas Ashton ; and the es-
tate is described as the manor of Shaw,
seven messuages, dovecote, 40 acres of
land, &c., free warren in Shawtown, Flix-
ton, and Urmston, and free fishery in the
Mersey and Irwell ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 289, m. 105. There is a further
deed in Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.), iii,
216 (from Roll 7, Geo. I at Preston), re-
citing a mortgage in 1707 and the sale in
1722.
In 1748 the manor of Shaw, with the
free fishery, was held by Peter Leigh and
Elizabeth his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R_
569, m. 9 ; and they conveyed a moiety
to John Girardot of Chaucour, esquire,,
together with a moiety of the prebend or
parsonage of Flixton and the tithes and
oblations belonging thereto ; Pal. of Lane,
Feet of F. bdle. 351, m. 138, 175.
Peter Leigh, of the West Hall, High
Legh family, married a daughter of Wil-
liam Latus of Manchester. He was chief
justice of South Carolina, and his son
Egerton Leigh was made a baronet ia
1773 ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), i, 456.
Some of the Egertons continued to live
at Shaw, for in 1757 widow Egerton of
Shaw Hall married Humphrey Owen, the
curate of Flixton.
los The advertisement from the Man-
chester Mercury is printed in R. Lawson's
Flixton, 53 ; it mentions the capital mes-
suage of Shaw, with the demesne lands,
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
through various hands, and was in December 1845
purchased by Colonel George John Miller Ridehalgh
of Fell Foot near Ulverston, and on the death of his
widow became the property of Mr. George Ride-
halgh. 109
Shaw Hall lies to the east of the parish church about
a quarter of a mile north of the River Mersey, and
is said to have been built in the reign of James I.
The house, however, has been almost entirely mod-
ernized, and on the outside no ancient features
remain. It is a two-story gabled building the walls
of which are now covered with modern rough-cast
(except at the back, or west side, where they are of
brick), and the roofs with blue slates, and the
general appearance is uninteresting. The gables, of
which the building possesses no less than fifteen, are
rough-cast like the walls, and have either modern
barge boards or copings, and all the windows are late
insertions. A cupola, formerly containing a bell,
which was originally a feature of the building on the
outside, has disappeared.
The house is now divided into two separate dwell-
ings, and contains some of its original fittings, though
tthe plan has been a good deal altered. There is some
jgood oak panelling in two of the lower rooms of the
south house, but it has been patched with pitchpine,
and painted and varnished. A lower room in the
north house is also panelled in oak, similarly patched,
but painted white. The hall is now divided, but
there is an interesting staircase in the south house
the balusters of which take the form of Tuscan, Ionic,
and Corinthian columns, repeating in threes, with a
thicker Corinthian column as newel. The handrail
is modern. The other house has a good Jacobean
staircase with twisted balusters, square newels, and
original wide handrail.
The chief interest now attaching to the interior of
Shaw Hall, however, lies in two pieces of tapestry in
one of the upper rooms representing scenes from the
life of Alexander, and a painting on the cove of the
hall ceiling representing the wife of Darius kneeling
before Alexander, together with a smaller allegorical
circular painting on the ceiling of what is now the
entrance porch to the north house. The paintings
and tapestry are part of the original furniture of the
house, and are said to be coeval with the building.
There was formerly a good deal of lyth-century
heraldic glass in the windows, but most of this was
taken out when the present sashes were inserted. It
is still preserved, however, in the house, and though
much broken and mutilated could easily be put to-
gether again and replaced.
Some fragments are still in position in the staircase
window in the south house, the two upper lights of
which contain two shields, one bearing the royal
arms of the Stuart sovereigns, encircled by a garter,
and the other being a quartered shield of the arms of
Trafford with the crest of a man and flail. In the
lower lights is a quarry with floral ornamentation and
the words * Asshawe de Shawe,' and another with a
shield of Asshawe with five quarterings. The house
is said formerly to have had a moat, but this had
partially disappeared in 1 847 nu and is now planted
over.
There is a stained-glass window in the church
commemorating Arthur William Whitnal, 'lord of
the manor of Flixton,' who died in 1890.
No courts have been held for a long period. As
in other townships within the barony the constable
of Flixton was in the 1 7th and 1 8th centuries sum-
moned to attend the Court Leet at Manchester, but
no attention was paid to the summons. 111
The Booths of Barton also held land in Flixton. 1 "
The surname Flixton occurs, but was not used by a
local family. 118
Flixton House was formerly the residence of Ralph
Wright, who died in 183 1. 114 His estate, partly in-
herited and partly purchased, he endeavoured to make
more compact and secluded by the closing and divert-
ing of footpaths. This roused great opposition in the
neighbourhood, ?.nd after several years of expensive
litigation the attempt was defeated. 114
The land tax return of 1787 shows that the land
was then much divided ; the largest contributor was
William Allen, who paid about a sixteenth. 116
The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel at
Flixton.
URMSTON
Wermeston, 1 1 94 ; Urmeston, 1212; Urmestone,
1302.
This township, measuring about a mile from north
to south and a mile and a half across, has an area of
993 acres. 1 The land slopes gently from north to
south, where the Mersey forms the boundary. The
village lies in the centre of the township. The popu-
lation in 1901 numbered 6,594.*
From the village a road leads east to Stretford and
Manchester ; to the west two roads diverge, one to
Irlam, the other to the village of Flixton. The
Cheshire Lines Railway from Manchester to Liverpool
crosses the township, with a station at Urmston,
opened in 1873.
* Tim Bobbin,' the Lancashire dialect writer, whose
true name was John Collier, is said to have been born
here, but is more closely associated with Milnrow in
Rochdale. 1
.also messuages, chief rents, tithes, &c., in
Flixton 5 the yearly value was ,500, sub-
ject to a deduction of 48 21. out of the
. tithes.
In 1768 the manor of Shaw, with mes-
suages, malthouse, dovecotes, lands, and
appurtenances was sold by Lucy Latus,
: spinster, to John Salmon ; Pal. of Lane.
. Feet of F. bdle. 380, m. 47.
lu9 Information of Messrs. Taylor,
Kirkman & Co., Manchester, solicitors
-of Mr. Ridehalgh. It was in 1836 the
property of Miss Warburton ; Baines,
.Lanes, (nt ed.). See also R. Lawson, loc.
ck.
110 Raines, notes to Gastrell's Notitia.
111 Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. iv, 148, &c.
The latest instance is in 1733 (vii, 25).
iia The tenure is not stated ; see the
inquisitions of John Booth of Barton,
Katherine Booth, and John Molyneux ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, 8 ; xiv, 13;
xvii, 24. Margery Barton in 1581
claimed lands in Flixton against Ralph
Barton and others } Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), iii, 91, 107.
Jane widow of Richard Eltorhead
claimed dower in Shaw, Hulton, and Tyl-
desley in 1591 ; ibid, iii, 500.
118 Agnes widow of German de Flixton
was a plaintiff in 1246 ; Assize R. 404,
m. 7. The Valentines seem occasionally
50
to have been known as 'de Flixton,' but
this use did not continue.
114 The mural tablet in the church states
that his life was one of ' unwearied exer-
tion and usefulness and devoted attach-
ment to his church, his king, and his
country.' The Wright mausoleum is the
most conspicuous object in the churchyard.
See also Langton, Flixton, 20, for this
family.
115 A. Prentice, Recollections of Manch.
290-3; the cases lasted from 182410 1827.
116 Returns at Preston.
1 992, including 10 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901.
2 Pop. Ret. Diet. Nat. Eiog.
SALFORD HUNDRED
FLIXTON
Urmston is governed by an Urban District Council
formed in 1894 ; there are twelve members. 4
The cemetery was formed in 1892. The Man-
chester Jews have three separate cemeteries for the
Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, the New syna-
gogue, and the Polish Jews.
The field- names* include Hillam, Barrowfield, Blake-
well Meadow, Twinose, Treeley, Rant, and Woefield. 6
The manor of URMSTON was origi-
M4NORS nally part of the Marsey fee, and held of
the lord as one plough-land by a family using
the local surname. It was held by the eighth part of a
knight's fee, rents of 8/. and zt. being paid for castle
ward and sake fee. 7 The earliest known holder of it
is Richard de Urmston, who in 1193-4 gave 40*. for
having the king's good will after the rebellion of John
Count of Mortain. 8 Adam de Urmston held it in
I2I2. 9 After this there is a period of uncertainty. The
superior lordship was acquired by the.Trafford family, 10
who continued to hold it, at least nominally, down to
the 1 6th century, though their mesne tenancy is often
ignored. 11 The Urmston family and the lordship also
appear to have been divided," one branch settling in
Westleigh. 13 In 1305 Adam de Urmston conferred
all his lands in Urmston, together with the lordship
of the whole town, upon Gilbert de Ashton. 14 The
latter had several daughters, and Urmston became the
portion of Hawise wife of Henry son of John de
TrafFord. Her heir was again a daughter, Aline, who-
married Ralph son of John de Hyde of Hyde in.
Cheshire. 15 In this family and its descendants the
manor continued till the 1 8th century.
From a suit of 1 3 1 7, in which Isabel widow of
Adam de Urmston claimed dower, it appears that the
land was then divided thus : Gilbert de Ashton held
3 oxgangs ; Richard, son of Adam de Urmston, 3 ;
and William son of William the Serjeant, I ; leaving
an oxgang not accounted for. 16 The manor, however,
4 Loc. Govt. Bd. Order.
6 A list is given in R. Lawson, Flixton,
122.
6 The following occur in a deed of
1300: Woodfalls, WhiterirFos, Welcome
Ridding, Merulache, Stilley, Omerland,
Simond Ridding, Hillum Carr, Merebutts.
7 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 71.
8 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 77.
9 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, loc. cit.
10 Jordan de Worsley granted to Geof-
frey son of Henry de Trafford all the lands
which he had had by the gift of Adam de
Urmston, and the reversion of the dower
of Adam's widow, Isabel ; De TrafFord
D. no. 292. In 1305 Jordan had, as
creditor for 10, claimed the minor of
Urmston against Adam de Urmston, Isabel
his wife, Gilbert de Ashton, his children,
and others, except four messuages, 4
oxgangs and 60 acres of land, and the
moiety of a mill ; Assize R. 420, m. i, 7.
11 Sir Edmund TrafFord in 1445-6 held
3 oxgangs of land in Urmston and the
heir of GeofFrey de Urmston 5 oxgangs,
for the eighth part of a knight's fee, ren-
dering us. 6d. yearly. The said Edmund
stated that he was mesne between the
king, &c., and was in ward ; hence there
was no relief; Duchy of Lane. Knights'
Fees, 2/20.
Sir Edmund TrafFord, who died in
1563, held Urmston of the queen by the
eighth part of a knight's fee and 8*. 4</.;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m., zi, n.
Robert Worsley of the Booths in the
time of Henry VIII held lands in Urms-
ton of Edmund TrafFord, but the service
due was not known ; ibid, vii, 5.
Sir Robert Lovell in 1600 held lands
in Urmston, probably purchases from
members of the TrafFord family ; ibid,
xviii, 32 ; see also Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), iii, 421, 46$, and the accounts of
Chorlton and Didsbury.
Richard Scott in 1547 claimed a mes-
suage, &c., against Sir Edmund TrafFord
and James Hampson ; ibid, i, 229.
11 Richard de Urmston is named in
1265, 1278, 1284, and again in 1288 ;
perhaps there were two of the name ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 232, 273 ;
Assize R. 1238, m. 34 d.; 1265, m. 5 d.
Nigel son of Roger son of Adam de
Urmston in 1288 demanded the manor
against Adam son of Richard de Urms-
ton, claiming as heir ; De Banco R. 73,
m. 49, 87 d. Thus Richard must have
died in that year.
In 1284, however, there was another
Adam de Urmston, the son of William and
Constance ; in reply to a charge of novel
disseisin in 'Ormiston,' he said there
was no such vill, but the tenements
claimed were in 'Urmiston,' and he held
them as his father's heir. Thomas de
Urmston claimed under a grant from the
father ; Assize R. 1268, m. 19. In the
same year Richard de Urmston claimed
eight messuages in Urmston against Adam
and Alexander de Hulme, John son of
Wymark, and others. Robert Grelley
had held them, and his son and heir
Thomas being under age, the escheator
had taken possession ; ibid. 1265,
m. 22 d.
18 See the account of Westleigh ; a
Richard de Urmston and Siegrith his wife
held it and lands in Flixton in 1292 ;
Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.) ;
i, 169, 174; ii, 20, 127. Siegrith, lady
of Urmston, also occurs in 1311 ; Lich.
Epis. Reg. i, fol. 114/1.
Adam de Urmston, probably the Adam
son of Richard above mentioned, seems
to have been the chief man in the town-
ship in 1292, when he was involved in
several pleas. William son of William
de Flixton (probably a Valentine), was
nonsuited in a claim against Adam de
Urmston and William his brother ; Assize
R. 408, m. 44 d. The same plaintiff was
also nonsuited in a claim against William
son of Thomas de Urmston ; ibid. m.
48 d. Henry son and heir of Henry de
TrafFord was nonsuited in his demand
that Adam de Urmston' s mill-pool should
be destroyed, having been formed by
Adam's father, Richard, to the injury of
the TrafFords' estate ; ibid. m. 56 d. ; De
Banco R. 92, m. I2gd.
14 In 1301 Adam de Urmston made
claims, which he did not prosecute, against
Robert de Ashton and others, respecting
tenements in Urmston; Assize R. 418,
m. 12 d. These Ashtons were of the
adjacent township of Ashton on Mersey.
In the same year Richard son of Adam
de Urmston, and Cecily his wife, made
a similar claim against Adam and
others ; ibid. 419, m. 3 ; 420, m. 7.
Richard son of Adam son of Richard de
Urmston in 1333 and up to 1342 claimed
eighteen messuages, &c., in Urmston,
against Henry son of John de TrafFord of
Urmston ; De Banco R. 295, m. 28 ;
332, m. 100 d.
14 The story is told fully in a document
compiled about 1430, in Harl. MS. 2112,
51
fol. 158, printed in Coll. To fog. et Gen.
viii, 146.
Adam de Urmston granted all his lands
of Urmston, with the demesne, wards,
reliefs, &c., to Gilbert de Ashton, who in
return granted the moiety of Ashton on
Mersey, and lands in Sale and Altrincham.
These being more valuable than Urmston
Adam granted a rent of 3 a year from
them. After this Adam sold the Ashton
lands to John de Leigh and Ellen his
wife, who gave them to William Venables
and Katherine his wife. [This was in
1307-8 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxvii, App.
94]. William not paying the rent of ^3,
Gilbert de Ashton made a distraint and.
proved his right in open court.
Gilbert married Margaret daughter of
Roger de Cheadle, and their daughter
Hawise was married in childhood to'
Henry son of John de TrafFord of New-
croft, the father giving her the manor of
Urmston. Afterwards a divorce took,
place ; Henry married Joan de Worsley,.
and Hawise married John son and heir of
the above-mentioned William Venables, by
whom she had a daughter and heir Alice
(elsewhere Aline). After the death of
Hawise John married Joan, sister of the-
said Henry de TrafFord, and had a daughter
Cecily, wife of Robert de Ashton.
Meantime John de TrafFord had killed
Gilbert de Ashton at Urmston, hiding his
body in a * rindle ' and taking the deeds
of the manor. Henry de TrafFord also
arranged with Richard son of Adam de
Urmston that the latter should recover the
lands and then grant them to him. Thus-
Aline's inheritance was in great danger.
Her father also was against her ; he
wished her to marry Adam de TrafFord,,
his second wife's brother, and shut her up>
in the ' city of Brvnuegg,' till she escaped
one night and found refuge in Timperley,
on which her father, in his anger, burnt
the deed securing to her the rent of 3.
Next, Hamon Massey of Timperley mar-
ried her to Ralph de Hyde, who managed
to regain the manor of Urmston against
Henry de TrafFord and Richard de Urms-
ton ; after which the stolen deeds were
given up to him.
A copy of the grant by Adam de Urms-
ton to Gilbert de Ashton follows.
Some illustrative references will be
found in the following notes.
16 De Banco R. 217, m. 183 d. It is
possible that the oxgang not mentioned!
was Newcroft, the possession of Henry
de TrarFord. Gilbert de Ashton after-
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
appears always to have descended with the Ashton
share.
Henry de Trafford was in possession in 1324 in
right of his wife. 17 She afterwards married John
Venables, of Ashton-on-Mersey, by whom she had the
daughter and heir Aline mentioned above. From
1343 onward Ralph de Hyde and Aline his wife were
engaged in suits respecting her inheritance. 18 Ralph
and Aline were living in 1360, when they and their
son William successfully defended their title to half the
mill. 19 By 1 370 Thomas son of Ralph appears to have
succeeded his father,* and he is no doubt the same
Thomas de Hyde who died in 1433, leaving as heir his
son George's child Thomas, then fourteen years of age. 21
The younger Thomas died in 1444, holding the
manor of Urmston of Sir Edmund Trafford by
knight's service ; the clear value was loo/. George
the son and heir was about three months old."
Margaret the widow had certain messuages and lands
assigned to her as dower in I445.* 3 George died in
or before 1500, in which year his widow Isabel
claimed dower, Thomas Hyde being then in posses-
sion.* 4 In 1517 John the son and heir of Thomas
was contracted to marry Elizabeth daughter of Sir
John Booth of Barton.* 5 Thomas died early in 1 5 34,
holding the manor of Urmston of Edmund Trafford
by knight's service and a rent of 8s. He had made
provision for his wife and younger sons, and the heir
was his grandson William, son of the above-named
John, then about fourteen years of age.* 8
William Hyde in 1548 arranged for the marriage
of his son and heir William with Margaret daughter of
John Arderne ; she was to have a jointure out of the
Urmston lands of 4 clear value. 17 He died in 1 5 74,
holding the manor of Edmund Trafford by the eighth
part of a knight's fee and 8/. rent ; the clear annual
value was 5. The heir was his said son William,
then twenty-nine years of age.* 8 A pedigree was
wards proffered a charter of Isabel's, but
she denied it to be hers ; De Banco R.
218, m. 30.
Adam de Urmston in 1300 granted to
his son Richard and Cecily his wife,
daughter of Thomas de Hulme, 3 oxgangs
of land in Urmston, &c.; De Trafford D.
no. 294. Richard and Cecily in 1305
accordingly claimed three messuages,
3 oxgangs, 12 acres of land, i acre of
heath, and the moiety of the mills in
Urmston, against Adam de Urmston,
Gilbert de Ashton, Robert, Thomas,
Richard, and William his sons, Hawise,
Margery, Lettice, and Margery his daugh-
ters, and Roger Plat. One writ was
abstracted, and William son of the rector
of Lee sent to gaol. Gilbert pleaded a
quitclaim of the same year, but Richard
was then a minor ; Assize R. 420, m. 7,
5 d. ; 423, m. 3 i
The Serjeant family occurs several
times in the pleadings, &c. William the
Serjeant in 1346 called John de Radcliffe,
rector of Bury, to warrant him in the
possession of his estate in Urmston ; De
Banco R. 345, m. 113 d. Joan daughter
of William, in 1352 released to Thomas
del Booth her right in her father's lands,
Ac. ; P.R.O. Anct. D., A, 8175. Later,
however, she seems to have recovered all
or part of them ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 3, m. 2.
V Duchy of Lane. Rentals and Surv.
379, m. 13 ; he paid for ward 8*. and
sake fee zt. In the copy in Dods. MSS.
cxx-xi, foL 37/', the sake fee is given as
zt. 6J., making ioj. 6</. in all.
In the same year Robert de Hulme
claimed land in Urmston against Henry
san of John de Trafford, Hawise his wife,
and John de Trafford the elder 5 Assize
R. 425> m - 5 d -
John de Trafford contributed to the
subsidy of 1332; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 41.
Thomas son of Adam de Hulme, in
virtue of a grant made to his grandfather
Thomas in 1302 by Adam de Urmston,
successfully claimed leave to get turves on
the moor of Urmston in 1334; Adam
de Hulme was brother and heir of Robert,
eldest son of Thomas the grandfather.
The defendants were Henry son of John
Trafford of Newcroft and Isabel
idow of Adam de Urmston, the latter
ght of her dower ; Coram Rege R.
297, m. 125.
18 The earliest statement (1343) recites
the possession of the manor of Urmston
by Gilbert de Ashton, with remainder to
his daughter Hawise and her issue ; and
by Henry son of John de Trafford of
Newcroft, in right of Hawise, after Gil-
bert's death, and by Henry after the
death of Hawise. It alleges that Henry
and others in 1340 conspired with
Richard son of Adam son of Richard de
Urmston, so that the latter might sue
Henry for the manor ; he did so, and in
1342 recovered it by Henry's wilful
default. Henry and Richard defended,
hut the jury found that Adam alienated
the manor in exchange for other tene-
ments, so that his son Richard had never
any right in it, and upheld Aline's claim.
They assessed the damages as 4 instead
of the 2,000 claimed ; Assize R. 430,
m. lod. In the following year Ralph
and Aline were nonsuited in a claim for
ten messuages, 40 acres of land, &c.,
against John de Trafford of Newcroft,
Joan his wife, and John, Richard, Robert,
and Adam his sons; ibid. 1435,
m. 42.
A further statement of the case was
made in 1347, in the king's writ to the
justices ; herein Geoffrey de Urmston and
Roger de Chisnall are named as the
partners of Henry de Trafford in the
conspiracy ; De Banco R. 351, m. 435 d.;
352, m. 227 d. ; 356, m. 412 d. In
July 1351 Ralph and Aline proceeded
against Richard de Urmston, Geoffrey and
Adam his brothers and others, but the
writ was adjudged bad, having quettus for
questi ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, m. 2.
At the same time Amice daughter of
Henry son of John de Trafford did not
prosecute her claim against Ralph and
Aline ; a mistake was found in her writ,
more tenants being named in it than
were shown on the endorsement ; ibid,
m. 4 d, 5. This dispute, however, had
not been confined to the courts ; for in
Aug. 1350, Richard de Urmston, Adam
his brothers and others, had with bows,
arrows, swords, and shields, taken some
of Ralph de Hyde's cattle a horse worth
40*., four oxen worth 501., and two cows
worth 131. 4</. and committed other
enormities, treading down his corn to
the value of 6 31. $d. ; whereupon,
being convicted, Richard was sent to
gaol; Assize R. 431, m. id. In 1351
Richard son of Geoffrey de Urmston re-
leased to Ralph de Hyde all his right to
the lands in dispute; Harl. MS. 2112,
fol. 159. The suits went on for some
years after this, with varying success.
52
19 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 8, m. 4.
20 De Banco R. 440, m. 244 ; he was
plaintiff in a continuation of the old suits,
21 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 40 ;
he is stated to have held no lands.
Thomas de Hyde of Urmston and
Margaret his wife granted to feoffees their
manor of Urmston with the appurten-
ances ; the date is uncertain ; Harl. MS.
21 1 2, fol. 1 60.
In 1419 Thomas de Hyde of Urmston
and Margaret his wife empowered John
de Bamford to give seisin of all their
lands, &c., in Stockport, Offerton, and
Marple to George their son and Alice
daughter of Robert de Stockport ; Bram-
hall D.
Arrangements were made in 1429 for
the marriage of Thomas son of George
de Hyde with Margaret daughter of
Thomas de Leigh of Baguley. The
marriage portion was 40 marks, the
jointure 6 marks, and lands in Urmston
to the clear value of 6 marks were set
out for the purpose; Harl. MS. 2112,
fol. 1 60.
22 Lanes. Inq. p.m. ii, 50.
23 Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 160 ; the lands
assigned were those in Urmston tenanted
by Henry Johnson, Agnes Milner, Richard
Gefferson, Robert Gefferson, and Richard
Sherlock.
24 Ibid. fol. 161 ; Sir John Booth wa
the arbitrator.
George Hyde was at Chester outlawed
for debt in Sept. 1487, and his lands at
Offerton and Marple were seized ; Ches.
Inq. 3 Hen. VII, no. 2.
25 Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 161, 177 ; the
contract was made between Thomas Hyde
and Ellen, widow of Sir John Booth ;
Elizabeth's portion was 85 marks, and a
jointure of 4 marks was provided for.
26 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, 37.
To Thomas his son he granted pastures
called Cobrysshes and Medylst Rayn-
shaghe for life ; to James, another son,
the Horsecroft, Newhey, and Formeste
Raynshaghe for life ; to Hamnet, another
son, lands in Cheshire. Margaret his
wife survived him.
2 7 Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 161 d. In the
following year William the father married
Douce, 'cousin' of John Warburton; ibid.
28 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, 31. By
his second wife he had a daughter Ellen,
who married Thomas Boydell of Pulford.
The latter, shortly after his father-in-law's
death, had disputes with the son; Ducatus,
, 3 2 33-
SALFORD HUNDRED
recorded in 1567, but some of the earlier steps are
omitted or wrongly given. 29
William Hyde died 26 August 1587, holding the
manor, with messuages, windmill, and
lands in Urmston of the queen, as of
her Duchy of Lancaster, by the eighth
part of a knight's fee and a rent of
8/. 2</.; he also held a burgage in
Stockport and lands in Cheshire. John
his son and heir was ten years of age. 30
John Hyde was married in 1598-9,
his wife, Susan daughter of William
Ashton of Clegg, bringing him a por-
tion of j40O. 31 A pedigree was re-
corded in 1613, the eldest son George
being then six years of age. 31 A set-
tlement of the manor had been made
the year before. 33 A further settle-
ment was made in 1642, by John
Hyde, Susan his wife, George Hyde
and Margaret his wife. 34 John Hyde
died in 1644, his wife having died
the year before ; and George died two
years after his father. 35
In 1642 Susan the daughter and
heir of George Hyde married Richard
Hulme of Davyhulme, 36 by whom she
had a son William, the heir of Urms-
ton. She afterwards married Richard
Starkie, 37 and in 1670 a settlement was
made by Richard Starkie and Susan his
wife, William Hulme, Thomas Lucas,
and Hannah his wife. 38 William
Hulme, high sheriff in 1701," died
in November 1708,* and his mother
followed him in February. 41 John, the
eldest surviving son of William Hulme,
succeeded, 41 and left a daughter Anne,
FLIXTON
who as ' heiress of Davyhulme and of the lordship and
manor of Urmston,' was married at Flixton 3 Sep-
tember 1735 to Thomas eldest son of the celebrated
URMSTON HALL : EAST SIDE
M Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 14.
80 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, 49 ;
a third of the manor was devoted to the
use of the son John, another third to the
widow, Margaret, and the remaining third
to the daughters Bridget and Anne until
the son should come of age. His will is
printed in full in Piccope, Will* (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 189-91 ; he desired to be buried
in the chancel at Flixton. His harness,
with his bow and arrows, was to be kept
for the use of his son. Margaret, the
widow, was in 1593 concerned in a
suit respecting the Old Hall in Urmston
with a tenant of the RadclifFes ; Ducatus,
iii, 304.
In 1589 Richard Gerard, rector of
Stockport, surrendered to the widow the
wardship of her son; Had. MS. 2112,
foL 162.
81 Ibid. A settlement of the manor,
Ac., was made at the same time by the
widow, her son and his wife ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 61, no. 343.
81 Viiit. (Chet. Soc.), 53 ; two deeds
are quoted in it.
88 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 82,
no. 27. M Ibid. bdle. 141, no. i.
84 These dates, and later ones for which
no other authority is quoted, are taken
from the Flixton registers.
John Hyde in 1631 paid 10 on
refusing knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 215. In his will
of 12 Mar. 1643-4, he mentioned his
wife Margaret, his grandchild Sarah and
her husband Richard Hulme, also two
grandchildren, sons of George Griffith of
Prescot.
84 He was the son of William Hulme
of Davyhulme, buried at Eccles 20 Jan.
1640-1 ; he was himself baptized at
Eccles I Aug. 1624, and buried there
5 June 1 649 ; Hulme pedigree in Pic-
cope's MS. i, 327. The surname of
Margaret, George Hyde's wife, is un-
known. The Urmston halmote in 1642
was that of John Hyde, the next (in
1647) was that of Richard Hulme, the
next (in 1651) was that of Richard Star-
kie, the next (in 1673) was that of
William Hulme.
8 ? Richard Starkie of Urmston was
summoned by the heralds at the Visitation
in 1664 ; Dugdale, fisit. (Chet. Soc.), v.
In 1650 Richard Starkie's mother seems
to have been living at Warrington ; Crof-
ton, Stretford (Chet. Soc.), iii, 204.
88 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 84,
m. 81.
William Hulme, baptized at Flixton
5 April 1649, married Hannah daughter
of Samuel Blackleach at Macclesheld,
where her father was alderman, on 9 Dec.
1668 ; James, the eldest son, was born
30 Aug. 1669. Hannah Hulme the wife
was buried at Flixton 6 Oct. 1684.
In 1673 William Hulme in a petition
to the Chancellor of the Duchy set forth
his descent and claim to the lordship of
Urmston, and lands, &c., in Urmston,
Hulme, and Newcroft, reciting the settle-
ments and stating that his mother had
surrendered her estate therein, and he had
53
taken peaceable possession ; but Peter
Holford of London, Elizabeth his wife,
Charles Moore of London, and Alice his
wife had obtained certain deeds and sought
to oust, alleging in particular that George
Hyde, his grandfather, was ' a mad and
distracted person ' at the time of the settle-
ment in 1642 ; Lanes. Chan. Bills, P.R.O.,
vol. xxx.
There was a recovery of the manor in
1705, William Hulme being a vouchee j
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 482, m. 2 d.
He is several times mentioned in the
Kenyon MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv,
App. iv), and some of his letters are
printed. In 1694 he wrote to Roger
Kenyon respecting ' an impudent conven-
ticle ' held just by him ; he desired to
suppress it ; ibid. 290.
39 P.R.O. List, 74.
40 His will, dated 26 Mar. 1707, men-
tions John his son and heir, and his daugh-
ters Mary (wife of Thomas Shaw of Man-
chester), Hannah, Elizabeth, Frances,
Jane, and Susannah.
41 She is described in the register as
' mother of the late Captain Hulme.'
48 John Hulme was baptized at Flixton
20 Feb. 1679-80, and was married there
on 1 9 April 1711 to Elizabeth Bate. She
was buried there on i June 1724. A
lease by John Hulme to John Dewhurst
in 1718 is recited in a deed in Manches-
ter Free Library, no. 113.
There was a recovery of the manor,
&c.,in 1736, John Hulme being a vouchee;
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 542, m. 5.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
antiquary Browne Willis of Bletchley. 43 Thomas
Willis, perhaps the son, was lord of the manor in
1765," but soon afterwards it was sold, together with
Davyhulme, and has since passed through several
hands." It was in March 1822 purchased from Wil-
liam Marsden's trustees by John Miller, who bequeathed
it for life to George Lewis Ridehalgh. The last-named
was succeeded by his son, Colonel George John Miller
Ridehalgh; after his death in 1892 his widow held
it, and on her death recently it passed to Mr. George
Ridehalgh, the present lord of the manor. 46
A rental of 1779 shows that the Duchy of Lan-
caster then received lo/. 4</. from Urmston ; of this
sum 8/. 3</. was paid by William Allen and <)d. by the
owner of Newcroft. 47
Manor courts were held up to about the time of
Colonel Ridehalgh's death, but had degenerated into
an annual dinner. 48
Urmston Hall stands a little to the west of the
church and is a two-story timber and plaster building
URMSTON HALL : NORTH FRONT
on a stone base, now used as a farm-house. The
principal front, which faces north, is entirely of wood
and plaster under a single gable about 2 1 ft. wide, and
on the east side are two timber gables with a good
brick chimney between. The whole of the west and
south fronts, together with an addition at the south-
east, are built of brick. The house is probably of late
16th-century date, but has been a good deal altered
since, and is in only a moderate state of repair. Two-
windows, each of seven lights, in one of the side
gables are now made up, and all the windows have
lost their original glazing, or are otherwise modernized.
The gables are without barge-boards, but that on the
north front has a good hip knob on which is the date
1721 and the initials jH E - Probably a good deal of
repair and renovation was done at this time, and the
south-west sides rebuilt in brick. From the north-
east the house, which stands back from the road amid
trees, has a very picturesque appearance, the two fronts-
being well broken up with
gables and chimneys. The
quatrefoils along the front
elevation and other portions
of the black and white work,
however, are only painted on
the plaster, but the main
timber construction of the
building remains, and what
restoration there has been
follows the original lines.
The half-timber work con-
sists of a simple design with
horizontal pieces and straight
uprights and a central band
of ornament. The entrance
door on the north side is the
original one of thick oak,
nail-studded, and with good
ornamental hinges and ring
handle.
Of the other portions of
the manor no proper account
can be given. The Urmston
family continued to hold
theirs for some time. 49 The
principal estate was NEW-
43 Pedigree m Burke, Commoners, ii,
37 2 ~5- J onn Willis brother of Thomas
was rector of Bletchley, but was buried at
Flixton 24 July 1741.
Anne Willis daughter of Thomas was
born ii Aug. 1736 ; Thomas the son was
born ii Feb. 1737-8 ; and Hulme, an-
other son, was buried 4 Mar. 1738-9 ;
Flixton Reg.
44 Lawson, Flixton, 104, quoting an ad-
vertisement in the Manchester Mercury,
9 July 1765.
There was a recovery of the manor of
Urmston, &c., in 1759, Thomas Willis
and Arthur Trollope being vouchees ;
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 591, m. 3.
45 In 1773 Roger Sedgwick was plain-
tiff and William Allen and Ellen his wife
defendants in a fine respecting the manor
of Urmston, with messuages, dovehouse,
lands, common of pasture, and turbary,
&c., in Urmston, Davyhulme, Newcroft,
Shaw, Flixton, Lostock,^ Bent Lanes, Bar-
ton on Irwell, and Manchester ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 389, m. 48. Wil-
liam Allen, a Manchester banker, became
bankrupt in 1788, and his estates were
sold.
46 From information of Mr. Ridehalgh's
solicitors, Messrs. Taylor, Kirkman &
Co.
4 7 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 14,
no. 25 m.
48 Lawson, op. cit. 105. A volume
containing the Urmston Halmote Re-
cords from 1613 to 1699 is in the care of
the solicitors above named.
49 They have been noticed already in
the account of the claims of Ralph de
Hyde and his wife Aline. A Geoffrey de
Urmston contributed to the subsidy of
1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), 41.
Richard the son of Adam de Urmston
was succeeded about 1352 by his son Ro-
bert, who in July of that year was plaintiff
against Thomas de Trafford ; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. 2, m. 4 ; R. 3, m. 3 d. 5.
Robert also continued the family suits
against the Hydes ; ibid. R. 2, m. 4 ;
54
R. 3, m. 3 d. 4 d. ; R. 8, m. 4. Richard
son of Geoffrey de Urmston was also con-
cerned in this litigation ; Assize R. 435,
m. 6 d. Robert de Urmston did not pro-
secute his writ in 1353 against Richard
and Geoffrey sons of Geoffrey de Urmston;
ibid. m. 22.
One of the disputes concerned a fishery
in the Mersey as far as the thread of the
water, taking salmon, bream, pike, &c.,
with nets or otherwise. Robert, quoting
the charter of 1 300, stated that Adam his
grandfather had given to Richard his son
and heir, on his marriage with Cecily
daughter of Thomas de Hulme, three ox-
gangs in Urmston, with the buildings upon
them, a moiety of the mills and fishery
within all his limits (defensis), except his
vivaries ; but Ralph de Hyde and Aline
his wife had disseised him. They denied
that the proffered charter was Adam's ;
ibid. m. 30 d. Afterwards they objected
that the wording of the writ was wrong,
as it read ' de libero tenemento suo ' instead
of ' de communa piscarie sue,' and this
SALFORD HUNDRED
FLIXTON
CROFT, regarded as a manor, held at one time
by the Traffords, 50 then by the Warburtons, 51 and in
the 1 6th and iyth centuries by the Radcliffes of
Ordsall. 52 Sir Alexander Radcliffe of Ordsall, who
died in 1 549, held three-fourths of the manor of
Newcroft and 100 acres of land, &c., there of the
king (as duke) in socage by a rent of gd. for all
services. 52 * By the end of the i8th century it had
come into the possession of William Allen, then lord
of the manor of Urmston, 53 and on his bankruptcy in
1788 was purchased by the Taylors of Hulme in
Reddish, and remained in their possession nearly a
century, being sold in 1888 by the trustee of Samuel
Taylor to Herbert Bannister. The estate was then
supposed to be subject to some charitable rent-charges
and also to a duchy rent of gd., but it was stated that
none of them had been demanded or paid for many
years. 54 Newcroft is a plain brick building once sur-
rounded by a moat, of no architectural beauty what-
ever. 55 Roger Rogers of Newcroft was summoned by
the heralds to attend the visitation of 1664 ; no
pedigree appears. 553
Hillam, 56 the Lodge, 57 and Brook House M represent
old estates. A ghost story was told of Gamershaw, a
house at the east side of the township. 49 The Newton, 60
Gregory, 61 and Hey 6S families were freeholders.
seems to have been fatal ; Assize R. 43 5,
m. 1 7. In another case, in which Robert
claimed 10 acres of land and pasture for six
cows, they tried a technical objection, but
did not succeed ; ibid. m. 31 d.
In a document of about the same time
John de Trafford of Urmston is said to
hold two and a half oxgangs lately belong-
ing to Geoffrey de Urmston, and five and
a half oxgangs, by the eighth part of a
knight's fee ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks.
no. 130, fol. i6d. With this may be
compared the statement of the Traffords'
holding quoted in an earlier note.
60 The Traffords of Newcroft have been
frequently mentioned in the preceding
notes. There seem to have been three
generations John, Henry, and Amice ;
but John and Thomas de Trafford are also
mentioned. The Hydes were in 1354
and later involved in disputes with Cecily
widow of John de Trafford of Newcroft
regarding lands of which Roger son of
Roger de Barlow was tenant. Cecily called
Amice daughter of Henry de Trafford to
warrant her ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R.
3, m. 3 (July), ^ (East.) ; 4, m. 29 ; 5,
m. 1 8 d. 20 d. &c.
41 William de Warburton in 1357 was
the husband of Amice the above-named
daughter of Henry de Trafford, and they
were called to warrant Cecily the widow
of John in the suit with Ralph de Hyde
and his wife ; ibid. R. 6, m. 4 d. Later,
at Michaelmas 1359, William and Amice
claimed a messuage and lands against
Richard de Hill, chaplain ; ibid. R. 7, m. i.
Disputes were still going on in 1370 ;
De Banco R. 440, m. 244 ; 446, m. 200 d.
Geoffrey de Warburton of Newcroft in
1389-90 acknowledged a debt of 20 due
to Adam de Lever ; PaL of Lane. Chan.
Misc. 1/3. He and Katharine his wife,
widow of Thomas de Knoll, sent up a
petition concerning lands in Chipping in
1425 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i,
73 i " 9-
William de Warburton of Newcroft in
1429-30 made a grant of land in Urms-
ton to Richard his son on the occasion
of his marriage with Marion daughter of
Maud Ashton ; Newcroft and Foxdenton
D. (Chet. Lib.).
Thomas Warburton in 1531 disputed
the title to Newcroft against Sir Alexander
Radcliffe and others ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), i, 149.
In 1566 Peter Warburton, who had
married Katherine daughter and heir of
John Cowper, and claimed under a grant
from William Hyde, proceeded against
the last-named and others for divers tres-
passes ; ibid, ii, 334.
53 Richard Smith and Randle Ryder of
Flixton in 1532 sold to Sir Alexander
Radcliffe of Ordsall their moiety of New-
croft, late the inheritance of Richard
Warburton, and later in the same year
Thomas Warburton of Tabley Hill,
Cheshire, sold his moiety to the same ;
Newcroft D. (Chet. Lib.).
52d Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, 26.
Similar statements are made in the in-
quisitions after the death of Sir William
Radcliffe (i 568), Sir John Radcliffe (i 590),
and Sir Alexander Radcliffe (1599) ; ibid.
x'i' 33 5 *v, 45 ; xvii, 35.
Richard Radcliffe, youngest son of Sir
William, lived at Newcroft, holding it on
lease from his brother Sir John Radcliffe
(Newcroft D.), and was buried at Flixton.
His memorial brass states that he was
' captain over 200 foot at the siege of
Leith and at the rebellion in the north.'
By his second wife he acquired the estate
of Foxdenton in Chadderton. He had also
an estate in Altcar.
In 1605 Sir John Radcliffe of Ordsall
made a settlement (or a sale) of the manor
of Newcroft, with messuages, gardens, lands,
and common of pasture ; PaL of Lane.
Feet, of F. bdle. 68, no. 16.
About 1632 there was a dispute as to
Newcroft between Greenhalgh and Rad-
cliffe ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 246.
48 From references already given it
would appear that Newcroft had been pur-
chased by the Hulmes, and from their
heirs by William Allen.
64 End. Char. Rep. for Flixton (1900),
pp. 3, 6. The price paid in 1888 was
4,000 ; Lawson, Flixton, 105.
4i D. H. Langton, Hist, of Flixton, 30.
*5a Dugdale, Visit, v. Roger Rogers,
gent., in Nov. 1690 became steward of
the Urmston halmote, and appears among
the free tenants at the same court. He
ceased to hold the office between 27 Aug.
and 26 Sept. 1695, when William Rogers
succeeded him. In 1699 Peter Egerton
of Shaw Hall granted Shaw Manor House
to Richard Tonge and William Rogers of
Stretford ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston),
iii, 307. In 1701 William Rogers became
steward of Stretford Court Baron.
46 The title to Hylland was in 1548
disputed by Giles and William Parting-
ton ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 88 ;
see also i, 228, ii, 94, for other references
to the family ; Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 34. In 1559 John
Partington of Manchester, mercer, sold
all his lands in Urmston to Edmund
Trafford ; he inherited from his uncle
James Partington, and another uncle,
Ralph, is named. The tenants were John
Gregory, Thomas Gregory, George Gre-
gory, William Holland, and Thomas
Gregory of Hillam ; De Trafford D. no.
115, 1 1 6. In 1546 William Partington
had purchased from John Gregory and
John his son six messuages, &c., in Urms-
ton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 12,
m. 256.
*7 Lawson, op. cit. 108 ; known as
55
' Pine apple hall ' from a carving over the
door.
48 Ibid. ; now known as the ' Grange."
49 Ibid. 109 ; the house called the
' Anchorage ' stands on the site. Gamer-
shaw is a corruption of Grimelshagh ; sec
D. of 1554 in Crofton, Stretford, ii, 42.
60 John Newton, who died in 1597,
held a messuage in Urmston of the queen;
John his son and heir was about sixteen ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 82.
Newton of Urmston occurs in the list of
freeholders in 1 600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 249. Robert New-
ton of Urmston had land in Barton on
lease in 1676-7 ; De Trafford D. no. 112.
Mr. Crofton adds the following further
information: In 1673 John Newton
paid hearth tax in Stretford for one hearth;
Stretford, iii, 212. On 21 Nov. 1684
' John son of Mr. John Newton of Stret-
ford ' married Sarah daughter of Mr.
Francis Brown of Manchester ; Stretford
Reg. John Newton was steward of Stret-
ford Court Baron. He was also a high-
way overseer for Stretford in 1691, and
chapelwarden in 1700. He was buried
at Bowdon 3 June 1701, and the entry in
the Stretford registers calls him 'gentle-
man.' The will of 'John Newton of
Stretford, yeoman,' was proved at Chester
the same year. On 27 Sept. 1690 letters
of administration had been granted to
John Newton of Stretford, yeoman, as
kinsman of Winifred wife of Thomas
Barlow of Barlow, who was daughter of
Anthony Meinell of N. Kilvington,
co. York. She had been wife of Kil-
lingbeck of Ellerton Grange, co. York,
and was buried at Manchester Collegiate
Church in 1690. Thomas Newton was
John Newton's executor. In Oct. 1620
the Urmston Halmote Recs. mention
Thomas Newton senr. and junr., John
Newton, gent., free tenant, and William
Newton, inhabitant.
61 Robert de Moston of Chester and
Cecily his wife in 1402 gave to William
son of Robert Gregory all their lands
in Urmston ; De Trafford D. no. 296.
Thomas de Hyde in 1418-19 contracted
to marry his daughter Maud to William
Gregory the younger of Leigh ; Harl.
MS. 2 1 12, fol. 1 60. John Gregory of
Newcroft was by Richard Radcliffe in 1593
called upon to pay a debt due to Sir
Edmund Trafford for fine and gressum ;
Ducatus Lane, iii, 289. Henry Gregory
contributed to the subsidy in 1622 for
lands ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 1 54. A pedigree recorded in 1 567 shows
that the Gregorys claimed by descent from
Adam Urmston of Urmston ; Visit. (Chet.
Soc.), 7.
62 Hugh Scott of Wigan and Alice his
wife had lands in Urmston in 1576; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 38, m. 119. Edmund
Hey in 1590 purchased a messuage, &c.,
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The most considerable contributor to the land tax
of 1 796 was William Marsden ; after him came John
Gregory, Stevenson's trustees, and Patten ; these in
all paid about a third of the tax. 63
Robert Barlow of Urmston joined Prince Rupert
when he invaded the county in 1 644 took part in
the battle at York, and continued in arms with that
force ; his property seems to have been confiscated. 64
In connexion with the Established Church a school-
chapel was opened in 1858 ; this was followed within
ten years by St. Clement's Church, consecrated in
January 1868. The site of church and churchyard
was the gift of Colonel Ridehalgh. A separate dis-
trict was assigned to it, and the patronage is vested in
the Bishop of Manchester. 65
The Wesleyan Methodists have had a meeting-
place here since about 1813, but services were dis-
continued for some years after 1850. They were
resumed about 1868, and in 1872 the present church
was opened. The Primitive Methodists had a chapel
in 1825, but the present one dates from 1873. The
Independent Methodists have had services since
1838."
A Congregationalist minister preached occasionally
in Urmston about 1 840, but the present church dates
only from 1880, services having begun in a school-
room the previous year. 67 The Baptists have a church.
The Unitarians have held services since I894- 68
The Roman Catholic church of the English Martyr*
was opened in
RADCLIFFE
Radeclive,Dom. Bk., 1193,1202, 1212,1311 ; Rad-
clive, 1227 ; Radeclif, 1309, 1360. The place is
said to take its name from a cliff of red sandstone on
the side of the Irwell.
The township and parish of Radcliffe lies in a bend
of the River Irwell, which bounds it on the east and
south, except in a few places where the difference of
boundary may be explained by changes in the course
of the river or other causes. The principal ancient
buildings, the church and the tower, are situated in
the south-east corner, at which point the Roch, flow-
ing from the east, joins the Irwell. The township
measures ^\ miles from erst to west, and has an area
of 2,533 acres. 1 The hig'iest land, about 500 ft.
above sea level, is in the north-west, and from it the
surface gradually descends to the east and south, the
land by the river being of course the lowest. The
population in 1901 was 20,590.* The Coal Measures
underlie the entire parish. There is a large area in
the valley of the Irwell, both above and below the
confluence with the River Roch, covered by alluvial
deposit. The principal road is that passing north-
west through Pilkington and crossing the river by a
bridge about a mile west-south-west of the church.
Around this point a hamlet called Radcliffe Bridge
gradually formed, and has in modern times become
the centre of trade and population. The road, after
crossing the bridge, goes northerly to join the Bury
and Bolton road, passing through the hamlet called
Black Lane. To the north of the Bury and Bolton
road is the Radcliffe portion of Cockey Moor. From
the bridge roads go eastward to the church, and then
cross the Irwell to join the Manchester and Bury road.
Other roads go west through Little Lever to Bolton.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's Liver-
pool and Bury line crosses the north of the township,,
going east and north-east, and has a station at Black
Lane. The company's East Lancashire section, with
a station at Radcliffe Bridge, runs through the town-
ship, and is joined by the line through Prestwich to
Manchester, which has a station called Radcliffe. The
Bury Canal crosses the township on the north-west
side of the town, and then goes west near the Irwell
till it joins the Manchester and Bolton Canal in Little
Lever. 3
Dr. Aikin in 1795 found the 400 houses in the
township for the most part ' of an inferior sort,' and
the inhabitants chiefly weavers, crofters, or employed
in the coal works which abounded in the neighbour-
hood ; those who lived by farming being very few.*
The village has now grown into a town, and gives a
name to one of the Parliamentary divisions of the
county. 5 Part of the area was incorporated in Bury
in 1876, and the remainder was governed by a local
board formed in i866. 6 The town, together with a
portion of Whitefield in Pilkington, is under the Act
of 1894 governed by an Urban District Council of
twenty-four members, elected from four wards Rad-
cliffe Hall, Radcliffe Bridge, Black Lane, and Stand
Lane ; the last is in Pilkington. 7 The council-room
is at the public baths, built in 1899. The market
house and market rights were purchased from Lord
Wilton in 1897. Technical schools were opened in
1896, a public park in 1902, and a free library, the
gift of Mr. Carnegie, in 1907. A museum has been
given by the Literary and Scientific Society.
Gas is supplied by a company formed in 1846.
Electric lighting works have been established recently.
from Hugh Scott, Gilbert his son and heir,
and Margaret wife of Gilbert, Richard
brother of Hugh, and Roger brother of
Gilbert ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.bdle. 54,
m. 1 5 6. John Hey, who died in 1 596, held
messuages in Urmston and Culcheth, and
left as heir his son Edmund, six years of age;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 90.
Mr. Crofton adds : At Urmston hal-
mote 19 Oct. 1613 (when Edmund Hey
would be twenty-three) the free tenants
who are recorded were Alexander Rad-
cliffe, gent., John Newton, gent., and the
heirs of John Hey each fined 6d. for not
appearing. This is the only record re-
lating to Hey. At next Court, 16 Apr.
1614, only Radcliffe and Newton are
named, as if Hey had sold to someone.
63 Returns at Preston.
64 Royalist Comf. Papers {Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 137.
65 Lawson, Flixton, 98-102; Land.
Gaz, 31 Mar. 1868 (district).
66 Lawson, op. cit. 130, 131.
'7 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. v, 74,
77-9 ; Lawson, op. cit. 131.
68 Ibid. Ibid.
1 2,473, including I2O of inland water,
according to the census of 1901. Various
alterations in the boundaries were made
in 1894 and 1896. In the former year
part of Radcliffe on the east of the Irwell
56
was included in Bury, while a fragment of
Elton was placed in Radcliffe (Local
Govt Bd. Orders 31671 and 30905) j
and later Whitefield in Pilkington had a
portion of Radcliffe added to it ; ibid,
338SS.
2 Including Stand Lane, the population
was 25,368.
8 The canal has a large reservoir on the
border of Radcliffe and Elton.
4 Country round Mane b. 259.
5 Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth Division.
8 Land. Gaz. 2$ May 1866.
1 The bounds of each ward are given in
detail in the official year-book issued by
the council.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Tramways, constructed by the district council, are
leased to the Corporation of Bury.
A market-house was erected by the Earl of Wilton
in 1851 ; Friday is the market day. 8 The wakes
begin on the third Saturday in August.
A convalescent hospital was presented to the town
in 1903 by Mr. Adam Crompton Bealey in memory
of his parents.
A weekly newspaper, 'The Radcliffe Times, founded
in 1 899, is printed at Bury.
A Roman road, commemorated by Blackburn Street,
passed northwards through RadclifFe Bridge.
There was a cross to the north-west of the church. 9
There were 108 hearths liable to the tax in 1666.
The rectory had only five hearths, but there was one
larger house, that of James Holland, with six. 10
The following is the apportionment of agricultural
land in the parish: Arable land, 561 acres; permanent
grass, 1,221; woods and plantations, 75.
There are several collieries, with cotton mills and
factories, the trades of the town including cotton-
spinning, the weaving of ginghams, scarves, handker-
chiefs, sarongs, &c., and the making of small-wares ;
bleaching, finishing, dyeing, paper-making, iron-found-
ing, and machine-making ; there are also chemical
manufactories.
At his death in 1 066 Edward the Con-
M4NOR fessor held R4DCLIFFE as one hide. 11
The extent of the royal manor must have
been much greater than that of the present township,
which was in 1212 assessed as one plough-land only.
Allowing for a reduction of the assessment by a
third, it is clear that the later manor of RadclifFe can
have been but a fourth part of the original one. At
the later date mentioned it formed part of the
Marsey fee, and was held of Ranulf son of Roger
by William de RadclifFe." William was in possession
in 1193, when he proffered 5 marks for having the
king's favour after the rebellion of John, Count of
Mortain. 13 In 1 199 he paid 10 marks for an inquiry
concerning land in Hartshead, 14 and later he contri-
buted to tallage and scutage. 15 In 1202 he secured
RADCLIFFE of Rad-
cliffe. Argent a bend-
let engrailed table.
an acknowledgement of his right to the advowson of
RadclifFe Church. 16 He was one of the 'trusty
knights' who made the great Survey of 1212, at
which time he was found to hold, in addition to
RadclifFe, 1 2 oxgangs in Edge-
worth. 17 He died before 1221,
when his widow Eugenia sued
Adam de RadclifFe for her
dower in a plough-land in
RadclifFe, a plough-land in
Edgeworth, and 4 oxgangs of
land in Little Lever. 18
Adam de RadclifFe is men-
tioned in 1223," and in 1227
acknowledged the service due
to the lord of Manchester
for Little Lever. 10 In 1246
as Adam son of William de
RadclifFe he was acquitted of having disseised Adam
son of Alexander de RadclifFe and Peter son of Adam
of 4 acres of common of pasture in RadclifFe, where
he had dug a mine ; but he was convicted of other
disseisin. 11 Adam had also to answer Cecily de
Gorhull, who claimed an oxgang in RadclifFe, of
which she alleged William father of Adam had
disseised her, but he alleged that Hugh son of
Spraging, Cecily's father, had exchanged that oxgang
for other land in Gorhull. 11 GeofFrey son of Hugh de
Gorhull in 1284 claimed a messuage and lands in
RadclifFe against Richard son of Robert de RadclifFe."
Richard de RadclifFe was in 1 302 holding the eighth
part of a fee in RadclifFe of the Earl of Lancaster. 14
Two years later he had from the king a grant of free
warren in his demesne lands of RadclifFe and Quarl-
ton. 16 William son of Richard de RadclifFe is next
found in possession. He married Margaret daughter
and heir of Adam de Hindley, and with her had
Peasfurlong, a fourth part of Culcheth. 16 In 1324 he
held the manor of RadclifFe by homage and the yearly
service of 6s. for castle-ward and zs. 6d. for sake fee,
and by the service of the half and the tenth part of a
knight's fee.* 7
8 There were unchartered fairs held at
the end of April and September ; Baines,
Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 533.
9 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xxii, 139.
10 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
11 V.C.H. Lana. i, 287.
18 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 71. The service
mentioned is 6;. ; in later inquisitions it
is described as the eighth part of a knight's
fee, held of the Earl or Duke of Lancaster
directly.
The parentage of William de Radcliffe
is not known. One Henry de Radcliffe
attested a charter in 1189 ; Farrer, Lanes.
Pipe R. 350. Alexander son of Uvieth
received 2 oxgangs in Little Lever from
Albert Grelley the younger (1162 to
1 1 So), and as Adam de Radcliffe was in
possession in 1227, it is possible that
Alexander was the father of William ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 57, 130. It
will be seen that an Adam son of Alex-
ander occurs in 1246.
William de Radcliffe and Hugh his son
attested a Withington charter about 1200 ;
Hulme D. no. i.
13 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 77.
14 Ibid. 117, 129, &c. He had given
Nicholas of the Oak the two plough-lands,
and seems to have desired to withdraw the
grant, alleging it to have been made under
compulsion of confinement while in prison.
15 Ibid. 151, 153, 176, &c.
16 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.),i, 10.
*7 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, \, 2, 67.
18 Ibid. 129 ; Curia Regis R. 78, m.
14 d.
19 Final Cone, i, 44 n.
30 Ibid, i, 47. This may be a different
Adam.
31 Assize R. 404, m. 6 d. Adam son of
Alexander at the same time claimed, as
heir of his grandfather Simon de Rad-
cliffe, certain land in Radcliffe held by
Henry de Oswaldtwistle ; ibid. m. 12 d.
aa Ibid. m. 1 1 d.
39 Assize R. 1268, m. 12 d. Robert
de Radcliffe was probably the Robert son
of Adam, who had land in Oswaldtwistle
in 1241 ; Final Cone, i, 85. Robert was
a juror in 1269, and Richard in 1282;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents, \, 235, 244.
John son of Adam son of William de
Radcliffe was nonsuited in a claim against
Roger de Middleton in 1292 ; Agnes
widow of Adam de Radcliffe was also non-
suited in a claim of dower ; Assize R.
408, m. 32 d. 30 d.
24 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, \, 314.
85 Chart. R. 97 (32 Edw. I), m. 2, no.
58
17; dated 23 July 1304. The 'park*
at Radcliffe used to be to the south of the
Tower.
In the same year and up to 1307
Richard de Radcliffe had to defend his
title to a messuage and land in Radcliffe
which were claimed by William de Mark-
Ian, rector of Prestwich, as the free alms
of his church ; De Banco R. 149, m.
2S5i R- i$5i m- 137 d -i R- 163. m -
162. Robert son of Richard de Rad-
cliffe, and William his brother were de-
fendants in 1306 and 1307 ; Coram Rege
R. 185, m. i d. ; R. 188, m. 38. Richard
de Radcliffe, Robert his son (dead in 1 309),
and Adam brother of Robert about the
same time seized the lands of Adam de
Lever in Little Lever, pretending a right
of wardship ; Assize R. 423, m. I d.
26 They were married in or before 1303;
De Banco R. 148, m. 71 ; Margery was
a widow in 1333 ; Had. MS. 2112, fol.
1 5 2/'/ 1 88 A. See further in the account
of Culcheth.
*7 Duchy of Lane. Rentals and Surv.
379, m. 13 ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii,
102.
In the elaborate pedigree in Whitaker,
Whalley, ii, 292, said to have been pre-
pared by William Radclyffe, Rouge Croix,
and verified by deeds in the Townelejr
SALFORD HUNDRED
RADCLIFFE
Richard son of William succeeded, and in 1346
held Radcliffe by the half and tenth part of a knight's
fee, the service of zs. 6d. a year, and puture. 28 He
occurs in various ways down to I37i,* 9 and appears to
have been followed by his grandson 80 James, who in
1403 received the king's licence to rebuild the manor-
house at Radcliffe, erecting a hall and two towers of
stone, and fortifying them with crenellation and battle-
ments. 81 He died in 1409, holding the manor of
Radcliffe, the fourth part of Culcheth, and other
lands ; Richard his son and heir was thirty years of
age. 31 Livery was at once granted to the heir," who
was knight of the shire in 1425." He died in or
before 1442," and was succeeded by his son James, 86
whose son John followed and died in 1485, holding
the manor of Radcliffe and the advowson of the church,
and various other manors and lands ; the heir, his
son Richard, was thirty-one years of age."
Richard Radcliffe died 8 June 1502, holding the
manors of Radcliffe, Oswaldtwistle, and Moston, the
moiety of Crumpsall, the fourth part of Culcheth,
and the advowson of Radcliffe Church, with houses,
mills, lands, and rents in those places, and in Low-
ton, Bolton, and Manchester. In 1500 he made a
feoffment of his estates, with reversion after his male
issue to his brothers John and Roger. The manor of
Radcliffe was held of the king as Duke of Lancaster
by the fourth part of a knight's fee and the yearly
rent of 8/. 6</., and its clear annual value was 10.
John his brother and next heir was forty years of age. 89
John Radcliffe, who thus succeeded, died 4 April
I5l3,leaving two daughters, and the manor passed to
his nephew John son of Roger Radcliffe, fourteen
years of age. 83 The wardship of the heir was early
in the next year given to Queen Katherine, 40 but he
died in 1517, before attaining his majority." There-
MSS. it is stated that Ralph, the eldest
son of Robert, elder brother of William,
dying childless, left Radcliffe to his uncle
William. It appears, however, that in
1309 the family manors of Radcliffe, Os-
waldtwistle, and Quarlton were settled on
William son of Richard de Radcliffe by
Richard son of Robert de Radcliffe, with
remainder to Richard son of William ;
Final Cane, ii, 5.
In 1323 William son of Richard de
Radcliffe was defendant in a claim by John
son of Richard de Radcliffe regarding a
tenement in Radcliffe ; Assize R. 425,
m. i. He was returned by the sheriff
in 1324 as one of those having lands over
15 annual value ; Palgrave, Part. Writs,
ii, 1319. As appears by a previous note,
he died before 1333.
"8 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146.
In 1344 it appears that Richard de Rad-
cliffe was the husband of Isabel daughter
and co-heir of John son of Michael de
Harcla ; De Banco R. 340, m. 400.
In 1347 William son of Robert de
Radcliffe and Richard de Reddish com-
plained that Richard son of William de
Radcliffe and his feoffees had disseised
them of the manors of Radcliffe and
Prestwich, and various lands there and in
Edgeworth and Oswaldtwistle. It appeared
that the plaintiffs had been enfcoffed by
Richard in 1342, and that he had recently
made a new feoffment ; Assize R. 1435,
i8d. See farther under Prestwich.
29 About 1355 livery was granted to
Richard de Radcliffe of a messuage and
12 acres in Radcliffe seized into the
duke's hands, because Adam de Radcliffe,
who had held them of Richard, was
hanged for felony, the duke having had
his year and day and waste therein ; Dtp.
Keeper" i Rep. xxxii, App. 344. In 1365
licence was granted by the bishop for the
oratories of Richard de Radcliffe at Rad-
cliffe and elsewhere ; Lich. Epis. Reg. v,
fol. lib. In 1369 Richard son of William
de Radcliffe and Isabel his wife were
concerned in a settlement of Prestwich
manor ; Final Cone, ii, 176.
80 So in the pedigree referred to above.
Whitaker gives the descent as follows,
from a deed in the church chest at Black-
bum, written about 1514 : Richard de
Radcliffe the old s. William s.
Richard s. William s. James s.
Richard s. James s. John s.
Roger s. John (then under age) ;
Wballey, ii, 290. A William de Rad-
cliffe, perhaps the father of James, was
sheriff in 1357-8; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 6, m. 3.
81 Cal. Pat. 1401-3, p. 255 ; it is
printed in full by Whitaker ; ffhalley, ii,
291. The hall is the alleged scene of
the events related in ' Lady Isabel's
Tragedy, or the Stepmother's Cruelty,' a
ballad in Percy's Reliquet ; the stepmother
is said to have made the cook kill her hus-
band's only daughter (Ellen or Isabel) and
serve her up in a pie, which was ready on
his return. A scullion boy, who had
offered himself as a substitute, revealed
the iniquity and was made heir ; Lanes,
and Ches. Antiq. Soc. vii, 282.
83 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 94.
The service for Radcliffe was the half and
tenth part of a knight's fee, and 81. 8</. a
year. Lands in Harwood went to Henry
de Radcliffe. From a later inquisition it
appears that Henry was the son of James,
and ancestor of the Radcliffes of Frams-
den in Suffolk, who became extinct in
the male line in 1527. The heir male
was then Robert Radcliffe, Lord Fitz
Walter, who also inherited Radcliffe, his
pedigree being given as son of John Lord
Fitz Walter, son of Sir John Radcliffe,
son of John Radcliffe, son of James and
brother of Henry; ibid, ii, 152. In
another version of inquisition the grant
to Henry de Radcliffe is recited ; the re-
mainders, after Henry son of James, were
to Richard, John, Peter, William, and
Roger, brothers of Henry, and then to
Richard son of Thomas de Radcliffe of
Winmarleigh ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
vi, 45.
48 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 8.
84 Pink and Beaven, Part. Repre. of
Lanes. 52. This seems to have been about
the only service of the kind rendered
by this family.
85 The inquisition, taken in 1441-2,
shows him to have held the manors of
Radcliffe, Oswaldtwistle and Culcheth
(part), and the advowson of Radcliffe ;
Harl. MS. 2085, fol. 446 b.
86 In 1445-6 James son of Richard
de Radcliffe held the half and the twen-
tieth part of a knight's fee, viz. the manor
of Radcliffe ; Duchy of Lane. Knights'
Fees, 2/20.
87 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
1 20-2. The manor of Radcliffe was said
to be held of the king as duke by knight's
service and a rent of icu. Robert Rad-
cliffe and others held lands of Richard
Radcliffe by a rent of 1 3*., and Richard
held of the crown by knight's service and
id. rent. The other manors were Os-
waldtwistle and part of Culcheth.
Shortly afterwards Isabel widow of
John Radcliffe, and John Radcliffe her
59
son, and Henry Radcliffe, another son of
the deceased, as executors, complained
that George Ainsworth and others had cut
down and carried off 200 thraves of oats
at Oswaldtwistle ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
63, m. 4.
Richard Radcliffe was in 1498 called
upon to show by what warrant he claimed
waifs and strays, &c., and free warren on
his manors of Radcliffe and Oswaldtwistle ;
Pal. of Lane. Writs Proton. 1 3 Hen. VII.
A feoffment of the manors was made
by Richard Radcliffe in 1500; Final
Cone, iii, 149. For some reason a special
licence of entry on all his lands was given
him in 1501 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxix,
App. 558.
88 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 98.
His will is given. Bequests were made
to his wife Alice and his brothers ; an
honest chaplain was to be provided to
celebrate divine service in the church of
Radcliffe for seven years next after his
death. The widow received as dower
lands in Culcheth, Crumpsall, Moston, and
Lowton of the yearly value of 40 3*.
89 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 7.
In 1505-6 he made a settlement of his
manors and lands, and in 1511 pro-
vided for the jointure of his wife Anne.
His will, dated 24 November 1512, is
given in full ; by it he set apart 6 J marks
a year for ' a sad, discreet and well-dis-
posed ' priest to pray in Radcliffe Church
for the souls of the testator, his parents
and brothers, &c., during the nonage of
the heir male. He provided for his bas-
tard son John, and his two daughters
Ellen and Agnes ; also for the four
daughters of his brother Roger Ellen,
Isabel, Agnes, and Elizabeth. Should his
nephew John die without male issue, the
manors, &c., were to descend in succession
to the male heirs of Robert Radcliffe
(son of) the late Lord Fitz Walter, which
deceased at Calais ' having been attainted
for participating in the Perkin Warbeck
attempt, and beheaded in 1496 ; of
Thomas Radcliffe, lately lord of Frams-
den ; of Thomas Radcliffe, sometime
lord of Winmarleigh ; and of William
Radcliffe, sometime lord of OrdsalL The
clear annual value of Radcliffe Manor was
40 ; the tenure is stated as in previous
inquisitions.
It appears from the inquisitions that
the Radcliffes of Ordsall held a few acres
in Radcliffe, but the tenure is not stated.
40 On I Feb. 1513-14 ; Dep. Keeper's
Rep. xxxix, App. 558.
41 Writ of Diem clausit extr. issued
3 Sept. 1517; Towneley MS. CC. no.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
nnn
upon the family manors, in accordance with the
settlement made by his uncle John, came into the
hands of Robert Radcliffe, Lord Fitz Walter, created
Viscount Fitz Walter in 1525 and Earl of Sussex in
1529." Radcliffe descended to his son Henry 43 and
grandson Thomas, second and third earls, but the last-
named, who died without surviving issue in 1583,"
sold Radcliffe and the other Lancashire manors and
lands. Radcliffe was in 1561 purchased from him
by Richard Assheton, lord of the adjoining manor of
Middleton, 48 and descended with the latter until
1 765, when the Assheton estates were divided between
the two daughters of Sir Ralph Assheton. 46 One of
these, Eleanor, married Sir Thomas Egerton of
Heaton, afterwards Lord Grey de Wilton, and the
manor of Radcliffe appears to have been included
in her share. 47 It has since descended with the
Wilton estates, the present
lord being Sir Frederick John-
stone, by demise of the Earl
of Wilton. 48 A court-baron
used to be held on the first
Friday in April. 49
The ruins of Radcliffe Tower
stand about 200 yds. south-
west of the church and in-
closed within a farmyard. The
house was of timber construc-
tion, and seems to have con-
sisted of a main block standing
east and west, with a west
wing, which may have been an
addition to the original build-
ing, and a stone tower at
the east. No authentic record of the plan of the
building, however, remains, the chief source of in-
formation concerning the structure being the descrip-
tion of it given by Whitaker in his History ofWkalley,
together with a view of the north or principal front
of the hall made in lySi. 50 This latter shows a
two-storied house of timber and plaster with gabled
roofs of the usual type. The stone-built wing, or
tower, then in a state of ruin, is the only part of the
building now remaining. The rest of the house was
JOHNSTONE, Baronet.
Argent a saltire sable,
on a chief gules three
cushions or, in base a
man's heart ensigned "with
an imperial crown pro-
per.
allowed to fall into decay, and was taken down in the
early part of the igth century.
The position of Radcliffe Tower, like that of the
church, is one naturally of defence, being built in the
centre of a bend of the River Irwell. The ground
within the bend is flat and low-lying, but the river
itself, being on three sides of the house at a distance
of only about quarter of a mile, would afford sufficient
protection to account for the absence of a moat to the
house. The present stone-built tower probably be-
longs to 1403, being erected in accordance with the
licence recorded above, and had a contemporary
timber building adjoining it on the west side. It
is difficult to reconcile the provisions of the licence
of 1403 with the existing remains, as it seems clear
that there was no stone hall in connexion with this
tower. Of the second tower nothing can be said, and
if it was ever built, no trace or tradition of it remains.
The great hall, which was doubtless the building
which left its roof-line on the ruined tower, occupied
the east part of the main block, and according to
Whitaker was 42 ft. 2 in. in length, and in one part
26ft. and in another 28 ft. in width. 51 It had an
open-timbered roof supported by two massive princi-
pals, which are described by Whitaker as the 'most
curious specimens of carved oak work I have ever
seen.' They appear to have been, however, of a not
unusual type. At the east end of the hall was a door,
which still remains, opening into the basement of the
tower, and higher up in the wall another door, also
still in existence, which led into the chamber above.
At the west end of the hall were the kitchen and
servants' apartments, and in Whitaker's time there
were still to be seen ' the remains of a doorway
opening into what was once a staircase, and leading
to a large chamber above the kitchen, the approach to
which beneath was by a door of massy oak pointed at
the top. The kitchen and apartment above stood at
right angles to the top of the hall, and are separated
from it by a wall of oak work. The chamber is 3 8 ft.
long by 1 8 ft. 5 in., and has two massy arches of oak
without mouldings, but an oaken cornice mould like
those in the hall, the floor of thick oaken planks.'
On the south side of the hall were the remains of a
802. He held the manors, &c., as before ;
the heirs general were his four sisters
named above, and the heir male was
Robert Radcliffe, Lord Fitz Walter;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 8.
Lord Fitz Walter on succeeding found
that many of the charters were in the
hands of Thurstan Tyldesley, as executor
of the John Radcliffe who died in 1513 ;
but Thurstan professed his willingness to
deliver them up, as soon as he was assured
as to the heir ; Duchy of Lane. Plead.
xiz, R. i.
43 The descent has been given in a
preceding note. For this branch see
G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iii, 371, 372 ;
vii, 334-6. There are accounts of John
Radcliffe, Lord Fitz Walter, and of the
Earls of Sussex in Diet. Nat. Biog.
Robert, Earl of Sussex, was Lord Lieu-
tenant of Lancashire in 1537 and high
steward of the Duchy in 1539 and 1540.
He died in 1542, holding the manors of
Radcliffe at Tower, Moston, and Crump-
sail, and leaving a son and heir Henry,
aged twenty-five and more ; Chan. Inq.
p.m. 66 (38), E. file 643 (18).
, * He died 17 Feb. 1556-7 ; ibid.
** Ibid. His second wife, Frances
Sidney, survived him and bequeathed funds
for the foundation of Sidney-Sussex Col-
lege, Cambridge.
48 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 33,
m. 3. The estate is described as the
manor of Radcliffe, otherwise 'Radcliffe
Tower,' with the appurtenances, and of 100
messuages, 100 cottages, 40 tofts, 4 water-
mills, a fulling-mill, four dovecotes, 200
gardens, 2,000 acres of land, 1,000 acres
of meadow, 2,000 acres of pasture, 100
acres of wood, 200 acres of marsh, 1,000
acres of furze and heath, and ^10 rent in
Radcliffe, Bolton, and Manchester, and
the advowson of the church of Radcliffe.
The sum named in the fine is 2,000
marks.
In 1 5 64 Richard Assheton had to make
a further arrangement with Richard Blunt
and Margaret his wife regarding the manor
of Radcliffe, he paying them 1,000 ;
ibid. bdle. 26, m. 256. A deed between
Richard Blunt and Gilbert Gerard con-
cerning Radcliffe was enrolled in the
Common Pleas, Easter, 1564.
The manor of Radcliffe or Radcliffe
Tower was in 1582 included in a settle-
ment of the Middleton estates made by
Richard Assheton and Mary his wife ;
60
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F., bdle. 44, m. 73.
Similar settlements were made later, down
to 1721; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 512, m. 3.
See also Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 105-7.
46 See the account of Middleton.
*7 In 1766 there was a settlement
of a moiety of the manors of Middleton
and Radcliffe upon Harbord Harbord
and Mary his wife; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 375, m. 153. This was fol-
lowed in 1771 by a similar settlement
of the other moiety upon Sir Thomas
Egerton and Mary his wife ; ibid, bdle,
385, m. 246. Shortly afterwards a
division was arranged, Lord Grey de
Wilton alone presenting to the rectory
in 1784.
48 See the account of Heaton in Prest-
wich.
49 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 7.
60 Drawn by H. Wyatt, lithographed
by J. Ford, Manchester, 1823.
81 His view of the interior, however
(1801), exaggerates the length, but this
defect of the drawing was afterwards
remedied, and a view ' with the erroneous
perspective corrected ' published in the
Gent. Mag. for July 1 840.
RADCLIFFE TOWER FROM THE NORTH-WEST
RADCLIFFE TOWER FROM THE SOUTH-WEST
SALFORD HUNDRED
square-headed window - frame in oak with Gothic
tracery.
In 1833 the fabric, except the tower, was described
as of 'brick inclosed in squares of wood,' 51 and the
large chamber above the kitchen had been converted
into two rooms. The building was then supported
by ' substantial buttresses ' ; but where such supports
were wanting the walls had fallen. The great hall
was then used as a hayloft and cowshed. The ancient
timber framework had apparently by that time been
filled in with brick, and the whole structure was in a
state of ruin and dilapidation. It had been taken
down before 1844, and the materials, described as
* chiefly beams and planks of solid black oak,' used for
building purposes.
The stone tower, the bottom part of which is
still standing, is 50 ft. in length and 28 ft. in width.
These measurements are external, the greater length
PLAN OF RADCLIFFE TOWER
being from north to south. The walls are 5 ft. thick
all round above the plinth, which has a projection of
1 2 in. The tower was probably of two stories, with
an embattled parapet ; but the upper part has now
almost entirely disappeared, only portions of the walls
above the level of the first floor being still in situ, the
rest having crumbled away in comparatively recent
years. The walls being quite exposed to the weather
at the top this process of gradual disintegration of the
structure is likely to continue. The lower room of
the tower was originally covered by a semicircular
barrel vault, the springing of which at each side may
still be seen. Some portion of this vault was standing
as late as 1 844, when Samuel Bamford, who visited
the tower in that year, described it as hanging by a
single stone, and ' unless it be protected from further
wanton outrage must soon share the fate of the hall.' 53
The spring of the vault is about 5 ft. from the ground,
which would make the height of the apartment about
1 5 ft. It was lit at each end by a window high up
in the wall, and on the east side by two smaller win-
dows nearer the ground. The entrance on the west
side is through a pointed doorway, 4 ft. wide, the
jambs and head of which have a continuous double
chamfer. The chief feature of this lower room of
the tower, however, consists of three large arched
openings about 10 ft. in width, one at each end and
the other in the middle of the east wall opposite the
entrance. They have an inner and outer arch, 1 5 in.
RADCLIFFE
in thickness at the wall faces, with a space between of
2 ft. 6 in., from the centre of which a square flue is
carried up in the thickness of the wall. The outer
arch was built up on the outside, the plinth being
carried across the blocking wall at the line of the
springing, about 4 ft. 3 in. from the ground. From
the evidence of the masonry this is part of the original
work done at the time of building. The height to
the top of the arch, which is pointed and built of
voussoirs, is about 9 ft. It seems most reasonable to
regard these openings as fireplaces, and that at the
north end of the room is still in its original state.
The other two have been opened out, and are now
open archways, that in the south side forming the
principal entrance to the tower, which is used for
store purposes in connexion with the adjoining farm
and roofed with wood. The east archway now gives
access to a wooden shed built along that side of the
tower. The north and south fireplaces are not in the
middle of the end walls, but immediately against the
west side of the building. The presence of three
such fireplaces in so comparatively small an apartment
would at first sight suggest that the room had been
used as a kitchen, but this is unlikely if the tower
were used, as it appears to have been, as the part of
the house allotted to the family. The three square
flues are still well preserved in the walls, the stones
of that on the south side yet showing a calcined
surface.
The room above was approached by a stone stair-
case in the thickness of the wall at the south end of
the west wall, leading out of the great hall at a height
of about 7 ft. 6 in. above the floor. The doorway
to this staircase has a pointed head, and the wall is
thickened to 6 ft. at this point to allow of room for
the stairs. The steps are still in position, along with
the sill of a small two-light window which lit the
landing at their head. There is an ordinary fireplace
opening on the first floor 7 ft. wide in the centre of
the west wall.
The outer walls of the tower are constructed of
heavy blocks of coursed stone on the north, south,
and east sides, and for a distance of about 1 2 ft. on
the north end of the west side. At this point the
plinth stops, and the coursed masonry leaves off at the
height of the sill of the doorway of the upper room.
The point where the ashlar ceases marks the line of
the front of the timber-built hall, the line of the roof
of which may still be seen on the rough walling at
the west side of the tower. On this side the centre
portion of the wall yet stands nearly 30 ft. above the
ground, though the end walls of the building are
reduced to something like half that height. About
midway in the height of the west wall, 1 5 ft. 3 in.
from the ground, and formerly the end wall of the
great hall, is a projecting string-course, which stops at
either end at the line of the ancient roof.
In 1592 the Earl of Derby sent certain widows,
who were recusants, to prison in the tower, it being
'withinland and in the hundred where the people
are well affected.' M
Junior branches of the local family occur from time
to time. In 1357 Robert son of Adam de Radcliffe
made a claim against Adam son of William de
Radcliffe. 55
58 Butterworth for Baines, Land.
58 A woodcut in The Pictorial Hittory
of Lane. 260 (1844), shows part of the
vault still standing. The stairs to the
chamber were cut from solid blocks of
oak ; Mane A. Guard. 1844 and 1888.
61
54 Cal. S.P. Dam. 1591-4, p. 288.
Mrs. Anne Hoghton was one of them.
85 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 10 d.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Robert Radcliffe had messuages and lands in Rad-
cliffe and Sharpies in 1 5 Sg, 56 and a further estate in
the same places was the subject of agreement between
James Radcliffe and Robert Radcliffe the elder in
1595." The elder and younger Robert were free-
holders in i6oo. 68 It was probably the younger
Robert who died in 1617, holding messuages in
Radcliffe of Sir Richard Assheton in socage by I zd.
rent, and having other property in Manchester and
Salford. 59 Edward Radcliffe, the son and heir, was
twelve years of age, and was living in 1665, when a
pedigree was recorded Radcliffe of Radcliffe Bridge. 60
Alexander Radcliffe of Leigh, who recorded a pedi-
gree at the same visitation, in 1680 purchased Edward
Radcliffe's estate in Radcliffe, which his descendants
continue to hold. 61 The land-tax return of 1788
shows that Mr. Radcliffe paid about a thirtieth of the
tax. Lord Grey de Wilton paid nearly half. The
rest of the land was in small holdings. 6 *
<O 30
S
1
-a*
NORTH
TRANSEPT
VESTRY
1 MORTH AISLE
r
PLAN OF RADCLIFFE CHURCH
A few other families occur from time to time
Openshaw, 63 Wroe, 64 and Hardman. 65 In 1688 the
principal inhabitants were Gervase Staynrod, Henry
Coulborne, John Allen, and Roger Walker. 66
Land called Nickerhole in the south-west of the
township was in the i6th century the subject of
several disputes. 67
An Inclosure Act for Radcliffe and Ainsworth was
passed in 1809, and an award made in I8I2. 68
The church of ST. S4RTHOLO-
CHURCH MEW* stands at the east side of the
town in the centre of a bend of the
River Irwell, the ground between which and the
church on the south side still remains open as field
and pasture. The building consists of chancel 23 ft.
by 1 9 ft., with vestry on the north side and chapel
on the south, each 22 ft. 6 in. by 21 ft.; nave 36 ft.
by 20 ft., north and south transepts each 2 1 ft. 6 in.
by 1 8 ft., north aisle 1 2 ft. 6 in. wide, south aisle
2 1 ft. wide, and western tower
^ 1 2 ft. 6 in. by 1 2 ft. All these
measurements are internal.
A great deal of alteration
and rebuilding, done in the
1 9th century, has made the
whole of the outside of the
church, with the exception
of the tower, of modern date ;
but it still preserves to a large
extent its ancient appearance.
The history of this later work
may be thus summarized : In
1817 the chancel and vestry
were rebuilt ; in 1 846 the
north transept was recon-
structed, an organ chamber
built on the north side of the
chancel, the south porch re-
moved, and a west door opened
out in the tower ; in 1870-3
the building underwent a very
thorough restoration, when
the clearstory was taken down
and rebuilt and a new roof
constructed, the south aisle
68 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 51,
m. 125. 6 7 Ibid. bdle. 57, m. 23.
68 Mite. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 247.
49 Lanes. Inq, p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 75. James Radcliffe of
Sharpies was one of the jurors.
60 Dugdale, Vhit. (Chet. Soc.), 239.
61 Richard Radcliffe of Leigh s.
Thomas . Alexander, d. 1 646 s.
Alexander, d. 1700 s. John, d. 1700
s. John, Recorder of Liverpool, d. 1 744
. Alexander, Recorder of Wigan, d.
1786 s. John, d. 1799 s. Thomas
Hayward, d. 1829 t. John, d. 1845
dau. Frances, d. 1897. She married
James Darlington and had several sons
and daughters ; information of Mr. R. D.
Radcliffe.
68 Land Tax returns at Preston. This
Radcliffe family is named in Baines,
Lanes, (ed. 1836), in, 7.
68 James Openshaw appears to have
sold lands in Radcliffe in 1558, and pur-
chased others in 1565 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 20, m. 69 ; 27, m. 115 ;
Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 250.
John Openshaw, who died in 1638,
held two messuages and lands in Rad-
cliffe of Ralph Assheton of Middleton ;
John, his son and heir, was thirty-nine
years of age ; Towneley MS. C. 8, 13
(Chet. Lib.), 949.
64 Richard Wroe was a freeholder in
1 600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 249. Dr. Richard Wroe, warden of
Manchester, a benefactor of the poor of
Radcliffe, was probably a descendant of
this family, though said to have been born
in Unsworth ; his grandson will be found
among the rectors.
65 John and James Hardman had a
dispute with Richard Assheton, lord of the
manor, in 1 600 ; Dueatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), iii, 409. Roger Hardman of
Radcliffe was a member of the Bury
Class! s in 1646.
64 Hiit. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
196. The Aliens and Walkers are later
found among the landowners.
7 John Harrison leased ' Niberhole '
to Geoffrey Hulme, son of Roger, for
sixty years, but afterwards expelled him
and his family, whereupon Geoffrey in
1557 complained to the Chancellor of the
62
Duchy ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, xxxv, H.
4. A few years later James Harri-
son, as heir of his father John, claimed
land from Geoffrey and John Hulme,
who held by lease from the father ; Du-
catus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 243, 286.
In 1602 John Harrison of Breightmet was
the owner of ' Nytheroll,' and sold it to-
William Petto of Bury, as the latter
alleged ; but John Harrison, together
with Henry Aspinall, Alice Harrison
widow, and Elizabeth Hulme widow,
having obtained divers charters, &c., would
not allow him possession ; Duchy of
Lane. Plead, ccvii, P. 4.
Henry Aspinall of Radcliffe died in
1620 holding a messuage and lands called
' Nicolhole ' of Richard Assheton in socage,
by zi. rent 5 John, his son and heir, was
forty years of age ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 208.
68 Act 49 Geo. Ill, cap. 8. Copies of
the award are preserved at the parish
church and the County Offices, Preston.
69 In 1459 the church was called 'St.
Mary of Radcliffe' ; Lich. Epis. Reg. xii,
fol. ib. 'St. Mary' has been readopted;
lately.
SALFORD HUNDRED
RADCLIFFE
was enlarged, and a new chapel was added on the
south of the chancel; in 1903 the north vestry was
enlarged, the plaster stripped from the walls, and the
interior refaced with Runcorn stone, the floor, which
had been raised 19 in. in 1846, reduced to its original
level, and the arches between the transepts and vestry
and chapel reconstructed. Since then the outside
wall of the south transept has been refaced in red
sandstone and the tracery renewed. The exterior of
the church is built of sandstone, with slated gabled
roofs to all parts except the nave, the roof of which is
of flat pitch and covered with lead. The clearstory,
south aisle, and chapel are finished with square para-
pets, the north aisle, transept, and vestry having over-
hanging eaves.
The oldest details of the building are the piers
supporting the chancel arch, which are of 13th-cen-
tury date, but it is possible that the four angles of the
nave may belong to an older church dating from the
1 2th century. The south wall of the south transept
belongs to the 1 4th century, while the tower arch and
west wall of the nave are probably a century later ;
the nave arcade is of 16th-century date, and the
tower was rebuilt in 1665.
The original church may
have been a rectangular 12th-
century building covering the
area of the present nave, with
a small square-ended chancel.
In the 1 3th century a new
chancel, of which the western
arch still remains, was built
round the former one, and in
the 1 4th century transepts were
added to the nave, their length
suggesting that the nave may
by this time have had aisles.
A tower may have been built
towards the end of the I4th or
beginning of the I5th century
against the end of the original
nave. In the early years of
the 1 6th century the present
nave arcades of two bays, with
the clearstory, were erected,
and the tower, as before state:!, having apparently
become insecure, was rebuilt in 1665, many of the
old stones being used.
The chancel has an east window of three lights
with modern 14th-century tracery, and an open arch
on the north and south sides to the organ chamber
and the south chapel respectively. The chancel arch
is of two plain chamfered orders with a label of 1 3th-
century masonry recently reset, and springs from
half-round piers with a fillet on the face, the capitals
of which have been renewed. The wall above the
chancel arch is probably of I 3th-century construction,
and shows the line of the older roof, which strikes the
side walls at the level of the crowns of the present
nave arches.
The nave arcades are of two bays with pointed
arches resting on responds, and central piers of 16th-
-century date consisting of engaged clustered shafts
with coarsely-moulded capitals and bases, the arch
mouldings being composed of two rounds and a
Jiollow. Over each arcade is a clearstory of square-
headed four-light windows, three on each side. The
nave roof is modern, of flat pitch, but preserving the
features of the older one. It consists of four princi-
pals, one against the tower wall, and one close to the
chancel arch, with moulded ridge and wall pieces and
intermediate ribs in the panels. The corbels carrying
the roof have figures of eight prophets, and the four
central bosses are carved with (i) a ship, (2) the
five wounds, (3) a dove, and (4) a hand.
The north transept, which is entirely rebuilt, has a
pointed window of three lights with curious tracery
of flowing type with an external label. It is appa-
rently original, or at any rate not of recent reproduc-
tion ; but the jambs and head of the window have
been restored. The transept has diagonal angle but-
tresses of two stages, with gabled heads. The north
aisle has a modern three-light square-headed window
on the north with net tracery, and a similar flat-
pointed window at the west end, also modern.
The south transept is now open to the church for
its full depth both on the east and west sides, but its
south wall is of 14th-century date, and has a three-
light pointed window with peculiar tracery into
which two human heads are introduced. The whole
of this wall has been refaced on the outside with red
RADCLIKFE CHURCH : INTERIOR LOOKING EAST
sandstone, and the window tracery renewed. On the
interior the wall retains its ancient facing, and there
is a 14th-century piscina in the south-east corner.
The new south aisle replaces one about I o ft. wide
which was pulled down in the rebuilding of 1872,
and had a south porch over its doorway. It is lighted
at the west end by two two-light windows, and on
the south side by three square-headed traceried win-
dows of two lights each. Similar windows light the
modern south chapel, and there is an external door-
way at its south-west angle.
The tower, which has a vice in the south-west
corner, was rebuilt in the 1 7th century, presumably
carrying out more or less the style of the earlier tower.
The internal arch is of 15th-century date, and consists
of two plain chamfered orders, and the two-light west
window appears to be old work retained in the re-
building. Externally the tower has a rather stumpy
appearance, and its three stages are unmarked by any
horizontal line or string-course. It has diagonal but-
tresses of seven stages, with plain weatherings, and is
finished with an embattled parapet with angle pin-
nacles, and a conical slated roof with a good 1 8th-
63
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
century vane. In the top stage on the north, west,
and south sides are three-light windows. Over the
west door is an ornamental panel with the date 1665,
and the arms of Beswick 70 inscribed RECTOR CAROLUS
BESWICKE. The north side has a two-light square-
headed window on the second stage, immediately
above which is a stone inscribed EDWARD RATCLIFFE
1665, and on the south side of the tower is a stone
bearing the name of Sir Ralph Assheton with the same
date. The clock-dials on the north and west sides
dated 1786 were replaced in 1908. The putlog
holes are a very conspicuous feature.
The fittings are all modern, but at the west end
are two oak seats incorporating portions of the 17th-
century pulpit and reading desk. That on the south
of the tower arch has five inlaid panels : (i) the
date 1606 with the Assheton molet below, (2) the
initials s. R. A. with the Assheton crest (a boar's head
L. s.
erased), (3) the Assheton molet with the letters p.
R. w.
(probably denoting Leonard Shaw and Robert Walk-
den, rectors during the 17th-century alterations), (4)
the initials 1. 1. with a molet between, and (5) the
letters ' ' probably the initials of churchwardens.
On the back of the seat on the north side are the
initials
R.
C. B.
RADCLIFFE CHURCH : FROM THE WEST
and the date 1665, denoting Charles
Beswick, rector, and the inscription, which probably
ran along the upper part of the desk (now in two
lines), ' All my words that I speak unto thee, receive
into thine heart with thine ears. Ezekiel III Chap.
10 verse . . .' The font, which is early modern
Gothic, has a canopy (dated 1858) raised by a chain
pulley and cannon-ball weight. There is no ancient
glass, but Baines, writing in 1833, notices in one of
the north windows the arms of Radcliffe and the head
of a queen. Another window on the north side had
the head of a king, and one of the east windows had
a boar's head in a shield, and in a window to the
west was a painting of St. John the Evangelist with a
chalice in his right hand and a palm in his left. 71
All this glass has now disappeared.
Under the altar is an alabaster slab, now very
much defaced, said to be that of James Radcliffe the
builder of Radcliffe Tower, but probably that of the
founder's grandson, the first of the line of Radcliffe
of Langley. 7 * The figures of a knight and lady
with the heads of their children below can still
be traced, and two shields in the upper part, but
the inscription is illegible. The slab had been
lost when Baines wrote in 1833, but was recovered
in the restorations of 1870-3. One of the shields
has the arms of Radcliffe, and the other is defaced,
but is said to have had those of Langley. 73
There are eight bells ; six of these are by Rud-
hall, but were recast in 1 86 1, and two more added.
There is a tradition that they came from Middleton.
The plate consists of a chalice and flagon of
1754, with the maker's mark T.W. ; and a Bir-
mingham paten of 1 898 and'cruet of 1 906. There
is also a chalice similar in design to the first made
by Oliver and Botsford of Manchester, and two
silver-plated patens the gift of Anne Bealey, 1868.
The registers begin in 1559." The tithe maps
are kept in the vestry.
The church existed in the 1 2th
ADVOWSON century, and is first mentioned in
1 202, when William de Radcliffe,
lord of the manor, secured from Roger de Middle-
ton an acknowledgement of his right to present. 75
From this time the advowson appears to have
descended with the manor. The only dispute
recorded took place in 1514, when the feoffees of
John Radcliffe were hindered in their right, prob-
ably because the wardship of the heir had been
granted to Queen Katherine. 76
The income being very small the benefice was
omitted in the taxation of 1291, but fifty years
later the value of the ninth of the sheaves, wool,
&c., was returned as 33*. 4^." In 1534 the gross
value was found to be 2 1 ^i. 4^., of which 2/. was
7* Gules three bezants, a fesse in chief
or.
7 1 A drawing of this is given in Baines,
op. cit. (1836), iii, 8 ; (ed. 1889) ii, 429.
73 See note in Baines, Lanes. (1889), ii,
429.
" 8 There is an illustration of the slab in
Baines, Lanes. (1836), iii, 9; (1889) ii,
429. Dr. Whitaker gave what he could
decipher of the inscription as ' Orate pr.
aia. Jacobi de RadclifF ... qu ...
p'pietur Deus.'
74 For extracts see W. Nicholls, Hist.
and Trad, of Radcltff?, 92-106.
7 s Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 10. An assize of 'last presen-
64
tation ' had been summoned, so that it
would appear at least one rector had been
appointed. On the other hand, as the
parish and manor boundaries coincide, it
is unlikely that the former is older than
the latter.
7 6 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 117, m. 7.
77 Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39.
SALFORD HUNDRED
RADCLIFFE
paid to the archdeacon for synodals and procurations/ 8
The Commonwealth Commissioners in 1650 found the
income to be about 50 a year ; in addition Colonel
Assheton, lord of the manor and patron, had demesne
At the beginning of the next century the value had
risen to .90, of which more than a third was the
rent of the glebe. 80 It is now 950 a year ; 81 Sir
Frederick Johnstone, by purchase from the Earl of
lands worth _i 50 a year for which he paid no tithe. 79 Wilton, is at present the patron.
The following is a list of the rectors :
Institution Name
Robert 89
John de Hulton M . .
Richard de Radcliffe M
Roger de Freckleton M
Thomas de Clipston M ,
c. 1240 . . .
oc. 1292 .
14 June 1310
14 Jan. 1318-19
1 8 May 1322
21 Jan. 1363-4 .
i Apr. 1367
1 8 Feb. 1367-8 .
oc. 1374 . . .
Patron
William de Radcliffe
13 Nov. 1389
9 Mar. 1407-8.
31 Jan. 1437-8
23 May 1459
6 Aug. 1481
23 Feb. 1483-4 .
1 8 July 1486. .
7 Dec. 1496
14 Nov. 1534
4 Apr. 1538 .
1559 . . .
4 Feb. 1583-4 ,
Robert de Newton 87 Richard de Radcliffe
Alexander de Pilkington M . . . "
Richard de Radcliffe 89 .... Richard de Radcliffe
Richard de Clipston *
John Fitheler 91
Roger de Lache B * James de Radcliffe .
Christopher Walker M
Richard Forth M Richard Radcliffe .
Oliver Smethurst 9S James Radcliffe . .
John Bendelouse 96 John Radcliffe . .
Thomas Blakelowe 97 ,, .
Hugh Radcliffe 98 Richard Radcliffe .
Roger Longworth 99 .
Richard Beswick 10
Thomas Mawdsley 10! Earl of Sussex . .
Robert Ashton 10> . .
John Ashton m
Cause of Vacancy
d. J. de Hulton
exc. R. de Radcliffe
d. R. de Freckleton
d. T. de Clipston
d. R. de Newton
res. A. de Pilkington
exc. with J. Fitheler
d. R. de Lache
d. R. Forth
res. O. Smethnrst
d. J. Bendelouse
d. T. Blakelow
d. H. Radcliffe
d. R. Beswick
res. T. Mawdsley
Leonard Shaw 1M Richard Assheton
d. Joh. Ashton
7 8 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 226.
The total -was made up of the value of
the glebe-land, 401.; tithe of grain, 8 10*.;
tithe of lambs, &c., linseed and hemp,
and Easter roll, 52*. 40". ; oblations,
&
' 9 Commonwealth Ch. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 29. The glebe-lands
were -worth 20 a year ; rents, 30*. ;
tithes, ^28 ioj. There was no need of
another church, but part of Pilkington
might be joined to the parish, as a number
of the inhabitants used to attend Radcliffe
Church.
80 Gastrell, Notitia Ceitr, (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 158. The glebe, 24 acres, let for 33,
and ten cottages brought in 311. 8</.
There were three churchwardens and two
assistants ; the retiring churchwardens
used to nominate six for the following
year, of whom the rector chose one and
the parishioners two.
81 Mancb. Dioc. Cal.
82 Robert, rector of Radcliffe, attested a
Lacy charter printed by Whitaker,
Wballey, ii, 226, but it may not be the
Lancashire parish.
88 John de Hulton, rector of Radcliffe,
attested a family charter in 1292 ; Hulton
Fed. 2. In 1298 was cited a quitclaim
by John son of David de Hulton, rector
of Radcliffe, to his brother Richard ; De
Banco R. 125, m. nod.
84 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, 8, fol. 58 5 the
bishop granted him 'the custody of the
sequestration ' on 8 May. The previous
rector died on the eve of Palm Sunday.
The new rector was an acolyte ; he was
ordained subdeacon early in the following
year, and deacon in 1315 ; ibid, i, fol.
114, i3
85 He exchanged Bury for Radcliffe
with Richard de Radcliffe ; ibid, i, fol.
86.
88 Ibid, ii, fol. 99; the new rector was a
priest.
87 Ibid, iv, fol. 81* ; he is called ' chap-
lain.' He died on the Monday after
St. Gregory, 13667.
88 Ibid, iv, fol. 83 ; 'son of Thomas de
Pilkington ; having the first clerical
tonsure." In the following January the
Bishop of Lichfield granted letters dimis-
sory to Alexander de Pilkington, acolyte,
rector of Radcliffe, for his promotion to
all holy orders ; ibid, v, fol. i8. Alex-
ander resigned a few days afterwards.
89 Ibid, iv, fol. 83 ; he was a priest
90 He may be the same as Richard de
Radcliffe. He was rector in 1374, and
one of the feoffees of Ralph de Langton ;
De Banco R. 456, m. 243 ; Dtp. Keeper" t
Rep. xxxiii, App. 6.
91 He became vicar of Rochdale, and
died in 1402.
98 Lich. Epis. Reg. vi, fol. 54; here called
Roger son of William de Manchester, but
elsewhere Roger de Lache. He had been
vicar of Rochdale since 1369. His will,
dated 28 February 1407-8, and proved a
year later, is printed in Various Coll. (Hist.
MSS. Com.), ii, 16 ; he desired to be
buried at Radcliffe, and in addition to
legacies to friends, he left bequests to the
churches of Radcliffe, Rochdale, Saddle-
worth, and Manchester, and to Upholland
Priory. His books included Stimulus
Conscience, Vite Patrum, Homilies, the
Breviaries, an Ordinale, and a Manuale.
98 Lich. Epis. Reg. vii, fol. 96* ; a
' chaplain.'
94 Ibid, ix, fol. 23* ; a priest.
95 Ibid, xii, fol. i b ; a chaplain.
98 Ibid. fol. 113*5 a chaplain. He
granted an annual pension to his prede-
cessor for life ; ibid. fol. 1 14.
W Ibid. fol. 1 1 6b.
98 Ibid. fol. 1 2o.
65
99 Ibid, xiii, fol. 230; a priest. He
died in or before 1514, when the above-
recorded dispute as to the advowson
occurred ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 117, m. 7.
The succession of rectors is given in
the Coekey Moor Examinations (Chet. Soc.
Misc.), 10.
100 He may have succeeded Longworth
in 1514. His will is printed in Piccope,
Wills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 144; he made a
number of bequests to Middleton Church,
but none to Radcliffe ; his father, Roger
Beswick, is named as executor, together
with John Cowope his brother-in-law,
and Edward and Ralph his brothers.
101 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 34.
He was chantry priest at Middleton. His
predecessor left him, among other priests,
i6</. to say dirge and mass and pray for
his soul. His own will, dated 1554, is
printed in Raines' Chant, i, 1 24 ; he left
to Radcliffe Church a vestment of baudekin
and flowers. He may have been put into
Radcliffe until his successor was old
enough to be instituted.
103 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 36^ ; an
acolyte. He became rector of Middleton
in 1541, and is supposed to have resigned
in 1559.
108 Also rector of Middleton, compound-
ing for first-fruits for both on 29 Nov.
1559; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 409. He was
buried at Middleton 9 Oct. 1584.
104 Act Bks. at Chester. Shaw com-
pounded for first-fruits 12 Mar. 1584-5 ;
Lanes, and Ches. Rec. ii, 410. He contri-
buted to the clerical subsidies in 1620,
1622, and 1624; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 54, 66, 80. There is an
unsatisfactory notice of him in Chet. Misc.
( Chet. Soc.), v. He married Mary daugh-
ter of Peter Heywood ; O. Heywood,
Diaries, i, 1 1 6.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Institution
24 May 1624
4 Feb. 1637-8
c. 1644 . .
27 Oct. 1662.
8 June 1698
23 Jan. 1698-9
5 Oct. 1716.
1 8 Mar. 1719
14 July 1724.
6 Apr. 1757
15 Oct. 1757
i Oct. 1784
i Feb. 1839
1867 . .
26 June 1896
Name
Robert Walkden 10S . . . .
Peter Shaw, 106 M.A
Thomas Pyke, lor B.A
Charles Beswick 108
Charles Pinkney, 109 B.A. . . .
Roger Dale 110
Edward King, 111 M.A. . . .
Henry Lister, 11 * M.A
William Lawson, 113 B.A. . . .
Richard Assheton, 114 M.A. . .
Richard Wroe (Walton), 1 " M.A.
Thomas Foxley, 116 M.A. . . .
Nathaniel Milne, 117 M.A. . .
Henry Arthur Starkie, 118 M.A. .
Stanley Swinburne, 119 M.A. . .
Patron
Robert Holt, &c. .
Ralph Assheton
>>
Sir Ralph Assheton
Lord Grey de Wilton
Earl of Wilton .
Cause of Vacancy
d. Leon. Shaw
d. R. Walkden
exp. T. Pyke
d. C. Beswick
depr. C. Pinkney
d. Roger Dale
d. E. King
d. H. Lister
d. W. Lawson
res. R. Assheton
res. R. Wroe Walt
d. T. Foxley
res. N. Milne
res. H. A. Starkie
As the benefice was of small value and the people
few, it is probable that even before the Reformation
the clerical staff consisted of the rector and his curate
only. 1 * There was no endowed chantry. Little is
known of the rectors, but some of them may have
been pluralists. The church does not seem to have
been very well furnished in I552. 1 * 1 About this time
the rectors of Radcliffe were also rectors of Middle-
ton, 12 * but there seems usually to have been a resident
curate. The later resident rectors seem to have
managed without a curate. 1 * 3 As at Middleton a new
rector, a Protestant, appears in 1559, but the reason
is not ascertained. 1 * 4 The later history has been un-
eventful, with the exception of the Commonwealth
105 Compounded for first-fruits 25 May
1624. The institutions from this time
are printed in Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Notes,
from the Inst. Bks. P.R.O. The patrons
in 1624 were Robert Holt, John Grccn-
halgh, and Robert Heywood, by grant
of Sir Richard Assheton ; the Earl of
Nottingham was impropriator. There
must be some error in the last state-
ment.
Robert Walkden was schoolmaster at
Middleton in 1599. He contributed ship-
money, &c., in 1634, and later; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 95,
112.
106 The Church P. at Chester begin
here. Compounded for first-fruits 9 Mar.
1637-8. He was of Trinity Hall and
Magdalene College, Cambridge ; Cooper,
A then. Cantab, ii, 493.
There is a very unfavourable account
of him, alike as to character and conduct,
by Canon Raines in Manch. Fellows (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 135-7. He was fellow from
1634 till 1645, when the chapter was
dissolved by Parliament. Nothing is
known of his subsequent career.
W Possibly of New Inn Hall, Oxford,
B.A., 1634 ; Foster, Alumni. In 1650 it
was recorded that ' about six years ago '
Ralph Assheton of Middleton, patron, had
bestowed the parsonage of Radcliffe, ' with
the benefices and appurtenances thereunto
belonging,' on Mr. Thomas Pyke, B.A.,
who was ' a godly preaching minister, well
qualified in life and conversation ' ; Com-
monwealth Ch. Suri>. 29. He was a mem-
ber of the Bury Classis from its forma-
tion in 1647. The first-fruits, however,
were not paid till 31 Jan. 165x5 Lanct.
and Ches. Rec. ii, 414. He signed the
'Harmonious Consent' of 1648.
After his expulsion from the rectory in
1662 he continued to minister to Non-
conformist congregations in the neigh-
bourhood until his death in 1672 ; Night-
ingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 216. See also
Manch. Classis (Chet. Soc.), iii, 444 ; Bury
Classis, ii, 251, and passim. 'Good Mr.
Pyke' is mentioned in O. Heywood's
Diaries.
108 He had been ordained deacon and
priest on 13 Dec. 1656 by the Bishop of
Ardfert and Aghadoe, and must therefore
have been an episcopalian on principle.
Before his presentation to Radcliffe he had
received the Archbishop of York's licence
to preach in the province ; Stratford's
Visit. List, 1691. He was, however,
found ' conformable ' in 1689 ; Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 230. See Raines,
Byrom Fed. (Chet. Soc.). He rebuilt the
tower and did other reparation in the
church.
In 1665 he made 'bitter complaints'
to the justices regarding 'conventicles,'
but they ' put him off" ; Oliver Heywood,
Diaries, i, 197. He was suspended by the
bishop in 1671, for, though' a scholar and
no mean poet,' he was ' a dissipated and
immoral man ' ; Raines MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), iv, 203. He was again in trouble
in 1685, sentence of deprivation being
pronounced ; Church P. at Chester.
Administration of his effects was granted
in 1703.
109 Of Christ's College, Cambridge, B.A.
1683.
110 In 1691 Roger Dale was curate of
Northenden ; he had been curate of Den-
ton ; Booker, Demon, 88. Administration
of his effects was granted in 1716 ; see
Earwaker, East Ches. i, 418.
111 As B.A. of Trinity College, Dublin,
he was admitted a pensioner of St. John's
College, Cambridge, in 1715; M.A. Cam-
bridge, same year ; Admissions St. John's C.
ii, 220. There is a monument to him in
the church.
112 Educated at University College, Ox-
ford, M.A. 1718 ; Foster, Alumni. He
was buried at Radcliffe 21 June 1724.
118 Educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; B.A. 1711. He bequeathed 10
to the poor. His will shows that he had
a brother Richard, vicar of Bosham, Sus-
sex ; Mr. W. F. Irvine's note.
114 Resigned this benefice for Middleton;
see the account of the rectors of that
parish.
115 Of Brasenose College, Oxford ; M.A.
1725 ; Foster, Alumni. Only son of
Thomas Wroe, fellow of Manchester, and
grandson of Richard Wroe, warden of
Manchester. He succeeded in 1784 to
Marsden Hall, Whalley, and resigned his
66
benefice ; see If ardent of Manch. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 155. In 1763 he wrote as
follows to George Kenyon : ' My friend
Smethurst plays his old game ; he has
sowed his grain in so many different fields
that he has in some of them only nine
riders a rider is ten sheaves- in others
nineteen, and *e on. Another litigious
fellow has bound up all his oats into nine
large riders. They will say corn has
usually been set up in riders in this coun-
ty ; but if I do not gather it of these
people in the sheaf I am precluded from
receiving tithe ' ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 499.
116 Son of Thomas Foxley, fellow of Man-
chester. Educated at Manchester Gram-
mar School and Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; M.A. 1780. He also held the
curacy of Chowbent in Leigh and the
vicarage of Batley, Yorkshire ; Foster,
Alumni. He resided at Unsworth. In
1824 the parsonage at Radcliffe was
occupied by the Rev. Thomas Parkinson,
who had a school there.
U 7 Educated at St. John's College, Cam-
bridge ; M.A. 1835. He restored the
church, adding the north transept. He
died at Leamington in 1892.
U8 Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
M.A. 1869. Vicar of Padiham 1863 to
1865 ; and of Stainforth 1865 to 1867.
119 Educated at Worcester College, Ox-
ford ; M.A. 1883. Vicar of St. Mar-
garet's, Prestwich, 1885 to 1891 ; rector
of St. John's, Broughton, Manchester,
1891.
no The Clergy List of 1541-2 (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), and the Visit. Lists
1548 to 1565 mention only a curate in
addition to the rector.
121 Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 18. There
were three sets of vestments, three bells,
two hand-bells, &c
1W From 1547 to 1584.
183 E.g. there was no assistant minister
in 1650. There was one in 1620; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54.
124 The Visitation List names Laurence
Pilkington as curate in 1563, while in
1565 the rector was at Durham, so that
John Ashton appears to have been of the
extremer sort of Protestants
SALFORD HUNDRED
RADCLIFFE
period ; at the beginning of this the rector, Peter
Shaw, disappeared ; at the end of it his successor,
Thomas Pyke, was ejected.
There was a school of some kind in the I 7th cen-
tury, for the schoolmasters are mentioned. 125
During the last century a number of places
of worship were erected to accommodate the in-
creasing population. For the Established worship
St. Thomas's, Radcliffe Bridge, was built in 1819
and rebuilt in l86^., lK and St. Andrew's, Black
Lane, in iSyy; 117 the patronage of the first is
now vested, like that of the parish church, in Sir
F. Johnstone, and that of the second in the rector
of Radcliffe.
The Wesleyans, 1 * 8 Primitive Methodists, and Metho-
dist New Connexion have chapels. The Congrega-
tionalists have a chapel, built in iSjz. 129 The Baptist
chapel dates from 1880.
The Society of Friends has a meeting-place, erected
in 1892."
The Roman Catholic church of St. Mary and
St. Philip Neri was built in i894. 131
The principal charity is that
CHARITIES founded by James Walsh Howarth
in 1886 ; he bequeathed 3,000,
partly for church purposes, but as to half for the
benefit of the poor. 133 The poor also receive 7 from
the benefaction of John Guest, 133 and the highways
have 1 5^. from a quarry allotment. 134 Some older
gifts have been lost. 134
PRESTWICH WITH OLDHAM 1
I.
PRESTWICH
GREAT HEATON
LITTLE HEATON
ALKRINGTON
TONGE
PILKINGTON
II.
OLDHAM
CROMPTON
ROYTON
CHADDERTON
This large parish, stretching for 1 3 miles from east
to west, was probably in earlier times still larger, as
the receipt of tithes from part of Tottington in Bury
and the claim to church land in Radcliffe suggest that
Bury and Radcliffe, and therefore Middleton also,
were at one period under the care of the priest or
colony of priests who gave a name to Prestwich.
Not only did the three parishes just named become
independent, but Oldham also, though remaining
nominally a chapelry to the present day, early secured
a practical independence for the eastern part of
the parish. 1 Oldham Church is 7 miles from the
parish church. The area of the whole is 22,022^
acres, including Prestwich 9,983 acres, and Oldham
12,039^. The geology of the entire parish is repre-
sented by the Coal Measures, and on the eastward
side of a line drawn from High Crompton to Green-
acres, of the Lower Coal Measures or Gannister
Beds.
The Roman road from Manchester to Ribchester
passed through Prestwich and Pilkington ; that from
Manchester to York passed through the southern part
of Oldham, where Roman coins have been found. 5
The parish has no united history. In the western
portion the Pilkingtons ranked among the great
families of the county, until their adherence to
Richard III and the Yorkist side brought about their
overthrow. The other manorial families were either
non-resident or of only local importance.
Though the Elizabethan reformation found the
rector of Prestwich at first reluctantly compliant and
then an avowed opponent, there is little evidence of
opposition to the change of religion ; recusants were
few, and the district soon became strongly Puritan.
145 Dr. Bon (?) ' in 1639 ; Mite. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 125. Abraham
Mather was licensed in 1662, and re-
mained till his death in 1699 ; Stratford's
Visit. List, 1691. There was no per-
manent endowment ; Gastrell, Notitia, ii,
1 60.
126 A district was assigned to it in 1839 ;
Lond.Gaz,$ July 1839. The old church
was ' on the model of an eastern pagoda ' ;
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 10.
137 A district was assigned in 1878;
Land. Cast. 24 May.
1! The Wesleyan Chapel, Radcliffe
Close, erected about 1 800, benefited under
the will cf Richard Bealey, conditionally
on 'the usual morning prayers of the
Church of England ' being read ; End.
Char. Reft. 1901, p. 4. St. Paul's Wes-
leyan Chapel, Black Lane, commenced in
hired rooms in 1881 ; church built 1901.
129 Preaching had begun in 1838, but
the present church represents a secession
from Stand Chapel in 1 847 ; a school-
room was opened the following year and
a church formed in 1849 ; Nightingale,
Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 233-7
180 Information of Mr. Robert Mus-
champ, who states that the first meeting
of the Society of Friends at Radcliffe
began in 1676 ; the present one began
in 1886. In 1689 there was a meeting
at John Townson's house in Radcliffe ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiy, App. iv, 230.
181 The first chapel wa opened in
1865, the mission being served from
Ramsbottom. A second chapel was
opened in 1878 ; Kelly, Engl. Cath.
Missions, 326.
us T nc account of the charities is from
the Endowed Charities Report for Rad-
cliffe, 1901 ; in it is reprinted the re-
port of 1828. Mr. Howarth's other gifts
were 1,500 for the choir and 500 for
the Sunday school treat. The income
of the gift to the poor is called the Aged
Poor Fund, and is distributed by the
churchwardens.
188 An estate in Buersill and Castleton
was left in 1653 by John Guest for the
benefit of the poor of Radcliffe and Middle-
ton. A moiety of the net income, now
6 141., is paid to the rector of Rad-
cliffe, who gives z each to the vicars
of St. Thomas's and St Andrew's, and
pays the residue to the poor fund of the
parish church. Formerly the income was
disposed of, according to the testator's
wish, in a distribution of linen to the
poor, and this course is closely followed
by the vicar of St. Andrew's, who gives
flannel.
6 7
184 At the inclosure made in 1 8 1 2 an acre
of land was appropriated from the common
for a public stone quarry for the repair of
the roads. The suitable material has long
been exhausted, and the land is let at
8 51. a year, the district council as the
highway authority claiming it.
185 Charities founded by Nicholas Gas-
kell and by William Brown at the
beginning of the iSth century are men-
tioned by Bishop Gastrell in 1718 ; Notitia,
ii, 1 60.
Dr. Wroe in 1718 gave 10 to the
poor, the income to be distributed on
Christmas Day, and William Lawson,
rector, in 1757 bequeathed a further
sum. In 1828 it was supposed that the
capital had been expended in improve-
ments of the Guest estate, 1 of the in-
come from this having for long been
treated separately, but the charities are
now regarded as lost. In 1798 William
Yates left 5 to augment the Christ-
mas charity ; it was lent to Mrs. Bealey
of Worth, who in 1828 paid 5*. a year,
but her representatives had discontinued
the payment before 1862.
1 For parish map see Radcliffe.
9 In the Charity Rep. of 1826 Oldham
is treated as a separate parish.
8 Watkin, Rom. Lanes,
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Nevertheless, it is one of the few parishes in which
any resistan:e was made, with a show of popular
support, to the abolition of the Prayer Book and
Episcopacy ; but even this resistance seems to have
been due less to principle than to a strong antipathy
to the domination of the Manchester Classis. In
1662 the rector complied, but the curate of Oldham
was expelled. The chapels at Stand and Greenacres
bear testimony to the existence of convinced Non-
conformists, as does also the Quaker meeting-house at
Royton. 4
The Young Pretender's march through the district
has left a trace in the story of the arrest of two of
his officers in Prestwich. 5 Volunteers were raised in
1779 and 1803, and again in 1859.*
Under the Redistribution Act of 1885 Prestwich
gives a name to one of the Parliamentary divisions of
south-east Lancashire, returning one member.
The Prestwich part of the parish remained com-
paratively rural till recently ; but some sections have
now become manufacturing, and others have practi-
cally merged in Manchester. The Oldham part, on
the other hand, early felt the manufacturing impulse,
and has steadily gone on increasing its mines and
mills, till it has become the predominant partner.
The following is the present apportionment of agricul-
tural land in the whole parish : Arable land, 3,683
acres ; permanent grass, 11,395 ; woods and planta-
tions, 367. The details are thus given 7 :
Prestwich .
Alkrington .
Tonge
Outwood
Unsworth
Unsworth
Whitefield .
Oldham . .
Crompton .
Royton .
Royton .
Chadderton .
For the County Lay of 1624. Prestwich proper
was divided into two parts, each paying equally, so
that Prestwich and Pilkington each paid 2 12s. \\d.
when the hundred paid jioo. Oldham township
paid l 1 8s. 8</., Royton 19*. 4^., Chadderton and
Crompton i gs. each, or a fourth part of the con-
tribution from Oldham, which for this purpose was
considered a parish. 8 To the more ancient fifteenth,
out of 4.1 I4_r. \d, for the hundred, Prestwich con-
tributed i8/., Pilkington 23*., Oldham ijs., Royton
I is. 4<, Crompton 13^., and Chadderton 2 is. 8</. 9
The church of Sr. MART is situated
CHURCH on the south-west side of the town on
an eminence overlooking the valley of
\
Arable
Grass
Woods, &c.
Acres.
Acres.
Acres.
506
1,697
125
113
556
IO
IO
139
580
886
213
679
708
16
1,207
294
2
431
622
I
3
1,562
3
2,002
5*
574
ii
748
88
1,607
the Irwell, set in very picturesque surroundings. It
consists of a chancel with organ chamber and quire
vestry on the north, and a chapel on the south side,
nave with north and south aisles, each with a chapel
at its east end, north and south porches, and west
tower. The main body of the church belongs to the
1 6th century, and the tower to the 1 5 th, while the
whole of the east end, including the chapels at the
end of the aisles, is modern.
The tower presumably belongs to a 15th-century
building whose east wall was about where the chancel
arch now is, and whose width was the same as at
present. This 1 5 th-century church had a chancel
about 34 ft. long occupying the space of the two
eastern bays of the present nave, and a nave of three
bays, the lines of the arcade of which are still re-
tained. The aisles were probably of the present
width, but whether the chapels at their east ends
belonged to this building in the first instance it is
impossible to say. The aisles probably overlapped
the chancel for about 1 5 ft., and may have been
extended and carried further eastward when the
chantries were founded. At some time in the first
half of the 1 6th century the chancel, both arcades of
the nave, and the north and south aisles were rebuilt,
destroying all traces of the former work. The 1 6th-
century church also had a south porch and a low
vestry east of the chancel. There is no record as to
when this rebuilding took place, and the work itself
is of a very plain description, and does not help much
in fixing a date. At first sight the clearstory seems
to be of later date than the arcade, but the evidence
of the building appears to indicate that they were
built at the same period. The rebuilding left the
church pretty much as it was till the restorations and
additions of the igth century, with chapels the full
length of the chancel on each side, and 6 ft. wider than
the north and south aisles. The chancel had a traceried
window of seven lights under a pointed head, possibly
belonging to the 15th-century church. The east
vestry was a low building whose roof was below the
sill of the chancel window and was entered from the
church, as at Sefton, by a door on the south side of
the altar. The south porch was rebuilt in 1756, and
at the same time, according to an inscription upon
the porch, the church ' was raised.' This probably
refers to the raising of the aisle walls in order to
obtain light for the galleries, though there is only
record of one gallery being erected at that time, and
that probably in the north chapel. 11 The line of the
original aisle roofs may still be seen outside at the
west end. In 1782 there were some repairs done to
the tower, which was reported to be decaying fast.
In 1803 the east vestry was rebuilt, but it seems to
have been destroyed about 1860 in order to effect a
lengthening of the chancel on its site, having a vestry
on the north side. In the same year the body of the
church was repewed, and in 1872 a new chapel (the
* See also the account of Shaw Chapel.
* See p. 8 1 of the Hist, and Traditions
of Prestivscb (1905), by the Rev. W.
Nicholls, Congregational Minister, who
has also written accounts of Ravenstone-
. dale and Mallerstang Forest.
\ Ibid. 59-66.
" N 7 Inf. from Bd. of Agric. (1905).
8 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland), 15,
**.. \ Ibid. 1 8.
10 The supposed dedication to St. Bar-
tholomew was an error which arose in
the 1 8th century; Booker, Mem. of the
Ch. in Prestvticb, 54 ; Nicholls, op. cit.
67.
11 1756 ; faculty granted to Sir Thomas
Grey Egerton to erect a gallery 26 ft. by
14 ft. at his own expense. 1791 ; faculty
granted to twelve parishioners for erect-
ing a gallery on the north side of the
church 28 ft. front by 15 ft. at east and
12 ft. at west end, and to raise the roof
68
of the north aisle. 1 800 ; faculty granted
to Rev. J. Lyon and others who had
erected [the previous year] a south-west
gallery 1 6 ft. by 12 ft. to let and sell
same, Church-wardens' AccK. (Booker).
None of these measurements fits the
present galleries. The gallery in the
north (Wilton) chapel was taken down
when the chapel was rebuilt. The west
gallery, erected in 1760, was taken down
in 1882.
SALFORD HUNDRED
Birch chapel) was built south of the extended chancel
and at the east end of the south (Lever) chapel, which
was rebuilt two years later. In 1882-3 the tower
was underpinned and repaired, the roof of the nave
restored, and new roofs put on the north and south
aisles, and in 1888-9 the Wilton (north) chapel was
rebuilt, and a chancel with organ chamber and vestry
on the north side erected, eastward of the line of the
original church. 11
The building is constructed of red sandstone, which
has been considerably renewed from time to time, and
the roofs are covered with stone slates. Those of the
original structure, including the aisles, have over-
hanging eaves, but the north and south chapels had
straight parapets, and these have been retained in the
rebuilding, and are also used in the new chancel and
buildings north of it. The chancel has a clearstory,
and the roof is slightly higher than that of the nave.
The organ-chamber on the north is of the full height
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
orders, on octagonal piers with chamfered bases but
without capitals, the inner order dying into the pier
at a height of 1 5 ft. from the floor. The two eastern
bays of the nave occupy the position of the old
chancel, and the third pier from the west on the
north side is wider than the other two, marking the
position of an ancient pier containing the staircase to
the rood-loft. It has been entirely rebuilt, and has a
capital on the south side of which is carved a shield held
by two angels. The original staircase pier was 3 ft. 7 in.
square, and the present pier retains this dimension
from east to west, but is only 2 ft. deep, the width of
the other piers of the nave." In the 16th-century
rebuilding this pier seems to have been left standing
and the new arcade set out westward between it and
the tower. There being no corresponding wide pier
on the south side of the chancel it resulted that in the
setting out of the south arcade the spacing of the
arches was slightly different, and that the piers did
BIRCH
LEVER CHAPEL CHAPEL
PLAN OF PRESTWICH CHURCH
of the chancel, forming a kind of transept, and the
vestry in the angle thus formed north of the chancel
is a lower building of two stories.
The chancel, which measures 40 ft. by 22 ft. 6 in.,
together with the whole of the eastern part of the
building, has no archaeological interest. The east
window is one of seven lights under a segmental
head and with straight uncusped bar tracery above.
A modern pointed arch of two moulded orders
without capitals now divides the chancel from the
nave, and the west half of the chancel has an arch
on each side, that on the north opening to the
organ-chamber, and that on the south to the Birch
chapel.
The nave now consists of five bays with an arcade
of pointed arches on each side, of two chamfered
not come opposite to those on the north side. The
nave, which is about 80 ft. long and 20 ft. 6 in.
wide, 14 has a continuous range of two-light square-
headed clearstory windows, and a flat panelled roof
much restored but retaining a good deal of its original
16th-century timber. The Wilton chapel occupies
the two eastern bays of the aisle on the north side,
and being entirely rebuilt in 1888 is of no particular
interest. Its walls are considerably higher than those
of the aisle, and its windows loftier, and it has a
separate open timbered gable roof. The chapel is lit
by three windows of three lights, with plain tracery,
and has a door at its north-west corner. The eastern-
most arch of the nave is new, and springs from
corbelled shafts on each side. The first pier from the
east seems to be the west portion of a former length
13 A plan of the church as it was in
1852 is in Booker, Mem. of the Cb. in
Presftvicb, 54.
18 In the middle of the igth century
the pulpit stood on the south side of this
6 9
pier, through which access was gained to
it by means of a staircase.
14 The original nave was 48 ft. 6 in.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
of straight wall to the original chancel, and measures
3 ft. loin, on the face, its east half being new. The
west half and the arch on that side are old, and the
pier has on its north face a recess with a pointed head
sunk in the stone above, which was perhaps a cupboard
in the original chapel at the end of the north aisle.
On the south side of the nave a similar pier also marks
the end of the outer wall of the old chancel. The
arch to the east of it is much lower than the other
arches of the nave, and springs from moulded half
capitals on each side, that on the east forming a respond,
and that on the west being set in the eastern part of
the pier. Both capitals are new, but appear to have
been suggested by a mutilated fragment at the back of
the first pier, which may be seen from the gallery in
the Lever chapel. The arch, though apparently of
16th-century date, must have been a later insertion
when the chapel was extended eastward, a blocked
window still visible in the wall above proving it to
have been at one time an outside wall.
The Lever chapel, the floor of which is a foot
above that of the nave, occupies a position on the
south side similar to that of the Wilton chapel on
the north, but has a lean-to roof, plastered between the
spars. It retains its gallery, which has a front of
poor early 19th-century gothic panelling, and is lit
by two four-light windows on the south side. There
is a door with a semi-octagonal porch and gallery stair-
case in the south-west corner, an addition to the plan
of the chapel in its rebuilding of 1874. The nave
aisles proper are 1 2 ft. wide, and have each two
pointed windows opposite the second and third bays
respectively of three cinquefoiled lights with hollow
chamfered mullions running up to the heads. The
north aisle has a doorway opposite the first bay from
the west, with a modern north porch, and at the
west end is lit by a two-light pointed window with
trefoiled lights and quatrefoil over in the style of
the 1 4th century, with external chamfered jambs and
head and without a label, said to be a copy of an old
window formerly in the same position. The south
aisle has a doorway with a four-centred arch, under an
open porch, opposite the first bay, and a three-light
window at the west end. The porch which, as
already stated, was rebuilt in 1756, has a semicircular
arch on imposts, and a stone gable with date and in-
scription. There is a stone bench on each side, and
the door is an old one studded with nails. There are
iron gates to the outer doorway. Each aisle has a
second set of three square-headed windows of three
lights each, placed high up in the wall to light the
galleries. The galleries themselves are good specimens
of 1 8th-century woodwork, with panelled fronts above
a classic cornice. The aisle roofs are modern with
exposed rafters and purlins and curved wind braces.
A stone half-arch is carried across each aisle at the
east end between the chapels and the aisle proper, and
opposite the piers from which the old chancel arch
would spring.
The tower, which is of three stages, is 19 ft.
square outside, and rises 42 ft. above the ridge of the
roof, its total height being 86 ft. It has buttresses of
seven stages with moulded set-offs set square at the
angles, the top and bottom stages having panelled
fronts, and the buttresses finish in gablets under an
embattled parapet. There is an external vice in the
north-east corner to the height of the ringers' story,
finished with an embattled top lighted by quatrefoil
openings. It is entered from the outside, but is a
modern addition, the original staircase having been in
the south-west angle. The tower arch is now opened
out to the nave and the west window exposed. The
arch has two chamfered orders of original masonry,
but the jambs, which have moulded bases and capitals,
are new. 1 * The west door is a restoration with con-
tinuous mouldings to jambs and head, and a string-
course over. Above there is a new window in the
style of the 1 5th century, of three lights with traceried
head. Above this again in the ringing chamber is a
modern square-headed window of two trefoiled lights,
replacing a smaller single-light window which formerly
lit the chamber already mentioned in the note. The
ringers' room also has a single-light window on the
south side, and above this, facing north, south, and
east, is a clock, placed here in 1 8 1 1 . The north and
south sides of the tower are plain and unrelieved up
to this height, but above the clock is a moulded string-
course on each face. The belfry stage above has a
three-light louvred window on each side with traceried
head and hood-mould, and the tower is crowned by
an embattled and panelled parapet, originally with
angle and intermediate pinnacles, above a moulded
string-course with gargoyles at the angles. 16 The
tower has a pyramidal roof covered with grey stone
slates, and a good 18th-century weather vane."
The fittings, including the font and pulpit, are all
modern, but there is an oak chest of 16th-century
date in the vestry with three locks and strong iron
bands, and a good 18th-century brass chandelier in
the nave. The gallery fronts have already been men-
tioned. Booker mentions a penance form in I743. 18
The chancel has a carved oak screen and canopied
stalls of good modern workmanship. The organ was
not introduced till i825. 19
The church contains but few monuments, and these
for the most part of little interest. The Wilton
chapel was the burial place of the family of the Earl
of Wilton, but the vault was finally closed in 1885.
There was formerly a conspicuous monument to the
first Earl of Wilton (died 1814) and members of his
family in the chapel, but during the rebuilding and
restoration it was removed, and has not been re-
erected. 10 The chapel contains memorials to other mem-
bers of the Egerton family, but all are of modern date.* 1
In the vestry safe are kept fourteen old deeds re-
lating to the church, eleven on parchment and three,
in the nature of memoranda, on paper. They mostly
refer to relations between the churches of Prestwich
and Oldham, and one is a very interesting contract
for the building of the nave of Oldham Church.
These were recovered by the Rev. J. Booker when
writing his ' Memorials of Prestwich Church/ they
15 Formerly the ringers' chamber
occupied the upper part of the lower stage
of the tower, and there was a smaller
chamber above it from which access was
obtained to the roof of the church.
16 During some repairs in ij%z the
pinnacles were taken down, and have not
been replaced ; Booker, Prestwich.
17 On the battlement is cut : Thit
roof was repaired in 1763 by the parish.'
18 Op. cit. 37.
19 Booker, op. cit 44. In 1761 Sir
John Prestwich had promised an organ,
but the parishioners were not unanimous
as to accepting it, and it was not given. A
7
bassoon, hautboy, and bass viol were in
use ; ibid. 39, 40.
80 The inscription is given by Booker,
op. cit. 63.
21 A list of all the monumental inscrip-
tions in the church is given in Booker,
pp. 60-70, and the more recent ones in
Geo. Middleton, Annals of Prettwich^ 1902.
RADCLIFFE CHURCH, c. 1850
(From a Drawing by Selim Roth-well)
PRESTWICII CHURCH IN 1850
SALFORD HUNDRED
having been parted with by a former rector and their
existence forgotten.
There is a ring of six bells. Originally there were
four, but in 1721 they were recast into five by
Abraham Rudhall and a sixth by the same founder
added. Of these, two still bear the date 1721, and
four have since been recast, three in the years 1742,
1761, and 1788 respectively, and one, the second bell,
again recast in 1884 by Taylor of Loughborough.
The plate, which is all modern and silver gilt,
consists of a chalice of 1883, another of 1887, and a
third of 1897 ; three patens of 1885, and a flagon of
1880.
The registers begin in 1603, and are complete to
the present time, with the exception of the registers
of marriages, the entries of which cease in October
1658 and are not resumed till January 1661. The
churchwardens' and overseers' accounts begin in
1647 and are continued to the present time."
The churchyard, which is almost encircled by a
number of fine beech trees, lies principally on the
south and west, and was extended in 1824 and again
in 1886. In it is buried Charles Swain, the poet
(died 1874) ; also Henry Wyatt, an artist, who died
in 1840. The oldest gravestone is 1641.
The tithe map is kept at the office of Messrs.
Marchant, Bury.
The old rectory house, called The Deyne, or
Deyne Hall, which stood a little to the north of the
present rectory, was a timber and plaster building,
said to have been originally quadrangular in plan, but
at the time of its demolition in 1837 it consisted of a
centre and two wings, on the H'tyP 6 f plan. In
1 644, when rector Allen was ejected, a portion of the
house was pulled down,* 3 and it was never restored to
its original dimensions. The present rectory took its
place in 1840."*
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
The rectory is mentioned early
in the I3th century, and in 1291
its annual value was given as
1$ I3/. 4</. M Fifty years later the ninth of the
sheaves, wool, &c., was only ten marks. 24 At this
time the tithes of half of Tottington in the parish
of Bury were paid to the rector of Prestwich. This
may have been the result of some grant by the lord
of Tottington, or may indicate that originally the
parish also included Bury, Middleton, and Radcliffe. 16
The income of the benefice in the time of Henry VIII
was estimated at 46 \s. ^.J.* 7 This was probably
much below the real value, for in 1650 the glebe and
tithes of Prestwich were 120 a year, and the tithes
of the chapelry of Oldham, which had then been
made an independent parish, ji4O. 18 By 1720 the
income had risen to 400," by 1792 to 700,*
and by 1834 to l > 2 3* 1 ^ ls now returned as
2,000."
The patronage was vested in the lords of Prestwich
until the death of Sir Robert Langley in 1561, when
on the division of his estates it was given to one of
the co-heirs, Dorothy, wife of James Ashton of
Chadderton. 33 In 1710 William Ashton, rector of
the parish and heir male, sold it to Thomas Watson
Wentworth of Wentworth Woodhouse," whose son
Thomas, Earl of Malton, in 1 744 sold it to Dr. John
Griffith, rector from 1752 to 1763. In 1755 it was
sold to James Collins of Knaresborough, and by him
in 1758 to Levett Harris, rector from 1763 to
1783. Two years before his death this rector sold
the advowson to Matthew Lyon of Warrington, whose
son James became rector in 1783. In 1815 the
Marquis of Westminster purchased it and gave it to
his son Thomas, Earl of Wilton. 35 It was again sold,
by the present earl, Sir Frederick J. W. Johnstone,
bart., being the patron. 36
The following is a list of the rectors :
Institution Rector
c. 1 200 . . . Thomas jr ....
0.1230 . . . Robert 38
Patron
Cause of Vacancy
M G. Middleton, op. cit. Numerous
extracts are given in Booker, Prcstwiicb.
See also an article in Manch. Guardian
Local N. and Q. no. 351.
38 Ten or fourteen bay* of buildings ' ;
Walker, Sufferings of the Clergy.
2Sa Nicholls, Prestiuich, 139; for view
of the old house see Booker, op. cit. 88.
84 Pope Nicb. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249.
K Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. The
details are as follows : Prestwich, zos. ;
Pilkington, zzs. zd. ; half of Tottington,
311. zd. (the other half going to Bury) ;
Chadderton, i6s. 6d. ; Oldham, 23*. zd. ;
Royton, 71. ; Crompton, 1 3*. 4</. It will
be noticed that Heaton, Alkrington, and
Tonge are not named.
86 The upper end of Tottington, with
Musbury, Cowpe Lench, Newhall hey,
Duerdon, Clough, and Graine continue to
pay a moiety of the tithe (or rent charge)
to Prestwich.
Traditionally the gift of these tithes
is attributed to John of Gaunt, who on
one occasion desired the rector of Bury
to say mass for the success of his journey.
Being refused, he asked the same of the
rector of Prestwich, and in return for
his compliance gave the moiety of the
tithes ; W. Nicholls, Prestwicb, 29. John
of Gaunt was only two years old in
1341.
*> Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 226.
The rents of the glebe lands were lozs. jd.\
tithes of grain, 24 5. qJ.; other tithes,
6 os. 8</.; mortuaries, ioj.; Easter offer-
ings, &c., 11 is. The fee of the bailiff
and the synodals and procurations amount-
ed to 151. 4</.
88 Commonwealth Ch. Survey (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 15, 22.
29 Gaitrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 107. There was an established com-
position of ioj. in Ringley and 41. zd. in
Prestolee for corn tithes.
There were then six churchwardens ;
each on retiring nominated two, the rector
choosing one as successor.
80 Aikin, Country round Manch. 235 ;
1 the tithes are for the most part paid by
a moderate composition : zos. per Cheshire
acre for wheat ; 15*. for barley (of which
very little is grown) ; and los. for oats.'
81 Booker, Prestwich, 52.
82 Manch. Dioc. Dir. 1905.
83 See the presentations in 1569 and
later years ; also Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), ii, 318. About 1610, however, it
was stated that 'the patrons in several
courses are Mr. Holland, Mr. [James]
71
Ashton of Chadderton, and Mr. Reddish ' ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, II.
The advowson of Prestwich was included
in a fine of 1562, James and Dorothy
Ashton being deforciants. Dorothy died
without issue ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xvi, 22. Her husband died in 1612. He
appears to have had an absolute gift of the
advowson, for in 1607, he stood 'lawfully
seised of an estate of inheritance in fee
simple or fee tail of and in the advowson,'
and had granted the next presentation in
1593 to trustees, who were to present
James Ashton of Moulton in Lincoln-
shire ; Raines, D. (Chet. Lib.).
84 Notitia Cestr. loc. cit. ; the price was
,1,000 in hand and 100 a year for ten
years. A piece of ground called Salters
Croft was conveyed with the advowson.
85 Booker, Prestwich, 53.
86 Manch. Dioc. Dir.
87 He attested a grant of half Denton
by Matthew de Reddish ; Lord Wilton's
deeds.
88 Robert rector of the church of Prest-
wich granted to Richard son of Gilbert
de Scolecroft half the land which Sir
Gilbert de Barton granted to God and B.
Mary the Virgin of Prestwich in the vill
of Chadderton ; Hornby Chap. D.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Institution
oc. 1301 . .
4 May 1301 j
23 Oct. 1302 J
7 Aug. 1316
1 1 Dec. 1320.
15 Oct. 1332 .
26 July 1334.
15 April 1347
29 June 1357
1362-5
13 Sept. 1400
1 8 Mar. 1401-2
28 April 1417
12 Dec. 1417
1 6 Feb. 1435-6
20 Aug. 1445
I May 1493
4 Sept. 1498
Rector
Mr. Matthew de Sholver 39
Mr. William de Marklan 40
Patron
Adam de Prestwich
John called Travers 4I .
Richard de Parr u Sir Ric. de Holland .
Nicholas de Traffbrd" .... Thos. son of Adam
Prestwich
Richard de Warton M Thos. son of Adam
Prestwich
Robert de Donington " . . . . Ric. de Radcliffe . .
John de Radcliffe "
Richard de Pilkington " . . . . Ric. de Radcliffe, sen. .
Geoffrey del Fere 48 Rob. de Langley .
Thurstan de Atherton 4 * . .
Nicholas de Tyldesley* .... The King . . . .
Philip Morgan, J.U.D." .... . . . .
Thurstan Langley M Robert Langley . .
Peter Langley w . .
Ralph Langley M . .
Ralph Langley, B.Decr." ....
Thomas Langley ** . l .
de
de
Cause of Vacancy
d. W. de Marklan
res. John Travers
d. R. de Pan-
res. N. de Trafford
d. R. de Warton
d. R. de Donington;
d. R. de Pilkington
d. T. Langley
d. P. Langley
d. R. Langley
d. R. Langley
89 In Feb. 1300-1 the bishop granted
him leave to take part in the obsequies
(stand't in obsequiis) of Roger de Pilkington
until the following Pentecost ; Lich. Epis.
Reg. i, fol. 23. Long afterwards it was
alleged that he had without licence appro-
priated to the church of Prestwich a mes-
suage called Palden in Oldham, and in
1397 and 14.04 his successors were called
upon to account for 10.1. rent which should
have accrued to the Crown for the same ;
L.T.R. Mem. R. 163, xiiij.
40 On 4 May 1301 the bishop entrusted
the church of Prestwich to him for a fort-
night ; and again on 23 Oct. 1302 the
administrators of the bishopric granted
him the custody of Prestwich, revocable at
their good pleasure; Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol.
23^, 24. The peculiar licence may have
been due to his illegitimate birth see the
account of the rectors of Wigan or to
his possession of another benefice ; for in
1311 Clement V, reciting that William
de Marklan had already been dispensed on
account of illegitimacy so as to be ordained
and hold a benefice, granted him a further
dispensation to hold the rectories of Castle
Donington and Prestwich and the deanery
of Chester in Durham ; Cal. Papal Letters,
ii, 82.
He appears as rector in a suit of 1 304 ;
De Banco R. 149, m. 255.
41 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 6^b. A John
Travers was about the same time rector of
Broughton Astley in the diocese of Ely,
resigning it in 1322 ; Cal. Pat. 1321-24,
pp. 84, 112; the same or another was
Canon of York in 1332; Cal. Papal
Letters, ii, 358. Another John Travers
was a prominent public official ; see Foss,
Judges.
42 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 87^; the bene-
fice had been vacant for a month. The
new rector was an acolyte. In 1324 he
had permission to let his church to farm
for two years ; ibid, ii, fol. jb. He was
plaintiff in 1325 ; De Banco R. 258, m.
418 d.
48 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. io8i ; he
was a clerk.
44 Ibid, ii, fol. 1 09 b ; he was a priest,
and had been vicar of Bolton. The
name is spelt Wauerton at institution and
Wareton at death. He was probably one
of the Wartons of Little Hulton, being a
trustee for William de Warton in 1335 ;
Towneley MS. DD, no. 943. Complaint
was made in 1346 that he had broken
into the close of Henry de Bold at Prest-
wich ; De Banco R. 345, m. 113. At
the same time he claimed an account from
his bailiff William de Parr, who made a
counterclaim, for moneys received in
Prestwich, Middleton, and Bolton-le-
Moors ; ibid. m. 232.
45 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 120.
46 Ibid, ii, fol. 134; he was a clerk,
ordained sub-deacon in 1358, deacon in
1360, and priest in 1361; ibid, i, fol. 162;
v, fol. 82-3.
4 " At Michaelmas 1362 Richard son
of William de Radcliffe claimed against
Richard de Langley the right to present a
fit parson to the church of Prestwich,
then vacant, but was nonsuited for failing
to appear; De Banco R. 411, m. 214 d.
On 7 Nov. 1362 the bishop gave leave to
Richard de Pilkington, rector of Prest-
wich, to be absent for four years attending
the studium generate, and dispensed him in
the form of the constitution ; Lich. Epis.
Reg. v, fol. 7 b. Then on ' 16 KaL Apr.
1365.' Richard de Pilkington, priest, was
admitted to the rectory, vacant by the re-
signation of John de Pilkington, priest ;
ibid, iv, fol. 83. The last name is probably
an error for John de Radcliffe ; but, if so,
the incoming rector had deferred his in-
stitution for three or four years.
He was defendant in a suit for debt at
the end of the reign of Edward III ; De
Banco R. 456, m. 10, 453 ; R. 457, m.
1 86 ; in one place he is called Randle.
He was a brother of Sir Roger de Pilking-
ton ; ibid. R. 460, m. 361 d. 323 d.
Richard de Pilkington died in Aug.
1400.
48 Lich. Reg. vii, fol. 87.
49 Ibid. ; on 24 Jan. 1400-1 the king
sent his mandate to the Bishop of Lich-
field that Thurstan de Atherton should
not be molested in his occupancy of the
church of Prestwich until the king's claim
to the patronage had been proved by pro-
cess of law. From the account of Pendle-
bury it will be seen that though Robert
de Langley came of age in June 1400 he
did not give formal proof of this till 1403,
so that though he was patron of the
rectory and of age, the presentation was
the legal right of the king.
In the record of a suit as to the right of
72
presentation Thurstan is said to have been
the nominee of Robert de Langley. The
pleading, though of some length, it im-
perfect. It gives, but inaccurately, the
rectors from 1302 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea
R. i, m. 13, 14.
80 Lich. Epis. Reg. vii, fol. 87^ ,- he was
a clerk. For the presentation see Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 53.
In 1404 he had to defend a claim made
by the Crown to a rent of i oj. from Palden
in Oldham, said to have been acquired
without licence by Master Matthew, a
former rector. Inquiry had been made in
1371, and account had been demanded
from the executors of Robert de Doning-
ton, John de Radcliffe, and Richard de
Pilkington ; L.T.R. Mem. R. 163, xiiij
(21 Ric. II), and 169, xij (5 Hen. IV).
61 Again there was a dispute as to the
presentation. The king presented first ;
Dr. Morgan, one of the royal officials,
afterwards Bishop of Worcester (14 19-3 5),
being put in for the time ; Lich. Epis. Reg.
viii, foL 19.
53 Ibid ; he was a clerk.
63 Ibid, ix, fol. 123 ; a clerk. In or
about 1448 Katherine, widow of Robert
de Langley, and mother of Peter de Lang-
ley late rector of Prestwich, as executor
of the said Peter's will claimed debts from
certain persons ; Pal. of Lane. Writ* of
Assize.
64 Lich. Epis. Reg. ix, foL 127^ ; a clerk.
He was also Warden of Manchester from
1465 to 1481. He rebuilt the chapel at
Oldham. He was brother of the pre-
ceding rector ; see Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 147, and the account of Agecroft.
His will is in P.C.C. i Vox.
*.* Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii, fol. 157. In 1497
he was one of the visitors appointed to
inquire into disorders in the monastery of
Upholland ; ibid, xiii, fol. 236^. Ralph
Langley graduated at Cambridge in 1490
as Bachelor of Decrees (Canon Law) ; he
had had five years' study at Oxford and
Cambridge ; Grace Bk. B (Luard Mem.),
7, 15, 20.
86 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii, fol. 23153 clerk.
He was ordained priest in 1500 : ibid,
fol. 286*.
It is noticeable that Thomas Langley is
called 'late parson of Prestwich,' and
William Langley 'now parson,' both being
alive, in 1523 ; Raines, Chantries, 43 note.
SALFORD HUNDRED
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
Institution Rector Patron Cause of Vacancy
5 April 1525 . William Langley, M.A. 47 .... Rob. Langley . . . . d. T. Langley
28 May 1552 . William Langley 58 W. Davenport . . . . d. W. Langley
19 July 1569 . . William Langley, M.A. 69 .... James and Dorothy Ashton depr. W. Langley
I o May 1 6 1 1 . John Langley, M.A. 60 James Ashton .... res. W. Langley
26 Sept. 1632 . Isaac Allen, M.A. 61 Edm. Ashton .... d. J. Langley
30 Oct. 1660. . Edward Kenyon, B.D. M .... .... d. I. Allen
1668 . . . John Lake, D.D. 63 d. E. Kenyon
19 Nov. 1685 . William Ashton, B.D. 64 .... Edward Ashton . . . res. Bp. Lake
W Raines, Rectors of Prestwich (Chet.
Soc.), 29, quoting ' Reg. Blythe, Lichfield."
This William Langley was rector in 1534;
Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 226. He was
the son of Robert Langley of Agecroft ;
Piccope, frills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 17.
58 Raines, 30, quoting 'Reg. Brid.
Chester," where it is recited that Robert
Langley of Agecroft had in 1542 granted
the next presentation to William Daven-
port of Bramhall, Thomas Holt of Gristle-
hurst, and Geoffrey Shakerley, of whom
the first nominated. First-fruits were
paid on 8 June 1552 ; Lanes, and Ches.
Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 408,
where will be found dates of payment by
following rectors. Though at first William
Langley conformed to the religious
changes made by Elizabeth, he grew bolder
at length, and was deprived as a recusant
in 1569; Chet. Misc. (Chet. Soc.), v,
17-19, and below.
He had a number of suits respecting
the property of his church, of which the
following short notes may be given here.
At Michaelmas 1555 he complained that
though the rectors had always been seised
of thirteen messuages, two barns, and
1 60 acres of land, meadow and pasture, in
Prestwich and Oldham, Sir Robert Lang-
ley had recently caused the tenants to pay
rents to him and had taken away the
tithe corn in Alkrington and Royton ;
Duchy of Lane. Plead, xxxix, L II ; and
again, xxxvi, L 6. A little later he com-
plained that Sir Robert had broken into
the tithe-barn at Cowleyshaw and seized
the corn therein ; ibid, xxxv, L 3. In
reply to a further complaint by the rector
the tenants in Oldham averred that the
lands claimed belong to Sir Robert, to
whom they had always paid their rents ;
ibid, xxxv, L4, and xxxix, L6. Sir Robert
Langley also appeared as plaintiff respect-
ing the two tithe-barns at Cowleyshaw in
Crompton ; the rector said the barn had
been erected on the waste about 1521, by
his uncle, William Langley, the preceding
rector, with the consent of the owners,
and had always been used for the tithe
corn ; ibid, xxxix, L 9, Liz; Depos.
Ixxv, L i . With respect to the lands in
Oldham the disputes went on after Sir
Robert's death, James Ashton and Dorothy
his wife being defendants ; Duchy of
Lane. Plead, xlix, L 5. Some of these
statements are printed in Duchy Plead,
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 222, 249.
59 Raines, loc. cit. quoting ' Reg. Down-
ham,' where it is stated that James
Ashton of Chadderton and Dorothy his
wife, daughter and co-heir of Sir Robert
Langley, presented. He was 'a preacher ;'
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App.iv, 1 1 . First-
fruits were paid 24 Aug. 1 569. Though or-
dained by Bishop Scott in 1558 (Ordin. Bk.
Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches. 109), he became
a zealous Protestant of the Genevan
school ; Chet. Misc. v, 19-27. He was
buried at Prestwich 14 Oct. 1613 ; and
his widow Anne, on 12 Jan. 1627-8.
The autobiography of the son of his
curate in 1596 (who was a cousin) is
printed in Chet. Misc. (Chet. Soc.), vi,
with introduction and notes by Canon
Raines.
60 Raines, loc. cit. quoting * Reg. Lloyd."
First-fruits were paid 25 Oct. 1611.
He contributed to the clergy subsidies
of 1620 and later; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54, 66. He was
buried at Prestwich 16 Aug. 1632.
61 Raines, loc. cit. quoting ' Reg. Bridge-
man.' First-fruits were paid 6 Oct. 1632.
He was educated at Oxford Queen's
and Oriel Colleges graduating as M.A.
in 1618 ; Foster, Alumni. In 1622 he
married Anne, daughter of Richard Ashton
of Chadderton, and thus was connected
with the patron. His wife was buried at
Prestwich 17 Oct. 1634. He contributed
to various subsidies levied from the clergy;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches,), i, 95,
112.
In politics he was Royalist, and objected
to the religious changes made by the
Parliament. His benefice was sequestered
in 1645. From the evidence given before
the committee it appears that he had dis-
suaded his parishioners from bearing arms
for the Parliament, had refused to allow
the bells of the church to be rung as a
signal for the people to assemble to resist
Lord Derby's attack on Manchester,
would not sign the Covenant, as being
against his oath of allegiance ; had objected
to the removal of the font, and defended
the ceremonies in the Book of Common
Prayer. It was fully admitted that his
life was unblamable and his doctrine
sound, that he faithfully discharged his
ministerial functions, and was ' indifferent '
as to the best mode of church govern-
ment ; and that the majority of the
parishioners would prefer him to any other.
In June 1645 he had endeavoured to
secure a vote by the people as to whether
he or Mr. Furness should be rector, but
the churchwardens opposed. In December
the sequestration took effect, but 40 a
year was allowed for his maintenance.
His books and goods were also allowed
him. The document* are given fully in
Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 18-34. He took refuge at
Ripponden in Yorkshire, preaching to a
congregation which ' loved him well ' ;
O. Heywood, Diaries, iv, 7. In 1648 he
made an attempt to regain his church, but
was defeated. About 1650 he petitioned
for the removal of the sequestration, urging
that he had shown 'his good affection to
the Parliament ' by subscribing to its
funds, and had taken the Solemn League
and Covenant ; Manch. Classis, iii, 402-5.
The sequestration seems to have been re-
moved about 1653 ; he returned to Prest-
wich in 1656, and died there just before
the Restoration, being buried 2 Feb.
1659-60. Elizabeth, his widow, was
buried there on 7 April 1661. Some
further notes are given in Local Gleanings
Lanes, and Ches. i, 119. For pedigree see
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 2.
The dates of institution from this time
have been compared with those in the
73
Institution Books, P.R.O. printed in
Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Notes.
62 Son of Roger Kenyon of Parkhead,
Whalley, educated at Manchester and St.
John's College, Cambridge ; fellow, 1653;
B.D. 1663 ; see Admissions St. John's C. i,
92.
He was appointed before the Restora-
tion ; writing to his mother from London
on 4 May 1660, he says : 'The commis-
sioners having heard counsel on both
sides, were fully satisfied with my patron's
right, and proceeded to make trial of my
fitness for the ministry, and thereupon did
approve of me and give me the instru-
ment ' ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App.
iv, 67. Another of his letters is printed,
ibid. 80.
His connexions and training would put
him on the Presbyterian side, but he seemt
to have conformed readily to the restora-
ation of episcopacy and the Prayer-book
services, and held the rectory till his
death. He was buried at Prestwich,
1 8 July 1668. Tablets commemorate
him and his wife Anne, daughter of
Richard Holland of Heaton ; she died
23 Sept. 1706.
88 Son of Thomas Lake, grocer, of
Halifax ; entered St. John's College, Cam-
bridge, in 1637, when thirteen years of
age ; D.D. (by royal mandate), 1661 ; Ad-
missions St. John's C. i, 38. Though a reso-
lute adherent of the king and episcopacy,
he accepted various charges during the
Commonwealth period, including those of
Prestwich and Oldham for a few years,
and the vicarage of Leeds in 1659. In
addition to Prestwich Dr. Lake had other
preferments, becoming Bishop of Sodor and
Man in 1682, and of Bristol in 1684,
when he resigned the rectory. Charles II
in 1682 granted letters patent allowing
the Bishop of Sodor and Man to hold in
commendam the rectory of Prestwich and
the prebend of Fridaythorp in York Min-
ster ; Lanes. Charters (Turner and Coxe),
7. The patron had expected him to resign
on appointment to Sodor and Man, but this
he refused to do for reasons given at length
in a letter to Roger Kenyon ; Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 147 5 see also 153.
He did resign Carlton-in-Lindrick, being
succeeded by William Ashton, who also
followed him at Prestwich.
Later as Bishop of Chichester he refused
to publish the Declaration of Indulgence by
James II, and was one of the famous seven
bishops sent to the Tower in 1688. On
the Revolution he refused the oaths to
William and Mary and was suspended,
but died in Aug. 1689, before the depriva-
tion he anticipated ; see Diet. Nat. Biog.
and a contemporary account in T. Baker's
Hist, of St. John's, Camb, (ed. Mayor), ii,
681-97.
64 He was presented also by the king ;
Act Bks. at Chester. He was son of the
patron ; educated at St. John's College,
Cambridge, of which he was elected
fellow; B.D. 1684. He was also rector
of Carlton-in-Lindrick. His name does
not occur in the list of 'conformable
10
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Institution Rector
6 April 1732 . Richard Goodwin, D.D. 65 . . .
28 Oct. 1752. . John Griffith, D.D. 66 . . . .
9060.1763 . Levett Harris, M. A. 67 . . . .
22 Mar. 1783 . James Lyon, M.A. 68 . . . .
I Feb. 1837 . Thomas Blackburne, M.A. 69 . .
1 847 . . John Rushton, D.D. 70 ....
1852 . . . Henry Mildred Birch, M.A. 71 .
1884 . . . William Thomas Jones, M.A. 78 .
29 Jan. 1900 . . Frederic Wilson Cooper, M.A."
As in the case of most ' family livings,' the incum-
bents of Prestwich call for little notice. Before the
Reformation the most distinguished seems to have
been the Ralph Langley who was also Warden of
Manchester ; and of the later ones, Dr. Lake, one of
the Seven Bishops of 1688. Others, no doubt, like
Isaac Allen and James Lyon, were useful in their time
and place.
The Clergy List of 154.1-2 shows that, in addition
to the rector and one or two chantry priests, there
were five other priests in the parish of Prestwich with
Oldham, two paid by the rector and the others by
private persons. 74 The Visitation List of 1548 shows
the rector, his curate, and four other priests at Prest-
wich, one of them a chantry priest dying about
that time ; and the curate and three priests at Old-
ham. There was, therefore, a full staff of ten. In
1554 the same nine priests were in the list, but all
do not seem to have attended the visitation. In 1563
the rector and his curate appeared at Prestwich, and
two other priests lived there, but were ' decrepit,' and
are not named again ; and there was a curate at
Oldham. The same three names recur in I565- 75
Prestwich at that time is of interest because its rector,
Patron
Lord Malton
John Simpson .
Abraham Balme
James Lyon
Earl Grosvenor
Earl of Wilton .
Sir F. Johnstone
Cause of Vacancy
d. W. Ashton
d. R. Goodwin
d. J. Griffith
d. L. Harris
d. J. Lyon
d. T. Blackburne
res. J. Rushton
res. H. M. Birch
res. W. T. Jones
appointed in 1552, continued under the restora-
tion of the old religion in the following reign, and
then again conformed to the changes made by
Elizabeth. 76 However, he did so ' against his con-
science very sore,' and ' grievously repenting ' was
summoned before the Bishop of Chester's commis-
sioners in 1569, and refusing to tamper further
with his convictions, was deprived. 77 His successor
was a zealous Protestant. In 1591 he was con-
victed of uttering * unadvised, untrue, and undutiful
speeches ' regarding the queen's ecclesiastical authority,
but protested that he had not intended to suggest
that * the sincere professors of religion ' were per-
secuted by her. 78 In the following year he was
under censure for not catechizing and for neglecting
the perambulations. 79 He was, however, held in high
respect by the Puritans. 80
During the Commonwealth period the parish was
prominent in its opposition to the newly-established
Presbyterian system. The rector was forbidden to
minister and his benefice was sequestrated, but the
ministers who were placed in charge were changed
rapidly ; and the schoolmaster was said to baptize
children according to the old form. 81 Rector Allen
clergy* of 1689 (Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 230), nor in the Chester
Visitation List of 1691, the curate,
Archippus Kippax, answering for the
parish. Probably therefore he did not
reside. Ultimately he became the heir of
his family, and, as already stated, he sold
the advowson of Prestwich in 1710. For
his benefactions see Booker, Prestwich,
115. He died 25 Feb. 1731-2, and was
buried three days later in the family
chapel.
55 Son of Samuel Goodwin, farmer, of
Shirland, Derbyshire ; entered St. John's
College, Cambridge, in 1696 ; became
fellow; M.A. 1703; D.D. 1727; Ad-
missions, St. John's C. ii, 140. He gave
zoo to Shaw Chapel in 1732 ; Booker,
op. cit. 1 1 6. He was a prebendary of
York from 1720 until his death ; Le Neve,
Fasti, iii, 175.
86 Probably of Christ's College, Cam-
bridge ; D.D. 1741 : was also rector of
Eckington in Derbyshire.
87 Of Trinity College, Cambridge ; M.A.
1753. Being in difficulties, and the bene-
fice deeply mortgaged (Baines), he sold the
advowson in 1781. He died at Bradford,
Yorkshire, 17 Dec. 1782.
68 Son of Matthew Lyon, who had
purchased the advowson ; educated at
Warrington and Brasenose College, Oxford;
M.A. 1783. In 1833, to mark the com-
pletion of the fiftieth year of his ministry,
his parishioners held a series of festivities
and made him a presentation of plate ;
his former curates also made a presenta-
tion, and a marble tablet was pkced in the
church, recording ' the affectionate regard
and attachment' he had aroused by 'a
character distinguished alike for simplicity
of manners and integrity of principle,'
and by the conscientious discharge of his
duties.
In 1792 an Act was passed enabling the
rector to grant leases of the glebe for
building purposes.
69 Of Brasenose College, Oxford ; M.A.
1815 ; son of John Blackburne, M.P., of
Hale and Orford. He was vicar of Eccles
from 1818 to 1836.
70 He had been incumbent of New-
church in Pendle from 1825 ; he was
made Archdeacon of Manchester in 1843
and honorary canon in 1849. He resigned
the archdeaconry in 1854 on becoming
vicar of Blackburn.
71 Of King's College, Cambridge; fellow;
M.A. 1847. He was also made a resi-
dentiary canon of Ripon in 1868. He had
been a tutor to the Prince of Wales, and
was chaplain in ordinary to Queen
Victoria. He died soon after resigning
the benefice.
78 Of Pembroke College, Oxford ; M.A.
1858 ; vicar of Tilford, Surrey, 1865-79;
rector of St. Nicholas, Guildford, 1879-84;
hon. canon of Manchester, 1891. He
enlarged the church in 1888-9. He died
in June 1903.
73 Of Keble College, Oxford; M.A.
1888 ; vicar of Longbridge Deverell,
1890 ; vicar of St. Paul's, King Cross,
Halifax, 1897.
74 Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches. 12.
75 From the Visitation Lists at Chester.
Even as late as 1552 the church seems
to have been well provided with bells,
vestments, and other church furniture ;
Church Goods (Chet. Soc.), 41.
74
76 He, however, refused to appear at
the Visitation in 1559 ; Gee, Elizabethan
Clergy. He subscribed to the queen's
supremacy in 1563 ; Ches. SAeaf(^rd Ser.),
', 34-
77 See Canon Raines in Chet. Misc.
above quoted. William Langley averred
' that he would neither minister nor re-
ceive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper,
because it is administered and given against
the order of the Catholic Church.'
78 Ibid. 21, 22. Thomas Cartwright
and other Puritan ministers were im-
prisoned in 1590.
79 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xiii, 69.
80 Chet. Misc. v, 23 ; 'old Mr. Langley,
that holy man of God and faithful servant
of Christ in the House of God.' He was
presented at the Visitations of 1601 and
later for not wearing the surplice.
81 See the account of Isaac Allen above.
The following ministers were placed in
charge during his enforced absence :
1646. Toby Furness, 'a godly and
orthodox divine ' ; Plund. Mins. Accts.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 36. The
popular opposition was manifested by a
number of charges as to his character and
conduct ; these were, at his request, in-
vestigated by the Classis and he was
acquitted ; Booker, Prestwicb, 94-101.
Nevertheless he soon afterwards removed
to Bury.
1649. John Lake, afterwards (1668)
rector ; he was an opponent of the Presby-
terian system, and therefore in constant
trouble with the Classis. About 1651 he
took charge of Oldham, but complaints were
soon made against him for 'malignancy,'
and he left about 1654 ; Mane A. Classis,
SALFORD HUNDRED
regained his place before 1660, and his successor
appears to have become a zealous adherent of the epis-
copal discipline then restored. 82
For the next century there is little to record.
Many of the rectors appear to have been non-resident,
a curate having charge. A view of the condition of
the parish in 1778 states that the rector had for
twenty years constantly resided and had kept a curate,
also in constant residence. Seven chapels of ease were
regularly served, each having its minister. At the
parish church there was divine service twice each
Sunday, with sermon each time, and ' on stated
holidays.' Catechizing took place for eight Sundays
in the summer. ' The Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper was duly administered every first Sunday of
the month, besides the great festivals and Good
Friday.' There were chapels for the Presbyterians
and the Methodists, and a few Quakers were known ;
but these Nonconformists were mostly of the lower
ranks. ' Popery ' was represented by eight or ten per-
sons, ' all of lower rank ' ; there was no resident
priest, meeting-place, or school. 88 Since then the
conditions have greatly changed, owing especially to
the growth of Oldham, Middleton, and Radcliffe ;
but it is of interest to have this statement of what an
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
18th-century rector thought was an orderly and well-
equipped parish.
Among the curates of Prestwich should be named
the Rev. John Booker, whose histories of this and
other churches are of great value. 84
There were formerly two endowed chantries in the
church. At the altar of St. Margaret, on the south
side of the chancel, was the Langley chantry, founded
by Agnes daughter of John Langley of Agecroft,
and wife of Sir Thomas Holt and then of Thomas
Manne. 85 The other chantry was founded by Ellis
Hulton. 86 At the confiscation the priests were cele-
brating according to their several foundations.
Schools were founded at Oldham in 1606 ; at
Ringley in 1626 ; and at Stand in Pilkington in
1696 ; the last-named belonged to the Protestant
Nonconformists in 1 7 1 8. 87
Various charitable endowments ex-
CH4RITIES isted at the date just named. 88 For
the Prestwich half of the parish 10
for the poor represents a gift by Sir Thomas Egerton in
I756. 89 For the township of Prestwich the principal
endowments are those of the Earl of Wilton in 1814
and Lewis Novelli in 1 844, producing nearly 60 ;
there are also a poor's stock and some special funds. 90
iii, 375-95 ; also ii, 1 34, &c. Hisitipend
at Prestwich was 80 a year ; Commonw.
Ch. Sur-v. 15. From this record it ap-
pears that other ministers had been tried
at Prestwich Langley, Porter, and
Brierley.
1652. Nehemiah Rathband ; Booker,
Prest-wich, 104. In 1656 he moved to
Keighley in Yorkshire ; Manch. Classis,
ii, 227 ; iii, 444.
After Rathband's departure Rector
Allen seems to have regained his church ;
in October 1656 a letter was sent to him
desiring his appearance at the class, but
he paid no attention ; ibid, ii, 252-3.
He thus replied to the summons of the
Classis in 1658: 'We are unsatisfied what
you mean by your church, whether you
mean your church at Manchester, where
your classis is, .or you mean the church
of England. If you mean the church of
Manchester of your association, it is estab-
lished not so much by an ordinance of the
Lords and Commons in Parliament as by
later acts granting the free exercise of reli-
gion in doctrine and worship to all churches
and congregations in their own way. . . But
if your meaning be of the Church of Eng-
land, you are certainly mistaken and dare
not maintain it that the Protector or his
Council own presbytery and none but that
government'; Booker, Presnvich, 92,
quoting his Excommunicatio Excommunicata,
294-5. An accommodation was attempted;
Manch. Classis, iii, 296-9.
Mr. Birch, the schoolmaster, who said
he was a deacon, continued to defy the
Classis down to 1649, baptizing children
and performing other ministerial acts ;
Manch. Classis, i, 47 ; ii, 101, 109, &c.
In August 1657 John Angier and
William Coulburne were ordained at
Prestwich church ; ' Mr. Meeke began
with prayer, Mr. Newcome preached,
Mr. Harrison prayed after, Mr. Newcome
(for Mr. Heyrick) propounded the ques-
tions and gave the exhortation ' ; Manch.
Classis, ii, 269. It does not appear that
Mr. Allen was present.
82 Edward Kenyon is mentioned a
number of times in Newcome's Diary
(Chet. Soc.), showing that he was friendly
with the Nonconformist divine ; but in
the case of Mr. Constantine of Oldham,
ejected in 1662, he gave no satisfaction.
'Some men have a strange measure of
stiffness ; alas, what a temptation is this
wretched world ! " remarks Newcome,
220.
The churchwardens' accounts show that
the king's arms were set up in 1660 ;
while a surplice and linen table-cloth were
purchased in 1662, when also a ttone
font was again set up ; Booker, Preitivich,
23, 24.
88 Booker, Prestwich, 82-8. The
curate's salary was c,o a year. A list
of the curates is given in the same work,
118-31.
84 He was of Magdalene College, Cam-
bridge ; B.A. 1844, M.A. 1855. He was
ordained in the former year, and after
serving various curacies, including Prest-
wich from 1848 to 1858, was appointed
perpetual curate of Benhilton, Surrey, in
1863. He published Mem. of the Ch, in
Prestwicb in 1852 ; a Hist, of the Ancient
Chapel of Blackley, 1854; and through the
Chetham Society, Hist, of the Chapelt of
Denton, Didsbury, Chorlton, and Birch,
1855-8. He married the daughter of
Dr. Lee, first Bishop of Manchester. He
resigned his benefice in 1895, and died
two years later.
8i Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc.), ii,
190-3. The endowment consisted of
burgages in Manchester, and tenements
in Halifax and Altrincham ; the net
revenue was j6s, %d. The priest, John
Hall, is named in the Visitation List of
1 548, but as moreuus is written against him,
he probably died about that time, being
succeeded by Lawrence Wallwork. The
chapel, as 'newly built,' is mentioned in
the wills of Robert Langley of Agecroft
and Eleanor his wife.
86 Ibid, ii, 193 ; no particulars of the
endowment are given, but Canon Raines
found that lands in Hundersfield had be-
longed to it. The income was 4 IQJ. zd.
and the incumbent was Thomas Dodson,
who was still living in the parish in 1554-
87 Gastrell, Notilia, ii, in, 116, 119.
88 Ibid, ii, in, 116. An acre of land
at Rainsough in Prestwich, bought by the
inhabitants, brought in 4 a year, distri-
75
bated in linen cloth. The land seems
afterwards to have been used as the site
of the workhouse, occupied till 1869,
and sold in 1875.
89 The following details are taken from
the report of the Endowed Charities in-
quiry, held in 1903 ; in it the report of
1826 is reprinted.
In 1826 the 200 bequeathed by Sir
T. Grey Egerton was invested in a mort-
gage on land in Chadderton, and produced
10 a year, distributed by the church-
wardens at Christmas time. The capital
now consists of 333 railway stock, pro-
ducing 9 igs. gd. a year; the benefits
have long been restricted to the poor at-
tending the parish church of St. Mary.
90 The poor's money in 1826 amounted
to 101 5*., having been contributed by a
number of benefactors from 1698 onwards.
There is a list in Booker, Prestwich, 75.
The money was in 1819 expended in
building the workhouse mentioned above,
and the overseers paid 5 a year as in-
terest ; this was expended on linen cloth
given to the poor. In 1846 the auditor
disallowed this payment ; but when the
workhouse was sold in 1875 107 of the
proceeds was set apart for the benefit of
the poor. The income, 2 i$s. 8*/., is
distributed with Sir Thomas Egerton's
charity.
Sir Holland Egerton in 1730 left 20
to the poor of Prestwich and Great and
Little Heaton ; in 1826 the interest was
distributed in loaves once a month at
Prestwich Church, but being paid out of
the rates was afterwards disallowed by
the auditor and lost.
Thomas, Earl of Wilton, in 1814 left
500 to trustees for the benefit of the
poor of the three townships named above,
and another $oo for the poor of the
Heatons ; the possessor of Heaton Hall
was to determine the manner of distribu-
tion. In 1826 a distribution of clothing
and blankets to the value of over ,100
(of which about 40 was the interest of
Lord Wilton's legacies) was made at the
hall to the poor of the district. The
capital is now ^1,117 consols, giving an
income of 27 181. %d. ; this is distri-
buted at Polefield Hall by the rector of
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The stock for Great and Little Heaton has been
lost. 91 Pilkington has a share in the benefaction
of William Baguley, 1728 ; its poor's fund has been
lost, but for the hamlet of Unsworth Miss Jane
Margaret Birkett, daughter of a former incumbent of
the church there, in 1872 left 500 for the sick
poor. The other endowments of this township are
for churches and schools. 91
PRESTWICH
Prestwich, 1194; Prestwic, 1202; Prestewic,
1203.
The township of Prestwich extends about 2 miles
in a north-east direction from the Irwell, which forms
one boundary, to the border of Heaton near Poppy-
thorn. The area is 1,917^ acres. 1 The old village
is situated on the north-west side of the township,
with the parish church to the south, and the old hall
to the north. Two picturesque cloughs distinguish
the western half. One of these the Mere clough
begins near the old hall and goes south-west to the
Irwell, forming, as might be gathered from the name,
a boundary between Prestwich and Outwood in Pilk-
ington. The other begins to the south of the church
and winds along, first west and then south, to the
Irwell. Near Mere dough, and about half a mile
apart, are the two great buildings of one of the county
lunatic asylums. 1 In the southern corner is Rainsough,
and to the east lie the residential districts of Hilton
Park and Sedgeley Park, suburbs of Manchester. Near
the boundary is Castle Hill, and Singleton's lies to the
north of it. Singleton Brook divides this township
from Broughton. On the eastern side, on the border
of Heaton Park, is the hamlet of Rooden Lane, and
to the north, on the highest land within the boun-
daries, is Polefield. The population numbered 1 2,839
in 1901.*
The principal roads are those from Manchester to
Bury, the Old Road to the east, near the border, the
New Road, formed in 1827, through the centre.
There are numerous cross roads ; one runs north-east
from Agecroft Bridge to Heaton. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire Railway has its Manchester and Bury
line through the township, with stations called Heaton
Park and Prestwich. A tramway, connected with the
Salford system, runs along the Bury New Road.
A botanist of note, Richard Broxton, was born at
Sedgeley Hall Farm in 1786. He died in 1865.*
In 1867 a local board of twelve members was
elected; 4 replaced in 1894 by an urban district
council, of fifteen members, from five wards.
At Diggle Hill, near the centre of the township,
are reservoirs of the Manchester Water Works.
There are several bleach works in the township,
and two small-ware manufactories. Rooden Lane was
formerly a great centre of the hand-loom weaving,
which died out about 1882."
The wakes were formerly held in August. 7
The stocks have disappeared, but were in use in
i8oo. 8
The hearth tax return of 1666 records ninety-seven
hearths in the township, the largest houses being the
rector's with ten hearths, James Wilson's with seven,
and John Glover's with six. 9
From the survey of 1212 it appears
M4NOR that PRESTfTICH was held of the king in
thegnage, and was assessed as four oxgangs
of land ; the service was a rent of io/. 10 Robert de
Prestwich occurs in 1 193," and his son Adam agreed
to pay 5 marks as relief on succeeding in or before
I2o6. 11 Adam de Prestwich was in possession in
1212, holding Prestwich, Great Heaton, and Fails-
Prestwich and Lord Wilton's agent, a gift
of the value of "jt. being made to each
chosen recipient.
Lewis Novelli in 1844 bequeathed
ji,ooo for poor, aged, or sickly inhabi-
tants 'being regular attendants at some
Protestant Established Church' in the
parish, the rector and churchwardens
having the distribution. After some
difficulties the money was paid to the
official trustees in 1857, and is repre-
sented by 1,246 consols, producing
3 l 3*- yearly- The benefits are now con-
fined to poor persons attending the parish
church and St. Margaret's, Holyrood.
The same Lewis Novelli left about
1,500 for the choir and organ fund of
the parish church. A fund of 500
raised in 1890 to commemorate John St.
Lawrance Beaufort, postmaster of Man-
chester, is invested for exhibitions for
the scholars of Bury New Road National
Schools.
James Davenport in 1882 left money
for the parish church and St. Margaret's
and the schools. William Bradbury in
1882 left money for St. Margaret's
Church, a Liberal Club, &c.; but these
gifts are not yet available, his widow sur-
viving. The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
has an endowment of 58.
91 In 1826 it was supposed that some
ancient benefactions were deposited in Sir
Holland Egerton's hands and formed part
of the 20 he left to the poor ; but, as
above stated, all this has now been lost.
M Various donations from 1698 to
1737 established a poor's fund of 112
for Pilkington. It is supposed the fund
was given to the overseers for the work-
house ; they in 1826 paid 5 as interest,
linen cloth being given to the poor. The
Pilkington Workhouse was demolished
about 1850, and the interest ceased to be
paid.
George Hardman in 1762 left 40 for
linen for the poor; by 1826 half the
capital had been lost, but the remainder
produced 1 81. a year, distributed according
to the benefactor's desire. Nothing, how-
ever, is now known of it.
A share of a gift by William Baguley
in 1728 was received by the poor of Out-
wood ; this amounted to 401. io</. in
1826, and was distributed in linen cloth.
This charity survives, and doles of calico
and winsey are made in January.
Miss Birkett' s bequest brings i i 81. %d.
a year, which is distributed in money gifts
to poor persons of all religious denomina-
tions.
The schools at Stand, Ringley, and
Unsworth have endowments, as also the
chapel at Ringley, and the Sunday school
at Cinderhill. The Hollins Young Men's
Institute is also noticed in the report.
1 The census report of 1901 gives
3,167 acres, including 57 of inland water;
but in 1894 the boundaries of Prestwich
proper were extended to include the rural
portions of the adjacent townships of
Great and Little Heaton ; Local Govt.
Bd. Order 32103. A small part of the
township lies to the south of the Irwell.
76
a The asylum in Prestwich Wood was
opened in 1851, being built to accommo-
date 500 patients. It has been several
times enlarged, and the annexe, for 1,100
patients, was built in 1884. There is
now accommodation for 2,600. There is
a church attached ; see W. Nicholls,
Prestwicb, 1 1 6-20.
8 This is for the extended area, but the
addition made in 1894 had only 461
inhabitants.
4 Diet. Nat. Biog.
5 Land. Gax. 21 Dec. 1866.
6 W. Nicholls, Prestwicb, 55.
Ibid. 67. A programme of the sports
in 1832 is reprinted.
8 Ibid. 78.
9 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
10 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 67. In later times the
tenure was by knight's service and a rent.
11 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 77. He paid
4 marks for having the king's good will, as
one of the men of the rebellious John, Count
of Mortain. He occurs again in 1201 and
1205 as a contributor to the tall age and
scutage ; ibid. 151, 205.
12 Ibid. 203. This entry is in the same
roll as the last-mentioned payment by
Robert de Prestwich, showing that the
father died in the year 1205-6. The
Robert de Prestwich recorded in the farm
of the county in 1226 is probably the same
man, the name being taken from an old
roll like Augustine de Barton but it
may be the successor of Adam ; Lanes.
Inq. and Extents, i, 137.
SALFORD HUNDRED
worth. 18 For over sixty years there is scarcely any
mention of the manor, another Adam de Prestwich
appearing in 1278." He was probably the same
Adam who was plaintiff in 1292,'* and who in 1297
settled his manors of Prestwich, Alkrington, and Pen-
dlebury on John his son and heir and Emmota his
wife. 16 This arrangement was not permanent, for he
appears to have married about the same time one
Alice de Wolveley, whose children became his heirs. 17
In 1311 he gave the manor of Pendlebury to her son
Robert, 18 and in 1313 settled the manors of Prestwich,
Alkrington, and Pendlebury, and the advowson of the
church of the manor of Prestwich upon Thomas his
son by Alice, with remainders to her other children. 19
In virtue of this Alice his widow succeeded him, 10
and was in turn followed by her son, Thomas de
Prestwich. He very quickly granted his manors to
Richard son of William de Pvadcliffe for life, and then
in fee. 21 In 1346, therefore, Richard de Radcliffe
was returned as holding the manor of Prestwich with
the advowson of the church. 11 Two years afterwards
he made a feoffment of the manor and advowson,
probably on his marriage with one Isabel.* 3 What-
ever may have been the meaning of this transfer to
the Radcliffes, it appears that in 1362 new feoffments
were made," and the trustees regranted the manor of
Prestwich and the advowson of the church for the
lives of Richard and Isabel, and for a year and a day
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
after their decease, paying to Richard de Langley 50
marks a year, and also performing the services due to
the chief lords, the manor to revert to Richard de
Langley or his heirs. 25 The right of the Langleys
under the settlement of 1 3 1 3 was thus fully acknow-
ledged.
What became of Thomas de Prestwich is unknown. 26
He had two daughters and co-heirs Margaret and
Agnes. 27 The former took the
veil at Seaton in Cumberland
in 1360, but afterwards left
the convent and married Ro-
bert de Holland ; and Agnes,
*who had married John son of
William de Radcliffe, and who
was considered the heir after
her sister's veiling, died with-
out issue about I362. 28 In
1367 a further agreement was
made between the Radcliffes
and Langleys for securing the
succession of Richard de Lang-
ley and Joan his wife and the
heirs of Joan. 29 About the same time Robert de
Holland put forward his claims to the manor as the
right of Margaret, and in 1371 Richard de Radcliffe
the elder and Isabel his wife released to Robert and
Margaret all their claim to the manor and advowson,*
LANGLEY. Argent a
cockatrice sable, crested,
beaked and numbered
gules.
18 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 67. Heaton
and Fails-worth were held by under-tenant*.
14 Thomas, lord of Prestwich, made a
grant in Heaton about 1260 ; Harl. MS.
2112, fol. 148/1 84. A John de Prestwich,
rector of Whitwell, occurs about the same
time; ibid. fol. 145^/181*. Robert son
of Robert de Nettleham was non-suited
in a claim for a tenement in Prestwich
made against Adam de Prestwich in 1278;
Assize R. 1238, m. 33d.
15 Assize R. 408, m. 25 ; Adam de
Prestwich claimed arrears of customs and
services for a tenement in Prestwich held
by John Byron, but was non-suited. This
probably refers to Failsworth.
16 Agecroft D. 4.
17 A fuller account of Adam de Prest-
wich and his descendants is given under
Pendlebury, Agecroft in that township
having become the principal seat of his
heirs. Other descendants of his are named
in the account of Whittleswick in Barton.
18 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 12; the grant included 40 acres
in Prestwich also.
Alice, the sister of Robert, succeeded ;
she married Jordan de Tetlow, and her
heir was her daughter Joan, who married
Richard de Langley ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 53.
19 Final Cone, ii, 1 6 ; Agecroft D. II.
After the children of Alice the remainder
was to Roger de Prestwich. Claims were
put in by Alice, sister of John de Byron ;
John son of John de Prestwich, Adam de
Worley, and Emma his wife, and John and
Thomas sons of Emma possibly the Em-
mota of 1297.
At the beginning of 1319 Adam de
Prestwich claimed a messuage, etc., in
Prestwich held by Roger de Prestwich and
Thomas his son ; De Banco R. 226, m.
24. Adam and Alexander de Prestwich
were also plaintiffs as executors of the will
of John, rector of Whitwell ; ibid. m. 65.
At Easter in the same year Adam com-
plained that certain persons had cut down
and carried off some of his trees at Oldham,
to the value of i o ; ibid. R. 229, m. 70 d.
Soon afterwards he died, for in July 1319,
Thomas son of John de Prestwich released
to Alice, widow of Adam de Prestwich, all
his claim on the family manors ; Agecroft
D. 1 3 (dated at Pontefract).
20 She held Prestwich, Heaton, and
Alkrington in 1324. Her holding was
called one plough-land, and the service due
was 2os. ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii, 104,
135, 204. She appears to have died about
1330.
21 Thomas son of Adam de Prestwich
and Alice de Wolveley in 1331 granted his
manors of Prestwich, Alkrington, and Pen-
dlebury, and the land he had acquired
from John son of Alexander de Prestwich,
to Richard son of William de Radcliffe for
his life, at a yearly rent of 26 and 19 J.
in silver for the first three years, and 100
marks of silver for the rest of the term ;
Agecroft D. 14. The rents seem to show
that this was a grant in trust. A little
later he gave the same Richard all his right
in the manor of Prestwich and the demesne,
including the park, and a pasture called
the Denehead ; ibid. 1 5. The grantee was
the lord of Radcliffe.
In 1333 he granted to Richard and his
heirs his manor of Prestwich, with the
park and the Denehead, at a yearly rent of
a rose for the first twenty years and of
10 marks afterwards ; ibid. 17, 18. This
was soon followed by a release of all ac-
tions touching his fermes of Prestwich,
Pendlebury, and Alkrington ; ibid. 1 9. He
presented to the rectory in 1334, but soon
afterwards made over the advowson to
Richard de Radcliffe (ibid. 6, 20, 21), who
presented from 1347 to 1365.
Thomas gave a release to his brother
Robert in 1345 ; ibid. 22.
22 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146; Dods.
MSS. Ixxxvii, fol. 59*.
23 Agecroft D. 23, 24. The trustees
regranted to Richard de Radcliffe and Isabel
his wife and their issue ; ibid. 25, 26.
24 Ibid. 28-30. In one grant a place
called the ' Fohcastel ' was reserved. In
77
1479 't was attested that * Foyecastell '
moor belonged to the lordship of Prest-
wich, and not to that of Crumpsall ; ibid.
83. Castle Hill lies in the south-east
corner of the township, in the borders of
Broughton and Crumpsall.
24 Ibid. 31, 32, dated 9 Dec. 1362. The
feoffees made a final release in 1364 ; ibid.
33-
86 He had an illegitimate son who re-
ceived land in Tonge and took the local
name, as will be seen in the account of
that township. Thomas was living in
1348, when he claimed certain lands in
Prestwich against his sister Alice and
against Robert and Thurstan sons of Jordan
de Tetlow ; De Banco R. 356, m 384 d.
Alice, widow of Thomas de Prestwich,
was a defendant in 1356, respecting lands
in the township ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 5, m. 4.
^ Margaret de Prestwich and Agnes her
sister were in 1357 plaintiffs respecting a
tenement in Prestwich, Richard, son of
John de Radcliffe being defendant ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. 6, m. 2 d.
28 The story is told in Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 50-3, and in a more com-
plete record in the Agecroft D. 66. See
also Pal. of Lane. Misc. bdle. i, no 8, m.
25, 26. The dates of Margaret's entrance
into religion and her sister's death seem
to be marked by the feoffments above
related.
29 Agecroft D. 44 ; in this the rent
payable by Richard de Radcliffe is stated as
5 (not 50) marks. It was confirmed by
a fine in 1369 ; Final Cone, ii, 176.
Sir John de Radcliffe, of Ordsall, in
1412 quitclaimed to Robert de Langley
all his right to the Prestwich manors ;
Agecroft D. 59.
80 Ibid. 34. Thurstan son of John de
Prestwich in 1375 released to Robert de
Holland all his claim on the manors of
Prestwich, Alkrington, and Pendlebury and
the advowson of Prestwich ; ibid. 37. In
1416 he gave a similar release to Robert
de Langley ; ibid. 72.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
while in 1374 Robert de Holland and Margaret his
wife made a feoffment of their manor of Prestwich, 31
and two years later granted to Peter their son all
their lands and tenements in Prestwich, Alkrington,
and Pendlebury, together with the advowson of
Prestwich. 31
Roger de Langley the son and heir was a minor in
1372, and in ward to the Duke of Lancaster, 33 when
Robert de Holland assembled a troop of armed men,
and by force took possession of the manor, holding it
till 1389." The Langleys, however, had not been
neglectful of their claim. As early as 1371 a certifi-
cate had been procured stating that Margaret de
Prestwich had been duly professed, 84 and Roger as son
and heir of Richard and Joan appears to have put
forward his claim in due form, 36 but it was not till
1394, after his death, that a final decision was made. 37
The heir, his son Robert, being a minor, the manor
of Prestwich, with a parcel of Alkrington and the
advowson of the church, were taken into the duke's
hands, livery being granted in i^o^. 39
The manor then descended peaceably in the same
way as Pendlebury, 39 the most notable feature of the
family's tenure being the succession of Langleys to
the rectory for 200 years.
On the death of Sir Robert Langley in 1561 and
the consequent partition, the manor of Prestwich be-
came the share of his daughter Margaret, who married
John Reddish of Reddish, 40 and afterwards Richard
Holland, of Denton. 41 Her son, Alexander Reddish,
left two daughters as co-heirs, Sarah and Grace. 4 * The
former, who married Clement, a younger son of Sir
Edward Coke, the famous lawyer and chief justice,
had the manor of Prestwich. It descended in the
Coke family, though Sarah's issue died out, until
1777, when Thomas William Coke, the famous
' Mr. Coke of Holkham,' in Norfolk, a leader in the
agricultural revolution which took place in the latter
part of the 1 8th century, wishing to increase his Nor-
folk estates, began to sell Prestwich in parcels. 4 *
T. W. Coke in 1779 P a '^ 9 s - 4^- to ^ e duchy for
Prestwich. 44 The manor was, in 1 794, acquired by
Peter Drinkwater, who resided at Irwell House in
Prestwich, and it descended to his son Thomas.
Thomas died in 1861, leaving two daughters ; and
Irwell House, with land called Drinkwater Park, has
81 Agccroft D. 36.
"Ibid. 38. In 1375 Robert de Hol-
land appeared as plaintiff, certain persons
having cut down his trees at Prestwich ;
De Banco R. 459, m. 10.
88 On 13 Nov. 1372 John Duke of
Lancaster directed the sheriff to take into
the duke's hands the manor of Prestwich,
because of the minority of Roger de Lang-
ley, the heir, the tenure being stated to be
by knight's service ; Duchy of Lane. Misc.
Bks. xiii, 163. In a plea of 1390 the date
of the sherirFs entry is given as I 5 May,
1374 ; possibly the father died in one year
and the mother in the other ; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 52.
84 Ibid., and more fully in an exempli-
fication of the pleas of 1390 made in
1414 ; Agecroft D. 66. Robert de Hol-
land denied that Margaret was a nun or
professed. The suit quoted was in form
a claim by the duke for the profits which
should have accrued to him from the
wardship of Roger de Langley, but lost
through the forcible occupation by the
Hollands.
85 Agecroft D. 35. ' Dame Margaret de
Prestwich, one of the nuns of Seaton, of
the age of fifteen years and more, was
professed on the morrow of St. {Catherine
the Virgin and Martyr, A.D. 1360, in the
presence of Sir John Cragge, prior of the
Abbey of Furness, Sir John de Huddleston,
knight and lord of Millom, Richard de
Coupland of Furness, Richard de Huddles-
ton and others . . . and the said Margaret
on the said day confessed before the said
persons that she was not coerced or com-
pelled, but voluntarily entered the order of
St. Benedict in the said house and was
professed.' A similar certificate was pro-
cured in 1388 ; ibid. 39,40.
86 See the statements in the inquisition
and plea above cited.
8 < Agecroft D. 66. When the Duke of
Lancaster called upon the Archbishop of
York to make inquiry as to Margaret's
profession, he gave no reply, Seaton being
outside the duke's regality ; so that appli-
cation had to be made to the king, in reply
to whom the archbishop in June 1394 du'.y
certified that ' Margaret, daughter of
Thomas, son of Alice de Wolveley . , .
was a nun and professed in the house of
the nuns of Seaton.' On this judgement
was given for the duke in his claim against
Robert de Holland.
Dower was in the same year (1394)
granted to Margaret widow of Roger de
Langley, from the manor of Prestwich
together with the hamlet of Alkrington
appertaining to the manor ; it included
the Hallfield and Denehead, part of the
demesne, and the chapel chamber with the
chapel at Prestwich, a stable and haybarn ;
ibid. 56.
The Hollands did not immediately re-
sign their claims. In 1395 the feoffees of
Robert and Margaret granted to Edmund
their son the manor and advowson of
Prestwich for the life of Robert de Holland,
on whose death it was to go to Peter the
son of Robert and his issue, with succes-
sive remainders to Peter's brothers and
sisters, Nicholas, John, Edmund, Marion,
ICatherine, and Alice ; ibid. 42.
At the end of 1401 Robert de Holland
released to Robert de Langley all his claim
upon the manors of Prestwich, Alkrington,
and Pendlebury, and his sons were to do
the same when they should come of age ;
an annuity of 5 marks a year was granted
in return for this ; the parties were sworn
upon the sacrament of the altar to hold to
this agreement; ibid. 57*. In 1416 Peter
de Holland agreed to give up all his deeds
relating to the Prestwich manors, and for-
mally gave 'his manors' up to trustees (for
the Langleys) in 1418 ; ibid. 69, 73.
The settlement was not arrived at with-
out violence. In May 1402 the king
granted his pardon to Robert de Langley
for capturing and detaining Robert de
Holland. The latter had, it seems, at
various times invaded the manor of
Prestwich and carried away the cattle and
goods of Langley and his tenants into
Cheshire, not restoring them without
payment. He had also come by night
and carried some of Langley's cattle as far
as Glossop ; being pursued, he entered the
house of Master Wagstaffe and defied
Robert de Langley, wounding one of his
servants with an arrow. The brother of
the wounded man threw fire into the
house, so that it was burnt down and Hol-
land had to surrender, and was taken into
Lancashire. He had already been out-
lawed for treason ; ibid. 58.
88 Inq. p.m. above cited, and Towneley
78
MS. DD, no. 1466. In 1398 the Duke of
Lancaster released to his ward Robert de
Langley a rent of 1 1 marks due as the
farm of his lands in Prestwich and Alkring-
ton, and this because of Robert's 'good
and agreeable service,' rendered to the
duke, who had retained him in his service
for life ; Agecroft D. 57.
89 But little is known of the manor
during this period. In 1410 it appears
that Edmund de Prestwich and Margaret
his wife had received from Robert de Lang-
ley certain lands in Prestwich as Margaret's
portion ; ibid. 34. In 1468 there was a
dispute between the Langleys and the
Radcliffes of Ordsall ; ibid. 79 ; and in
1484 between them and the Radcliffes of
Radcliffe, as to the bounds of Crumpsall
and Prestwich ; ibid. 86, 87.
In 1472 it was found that Thomas
Langley, deceased, had held the manor of
Prestwich of the king as Duke of Lancas-
ter, by the sixteenth part of a knight's fee
and a rent of izs. a year ; its clear annual
value was 10 ; Agecroft D. 80. At the
death of Sir Robert Langley in 1561 the
tenure was called socage, by a rent of
131. \d. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 16.
40 Land in Prestwich is named in a
settlement of the lands of John Reddish
and Margaret his wife in 1569 ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 31, m. 164.
41 In a list of chief rents paid to Queen
Elizabeth occurs ' Richard Holland for
another fourth part [of Sir R. Langley's
lands], 95.4^.' ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870),
i> 447-
4a Margaret Holland died in September
1625, and was buried at Prestwich; thus
surviving her son Alexander Reddish, who
died in 1613 when his daughter Grace was
aged twenty-five, and wife of Sir Robert
Darcy, while Sarah was only twelve ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 254.
Sarah Coke died in 1623-4 and Clemnt
her husband in 1630, leaving a son and
heir Edward, aged twelve, on 17 Feb.
1630; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvi, 53.
See further in the account of Reddish.
48 W. Nicholls, Prestwich, 33-6. 'No
trace can be found of a [ manor J court
being held here' ; ibid. 37.
44 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 14, no.
25 m.
SALFORD HUNDRED
been sold to the Corporation of Salford on a ground
rent, and a further part of the land to the Prestwich
District Council. 45
The manor of Prestwich i.e. a mesne lordship be-
tween the Earl of Lancaster and the local family
seems to have been granted to Sir Robert de Holland
early in the I4th century, but the claim to it failed. 46
The other daughters of Sir Robert Langley also had
lands in Prestwich, on a division of the estate. Thus
William Dauntesey of Agecroft held 1 6 acres as appur-
tenant to his manor-house. 47 James Ashton, of Chad-
derton, in right of his wife Dorothy had a much larger
estate. 48 Part of it was the Polefield estate, since
divided into three portions, one of which Polefield
Hall and lands is now owned by the Earl of Wilton. 49
Poppythorn is an ancient part of the glebe land. 50
Sedgeley was, in 1788, purchased from T. W. Coke
by Thomas Philips, a Manchester merchant. His son
George was created a baronet in 1826. The house,
called Sedgeley Hall, was from 1848 to 1854 the
residence of Dr. Prince Lee, the first bishop of Man-
chester. The estate has been utilized for building
purposes. 51
Rooden was, in the I4th century, owned by the
Hollands." It has been included in the Heaton Park
estate, purchased by the Corporation of Manchester."
Henry de Traffbrd of Prestwich occurs in 1348
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
and later years. 54 No landowners were assessed to the
subsidy in 1541, but in 1622 Edward Holland, Robert
Leigh, and Richard Tonge contributed. 45 The land
tax returns of 1787 show the effect of the Coke sale ;
the largest contributor was James Chapman, who paid
about a ninth of the sum collected. 66
Sir John Prestwich, some of whose antiquarian col-
lections are in the Chetham Library, claimed to repre-
sent the old Prestwich family ; he died in Dublin,
I 5 August 1 796." He had no territorial connexion
with the township.
The parish church has already been described.
St. Margaret's, Holyrood, was opened in 1851 and
consecrated the following year ; it has had several
additions. A separate district was assigned to it in
1 885." St. Hilda's, a chapel of ease at Rooden Lane,
was consecrated in 1904, but services had been con-
ducted there for some years previously.
Wesleyan Methodism was introduced as early as
1805, a cottage in Rooden Lane being used for Sunday
meetings. A small chapel was built in 1820, which
was replaced by the existing building in 1865.** In
Prestwich village services began in 1812, but the
Rooden Lane chapel accommodated this congregation
also for a time. In 1830 a new start was made; a
school -chapel was built in 1835, anc ^ a chapel in the
main street followed in 1840. The present church
45 Nicholls, op. cit. 34, 39 ; and Burke,
Commoners, iii, 669.
46 Maud, widow of Sir Robert de Hol-
land, in 1 346 claimed dower in the manor
of Prestwich against Richard de Radcliffe;
the defence was that Robert was never in
seisin, and no more is heard of the claim ;
De Banco R. 347, m. 158 ; 350, m. 250.
*7 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 349. Among the Age-
croft deeds are leases of land in Prest-
wich to Hopwood and to Astley in the
1 8th century.
48 Ibid, i, 225. In 1587 James Ashton
and Dorothy his wife granted to William
Dauntesey an annuity of 10 from lands
in Prestwich called Over Fleams, Lower
Fleams, Showebrode, and the Rodes ; ibid.
229.
49 W. Nicholls, Prestwich, 37, 38 ; the
other portions are known as Polefield
House and Pippintree (or Polefield).
The pole from which it took its name was
used for signals, standing on the highest
ground in the parish ; ibid. 93.
40 In the early years of Elizabeth's
reign William Langley, then rector, being
seised of a messuage and lands called
* Popethorne,' demised to Robert Holt of
Prestwich a messuage lately built there
and called the New Chamber, together
with 4 acres of land and meadow and
housing for his corn, hay, turves, and
cattle. The rector afterwards refused to
carry out the agreement, and Robert Holt
appealed to the Chancellor, Sir Ambrose
Carr ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, cxi, H. nj
see also Nicholls, Prestwich, 31.
It was the residence of a family named
Wilson, one of whom was summoned to
attend the Visitation of 1664 ; Dugdale,
Visit. (Chet. Soc.), v. A pedigree is
given in Booker, Prestwicb, 216.
51 Nicholls, Prestwich, 34, 94-7 ; it is
related that Sydney Smith frequently
visited Sir George Philips at Sedgeley,
preaching at the parish church. Lawrence
Fort, calico printer, of Blackburn, the
next owner, is said to have committed
suicide in one of the rooms of Sedgeley
Hall in 1837, and 'curious lights are
sometimes observed in the window of
that room.' The house was ruined by a
fire in 1902.
58 The following deeds of the year
1341 in Lord Wilton's possession show
something of the origin of the Holland
estate :
Grant by John de Prestwich the
younger to Thurstan de Holland of a
piece of land called Broadclough (Brade-
clache) in Prestwich, as inclosed by hedges
and ditches in the time of its former
owner, the grantor's grandfather, John
son of Adam de Prestwich, a rent of 31. 4</.
to be paid.
Release by Richard de Radc iffc to
Thurstan son of Sir William de Holland
of land in Prestwich.
Release by John de Prestwich the
younger of all his right in his grand-
father's land called Rodoun, granted to
Thurstan by Richard de Radcliffe.
Grant of a rent-charge of 31. 4^. on
Rodoun by Thurstan de Holland to John
de Prestwich.
This John de Prestwich appears to be a
descendant of the ' son and heir ' of Adam
in 1297. Ralph, son of John son of
John de Prestwich, occurs in 1353 ;
Assize R. 43$, m. 18 d. ; he and his wife
Ellen claimed lands at Walton on the
Hill ; ibid. m. 33.
Thurstan de Holland acquired further
lands in Prestwich in 1 360, the vendors
being William de Blakelow and Margery
his wife ; William de Beswick and Cecily
his wife, and Alice widow of Henry the
Falconer; Final Cone, ii, 165.
By an arbitration made in 1520
between Robert Langley of Agecroft and
Richard Holland of Denton, it was de-
cided that the former should enjoy all the
messuages, lands, &c., which he or his
ancestors had built and inclosed on the
waste of Prestwich, and might also ap-
prove 4 acres of the moor adjoining the
Fohcastle, but no more. The Hollands
and their tenants of Heaton Hall, the
ground called Rooden, and tenements near
79
Heaton Gate lying on the north and south
side of Terrebrook, were to enjoy com-
mon of pasture on the wastes in Prest-
wich, and to drive their cattle to the high
moor of Prestwich to common there.
Robert Langley was to take down the
gate he had erected in Rooden Lane end ;
Agecroft D. 100.
53 Nicholls, Prestwich, 93.
54 Assize R. 1444, m. 4 ; he was son of
Alan. In 1356 Gilbert de Urmston com-
plained that Henry de Traffbrd of Prest-
wich, Richard and Nicholas his brothers,
and John de Traffbrd, bastard, had assaulted
him at Wigan, so that his life was despaired
of; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 8.
85 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 143, 155. Thomas Leigh of Alkring-
ton and {Catherine his wife made a set-
tlement of their estate, including lands in
Prestwich, in 1571 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 33, m. 184. Christopher
Tonge made a settlement respecting his
twelve messuages and lands in Prestwich
in 1585 ; ibid. bdle. 47, m. 17.
In 1586 Geoffrey Hardman acquired
lands in Denton, Heaton, and Prestwich
from Robert Holt ; ibid. bdle. 48, m. 227.
Thomas Hardman contributed to the sub-
sidy in 1622 for 'goods' ; Misc. ut sup.
Hardman's Green and Hardman's Fold
exist in the northern part of the town-
ship. Adjacent is Kirkhams, commem-
orating Thomas Kirkham, who built the
house in 1733 ; he was buried in the
church in 1788 ; Booker, Prestwich, 38.
56 Returns at Preston.
*' Pal. Note Bk. ii, 249. For his as-
sumption of the Prestwich baronetcy see
G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, ii, 222.
58 Holyrood is a fancy name, derived
from Rooden Lane. For the church and
a strange story as to the laying of the
foundation stone see Nicholls, Prestwich^
142-4.
59 Nicholls, Prestwich, 121. The rec-
tor (Lyon) was asked to interfere to stop
the meetings, but said, ' Let them do
good amongst us if they can,' and sub-
scribed to the school.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
was built in i877. 60 There is a small chapel at Rain-
sough. The Primitive Methodists began services in
a cottage at Kirkhams, and have since erected an iron
chapel ; the first minister was appointed in iSgj. 61
The Congregational Church, Rooden Lane, origi-
nated in anight school begun in 1862. TheChetham
Hill church took the work up ; a school-chapel was
opened in 1865, and the present church in i88i. M
The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Grace
was opened in 1891. Mass had been said for two
years previously in the Co-operative Hall. 63
There is a Jewish cemetery, opened in 1 84-O. 64
GREAT AND LITTLE HEATON
Heton, 1212 usual; Heiton, 1226; Hetun,
Heethon, c. 1250 ; Heetun, 1319 ; Hoi ton, Hoton,
1331-2 ; Hey ton, 1447 ; Heaton (xvi cent.).
Faefeld, c. 1280 ; Faghefeld, 1331 ; Faufeld, 1344;
Fawfeld, 1368 ; Falefelde, 1447 ; Faughfyld, 1586 ;
Fallowfield, modern. Pronounced Fawfield.
These townships, mostly on high ground, which
slopes away to the south-east to the River Irk, have
areas respectively of 875 and 532 acres. Great
Heaton has two detached portions lying on the
border of Middleton, and Little Heaton has a small
isolated part, occupying the extreme north-east corner
of the townships. Formerly the district was called
Faghfield, and the places were Heaton upon Fagh-
field, but in time the present Great Heaton became
known as Over Heaton or Heaton Reddish, from the
lords of the manor, while Little Heaton was called
Heaton Fallowfield. The population in 1901 was
not returned separately, but partly with Prestwich and
partly with Middleton.
The surface is undulating, varying from 200 ft.
to 350 ft. above sea level. The most prominent
feature is the large park around Heaton House, now
the property of Manchester. The chief road is that
from the north of Manchester to Middleton, along
the right bank of the Irk. From it roads branch off,
making a circuit of the park, and another great high-
way leads to Heywood. The Lancashire and York-
shire Company's railway from Manchester to Bury
passes through the southern corner of Great Heaton,
mostly by a tunnel under the park.
The townships have ceased to exist as such.
In 1894 the greater part of the area was added to
Prestwich for purposes of local government ; the
small urban district on the east, known as Rhodes,
together with the detached portion of Little Heaton
above mentioned, were taken into the borough of
Middleton. 1 A further change was made in 1901,
Heaton Park being added to Manchester, on its
purchase by the Corporation.
Fifty years ago silk-weaving gave prosperity to the
villages of Simister and Bow Lee, but th industry
has long been extinct.*
There is a well called the Danes' Well in Simister
in Little Hulton. 8 A place called Clark's Cross is
on the highest ground, 350 ft., in Corday Lane in
Great Heaton. A curious inn sign, 'The Same Yet,'
was noticeable at Great Heaton. 4
In 1666 there were fifty hearths in Heaton liable
to the tax ; William Holland's house had thirteen,
and Edmund Hey wood's six. In Heaton Fallowfield,
out of thirty-five hearths in all James Pilkington's
house had six. 5
Heaton, held in thegnage of the king,
MANORS had before 1212 become divided into
two portions, held by different families
at different rents. One moiety, GREAT HEATON t
as 4 oxgangs of land, was then held by Adam de
Prestwich, and of him by Adam de Heaton, by a rent of
io/. The other moiety, LITTLE HEATON, also
4 oxgangs, was held by William de Radcliffe, and
of him by Gilbert de Notion, of Barton, by a rent of
6/. SJ. 6
It is difficult to trace the descent of these separate
portions. Of the Prestwich moiety 7 one portion
seems to have been acquired by the Hultons, 8 and thus
passed to the Reddish family, being held by a rent of
6s. 8</. ; 9 the other 3/. \d. may have been due from
Rooden Lane in Prestwich, which seems anciently
60 Nicholls, Preifwich, 122.
Ibid. 124.
82 Ibid. 125 ; Nightingale, Lanes. Non-
tonf. v, 26-7.
Nicholls, op. cit. 128 ; Kelly, Engl.
Cath. Missions, 323.
M Nicholls, loc. cit.
1 Local Govt. Bd. Orders, 31625,
32103.
3 Nicholls, Prestwich, 55.
8 Ibid. 147.
4 Pal. Note Bk. iii, 260.
5 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
6 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 87.
^ Thomas, lord of Prestwich, granted
to Joan his daughter, about 1 260, half of
Heaton, formerly held by Thomas son of
Alexander ; Harl. MS. 21 12, fol. 148/1 84.
In 1 346 Richard Radcliffe, then in posses-
sion of the Prestwich manors, held ' Prest-
wich' by a rent of 20*., &c. The rent
shows that Prestwich included Heaton.
In 1325 it was found that Joan, wife of
William de Holland and later of William
de Multon, held the third part of a mes-
suage and lands, and ros. rent, in Heaton
near Fallowfield, of Alice widow of Adam
de Prestwich by the service of the third
part of 2s. ; Inq. p.m. 19 Edw. II, no. 96.
Hugh the chaplain, brother and heir of
Thomas de Heaton, granted to William
de Holland in 1309 all his manor of
Heaton, together with the service of John
son of Adam de Prestwich ; Harl. MS.
21 1 2, fol. 148/184.
Heaton is not mentioned in the later
Langley inquisitions.
8 In 1301 Richard son of David de
Hulton brought an action concerning dis-
seisin of 4 oxgangs of land in Over Hea-
ton against Richard de Hulton the elder
(brother of David), Richard and John his
sons, Adam de Radcliffe, and William and
Thomas sons of Thomas de Urmston ;
the plaintiff claimed under a charter of
his uncle Richard, who denied that it was
genuine; Assize R. 418, m. 5. At the
same time Agnes, David's widow, claimed
dower in certain messuages and lands in
Over Heaton, which were held by Richard
de Hulton, senr. ; ibid. m. I.
In 1331 Richard son of Richard de
Hulton of Reddish claimed the manor of
Heaton super Fallowfield against William
son of Richard de Hulton ; De Banco R.
287, m. 236 d. In a further pleading
the plaintiff, who recovered, stated that
Richard son of David de Hulton had
granted the manor to his brother David,
with remainder to Richard brother of
David ; and as David died without issue,
80
it should descend to Richard son of Richard;
De Banco R. 294, m. 242 d. Richard son
of Richard de Hulton [of Hulton] was
fined for opposing.
Richard de Reddish held five messuages,
100 acres of land, &c., in Heaton, for-
merly part of the estate of Richard de
Hulton of Ordsall ; Assize R. 1435, m -
40.
9 The township was called Heaton
Reddish in 1522 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 144.
Richard de Reddish died in 1404 seised
of the manor of Heaton on Fallowfield,
held of the king in chief by knight's ser-
vice and a rent of 6s. %d. ; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 80. In 1522 the
tenure was called socage, the rent being
6s. 8./. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, 48.
This statement was repeated in 1559,
when the manor was called Over Heaton
on Fallowfield ; ibid, xi, 60.
In 1613, however, the rent due from
the Reddish estate (not called a manor) in
Heaton was id. only ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 253. By
this time probably the main part of their
inheritance had passed to the Hollands.
It appears from the inquisition after the
death of Sarah Coke in 1630 that lands in
Crumpsall and Heaton Fallowfield, known
SALFORD HUNDRED
to have been charged with that rent, 10 or from lands
purchased by Adam de Prestwich and given to his son
John," whose descendants sold it to the Hollands of
Denton. 1 * This family also acquired a moiety of the
Radcliffe part of Heaton, 13 the other half apparently
descending with Radcliffe ; M thus in 1346 Richard de
Radcliffe and Thurstan de Holland held Heaton Fal-
lowfield in socage by a rent of 6s. 8</., paying double as
a relief ; puture also was due. 15 In later inquisitions
the tenure is called knight's service. 16
The Heaton family appear throughout the I3th
century, but sold their lands to the Prestwiches and
others ; and part was obtained by the Hollands. 17
This family became the principal one in the two
townships. Their original house, known as the Old
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
Hall, was in Little Heaton, but about 1750 the
present Heaton Hall in Great Heaton was built, and
remained the seat of the family until its purchase by
Manchester. A junior branch of the family was
seated at Rhodes in Pilkington. 18
At the beginning of the I Jth century the Hollands
of Denton seem to have acquired the inheritance of
the Reddish family in Great Heaton, 19 and from that
time chose Heaton for their principal residence. 10 In
1684 Elizabeth, sister and heir of Edward Holland,
married at Prestwich Sir John Egerton of Wrinehill, 11
and her son Holland, born two years afterwards," in-
herited the manors of Heaton and Denton.* 3 He
was succeeded in turn by his sons, Sir Edward and Sir
Thomas Grey Egerton, 24 and his grandson Sir Thomas
as the manor of Crumpsall, had recently
been purchased from William Sedley
probably in 1608; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxvi, 53 ; PaL of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 70, no. 82.
The ' manor of Heaton ' continued to
descend with Reddish, and is named in a
settlement by Sir Robert Coke in 1685 ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 217, m. 20.
10 See the account of Prestwich.
11 A grant by Robert son of Robert de
Nettleham to Adam de Prestwich in
1297 is given in Harl. MS. 2112, fol.
164/200. In the same year Adam de
Prestwich granted to John his son all the
lands in Heaton, a hamlet of the vill of
Prestwich, which he had acquired from
Adam son of the widow of Heaton, and
from Robert de Nettleham, with common
of pasture, &c., in Awekeshowe ; a rent
of $.od. was payable to the grantor ; Lord
Wilton's D. By earlier deeds Alexander
son of Adam de Heaton had granted part
of his land to Christiana daughter of Alan
de Harwood ; the bounds touched Sandy-
ford, Teribrook, the ancient mill-site,
Ithek, Mereshawbrook, and the great
road ; and Thomas the son of Alexander
de Heaton gave to Robert de Nettleham
the same piece of land, described as lying
in the vill of Heaton upon Fallowfield, a
member of Prestwich ; ibid.
13 John de Prestwich in 1321-2 granted
to John his son certain lands in Heaton
in Prestwich; and in 1329 the younger
John granted to his son, also John, all
his lands in Heaton, Salford, and Man-
chester ; Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 164/200.
A few years later (1338) John son of John
de Prestwich gave a rent of 401., charged
on his lands in Salford and Heaton, to
Margaret, who had been the wife of
Henry de Worsley ; ibid. fol. 146^/1 82^.
This was followed in 1 343 by a grant to
her of all his lands in Heaton ; ibid. fol.
148/184. In 1368 and later Thurstan
son of John de Prestwich made several
grants and releases to Thurstan de Hol-
land ; ibid. 148/184, i^^h/igoh, 164/200.
18 How they acquired it is not clear,
but in 1402 Richard de Holland of Den-
ton died seised of a moiety of the manor
of Heaton upon Fallowfield, holding it of
the king in chief by the service of 40^. a
year ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1461. The
difficulty of distinguishing between the
various parts of Heaton is increased by
this rent being the same as that for the
lands of John de Prestwich, as recorded
in a preceding note.
Sir Robert de Holland in 1319 granted
to Thurstan de Holland son of Margaret
de Shoresworth all his lands and tene-
ments in demesne and lordship in Heaton
on Fallowfield, and the services of all the
free tenants and others, rendering 5 marks
a year for ten years and then only i</.,
and rendering to the chief lords the ser-
vices due ; Lord Wilton's D.
About 1348 Margaret de Shoresworth
recovered seisin of her free tenement in
Heaton, Denton, &c., of which she alleged
that Thurstan son of Sir William de Hol-
land (and her son also) had disseised her ;
Assize R. 1444, m. 7 d.
14 It is not mentioned in the Radcliffe
inquisitions, but from that after the death
of Sarah Coke, quoted above, it appears to
have been included with the Radcliffe
manor of Crumpsall, and purchased by
Alexander Reddish.
In 1329 Roger de Reddish made com-
plaint against a number of persons who
had carried away his goods from Heaton ;
De Banco R. 279, m. 391 d.
"Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146 ; it is called
6 plough-lands instead of 4 oxgangs.
This seems to prove that Thurstan de
Holland held part of the Radcliffe manor ;
the charters above quoted refer to the Prest-
wich moiety.
16 Thus in the inquisition of Robert
Holland, taken in 11514, his seven mes-
suages, 60 acres of land, &c., in Heaton
were stated to be held of the king, as of
his duchy of Lancaster, by knight's ser-
vice ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 58.
So also a century later ; Lanes . Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 141.
V The charters previously quoted show
this.
To Cockersand Abbey Alexander son of
Edward de Prestwich, with the assent of
Adam his heir, about 1200 gave an acre
and toft of his land in Heaton, between
Terebrook and Mereshaw, next to his
mill ; Cockermnd Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
723. This heir was no doubt the Adam
de Heaton of 1212. One charter of Alex-
ander son of Adam de Heaton has been
noticed ; by another he gave to Peter son
of Adam de Radcliffe his part of Puchlin-
cheles in Heaton, the boundaries begin-
ning at the brook and going across to the
bounds of Middleton, thence to Hich and
down to Puchlissale brook, and up the
brook to the starting point ; the rent was
4<D</., and a third part of the forinsic ser-
vice for the vill was also due ; Wilton D.
Thomas de Prestwich was a witness to
this grant. To Alexander, Thomas his
son succeeded. In 1292 Thomas de
Heaton and Joan his wife secured two
messuages, a mill, and lands in Prestwich
and Heaton from William son of William
de Hopwood ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 171.
There is one other early fine relating
to this township ; ibid, i, 66.
18 A number of entries in the parish
81
registers referring to them are printed by
Booker, PrestwicA, 176, 177. There is a
reference to them in Vitit. of 1533 (Chet.
Soc.), 218.
19 In 1619 Richard Holland's estate in
Heaton was described as seven messuages,
60 acres of arable land, &c., in Heaton on
Fallowfield, held of the king by knight's
service ; and 12 acres of land, meadow,
and pasture in Over Heaton lately pur-
chased from Oswald Mosley, tenure un-
known ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 142, 146. A like state-
ment was made as to his brother Ed-
ward's estate in 1636 ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xxvii, 42.
20 See the account of Denton for this
family ; also Booker, Denton (Chet. Soc.),
16.
The Prestwich registers began in 1603,
and the Hollands of Heaton seem to have
been buried in the church from 1616 on-
wards. Thomas Holland, of the Old Hall
in Heaton, had a son baptized in 1627,
and was buried in 1651 ; Booker, Prest-
<wicb, 176, 177. As 'Holland of Hea-
ton' they recorded a pedigree in 1664;
Dugdale, Vhit. (Chet. Soc.), 146.
21 Booker, op. cit. 178. Sir John Eger-
ton and Elizabeth his wife were the defor-
ciants in a fine concerning the manors of
Denton, Heaton, &c., in 1685 ; PaL of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 214, m. 41. For
Sir John Egerton and his family see G.E.C.
Complete Baronetage, i, 108. Lady Eliza-
beth died in 1701.
22 Baptized at Prestwich 6 Jan. 1686-7,
having been born 18 Dec. 1686 ; the
younger children of the marriage do not
appear in the Prestwich registers. On
entering Brasenose College, Oxford, in
1704, he was called fifteen years of age ;
Foster, Alumni. He succeeded his father
as fourth baronet in 1729.
23 In 1711 a settlement of the manors
of Heaton, Denton, &c., had been made,
Holland Egerton and his brother Edward
being deforciants in the fine ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 267, m. 34. Sir
Holland was a distinguished antiquary.
He appears to have resided usually at
Heaton Hall, as his children were baptized
at Prestwich. He died at Heaton, 25 Apr.
1730, and was buried at Madeley.
24 Sir Edward Egerton, the fourth son,
was baptized 2 June 1719 ; matriculated
at Oxford (Brasenose College), 1736 ;
Foster, Alumni. He died of smallpox, un-
married, on 1 6 Feb. 1743-4; his monu-
ment in Prestwich Church records the
virtues by which he adorned an ancient
and illustrious family.
His brother and successor, Sir Thomas
Grey Egerton, was baptized 7 Nov. 1721,
and entered Brasenose College in 1740.
II
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Egerton, created Earl of Wilton in iSoi. K His
daughter and sole heir Eleanor married Robert, Earl
Grosvenor, afterwards Marquis of Westminster, and
the Heaton estates went to her second son, Thomas,
born in 1799, who by a special remainder succeeded
his maternal grandfather in 1814 as second Earl of
Wilton. He assumed the name of Egerton, and
dying in 1882,* was succeeded by his eldest surviving
son, Arthur Edward Holland Grey Egerton, who
died without issue in 1885. His heir was his brother,
Seymour John Grey Egerton, fourth earl. He died
in 1898, and his son, Arthur George Egerton, in
1901 sold Heaton Park and some adjacent lands
to the Corporation of Manchester, the price being
230,000. All rights, such as minerals, &c., were
included in the purchase. The park was opened to
the public on 24 September, 1902."
Heaton House stands on an elevated situation in
Heaton Park, and was built in 1772 by Sir Thomas
Egerton (afterwards first Earl of Wilton), James
Wyatt being the architect. It is a lew classic struc-
ture facing south with a circular projection in the
centre surmounted by a dome, and east and west
wings connected with the main building by colon-
nades.* 8 There is a circular temple to the south-east
of the house, and later extensions were made on the
east side by the addition of conservatories. The
building, in which the Ionic order is used, is a good
specimen of the early work of Wyatt, and is now
used by the Manchester Corporation for exhibition
and other purposes in connection with the park.
The land tax returns of 1787 show that Lord Grey
de Wilton paid about half the sums collected from
Great and from Little Heaton.* 9
In 1852 the whole of the land in Great Heaton
belonged to the Earl of Wilton, except one cottage
with its garden plot ; ' this cottage, situated at Catty
green, is claimed by the township as the representative
of its former owner, who upwards of a century ago,
mysteriously disappeared, leaving no traces of his
destination, and, what is more remarkable, no heirs
to succeed to his property.'* This lies on the edge
of a detached portion of Great Heaton, as also do
parts of Bow Lee and Rhodes. 31 Of Bow Lee, how-
ever, it is said that the cottages built there about 1800
stood on neutral ground, no decision being given as to
whether they were in Prestwich or in Middleton ;
hence they escaped local rates, and no relief was given
by either parish."
In Little Heaton the hamlet of Simisters Lane takes
its names from James Somister, who about 1730 pur-
chased a small farm there, and prospering, afterwards
added three others, his estate reaching 52 acres. He
died in i78o. M
From a feoffment of 1681 it appears that Robert
Lever of Alkrington owned the old hall of Heaton,
with its demesne lands. 14
For the worship of the Established Church All
Saints' was built at Rhodes in 1864 ; the rector of
Middleton is the patron. There is attached the
school church of St. Thomas, Bow Lee.
ALKRINGTON
Alkinton, 1212 ; Alkeryngton, 1313 ; Alcrinton,
1324; Alkryngton, 1443.
This township is bounded on the south-west by a
brook running into the Irk, and by the Irk itself and
its affluent the Wince Brook for the most part on the
north. The surface is mostly above the 300 ft. level,
but slopes downwards to the bounding brooks. 1 The
highest ground, 350 ft., is in the south-east and north-
He was one of the Tory members for
Newton, 1747 to 1754 ; Pink and Beaven,
Part. Repre. of Lanct. 289. He died at
Heaton 8 July 1756, and was buried at
Prestwich, his epitaph stating that he was
pressed to continue to represent Newton,
* but preferring the satisfaction of a private
station declined it and retired to his
country seat, where he made great im-
provements, and lived usefully, hospitably,
and charitably amongst his neighbours.'
Some of his benefactions are recorded in
the account of the charities. His widow
Katherine, a daughter of the Rev. John
Copley, fellow of Manchester, lived till
1791.
25 He was baptized 10 June 1749, at
Prestwich ; educated at Christ Church,
Oxford; M.A. 1769; Foster, Alumni}
knight of the shire for Lancashire, 1772
to 1784, being a Tory ; Pink and Beaven,
op. cit. 86-7 ; created Baron Grey de Wil-
ton in 1 784, and Viscount Grey de Wilton
and Earl of Wilton of Wilton Castle,
Herefordshire, in 1 80 1, this creation having
a special remainder, failing his issue male,
to the second and younger sons of his
daughter in tail male ; G.E.C. Complete
Peerage, viii, 161. In 1779 he paid a
rent of 6s. %d. for the manor of Heaton ;
Duchy of Lane. Rentals, 14, 25 m. In
the same year he raised a corps of in-
fantry the Royal Lancashire Volunteers
the expenses being borne by himself and
other private persons ; Drill Field, between
High Bank and Sedgeley Park, being used
for one of the companies for drill. He
was commander of the regiment as lieut.-
colonel. It was disbanded in 1783, but
another was afterwards raised, of which
Lord Wilton was colonel ; he accom-
panied it to Ireland, and was stationed at
Dublin Castle in 1801, at the proclama-
tion of the Union ; Nicholls, PrestwicA,
57-63. He died 23 Sept. 1814, and was
buried at Prestwich ; his countess, Eleanor,
a daughter and co-heir of Sir Ralph Asshe-
ton of Middleton, died 3 Feb. 1816.
38 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, loc. cit He
was a keen sportsman, being fond of hunt-
ing and yachting ; for a few years, 1827 to
1838, races were held at Heaton Park.
He was also devoted to music, encouraged
glee-singing, and was a good organist ;
Nicholls, PrestwicA, 42-8, with por-
trait. He composed the tune called ' Prest-
wich.' His countess, a daughter of the
twelfth Earl of Derby by his second wife,
Miss Farren, was the Lady Bountiful of
the district, 'idolized by the gentry and
tenantry, as well as by the poorest.'
Private Acts of Parliament concerning
the disposition of the estates were passed
in 5 Geo. IV, cap. 1 1, and I Viet. cap. 37.
^ Nicholls, op. cit. 111-15. The full
extent of the purchase is 693 acres. There
is a herd of deer in the park.
28 There is a brief description of the
hall, with a view (1795), in Aikin, Country
Round Manch. 236.
29 Returns at Preston. There was no
other considerable holder, but in 1784
Sir Assheton Lever had paid a quarter of
the tax for Little Heaton.
80 Booker, Prestwich, 78.
81 Richard son of Thomas the Choffer
of the Rhodes (Rodis) demised for life to
John the Keuer a house with inclosed
82
curtilage and a piece of land on which
Richard's chamber formerly stood ; this
was in 1336 ; Lord Wilton's D.
83 Booker, op. cit. 81. Bow Lee Com-
mon is in a detached part of Little Heaton;
Bow Lee Farm in Middleton.
In 1587 Richard Holland of Denton,
being by descent seised of a moiety of the
manor of Heaton and a third part of a
certain waste ground called the ' Balle
Lye,' parcel of the said manor, in the
parishes of Prestwich and Middleton,
complained that while certain of his
tenants dug turves in the Balle Lye, ac-
cording to custom, John Hopwood, Isabel
Hopwood, and others had entered Balle
Lye by night and cut those turves in
pieces, claiming the ground, or at least
common of turbary therein, by certain
deeds of which they had possessed them-
selves ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, cxlii, H. 4.
The Hopwoods of Rhodes Green are
noticed in Booker, op. cit. 230.
88 Ibid. 80.
84 Raines D. (Chet. Lib.). In a later
deed (1699) in the same collection Robert
Lever speaks of the dwelling house pur-
chased from Thomas Hilton, the lands
purchased from (i) James Lightbown,
(2) John Dauntesey, Otho Holland, and
Robert Ravald, and (3) Robert Johnson,
all in Heaton ; as well as others in Prest-
wich, purchased from Edmund Ashton.
As early as 1621, however, Robert Lever
of Darcy Lever had held lands in Heaton
Fallowfield of the king in socage ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
ii, 255-7.
1 Ordnance Survey.
SALFORD HUNDRED
east. The area is 797. V acres. The population in
1901 was returned with Middleton.*
The principal road is that leading north from Man-
chester to Middleton ; the hall is in the triangle to
the west of this road. Part of the White Moss occu-
pied the south-east corner. There is a colliery. 3
For local government the township was in 1 894.
added to the borough of Middleton.*
In 1839 a house in the 'Spaw' at Alkrington
was said to be haunted. 5 Some extracts from the
diary of a local farmer, 1774 to 1778, have been
printed. 8
No house had as many as six hearths in 1666;
the total number of taxable hearths in the township
was twenty-seven. 7
The survey of 1212 gives the earliest
MANOR account of the manor of ALKRINGTON.
At that time it was a member of the
Montbegon fee of eight knights, and was held by
Adam de Prestwich as 4 oxgangs of land ' of ancient
tenure ' by 4*. ; while placed among the manors held by
knight's service, it thus appears as a thegnage estate. 8
The Montbegon fee was some twenty years later
alienated to the Lacys, and thus passed to the Crown ;
but the manor of Alkrington continued to descend
with Prestwich, 9 the tenure being changed to the
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
twenty-fourth part of a knight's fee, with a rent of
lo</. The inquisitions, however, do not state the
tenure quite uniformly. 10
On the death of Sir Robert Langley, in 1561, this
manor was given to his daughter Katherine, who
married Thomas Legh of
Lyme, but died in 1591 with-
out issue." The Leghs, how-
ever, appear to have retained
the manor, for it was sold in
1627 by Thomas Legh, Alice
his wife, and John Legh, to
Robert and John Lever."
The purchasers were probably
younger sons of Robert Lever
of Darcy Lever, who died in
1620." Robert Lever, his
son, was a clothier in Lon-
don, and died unmarried about
1642 ; John Lever, another son, was ' of Alkrington,'
and died in 1645, being buried at Middleton. 14 His
eldest son Robert married Anne the daughter and
heir of Nicholas Mosley of Collyhurst, and died in
1710, a very aged man. 14 His son John died in
1718, and was succeeded by his son Sir Darcy Lever,
who served as high sheriff in 1736, and was
LEVER. Argent tvto
bendlets sable, the under-
meit engrailed.
8 Pop. Rep. 1901.
3 For an accident in 1774 see Lanes.
and Chet. Antiq. Soc. vii, 68.
4 Local Govt. Bd. Order 31625; the
population was given as $65.
5 Mancb. Guardian Local N. and Q.
DO. 739.
6 Ibid. no. 1244.
7 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
8 Lanes. Inq. and Extentt (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 61.
9 It was included in the settlement of
the Prestwich estate in 1313; Final Cone.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 16.
In 1276 and later years Adam son of
Thomas de Prestwich had to defend his
right to certain land in Alkrington, to
which Robert Grelley laid claim ; De
Banco R. 15, m. 36 d. ; 18, m. 29 ; 24,
m. 20.
10 In the De Lacy Inq. of 1311 (Chet.
Soc.) Adam de Prestwich was returned
as holding of the Earl of Lincoln the
manor of Alkrington by the service of the
fourth part of a knight's fee, and suit to
the court; p. 19. From later notices it
appears that 'fourth' is an error for
4 twenty-fourth.'
Alice de Prestwich was in 1324 said to
hold half a plough-land in Alkrington by
the service of i zd. a year ; Duchy of
Lane. Rentals and Surv. 379, no. 13.
In 1346 the heirs of John de Radcliffe
and Alice de Prestwich were said to hold
it in socage by a rent of 1 2</. ; Dods. MSS.
Ixxxvii, fol. 6o/>. A similar return was
made a century later, Margaret wife of
Roger (Thomas) Langley then holding it
in socage, rendering i zd. a year ; she said
she held it by joint feoffment and showed
a charter ; Duchy of Lane. Knights'
Fees, 2/20. In explanation of this the
inquisition taken in 1447 after the death
of Robert Langley of Agecroft states that
he had held a moiety of the manor of Al-
krington of the king as Duke of Lancaster
in socage by a rent of zod. t and that he
had enfeoffed Thomas his son and Mar-
gery his wife of two parts of the said
moiety ; Lanes. Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 34,
35. After the death of Thomas Langley,
twenty-five years later, he was said to
have held nine messuages and tenements,
' parcel of the manor of Alkrington,' by
the twentieth part of a knight's fee, the
manor being held by knight's service and
a rent of zod. ; Agecroft D. Thus both
the tenure and the rent are variously
stated at different times ; but the latest
by knight's service and zod. was re-
peated after the death of Sir Robert Lang-
ley in 1561 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xi, 1 6. The clear value at this time was
&
11 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xv, 12.
This recites that Katherine married
Thomas Legh (who survived her) at
Alkrington on i Aug. 1564. She had
twenty-two messuages, &c., in Alkring-
ton and Prestwich, held of the queen as
of the Duchy of Lancaster by knight's
service, those in the former place also
rendering 61. and those in the latter s)s.
a year. The heirs were her sisters Anne
Dauntesey and Margaret Holland, aged
fifty-four and fifty-two years. A settle-
ment was made in 1571 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 3 3, m. 1 84.
In 1581 Thomas Legh and Katherine
his wife, setting forth that they were
seised in fee tail of the manor of Alkring-
ton, &c., complained that Robert Langley
of Prestwich was detaining some of the
deeds of the estate. Langley replied that
the deeds were in the keeping of Alexander
Reddish, son of Margery, then wife of
Richard Holland, and that Katherine had
agreed to this ; Duchy of Lane. Plead.
cxxii, L. 4 ; cxvii, L. 4.
12 Thomas Legh seems to have married
a second time, for in the pedigree recorded
in 1613 four sons are given him Robert,
John, Roger, and Thomas ; Vitit. (Chet.
Soc.), 51. Robert Legh of Alkrington
appears among the freeholders of 1600 ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
246. He was buried at Middleton
19 Aug. i6z3. The vendors in 1627
were, perhaps, his brothers ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. m,no. 38. Further
particulars of the family are given in the
will of Thomas Legh of Alkrington, dated
83
22 Oct. 15974 It recites an indenture of
25 March 1596-7 between himself and
Edmund Trafford of Trafford, that the
latter was to pay him 700. Of this sum
300 was left to Thomas Legh, 'my
reputed son,' while John and Roger Legh,
two other reputed sons, had 400 between
them. He also names his daughters
Creature and Margaret Legh and Elizabeth
reputed daughter of his son Robert Legh.
Brother James Legh was to have a dapple
dunn nagge and son Robert Legh his gold
chain. The executrix was his wife
Katherine, who was guardian of the chil-
dren, with his loving brother-in-law, Sir
Ric. Shuttleworth. Probate was dated at
Chester 7 Feb. 1597-8; Huntroyde D.,
v, 20 (by Mr. H. Ince Anderton).
18 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 186 ; a
full pedigree of the Lever family is con-
tained in Piccope's MS. Pedigrees (Chet.
Lib.), i, 348, and has been followed here.
There is also an account of the family,
with extracts from the registers, in Booker,
Prestwicbj 204-8.
14 Ibid. 206. John Lever paid iz los.
in 1631 on declining knighthood ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 215.
15 Booker, loc. cit. He was dispensed
from attendance at Prestwich Church and
allowed to go to Middleton ; Gastrell,
Notitia, ii, 109.
A feoffment made in 1681 shows that
Robert Lever held the manor of Alkring-
ton, with the hall, the Old Hall of Heaton
in Prestwich, Gorton Hall, Collyhurst
Hall, and lands in a number of the sur-
rounding townships. In 1699 he made a
settlement of his estates with remainders
to his children Robert, John, Catherine,
and Jane. The deeds are among the
Raines collection in the Chetham Library.
A Captain Lever of ' Olerington ' is
mentioned in 1689 ; Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. xiv, App. iv, 222.
Robert and John sons of Robert Lever
of Alkrington entered Brasenose College,
Oxford, in 1691, aged eighteen and fif-
teen respectively ; they were afterwards of
Gray's Inn ; Foster, Alumni. Robert died
in his father's lifetime, unmarried.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
knighted. 16 He married Dorothy, a daughter and co-
heir of the Rev. William Ashton, rector of Prest-
wich. 17
Their eldest son, Sir Ashton Lever, was high sheriff
in 1 77 1, 18 and made a knight in 1778, and died ten
years later without issue. He collected a large
museum of curiosities, wh ch was exhibited at his
residence at Alkrington. Wishing at length to dis-
pose of it, he obtained an Act of Parliament author-
izing him to do so by a lottery, and in 1785 the
drawing took place. The winner afterwards exhibited
the collection in London, and it was not dispersed
until l8o6. 19 Sir Ashton was succeeded by his
brother the Rev. John Lever, who left several child-
ren.* The younger son, John, settled at Alkrington,
and died in 1834, aged sixty-two. The estate then
passed to his nephew Doming Rasbotham, who in
I 844 sold it to John Lees and his brothers of Clark's
Field near Oldham." Their representatives continue
to hold the manor and most of the land, but the hall
has been sold. It is a plain but well-designed brick
house erected in 1736 on the site of an older build-
ing by Sir Darcy Lever. The situation was formerly
one of much picturesqueness, being on elevated ground
in the midst of woods and overlooking Heaton Park,
and despite many changes in the surroundings it still
retains some of its former characteristics. The general
effect of the principal front is now somewhat spoiled
by the removal of the old window bars and the
substitution of plate glass, but it is still one of much
dignity. The hipped roof is partly concealed by a
high brick parapet.
ALKRINGTON HALL
18 Darcy Lever entered Brasenose Col-
lege in 1722, being seventeen years of
age; he was created D.C.L. in 1733;
Foster, Alumni. He made a settlement of
the manor of Alkrington in Mar. 1725,
previous to his marriage ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 293 ; ibid. Plea R. 520,
m. 5, 7. He was appointed sheriff 3 1 Dec.
1735, and his successor on 20 Jan. 1737 ;
P.R.O. List, 74.
The pedigree of the family is set out in
the case of Lever v. Hunt, which was
carried up to the House of Lords in 1736-7.
It appeared that John Hunt of Manchester
had in 1 6 1 2 leased premises in Market Street
Lane, Manchester, for 120 years to Robert
Lever of Darcy Lever, clothier, who left
it to his son John. In 1642 and 1644
John Lever obtained the reversion of the
premises, and died intestate in 1645 > n ' s
widow Catherine afterwards entered into
possession and left them to a younger son
John, who had them for life, and was fol-
lowed by his son, who died without issue.
Robert the eldest son was followed by his
only son John, who gave the premises to
a younger son John Revel ; on his death,
without issue, Sir Darcy Lever claimed as
brother and heir. John Andrews claimed
as the heir of the Robert Lever of 1612.
17 The marriage took place at Prest-
wich 3 May 1725 ; and Sir Darcy Lever
was buried thereon 15 Aug. 1742; Booker,
207.
18 P.R.O. List, 74.
Ashton Lever was vouchee in a recovery
of the manor in 1753 ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 579, m. 2.
19 There is an engraving of him in
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), ii, 565, a
verbal portrait in Booker, op. cit. 205,
and a biography in Diet. Nat. Biog.
He was educated at Corpus Christ!
College, Oxford, matriculating in 1748,
at nineteen years of age ; Foster, Alumni.
He died at Manchester, not without sus-
picion of having poisoned himself.
His collection began with live birds,
and went on to shells, fossils, &c., and to
the weapons, &c., of savage tribes. In
1773, 'being tired out with the insolence
of the common people,' he restricted admis-
8 4
sion to his acquaintance and those who
came provided with a ticket from some one
known to him ; Booker, op. cit. 204. On
29 Aug. 1774 the visitors to the museum
numbered 3,320; Manch. Guardian Local
N. and Q. no. 1 244. The collection was
removed to London in October and shown
at Leicester House; in 1782 the sum of
,2,253 was received for entrance fees.
Sir Ashton wished it to be kept together,
and having failed to induce the Govern-
ment to purchase it for the British
Museum he fell back on the lottery ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 516.
See also Pal. Note Bk. ii, 55, 85 ; Wai-
ford, Old and New Land, iii, 165. For
an account of the sale in 1 806 see Baines,
ut sup.
A poem on the collection, dated 1774,
is reprinted in Oldham Notes and Glean.
ii, 99.
20 The eldest son Darcy Lever, who
died at Edinburgh in 1839, wrote on
navigation ; see Diet. Nat. Biog.
21 Canon Raines in Gastrell, Noeitia
(Chet. Sic.), ii, no.
SALFORD HUNDRED
Bradshaw Hall lies in the north-east part of the
township, in a plot cut off from the main area by
Wince Brook. It was anciently part of the lands of
the Hospitallers, and was afterwards granted to the
Earls of Derby, of whom it was held in the early part
of the i yth century by a branch of the Chadderton
family. 22
TONGE
Tonge, 1392, usual ; Tong, 1482.
This township occupies, as its name implies, a
tongue of land between the Irk on the north and its
affluent, the Wince Brook, on the south. The area
is 392 acres. The surface is mostly above the 300 ft.
level 360 ft. is reached at Mills Hill l sloping down
to the streams named. The population in 1901 was
included with Middleton.*
The principal roads are those branching out from
Middleton, to the east to Oldham and to the south-
east to Hollinwood and Failsworth. Dwelling-houses
have spread out along these roads, so that the town-
ship has long been a suburb of Middleton, to which
borough it was added for local government purposes
in 1 86 1 , 3 In 1 894. Tonge lost its status as a township
or civil parish, and became completely merged in
Middleton. Sa
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company's
line from Manchester to Rochdale passes through
the eastern side, with a branch to Middleton, opened
in 1857. From this the part of Tonge called Middle-
ton Junction takes its name, though the junction itself
is in Chadderton. Middleton station is in Tonge.
A light railway is laid along the road from Middleton
to Oldham. The Manchester and Rochdale canal
touches the eastern border.
In this township there were only fifteen hearths
liable to the tax in 1666 ; no house had more than
two. 4
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
Originally TONGE seems to have been
M4NOR a part of Alkrington, and is not called
a manor. It was, therefore, part of the
Prestwich lands, and does not come into notice for
some time after these lands had descended to the
Langleys of Agecroft. In 1 390 a Henry de Alkrington
died, holding of the king by knight's service two mes-
suages and certain lands in Alkrington called Tonge. 5
From the inquisition and subsequent pleadings it
appears that Henry was descended from Thomas the
son of Adam de Prestwich, whose daughters and
heirs left no legitimate offspring. 6 It would appear
that Thomas had a natural son named Henry
for whom he made provision by granting this out-
lying part of his manor of Alkrington. Henry's son
Henry died, as stated, in 1390, leaving a son Henry,
only eighteen months old. 7 He proved his age in
1412, and had livery of his lands; 8 afterwards he
took Tonge as his surname, and his descendants con-
tinued in possession until the i8th century.
Henry de Tonge in 1437-8 laid claim to the
Prestwich inheritance, but illegitimacy was asserted
as a defence. 9 He died before 1470, when his son
Richard had to claim his inheritance against Thomas
Langley of Agecroft, who had expelled him. 10 The
suit was still proceeding in 1482, when John Langley
and Richard Tonge stated their claims. 11 In 1498
Richard assigned a portion of his lands in Tonge to
feoffees in view of the marriage of his son Thomas
with Margaret daughter of Thomas Newton ; he died
two years afterwards, holding various lands of the
king as Duke of Lancaster, by knight's service. His
son and heir Thomas was then eighteen years of age. 11
Thomas duly proved his age in I5O4. 13 Three
years later it was awarded that Robert Langley and
his tenants in Alkrington should enjoy common of
pasture in Tonge Moor, but turbary was denied ex-
cept to certain tenants named. 14 In 1527 Thomas
Tonge granted to Robert Langley a part of the moor,
with common of pasture, turbary and marl. 15 The
w Children of Edmund Chadderton aliat
Bradshaw appear in the Middleton registers
from 1615.
Robert Chadderton, yeoman, died 8 Mar.
1638-9, holding a messuage and land
called Bradshaw in Alkrington, of William,
Earl of Derby, as of the dissolved priory of
St. John of Jerusalem ; he also held lands
in Audenshaw and in Manchester. By a
fine levied two years earlier the lands
were settled on Robert for his life, after
his decease a third part to Elizabeth his
wife, then to Edmund and Robert his
sons. Edmund the son and heir was
thirty-one years of age in 1639 ; Inq.
p.m. in Towneley MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet.
Lib.), p. 248.
Robert Chadderton alias Bradshaw was
buried at Middlcton on 8 Mar. 1638-9 ;
an abstract of his will is given in Munch.
Ct. Lett Rec. iv, 114.
Thomas Chadderton of Alkrington paid
to the land tax in 1787.
The Hospitallers had lands in Acrington
{? Alkrington) in 1292 ; Plac.de Quo War.
(Rec. Com.), 375.
iQ.S.
* Pop. Ret. 1901.
8 By the Middleton and Tonge Im-
provement Act.
*a By Local Govt. Bd. Order 31625 of
1894.
4 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
5 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 57,
58, where several illustrative documents
are printed.
In Feb. 1356-7, Henry son of Henry
son of Thomas demanded against John
de Radcliffe the elder and Joan his wife,
24 acres in Prestwich ; and against Alice,
widow of Thomas de Prestwich, 12 acres
in the same town ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 5, m. 4.
* See the account of Prestwich.
~' Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 57.
Henry the son was baptized in Middleton
Church, 5 Oct. 1388.
8 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. 1 74.
9 Lanes. Inq. p.m. i, 5 8.
10 PaL of Lane. Plea R. 37, m. 12 d ;
Henry Tonge, father of Richard, was
seised of two messuages, 50 acres of land,
6 acres of meadow, and 4 acres of wood
called Tonge, in the vill of Prestwich,
and of 100 acres of moor called Tonge
Moor. After the death of Henry,
Richard entered, until Thomas Langley,
John Langley, and others expelled him.
The Langleys, in reply, quoted the fine of
1313 respecting the descent of the Prest-
wich lands.
In 1450-1 Richard Tonge, 'yeoman,'
had been charged with felony by Thomas
Langley ; ibid. R. 17, m. 1 6. Later,
Richard had to complain that Edmund
Ashton and various others of Chadderton
had taken turf in his several turbary ;
ibid. R. 5 1, m. 7 d.
85
Abstracts of the Tonge title deeds are
contained in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
xiii, 172-81.
11 Agecroft D. 85; the fine of 1313
was again referred to, and Richard Tonge
asserted the legitimacy of his descent from
Thomas son of Alice de Wolveley. See
also Pal. of Lane. Writs Proton, file
22 Edw. IV, a.
19 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 81 ;
the estate is described as three messuages,
50 acres of land, &c., and 100 acres of
moss and moor called Tonge Moor alias
Tonge in Prestwich. The bounds of the
portion given to the daughter-in-law's
trustees mentioned the 'little oak
marked," the 'water of Irk,' and the
Fyne meadow in Middleton. Richard
died 19 Apr. 1500; his son reached
eighteen years of age on the following
Michaelmas, and was already married.
13 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 544.
14 Agecroft D. 95.
15 Ibid. 102. In 1556 Sir Robert
Langley granted an acre of Tonge Moor,
at a rent of I2</. to Mary, widow of
Ralph Standish, and Edward, brother of
Ralph ; ibid. 122.
The date of Thomas's death is given
as 1 6 Feb. 1542; the estate remained
unchanged ; the son and heir was John
Tonge, aged thirty ; H. Fishwick in
Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. x, 28, quoting
the Inq. p.m.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
next of the family known is John Tonge, the son of
Thomas, who died in 1551, holding various lands in
Tonge of the king by the hun-
dredth part of a knight's fee ;
Richard his son and heir was
only two years of age. 16
Richard died at the end of
1568, being still in ward-
ship ; he left a son Christo-
pher, two years of age, about
whose legitimacy there was
some doubt, and apart from
whom the heirs were Ric-
hard's sisters Ellen, Jane, and
Dorothy, aged twenty - one,
nineteen, and nineteen years. 17
Christopher's right must have been established, for
he held possession of the estates in Prestwich, Mid-
dleton, Tonge, and Alkrington. 18 In 1590 he made
provision for the jointure of Jane daughter of William
Bamford, whom he married. He died 10 February
1600 i, and was buried at Middleton. Richard the
son and heir was not quite three years old. 19 In
1631 he paid jio after refusing knighthood. 10 From
this time little can be said of the family, except the
details in the pedigree ; " its members do not appear
to have taken any conspicuous part in the Civil War
TONGE. Azure a bend
between two cotises argent
and tix martlets or.
or the Revolution. Richard Tonge, who died in
1713, bequeathed his newly-purchased lands in Hop-
wood to his elder son Jonathan, subject to an annuity
of 20 a year to his wife Alice, and a sum of 500
to his younger son Thomas, then a minor." In spite
of this bequest he appears to have died insolvent, and
the executors refusing to act, administration of his
estate was granted to creditors. By his second
wife he left two sons, Jonathan and Thomas, of
whom the latter had issue. The son Jonathan
in 1725 demised his estate to his brother Thomas,
with instructions to sell it. w In the following year it
was purchased by John Starky of Heywood,* 4 whose
grandson James Starky in 1846 left it to his rela-
tives, Mrs. Hornby of St. Michael's, and Joseph
Langton of Liverpool. 24 The trustees of the late
Charles Langton are stated to be the present lords
of the manor and chief landowners.
Tonge Hall passed through several hands. About
1890 it was purchased by Mr. Asheton Tonge of
Alderley, stated to be a descendant of the old family. 26
The hall, a picturesque fragment of a black and
white timber and plaster house standing on a low
stone base, is now completely dismantled, and in a
sad state of decay and dilapidation. The house was
originally of much greater extent, and a drawing of
the building as it was about 1845 i7 shows that the
16 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, 7 ;
the will of John Tonge is recited, as well
as the provision for his wife, Dorothy
daughter of Roger Downes. His wife,
son, and three daughters are mentioned
in the will ; his half-brother Richard was
to have sufficient turf from the moss in
Tonge to burn in his house, and thirty
loads of thorns.
In 1547 there had been a dispute be-
tween Edmund Chadderton and John
Tonge (and others), as to turbary on the
moor ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 223.
John Tonge died 31 July 1551, and
was buried at Middleton on 6 Aug. The
wardship and marriage of Richard, the heir,
were granted to Thurstan Rawstorne ;
Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxix, App. 561.
17 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, 9.
No reason is given for the qualification
'if not admitted by law,' respecting
Christopher.
Richard died 10 Nov. 1568, and im-
mediately afterwards Margaret his widow,
the daughter of James Heywood, made
a claim under a marriage settlement against
Elizabeth Heywood, widow ; Ducatus
Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 371.
18 During his minority the wardship
was granted to Gilbert Sherington, and
by him transferred to Thomas Legh of
Alkrington. The latter gave Christopher
to understand that his uncle Peter Hey-
wood would do nothing for him, whereby
his lands would be lost, and prevailed on
the youth of fifteen to marry 'a notorious
harlot,' Katherine Jackson, by whom
Thomas Legh had had several children.
A divorce was granted in 1583 ; H. Fish-
wick as above (p. 29), quoting a deed in
Raines MSS. xiii, 174.
19 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xviii, 14,
in which the marriage settlements are set
forth. The estate is described as twelve
messuages, a cottage, twelve gardens, two
orchards, 80 acres of lands, &c., in Tonge,
&c. The remainders after Christopher's
issue were to Jane, his aunt, Gervase
Utterus son of Ellen, another aunt, and
Margaret sister of Gervase. Some field
names are given, as Bent Meadow, Cross
Field, and Rye Hill. Besides his sons
Richard and Ashton he had daughters
Mary, Jane, and Winifred.
Immediately after his death disputes
arose as to lands leased to the Hiltons ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 461.
Richard son of Christopher Tonge was
baptized at Middleton 7 May 1598.
20 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 215.
Richard Tonge was buried at Middle-
ton 3 Apr. 1678.
21 A pedigree wat recorded in 1664;
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 303. It
begins with Christopher Tonge, and shows
the descent through Richard to his son
Jonathan, aged 28, who had a son Richard,
aged six.
Jonathan son of Mr. Richard Tonge
was baptized at Middleton, 12 Aug. 1636.
He was married to Sarah White-head, at
Prestwich, on 27 June 1655, and was
buried at Middleton 25 May 1680. His
son Richard is named in the text.
22 Booker, Presnvich, 209, 210. The
author remarks : 'Though a family of
note it does not appear that arms were
ever granted to them. . . . From an im-
pression of the seal of Richard Tonge in
the latter part of the I7th century he
appears to have borne a bend cotised
between six martlets." These arms were
recorded in 1664 according to the printed
Visitation, which is not quite trustworthy
from the letter S onward.
28 Col. Fishwick's article, as above
(P- 30-
24 The deed is enrolled at Preston,
R. 12 of Geo. I; see Piccope MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), iii, 230. The price named
^4.350-
The pedigree is thus given : John
Starky, d. 1749 s. John, d. 1780 s.
James, high sheriff, 1791, d. 1846 ; Hey-
wood N. and Q. (ed. Green), iii, 35.
James Starky in 1795 paid more than
half the land tax for Tonge ; there was
no other considerable holder ; Returns at
Preston.
86
88 Canon Raines in Gastrell, Notitia
Cestr., ii, no. From the pedigree of the
Langton family in Foster, Lanes. Pedigrees,
it appears that Joseph Starky, M.D., of
Redvales, Bury, younger son of John
Starky, the purchaser of Royton, had two
daughters Mary, who married William
Langton, and was succeeded by her son
Joseph and grandson Charles ; and Anne,
who married the Rev. Hugh Hornby of
St. Michael's.
26 Fishwick, loc. cit.
For the pedigree see Booker, op. cit.
212, and Gen. Mag. iii, 349, 406,
where it is shown that the last Richard
Tonge was thrice married (i) in 1681 to
Esther daughter of William Richardson of
Crompton ; (ii) in 1691 to Jane daughter
of Thomas Percival of Royton and widow
of John Gilliam ; (iii) in 1699 to Alice
daughter of Benjamin Wrigley of Chamber
Hall.
The Tonge family had several branches.
Henry Tonge of Farnworth died in 1614,
holding lands in Farnworth, Kearsley, and
Worsley, leaving his brother John as heir;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 283.
In 1722 administration of the goods of
Richard Tonge of Middleton was granted
to his brother Ashton Tonge. In the
following year administration of the goods
of Ashton Tonge of Tonge, weaver, were
granted to his widow Dorothy. In 1772
administration of the goods of Ashton
Tonge of Worsley, carpenter, were granted
to his widow Jane. The will of Richard
Tonge of Worsley, yeoman, was proved
in 1798 ; it mentions his shares in ships,
a blacklead pencil factory at Worsley, and
various lands, including a house in Deans-
gate, Manchester ; Mary his wife, and
Thomas Fletcher his brother-in-law, were
two of the executors. Jane Tonge of
Worsley, widow, by her will of 1808 left
her estate to her four daughters.
2 ' Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc, x. ; in
Booker, Presnvicb, is another view, dated
1852.
SALFORD HUNDRED
whole of the west end, including a projecting porch
and gable in front of the present brick-faced portion
of the principal elevation, has been destroyed.
The house is situated on high ground above the
valley of the Irk, facing north, and overlooking the
town of Middleton. It was probably erected in the
latter part of the i6th century, and is an interesting
specimen of the timber architecture of the county.
What remains consists of the central and eastern
wings, two stories in height, which preserve their
original timber and plaster construction on the north
and east sides. The south and west sides have been
rebuilt in brick. The exterior timber-work consists
of roughly-shaped beams and posts with a filling-in of
square quatrefoil panels. The continuous repetition
of the quatrefoils, broken only by the shallow plaster
coves which mark the lines of the first floor and
eaves, gives a somewhat rich and ornamental appear-
ance to the building, though the detail is poor. The
oak pegs are left projecting about an inch all round
the panels, and form a characteristic feature of the
building, which, however, has a very dilapidated
appearance, the gables being without barge boards,
the windows without glass, and portions of the front
of the house boarded up. In other parts the walls
OF TONGE HALL
are broken through, and open for anyone to enter.
The west end of the principal or north elevation has
been refaced in brick in front where the porch origin-
ally stood, and there is some brick patching in other
parts of the front of the house. The roofs are
covered with grey stone slates, and the chimney shafts
are of brick set diagonally on a square base.
The interior is in an even worse state than
the outside, and very little of interest remains.
The principal apartment, or great hall, which is paved
with stone flags, occupies the whole of the west (or
what was the centre) wing, but has been divided in
later times unequally across its length by a partition.
It measures about 27 ft. in length and 21 ft. in width,
and had a large bay window 9 ft. square at the north-east
end. The position of the screens seems to be indicated
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
by the present passage at the west end of the room,
which is now separated from it by a brick wall. The
usual arrangement of the great hall was, however,
probably not strictly adhered to. The fireplace is at
the west end, in the position of the screen, and block-
ing up any way to the passage, except on the north
side. The ceiling is crossed by four massive beams.
When the building was occupied as a farmhouse the
part of the hall on the south side of the partition
was used as a kitchen, and modern windows and a
door were inserted in the south wall. The bay
window with the portion of the great hall on the
north side of the partition is now a separate apart-
ment. The east wing contains a square staircase,
with solid oak steps, and seems to have had originally
two rooms, one on each side of a central chimney.
One of these rooms, however, has again been divided,
and a small apartment, measuring about 1 2 ft. by 1 1 ft.,
formed. This parlour, which has a window on the
east side, is panelled all round with 18th-century
wainscot, and has had a picture over the fireplace, half
of which still remains. In the room at the back
there is still a good 17th-century oak table. There
are five rooms on the first floor, but they offer no
points of interest, and there is a cellar under the front
portion of the east wing. There was appa-
rently a restoration or alteration of the house
in 1703, that date, with the initials R T A.
(Richard Tonge and Alice his wife) being on
three lead spout-heads in different parts of the
building. The initials R. T. were also on a
latch-plate in one of the barns, and in yellow
stain on one of the leaded quarries of the win-
dows. The house was tenanted by a farmer
for some years previous to 1 890 ; since then it
has been unoccupied, and allowed to decay.
During its occupancy as a farm modern win-
dows were inserted on the south and east sides,
and a new brick porch built at the south-east
corner. The owner recently offered it as a
gift to the town of Middleton for use as a
museum, but the offer was not accepted. 18
The inquisitions show that the Radcliffes of Smi thills
held land in Tonge of the king, but no details are
given. 19 About 1400 William del Dam and Margery
his wife had lands in Tonge. 30 Richard Assheton of
Middleton died in 1618, holding land in Tonge of
the king by knight's service, as part of the manor of
Middleton. 11
Several places of worship have during the last
century been erected in Tonge. In connexion
with the Established religion St. Michael's, in the
west, was built in 1839, anc ^ rebuilt in 1902; the
rector of Prestwich is patron ; and St. Gabriel's,
Middleton Junction, was built in 1885, the Bishop
of Manchester collating. In connexion with the
former is the iron mission church of the Holy In-
nocents.
28 Manch. Guard. I Dec. 1 906.
29 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 12.
80 In 1392 William son of John del
Dam granted to Sir Ralph de Radcliffe all
his messuages and lands in Tonge in the
vill of Prestwich, at a rent of one pepper-
corn for eight years, and 401. afterwards ;
Agecroft D. 41.
The custody of two messuages called
Tonge in Alkrington was in 1401 granted
to William del Dam and Margery his
wife ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 530.
In 1481 at Prestwich Church sworn
declarations were made before a notary,
concerning the lands of John Langley and
Robert his son. Robert Stork, aged So,
said that formerly at the Barkhouses in
Tonge dwelt William Dam, at another
place John Barlow both houses levelled
with the ground at Gunthorp Hugh Hob-
son, and later Ralph Hilton, and at another
8?
place Joan Bradshaw. The rent of Bar-
low's and Hobson's houses had been paid
to Richard Barton of Middleton and not
to Henry Tonge. Other witnesses cor-
roborated. Richard Withington had lived
at Gunthorp for thirty-seven years, and
never paid rent except to Richard Barton ;
Agecroft D. 84.
81 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc, Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 107.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
PILKINGTON
Pilkiton, Pilkinton, Pulkinton, 1200; Pilketon,
1 22 1 ; Pilkinton, Pynkelton, Pynkilnton, 1277 ; Pil-
kington, 1282. The forms with and without the g
are common from this time.
This township is bounded on two sides, the south-
west and north, by the River Irwell, which makes an
acute bend at the western corner, and its tributary the
Roch ; on the north-east the Whittle Brook, running
into the latter stream, cuts it off from Pilsworth and
Heap. The southern boundary is formed by the high
land towards Heaton, and the clough towards Prest-
wich. The highest ground is near the centre, a ridge
about a mile from east to west reaching the 400-6. level.
The township measures about 4 miles by 2, and has an
area of 5,469 acres. 1 The population in 1901 was
15,578, including 324 in the area added to Unsworth.
For a long time there were three recognized divi-
sions, or hamlets, in the township Unsworth * in the
east, Whitefield in the centre, and Outwood in the
west. Unsworth village lay in the centre of its divi-
sion on the higher ground between two brooks run-
ning north to Whittle Brook and to the Roch. The
hamlets of Rollins and Blackford Bridge are near the
Roch. Whitefield, also centrally placed, has grown
into a town, stretching along the high road from
Besses o' th' Barn 3 on the south to the Irwell. To
the north-west is a suburb of Radcliffe, at the bridge
over the Irwell. To the south of these, on the highest
ground, is the hamlet of Stand, with Pilkington and
Stand Halls. Outwood still has the park on the
border of Prestwich and a number of wooded cloughs.
At the west end are Cinder Hill, part of Ringley the
other part being across the river, in Kearsley and
Prestolee. 4
The principal road is that from Manchester to
Bury. Two branches of it unite at the southern
border, and go north through Thatchleach, Besses o'
th' Barn, Four Lane Ends, and Whitefield. Here
the road divides again ; one branch goes north to
Bury, crossing the Irk at Wackford Bridge, and another
goes north-west to Radcliffe Bridge. From Whitefield
also roads branch off north-east to Unsworth,south-west
to the Irwell, and west to Stand and Ringley, where
there are bridges over the Irwell. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire Company's Manchester, Radcliffe, and
Bury Railway passes north and north-west through
the centre, with a station at Whitefield, opened in
1 879.* The same company's branch from Clifton to
Radcliffe and Bury winds west and north through
Outwood, with stations called Molyneux Brow and
Ringley Road. The Manchester and Bolton Canal
also passes through Outwood, crossing the Irwell
from Clifton, keeping close to the river most of the
way, and crossing it again near Prestolee.
A dragon story is told of Unsworth. 6
Pilkington has since 1894 ceased to exist as a town-
ship. Whitefield, the central portion, which ob-
tained a local board in l866, 7 has been in part added
to Radcliffe ; a new township has been made on the
south-west called Outwood, while Unsworth has given
its name to a township on the other side, made up of
the old Unsworth and Pilsworth, with the detached
part of Heap which adjoined it. 8 The new townships
are governed by parish councils.
In 1666 there were as many as 245 hearths liable
to be taxed. The three hamlets showed the follow-
ing : Outwood, 70 hearths, no house having six
hearths; Whitefield 135, Margaret Sergeant's house
having eight ; and Unsworth 40, no house having six
hearth?.'
The view from Stand Hall was thus described in
1 806 : ' The large town of Manchester spreads along
the valley in front of the house at some miles distance,
and the less one of Bury is seen distinctly to the left,
surrounded by villages, with simple cottages dispersed
along the plain. The hills of Lancashire, Derbyshire,
Cheshire, and Yorkshire rising in succession, spread in
a vast amphitheatre, till lost in the immensity of
space ; while the rugged tops of the Welsh moun-
tains, which I gazed upon as old friends, hide their
heads in the clouds, of which they seem to form a
part. . . . The neighbourhood abounds with families
of immense wealth, and reminds me of what Clapham
Common is to London. The villas of the gentry are
handsome, and their pleasure grounds are tastefully
laid out. The rich woods and green park of Heaton
House, the seat of the Earl of Wilton, appear from
the terrace of Stand Hall to much advantage ; but the
most prominent feature in this landscape is the pretty
church of Prestwich.' I0
Stand Hall, a large timber and plaster house, was
taken down in 1835, and a new house built. 11 A large
wooden barn belonging to the old house has been the
subject of much attention because of an absurd theory
that it was built of the timbers of a wooden prede-
cessor of the present Cathedral church of Manchester.
The manor of PILKINGTON was
M4NOR held of the lords of Manchester by the
fourth part of a knight's fee, 11 by a
family which took the local name, and its dependence
on Manchester continued, at least in name, till the
1 8th century. 13 The first of the local family known
1 Including Outwood, 1,939 ; White-
field, 2,058$; and Unsworth, 1,471!.
The census report of 1901 gives : Out-
wood, 1,938 acres, including 80 of inland
water ; Whitefield, 1,406, including 9 ;
the part taken into Radcliffe, 625, in-
cluding 23 ; Unsworth (enlarged), 3,067,
including 27.
2 Hundeswrth, 1292.
8 The name is said to have originated
from the innkeeper about 1750 5 Manch.
Guard. Local N. and Q. no. 448.
* Perhaps Prestall Lee, from Prestall
on the other side of the Irwell in Farn-
worth and Kearsley.
5 Electric tramways connect Whitefield
with Manchester and Bury.
6 Harland and Wilkinson, Traditions of
Lanes. 63.
7 Land. Gax, 19 Jan. 1866.
8 Local Govt. Bd. Order, 30905 ; a
slight alteration in Whitefield boundary
was made in 1896 ; ibid. 33855.
9 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
10 Pal. Note Bk. ii, 55, quoting E. I.
Spence's Summer Excursions, i, 123.
11 A description of the remaining part of
Stand Old Hall by E. W. Cox, with
several views, is given in Col. J. Pilking-
ton' s Pilkington Family.
12 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 55. In addition to
the knight's service the lord of Pilkington
had to find ' one judge for the king, of
ancient tenure.' The manor had there-
fore probably been held by the same family
all through the I2th century.
In 1282 the vill of Pilkington was
held of Robert Grelley by the fourth part
of a fee, and was worth 10 a year clear;
ibid. 250. In 1322 the lord of Pilking-
ton was one of those who owed suit to
the three-weeks court at Manchester, of
ancient custom, being called a judge of
the court; Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), ii, 375.
An oxgang in Pilkington ' was in
1311 stated to be held by a rent of i zd. of
the manor of Rochdale ; De Lacy Inq.
(Chet. Soc.), 20. Nothing further is
known of it, and the name given is prob-
ably an error of transcription.
18 As late as 1733 the jury of Man-
chester court leet amerced the constable
of Pilkington (among others) for not
appearing, though owing suit and ser-
vice to the court ; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec.
vii, 25.
SALFORD HUNDRED
is Alexander de Pilkington, who appears about 1200
as contributing to the tallage ; 14 he held the manor
in I2I2, 14 and was living in I23I. 16 He was followed
by Roger de Pilkington, presumably his son. Roger
was defendant in I22I, 17 and held the manor in
I242. 18 Alexander de Pilkington, who, it is reason-
ably conjectured, increased the family possessions by
his marriage with Alice, sister and co-heir of Sir
Geoffrey de Chetham, lord of Chectham and Cromp-
ton, 19 occurs between 1260 and 129033 witness to
charters ; 20 he was the tenant of the manor in i 282."
His son Roger* 2 succeeded, and obtained from the
king a grant of free warren in Pilkington and his other
manors in 1 291 ; M a year before he had had a grant of
i oo for his services in Gascony. 24 In other ways
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
Roger took his part in the public affairs of the time,
serving as knight of the shire in 1 3 1 6. 25 He sided
with the Earl of Lancaster,
and after the battle of Bo-
roughbridge was imprisoned
and fined, dying shortly af-
terwards. 16
In 1312 he had made a set-
tlement of his manors of Pil-
kington and Cheetham in
favour of his son Roger, with
remainder to a younger son
William." Roger accordingly
, , , . - , <m i PILKINGTON. Arpent
succeeded his father; 28 but a cross fatonce vg ^ ej
little is known of him except gules.
14 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 151.
In 1 202 Alexander de Pilkington,
William his brother, and Alice his sister
were concerned in a settlement of lands
in Rivington and Worsthorne ; Final Cone.
i, 1 8, 22.
The Pilkington crest, a mower with
his scythe, with the motto, ' Now thus, now
thus,' similar to that of the Trafford
family, has a legend of unknown origin
related by Fuller, who had it from William
Ryley, Norroy, to the effect that the
ancestor of the family, being sought for
at the time of the Norman invasion,
disguised himself as a mower and so
escaped. The crest is found on a seal of
1424.
Accounts of the family have been
printed by John Harland, 1875, and by
Lieut-Colonel John Pilkington, F.S.A., in
Trans. Hist. Soc. 1891, and separately,
1894 ; this, with corrections and additions
supplied by the author, has been utilized in
this place. See also Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 35-8. A num-
ber of illustrative documents are printed
in Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
175-86.
16 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 55. He
also held Rivington ; ibid. 67.
16 Alexander de Pilkington attested a
number of early charters ; e.g. Lanes.
Pipe R. 329-30 ; Final Cone, i, 216. He
served on a jury in 1225-6 ; ibid, i, 145.
The latest occurrence of his name seems
to be as witness to a charter in 1231 ;
Lord Ellesmere's D. no. 215.
17 Roger de Pilkington, Geoffrey son of
Luke, and others were summoned by
Henry de Bolton ; Curia Regis R. 78,
m. 4 d. Roger attested an early 13th-
century charter to Stanlaw ; Whalley
Coucber (Chet. Soc.), i, 49.
18 Inq. and Extents, i, 1 54. In 1 246 he
was concerned in suits about Sholver ;
Assize R. 404, m. 2, 7, 9.
19 See the account of Cheetham, and
E. Axon, Chetham Gen. (Chet. Soc. New
Sen), 2.
20 Alexander was probably the son of
Roger. In 1277 it was found that Adam
de Prestwich, Richard son of David de
Hulton, Thomas de Heaton, Roger de
Prestwich, and others had thrown down
a ditch in Pilkington and Prestwich,
whereby the tenants of Alexander de
Pilkington had been damaged, through the
depasturing of their corn, &c. Alexander
said his father and ancestors had always
been wont to raise that ditch for the pro-
tection of their corn and meadow. In
the end Adam de Prestwich and the others
were ordered to pay for the repair of that
part of the ditch which lay in Pilkington ;
Assize R. 1235, m. ii d. For a charter
attested by him see Final Cone, i, 218 ;
there are others among the Ellesmere
Deeds, e.g. no. 135 (1267), 216 (1271),
and 137 (1276).
21 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 248. He is
also mentioned in 1284; Cal. Close,
1279-88, p. 251.
Alice, widow of Alexander de Pilking-
ton, is named in 1302; Assize R. 418,
m. 2, 12.
22 Alexander de Pilkington and Roger
his son were witnesses to Lever charters
about 1270; Add. MS. 32103, no. 16,
20. Richard, another son of Alexander,
received the manor of Rivington.
"Chart. R. 84 (19 Edw. I), m. 10,
no. 41 ; a grant to Roger de Pilkington of
free warren in his demesne lands of Pil-
kington, Whitefield, Unsworth, Cheetham,
Crompton, Sholver, and Wolstenholme.
In the following year he was called upon
to justify his claim of free warren, and
produced the charter ; Plat . de Quo War.
(Rec. Com.), 369.
Cal. Pat. 1281-90, p. 352. He
had the king's protection in 1296 on
going beyond the seas in the retinue of
William de Louth, Bishop of Ely ; ibid.
1292-1301, p. 177.
In 1302 he contributed 101. to the aid,
as holding the fourth part of a knight's fee
in Pilkington ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents,
i, 313. In 1322 it was found that he owed
homage, fealty, and suit of court for the
fourth part of a fee in Pilkington, and paid
sake-fee 41. 8</., castle ward 2s. 8</., and
puture ; Mameeestre, ii, 289.
His seal, showing the cross patonce, is
attached to a Crompton deed of 1307;
Clowes D. no. 96.
K Parl. Writs (Rec. Com.), i, 1292 ; in
1313 he had a pardon for his part in the
rising which led to the death of Piers
Gaveston, and another in 1318. See also
Rot. Scotiae, and Pink and Beaven, Parl.
Repre. of Lanes. 18.
In 1298,31 Bolton, Henry son of Alex-
ander de Pilkington (otherwise del Wood)
came with a sword made of iron and steel,
worth 2i., and wounded Adam de Pilking-
ton in the neck 4 in. from the right ear,
with a wound 3 in. deep, 3 in. long, and
2 in. wide, of which the said Adam lan-
guished for seven days, and died at dawn
on the eighth day at Pilkington in the
house of his brother Roger ; Assize R.
417, m. 2 ; 422, m. i d. ; see further Cal.
Pat. 1292-1301, p. 550.
26 Parl. Writs, loc. cit. ; he was com-
mitted prisoner to Tickhill Castle, and
afterwards released on agreeing to pay a
fine of 200. His widow Margaret mar-
ried Adam de Swillington ; Cal. Pat.
"7 Final Cone, ii, 9 ; he made further
settlements in 1319 and 1320, when hit
wife's name is given as Margery ; ibid, ii,
33. 35-
A Roger de Pilkington in 1295 espoused
Alice daughter of Sir Ralph de Otteby, and
received with her the manor of Otteby in
Lincolnshire ; Roger joined in the insur-
rection of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and
the manor was taken into the king's
hands; but in 1324 Alexander, the son
and heir of Roger and Alice, both then
dead, petitioned for its restoration, and
appears to have succeeded. An Alexander
de Pilkington of Lincolnshire occurs a little
later. See Inq. a.q.d. 1 7 Edw. II, no. 97 ;
Anct. Pet. P.R.O. 133/6639; Pat. 18
Edw. II (6 Sept. 1324). As there can
scarcely have been two Rogers taking part
with the Earl of Lancaster and dying
before 1324, it follows that Roger must
have been married three times, the heir
to Pilkington being a son by the first
wife.
His widow, Margery, as stated, almost
immediately after his death married Sir
Adam de Swillington, who had also taken
part with Earl Thomas. On 13 Nov.
1322 she had livery of the lands settled
upon her in 1319; Cal. Close, 1318-23,
pp. 610, 648 ; and in 1327 Adam de Swil-
lington was acquitted of the fine of /"zoo
incurred by Roger; ibid. 1327-30,
p. 21.
Richard and William, sons of Roger de
Pilkington, are mentioned in 1333 ; Cal.
Pat. 1330-4, p. 498. William de Pil-
kington was in 1344 presented to the
rectory of Swillington by Margery, relict
of Sir Adam de Swillington ; Col. J. Pilk-
ington, quoting Torre MSS.
28 About 1324 Roger de Pilkington
appears as holding seven parts of the manor
of Rivington ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii,
103.
In 1324 it was stated that a Roger
de Pilkington had had to pay ,100 to
Robert de Holland after the death of
Adam Banastre ; Coram Rege R. 254,
fol. 61.
Roger de Pilkington in 1325 was sum-
moned to serve in Guienne, such service
having been a condition of his pardon ;
Parl. Writs, i, 1292. He must therefore
have taken part with his father in the
rebellion. In 1341 he was one of the
jury to inquire into the assessment of the
ninths ; Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. In
1343 Roger de Pilkington perhaps the
son was charged by the jurors of West
Derby with having ' brought a great crowd
to the terror of the people ' ; Assize R.
430, m. 29.
In the aid 1346-55 Roger held the
fourth part of a knight's fee in Pilking-
ton ; Feud. Aids, iii, 89.
12
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
his marriage with Alice, sister and heir of Henry de
Bury, by which the important manor of Bury was
acquired by the family. 79 He died about I347, 30
being followed by his son, the third Roger in succes-
sion. The new lord, who was made a knight before
1365, attended John of Gaunt on the expedition
to France in 1359;" he served as knight of the
shire in six Parliaments between 1363 and 1384.*'
He died in 1407, holding the manor of Pilkington of
the lord of Manchester by knight's service. His son
and heir, Sir John, was thirty-four years of age."
Sir John de Pilkington, whose age must have been
understated 84 at the inquisition just quoted, is first
heard of as marrying Margaret, widow of Hugh de
Bradshagh, and heiress of Sir John de Verdon ; she
was a ward of the duke, and her husband procured a
pardon in 1383 for having married her without per-
mission. 35 He was one of those who were appointed
to attend the king in the Scottish expedition of 14.00.**
In 1413 he obtained a confirmation of the grant of
free warren in Pilkington and other manors. 87 He
was one of the Lancashire knights who fought at
Agincourt, 38 and he continued to serve in the French
wars, 39 dying early in 1421. His son and heir, Sir
John, was then twenty-eight years of age. 40
The younger Sir John also fought in the French
wars. 41 He was knight of the shire in 1416, and in
141 8, as a reward for his services, he was made escheator
in Ireland ; 4I this office was confirmed to him in 1 42 3 . 4I
He died without issue in 1451, and his honours
descended to Thomas, son of Edmund Pilkington. 44
The elder Sir John and Margaret his wife had a son
Edmund, on whom the manor of Stagenhoe in Hert-
fordshire was settled in 1399 for his life ;" Thomas
was no doubt the son of this Edmund, who was living in
I438. 46 Thomas Pilkington enjoyed the favour of
Edward IV ; in 1469 he obtained licence to fortify
his manor-house at Bury, 47 and was several times
sheriff of the county. 48 He was made a knight of the
Bath in 1475, and a banneret at the capture of
Berwick in 148 1. 49 As a zealous adherent of
Richard III he fought on his side at Bosworth ; 50
was attainted by the victorious Henry, and his confis-
cated manors in Lancashire were given to the newly-
created Earl of Derby. 51 Sir Thomas Pilkington
does not seem to have become reconciled at once to the
new king, for in 1487 he fought at Stoke for Lambert
Simnel." His son and heir Roger contrived to obtain
or retain the manors of Brisingham and Clipston ; **
he left six daughters as co-heirs. M
33 See the account of Bury.
80 Alice, widow of Roger de Pilkington,
occur* in 1350; Assize R. 1444, m. 4.
There were various suits in later years in
which she and Roger son of Roger de
Pilkington were concerned ; e.g. Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. i, m. 7 ; Def. Keeper's
Rep. xxxii, App. 342.
The Bishop of Lichfield in 1 360 granted
Alice, lady of Pilkington, licence for an
oratory there for two years ; Lich. Epis.
Reg. v, foL 3.
In 1375 Henry de Pilkington, adminis-
trator o? the goods of Alice de Pilkington
deceased, called upon Roger son of Roger
de Pilkington for account ; it appears that
he had brothers Richard and Robert, and
that all were brothers of Sir Roger ; De
Banco R. 456, m. 598 ; 458, m. 80 d. ;
460, m. 323 d.
81 The grant of protection given him on
this occasion was shown in court in Sept.
1359 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 7, m. 4 ;
*ee Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 334.
sa Pink and Beaven, op. cit. 34-40.
He is called 'chivaler* in the return of
Jan. 1364-5, p. 35.
When over sixty years of age, in 1386,
lie appeared at the Scrope-Grosvenor trial ;
Nicolas, Scrape R. 289.
88 Lana. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 86.
The manor of Bury had been given to his
on, Sir John, before his death.
Isabel daughter of Roger de Pilkington
married (i) Thomas son of Sir Thomas
<le Lathom, and (2) Sir John de Dalton ;
ibid. 10, 20.
84 As he was married, apparently of his
own will, in 1 3 8 3, he would probably not be
far from twenty years of age. He was over
twenty years of age, and a knight, on ap-
pearing at the Scrope-Grosvenor trial in
1386 ; Scrape R. 290.
85 He paid a fine of 20 marks for him-
self and his wife for the pardon of the
Duke of Lancaster ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 86 ; Def. Keeper's Rep.
xl, App. 522 ; also ibid, xxxii, App.
356.
86 Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, p. 353. In
1402 he went to Germany in the retinue
of the Lady Blanche ; Rymer, Feed. (Syl-
labus, ii, 544) ; see also Rolls 'of Par!.
iii, 634.
8 ? Cal. Rot. Pat. (Rec. Com.), 262.
88 Sir H. Nicolas, Agincourt, 360 ; he
had with him three esquires, ten lances,
and forty-five archers.
89 Norman rolls in Def. Keeper's Rep,
xli, App. 711, 71$, 788 ; ibid, xlii, App.
39 2 393-
40 Lanes. Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 25, 26 ; the
jury did not know by what service the
manor of Pilkington was held of the lord
of Manchester, but gave its clear annual
value as 60. He died 16 Feb. 1420-1.
His widow Margaret died in Nov.
1436 ; her next heir was her grand-
daughter Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William
Bradshagh and wife of Sir Richard Har-
rington ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
181-4.
41 He is perhaps the John de Pilking-
ton who had Cheshire archers in his
retinue ; Def. Keeper's Rep. xlii, App.
392. He occurs in 1427 as in debt to
his tailor ; Cal. Pat. 1422-9, p. 430.
He held the manor of Pilkington in
1431 ; Feud. Aids, iii, 96.
Immediately after his father's death
Sir John granted his mother the pasture
called Outwood and Ringleys, the tene-
ment of William Walwork in Pilkington,
and various rents and lands as dower ;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 3. In
1432 he granted to feoffees manors and
lands in Bury, Pilkington, and Cheetham ;
ibid. 7. Three years later he married, at
the door of Manchester church, Elizabeth
daughter of Sir Edmund Traffbrd, and
made a settlement in her favour ; ibid,
7, 9. In 1438 he again made a settle-
ment of his manors and lands in Lanca-
shire, and his brother Edmund confirmed
it ; ibid, n, 15. Sir John made his will
in Oct. 1446, in which he mentions
Elizabeth his wife, and desires a fit priest
to be procured to celebrate for him, and
two years later he confirmed the arrange-
ments made ; ibid. 15, 17.
42 Def. Keeper's Rep. xli, App. 727,
760 ; Rot. Norm. (Rec. Com.), 234.
48 Cal. Pat. 1422-9, p. 51.
44 The inquisition relating to the Lanca-
9
shire estate is not known to exist ; but
that relating to Bricklesworth in North-
amptonshire is printed in Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 184. It had been settled
on him by his mother in 1430, with re-
mainders to Edmund and Robert Pilking-
ton, and to her granddaughter Elizabeth
Bradshagh; ibid. 180. Sir John died
23 Feb. 1450-1 ; his heir was Thomas
son of Edmund Pilkington, then of full
age. Two later writs of Diem clausit
extremum were issued in 1456 and 1459 ;
Def. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. 175, 177.
45 Lanes. Inq. p.m. ii, 176. By a fine of
1430 Stagenhoe was settled on Edmund
Pilkington and his heirs male, with rever-
sion to Elizabeth daughter of Sir William
Bradshagh ; ii, 181.
46 A difficulty is created by the state-
ment in a plea in the Rolls of Parl. (vi,
34, 35) that Thomas was the son of
Edmund son of Katherine, sister of John
Ashton (of Ashton-under-Lyne). The
solution may be that Edmund was son-in-
law of Katherine, i.e. that she was his
wife's mother.
47 Def. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. 179.
48 From 1467 to 1473 and from 1480
to 1484; P.R.O. List, 72. In his first
term he was esquire," and in the second
knight.'
49 Metcalfe, Knights, 4, by the Prince in
1475, and p. 5, by the Duke of Glou-
cester, 1481.
40 Pilkington, Pilkington Family, 26,
quoting Harl. MS. 542, fol. 31.
51 Rolls of Parl. vi, 276.
M Harland, Pilkington, 2 (quoting Blom-
field's Norf. i, 33, x, 42), erroneously states
that he was killed at the battle of Stoke.
He was pardoned in 1508; Towneley MS.
GG, no. 2041.
53 Cal. Inq. Hen. VII, i, 220 ; Sir
Thomas Pilkington, attainted in 1485,
had in 1467 granted his manor of Clip-
ston to his son Roger, who had been in
possession from that time until 1487. In
1502 it was alleged that the grant to
Roger was made without the knowledge
of Sir Thomas ; PaL of Lane. Plea R.
95, m. 5.
64 Harland, ut sup.
SALFORD HUNDRED
Pilkington, as already stated, was granted in 1489
to Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby," and has descended
with the title in the same manner as Knowsley to the
present earl. 56 No courts are held, but ' suit and ser-
vice ' at the manor court still exist in name.
In 1541 there were no freeholders in the township
contributing to the subsidy, but in 1622 Thomas
Lever and Richard Fogg contributed." Thomas
Heape, a leaseholder under the Earl of Derby, com-
pounded for his estate in Pilkington in 1649, his
* delinquency ' being that he had borne arms against
the Parliament. 58
Though Unsworth gave a surname to a family
which occurs in various other places, it does not seem
to have had any prominent residents of that name.
The estate of Rhodes 59 was held by the families of
Foxe and Holland as heirs of Parr. 60 The families of
Barlow, 61 Crompton, 61 Molyneux, 63 Seddon, 64 Ser-
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
geant, 65 Walworth, 66 and Wroe 67 occur in the 1 6th
and I jth centuries.
The land tax returns of 1786 show the principal
proprietors to have been : In Whitefield, the Earl of
Derby, the executor of Geoffrey Richardson, Benjamin
Blinkhorn, and Richard Walker ; in Outwood, Smith,
Mrs. Watson, Tomkinson, James Fields, Egerton
Cross ; and in Unsworth, Thomas Butterworth Bay-
ley, Thomas Chadwick, and Richard Meadowcroft. 68
Philips Park, on the border of Prestwich, derives
its name from Robert Philips, who bought it about
i8oo. 69
Digging for coals in Pilkington is mentioned in
I 599 . re
Nathan Walworth, a native of Ringley in Out-
wood, built the chapel of St. Saviour in 1625," in
conjunction with his Puritan friends in the neigh-
bourhood. It was consecrated in 1634," and rebuilt
ss Pat. 4 Hen. VII, 23 Feb.; the grant
included the manors of Pilkington, Bury,
Cheetham, and Cheetwood, and lands, &c.
in these places and in Tottington, Uns-
worth, Salford, Shuttleworth, Shuffle-
bottom, Middleton, and Hundersfield.
M The manor of Pilkington was in 1652
part of the life estate of Charlotte Countess
of Derby ; the old rents in 1640 were
116, and the turbary was worth 4;
Royalist Camp, Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), ii, 184, 185. Various lands in
the neighbourhood seem to have been
treated as appurtenances of the manor,
e.g. a messuage in Salford and messuages
in Cheetham ; ibid, ii, 240, 241 ; also Com.
Pleas Recov. Rolls, Trin. 1653, m. 21 ;
Mich. 1653, m. 39.
The manor has been included in the
Derby settlements ; e.g. PaL of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 199, m. 55 (1677) ; ibid.
Aug. Assizes, 1797 (recovery).
*7 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
'43, 155-
58 Royalist Comp. Papert, Hi, 174; he
stated that 'he was threatened from his
dwelling house into service as a common
trooper' under the earl. He was the son
of Richard and Jane Heape. Thomas and
John Heape contributed to the subsidy in
1622.
59 A family of the local name was for-
merly settled there ; Booker quotes a deed
by which Richard de Rodes, clerk, in 1280
granted all the fruits in his land at the
Rhodes to Richard de Budellisholme and
Agnes his wife ; Prest-wicb, 214.
The legend as to the fraud by which
Sir John Pilkington acquired the estate is
given in Raines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), {,448.
Sir John is said to have caused some of
his own cattle to be locked up in a shelter
on the Rhodes property, and having ' found '
them there, charged the owner with steal-
ing them, and thus compelled him to sell
his estate.
60 ' From the old local family it passed
in marriage with an heiress into the family
of Parr, from whom it was conveyed by
two sisters and co-heiresses one portion
to William son of William Holland of
Clifton in right of his wife Jane Parr, and
the remainder to Foxe of Lathom, who
had espoused the other sister ' ; Booker,
loc. cit. no references being given.
In 1541 John Foxe contributed to the
subsidy. His son William died about 1595,
having, besides the Rhodes, an estate in
Toxteth. By his will he gave to his son
his title and interest in ground 'late parcel
of the waste and common in Pilkington
aforesaid, called Whitefield moor' ; and
10 metts of barley to be divided equally
among twenty of the poorest people of
Pilkington and the neighbourhood ; Pic-
cope, ffills (Chet. Soc.), iii, 113-15. The
inventories of his goods at Pilkington and
Toxteth amounted respectively to ^295
and 127. For the will of Jane widow
of John Foxe, 1581, see Will* (Chet. Soc.
new ser.), i, 210 ; also i, 236. There is
a picture of the family life at Rhodes in
H alley, Lanes. Puritanism, i, 193-4.
The name Foxe occurs in the Prestwich
registers down to 1746 ; Booker, loc.
supra cit. See also Waltuortb Corresp,
(Chet. Soc.), 8.
The statement quoted above, that
William Holland of Rhodes was son of
William Holland of Clifton, is incorrect;
see W. F. Irvine, Hollands of M obberley,
37-8. The will of William Holland of
Rhodes, 1613, is printed ibid. 123.
The Hollands of Rhodes occur in the
Prestwich registers down to 1672 ; Booker,
op. cit. 176-8.
61 Robert Barlow contributed to the
subsidy in 1541 and Thomas Barlow in
1622.
62 Thomas Crompton contributed to the
subsidy in 1541. Of another family was
Joshua Crompton of Old Hall in Stand,
baptized at Hoi ton in 1650 and buried
there in 1728 ; he was succeeded by co-
heiresses, whose representatives in 1847
were George Ormerod, the historian of
Cheshire ; Hornby Roughsedge of Fox-
ghyll ; George Tomline of Riby ; and
Harriet Maltby of Bath ; Booker, op. cit.
233-5 ; also 245.
63 This family gave its name to a por-
tion of the Park in Pilkington. Moly-
neux occurs in the Prestwich registers
from 1630 to 1745 ; Booker, op. cit.
236, 237.
64 For the Seddons of Prestolee, a yeo-
man family, see the Waliuorth Corresp.
where a tabular pedigree is given, extend-
ing from 1550 to 1870. The family were
in the main Puritans, and adhered to the
Parliamentary side in the Civil War,
though one or two took part with the
king ; op. cit. pp. x-xiv. Peter Seddon
was in 1646 a member of the Manchester
Classis ; his son Peter was a captain in
the Parliamentary army ; another son,
Robert, a minister, was ejected from
Langley in 1662 ; Manch. Classis (Chet.
Soc.), i, 7 ; iii, 445.
65 This family lived at Stand in the
1 7th century. Peter Sergeant of Pilking-
ton was another member of the Classis ;
9 1
ibid, i, 7, 16. Extracts from the Prest-
wich registers relating to them are given
by Booker, pp. 221-3.
66 For an account of the family see
J. S. Fletcher, Waltvortb Corresp. above
quoted, v-ix ; PaL Note Bk. i, i. Ellis
Walwork or Walworth was curate of
Prestwich in 1563 onwards; Visit. Lists
at Chester. Nathan Walworth founded
the chapel of Ringley in 1624.
7 The will of Robert Wroe of Prest-
wich was proved in 1566 ; Wilh (Chet.
Soc. new ser.), i, 232. James Wroe of
Unsworth was an elder of Prestwich in
1647 ; Manch. Classis, 16.
68 Returns at Preston.
69 W. Nicholls, Presfwicb, 91, 92. It
was part of the ancient Park of Pilkington.
The Philips family have monuments in
the old Presbyterian chapel at Stand. The
house was built by Robert Philips in
1800; his eldest son Mark, a Liberal,
was one of the first members of Parlia-
ment for Manchester, 1832 to 1847 ; Pink
and Beaven, op. cit. 295-8. Another son,
the late Robert Needham Philips, wat
member for Bury from 1857 to 1885;
ibid. 329. 'Through the generosity
of the resident family much of the
most beautiful part of the estate has been
open for years and is still open to the
public every Saturday and Sunday.' For
a pedigree of the family see Burke, Landed
Gentry Philips of Heath House.
' Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 400,
401, 420.
Robert Massey, mercer, of Warrington,
in 1651 desired to purchase thirty-eight
score of timber trees and poles on the
Earl of Derby's land at Pilkington, some
being much decayed and of no use, ' be-
cause coals are gotten within a mile or
two ' ; Cal. of Com. for Compounding, i, 492.
7 1 Nathan Walworth mentions it in a
letter of 1623, and hopes the building will
go forward in the following spring ; Wal-
'worth Corresp. 2. The date of erection is
given in Commoniuealth Ch. Sur-u. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 15.
" a The delay in the consecration seems
to have been due to the want of an endow-
ment for the minister. A description of
the consecration is given in a letter of
Peter Seddon's ; he saw nothing in the
ceremony but what was 'godly, lawful,
and expedient, without any superstition ' ;
he was aware that ' some calumniators '
objected, but, as he thought, ' because they
like not bishops' ; IValwortb Corresp.
30-3*
Walworth afterwards endowed it with
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
in 1824. The patronage, by the founder's desire, is
vested in the rectors of Prestwich, Bury, and Middle-
ton, or the majority of them. The present church of
St. Saviour was built in 1851, and consecrated in
1854. Holy Trinity Church, Prestolee, was built
in 1863, and had a district assigned to it in
1 883 ; n the Lord Chancellor presents. St. George's,
Unsworth, was built in 1730, and rebuilt in 1843 ;
the rector of Prestwich is patron. 74 All Saints', Stand,
was built in 1826 ; Sir Frederick Johnstone is patron
at present. 75 St. John the Evangelist's, Stand Lane,
built in 1866, has also a small mission church ; the
patronage is vested in three trustees.
In addition to the chapel Nathan Walworth also
founded a school at Ringley in 1626.
There are Wesleyan chapels at Radcliffe Bridge
and Unsworth the former dating from 1815 and
a Primitive Methodist one at Chapel Field.
The Congregational Church at Stand represents a
division in the old Presbyterian congregation caused
by opposition to the newly introduced Unitarian
doctrine. The first chapel was built in 1791. It
was demolished in 1885, and the present ornate
church built ; being on rising ground the spire can be
seen for some distance. 77 There is another church at
Besses o' th' Barn.
At the same place is a Swedenborgian Church
called New Jerusalem.
The Unitarian chapel at Stand is said to owe its
origin to a congregation formed after 1662 by
Mr. Pyke of Radcliffe, and other ejected clergy. 78
After the toleration of Nonconformity Robert Eaton,
who had been rector of Walton on the Hill till 1660,
was registered as preaching in William Walker's barn
at Pilkington ; 79 and a chapel was built for him in
I693. 80 As in other cases the teaching became
Unitarian towards the end of the i8th century. The
building was restored in 1 8 1 8, and a bell tower was
added in 1867 ; the bell is dated ijog. 81 There is a
school in connexion with it.
OLDHAM
Kaskenemore, 1212 ; Haskesmores, 1226.
Aldholm, 1226 ; Aldhulm, 1237 ; Oldhulme in
Oldham, 1622. .
Oldum, Oldom, Holdum, Olduum, Oldun, 1292 ;
Oldome, 1427 ; Oldam, Oldham, Ouldham, 1 xvi
cent.
This township, with an extreme length from south-
west to north-east of over 4 miles, has an area of
4,665 acres. 7 The River Beal, flowing northwards,
forms the boundary between Oldham on one side and
Royton and Crompton on the other. To the east of
it the surface rises, a height of 1,225 & being attained
at Woodward Hill on the Yorkshire border. The
rest of the surface is hilly, the average height decreas-
ing towards the south-west. The ridge called Old-
ham Edge, 800 ft. high, comes southward from Roy-
ton into the middle of the town. The town of Old-
ham has spread over the whole of the centre of the
township and beyond its borders ; particularly along
the road to Manchester. The population in 1901
was 137,246.
The old open Market Place may be taken as centre.
From this High Street and Yorkshire Street the latter
running parallel with the old Goldburne went east-
wards through Mumps and Greenacres ; a little off
this road, on the northern side, is the church, to
which Church Lane leads up from High Street.
South-west from the Market Place the old Manchester
road went out, crossed some 200 yds. away by King
Street, going south to Ashton under Lyne, and west-
south-west goes out the present road to Manchester.
From King Street George Street goes north-east to the
Market Place, and Union Street east to Mumps.
West Street leads from the Market Place towards
Chadderton, and from it, as a continuation of King
Street, Royton Street goes north to Royton and Roch-
dale.
Yorkshire Street, proceeding eastward, branches out
into two great roads to Holmfirth and to Hudders-
field ; the latter has also a branch leading north-east
to Halifax. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Company has cross lines through the township. That
from Manchester, opened in 1 842, enters the town-
ship from the west, where it is joined by the line
from Middleton, at Werneth Station, and goes
through and under the town to the Central station ;
near here it is joined by the London and North
Western, the Oldham, Ashton, and Guide Bridge, and
the Great Central Companies' line, running north-
wards from Ashton-under-Lyne, the stations being
called Clegg Street and Glodwick Road. The com-
bined railways run north-east to another station,
lands at Benton in Yorkshire ; in 1650
the value was 16 a year, but had in-
creased to a nominal 24. by 1718, by
which time other benefactions had been
made, raising the income to about 30 ;
Gastrell, Notitia (Chet. Soc.), ii, 117-19.
The chapel was then used by the inhabi-
tants of Kearsley and Clifton, as well as
Outwood. About 1735 a gift from
Queen Anne's Bounty added another 20
a year to the income ; Booker, Prest-wich,
84. In 1671 the curate, William Dennis,
was presented for not wearing the surplice
and omitting the holidays, particularly
29 May ; he promised obedience ; Visit.
Rec. In 1778 the chapel was regularly
served every Lord's Day ; the Sacrament
of the Lord's Supper was administered
once a quarter ; Booker, loc. cit.
'* Lond. Gaz. 6 Mar. 1883.
" 4 It was regularly served every Lord's
Day in 1778 ; the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper was administered once every quar-
ter ; Booker, loc. cit.
78 It was endowed with the tithes of
Unsworth and made a rectory in 1848 ;
Lond. Gam. 10 Mar.
78 Notitia Cestr. ii, 119. The endow-
ment consisted of land at Flamborough.
T> Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 226-
33. In spite of the reason given for the
division, the first minister was 'strongly
Unitarian ' ; the cause declined in con-
sequence.
' 8 Mane /i. Socinian Controversy, 156,
where it is claimed as 'originally ortho-
dox,' though 'part of the endowments
were not of orthodox origin.' For the
endowments of chapel and school see
Endowed Charities Rep. for Prestwich,
1904, pp. 4, 1 8.
7 9 Hist, MSS. Com. Rep. iv, App. iv,
232.
80 The Charities' Report shows that
Henry Siddall, a tailor, of Radcliffe Bridge,
in 1666 left land in Whitefield which his
trustees in 1688 applied to the use of a
school. The building raised was used
9 2
both as chapel and school ; Notitia Cestr,
ii, in.
81 For a full account see Nightingale,
op. cit. iii, 215-26. About 1720 there
were 338 persons in the congregation, of
whom thirty-one had county votes ; O,
Heywood, Diaries, iv, 316.
The chapel was wrecked by a ' Church
and King ' mob from Manchester in June
1715 ; Pal. Note Bk. ii, 243.
A school advertisement of 1769 is
printed in Loc. Gleanings Lanes, and
Ches. i, 253.
1 A number of local place-names are
collected in Mr. G. Shaw's Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, i, 101, &c.
2 4,7 3 6, including 32 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901 ; of this
Oldham Below Town has 1,946 acres,
and Oldham Above Town 2,790. The
increase is probably due to the inclusion
of the detached portion of Chadderton, to
the south of the town, which took place
in 1880.
SALFORD HUNDRED
Mumps, where a division takes place ; the Lancashire
and Yorkshire line goes northward to Shaw and Roch-
dale, with a station at Royton Junction, at which the
Royton line goes off to the north-west, and the
London and North Western's line runs eastward into
Yorkshire. 3 A canal, joining with the Medlock,
starts from Hollinwood, where a reservoir was formed
in 1801.
The ancient divisions of the township were Shol-
ver, 4 Glodwick, 5 and Werneth, 6 in the north-east,
south-east, and south-west respectively ; the modern
divisions are Below Town and Above Town. Shol-
ver lies near the middle of the Oldham part of the
Beal valley ; Broadbent Moss is to the south ; in this
division are Fulwood, Besom Hill, Moorside, Water-
sheddings, and Springhill. The town has spread
south-east to include Glodwick ; to the south are
Fenny Hill and Keverlow, and to the west Alexandra
Park, replacing the older name of Swine Clough.
Werneth Park marks the site of Werneth Hall.
About half a mile to the north of this stood Lees
Hall and Bent Hall, and about the same distance to
the south-east was Chamber Hall. Near this last are
Hathershaw and Copster Hill. Hollinwood lies in
the south-west corner of the township on the Man-
chester road.
There were 215 hearths liable to the hearth tax in
1666. The largest dwellings were those of Benjamin
Wrigley (Chamber Hall), with eight hearths ; Thomas
Kay (Lees Hall), the same ; Joshua Cudworth
(Werneth Hall), six ; and Bent Hall, six also. 8
Defoe in 1727 thus records his impressions of the
Oldham district : * This country seems to have been
designed by Providence for the very purposes to which
it is now allotted for carrying on a manufacture
which can nowhere be so easily supplied with the
conveniences necessary for it. Nor is the industry of
the people wanting to second these advantages.
Though we met few people without doors, yet within
we saw the houses full of lusty fellows, some at the
dye vat, some at the loom, others dressing the cloths ;
the women and children carding or spinning ; all em-
ployed, from the youngest to the oldest, scarce any-
thing above four years old but its hands were suffi-
cient for its own support. Not a beggar to be seen,
not an idle person, except here and there in an alms-
house, built for those that are ancient and past work-
ing. The people in general live long ; they enjoy a
good air, and under such circumstances hard labour is
naturally attended with the blessing of health, if not
riches. The sides of the hills were dotted with
houses, hardly a house standing out of a speaking
distance from another ; and the land being divided
j into small inclosures, every three or four pieces of
land had a house belonging to them. . . In the
course of our road among the houses we found at
every one of them a little rill or gutter of running
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
water ; . . . and at every considerable house was a
manufactory, which not being able to be carried on
without water, these little streams were so parted and
guided by gutters and pipes that not one of the houses
wanted its necessary appendage of a rivulet. Again,
as the dyeing houses, scouring shops, and places where
they use this water, emit it tinged with the drugs of
the dyeing vat, and with the oil, the soap, the tallow,
and other ingredients used by the clothiers in dress-
ing and scouring, &c., the lands through which it
passes, which otherwise would be exceeding barren,
are enriched by it to a degree beyond imagination.
Then, as every clothier necessarily keeps one horse at
least, to fetch home his wool and his provisions from
the market, to carry his yarn to the spinners, his
manufacture to the fulling mill, and when finished, to
the market to be sold, and the like, so every one
generally keeps a cow or two for his family. By this
means the small pieces of inclosed land about each
house are occupied ; and by being thus fed, are still
further improved by the dung of the cattle. As for
corn, they scarce grow enough to feed their poultry.' 9
The assessment for the house duty in 1779 shows
only twelve dwellings of 10 rent and upwards.
Chamber Hall was rented at j and the curate's house
at 6"
Dr. Aikin in 1793 found Oldham 'pleasantly
situated on a high eminence, commanding an exten-
sive and delightful prospect.' "
The modern history of the township is mainly
that of the progress of its mining and manufacturing
industries, beginning from the early part of the 1 7th
century. The great extension of them occurred at
the end of the i8th century, on the introduction of
machinery ; the growth of the place from a few
scattered hamlets to a large well-organized town has
since been rapid. The story is told in detail in Edwin
Butterworth's Historical Sketches of Oldham Hat-
making was formerly an important industry, but de-
cayed early last century, after the introduction of the
silk hat. 13 Machine-making was introduced about
1794. Cotton-mills, however, are the most promi-
nent business establishments. The mills in the district
are said to consume over a million bales yearly, nearly
a third of the cotton used in the kingdom.
As in most of the unenfranchised towns, the people
of Oldham became Radical in politics in the early
part of last century, and some movements suspected
of sedition found patronage in the town." John Lees,
an operative cotton spinner, was one of the victims
of the ' Peterloo massacre ' of 1 8 1 9, and the 'Oldham
inquest ' which followed was anxiously watched ; the
Court of King's Bench, however, decided that the
proceedings were irregular, and the jury were dis-
charged without giving a verdict. 15 Apart from
politics the district was frequently disturbed by bread
and labour riots, occasioned by periods of scarcity and
8 The original line was extended from
Werneth to Mumps in 1 847 ; the Oldham
and Guide Bridge line was opened in
1 86 1 ; the line to Royton and Rochdale
in 1863 ; and that to Newton Heath in
1880.
4 Solhher, 1202 ; Solwere, 1275 ; Shol-
ver, 1278 ; Sholuere, 1291.
5 Glothic, 1 21 2; Glotheyk, 1307, 1346;
Glodyght, 1474.
6 Vernet, 1226 (?) ; Wernyth, 1352.
8 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
' Quoted in E. Butterworth's Oldham
(ed. 1856), 99, 100, from the Tour
through Gt. Brit.
10 Oldham Notes and Gleanings, i, 1 90.
11 Country around Manch. 236. Hats
and strong fustians were then the staple
manufactures of the place.
12 Pp. 92 onwards ; a list of the early
mills is given, p. 117. An account of the
state of trade in 1 846 is printed in Oldham
Notes and Gleanings, iii, 74-83.
13 E. Butterworth, op. cit.izi, 188, 247.
93
14 Three Oldham men were sentenced
to transportation in 1801 ; ibid. 148.
The first public meeting in favour of
reform was held on Bent Green in Sept.
1816, ibid. 167. John Knight, a local
Radical, was several times imprisoned on
charges of sedition and treason ; ibid.
173-
15 Ibid. 170-2. A full report of the
proceedings at the inquest was published
by William Hone in 1820.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
the disturbance of employment following the intro-
duction of machinery. 16
Periodical literature began with the Oldham Observer
in 1827. The first newspaper was the Chronicle,
published weekly from May 1854. At present there
are two newspapers the Chronicle and the Standard
issued daily and weekly. 17
The Oldham Rushbearing or Wakes are on the last
Saturday in August ; at Glodwick on the first Satur-
day in October.
The people have long been distinguished for their
love of vocal music. 18
The Oldham dialect has many peculiarities. 10
Portions of the Roman road from Manchester into
Yorkshire are recognizable in the southern part of the
township. Some coins have been found. 11
Lawrence Nuttall of Oldham issued a halfpenny
token in 1669."
Lawrence Chadderton, a Puritan divine, was a
native of the town, 13 as was Samuel Ogden, one of
the clergy ejected in 1662 for Nonconformity.* 4 In
more recent times Thomas Henshaw, the founder of
the Bluecoat Hospital, was an inhabitant and trades-
man here. 15 The Butterworths, father and son, ren-
dered great services to students of local history. 16 Sir
John Mellor, judge, was born at Hollinwood House
in 1809, and died in 1887." James Whitehead,
M.D., 1812-85, son of John Whitehead, a herbalist
of local fame, became a distinguished physician. 28
Thomas Oldham Barlow, R.A., 1824-89, was a
famous engraver ; the Oldham Corporation in 1891
secured an almost complete collection of his works.* 9
Sir John Tomlinson Hibbert was born at Oldham in
1824, and was member of Parliament for his native
town 1862 to 1874 and 1878 to 1895, holding
minor offices in different Liberal ministries. He was
made K.C.B. in 1893. On the formation of the
Lancashire County Council in 1888 he was chosen
to be its chairman, and retained this position till his
retirement in February, 1908. He was appointed
Constable of Lancaster Castle in 1907. He died at
his house at Grange-over-Sands on 7 November, 1908.
There should also be mentioned James Wolfenden of
Hollinwood, a mathematician, who died in 1841
aged 87 ; John Whitehead, a botanist, who died in
1896 ; and James Dronsfield, of Hollinwood,
1826-96. Some prodigies are on record. 80
In the 1 2th century KASKENMOOR,
MANORS including Oldham and most of Cromp-
ton, was a thegnage estate held of the
royal manor of Salford as 2 5 or 26 oxgangs of land by a
rent of 2O/., and sending a judge to the hundred
court. Adam Fitz Swain was the tenant, and left
two daughters, between whom the inheritance was
divided. Maud married Adam de Montbegon, lord
of Tottington, and her son Roger was the tenant of a
moiety in 1212. Amabel, the other daughter,
married William de Nevill, but this moiety was in
1 2 1 2 in the king's hands, ' because the heirs had not
spoken with the king.' 31 Each of the heiresses left
issue, but the later inquisitions omit any reference to
them, the descendants of their sub-tenants being
stated to hold directly of the Earl or Duke of
Lancaster as of his manor of Salford.
In 1 2 1 2 the sub-tenants were Gilbert de Notton,
for Crompton ; Reyner de Wombwell, for Werneth
and Oldham ; Adam de Glodwick, for Glodwick ;
Ralph Tagun, for Sholver ; and Henry de Scholefield,
for Birshaw. Gilbert, Reyner, and Adam held a
moiety under each lord ; Ralph and Henry held
16 Especially in 1795, I799 1812,
1826, and 1834; . Butterworth, op.
cit. 138, 144, 162, 190,213.
17 Oldham Notes and Gleanings, i, 1 94 ;
iii, 10.
18 Notes on the musicians in the neigh-
bourhood are given by Edwin Butter-
worth, op. cit. 251-5.
Elias Hall, born in Oldham, published
a Ptalm-singer't Compleat Companion in
1708. It was written at Oldham and
dedicated to the Rev. H. Pigot, rector of
Brindle and vicar of Rochdale.
20 Pal. Note Bk. i, 1 3, &c. ; Lanes, and
Ches. Antiq. Soc. vi, 182.
81 Ibid, viii, 155, 156 ; x, 251.
M Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 87.
33 See the account of Lees Hall.
a< See below, under Horsedge.
25 He was a native of Prestbury, but
apprenticed in Oldham, and became hat
manufacturer there. He drowned himself
in 1 8 10, having been for some years of
unsound mind, and his will was therefore
contested ; E. Butterworth, op. cit. 153-5,
*3<5 *37-
M James Butterworth, the father, was
born in Ashton in 1771. His account of
the Oldham district was published in
1817 ; it contains a plan of the town
and map of the chapelry, together with
pedigrees and a directory. A second
edition appeared in 1826. The author
died in 1837.
Edwin Butterworth, his son, born in
1^12 at Oldham, published a brief history
Of the town in 1832. He compiled the
local accounts for Baines' Hist, of Lanes.
1836. His Historical Sketches was begun
in 1847 ; the instalments were inter-
rupted by his death in April 1848, but
were reprinted with a supplement in
1856.
For notices of them see the account of
Edwin by Mr. Giles Shaw in Lanes, and
Ches. Antiq. Soc. xxii ; Manch Guardian
N. and Q. no. 584, 648 ; Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, i, 35, 205, 209.
Their works and the Oldham Annals
and Oldham Notes and Gleanings have
proved of great assistance to the editors.
7 Diet. Nat. Biog. Ibid. a Ibid.
80 Elizabeth Bradbury; Manch. Guardian
N. and Q. no. 520 ; Daniel Newton, ibid,
no. 1237.
81 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 63, 64 ; where it is
stated that Roger de Montbegon held
1 3 oxgangs in thegnage by gs. 2^d. and by
half a judge ; and that William de Nevill
had held, in right of his wife, 13 oxgangs
by lOi. 9j</. and by half a judge. Roger's
under-tenants held only 1 2 oxgangs ;
while his share of the thegnage rent is
apparently intended for i oxgang less than
half, being 9^. less than 101. William's
tenants held 1 3 oxgangs, and his thegnage
rent indicates that he held an oxgang more
than half. His holding was ten years after-
wards called 14 oxgangs ; it had escheated
to the king ; ibid. 132. Possibly an even
division had at first been made, account-
ing for the 13 oxgangs each of the 1212
survey, and then i oxgang transferred to
the Nevills, the thegnage rent being altered
accordingly.
Ailric held lands in Yorkshire in the
time of Edward the Confessor ; his son
Swain succeeded and died in 1131, being
followed by his son Adam, a benefactor of
94
Pontefract, who died in 1159. Maud,
one of his daughters, married Adam de
Montbegon, and by him had a son Roger,
the holder of Kaskenmoor in 1212, who
died in 1227 without issue ; she married,
secondly, John Malherbe, and their
daughters Mabel and Clemence respec-
tively married William de la Mare, a
feudatory of the honour of Richmond
(having an heiress, wife of Geoffrey de
Nevill) and Eudo de Longvilers ; thirdly,
she married Gerard de CanvilL Amabel,
the other daughter, by her first husband
had a daughter Sarah, who married Thomas
de Burgo and had issue ; and by her second
husband, Alexander de Crevequer, left a
daughter Cecily, who by her husband,
William de Nevill, was ancestor of the
Nevills of Mirfield. These particulars
are from the account of the family by the
late Richard Holmes in his edition of the
Chartul. of St. John of Pontefract (Yorks.
Arch. Soc.), i, 95 ; ii, 306, 307, with
some correction.
William de Nevill occurs in 1201 as
contributing 401. to the tallage ; Lanes.
Pipe R. 151. The sheriff in 1210 ren-
dered account of I2s. 6d. for the mediety
of William de Nevill' s pasture in Kasken-
moor ; ibid. 236.
For grants to William de Nevill and
Amabel his wife see also Cal. Pat. 131 7-2 1,
p. 245.
Oldham, Crompton, and Royton con-
tinued to be fees of the court leet of the
manor and hundred of Salford down to
1856; Edwin Butterworth, Oldham (ed.
1856), 13.
The name Kaskenmoor does not seem
to have come down to modern times.
SALFORD HUNDRED
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
under Nevill. The combined services due from
them amounted exactly to the service required by
the king.
There does not seem to have been any manor of
QLDHAM but in later times it was usually supposed
to be attached to WERNETH, the holder of this por-
tion bearing the local name ; thus in 1222-6 Alward
de Oldham held 2 oxgangs in Werneth by a rent of
ig^d. 33 Though a number of Oldhams appear in
pleadings, &C., 34 nothing is known of the descent of
Werneth until the latter part of the I4th century,
Margery daughter of Richard de Oldham and
wife of John de Cudworth dying in October
1383 holding the manor of
Oldham of the Duke of Lan-
caster by knight's service and
by the rent of 6s. 6d. K Her
son and heir, John de Cud-
worth, was born early in
1379, and proved his age in
1 40 1. 36 The descent of the
manor in the Cudworth fa-
mily is fairly clear from this
time 37 until 1683, when it
was sold by Joshua Cudworth
to Sir Ralph Assheton of
CUDWORTJI. Azure a
fesse erminoit between
three demi-lions rampant
88 Nothing further is known of Reyner
de Wombwell, who held 6 oxgangs of land
under Montbegon and 2 oxgangs under
Nevill ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 63, 64.
The latter part, as appears by the next note,
was Werneth. His name occurs as witness
to deeds in the Pontefract Chartulary
above referred to.
83 Ibid. 133. The rent for 2 oxgangs
agrees more nearly with 25 than 26 for
the whole of Kaskenmoor. The other 6
oxgangs of Reyner may have been held by
Alward, but not of the king.
84 In the 1324 Feodary (Dods. MSS.
cxxxi, fol. 3 8 A) the Oldham family's hold-
ing is stated to have been formerly that
of Adam de Eccles. Among the Hop-
wood charters is a deed by Adam de
Eccles, granting land in Oldham to Henry
de 'Oldulm,' and another making a grant
to Jordan de Crompton.
In 1275 Adam de Oldham and Geoffrey
de Chadderton jointly took action against
John de Byron respecting tenements in
Oldham and Chadderton ; Assize R. 405,
m. 3<7. Probably the boundaries of Royton
were in dispute.
Adam de Oldham, William de Oldham,
and Adam son of Adam de Oldham ap-
pear in 1292 in suits about tenements in
Oldham of which no particulars are given;
Assize R. 408, m. 18, 58; Cal. Close,
1288-96, p. 40. At the same time
Christiana daughter of Peter de Oldham
claimed a messuage and land against
Robert son of Warine de Marcheden ; the
latter had received them from Christiana's
next of kin Cecily daughter of William
son of Peter, whose mental soundness was
the point in dispute. Finally Robert gave
a mark for licence to agree, and received
a quitclaim ; Assize R. 408, m. 15 ; see
also De Banco R. 108, m. 12; no, m.
7. Isabel daughter of Adam de Oldham
claimed 20 acres and half an oxgang of
land against her father in 1297; De
Banco R. 1 1 8, m. 1 24.
Among the Hopwood charters are
grants from Adam son of Adam de Old-
ham to William his brother ; one is dated
1300.
Adam de Oldham occurs again in 1302;
Assize R. 418, m. 1 1. In 1310 he granted
to Sir John de Byron of Clayton part of
his waste in Oldham and Werneth ; Shaw,
Oldham, 7. Adam and his son Richard
in 1319 granted Sir Richard de Byron
land and wood in Menewood ; and next
year Richard son of Adam de Oldham
released to Sir Richard son of Sir John de
Byron all claim in the portion of waste
granted by the charter of 1310 ; ibid. 8 ;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxv, 36.
From a suit of 1315 it appears that the
Earl of Lancaster had granted the manor
to Sir Robert de Holland, for Geoffrey de
Chadderton then appeared against Adam
de Oldham on the plea that Adam as
mesne tenant should acquit him of the
service demanded by Sir Robert ; De
Banco R. 212, m. 51 d. No more is
known of the Holland lordship.
Richard son of Richard de Oldham in
1324 paid 61. 6d. for an oxgang (no doubt
for Werneth) ; Duchy of Lane. Rentals
and Surv. 379, m. 13. A William de
Oldham contributed to the subsidy in
1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and dies.), 31.
Richard de Oldham was lord of the
town in 1354; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 3, m. 6 d. The heirs of Richard de
Oldham in 1378 held part of Oldham by a
rent of 6s. 6d. ; Harl. MS. 2085, fol. 422.
A later Richard de Oldham is named in
1427 in two of the Raines deeds (Chet.
Lib.), bdle. 3, no. 36, 37 ; his daughters
Ellen and Margery quitclaimed the lands
called * Hasellenshagh,' which had be-
longed to their father, to William son of
Richard de Aspenhalgh ( Aspinall), who had
married Alice, another daughter. William
de Aspenhalgh and John his son were in
1438 bound in 251. to John de Colyn ;
ibid. no. 39.
85 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1455 ; the
clear value was 3 131. 6d. The date of
the inquisition is 1401, when John de
Cudworth had come of age.
86 Ibid. no. 1500. Richard de Tetlow
gave evidence that John the heir was born
March 1378-9, and baptized in Oldham
by John de Blackburne, chaplain, the god-
parents being John del Forth and Margery
del Helde.
The inquisition taken after the death
of his father in October 1384 is printed
in Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 13. It
differs in some details from the above.
The tenure is more fully stated by
knight's service and by a rent of 6s. 8J. ;
and by doing suit to the county from six
weeks to six weeks, and to the wapentake
from three weeks to three weeks ; also by
finding a bailiff for the duke in the wapen-
take of Salford. The custody of the heir
was given to Richard de Tetlow.
See also Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 2.
8 7 Pedigrees were recorded in 1567
(Visit. Chet. Soc. 15), 1613 (ibid. 80),
and 1664 (ibid. 90). There is another
in Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1817), 69.
John Cudworth made a feoffment of
his lands in Oldham in 1405 ; Dods. MSS.
cxvii, fol. 165.
In 1445-6 John Cudworth held the
twentieth part of a knight's fee in Old-
ham, but did not pay 51. for relief, as
being in ward ; Duchy of Lane. Knights'
Fees, 2/20.
John Cudworth of Werneth contributed
to the subsidies of 1523 and 1541 ; Shaw,
Oldham, 15, 18.
John Cudworth, who according to the
pedigrees was great-grandson of the John
of 1401, died 22 June 1555, holding a
95
mansion-house called Werneth, eight mes-
suages, &c., in Oldham, 41. jd. free rent,
viz. zo^</. from lands late of John Hop-
wood in Nether Horsedge, 2i/. from land
called Hazelshaw belonging to John
Aspenhalgh, and zd. from Robert Butter-
worth's land next Cowhill (Coohill) ; all
held of the Duchy of Lancaster by knight's
service and a rent of 6s. 8</. He had
granted certain lands to Agnes daughter
of Alexander Lees (who married his son
Ralph), and the rest of his estate as ' the
manor of Werneth,' &c. to his son and
heir Ralph, who at the taking of the
inquest in 1556 was fifty years of age;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, 36.
Ralph Cudworth died 28 Nov. 1558,
holding much the same estate. The de-
tails of the 41. jd. rents are more fully
given : zi^J. from Edmund Ashton for
land in Greenacres ; yd. from John Taylor
in Over Horsedge and Redlees, ij</. from
John Hopwood in Nether Horsedge, 2 id.
from Haslinshaw, and id. from the land
next Cowhill. Ralph, the son and heir,
was twenty-six years of age ; ibid, xi, 62.
The descent of Redlees is given by
Edwin Butterworth ; it was owned in
1856 by John Bradshaw Greaves ; Oldham,
43-
Ralph Cudworth made a settlement of
the manor of Werneth, ten messuages,
&c., in Oldham in 1561 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 23, m. 117. He died
22 Aug. 1572 holding the manor or
capital messuage of Werneth, &c., as
before, and six burgages, &c., at Wake-
field. By his will he set apart a third of
the profits of his lands for thirteen years
for the education and marriage of his
daughters Alice, Margery, and Anne.
The heir was his son John, then eight
years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xii, no. i. By his will he desired to be
buried in the chapel on the north side of
the parish church. His wife Jane, his
son and daughters, and William Ashton
his brother-in-law are mentioned. He
set apart 30 a year for life for his bastard
son Ralph, and gave 401. to this Ralph's
son Ralph ; Shaw, Oldham, 26. He also
made provision for a posthumous son of
his own, who was baptized as Ralph at
Oldham, 2 Sept. 1572. He was the Dr.
Ralph Cudworth, fellow of Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, who was father of the
celebrated author of the True Intellectual
System of the Universe ; note by Mr. J. C.
Whitebrook. See Diet. Nat. Biog.
John Cudworth occurs in various ways
in the early part of the I7th century. He
was one of the first governors of Oldham
Grammar School in 1606. His eldest son
John was twenty-eight years of age in
1613, and died in 1652, leaving as heir
his son Joshua, who in 1 664 was fifty-one,
and had a son, also Joshua, aged eighteen;
see Visitations. The curious inscription
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Middleton. 88 The new owner gave it with his daughter
and co-heir Catherine to Thomas Lister of Gisburn
Park, Yorkshire ; the Listers sold it for 25,500 to
Parker & Sidebottom of London, by whom it was
sold in 1795 to John Lees, cotton manufacturer, for
j^OjOOO. 39 It is now owned by Mrs. Charles Lees
of Werneth Park.
Werneth Hall is said to have been originally a
timber and plaster building, but this was destroyed
by fire in I456, 40 and no trace of it now remains.
The present house, which is built of stone, stands on
sloping ground on the south-west side of the town
facing south at the corner of Werneth Hall Road and
Frederick Street, the original portions dating probably
from the beginning or middle of the I yth century. The
house, however, has been so much altered and rebuilt
both inside and out that its ancient appearance is
almost wholly lost, but it was probably a building
with a centre and end wings at the east and west.
A portion only of the line of the old frontage remains ;
the west gable is still intact, but the centre portion
has been replaced by a brick cottage, and the east
wing appears to have been extended, and mutilated at
the top, but whether it ever was a gabled building
like the west wing is uncertain. There is an original
entrance doorway in the east wing facing south, and
the old five-light mullioned and transomed windows
with labels still remain in both wings, except that
the mullions in the lower windows have been cut
away. The old west wing runs through to the back
of the house, where there are two five-light mullioned
and transomed windows with label mouldings, but a
modern stone extension has been made to the house
at the west, which effectually hides the old work on
that side. The existing portion of the old hall is
now used as a nurses' home.
CHAMBER HALL, to the south-east of Wer-
neth, was for some centuries
the residence of the Tetlows
of Werneth, said to be de-
scended from the Oldham fa-
mily. 41 Lawrence Tetlow died
26 December 1582 seised of
three messuages, &c., in Ash-
ton under Lyne, held of the
queen in socage by a rent of
$d. ; and twelve messuages,
o r\\ JL LIJ r T> i i_
&c., in Oldham, held of Ralph
Barton in socage, by a barbed
arrow at Christmas, and a pair
of gloves (or id.) at St. Oswald's. Richard, his son
and heir, was about thirty-seven years old. 41a Early
TETLOW. Ar
w tngralled
tited gulet.
nt a
.
on John Cudworth's monument (died 7
June 1652, aged sixty-eight) in Oldham
church, erected by his sons Richard and
Thomas, is printed in Butterworth's
Oldham (ed. 1817), 26. Thomas had
been ' vitae et necis civilis arbiter class! s,
non nimis felicis, quae petiit Jamaicam.'
The will of Joshua, the father, made in
1 66 1 and proved in 1667, is printed in
Shaw, Oldbam, 167.
88 It was the younger Joshua who in
1683 sold Werneth ; ibid. 191. A settle-
ment of the manors of Werneth and Old-
ham had been made in 1668 by Joshua
Cudworth and Anne Cudworth, widow ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 181, m. 146,
John Smith, clerk, who died at Cam-
bridge 22 Aug. 1638, held a messuage,
Ac., in Oldham of John Cudworth ;
Thomas Smith, the brother and heir, was
sixty years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxx, no. 38.
89 Butterworth, op. cit. 69 ; 'It is only
about 100 acres, but contains an invalu-
able quantity of coal, and much common
right.'
In 1773 there was a recovery of the
manors of Oldham and Werneth, the
tenant being Thomas Lister ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 617, m. 9 d. He was father of
Thomas Lister, Lord Ribblesdale, who
sold Werneth in 1792. John Lees, son of
Daniel Lees of Barrowshaw, began busi-
ness about 1775 in Church Lane. He
aroused great indignation, as lord of the
reputed manor of Oldham, by claiming
tolls on the market stalls ; this claim he
withdrew. He died in 1823, was suc-
ceeded by his son Edward, who died in
1835, and was in turn succeeded by his
sons John Frederick Lees and George
Lees, the former of whom was member
for the borough (Conservative) from 1835
to 1837, and died in 1867 ; E. Butter-
worth, Oldham (ed. 1856), 24, 129, 159 ;
Pink and Beaven, Par/. Repre. of Lanes.
310.
Lord Ribblesdale' s deeds contain a
number relating to Oldham from 1552
onwards 5 they concern the Cudworth and
Crompton families.
40 Shaw, Oldbam) 13. For description
of remains in 1890, see Lanes, and Cbes.
Antiq. Sot. viii, 147.
41 In 1292 Adam son of Adam de
Oldham bound himself to repay 4 marks
borrowed from Adam de Prestwich, or
instead grant him land called the North-
hey ; Agecroft D. 3.
In 1332 Richard de Tetlow and others
did not prosecute their claim against
Richard de Byron respecting lands in Old-
ham and Chadderton ; Assize R. 1411,
m. 1 2 d.
Thomas son of Adam de Prestwich in
1335 granted to Richard son of Adam de
Tetlow all his part of Adamhey in the
Northwood in Oldham perhaps the
Northhey of the above-cited bond j
Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle. 3, no. 28.
In 1337 the sheriff was ordered to
inquire whether Richard de Tetlow was
seised of 80 acres of land and 20 acres
of wood in Oldham and Crompton ; Alice
his widow claimed a third of it as dower
against Amabel widow of Adam de
Tetlow. She further claimed dower in
other lands in Oldham and Cheetham ;
De Banco R. 310, m. i6od. ; Cal. Close,
*337-9> P- " 6 -
Another Tetlow family is shown in
pleadings of 1480, in which the grant of
a messuage, &c., in Oldham by Eva
daughter of William de Oldham to
Richard son of Adam de Tetlow, with
remainder to Richard's brother Adam,
was claimed by the descendants of Adam's
three daughters George Chadderton,
Ralph Belfield, Bernard Butterworth, and
Elizabeth his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Writs
of Assize, 20 Edw. IV.
Hugh son of Adam de Tetlow in 1340
gave lands in the Coppedhurst and Payre-
halghus to his mother, Anabil, for life,
with remainder to his brother Roger ;
Raines D. no. 29.
Adam son of Richard de Tetlow in
1347 successfully claimed eight messuages,
&c., in Oldham, held by Adam son of
Adam de Tetlow ; Assize R. 1435, m. 39.
In 1375 Roger son of Richard de
Langley gave to Richard son of Richard
9 6
de Tetlow all his lands in Manchester,
Crompton, and Oldham, with remainder*
to Richard bastard son of Adam de
Tetlow, and to John son of Richard de
Oldham ; Agecroft D. no. 48. In the fol-
lowing year Richard son of Richard de
Tetlow occurs as plaintiff; De Banco R.
462, m. 121 d. Richard de Tetlow in
1390 confirmed to Robert Walker, chap-
lain, a burgage and messuage in Oldham
and Manchester; Shaw, Oldham, n.
Cases of cow-stealing and trespass in
1441 and 1443 bring in other members
of the family Robert and Alexander,
sons of Robert de Tetlow ; Robert son of
Richard de Tetlow and Isabel his wife ;
Robert Tetlow of Oldham and Richard
his son ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 3, m. 31;
5, m. 1 5 b.
Richard Tetlow of Werneth granted to
John Langley 5 acres in Oldham in 1474;
the bounds mention Hunwalgate, Glod-
wick Brook, the Clough Bottom, the old
kiln, the lime-pits, Hollinwood, and
Northwood ; John Langley resigned his
claim to the Spurfield land ; Raines D.
bdle. 3, no. 43.
Arthur Tetlow, of Chamber Hall, con-
tributed to the subsidy in 1523 ; Shaw,
Oldham, 1 5. John Tetlow contributed for
goods in 1541 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 145. Lawrence Tetlow in
1551 made a feoffment of messuages and
lands in Oldham and Ashton under Lyne ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 14, m. 178.
He was among those summoned in 1574
to provide equipment for the muster ;
Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland), 3 i.
41a Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, 56.
The inquisitions of the Bartons of Smithills
do not mention any lands in Oldham, but
the Butterworths of Butterworth also held
lands of them by ' an arrow with an iron
barb ' ; ibid, xiii, 2.
Richard Tetlow, in return for the
surrender of a lease granted by his father
Lawrence, gave a new lease of a messuage
in Oldham in 1596 ; the rent was to be
821. a year, with four hens at Christmas,
two capons at Easter, and four days' shear-
ing (reaping) in harvest. Richard further
OLDHAM : CHAMBER HALL FROM THE SOUTH-WEST
OLDHAM : BACK OF CHAMBER HALL SHOWING OLD BARN
SALFORD HUNDRED
GREGGE. Or three
trefoils between two che-
verons table.
in the I 7th century the estate passed by sale to the
Woods," and from them in 1646 to the Wrigleys. 43
Henry Wrigley served as high sheriff in 1651," and
in local matters was a zealous supporter of Robert
Constantine in the disputes
as to the church of Oldham. 45
By marriage Chamber Hall
passed to the Gregges of Ches-
ter, who in 1773 succeeded to
Hopwood, and took this sur-
name. 46 Edward Gregge Hop-
wood died in 1 798, and left
the Chamber Hall estate in
equal portions to his three
daughters. The eldest died
unmarried ; Elizabeth mar-
ried James Starkey of Hey-
wood ; and the other married
Maj. -General Peter Heron, Tory member for Newton
in Makerfield from 1806 to 1814; and the estate
was recently held by their heirs. 47
Chamber Hall lies on the south side of Oldham at
the bottom of Chamber Lane, but on an eminence
formerly commanding a very extensive prospect of the
country to the south. 48 The building belongs to two
periods. The older part at the back was apparently
erected in 1640, along with the barn to the south,
and is a stone-built house of two stories and an attic
with mullioned windows and gables, and the roofs
covered with grey stone slates. Some of the windows
are built up and others modernized, but many of the
original 17th-century windows with the labels over
remain. The walling is of long thin coursed stones with
squared quoins, many of great length, at the angles.
The front of the house was pulled down in 1752,
when the present block facing the street was erected.
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
It is of three stories, built in stone in the plain classic
style of the period, with central door and two square-
headed windows on each side of it. There are five
large windows on the first floor with small attic win-
dows over. The ground floor windows have archi-
traves and keystones, but the upper ones architraves
only, and the sashes retain their original wood bars.
The front is faced with large squared coursed stones,
with chamfered quoins at the angles, the chimneys are
of brick, a"nd the roof is covered with blue slates. On
the south-west of the house is a large stone barn, with
stone slated roof and wide end gables. The entrance
doorways in each side of the barn have also smaller
stone gables, that facing the house bearing the initials
G. w., i. w., and the date 1640 on a stone over a
blocked three-light mullioned window. The initials
are probably those of George Wood and his wife Jane
(Tetlow), the builders of the house. The barn is a
fine specimen of the stone-built barns of the I7th
century. At the other side of the house, to the
south-east, is a range of stone buildings, two stories
high, now a cottage and stable, with outside stone
steps at the north end. It has low mullioned windows
and a stone-slated roof, and over the stable door is
the date 1648 and the initials H. w., being those
of Henry Wrigley, who bought the hall from the
Woods in 1 646. He is said to have ' employed
numerous artisans in the trade of fustian weaving, and
converted part of the outbuildings of his hall into a
warehouse.' 49 The door with his initials may be an
insertion in one of the original outbuildings, but it is
more probable that he erected this range of buildings
himself for workshops.
A portion of the Tetlow estate passed by marriage
to the Langleys of Agecroft, and long continued in
that family. 50 Another Tetlow family was settled at
agreed that Robert his son and heir
apparent should confirm it on coming of
age; Shaw, Oldham, 40. In 1610, in
conjunction with Katherine his wife, he
made a settlement of his ' manors of Old-
ham and Werneth,' with thirty messuages,
mill, lands, &c. ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 78, no. 5. He died in 1611, and
his will and inventory are printed by Shaw,
op. cit. 51, 52; he mentions his wife
Katherine, son Robert, daughter Jane wife
of William Bradshaw, grandson Adam
Pilkington, and others, and desired to be
buried in the ' chapel church of Oldham.'
The only book was ' a great old Bible ' ;
the arms were a caliver, two great bills,
a yew bow and a quiver, and a broken
cross-bow ; ' a pair of playing tables ' was
valued at it.
Robert Tetlow contributed to the sub-
sidy in 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 157. Nine years later he paid
10 on refusing knighthood ; ibid. 216.
As a convicted recusant he paid double to
the subsidy of 1626-7 (Lay Subs. bdle.
131, no. 312), and in 1630 compounded
for his sequestered two-thirds by an annual
fine of 10.
42 By indenture dated 14 September
1635 Robert Tetlow of the Chamber Hall
in or near Oldham, and William Horton
of Barkisland, Yorks., conveyed to George
Wood of Groby and John Wood
of London, for 2,120, the capital
messuage in Werneth, with lands, &c.,
there and in Greenacres, the names and
rents of the occupiers being given ;
Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle. 5, no. 77.
This was accompanied by a fine, Robert
Tetlow and Mary his wife, William Horton
and Elizabeth his wife, being deforciants ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 128, no. 33.
George Wood, who is said to have
married Jane the daughter and heir of
Robert Tetlow, contributed to the subsidy
of 1641 for his lands ; Shaw, op. cit. 87.
In the following year George and John
Wood gave a lease of the messuage, &c.,
called Broad Heys in Oldham ; ibid. 93.
48 Ibid. 102.
44 P.R.O. Lilt, 73.
45 See the correspondence in Manch.
Classit (Chet. Soc.), App. Henry Wrigley
died in London, and was buried there 26
July 1658 ; Shaw, op. cit. 152.
Henry Wrigley the younger, son of
Henry Wrigley of the Chamber in Old-
ham, at Ashton under Lyne on 5 April
1654 married Susannah daughter of
Samuel Jenkinson of Woodhouses. A
son, Henry, was buried at Ashton 23
Mar. 1654-5.
Benjamin Wrigley, the next owner of
Chamber, was summoned to attend the
Herald's Visitation in 1664, but no pedi-
gree is recorded ; Dugdale, Visit, (Chet.
Soc.), p. v.
46 E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1856),
from which this account of the descent is
mainly taken. By his will, 1671, Benja-
min Wrigley devised his property in Old-
ham, &c., to his eldest daughter Martha
and her issue ; and she married Joseph
Gregge.
In 1681 Joseph Gregge and Martha
his wife made a settlement of the manors
of Werneth and Oldham ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 207, m. 84. In 1682
97
Joseph Gregge granted a lease of a mes-
suage at a rent of ios., a heriot at every
death, two fat hens at Christmas, a fat
capon at Easter, a day's harrowing with
two harrows, and three days' reaping as re-
quired ; Shaw, op. cit. 187. Joseph
Gregge died in 1705 ; ibid. 241.
In a recovery of the manors of Werneth
and Oldham in 1712 the tenants were
Benjamin Gregge, Elizabeth his wife,
and Henry Ashton ; PaL of Lane. Plea
R. 496, m. 4. Benjamin Gregge was
high sheriff in 1722 ; P.R.O. List, 74.
A settlement was made of the manors
of Werneth and Oldham in 1773 by Ed-
ward Gregge Hopwood and Judith his
wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 389,
m. 28.
47 In 1856 these heirs were : Edmund
John Gregge Hopwood, Catherine Heron,
Mary Felicia Barry, (Rev.) George Heron,
Henry Heron, (Rev.) Frank George Hop-
wood, and Hervey Hopwood ; Butter-
worth, op. cit. 28. On the same page is
an account of the haunting of Chamber
Hall.
In 1890 Chamber was stated to be the
property of the Gregge Hop woods ; see an
account of the place in Lanes, and Ches,
Antiq. Soc. viii, 150-4, where is printed
an ungallant couplet written on a window
pane of the hall.
48 J. Butterworth, op. cit. 1826.
49 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. viii.
* In 1352 lands in Crompton, Oldham,
and Werneth were part of the Tetlow
estate settled upon Richard de Langley
and Joan his wife ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 132. Disputes had
'3
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
COLDHURST," which was formerly an estate of the
Hospitallers."
LEES HALL was long the residence of the Chad-
derton family of Oldham and Crompton. 53 George
Chadderton, living in 15 15, held Rowdefields, Magot
Fields, and Lees in Oldham of John Cudworth by
knight's service and a rent of 4^. His widow
{Catherine died 10 April 1543, and their grandson
Thomas (son of Thomas son of George) was the
heir, and twenty-two years of age. 53a In the latter
part of the iyth century it was acquired by the
Lyon family, 54 and passed through various hands.
Lawrence Chadderton, a famous Puritan divine, first
master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, is said to
have been born here." The site is now occupied
by saw-mills. Bent Hall, in the same neighbour-
occurred already with other lords of Old-
ham, for in 1351 Adam de Chadderton and
Alice his wife claimed a messuage and
land against Richard de Langley and Joan
his wife, William son of Robert de Rad-
cliffe, Anabil de Tetlow, and Thomas de
Parr, and though the first writ was dis-
missed for the error of questus est instead
of questi tunt the suit continued ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. i (July), m. 4 d.; (Lent),
m. 2, 2 d. One Hugh de Tetlow had
been seised of the disputed tenement,
which on his death descended to Joan
de Langley as daughter of Jordan, elder
brother of Hugh ; but while Joan was a
minor in the duke's wardship, and living
at Pontefract, Adam de Tetlow, a younger
brother, took possession, and granted to
Adam and Alice, the plaintiffs. On the
other hand it was said that Adam de
Tetlow had been in seisin during Hugh's
lifetime, and had granted it to one Robert
de Oldham for life, and after his death to
the plaintiffs.
At Easter 1354. the Langleys claimed
common of pasture in 8 acres of moor and
pasture, as pertaining to Joan's inheritance
(a messuage and 20 acres) in Oldham,
against Richard son of Richard de Tet-
low, Adam son of Alice de Pussh", and
Richard de Oldham, lord of the town, who
had made an approvement of the waste.
Sufficient pasture had been left, but the
Langleys had previously had greater free-
dom of entry by a certain lane, in which
Richard de Oldham had made a lydiate
{lideata} and a ditch to shut out the beasts
coming there. Though the lydiate could
ibe opened at will a certam amount of
injury had been caused, and the defendants
made fines of mark, mark, and 10*.
respectively. One security for Richard de
Tetlow was Richard de Cudworth ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. 3, m. 6 d. A decree
respecting common of pasture in favour
of Robert Langley was made in 1440
.against Robert Tetlow ; Dep. Keeper's
Rep. xxxiii, App. 39.
This tenement continued to descend
-with Agecroft until 1561, when, on Sir
"Robert Langley's death, it became part of
vthe portion of his daughter Dorothy, who
married James Ashton of Chadderton ; the
deed of settlement speaks of 'manors,
messuages, lands, &c., in Oldham and
Crompton ' ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle.
4, no. 63 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
24, m. 3 ; 47, m. 93.
The Ashton family held already a con-
siderable estate in Oldham, and in 1612
James Ashton died seised of ten
messuages, 100 acres of land, fee,, in Old-
ham and Glodwick, by inheritance from
his father Edmund, and of twenty-four
messuages, &c, of his wife's inheritance ;
the former were held partly of John
Cudworth by knight's service and a rent
of 5</., and partly of the king (for the
Knights Hospitallers) in socage by a rent
of (>\d. ; the latter were held together
with lands, &c., in Alkrington, Tonge,
and Crompton, by the twentieth part of a
knight's fee and yd. rent ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 225, 230.
Richard Ashton purchased a messuage,
&c., in 1596 from George Towers,
William and John Aspinall ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle 59, m. 237. This land
was that called Hardshaw, as may be seen
by comparing its rent of zid. with that
in the Inq. p.m. of Richard Ashton; (Rec.
Soc.), i, 145.
51 Edmund Tetlow of Coldhurst con-
tributed to the subsidy of 1523 ; Shaw,
Oldham, 15. The will of John Tetlow
of Coldhurst, 1598-9, mentions Ellen his
wife, Edmund, George, John, and Anne
Tetlow his children, Abraham Taylor and
Ambrose Jackson his sons-in-law ; ibid.
41. Edmund Tetlow of Coldhurst was a
freeholder in 1600, and contributed to the
subsidy in 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 248, 157. In 1639, on a
complaint being made of the destruction
of the timber, &c., on the moors of Old-
ham and Crompton, he stated that he and
his ancestors were seised of a capital
messuage called Coldhurst and about 60
acres of land ; also of two messuages in
Crompton and 40 acres, with rights of
common on Crompton Moor, Greenacres
Moor, Edge Moor, North Moor, and
Hollinwood, but not on Sholver Moor.
He was not aware that the king was the
owner of the soil or had ever granted
leases of the commons ; Shaw, 77-81. In
the following year Edmund Tetlow the
elder and Edmund Tetlow the younger
sold the Great Meadow near Fogg
Lane for a poor's field ; Char. Com. Rep.
(1826), xvi, 227.
Anne, the eldest of three daughters and
co-heirs of Edmund Tetlow, in 1709
married Edmund Radcliffe, and though
she died without issue her inheritance
appears to have descended to the Rad-
cliffe's heirs ; E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed.
1 8 5 6), 45 . Coldhurst itself, however, was
sold to Sir Ralph Assheton, and descended
like Werneth until 1804, when Lord
Ribblesdale sold it to Abraham Crompton
of High Crompton ; ibid. 34.
M Lanes, and Ches.Antiq. Soc.viii, 149-
50. A rent of $\d. was payable, which
ceased to be demanded about eighty years
ago.
53 Of the earlier generations of this
family some account will be found under
Crompton.
Robert son of Adam de Impetres, by
Margaret daughter of Richard del Lees,
claimed a messuage and lands in Oldham
in 1351 and 1352; and as Adam de
Chadderton warranted, and Thomas son
of Thomas de Chadderton was summoned,
it is probable the land was in or near
Lees Hall ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i,
m. 5 d.; 2, m. 8.
68a Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, 31.
In 1537 Thomas the heir had married
Joan daughter of John Tetlow (who
survived him), and lands, &c., in Lees
and Crompton were then settled upon
him by his grandparents. He died 16
Aug. 1572 holding Lees of Ralph Cud-
worth by the sixtieth part of a knight's
fee and a rent of $d. a year ; George his
son and heir was twenty-four years of
age. The estate had been increased by
messuages in Manchester ; ibid, xiii, 7.
His will is printed in Piccope's Wills
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 130 ; to his son Lawrence
he left 40*. a year from his inheritance at
Foulfyn in Staffordshire till the son should
have an income of 100 marks a year
from benefices. The Manchester burgages
seem to have been acquired in 1561 ;
Mancb. Ct. Lett Rec. i, 63, 149.
George Chadderton died in 1606 hold-
ing lands in Staffordshire as well as in
Crompton, Oldham, and Manchester. He
had in 1576 espoused Mary daughter of
John Kuerden, who survived him ; they
had several children, the heir being the
son Thomas, fourteen years of age on 25
Sept. 1606 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 62-4.
Thomas Chadderton contributed to the
subsidy in 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 157. Two of his leases,
dated 1621 and 1662, are given in Shaw,
Oldham, 75, 76 ; a day's 'shearing' was
required of the tenants.
A pedigree of three generations
Thomas, George, Thomas was recorded
in 1613 ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 5. Alice,
co-heiress of George Chadderton, married
John Greenhalgh of Brandlesholme, but
died without issue.
54 The northerly portion of the estate
passed to the family of Lingard ; a large
part of it is said to have been sold to the
ancestors of the Cleggs of Bent. In 1 747
a third of the estate was held by Thomas
Percival of Royton. The hall and land
around it became vested in the family of
Lyon, of whom were Henry Lyon (living
1681), John Lyon (1702), and Nicholas
John Lyon (1747). Thehall was in 1752
owned by James Bowden ; in 1765 by
John Winterbottom, who died in 1794 ; it
was then sold to John Lees of Werneth,
and in 1856 was held by the executors of
James Whitehead ; from E. Butterworth's
OIdAam(ed. 1856), 30. Canon Raines in
Notitia Cestr. ii, 116, gives a somewhat
different account of the descent. It appears,
however, that Thomas Chadderton sold
Lees Hall and his whole estate to John
Plumpton of Warrington. In 1681 there
was a suit respecting it, under the pur-
chaser's will, between Henry Lyon and
Sarah his wife (widow of John Plumpton),
William Denton and Mary his wife, and
William King v. John Davy, clerk, and
Susan his wife ; Exch. Dep. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 59.
William Denton resided at Lees Hall
in 1684; Shaw, op. cit. 193. In 1696
Henry Lyon of Lees Hall was an overseer,
and in that year ' old Mrs. Lyon of Lees '
was buried ; ibid. 217,218.
55 Lawrence Chadderton was the
younger son of Thomas Chadderton, who
died in 1572, and is mentioned in his
father's will, as already stated. He is
usually said to have been born in 1536,
but did not enter Christ's College, Cam-
bridge, until 1562. He would probably
be about fourteen at that time. He em-
braced Protestantism, to the great scandal
of his father, who is said to have sent
SALFORD HUNDRED
hood, was at one time occupied as a hat manufac-
tory. 56
HORSEDGE, like Coldhurst, belonged to the
Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. 67 The tenants
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
were families named Taylor M and Hopwood. 49 The
inheritance of the former passed to the Nuttalls and
Radclyffes of Foxdenton. Whetstone Hill and Derker
lie to the north-east of Horsedge. 60
him a shilling as his whole share of the
inheritance ; if so, the father must have
relented very quickly. He was appointed
master of Emmanuel in 1584, took part
in the Hampton Court Conference in
1604, and in the translation of the Bible
in 1611. He resigned the mastership in
1622, and died in 1640. He wrote a
treatise on Justification ; see Diet. Nat.
Biog.
56 It is named by Bishop Gastrell in
1717, and was taxed for nineteen windows
in 1728 ; Shaw, op. cit. 293.
Edwin Butterworth (Oldham, 32) states
that Bent Hall was in 1747 the property of
the Rev. Samuel Sidebottom, who married
Mary daughter of Alexander Radclyffe of
Foxdenton ; and that in 1758 it was
occupied by John Clegg, hat manufacturer.
The owner in 1856 was John Rowbottom.
An illustrated sheet pedigree of the
Cleggs of Bent House was issued in 1840 ;
Richard Clegg son of James, son of the
above-named John, being the head of the
family. The Cleggs acquired Westwood,
formerly the property of the Whitehead
family ; E. Butterworth, op. cit. 48, 49.
There was also a Lower Bent Hall,
owned by a family named Taylor ; Butter-
worth, ut sup.
67 This appears from the inquisition cited
below. The land lay on the north side
of High Street and Yorkshire Street, and
the name is preserved in Horsedge Street.
There were seven crosses around it, and it
was deposed in 1620 : 'I did very well
know seven crosses called Seven Holy
Crosses, and also called St. John's Crosses,
to be bounds and meres at Horsedge lands.
I did know them all, either broken or
whole, and do yet know the places where
every of them stood. As first, a stone
cross stood at the end of Greenacres Moor ;
the next, a wooden cross, stood at Hors-
edge stile ; the next, a stone cross, upon
the north-east side of the Edge, called the
Cross under the Edge ; the next, a wooden
cross in Grimby, Called Grimby Cross ; the
next, a stone cross, called Pighill Stile
Cross ; the next, a wooden cross, in the
Town end ; and the last and seventh, a
stone cross in the end of the Shoot, being,
as I judge, very mean of distance from the
first cross of Greenacres moor with the
rest of all the crosses, which be one from
another of equal distance ' ; from the will
of John Newton, collier, printed in Old-
ham Notes and Gleanings, ii, ui,from the
Raines MSS. xxiv, 88.
58 Horsedge Hall was to the north-east
of the church. The inquisition of John
Cudworth (1556) already cited shows
rents from John Taylor of Over Horsedge
and John Hopwood of Nether Horsedge.
John Taylor died in 1574 holding land
called Redleigh of Robert Tetlow and
John Cudworth by fealty and <)d. rent,
an acre at Okeden in Chadderton of the
three lords of the town ; also the capital
messuage called Horsedge in Oldham with
40 acres of land, &c., of Queen Elizabeth
by fealty and -j\d. rent. The inquisition
was not taken until 1619 by which time
the Hospitallers' lands had been granted to
the Earl of Derby and Edmund Taylor,
the son and heir, was sixty-seven years of
age ; his son Edmund was living ; Lanes,
nq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
'53-
Edmund Taylor in 1596 granted a
kase of a close called the Pighill (J acre)
in Horsedge to Roger Taylor, clothier, at
a rent of 5*. and a day's ' shearing ' in har-
vest ; 40 marks was paid ; Shaw, Oldham,
39. Edmund Taylor was returned as a
freeholder in 1600 ; Mite. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 247.
In 1622 Robert Tetlow of Werneth
and Edmund Taylor of Horsedge claimed
an estate in 'so much of the open land
called Oldhulme at Oldham as it is
divided within the crosses,' as also wastes,
&c., within Oldham, Werneth, and Green-
acres. They wished to inclose and im-
prove the lands, and had agreed with the
freeholders to allow them reasonable
shares, but the lords of the adjoining
manors of Chadderton and Royton ob-
jected ; Shaw, Oldham, 59.
In the time of Charles I it was stated
that Edmund Taylor, who had leased his
capital messuage and demesne lands of
Horsedge, John his son, John Heap
(brother-in-law of the latter), and John
Jackson had broken down a stable belong-
ing to Horsedge Hall, taken the tenant's
cows and horses kept there, and driving
them into Derbyshire, sold them at Ash-
bourne Fair. John Bretland, who had
married Katherine daughter of Richard
Nuttall another daughter was Elizabeth,
perhaps the wife of John Taylor became
surety for them, and they were acquitted,
but 35 had to be paid as compensation
to the tenant. The value of Horsedge
was given as 30 a year ; Duchy of
Lane. Plead, ccix, B, 26. See also Lanes,
and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
ii, 249.
Elizabeth, widow of John Taylor, in
1649 compounded for her husband's
delinquency ; he had assisted the king in
the ' first war ' ; Cal. of Com. for Com-
pounding, iii, 2043. She was concerned in
a dispute as to the tithes of Horsedge in
1659 ; Exch. Dep. 32.
In 1663 an agreement was made as to
the purchase of a third part of Horsedge
Hall, with its common of pasture, tur-
bary, mines of coal, slate, &c., by Eliza-
beth Taylor, widow, from her daughter
Katherine wife of Adam Bankes of Wigan,
mercer ; it appears that Katherine was
daughter and co-heir of John Taylor son of
Edmund; Shaw, op. cit. 161. A further
agreement in 1668 shows that the other
daughters, then unmarried, were named
Elizabeth and Eleanor ; ibid. 170. Eliza-
beth soon afterwards married William
Langley of Whittle ; ibid. 173, 175. By
1674 Eleanor had married Thomas Nuttall
of Tottington ; 181. William Langley of
Horsedge was buried at Oldham in 1689 ;
204. In 1697 Elizabeth Langley, widow,
mortgaged her moiety of Horsedge ; 219,
229,232. In 1705 William Langley of
Netherwood Hall, Darley, son and heir of
Elizabeth, sold his moiety of Horsedge to
Thomas Nuttall of Tottington, who thus
acquired the whole ; 240. By his will,
dated 14 Mar. 1726-7, he gave his estates
to his granddaughter Margaret daughter of
Adam Bagshaw by Margaret, only child
of the testator ; with remainder to his
kinsman Thomas son of William Langley
of Thornscow, Yorkshire. He also left
money for the poor of Oldham and the
school there ; ibid. 286-89. Margaret,
99
the heiress, married in 1731 Robert Rad-
clyffe of Foxdenton, and conveyed Hors-
edge to that family 5 Burke, Commoners, iv,
403.
Canon Raines states that the Langleys
continued to have a moiety of the estate,
which was in 1 849 the property of Joseph
Jones of Walshaw House ; Notitia Cestr.
ii, 116. Some Horsedge deeds from
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxiv and
xxxvii, are printed in Oldham Notes and
Gleanings, ii, 164, 165, 169 ; iii, 29.
69 In 1517 James son and heir of John
Hopwood of Horsedge sold to Edmund
Ashton of Chadderton a close of land
called the Pighill, near Horsedge Moor ;
and a little later sold other lands, includ-
ing Walshaw, Lower Raude, and the
Spring ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle. 4,
no. 49-57.
It has been stated above that James
Ashton in 1612 held lands, formerly the
Hospitallers', by a rent of 6 \d. The Rad-
cliffes of Foxdenton held another portion
by a rent of ^d.
Edmund Hopwood and Joan his wife
in 1570 and 1587 sold small pieces of
land to Ralph Walker ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 32, m. 13 ; 49, m. n.
There was in the i8th century a family
of Hopwood at Bent Brow ; E. Butter-
worth, Oldham (ed. 1856), 33. At Lower
Horsedge, Greenacres, and Swineclough
lived the Ogden family, of whom came
Samuel Ogden, a celebrated Nonconformist
minister, ejected from Mackworth in
1622 ; he died in 1697 ; ibid. 55 ; Diet.
Nat. Biog.
The New House in Greenacres was, with
other property, granted on lease by Isaac
Ogden in 1698 to Katherine Percival of
Royton ; Manch. Free Lib. D. 108.
Edmund Ogden in 1702 purchased from
Henry Lyon, John Lyon, Isaac Lyon, and
Sara his wife two messuages and lands
with appurtenances in Crompton and
Oldham; Hulme D. 116-17.
60 Whetstone hill is one of the most
ancient homesteads in the township. The
Kershaw family have been seated here a
considerable period ' ; E. Butterworth, Old-
ham, 60. Dirtcar, now Derker, was
owned by John Buckley in 1758, and by
James Greaves in 1856 ; ibid. 42.
Broadbent's and Hopkin Fold were other
houses in the vicinity. Some Hobkin
deeds from the Raines MSS. xxiv, are
printed in Oldham Notes and Gleanings, ii,
171, 181 ; they relate the marriage of
Edmund son of Edward Hobkin, 1526-9.
Richard Hobkin of Oldham contributed
to a subsidy in 1523 for lands; Shaw,
Oldham, 15. A settlement of two
messuages, &c., in Oldham was made by
Edward Hopkin in 1537, Margaret and
Edmund Hopkin being tenants for life ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 1, m. 59.
For disputes as to their lands see Duchy
Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
83-7, 216-18. Edmund Hobkin occurs
in 1552; Shaw, Oldham, 19. He sold
four messuages, &c., to Thomas Radcliffe
in 1556 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
1 6, m. 36. Arthur Hopkin of Hopkin
Fold in 1649 leased or mortgaged the
Great Hardfield to Henry Wrigley of
Chamber; Shaw, op. cit. no. Hop-
kin Green was formerly near Oldham
Church.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Hollinwood, 61 Hathershaw, 6 * and other lands in the
southern part of Werneth have left no trace in the
records. Hathershaw Hall is a long low two-story
stone building dating from the end of the 1 6th
century, but with its eastern end rebuilt a century
later, and what remains is probably but a fragment.
It is divided into five cottages, and stands back from
the road, facing south with an open space in front, in
the midst of mills and small house property. The
older portion is about 54 ft. in length with a slightly
projecting wing at the west end, and is described as
OLD PLAN OF OLDHAM
having quite gone to decay in l826. 63 There have
been sufficient repairs since to keep the building
habitable, but nearly all trace of its original appearance
has gone. There is a built-up stone doorway with
a moulded head at one end, and a three-light stone
mullioned window on the first floor at the other, but
all the other windows are modern, and the building is
of little or no architectural interest. The east end
appears to have been rebuilt in 1 694,** and is loftier
than the older part, with quoins at the angles and
square-headed two-light windows with centre mullion
and transom. The win-
dows are of good design,
3 ft. 6 in. wide, and 5 ft.
9 in. high, with double
chamfered heads and
jambs, and placed with an
almost 18th-century re-
gularity. The floor-line
is marked by a string-
course, below which the
walling is of large square-
coursed blocks, and above
of rough narrow-coursed
stones. This portion of
the building, which is
about 38 ft. long, con-
sists of two cottages, in
one of which the mul-
lions and transoms of the
windows have been cut
away and modern case-
ments inserted. Two of
the upper windows are
built up, and a new door-
<\\ ~te Wa y ^ as k een ma de to
CAxfce< the second cottage. The
roofs of the two portions
of the building are of
different levels, and are
covered with old grey
stone slates, with stone
ridge tiles. The end ga-
bles yet preserve their
ball ornaments, though the
copings are gone. Some
of the old stone orna-
ments of the house now
lie in front of one of the
cottages in a small in-
closed garden.
Clarksfield, on the eas-
tern border, was held of
the Cudworths by the
Ash tons of Ashton-under-
Lyne ; it descended to
the Booths. 65 It was in
1625 purchased by the
81 Hollinwood was formerly part of
Chadderton ; Shaw, Oldham, 253. Hol-
linwood Green, Oak, and Lyme House
are noticed by E. Butterworth, op. cit. 49,
50.
62 Hathershaw Hall was the residence
of the Sandfords in the 1 7th century, of
whom Edward Sandiford was a member
of the classis in 1646 ; in the next cen-
tury it had been acquired by the Side-
hottoms, and Alexander Radclyffe Side-
bottom was the owner in 1856 ; ibid.
35. The name is said to be a corruption
of Hazleshaw, mentioned above as belong-
ing to the Aspenhalghs and Ashtons.
Copster Hill, Pauletts, and Hollins are
also noticed ; ibid. 51, 52.
68 Jas. Butterworth, Oldham.
64 Lanes, and Chet. Antiq. Soc. viii.
65 Sir John de Ashton, who died in
1428, held a messuage and land called
Copthurst ; Lanct. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.),
IOO
ii, 22. Coppedhurst has been mentioned
in a previous note regarding the Tetlow
family. In 1507 the same was said to be
held of John Cudworth, as cousin and
heir of William son of Adam de Oldham,
by the service of zs. 6d. and an iron
arrow; ibid, ii, 138. The service seems
to have been compounded for, and is not
mentioned in the inquest after the death
of George Booth in 1543 ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, 7.
SALFORD HUNDRED
occupier, John Lees, and has
descended in the family to the
present time. 65 The Cud-
worths also had the whole or
part of Greenacres. 67
Roundthorn was part of the
estate of Sir Ralph Assheton
of Middleton, and on his
death in 1716 passed to Sir
Nathaniel Curzon of Kedle-
ston, in right of his wife Mary,
a co-heir of Sir Ralph's, and
descended to Earl Howe. 68
Waterloo, formerly Sheep-
washes, was in the 1 7th and
1 8th centuries the residence of the Brierley family. 6
LEES. Argent tivo
bars raguly bet-ween three
crosslets Jitchy in chief
and a falcon belled in
base all gules.
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
GLODWICK, another of the ancient divisions of
Oldham, 70 came by 1301 into the possession of Hugh
de Atherton, 71 and descended to the Nevills of
Hornby. 72 The later history is uncertain. In the
1 6th century the Radcliffes of Foxdenton paid the
chief rent of T,S. id. due to the duchy, but the Standish
and Ashton families also had shares." During the
1 7th century the estate appears to have been sold in
parcels. 74 The duchy rent of 3/. \d. was in 1779
paid by the Rev. Richardson. 75
SHOLFER was in 1212 found to have been
held by Ralph Tagun as 4 oxgangs of land ; it
was part of the Nevill estate then in the king's
hand. 76 By 1 246 it seems to have become divided ; 77
but in 1324. Robert (or Roger) de Ashton paid
the chief rent due for it, holding in right of his wife,
66 E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1856),
38-40. The family were actively engaged
in the business of the district as bankers,
cotton spinners, and coal owners. John
Lees of Fairfield in 1824 built Salem
Moravian chapel and schools at Clarks-
field. There is a pedigree in Burke,
Landed Gentry Lees of Thurland Castle,
near Kirkby Lonsdale.
6 ' Greenacres is mentioned as early as
1266, when Margery widow of Jordan de
la Leye claimed dower, a messuage, and
30 acres there against Richard de la Leye.
Margery had a son Adam ; Curia Regis
R. 176, m. 5 d.
In the inquisition of Ralph Cudworth,
above cited, Edmund Ashton is stated to
have paid a rent of 2 1 \d. for land in Green-
acres in 1558. Some was bought from
George Chadderton in 1537 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. n, m. 43. 'In 1702 a
Mr. Rainshaw possessed much property
here, which in 1725 was in the hands of
Mr. Rothwell, and in 1752 of the Rev.
James Rothwell, vicar of Deane ' ; E.
Butterworth, op. cit. 41, 58.
Dowry Mill and Wellyhole were in
Greenacres. The latter of these was
purchased from John Mayall by Edmund
Ogden in 1748 ; ibid. 62.
68 Ibid. 44. Curzon Street is on the
east of this Roundthorn ; there was
another place of the same name near
Glodwick ; information of Mr. S. Andrew.
69 Ibid. 56. The Brierleys or Brearleys
were also seated at Barrowshaw, which
became the property of the Radcliffes of
Royton ; ibid. 6 1 . The last-named family
also purchased Priest Hill ; ibid. 45.
70 In 1 21 2 Adam de Glodwick held two
oxgangs of land of Montbegon and two of
Nevill ; Inq. and Extents, i, 63, 64. The
latter portion escheated to the Crown, and
about ten years later Agnes de Glodwick
should have been in ward to the king in
respect of two oxgangs held by a rent of
i<)\d. and by finding the sixth part of a
judge; ibid. 128. Jordan de Glodwick
gave land in Oldham to his son Richard ;
id. rent was due to the king ; Hopwood
Chart.
> l Final Cone, i, 210; a fine (1307)
between Alexander Atherton, plaintiff, and
Hugh de Atherton and Joan his wife, de-
forciants, of a messuage, 100 acres of land,
&c., in Oldham and Glodwick.
In 1292 Joan relict of Adam de
Holdene was in possession of a messuage
and 100 acres of land in Oldham, inherited
from her mother Agnes, who had married
one Ralph de Astone (or Ashton). It is
just possible that this Agnes was identical
with Agnes the heiress in 1222-6. Being
left a widow she married Jordan de
Crompton, and Joan was their daughter.
Later a claim to the estate was made on
behalf of Jordan's son Adam, then a
minor, probably the son of a later marriage,
whom the father wished to benefit out of
his former wife's estate. The jury, how-
ever, held that Jordan had never been
seised as of fee, so that Joan's claim was
upheld ; Assize R. 408, m. 7, 1 2. This
Joan seems afterwards to have married
Hugh de Atherton, for the claim of Adam
de Crompton was prosecuted in 1301
against Hugh de Atherton and Joan his
wife, who was seised when he married
her; Assize R. 419, m. \^d.
Hugh de Atherton in i 324 paid 31. I id.
for two oxgangs in Glodwick ; Duchy of
Lane ; Rentals and Surv. 379, m. 13.
In other versions the rent is given as
3*. id. or 3*. 4.d. ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents,
ii, 105. Richard de Oldham, clerk, and
others, were in 1343 charged with having
broken into Hugh de Atherton's houses in
Glodwick ; Assize R. 430, m. 32 d. For
this Atherton family see further under
Hindley and Aintree.
72 In 1 346 Sir Robert de Nevill was
holding two oxgangs in Glodwick by the
service of 31. zd. rent, puture of the
Serjeants, and double rent at death ; Add.
MS. 32103, fol. 146.
In the following year the estate in
Oldham and Glodwick 3 messuages, 140
acres of land, &c. was settled by Sir
Robert de Nevill of Hornby and Joan his
wife (whose inheritance it was) upon his
son John and Isabel his wife, with remain-
ders to John's brothers ; Final Cone, ii,
12$. As a result of this a claim was
made in 1363 by John de Nevill and
Isabel his wife against Sir John (? Robert)
de Nevill of Hornby, and Joan his wife ;
De Banco R. 416, m. 396 d.
7" The Nevill estates passed to the
Harringtons, and Sir William de Harring-
ton is recorded to have paid the chief rent
in 1378 ; Harl. MS. 2085, fol. 442. In
1445-6 William de Strangeways held the
two oxgangs of land in Glodwick in socage,
rendering 31. zd. yearly, in right of his
wife, who held by conjoint feoffment ;
Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2,
no. 20.
In 1526 the Radcliffes of Foxdenton
paid 31. as the chief rent due for Chadder-
ton and Glodwick (Shaw, Oldbam, 16) ;
but about the end of the century Richard
Radcliffe was responsible for 31. zd. rent
for Glodwick; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868),
i, 447. The inquisitions are not clear.
Thomas Radcliffe, who died in 1567, held
fifty messuages, &c., in Oldham of the
queen, as of the late Priory of St. John of
Jerusalem, by a rent of ^.d. ; Duchy of
IOI
Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 25. In 1589 the
tenure was stated more in detail ; four
messuages, &c., in Oldham, were held of
the queen as of the dissolved priory by a
rent of 4</. ; another messuage, &c., was
held of John Cudworth by a rent of $d. ;
the rest of the lands, &c. in Oldham were
held of the queen as of her Duchy of
Lancaster, by a rent of 6d. ; but of whom
the lands in Glodwick were held the jury
did not know; ibid, iii, 13. William
Radcliffe, the disinherited, held two
messuages in Glodwick of the queen in
socage by a rent of 6d. ; ibid, xv, 23.
Lands in Glodwick were included in a
mortgage or sale by William Radcliffe in
1627 ; the tenants were Pollit, Heap,
and others ; Shaw, op. cit. 73. John
Pollit in 1666 sold his interest in the
lease to Edward Taylor ; ibid. 166.
Edward Standish of Standish died in
1610 holding six messuages, 60 acre* of
land, &c., in Glodwick of the king in
socage, by 1 1 ^d. rent ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 190.
James Ashton of Chadderton, who died
in 1612, as above stated, held messuages
and lands in Glodwick; ibid, i, 230.
" 4 Swineclough was leased in 1570 by
James Ashton and Dorothy his wife to
Adam Ogden ; it had lately been occupied
by his father Adam Ogden, and the new
lease was for the lives of Adam, Anne his
wife, and Adam his son ; Raines D.
(Chet. Lib.). It was sold in 1670 to
Adam Ogden by Edmund Ashton ; E.
Butterworth, op. cit. 37. The Dawsons
and other owners of land at Glodwick are
also named ; and others, including Andrew
of Lowside, at pp. 54, 56.
75 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 14,
no. 25 m.
76 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 64 ; the
thegnage rent in later times is usually
given as 3.1. zd.
Ten years earlier, Maud widow of Ralph
Tagun made an agreement as to her
dower with various tenants in Sholver ;
Final Cone, i, 20. Alward Tagun was on
the jury for Salfordshire in 1 242-3 ; Inq.
and Extents, i, 153.
77 In 1246 Andrew de Sholver com-
plained that the Abbot of Roche and
others had disseised him of his free pasture
of Sholver; Assize R. 404, m. i. In
another plea respecting a mine Andrew
was joined by Alward Tagun and Roger
de Pilkington ; ibid. m. 2. The three
occur in other suits respecting lands in
Sholver ; ibid. m. 7, 9.
Margery widow of Geoffrey de Chatham
in 1275 claimed dower in a messuage and
plough-land in Sholver against Geoffrey de
Bracebridge ; De Banco R. 9, m. 32 d.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
it being of the inheritance of Gilbert de Hulme. 78
In 1346 it was held in moieties by Richard de Pil-
kington and Cecily de Hulme. 79 From the Hulmes
it descended to the Prestwich family, 80 who held it
till the middle of the 1 7th century. It was sold to
various persons about 165 7."
Count Hill, 8 * Polden, 83 Crowley, 84 Watershed-
dings, Barrowshaw, Broadbent, Peacote, Fullwood,
and Hodgeclough, lie in this portion of the town-
ship.
The growth of the town at the beginning of last
century induced some of the inhabitants to procure
an Act of Parliament, 1802-3, for the inclosure
of the moors ; the commissioners appointed had by
1807 completed the division of the lands among
the landowners and occupiers. 84
The government of the town ap-
BOROUGH pears to have been formerly in the
hands of the vestry or the county
magistrates. 86 In 1826 a board of Improvement
Commissioners was constituted, who governed the
town for twenty-two years. 87 During this time the
Reform Act was passed, and in 1832 Oldham was
made a parliamentary borough, the limits for this
purpose including the whole chapelry. Two members
were assigned to it. One of the first elected was
the celebrated William Cob-
bett, who represented the
place till his death in I835. 88
The ratepayers becoming dis-
contented with the adminis-
tration of affairs by the com-
missioners, 89 petitioned for
incorporation, and a charter
was granted on 13 June
1849, constituting the inhabi-
tants of the township a muni-
cipal borough ; 90 the town
was divided into eight wards,
each having an alderman and
three councillors. 91 William
Jones, a representative of
Werneth Ward, was the first
mayor. 91 A town hall had been built in 1 840 ; the
present town hall succeeded in 1879. One of the
first acts of the new council was to create a police
BOROUGH OF OLDRAM.
Sable a cheveron itrvccted
and plain cotised or be-
tween three oivls argent,
on a chief engrailed of
the second a rose between
two annulets gules.
Lands in Sholver were among the moiety
of the Trafford Estate given to Geoffrey
de Chadderton before 1278 ; Final Cone.
i, 153. In 1290, Ellen widow of Geoffrey
de Bracebridge claimed lands in Oldham
against Alexander de Pilkington and
Geoffrey de Chadderton ; De Banco R. 81,
m. 64. In 1291 his demesne lands in
Sholver were among the places named in
the grant of free warren to Roger de
Pilkington; Chart. R. 84, m. 10, 41.
From suits of the same time or a year
later it appears that Geoffrey de Brace-
bridge had held a messuage, 60 acres of
land, &c. in Sholver, which should have
descended to his sister Christiana, wife of
William son of Robert de Stanringes ;
but Geoffrey de Chadderton and Roger de
Pilkington (perhaps as heirs of Chetham)
had taken possession of the messuage and
lands, Adam de Impetres had refused the
i^d. rent, and Robert Attehill the rent of
four barbed arrows. Geoffrey and Roger
showed a charter from the plaintiffs
releasing all claim to the tenements in dis-
pute, and though it was repudiated, the
jury decided for the defendants, ordering
William to gaol because he had denied his
deed. Afterwards he made fine by two
marks ; Assize R, 407, m. 2 ; 408, m. 12.
Margery the niece of Geoffrey de
Bracebridge was in 1305 plaintiff and
defendant in several pleas regarding her
uncle's lands in Oldham ; in one case the
plaintiffs included Geoffrey de Chadderton
the elder, Roger de Pilkington, Adam de
Impetres, &c. ; Assize R. 420, m. 8 ;
also m. i, 8, 9.
In 1317-8 Geoffrey de Chadderton
granted to Gilbert son of Cecily daughter
of William le Bagher land in Sholver
which he had had of the gift of Adam de
Impetres and William son of Henry de
Oldham, with remainder to Thomas the
brother of Gilbert ; Hyde of Denton D.
Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 153, &c.
Robert son of Adam de Impetres was a
claimant of lands in Oldham in July
1351 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, m.
5 A
' 8 Duchy of Lane. Rentals and Surv.
379, m. 13, where the tenant is called
Robert de Ashton and the rent given as
Us. &d, ; and Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii,
105, where the rent is given as 3$. id.
In 1322 Robert de Ashton and Margery
his wife (in her right) appeared against
Gilbert son of Cecily daughter of William
the Baggere concerning a messuage and
land in Oldham by writ of Quare cessa-
iiit per blennlum ; De Banco R. 244,
m. 45.
" 9 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146 ; each
held one oxgang in socage, by a total rent
of zs. zd. (for 31. zd.), providing puture,
and paying a double rent at death. A
note in the manuscript adds : 'The heirs
of Richard de Pilkington, 31. zd.'
80 The Hulme family perhaps bought
the Pilkington share. In 1445-6 Ralph
Prestwich held one oxgang in Sholver in
socage, rendering 31. zd. yearly ; Duchy of
Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. Thus
the full rent is paid, though only one
oxgang is ascribed to him out of the
original four.
A dispute as to Sholver occurred in
1529, Ralph Prestwich being plaintiff;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 138.
Edward Prestwich paid the chief rent
of 3*. zd. in the time of Elizabeth ;
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 447. In
1639 Edmund Tctlow of Coldhurst dis-
claimed any right of common on Sholver
Moor, conceiving that it belonged to
Thomas Prestwich, as parcel of his lord-
ship of Sholver ; Shaw, Oldham, 8 1.
81 E. Butterworth, op. cit. 42.
82 In 1657 Joseph Clegg purchased
land at Count Hill from Sir Thomas Prest-
wich ; this and other purchases descended
to Joseph Clegg, who died in 1835 ; ibid.
83 Palden in Oldham was at one time
owned by the rectors of Prestwich ;
L.T.R. Mem. R. 169 (5 Hen. IV), m.
xii. Later it was ' the abode of a most
eccentric rustic wit named John Brierley,
a carrier, who from his long connexion with
this place was called "Old Poden,' and
who was buried 17 Mar. 1688'; E.
Butterworth, op. cit. 62.
84 Once die residence of a family of
Byrom ; ibid.
85 E. Butterworth, 156; 'these pro-
ceedings were not popular amongst the
body of the people, for the rights of unre-
strained pasturage for cattle and fowl, and
the advantages of the moors as places of
recreation and exercise, had rendered them
spots deeply endeared to successive genera-
102
tions.' The Acts were 42 Geo. Ill, cap.
59 ; 43 Geo. Ill, cap. 44 ; a copy of the
award may be seen at the County Offices,
Preston. See also an award in 1804 in
King's Bench Plea R. Trin. 44 Geo. Ill,
m. 393. Another Act was passed in
7 Geo. IV, cap. 67. For the moors in
1640, with a plan, see Oldham Notes and
Gleanings, ii, 53 ; also 145, 204.
86 Some of the Constables' accts. (from
1697) are printed in Shaw's Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, i, 5, &c. From these it
appears that they used to attend Salford
Leet Court.
W E. Butterworth, Oldham, 227. The
qualification for assuming the office was
the possession of property worth 50 or
the occupation of premises rented at 30
a year. The commissioners numbered 360
in 1848.
The Act (7 Geo. IV, cap. 117) was
known as the Oldham Police Act. Its
powers were transferred to the corporation
in 1850.
88 Pink and Beaven, Par!. Refre. of
Lanes. 307. John Morgan Cobbett, son
of William, represented the borough from
1852 to 1859 as a Liberal, and from 1874
till his death in 1877 as a Conservative.
Sir John Tomlinson Hibbert was member
from 1862 to 1874, 1877 to 1886, and
1892 to 1895. John Platt, member from
1865 to 1872, has a statue near the
town hall.
89 In 1847 'a disagreement arose be-
tween the political parties in the borough
with regard to the conduct of the police,
which was then under the management of
the Commissioners, and the result was the
introduction, by the magistrates, of the
county force,' to the dissatisfaction of the
people ; E. Butterworth, op. cit. (ed.
1856), 227.
90 Confirmed by Act of Parliament 1 3
& 14 Viet. cap. 42 ; the boundaries were
extended in 1880 by 43 & 44 Viet. cap.
147. An Improvement Act was obtained
in 1865, 28 & 29 Viet. cap. 311.
91 The area of the borough remains un-
changed, but has been divided into twelve
wards Clarksfield, Coldhurst, Hartford,
Hollinwood, Mumps, St. James's, St.
Mary's, St. Paul's, St. Peter's, Waterhead,
Werneth, and Westwood.
92 E. Butterworth, op. cit. 228-9.
SALFORD HUNDRED
force. 93 In 1854 the gas and water works, established
by an Act passed in 1825,'* were purchased. 95 The
paving and lighting of the town were attended to,
and public baths were opened. 96
Markets and fairs had grown up, 97 and in 1855 a
covered market was built by a private company.
This was in 1865 purchased by the corporation ; the
fish market, adjoining it, was built in i873. 98 The
Lyceum, in the hands of trustees, was erected in 1856
as a library and reading room ; " attached to it is a
school of science and art, erected in 1864, and en-
larged in 1 8 8 0-8 1 . 10 In the free library, art gallery,
and museum is a reference and lending library, and
an exhibition of pictures is held annually ; the build-
ing was opened from 1883 to 1887. A school
board was formed in 1871 ; 101 its offices were built in
1893. Alexandra Park was opened in i865. 1M
There are cemeteries at Greenacres, 103 Hollinwood,
and Chadderton. The Corporation Electric Tram-
ways and others provide services in the borough, and
connect it with Middleton and Ashton. 104
The infirmary was built in 1870, and has been
several times enlarged. There is a medical mission
hall.
The other public buildings include the county
court, post office, and theatres. 105 The workhouse is
in Rochdale Road.
The 6th Volunteer Battalion of the Manchester
Regiment has its head quarters at Oldham ; 106 there
is also a squadron of yeomanry.
The church of ST. MART stands
CHURCH on high ground east of the market-place
on an ancient site, but is a modern build-
ing belonging to the early part of the igth cen-
tury. In 1476, Ralph Langley, parson of Prest-
wich, built * a body of a church ' there. This
seems to impiy the existence of a chancel at that date.
The indenture between Rector Langley and the
masons he employed is still preserved in Prestwich
Church, and sets forth that the building is to be of
four arches on each side, of hewn stone, 1 2 ft. wide
between the pillars and 1 8 ft. high, with a width in
the nave of 20 ft., and a cross arch at each end, that
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
at the west * according for a steeple with two but-
tresses.' The aisles were to be I o ft. wide, and the
outer walls 1 2 ft. high, with five windows to the south
aisle, one at each end and three upon the side, and a
door and porch. The north aisle was to have four
windows, one at each end and two in the north wall,
and a door, but apparently no porch. Four of the
windows were to be of three lights and the rest of
two lights, and there were to be three buttresses to
the south aisle and four to the north. This work,
with later restorations 108 and additions, apparently
lasted till the beginning of the last century.
Illustrations of the old church as it existed towards
the close of the i8th century 109 show a building con-
sisting of chancel with north and south chapels, nave
with north and south aisles, south porch, and west
tower, and a vestry added at the east end under the
chancel window in 1777."
James Butterworth, writing in 1817, says that the
north wall had been built at three distinct periods,
the portion eastward from the tower to the fourth
buttress being the most ancient and containing the
original windows, * each window on the north side
being composed of two pointed arches and on the
south side of three, each compartment of equal height
divided by mullions and with trefoiled heads.' This
would tolerably well agree with the description of the
15th-century work set out in Langley's indenture,
and presumably refers to his work. It suggests that
the four three-light windows of the contract were all
in the south aisle. Butterworth goes on to say, ' from
the fourth to the fifth and from the fifth to the
sixth buttress ... are successive enlargements . . .
other marks of enlargements are visible in the interior,
which is a plain, simple, unadorned specimen of the
early (sic) gothic style consisting of a body and two
side wings or aisles.' The two chapels north and
south of the chancel, and at the east end of the aisles,
were clearly added after the completion of Lang-
ley's nave, which had eastern windows to both of its
aisles, but whether the chancel was of later or earlier
date than 1476 is uncertain. The chapel north of
the chancel was known as the Cudworth chapel, being
93 E. Butterworth, op. cit. 231.
94 The first Act was 6 Geo. IV, cap.
171. The original reservoirs were at
Strinesdale on the Yorkshire border ; but
many others have since been formed in
the hills.
95 E. Butterworth, op. cit. 233.
96 Ibid. 231-5. The baths were en-
larged in 1880. In 1894 new baths were
built at Waterhead.
97 A 'sort of market' on Saturday
evenings, with standings in the main
streets, was held before 1790 ; but became
fully established about 1804. The fair
held on 2 May began probably in the
1 8th century ; that in Oct. a little later ;
while that on 8 July began in 1807 ; ibid.
1 60- 1. At present fairs are held on the
Thursdays after 2 Feb., 2 May, and
8 July, and the Wednesday after 1 1 Oc-
tober.
98 The Public Health Act 1848 and
Local Government Acts 1858 and 1861
were adopted in part in 1863 ; LonJ. Gas.
4 Sept.
99 It began in a very humble way in
1839, a few young men, chiefly of the
working classes, starting it to provide a
library, news room, and evening classes.
In 1845 the institution was removed from
Queen Street to Clegg Street, near the
Town Hall. Funds for the present build-
ing in Union Street were raised by an
exhibition in 1854. The Butterworth
Library was presented by James I'latt,
then president ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868),
i, 462.
180 Ibid. Among smaller institutions of a
similar kind may be named the Glodwick
Mutual Improvement Society's building,
erected in 1857, Werneth Mechanics'
Institute, opened 1867, and the Hollin-
wood Working Men's Club and Institute,
built in 1868. The Horsedge Assembly
Rooms, formerly the Working Man's Hall,
date from 1844. A Botanical Society
was formed about 1775 ; Oldham Notes
and Gleanings^ ii, 46.
The followers of Robert Owen built a
Hall of Science, purchased by the Temper-
ance Society in 1852, and thenceforward
known as the Temperance Hall.
101 Land. Gae. 22 Dec. 1871.
102 For an account of the opening see
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 461. A
great boulder, found near Ashton Road,
is placed in it.
108 Opened in 1857.
104 A tramway from Hollinwood to
Waterhead was opened in 1880, and a
103
steam tramway from Oldham to Rochdale
in 1885.
104 The first theatre was opened in
1807 ; the new theatre in 1810.
lu6 Bodies of volunteers were formed in
1798, and again in 1803, on fears of
French invasions ; E. Butterworth, op. cit.
144, 150.
10 ? In J. Butterworth's Oldham (ed.
1817), 20-30, is quoted a local couplet :
' Old I am Old is my name,
The oldest church in Christendom.'
The popular belief was that it should
be called St. Paul's ; E. Butterworth's
Oldham (ed. 1856), 70.
108 20 April 1558, injunction of the
Bishop of Chester to the residents and
inhabitants of Oldham to undertake
(amongst other things) the reparation of
the said chapel.
109 Shaw, Oldham Notes and Gleanings,
ii, 67, 131. A gallery was erected, chiefly
for the singers, in 17034 ; Shaw, Oldham^
235. For other notices of the singers at
that time see ibid. 225, 245.
110 In a return for the visitation of the
Bishop of Chester in 1778 the rector of
Prestwich mentions Oldham Chapel as a
* very old edifice.'
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
associated with the Cudworth family of Werneth Hall,
and contained a marble monument to John Cudworth
(d. 1652), with a long Latin inscription in the form
of question and answer. 111 The south chapel was
associated with the Radcliffe, Ashton, and Horton
families, and was probably erected by Edmund Ash-
ton of Chadderton in the beginning of the reign of
Henry VIII. 11 '
The old church was pulled down in 1827, and the
present structure erected between that date and
i83o lis in the Gothic style of the period. It con-
sists of a chancel 20 ft. wide by 14 ft. long, with
small north and south vestries, nave of six bays 90 ft.
by 26 ft., with north and south aisles each 17 ft.
wide, and west tower I oft. square inside with walls
5 ft. thick. There are galleries on three sides, ap-
proached by wide stone staircases at the west end of
the aisles north and south of the tower, and none of
the fittings of the old building has been preserved.
It has twice been restored, the last time being in
1897-9, when many improvements were effected in
the interior, including the removal of the old square
pews and the substitution of oak benches, and the
placing of stalls in the first bay of the nave. The
exterior is of stone, now gone black, and is of no
architectural merit. 114
In the vestry is an old oak chest with three locks,
without date or inscription, but probably belong-
ing to the end of the 1 6th or beginning of the I7th
century.
An octagonal font, formerly belonging to the
church, is now in the Oldham Museum. 115
The churchyard, which is on the north, east, and
south sides, sloping from west to east, is paved with
flat gravestones, 116 but is in a neglected condition. 117
There is a ring of twelve bells, 118 cast by Mears in
1830. They were rehung in 1897. In 1486 Ralph
Langley gave three bells to Oldham Chapel, 119 and in
1553 'four great bells' are recorded. 1 * In 1722
the four bells were recast, and two new ones added," 1
but on the erection of the new church it was pro-
vided with an entirely new ring. 1 "
The plate consists of a chalice of 1663, inscribed
with the initials c. H. and A. H., and with the maker's
mark H N over a bird ; another 1 7th-century chalice ;
a flagon of 1770, inscribed with date and church-
wardens' initials, and bearing the mark of Francis
Crump; a flagon of 1788, inscribed with the date
1790 and initials of churchwardens, maker's mark
TW ; a paten of 1789-90, inscribed with the names
of the minister (Rev. Thos. Fawcett) and church-
wardens, 1 790 ; two chalices of 1873, and two chalices
and two patens of 1877.
The registers begin in 1558, and are contained in
eighty-one volumes. The earlier ones have been trans-
cribed by Mr. Giles Shaw. 1 ' 3
The parochial chapel of St. Mary is
4DVOWSON of unknown antiquity." 4 In 1406,
on the complaint of the parishioners
of Prestwich, the Archdeacon of Chester ordered the
inhabitants of the chapelry of Oldham to contribute
towards the blessed bread at Prestwich, as also bread,
wine, and altar lights, the chapel at Oldham being
' notoriously dependent ' upon the parish church."*
Thomas Wild, curate of Oldham, is mentioned in a
deed of 141 1," 6 but though he and other curates
probably retained their charge for life, their names
do not occur in the Lichfield books. In 1447 the
then Archdeacon of Chester addressed the chaplain
celebrating in Oldham Chapel, enforcing his prede-
cessor's decree as to the provision of blessed bread,
&c., on pain of suspension ; the chapelry then, as
now, comprised the townships of Oldham, Crompton,
Royton, and Chadderton." 7 It was found necessary
to issue similar orders from time to time ; " 8 but in
spite of the desire of the people of Oldham to make
their chapel a parish church, the parish has never been
divided, except for a few years under the Common-
wealth," 9 and though many ecclesiastical parishes have
been created from 1835 onwards, Prestwich still
111 Given by James Butterworth, op.
cit.
112 The Story of the ancient parochial
chapelry of St. Mary's, Oldham, by George
Perry-Gore (vicar), 1906, from which
much in the present account of Oldham
Church is taken.
A complaint as to the Chadderton Chapel
and the encroachment by a parclose in the
time of Henry VIII may be seen in Raines,
Chantries (Chet. Soc.), ii, 274.
118 A plan of the new church, published
by H. G. James, and signed by the archi-
tect, R. Lane, is dated 28 Oct. 1829.
114 (Sir) Charles Barry submitted a
design for a new church, some of the
drawings for which are now in the pos-
session of the vicar. Barry would have
retained the old chancel and end chapels,
which are shown in his drawings, but
acquaintance with his Gothic churches of
that period makes it doubtful whether his
design, with its lofty clearstory, would
now be considered any more successful
than the one adopted.
115 There is a description of the font,
and an account of its history subsequent
to the year 1829, in Trans. Lanes, and
Ches. Antiq. Soc. viii, 158-9.
116 The oldest stone is dated 1672.
117 An effort is being made by the
vicar to have it dedicated as an open space
under the control of the corporation.
118 Oldham is one of three churches in
Lancashire having 1 2 bells ; the others
being Ashton-under-Lyne and St. Nicho-
las', Liverpool.
119 The people seem to have subscribed
^24 for the bells ; they gave the money
to the rector, who undertook to buy the
bells and place them ready for ringing.
Should the cost be greater he was to de-
fray it, and if less, to return the sur-
plus.
lao The king seized three ; his collector
could not obtain possession, and for a time
at least they remained safely in the church
tower ; Ducatut Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii,
163.
Three bells were 'new cast' for the
steeple in 1617 for ^60 by William Old-
field of Nottingham ; Pal. of Lane. Plea
R. 319, m. 1 6 d.
121 One of them is now in use at
St. Peter's, and another at St. James',
Oldham.
122 Perry-Gore, op. cit.
128 The earlier volumes (to 1661), in
which are many gaps, have been printed
in Oldham Notes and Gleanings, where also
may be seen extracts from the church-
wardens' accounts, beginning 1734; the
church ley, 1682, the constables' accounts,
1697 ; and the surveyors' accounts,
1765.
124 Its existence seems implied in the
record of the baptism of John de Cudworth
in 1379.
IO4
125 The decree, preserved at Prestwich,
is printed by Booker, Prestwich, 252.
126 Chadderton deed in Raines, Langley
Autobiog. (Chet. Soc. Misc. vi), p. viii.
ia ? Booker, op. cit. 254.
128 In 1488 and 1558 ; ibid. 257. By
the last decree Bishop Scott ordered the
inhabitants of Oldham to contribute their
share to the lights about the sacrament
and the sepulchre yearly, and the candles
on the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
in Holy Week used in ' the service, as it
is called, in tenebris ; ' also the wax can-
dles at the Purification ; they were also
to contribute to the nave and belfry of the
parish church, and the maintenance of the
cemetery there.
Edmund Ashton of Chadderton in 1517
gave to trustees a messuage and close at
Oldham Pighill, near Horsedge Moor
out of which 41. 4</. was to.be paid yearly to
the clerk of Prestwich in lieu of the ' holy
bread silver' due from the people of Old-
ham ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle. 4, no. 5 1 .
129 There does not appear to have been
any statute passed to effect the separation,
but in the documents of the time Oldham
is uniformly treated as a separate parish
and rectory ; Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 39 ; ii, 239.
A petition to Parliament in 1664 for
the erection of Oldham into a parish,
complaining of the ' mendicant preachers '
supplied by the rectors of Prestwich in
OLDHAM CHURCH IN 1824.
(From a Draiuing on Stone by C. Cal-vert)
OLDHAM : WERNETH OLD HALL
SALFORD HUNDRED
includes Oldham, and the rector receives the commu-
tation for the tithes of the chapelry. Even in official
documents, however, Oldham has from time to time
been styled a parish.
There was no endowment, and the chapel is there-
fore not mentioned in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of
I534. 130 The list of ornaments in 1552 shows that it
was well supplied at that time, there being at least three
altars. 131 Under the Commonwealth, Edmund Ashton,
farmer of the tithes, as the price of his peace with
the Parliamentary authorities, agreed to give 140 to
the chapels of Oldham and Shaw, of which jioo
went to the former. 132 On the lapse of this arrange-
ment at the Restoration, the curate again became
dependent on whatever stipend the rector of Prestwich
might assign him. 133 In the i8th century grants were
made by the governors of Queen Anne's Bounty, the
lands therewith purchased yielding a rent of 22 in
I778. 13 * At this time, in addition to the ancient
Shaw chapel, three new churches had been built in
the neighbourhood, at Oldham, Hollinwood, and
Roy ton.
The chapel became the head of an ecclesiastical
district in i835. 13i The rector of Prestwich presents
the incumbent, and the income is now $ 30 a year.
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
The following have been the parochial chaplains
and vicars :
oc. 1379 John de Blackburne 136
oc. 1411 Thomas Wild
oc. 1517 N. Cowper 137
oc. 1540 Thomas Sherock m
oc. 1563 Roger Wrigley 139
oc. 1585 Richard Bateson 14
oc. 1589 Thomas Hunt m
1619 Isaac Allen, M.A. 142 (Queen's and
Oriel Colleges, Oxford)
oc. 1619 Hall 143
oc. 1 64 1 William Langley 144
1 646 Humphrey Barnett 145
1647 John Worthington, 146 B.A. (St. Catha-
rine's Hall, Cambridge)
1 647 Robert Constantine 147
1650 John Lake, B.A. (St. John's College,
Cambridge) 148
1654 Robert Constantine H9
1662 Loben 150
oc. 1664 John Walworth 151
1669 Isaac Harpur, 152 B.A. (St. John's Col-
lege, Cambridge)
return for the tithes, is printed in Shaw,
Oldham, 163.
In 1704 the rector, at the request of
the inhabitants, agreed to the separation
of Oldham, but the necessary Act of Par-
liament was not procured ; Raines papers
in Chet. Lib.
iso There were no endowed chantries.
In 1458 the 'tithes, oblations, and
emoluments belonging to the chapel of
Oldham ' were leased by the rector of
Prestwich to Lawrence Ashton, priest,
for 43 marks. The rector was to find a
parish priest for the chapel ; Raines D.
(Chet. Lib.) 3/41.
181 Ch. Gds. 1552 (Chet. Soc.), 43.
182 Plund. Mint. Accts. i, 3 9 ; Commontv.
Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 22.
133 Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, in, 112 ; 'the chapelry is very large,'
he notices, and 'the congregation very
numerous." There was an endowment of
2oj. per annum for the Haward Charity
sermon. There were four churchwardens,
one chosen by the rector, the others by
the parish.
184 Booker, Prestwich, 85. An account
of the income in 1808 was given by
Thomas Fawcett, then chaplain ; he had
30 from the rector, about 40 from the
lands, and about 20 from surplice fees ;
Oldham Notet and Gleanings, iii, 93.
135 Land. Gaz. 5 May 1835.
186 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1500.
18 ' Langley Autobiog. p. viii. He occurs
again in 1529.
188 fj e was a lessee of Edmund Ashton
of Chadderton in 1540; Raines D. (Chet.
Lib.), bdle. 4, no. 59.
As paid by the rector of Prestwich he
appears in the Clergy List of 1 541-2 (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 12. He is named
again in the Visitation Lists of 1548 and
I554-.
139 Probably the Roger Wrigley who
was curate of Prestwich in 1541-2. He
occurs at Oldham in the Visitation Lists
of 1563, 1565, and 1567. He was still
curate in 1575 ; H. Pennant's Acct. Bk.
140 Shaw, Oldham, 32. In the list of
curates, where no other reference is given,
this book should be consulted under the
date named.
141 A Lancashire Thomas Hunt gradu-
ated B.A. at Oxford (Brasenose College)
in 1586; Foster, Alumni; but the Old-
ham curate is stated to have been ap-
pointed in 1580. He preached before
the Earl of Derby in 1589. Next year
he was summoned before the Bishop of
Chester to give evidence of conformity,
and Edmund Hopwood wrote to the arch-
bishop desiring that there should be no
interference with him as a 'discreet,
peaceable, and honest man.' In 1604 he
was again summoned before the bishop, as
one of the ringleaders of nonconformity ;
in the next year is a note in the register
of baptisms that three children were
' christened with the cross by Mr. Masson,'
as if this were an exceptional ceremony.
Shortly afterwards Thomas Hunt became
master of the newly-founded grammar
school, so that he had the confidence of
the people. He retained his curacy, and
at a visitation in 1608 it was stated that
he did not wear the surplice, omitted the
cross in baptism, and at a burial did not
meet the corpse at the church stile. He
died in 1611. Perhaps Thomas Jackson,
master of the grammar school, also suc-
ceeded to the curacy ; Shaw ; see also
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 1 1, 1 6.
Thomas Hunt, preacher of the Word
of God at Oldham, in 1609 received
12 IOJ. from James Ashton of Chadder-
ton as a half year's rent for ' all the white
tithes in the parish of Oldham ; ' Raines
Papers, Chet. Lib.
143 Afterwards rector of Prestwich. In
1622 he was called 'lecturer,' while a
Mr. Dickonson was ' curate at Chadder-
ton ; ' Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i,6 7 .
148 Named in the Visitation List. He
did not wear the surplice, and was sus-
pected of incontinency.
144 Shaw, op. cit. 88, 90 ; he resided at
Chadderton. The Protestation was signed
by 553 people.
145 He was a member of the Manchester
Classis in 1646 ; Mane A. Classis (Chet.
Soc.), i, 6.
146 He was ordained and appointed in
1647 ; ibid, i, 35, 38 ; afterwards at
Tockholes.
105
14 7 He had officiated at Fairfield and
Buxton in Derbyshire ; was ' presented
by the people at Oldham for allowance to
be their minister' in Nov. 1647, and
approved by the classis ; ibid, i, 59, 64.
He signed the 'Harmonious Consent' in
1648, but refused the Engagement, and
was suspended ; in 1654 he was restored,
and continued at Oldham until 1662,
when he was ejected for nonconformity.
He then ministered privately during the
twenty years' proscription, and was the
founder of the Independent chapel at
Greenacres. He died at Manchester in
1699 ; ibid, iii, 424, 425.
148 Afterwards rector of Prestwich, and
Bishop of Chichester. During his tenure
of the curacy at Oldham he resisted the
Classis as much as possible ; ibid, iii,
375-95-
149 Reinstated by an order of the Com-
mittee of Plundered Ministers 15 Oct.
1654 ; Plund. Mint. Accts. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 54.
After the Restoration he was summoned
to answer the Bishop of Chester's official
on charges that he was ' not a lawful
ordained minister,' and had refused to read
the Book of Common Prayer, &c. ; the
churchwardens supported him, and had
refused to 'set up the old font in the
place where it anciently stood according
to the ancient custom of the Church,'
suffering it ' to lie indecently in the belfry
in scorn and derision.' Alexander Potter
of Foxdenton had endeavoured to procure
the resumption of the Prayer-book ser-
vices ; Chest. Consistory Ct, Rec. 1661.
iso Mentioned by Calamy as a confor-
mist at Oldham.
151 The name is also spelt Walwork.
152 Admissions to St. John's College, i,
145 ; his tutor was Mr. Kenyon, after-
wards rector of Prestwich. He was or-
dained in 1664 and 1665. The date of
his appointment to the curacy is from
Stratford's Visitation List, 1691 ; but
from Harpur's list of preachers at Oldham,
printed in Pal. Note Bk. iv, 54-6, it is
clear that he was in charge from early in
1665, for on 5 Apr. of that year he
states that ' Mr. John Walworke, my pre-
decessor,' preached.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
1696 Richard Sugden, M.A. (Clare College,
Cambridge)
1712 John Halliwell, 153 M.A. (Brasenose
College, Oxford)
1730 James Sugden, 15 ' B.A. (St. Catharine's
Hall, Cambridge)
1732 Samuel Towson ls5
1773 Thomas Fawcett 1S6
1818 John Fallowfi eld
1842 Thomas Lowe
1861 David Mitchell Alexander, 157 M.A.
(Brasenose College, Oxford)
1864 William Walters, 153 M.A. (Christ
Church, Oxford)
1873 William Francis Wilberforce, 159 M.A.
(University College, Oxford)
1876 Alfred Julius James Cachemaille, 160
M.A. (Gonville and Caius College,
Cambridge)
1892 George Perry-Gore 161
In 1548 four priests at Oldham were summoned to
the bishop's visitation ; one of them, Lawrence Hall,
was attached to the chapel at Shaw in Crompton.
In 1563 onwards only one appeared. 1 " The curate
at the end of the century (T. Hunt) was a strong
Puritan, who refused to wear the surplice and to
comply in other respects with the statutory require-
ments. His successor was in 1625 presented to the
Bishop of Chester for not wearing the surplice ; he
said he would do so as soon as the churchwardens
should provide one. 163 During the Commonwealth 1M
the Presbyterian incumbent appears to have been
popular; he was ejected in 1662. From this time
there is little to record. 165 In 1778 the church was
'regularly served every Sunday and two sermons
preached, and prayers read on Wednesdays and
Fridays throughout the year ; and the Sacrament of
the Lord's Supper administered the second Sunday in
every month . . . and the younger part of the con-
gregation catechised every Wednesday and Friday
between Easter and Whitsuntide.' 166 The provision
made in the two other Oldham churches was not so
liberal. 167
The growth of the town in modern times has led
to a great increase in the number of places of wor-
ship. In connexion with the Established Church the
two buildings just named, St. Peter's in Chapel
Street 168 and St. Margaret's, Hollinwood, 169 were
erected in 17658 and 17669 respectively; the
rector of Prestwich is patron. The former, after
being enlarged, was rebuilt in 1901 and the latter in
1879. St. James's, Greenacres Moor, followed in
1829;" Christ Church, Glodwick, in i844; 171
St. John's, on the border of Chadderton, in the same
year ; 17f Holy Trinity, Waterhead, in 1 847 ; 17i
Holy Trinity, Coldhurst, 174 was consecrated in the
next year ; St. Thomas's, Leesfield, consecrated also
in 1 848 ; 175 St. Thomas's, Werneth, 176 which has a
mission-room called St. Michael's, was built in 1855 :
St. Thomas's, Moorside, 177 in 1872 ; St. Stephen and
All Martyrs', Lower Moor, in 1873 ; 178 St. Andrew's,
Werneth, in the same year ; 179 St. Mark's, Glod-
wick, 180 in 1876; St. Paul's, Ashton Road, in
1880 ; 181 and All Saints', Northmoor, in 1891.
The patronage of these is in various hands ; the
Crown and the Bishop of Manchester present alter-
nately to Coldhurst, Leesfield^ Waterhead, Chadderton
St. John, Werneth St. Thomas, and Glodwick Christ
Church ; the bishop alone to St. Paul's ; the rector
of Prestwich to St. James's ; five trustees to Werneth
St. Andrew, St. Stephen's, St. Mark's, and North-
moor ; Thomas Mellodew and John Lees to Moor-
side St. Thomas. Another church St. Matthew's,
Roundthorn is a chapel-of-ease to St. Thomas's,
Lees.
158 Previously at Milnrow and Shaw.
He was of the Halliwells of Pike House ;
Fishwick, Rochdale, 441. His will is given
in Shaw, Oldham, 300. He was buried
21 July 1730 at Oldham.
lo4 The church papers at Chest. Dioc.
Reg. begin at this time.
144 ' He was one of those clergymen
who distinguished themselves in the last
[i8th] century by the diminished interest
they manifested in the political affairs of
their localities. Not deficient in intel-
lectual acquirements, he was tolerant in
his views and refined and pacific in his
conduct. He exerted himself, in conjunc-
tion with the wealthy of the parish, in
doing all the good he could to the deserv-
ing poor in an unobtrusive way. For
want of practising the art of speaking
"with the proper ornaments of voice and
gesture," many of his hearers were at-
tracted to dissenting congregations, " for
no other reason in the world but because
the sermons were spoken extempore ; " '
E. Butterworth'i Oldham (ed. 1856),
78.
158 He had been curate of St. Peter's,
Oldham.
"7 Incumbent of Hanover Chapel, 1864
to 1870.
us Vicar of Pershore, 1873 to 1894 ;
Archdeacon of Worcester, 1889 ; rector
of Alvechurch, 1894.
159 Previously vicar of Royston, Yorks.
1862 to 1873 5 afterwards vicar of St.
John, Micklegate, York, 1876 to 1882 ;
of Fulford, York, 1882 to 1889; and of
Brodsworth, 1889.
160 Rector of Cheriton, Hants, 1892 to
1894 ; vicar of All Saints', Forest Gate,
1894.
lei Previously vicar of St. Matthias',
Sneinton, 1890 to 1892.
163 Visitation Lists at Chester.
168 Ibid.
164 A ' monthly exercise ' was arranged
for Oldham in 1653, an arrangement
modified two years later ; Shaw, op. cit.
145, 148.
165 Presentments for ecclesiastical of-
fences made in 1684 are printed ibid. 191.
Two men were charged ' for sitting in the
church, with their hats on, in sermon
time.'
166 Booker, Prest-wich, 85.
16 ' At St. Peter's, where the curate's
salary was wholly derived from seat-rents,
there were two Sunday services with ser-
mon, and the Lord's Supper was adminis-
tered once a quarter. At St. Margaret's,
which had received a grant from Queen
Anne's Bounty, only the Sunday services
are mentioned ; ibid. 85, 86.
168 Consecrated 2 June 1768, see Old-
ham Notes and Gleanings, i, 85. It became
head of a district chapelry in 1835 ; Lond.
Gaz. 5 May.
It was erected by voluntary contribu-
tions, and enlarged in 1804. About 1817
the congregation subscribed for a Thursday
evening sermon in the summer months ;
Butterworth, Oldham, 38.
106
169 Consecrated 8 July 1769. It became
a district chapel at the same time as the last.
1 7 Consecrated 19 Sept. 1829. There is
a full account of the church in Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, ii, 97, &c. ; the Million
Fund of 1818 made grants towards the
building. It also became a district chapel
in 1835. A chancel has been added.
V 1 Consecrated 20 Nov. 1 844 ; for the
district see Lond. Gaz. 22 Oct. 1844.
172 Consecrated 27 Nov. 1845. A dis-
trict was assigned to it at the same time
as to the last.
W Consecrated 5 July 1847. Services
had been begun in 1845 in two rooms in
the Grove, off Sidebottom Street ; see the
full history of the church in Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, 5, 195, 210, &c. A district
vras assigned in 1 844 ; Lond. Gaz. 3 Dec.
V* Consecrated 12 Feb. 1848. The
district was formed in 1 844 ; Lond. Gaz.
22 Oct.
175 For district, ibid. 14 July 1846.
l ' 6 Consecrated 21 Nov. 1855. The
district had been assigned at the same
time as Coldhurst.
*77 Consecrated 20 Apr. 1872. For
district see Lond. Gaz. 29 Nov. 1870.
V* Consecrated 9 May 1873. For dis-
trict see Lond. Gaz. 8 Aug. 1873.
179 Consecrated 14 May 1873. For dis-
trict see Lond. Gaz. 16 Dec. 1873.
180 Consecrated 14 June 1876. For
district see Lond. Gaz. 30 May 1876.
181 Consecrated 26 May 1880. For
district see Lond. Gaz. 3 Aug. 1880.
SALFORD HUNDRED
The Free Church of England has a place of worship
in Hollinwood.
The Wesleyan Methodists' first chapel was built in
1775 ; the church in Manchester Street was opened
by John Wesley in 1790, and enlarged in iSjo. 182
There are also chapels at Greenacres Road (Wesley),
Glodwick, Watersheddings, Moorside, and Northmoor.
There are two circuits.
The Primitive Methodists have four circuits in the
Oldham district, with nine chapels in the township.
The Methodist New Connexion has six chapels ; the
Methodist Free Church four, and the Independent
Methodists five. 153
The Baptists have four churches, and the Particular
Baptists four. 184
Robert Constantine, on being ejected from the
curacy of Oldham in 1662, continued to minister in
the village and neighbourhood. Before 1695 he was
living in a house at Greenacres, which also did duty
as a place of worship ; he removed to Manchester,
and for a time nothing is known of his congregation,
but a barn converted into a chapel was used from 1 699
till 17845, when the Independents erected the chapel
which served till 1854, the date of the present building. 184
Union Street represents an effort made in 1 807 ; the
first chapel was opened in 1823, and after a fluctuating
history the congregation built the present one in 1855.
Hope Chapel was built by Samuel Lees, of the Soho
Iron Works, in 1823 ; it was replaced by the present
one in 1866. Providence Chapel is the result of a
secession from Hope in 1829. Townfield Chapel
began as an undenominational meeting-place in 1850,
then it was Methodist, and from 1874 Congrega-
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
tional. A secession from it in 1883 led to the
erection of Derker School-chapel in 1886. The
history of Werneth Chapel begins in 1868, but the
school-chapel was not built till 1874. A cottage
meeting in 1878 led to the school-chapel in Ashton
Road in 1880. At Hollinwood, then 'a much
neglected village,' work began in 1850, but the chapel
was not built till 1866. At Water head services
commenced in cottages in 1837 ; other buildings
succeeded, and a chapel was built in 1870. The
chapel at Pastures was built in i856. 186
The Presbyterian Church of England was founded
in 1883, the building being opened four years later. 187
Salem Moravian Church, Clarksfield, was built in
1 824, becoming an independent congregation in 1836;
on the other side of the town Westwood Church was
opened in 1869, after some years' preparatory work. 188
There are Catholic Apostolic (or Irvingite), Welsh
Calvinistic, Salvation Army, and Church of Christ
chapels, and some mission rooms. The Society of
Friends has long had a meeting-house here. 189 The
Unitarians have a chapel. 190 The Latter Day Saints
(Mormons) also have services. 191
There are four Roman Catholic churches : St.
Mary's, built in 1 838 ; 19J Our Lady of Mount Carmel
and St. Patrick's, 186270; St. Anne's, Greenacres,
1880-1903 ; and Corpus Christi, Hollinwood, 1878.
The Grammar School was founded in 1606 ; the
building was erected in 1 6 1 1 .
The report of 1826 is the latest
CHARITIES official record. 195 The principal en-
dowments at that time were educa-
tional, 194 but some were for the poor of Oldham, 195
182 Butterworth, Oldham (1817), 40;
an extract is given from the Life of John
Murlin, a preacher ; the Methodists came
to Oldham, 'a place famous through all
that country for daring and desperate
wickedness,' and experienced 'heavy per-
secution for a season.'
183 The Independent Methodists had a
chapel in 1817 at a place formerly called
Jackson's Pit ; Butterworth, op. cit. 45.
In 1824 the chapels were Independent
Methodists in George Street, and Primi-
tive Methodists in Grosvenor Street.
184 The first Baptist Chapel, at the top
of Manchester Street, was purchased in
1 8 1 6 from the Methodist New Connexion,
who built it in 1805; the opening services
included the baptism of fourteen persons
in the reservoir at Hollinwood ; Butter-
worth, op. cit. 43.
The chapels in Chamber Road, at Glod-
wick and at Hollinwood (Beulah), date
from 1863, 1876, and 1891, respectively;
Baft. Tear Bk. In 1856 the Particular
Baptists had three chapels, two in Hollin-
wood, and one in Horsedge Street.
185 A History of the chapel, by its minis-
ter, the Rev. George Gaunt Waddington,
was published in 1854; it gives views of
the houses and chapels successively used,
and an account of the various ministers.
One or two of them had adopted the Uni-
tarian doctrine prevalent among the Non-
conformists in the latter part of the 1 8th
century, but stayed only a short time, and
Calvinism was the rule ; see the account
in Nightingale's Lanes. Nonconf. v, Z3O-45.
The chapel at Greenacres was one of
those wrecked by the ' Church and King '
mob from Manchester in 1715 ; see works
above quoted ; and for the names and
fines of some of the delinquents (1716),
Raines Papers in Chet. Lib.
186 Nightingale, op. cit. v, 245-64,
268-74.
lf 7 Official Handbook of the Presb. Ch.
of Engl.
188 The United Brethren began preach-
ing at Greenacres in 1772, and continued
at Lees. Salem Chapel was built at the
expense of John Lees of Fairfield, James
Lees of Clarksfield, and Joseph Lees of
Plymouth Grove, the owner of the estate
undertaking to discharge all taxes, &c. ;
from Short Sketches of Moravian Work
(1888), 26-31.
189 Heyside in Royton had been the
meeting-place since 1665. In 1784 a
meeting-house was opened in Oldham ; in
1802 the present site was acquired, and
the house was built in 1869.
190 ' A small but comparatively hand-
some structure ' in Lord Street, erected in
1816 ; Butterworth, op. cit. 44.
191 These existed in 1856. In that year
there was also a New Jerusalem or Swe-
denborgian Church in Lees Road.
192 It was attacked by an anti-Catholic
mob in 1861, when much damage was
done ; Kelly, Engl. Cat A. Miss. 304.
198 Char. Com. Rep. xvi, 1826, pp.
222-34. Oldham is called a parish, and
treated separately from Prestwich.
194 Oldham Grammar School, 1606 ;
Hollinwood School, 1786, to which also
John Walker's Charity of 1755 was ap-
plied ; and the Bluecoat School, founded
by Thomas Henshaw in 1807. Samuel
Scholes in 1747 gave rent-charges of 12
on lands in Glodwick, and ,4 on mes-
suages in Oldham for the education of
poor children; and in 1826 there were
thirty-nine being taught out of the pro-
ceeds at different schools.
195 The Great Meadow, near Fogg Lane,
was in 1640 granted by Edmund Tetlow
I0 7
the elder, and Edmund Tetlow the younger,
charged with rents of 28*. %d. and 31. 4^.
for the poor of Oldham and Royton re-
spectively. Though these sums are named
it seems to have been the practice from
the first to give the whole rent of the
field to the poor, and this was established
by the later trusts. In 1804, on the divi-
sion of the common lands, a small allot-
ment was made in respect of the Poor's
Field. In 1826 the gross rents were
20 21., distributed with the following.
John Tetlow in 1704 left land in
Honeywell Lane, near Broadway Lane in
Oldham, for the benefit of the poor ; one
boy was to be apprenticed each year. An
allotment on North Moor was added in
1804; and the gross rents in 1826
amounted to 33 a year. This and the
preceding charity money were distributed
in blankets, linen, and calico. No ap-
prenticeships had been made for many
years.
Samuel Haward in 1704 gave rent-
charges on his lands in Salford, Thorpe in
Royton, Hollinwood in Oldham, Fails-
worth, and Gorton for the poor of Salford
and Oldham, 'who should constantly on
the Lord's Day go to church or some
legal assembly for divine worship, and
there reverently behave themselves, morn-
ing and evening.' The three rent-charges
of ,25 in all were duly paid in 1826, and
the money distributed according to the
founder's intent, in Bibles, Catechisms,
and clothing ; the minister had 201. for a
sermon on the first Wednesday after
Michaelmas Day.
Timothy Eyre of Hollinwood in 1728
left ,100 for the poor. In 1826 the
capital was in the hands of the incumbent
of Oldham, who distributed ^"4 ICM. as
interest in linen cloth.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Crompton, 1 * 8 and Royton. 197 Chadderton had no
special fund.
CROMPTON
Cromton, 1278 ; Crompton, 1292.*
The township of Crompton has an extreme length
of about 3 miles from east to west, with a breadth of
a mile and a half. The River Beal runs northward
through a central valley ; to the east the ground,
broken by one or two cloughs, rises continually till
1,300 ft. is attained on Crompton Moor on the border
of Yorkshire ; while on the west the highest points
near High Crompton and Whitfield, which are
separated by a valley, rise to 700 and 825 ft ; from
them the surface slopes away in all directions, but
most rapidly to the north. The Irk rises on the
boundary between Crompton and Royton. The
area is 2,864^ acres ;* the population in 1901 was
Two roads from Oldham meet near the southern
boundary at Shaw Side and Cowlishaw, and go north
along the Beal Valley, passing through the small town
of Shaw and Woodend. From Shaw the road to
Rochdale goes west to High Crompton, thence de-
scending north-west by Burnedge to Rochdale ; to
the east a winding road goes through Clough into
Yorkshire. Crompton Fold lies above Woodend to
the east ; and Whitfield Hall above the same hamlet
to the north-west. The Lancashire and Yorkshire
Company's Oldham and Rochdale branch railway line
runs northward along the valley, crossing and re-
crossing the road, and has a station at Shaw, called
Shaw and Crompton. Electric tramways connect
the place with Oldham. To the south-east of Shaw
is Birshaw, anciently a separate manor.
The soil is clay, with veins of sand ; the land is
mostly in pasture. There are numerous cotton mills,
and some collieries, 8 with quarries, and some minor
industries.
A local board was formed in 1863,* and was in
1 894. replaced by an urban district council of twelve
members, chosen by four wards North, East, South
and West. The town hall, situated in Shaw High
Street, was built in 1894. There are public baths.
Gas and water are supplied to Shaw by the Corpora-
tion of Oldham. There is a cemetery between
Shaw and High Crompton, formed in 1891.
Wakes at Shaw were held on the first Saturday
after Old Lammas Day.
In 1666 no house had as many as six hearths liable
to the tax, the largest being James Buckley's, with five.
The total number of hearths was seventy-nine. 5
Philip Gilbert Hamerton, painter, art critic, and
essayist, 6 was born at Shaw in 1834 ; he died at
Boulogne-sur-Seine in 1894.
Like Oldham, from which probably it
MANORS was only gradually separated, CROMP-
TON formed part of the thegnage estate
of Kaskenmoor held of the king by Roger de Mont-
begon and William de Nevill in 1212, and under
them by a number of tenants. Gilbert de Notion, lord
of Barton, held 4 oxgangs of land of Roger and 4 of
William, the annual services being 3-f. and p. \d. re-
spectively ; while Henry de Scholefield held I ox-
gang by a rent of lad. 7
No proper account can be given of the descent of
these manors or portions of manors. From the in-
quisitions of the 1 5th and 1 6th centuries it appears
that the Trafford family held WHITFIELD in Cromp-
ton of the king as Duke of Lancaster, as of his manor
of Salford, by fealty and the rent of 3/. 4</. 8 Whitfield
196 James Wyld in 1672 left a rent-
charge of 5 on his house and land for
the poor of Crompton. In 1826 this was
distributed by the churchwarden and over-
seer in gifts of linen cloth.
19 7 Royton in 1826 received 371. 3</. a
year from the rents of the Poor's field in
Oldham. It was distributed every two
years by the overseer ; linen cloth, blankets,
and flannel being given.
1 On the place-names in Crompton see
Oldham Notes and Gleanings, i, 156.
2 2,865, including 12 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901.
8 In the Chetham rental of 1524
(Clowes D.) i6J. appears as paid by
Richard Wild ' for getting coals in Len-
nardine.'
4 Land. Gax. 23 Oct. 1863.
5 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
6 Diet. Nat. Biog.
7 Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 63,64. It appears that Gilbert de
Notion's share descended to his son Roger,
and after the latter's death in 1241 to
Gilbert de Barton, son of William son of
the former Gilbert 5 ibid. 61.
In 1246 Gilbert de Barton, Brun de
Crompton, and Jordan his brother, Simon
de Lee and Hugh his son, and Adam son
of Ellis complained that the Abbot of Roche
and others had disseised them of a certain
mine in Crompton. The jury found that
the defendants had dug in the mine and had
excluded the plaintiffs from their right to
enter it. It was probably a quarry on the
border of Yorkshire, to which county the
defendants belonged ; Assize R. 404, m. i.
Gilbert de Barton probably sold the
manor to Geoffrey de Chetham, which
would explain tke descent of one moiety
(Whitfield) in the Traffords of Stretford,
and of the other moiety in the Chadder-
tons. It is possible, however, that Whit-
field was a distinct grant to the Traffords,
made after 1212, and that the Chadderton
and Chetham moieties of High Crompton
and Beal Moor represent Gilbert de Net-
ton's estate. Geoffrey de Chadderton of
Chadderton in 1278 laid claim to a moiety
of the manor of Crompton, and had it
settled on him ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 154. This moiety
again was alienated, and the inheritance of
the Chaddertons of Lees and the Chethams
appears to represent it.
At one time the Pilkingtons, also heirs
of Geoffrey de Chetham, had a share in
the manor called one-seventh in 1319
(Final Cone, ii, 35) and the grant of free
warren made to Roger de Pilkington in
1291, included his estate in Crompton ;
Chart. R. 19 Edw. I, pt. i, m. 41. The
later Pilkington inquisitions do not men-
tion Crompton ; the estate was, in part at
least, alienated to the Chaddertons.
This descent is put forward only as a
conjecture. The rents subsequently paid
by the tenants of Crompton show an
increase on that paid by Gilbert de Notion,
unless Whitfield was an independent estate.
The renls payable to the Crown in
1324 in righl of ihe Earl of Lancas-
ler were thus staled : Henry de Traf-
ford for 2 oxgangs in Whitfield, 3$. $.d. ;
John de Chetham, i oxgang in Cromplon,
3*. id. ; Roger de Chadderton, the moiety
of Beal Moor, 3*. id. ; William son of
108
Peter, a certain assarl in Crompton, zs. (?) ;
Adam de Tetlow, i oxgang in Birshaw,
lod. ; Duchy of Lane. Rentals and Surv.
379, m. 13. Aboul 1565 ihey were For
Whilfield farm, 3*. 4</. ; Low Crompton
farm, zs. id. ; Edmund Chadderton for
High Crompton, 3*. 4^. ; James Ashton
for Birshaw, \\d. ; Baines, Lanes, (ed.
1868), i, 447. The renl of 31. payable
by Chetham of Nuthurst is omitled.
8 From a suil in 1292 it appears that
Henry son of Henry de Trafford demised
to John de Halliwell a moiety of all his
tenements in Whitfield for sixteen years al
141. 6d. renl ; and ihe olher moiety to
Robert de Halliwell for ten years at the
same rent. Afterwards Henry granted the
whole to Richard his brother for life, which
led to the ejeclion of John and Robert.
It was ordered thai ihe granl lo Richard
should stand good, and lhal ihe plainliffs
should do feally to him ; Assize R. 408,
m. 39, 93.
In 1324 Henry de Trafford held 2
oxgangs in Whitfield by a service of 31. ^d.
for all ; see last nole. This slatement is
varied in 1346 by ihe subslitulion of 'four
plough-lands ' for ' Iwo oxgangs ' ; a
double renl was payable as relief; Add.
MS. 32103, fol. 146.
Margery, ihe widow of Sir Ralph Rad-
cliffe, died in 1417 holding four plough-
lands in Whitfield as her dower, by assign-
ment of Henry son of Henry Trafford,
who held of ihe king as Duke of Lan-
casler in socage by a service of 31. $.d. ;
ihe clear value was zos. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 127.
In 1556-7 Sir Edmund Trafford granted
SALFORD HUNDRED
Hall was in 1787 in the possession of John Milne
and brothers. 8 * The Chaddertons of Lees in Oldham
held High Crompton of the king as duke by knight's
service and the rent of 3/. zd? The Chethams of
Nuthurst also had an estate in Crompton of similar
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
tenure, the rent being 3/. 10 The Langleys of Agecroft
also had an estate, including Birchhaw or BIRSH4W,
in Crompton and Oldham, 11 of which the tenure is
variously stated, though it is identified with the un-
named estate of Henry de Scholefield lla in 1212.
to John Chetham, of Nuthurst, all his part
of Deal water in Crompton, with lease to
make a dam, for I zd. rent ; John was
making a water-mill ; Clowes D. Ed-
mund Traffbrd, who died at the end of
1563, held messuages, &c., in Whitfield in
socage, as of the queen's manor of Salford,
by a rent of 31. 4*?. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xi, n. In the following year John
Chetham purchased four messuages, &c.,
in Whitfield from Edmund Traffbrd and
Elizabeth his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle, 26, m. 87. This seems to mark the
end of the Traffbrd tenure in Crompton.
Edward Milnes of Whitfield was a free-
holder in 1600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 250.
83 Land Tax Returns.
9 In 1301 and 1302 there was a dispute
between Richard de Traffbrd, rector of
Cheadle, and Geoffrey de Chadderton (and
others), respecting lands in Crompton ;
Assize R. 1321, m. 9 ; 418, m. 12 d.
Crompton seems to have been given to
younger branches of the Chadderton family,
and other lands were acquired by them. In
1307 Roger de Pilkington granted all his
lands in Crompton to Adam son of Geoffrey
de Chadderton, together with the homage
of Adam son of John de Birshaw and his
service of zs. a year, reserving the homage
of John de Furness and a piece of land
bounded partly by the Wrobrooks and the
Wallsyke. This grant was by way of ex-
change for lands in Cheetham held by Adam,
who is called also Adam de Crompton.
The mill is mentioned ; Clowes D. no.
96, 97. Alice, the widow of Alexander de
Pilkington, confirmed the grant made by
her son Roger, of lands in Crompton by
the Beal ; ibid. Cecily widow of Adam
de Chadderton, in 1324 released her lands
on the west side of the Beal, and Richard
de Oldham granted them to John her son ;
ibid. The moiety of Beal Moor was then
held by Roger de Chadderton at 31. zd.
rent ; see preceding note.
The receiver for the forfeited Holland
estates about the same time rendered ac-
count of 26:. 8i/. as the issues of two-thirds
of a messuage and plough-land, the lands of
Roger, son and heir of John de Chadderton,
who was in ward ; L.T.R. Enr. Accts.
Misc. no. 14, m. 76 d.
In 1346 John de Chetham held i ox-
gang and Agnes, Joan, Alice, and Cecily,
the daughters and heirs of Roger de Chad-
derton, held the twentieth part of a knight's
fee in Crompton and Beal Moor, paying
together a rent of 6s. 8d. ; Add. MS.
32103, fol. 146.
The descent is again uncertain, but the
two families do not appear to have re-
mained on friendly terms. One Thomas
de Chadderton granted lands in High
Crompton to his son Alexander, with re-
mainder to a younger son Thomas. The
elder son died without issue, and the
younger had to fly for felony, being con-
cerned in the death of Thomas de Chetham;
he died in July 1391, and his son and heir
Thomas was then about sixteen years of
age. The lands were held of the Duke of
Lancaster by knight's service and a rent of
3*. id. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i,
54. The custody of the lands escheated
was granted by the duke to John de Rad-
cliffe of Foxdenton in 1392, and then to
Richard de Chadderton, in whose hands
they remained till 1414, at a total rent of
301. ; ibid. See also Dep. Keeper's Rep.
J\j App. 527, 532.
Probably the lands were restored to the
heir ; for Oliver, son of Thomas de Chad-
derton, was in possession in 1428 ; Clowes
D. no. 105. In 1445 J orin Chetham and
Roger son of Oliver Chadderton were
holding the twentieth part of a knight's
fee in Crompton and Beal Moor, paying 51.
rent ; John was charged with zs. 6d., but
pleaded that he was in ward, and Roger,
charged with the other half, said that he
held as feoffee ; Duchy of Lane. Knights'
Fees, 2/20. The feoffees of Thomas son
of Roger Chadderton were in possession in
1463 ; Clowes D.
George Chadderton of Lees in Oldham
had in 1515 four messuages, &c., in Cromp-
ton, held of the king (as duke) by the
thirty-second part of a knight's fee and a
rent of 31. zd. yearly, which he settled on
hit wife Katherine. On her death in I 543
the tenement went to their grandson
Thomas, then of full age ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. vii, 31. A similar return was
made after the death of this Thomas Chad-
derton in 1572 ; ibid, xiii, no. 7. George
the son and heir died in 1606, and the
tenement in Crompton was then found to
be held by the twentieth part of a knight's
fee and 31. Sd. rent ; the clear annual
value was 5 ; Land. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 64. The estate was
sold by Thomas Chadderton to John
Plumpton of Warrington ; Exch. Dep.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 59. In the
time of Charles I a decree between Chad-
derton and Walker had been made touch-
ing lands in Crompton, Whitfield, and Old-
ham ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 248.
10 From the last note it will be seen that
the Chethams at first held jointly with the
Chaddertons. The increase of rent may
have been due to the grant of Beal Moor.
In 1334 John de Chetham held half of
Beal Moor and an oxgang in Crompton,
which had belonged to William de Weston ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents^ ii, 104-5. Jhn
de Chetham in 1342 granted to his son
Adam, with remainders to other sons, all
his lands on the east side of the Beal,
together with the fourth part of the mill of
Crompton, &c., at the same time granting
to his son Robert, with like remainders,
all his lands on the west side of Beal, the
fourth part of the mill, lands in Royton and
Ashworth, and a burgage in Manchester ;
regrants followed ; Clowes D. no. 98-101.
As already stated John de Chetham was
tenant when the extent of 1346 was made.
Later Chetham deeds mention the lands
in Crompton in feoffrnents for different
purposes. Thomas de Chetham, who died
(or was killed) in September 1383, held a
messuage in High Crompton of the Duke
of Lancaster by knight's service and a rent
of 31. ; its clear value was 231. ; Towne-
ley MS. DD, no. 1463. In 1428 an ex-
change of lands in High Crompton was made
between John Chetham and Oliver Chad-
derton ; the bounds mention Crosshillgate,
Bolastree rand, the ' great within ' growing
in John's garden, Hallhillgate, Bealmoor-
hey, Kenyon croft, lands of Sir Edmund
Traffbrd, Robert Langley, Thomas Wild,
and Robert Taylor, the two Gosnorhills,
Hathershaw Moor, Crawlache, Small-
brook, Ringyard ; also in Mosshey ; Clowes
D. no. 105-7. Lands including Gosard
hills, Small brook meadow, and the Mill
croft, were in 1472 leased to Thomas
Chetham by Katherine the widow, and
Thomas, the son and heir of Roger Chad-
derton ; ibid.no. 127. In the same col-
lection arc rentals of the Chetham estates,
including Crompton, beginning in 1520.
The tenure by knight's service and a rent
of 31. is again recorded in the inquisitions
made after the death of Thomas Chetham
and John Chetham, in 1504 and 1515 ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 62 ; iv, no. 6.
In 1614 the estate consisted of twelve
messuages, half a water-mill, 1 20 acres of
land, &c., held by the fourth part of a
knight's fee and the ancient rent of 31. ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 16-18.
The will of Ralph Chetham of Cromp-
ton, dated 1537, is printed in Cbet. Gen.
(Chet. Soc.), 16.
11 In 1324 Adam de Tetlow held an ox-
gang in Birshaw which Richard de Bir-
shaw had formerly held ; the service was
lod. a year ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents,
ii, 104-5. In 1346 Robert de Tet-
low held Birshaw in socage at a rent of
lod. ; Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146.
From the Tetlows it descended to the
Langleys. Roger de Langley, who died in
1393, held by inheritance a parcel of land
4 in Oldham ' called Birshaw, the rent
being lod. as before ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 51. In 1445 Margaret
wife of Roger Langley held it at lod. rent ;
Duchy of Lane. Knights' fees, bdle. 2,
no. 20.
In the inquisition after the death of
Thomas Langley six messuages and tene-
ments in Crompton and Oldham were
stated to be held of the king (as duke) in
socage, by the rent of id. for all services ;
Agecroft D. 80. The 16th-century in-
quisitions join together messuages &c.,
in Crompton, Oldham, Middleton, and
Broughton or Crompton and Oldham
alone as held in socage by a rent of
zs. I id. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, 7 ;
xi, 1 6.
On the division of Sir Robert Langley's
estates, the Crompton and Oldham lands
fell to his daughter Dorothy, wife of
James Ashton, of Chadderton ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 24, m. 3 ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, 22 ; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
225. Sir Watts Horton had a small estate
in Crompton in 1787.
A dispute about Towe carr and Birshaw
meadow in Crompton occurred in 1564 ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 284.
lla The surname long continued in the
township. Thus in 1426 the escheator
was ordered to give Hugh, next of kin and
heir of Henry Scholefield i.e. son of
John brother of Henry livery of four
messuages, 80 acres of land, &c., in Cromp-
ton, and two messuages, &c., in Oldham,
which had been taken into the king's
hands in consequence of the felony of
Thomas de Chadderton, who had formerly
owned them ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii,
App. 27 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.),
i, 56.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The Hospitallers 1J and the Abbeys of Whalley
and Cockersand 14 had small estates in the township, at
Whitfield, Gartside, and Crompton Park respectively.
The Byron estate in Crompton seems to have been
regarded as part of Royton. 14 There was thus no
resident lord of the manor, and little is known of the
other holders of land, but the names of Buckley, 16
Crompton, 17 Prestwich, 18 Scholefield, 19 and Wild 20
12 The Prior of the Hospitallers in 1243
called upon Gilbert de Barton to warrant to
him 80 acres of land in Crompton, and
the same in Barton, held by charter ;
Curia Regis R. 130, m. 2$d. Crompton
is named among the r laces in which the
order had lands in 1292 ; Plac. de Quo
War. (Rec. Com.), 375. Forty years later
the prior claimed due service from John
de Traffbrd for a messuage and 20 acres
in Crompton ; De Banco R. 292, m.
354d.
The Hospitallers' land, which was at
Whitfield, was in 1639 tenanted by James
Buckley, as may be seen in the inquisition
quoted later ; see also Lanes, and Chcs.
Antlq. Soc. viii, 156, 157.
18 Charles, Abbot of Stanlaw, granted
to Adam de Windhill in Blackburnshire
the land in Crompton called Gartside,
lying on the west of Aspiwallesyke, near
the Hospitallers' land, which they had
had from Gilbert de Barton at a rent of
iz</. Adam seems to have sold his right
to Geoffrey de Chetham, who regranted
it to him. Then Adam released his right
to the Abbot of Stanlaw for 14 marks of
silver, and Clarice his widow afterwards
released her claim ; Whalley Coucber
(Chet. Soc.), i, 163-5.
This land was probably among the
other Whalley lands granted to Holt of
Gristlehurst ; in 1580 Thomas Holt and
Constance his wife sold a messuage in
Crompton to Francis Entwisle, Alice his
wife, and John his son ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 42, m. 43.
14 Gilbert de Notion granted part of
his land in Crompton to the canons of
Cockersand, the bounds being the Bathe
(or Bache) brook, the Heal, Hullilache, and
the Black lache. Roger de Notion (his
son and successor) granted a land in
Gholmerscliff called Hesseneslac, to wit,
from Lovenath-denebrook to Heneces-
clough ; together with the Cliff on which
stood the buildings of Geoffrey de Man-
chester ; Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 726-9. It appears from the margin
that Geoffrey son of Luke de Manchester
held both pieces of land in 1268, by in-
heritance, rendering for the former 2s. a
year and J mark at death, and for the
latter 6d.
In 1246 Simon son of Thomas de
Chaydock did not prosecute a claim for
warranty made against Geoffrey son of
Luke de Crompton ; Assize R. 404, m.
13 d. It appears that John son of Thomas
de Chaydock had a grant from William
son of Adam de Crompton of half his
lands in the township ; Clowes D. no.
94.
In 1259 Geoffrey son of Lukede Man-
chester leased for ten years to Sir Geoffrey
de Chetham all the land he held of the
Abbot of Cockersand in Crompton at a
rent of 2s. 6d. ; ibid. no. 95.
Part of this land afterwards came to the
Chethams. Thomas de Chetham in 1383
held lands called Crompton Park of the
abbot in socage by the rent off*/. ; worth
21*. clear ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1463.
Crompton Park is mentioned in 1461 ;
Clowes D. no. 123. It was leased in 1475
to Edmund Brereley for the life of James
\Chetham; ibid. no. 1285 but is not
named in the later inquisitions of the
fani^y.
\
15 It is not separately mentioned in the
inquisitions.
In 1551 the tenants of Crompton had
a dispute with Sir John Byron regarding
common of pasture ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), i, 250. Sir John Byron in 1561
purchased lands in Castleton and Cromp-
ton from Robert and James Stott ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 23, m. 6.
16 The Buckleys occur from the be-
ginning of the 1 5th century, when James
Chetham married Eleanor daughter of
Ellis Buckley ; Clowes D. no. 102.
An estate in 1346 held by William the
Parson (alias Pereston) by a rent of izd.
and i^d. for castle ward, was a century
later held by James Buckley, by the same
services; Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146;
Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2,
no. 29.
In 1463 the feoffees of Thomas Chad-
derton granted lands in Crompton to
Bernard Buckley ; Clowes D. The wife of
Robert Buckley of Whitfield contributed
to the subsidy of 1526 for 'goods' ; Shaw,
Oldham, 1 6. Lawrence Buckley in 1564
purchased from Edmund Trafford and
Elizabeth his wife two messuages, two
dovecotes, &c., in Crompton and Butter-
worth ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 26,
m. 43. John Chetham in 1565-6 sold
land in Whitfield to William Buckley ;
Clowes D. In 1590 a settlement was
made of three messuages, &c., in Cromp-
ton and other places, by James Buckley
and Elizabeth his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 52, m. 83.
James Buckley died in 1608, holding
nine messuages and lands in Whitfield of
the king as of the dissolved priory of St.
John of Jerusalem in socage by 3^. rent ;
his son and heir George was over thirty
years of age ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 145. James Buckley,
who died in 1627, had the same or a simi-
lar holding in Whitfield and land in But-
terworth held by a ginger root ; James,
his son and heir, was five years of age ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii, 51.
Another James Buckley died in Sep-
tember 1638 holding a messuage and
lands in Whitfield as above, and a cot-
tage, &c., also of the king, by the 200. h
part of a knight's fee. James, the son and
heir, was seventeen years of age. A set-
tlement made in 1637 is recited in the in-
quisition ; ibid, xxviii, 72. James Buckley
was in ward to the king in 1641 ; Shaw,
Oldham, 92. James Buckley of Whitfield
occurs in 1673 an d 1681, and was buried
at Oldham, 24 January 1699-1700 ; John
Buckley is named in 1708 ; ibid. In
1713 the estate was sold by James Buckley
to John Lever of Alkrington and was after-
wards (in 1849) in severalties ; Raines, in
Notitia Cestr. ii, 115. In the Clegg
Pedigree (1840) the succession is given as
Lawrence Buckley, s. James, s. George,
s. James, s. James, s. James, who died in
1726, leaving his sisters as heirs.
*7 From some of the preceding notes it will
be seen that a family or families using the
local surname had existed in the I3th
century. Among the Agecroft deeds
(334) is a grant of homages and services
from Adam son of Hugh de Goledene and
Eve his wife to Adam son of Jordan de
Crompton, but the place is not men-
tioned.
IIO
Disputes as to bounds and right of way
between Thomas Chetham and William
Crompton were in 1481 and 1482 settled
by arbitration, bounds being 'preket be
iiij men' ; Clowes D. no. 131, 132.
From 1451 to 1537 one John Crompton
after another was a free tenant of the
Abbot of Cockersand, paying izd. rent ;
Chartul. iii, 1238-41.
Robert Crompton of Crompton Hall
contributed to the subsidy of 1523 for
his lands; Shaw, Oldham, 15.
William Crompton died in 1587, hold-
ing a capital messuage called Whetstone
Hill in Oldham of Edmund Prestwich of
Hulme, and messuages in Crompton of
James Browne of Westhoughton (the pur-
chaser of the Cockersand lands), by a rent
of 12 d. Thomas, his son and heir, was
thirteen years of age ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xiv, 25. About the same time
died Edmund Crompton, whose will is
printed in Shaw, op. cit. 32.
Thomas Crompton's name is on the
list of freeholders, 1600; Misc. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 247. He died
in 1607, leaving three young daughter*
as heirs ; the lands in Crompton were
stated to be held of the king (as duke) by
the twentieth part of a knight's fee ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
92. His will is printed in Shaw, op.
cit. 45 ; it mentions brothers Abel and
Samuel.
Some deeds relating to the Cromptons
of Crompton and Oldham are contained
in the Hyde of Denton charters, Harl.
MS. 21 12, fol. 153, &c.; for Robert Hyde
in 1630 married Alice, one of the daugh-
ters and co-heirs of Thomas Crompton.
Deborah, another daughter, married Sa-
muel Hamer.
Crompton Hall, perhaps at first so
called from its tenants under the Abbey
of Cockersand, was in 1672 owned by
William Richardson, and in 1696 and
later by Hugh Yannes ; Shaw, op. cit
176, 218, 264.
Hugh Yannes of Crompton Hall died
in 1746 or 1747, having made a settle-
ment in 1732. His heirs were his daugh-
ter Alice wife of the Rev. Samuel Town-
son and the children of his other daughter
Esther, who had married John Buckley ;
note of his will by Mr. W. F. Irvine.
18 Edmund Prestwich of Hulme in 1577
held lands in Oldham and Crompton of
the heirs of Robert Chadderton ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 4.
19 This family has been mentioned
above. Cuthbert Scholefield of Shaw was
a freeholder in 1 600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 249.
80 The Wilds seem to have lived at
Low Crompton and Cowlishaw. Robert
Wild contributed to the subsidy of 1523
for lands; Shaw, Oldbam, 15. Ottiwell
Wild in 1571 made a settlement of his
messuage, burgage, lands, &c. ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 33, m. 156. His
name, as ' of Cowlishaw,' appears among
the freeholders of 1 600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 249. Henry Wild
of Low Crompton, Henry Wild of Dog-
hill, and William Wild, senior, a recusant,
contributed to the subsidy of 1641 ; Shaw,
op. cit. 88. James Wild in 1672 left a
rent-charge of 5 for the poor ; Char. Rep.
1826, xvi, 233.
SALFORD HUNDRED
occur. A survey of the township was made in 1623."
The moors were surveyed in 1640."
In 1787 the principal individual owner was
Mr. Pickford of Royton, who contributed about a
seventh part of the land tax. 23
SHAW seems to have given a name to a landowner
in 1370.** The people of the place are noted for
their love of vocal music ; a musical society was
formed in 1 740, and continued almost to the present
time. 15
The 'free chapel' at Shaw, now
CHURCH known as Holy Trinity, is said to have
been called anciently St. Patrick's Chapel-
on-the-Moor. J6 Its origin is unknown, and the orna-
ments found there in 1552 show it to have been but
poorly furnished.* 7 There was no endowment, but
after the Reformation it appears to have remained in
occasional use, a 'reading minister' being supplied, and
a lecturer being added, probably by the contributions
of the people. 28 The Commonwealth authorities took
advantage of the 'delinquency ' of Edmund Ashton
of Chadderton, who had the tithes of Oldham, to
make him settle an endowment on the chapel.* 9 This
of course lapsed at the Restoration.
The Nonconformist Oliver Heywood preached at
Shaw Chapel several times between 1663 and 1669 ;
but ten years later he was molested after the conclu-
sion of the services and brought before the magistrate. 30
At the Bishop of Chester's visitation in 1669 it was
reported that considerable numbers of Nonconformists
assembled constantly at Shaw Chapel, forcing the
doors open when locked. On one Sunday, being
prevented, they adjourned to Royton Hall. In 1671
Joshua Wilde, ' pretended clerk,' was presented for
presuming to preach.
In 1719 it was recorded that ' no certain salary be-
longs to the curate, but the rector generally allows
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
5 per annum, and the neighbouring inhabitants
about 13 ; augmented 1718 with 200 given by
Mr. Ashton, rector of Prestwich.' 31 Grants from
Queen Anne's Bounty were secured and laid out in
lands, which in 1778 were producing 46 a year ;
the chapel was then regularly served every Lord's
Day. 3 * The chapel was rebuilt in 1739 and enlarged
in I798, 33 and again rebuilt in 1870. A district was
assigned to it in l835. 31 The following have been
curates and vicars, the rector of Prestwich present-
ing :
1693 Jas. Lawton
1699 James Makon 35
1 701 John Halliwell, M.A. 36 (Brasenose Coll. Oxf.)
1712 John Kippax, 37 M.A. (St. John's Coll. Camb.)
1727 Joshua Stopford, B.A. (Brasenose Coll. Oxf.)
1761 James Wild, B.A. (Brasenose Coll. Oxf.)
1766 James Mashiter 38
1 795 Joseph Hordern, M.A. (Brasenose Coll. Oxf.) 39
1819 Joseph Hordern, M.A. (Brasenose Coll. Oxf.) 40
1823 James Hordern, B.A. (St. Mary's Hall, Oxf.)"
1841 Daniel Brammall, B.A."
1866 Samuel Edwin Bartleet, M.A. 4S (Trin. Coll.
Camb.)
1875 James Hamer Rawdon, M.A. 44
1877 Samuel Edwin Bartleet, M.A.
1878 George Allen, M.A. (St. John's Coll. Camb.) "
1902 James Wilkinson Pinniger, M.A. (Wadham
Coll. Oxf.)
1907 Walter Muirhead Hope, M.A. (Hertford
Coll. Oxf.)
The registers date from 1704.
St. James's, East Crompton, 46 was built in 1 847 ;
the Crown and the Bishop of Manchester present
alternately ; there are auxiliary services at Crompton
Fold and St. George's Schools. St. Mary's, High
21 The principal proprietors were :
Chatham, 259 acres ; Chadderton,
225 ; Sir John Byron, 169 ; Edmund
Ashton, 161 ; Lever, 1345 Cromp-
ton, 114 ; the others, holding from 30 to
50 acres, were : Wrigley, Prestwich,
Scholefield, Kershaw, Buckley, Wild, and
Tetlow. The total, 1,124 acres (large
measure), corresponds nearly with the
2,865 acres of the township. Details of
Sir John Byron's holding were: Inland
no acres ; on Shaw and Hathershaw
Moor, 16 ; Beal Moor, 6 ; High Moor,
30, with turbary on 6 acres ; and I acre
stone and coal ; Shaw, Oldkam, 63, 66.
M Oldham Notts and Gleanings, ii, 5 3-5 ;
they were : Shaw Moors (4), High
Moor, Beal Moor, and Hathershaw.
23 Land-tax returns at Preston. The
proportion is about the same as the Byron
holding in 1623.
24 In 1370 Thomas de Shaw settled
lands in Crompton on his son Alexander,
with remainders to Thomas and Henry,
brothers of Alexander ; Raines in Gastrell's
No tin a, ii, 119.
25 Oldham Notes and Gleanings, i, 125.
26 Canon Raines in Gastrell's Notitia,
ut supra. He states : 'The chapelry is
parochial, and a chapel rate is levied
[1849] and collected independent either
ot Prestwich or Oldham.'
W Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 43 ; Lawrence
Hall was the priest there. The chapel
was valued at 135. 4</. on its confiscation
by the king, and purchased by the in-
habitants ; Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 277.
28 Hugh Burdman, literate, was licensed
to be the reader at Shaw in July 1575 ;
Pennant's Note-book (Chest. Reg.), foL
4. John Yareley was there in 1587, and
William Plant in 1636 ; Mr. Earwaker's
notes. It was ' supplied by a curate '
about 1610; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv,
App. iv, n. A Mr. Worthington was
lecturer there in 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 66. Lemuel Allen
was curate in 1625 ; Shaw, Oldham, 70.
29 Out of the impropriate rectory of
Oldham, part of his estate, 40, was in
1646 ordered to be paid for 'increase of
the maintenance of a minister in the
chapel of Shaw ' ; Plund. Alins. Accti.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 39. This
was afterwards agreed to by Edmund Ash-
ton and James his son and heir ; ibid, ii,
117.
In 1650 the Commissioners recom-
mended that it be made a parish church ;
Commoniv. Ch. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 22.
In 1649 Robert Symonds had been the
minister, but like his superior, the rector
of Prestwich, he did not pay much respect
to the Manchester Classis, and left in
1650; he was rector of Dalbury from
1652 to 1662, and then, conforming, be-
came rector of Middleton ; Manch. Classis
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 134, 137; iii, 446;
Raines, in Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 120. James
Walton was minister in 16556 ; Plund.
Mins. elects, ii, 118. He remained till
1662, when he was ejected ; Mane A.
Classis, iii, 449.
The following is mentioned as curate
III
in Shaw's Old/tarn : 1674, Benjamin Gil-
body, B.A. No curate is named in Strat-
ford's Visitation List, 1691.
80 O. Heywood's Diaries, i, 184, 259,
264, 265 ; ii, 90.
81 Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. ii, 119.
82 Rector Harris in Booker, Prestwich,
8 5 .
88 An account of Shaw Chapel, by John
Higson, is printed in Oldbam Nous and
Gleanings, i, 1 1 2, 122.
84 Land. Gas. J May 1835.
85 The church papers at Chest. Dioc.
Reg. begin at this time.
36 Afterwards curate of Oldham. Ox-
ford degrees are taken from Foster,
Alumni.
W Admissions to St. John's Coll. ii, 148.
88 There was a Richard Mashiter, of
Pembroke College, Oxford; B.A. 1742.
For his son see E. Butterworth, Oldham
[ed. 1856], 60.
89 Father of his two successors, and of
Rev. Peter Hordern, librarian of the
Chetham Hospital.
40 Afterwards vicar of Rostherne (1821)
and Burton Agnes (1855).
41 Senior magistrate of Oldham Ses-
sions ; had a school at Royton Hall and
then at Failsworth Lodge ; vicar of Dod-
dington, Kent, 1841.
42 Vicar of Chislet, Kent, 1833.
48 Perp. curate of Ringley 1875-7 > ' n
1878 exchanged Shaw for Brockworth,
Glos. ; of St. Mark's, Gloucester, 1885.
44 Vicar of Preston, 1877.
45 Vicar of Brockworth, Glos., 1871-8.
44 For district, Land. Gam. 14 Jan. 1845.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Crompton, built in 1872, consecrated in 1878, and
since enlarged, is in the Bishop of Manchester's
patronage. 47
There are Wesleyan, Primitive, and Free Methodist
churches.
The Congregational church at Shaw originated in
services begun in 1847, but suspended for a time.
A small chapel, purchased from the Wesleyans, was
opened in 1856 to serve for Shaw and Roy ton. Shaw
became separate in 1 86 1, but afterwards the work
ceased. Afresh start was made in 1886, an iron
chapel being erected, followed by the present build-
ing. 48
The Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph, Shaw
Edge, built in 1874, was rebuilt in 1896.
In 1856 the Mormons had a meeting-place at
Shaw.
ROYTON
Ruhwinton, 1212 ; Ritton, 1226 ; Ryton, 1260
usual ; Ruyton, 1332.
The extreme measurements of Royton are about
2 miles from east to west, and ij from north to
south ; the area is 1,372 acres. 1 The general slope
of its hilly surface is from east to west, the limits
being 825 ft. on Oldham Edge and 400 ft. at Street
Bridge. The old village of Royton, which has now
become a small town, is situated in a deep valley in
the north-west quarter of the township ; to the south-
west of it are the hamlets of Haggate, Royley, and
Holdenfold ; to the north-west lies Thorpe ; to the
north, Dogford ; to the east are Luzley Brook and
Heyside ; and to the south Longsight. The River
Irk rises on the northern border, and flows west along
it, Oldham has begun to spread over the southern
border. The population in 1901 was 14,881, in-
cluding part of that of Thornham. 1
The principal road is that from Oldham to Roch-
dale, which passes through the town. A branch of it
goes north-east to Shaw, to which place another road
from Oldham passes through the township. Another
important road is that from Royton to Middleton.
The Oldham and Rochdale branch of the Lancashire
and Yorkshire Railway passes through one corner of
the township ; a branch line from the north of Old-
ham runs north-west to Royton, its terminus. The
Oldham electric tramway to Crompton passes through
the township.
The soil is sand, with subsoil of clay. Hay is the
chief crop. There are large cotton factories ; fustian
cutting is carried on, and there is a colliery. 3
About 1780 Royton village 'contained only a few
straggling and mean-built cottages,' but with the
introduction of the weaving of fustians and other
branches of the cotton manufacture it increased
rapidly. 4 A local board was formed in 1863, and
the bounds were extended by the addition of part
of Thornham in 1879.* A town na ll an d market
were built in 1880. The local board gave place in
1894 to an urban district council of fifteen members,
chosen for five wards Dogford, Dryclough, Hag-
gate, Heyside, and Thornham. There is a cemetery
in Rochdale Road, opened in 1879.
The ' wakes ' are held on the first Saturday in
August.
At Whitebanks, near Oldham Edge, there was *a
good chalybeate spring.' r
An account of Royton, its chapel, politics, and
celebrities, written by John Higson, is printed in
Oldham Notes and Gleanings. 6 John Butterworth, a
noted mathematician, who died in 1845, is buried in
the churchyard. George Travis, born at Royton in
1741, became vicar of Eastham and Archdeacon of
Chester, dying in 1797. He distinguished himself by
his knowledge of the law of tithe, which he used to
advance the value of his benefice from 30 to 100
a year. He also had a bitter controversy with Gibbon
and Porson, defending the authenticity of I John v.
7.' Richard Dean, 172778, was another divine
and author. 10
A local saying, of unknown origin, refers to * the
seven that came from Royton.' u
The residence of Richard and Thomas Percival in
1666 had twelve hearths liable to the tax ; the rest
of the township brought the total up to 54."
In 1 21 2 ROTTON was held of the
MdNOR king in thegnage as twelve oxgangs of land
by a rent of 24^., the tenant being Wil-
liam Fitz William. 13 William died about the end of
1223, and was succeeded by his son Thomas, 14 who
was still living in I254- 15 Thomas had a daughter
Margery, who married Alexander Luttrell of Somer-
set, and in or before 1260 they sold nine oxgangs in
Royton and 60 acres in Thorpe and Healey to John
de Byron. 16 It appears, however, that Alice de
Byron, mother of Roger, had ' the whole town ' in
1246, and had farmed it out to Roger Gernet. 17
4 7 For district, Land. Gaa. 9 July, 1878.
48 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. v, 264-6.
1 2,145, including n of inland water,
according to the Census Rep. 1901 ; this
includes the added portion of Thornham.
3 Pop. Ret. 1901.
8 In 1795 the farms were small; the
land was mostly pasture, but oats, potatoes,
and a few turnips were grown. There
were then ' a great number of cotton mills
and a fulling mill, chiefly for the Rochdale
baize.' The collieries had been worked
for a century. Freestone was obtained ;
Aikin, Country Round Manch. 238, 239.
4 Butterworth, Oldham, 97. The people
were formerly very Radical in their politics.
In 1794 they held a reform meeting, but
were put to flight by a mob from Oldham ;
the episode was called the ' Royton Races ' ;
ibid. 137.
4 Land. Gais. 16 Oct. 1863.
6 Local Govt. Bd. Order 31625; the
population of the included portion was
939. 7 Butterworth, op. cit. 107.
8 Vol. i, 181-5. A list of curates is
given. It is mentioned that a botanical
society was formed there in 1794.
9 Diet. Nat. Biog. ; Scott, Admissions to
St. 'John's Coll. Camb. iii, 159, 671.
10 Diet. Nat. Biog.
11 Lanes, and Ches. Antij. Soc. vi, 182.
12 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
18 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 69. For pedigree see
Collins, Peerage (1779), v, 160-1.
14 On 23 Feb. 1223-4 the sheriff was
ordered to take security for his relief, and
give seisin ; Thomas had already done
homage and fealty ; Fine R. 8 Hen. Ill,
m. 9. William's name, however, is re-
tained in the roll of 1226 ; Lanes. Inq. and
Extents, i, 138.
15 The sheriff was in 1254-5 ordered
to make a perambulation between the
112
lands of Thomas Fitz William in Royton
and Geoffrey de Chetham in Crompton ;
Close R. 70, m. 8 d.
In 1253 Alice de Sar" and her sisters
Cecily and Agnes charged Cecily widow
of Richard de Royton with being con-
cerned in the burning of their houses, &c.;
Curia Regis R. 150, m. 8 d.
William de Royton contributed to the
subsidy in 1332; Exc h. Lay Subs. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 31.
16 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 133. See also the agreement
of 1270, from Close R. 91, m. 5 d., printed
in the same volume, 216. The grant by
the Luttrells is given in the Black Bk.
of Clayton, no. 62/47 5 a rent ^ *d. was
due to the grantors.
*' Assize R. 404, m. rod. ; the record
is corrupt, there being some confusion be-
tween Alice and a Margery perhaps the
above-named wife of Alexander Luttrell.
SALFORD HUNDRED
From 1260 or 1270 to the beginning of the I7th
century the manor descended in the Byron family, 18
and during the later part of
this period seems to have been
their chief residence. 19 In
or about 1622 it was sold to
the Standishes of Standish, 20
and was again sold in 1662
to Thomas Percival, probably
a trader of Manchester." It
continued in this family for
a century," when Catherine
daughter of a later Thomas
Percival of Royton, who died
in 1763, carried it in mar-
riage to Joseph Pickford 23 of Althill. She died in
1765, leaving an only son William Percival Pick-
ford. He died in 1815 without issue, and gave
Royton to his father, who had married again, and
in 1795 took the name of Radcliffe on inheriting the
etates of his mother's brother, William Radcliffe of
Mills Bridge, Yorkshire. He was created a baronet
in 1813, having taken a prominent part in suppressing
the Luddite riots of the previous year. 14 Royton has
BYRON. Argent three
bendlets enhanced gules.
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
descended with the issue of this second marriage to
the present baronet, Sir Joseph Edward Radcliffe, of
Rudding Park, Knaresborough.
Royton Old Hall was de-
scribed in 1795 as 'a firm,
well-built stone edifice of an-
cient date . . . pleasantly
seated in a deep valley, sur-
rounded by high grounds. In
front of the house runs a small
stream dividing the gardens
from rich meadows.' K This
description was substantially
repeated thirty years later, 16 the
meadows being still ' fertile '
and ' luxurious,' but the sur-
roundings have since so much
changed that the original
aspect of the building is somewhat difficult to recon-
stitute, though the stream, now much polluted, still
runs at the bottom of the garden. The park and
grounds have long disappeared, and the surroundings
are now purely industrial.
The hall was largely rebuilt in the i8th century,
RADCLIFFE of Royton,
baronet. Argent a bend
engrailed table charged
"with a crescent of tht
fold for difference.
18 The 241. paid by Richard de Byron
(in Royton) appears in the extent of the
lands of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, in
1297 ; Inq. and Extents, i, 301. Richard
de Byron in 1 3 24 held a plough-land and
a half by a rent of 241. ; Duchy of Lane.
Rentals and Surv. 379, m. 13. The mesne
lordship of the Luttrells was still remem-
bered in 1346, when it was recorded that
Andrew Luttrell held 1 2 oxgangs of land
in Royton in socage, and by his tenants,
Sir James Byron and John his brother,
rendered 241. rent, puture, &c. ; Add.
MS. 32103, fol. 146. In the inquisition
taken soon after the death of Sir Richard
Byron of Clayton in 1397 it was stated
that he had held four messuages and twelve
oxgangs in Royton of the Duke of Lancas-
ter by knight's service ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 65.
In an extent of 1445-6 Sir John Byron
was said to hold twelve oxgangs of land
in socage by a rent of 24.5. yearly ; he
stated that he held of Andrew Luttrell,
and also by feoffment ; Duchy of Lane.
Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. The tenure
was less correctly stated in 1498 after the
death of Sir John Byron, the four mes-
suages and twelve oxgangs being held of
the king as of his duchy of Lancaster in
socage, by the service of 24*., being worth
10 marks clear; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. iii, 48. Royton occurs down to
1608 in Byron settlements, e.g. Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 15, m. 147 ; 61,
m. 347 ; 71, no. 2.
In 1310 John de Byron granted to
Adam de Chadderton 4 acres of the waste
in Royton ; Clowes D.
19 In 1432 a release to Sir John Byron
was made by the feoffee concerning lands
in Royton and Butterworth ; the deed is
dated at Royton ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. iii, 70.
Sir John Byron in 1588 addressed a
letter to the Salford justices, dated at
Royton ; Lanes. Lieutenancy (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 215. Described as 'of Royton,' he
heads the list of freeholders in Salford
Hundred in 1600; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 246.
20 In a petition of 1622-3 Sir John
Byron the younger is described as ' lord
and owner of the manor and lordship of
Royton'; Shaw, Oldham, 60. In 1622,
however, Ralph Standish contributed to
the subsidy for lands in Royton ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 158.
Ten years later there is further evidence
that Ralph Standish was in possession ;
Shaw, op. cit. 75.
21 On 27 Mar. 1662 Thomas Percival
and Richard his brother purchased Royton
of Edward Standish and William his son
and heir apparent for 2,530. The pur-
chase included cottages, &c., and all their
interest in Royton and Chadderton ; the
rents amounted to 120 a year; Shaw,
op. cit. 157.
23 There is an erroneous pedigree in
Burke's Commoners, iv, 612, stating that
Thomas's son Richard was baptized in
Drogheda in 1675, and Thomas was him-
self made an alderman of that corporation
in 1690 by William III. It is further
stated that his will was made in 1702 and
proved in Dublin in 1703 ; but Thomas
Percival of Royton was buried at Man-
chester 10 Dec. 1694; Shaw, Oldham,
214. At Royton he apparently acted as
banker for the neighbourhood ; see the
list of his loans in Shaw, 196, 197.
Thomas's elder brother Richard Percival
purchased the manor of Allerton in Child-
wall. In 1664 Thomas Percival of Royton
was summoned to attend the Herald's
Visitation, but no pedigree is recorded ;
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), p. v. He was
a trustee of Oldham Grammar School in
1673 ; Shaw, op. cit. 1 80. By his will,
dated 1693, he gave 150 to the poor of
Manchester, to be laid out by his execu-
tors and his cousin Richard Percival ; in
1826 this was supposed to be represented
by an estate of 10 acres in Royton ;
Char. Rep. (1826), xvi, 148.
In 1682 John Gilliam of Manchester
married Jane daughter of Thomas Percival
of Royton ; he was buried 20 July 1688,
and an account of the funeral expenses,
&c., is printed by Shaw, Oldham, 187, 200.
Their daughter Jane married John Greaves
of Culcheth in Newton.
Richard Percival of Royton married
Katherine daughter of Thomas Norris of
Speke, and their sons Thomas, William,
and Richard were baptized in 1688, 1690,
and 1696, the two former at Manchester ;
"3
ibid. 199, 203, 205, 217. Richard was
buried 27 Apr. 1697 ; 220. His widow
Katherine appears as granting a lease in
the next year ; 221 ; see also 229.
Thomas Percival, ' of Royton, esquire,'
was buried 19 Mar. 1710-1 ; his father
and grandfather had been described as
' gent.' ; ibid. 248. His brother William
succeeded, and in 1713 took part in the
settlement of the boundaries of Hollin-
wood in Oldham, but did not sign the
agreement; 253. He married Dorothy
daughter of Thomas Kenyon of Salford
(Butterworth, op. cit.) ; his son Thomas
was born i Sept. 1719 ; Shaw, op. cit. 269.
William was buried 12 July 1721 ; 275.
Letters from Thomas Percival to one
of the Kenyon family, 1759-61, are
printed in Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App.
iv, 496-8. In one he speaks of himself
as ' enlisted among the men of speculative
learning' ; in another, though 'sincerely
for the good of the Church of England,'
he objected to the interference of the
clergy in state affairs, and affirmed, 'when-
ever you want a key to a priest's conduct,
that interest is his ruling motive.' James
Butterworth in his history of Oldham (ed.
1817) states: 'To Sir Joseph Radcliffe,
Bart., of Mills Bridge in the county of
York, I owe all my most material in-
formation, chiefly collected by his father-
in-law, T. Percival, Esq., of Royton Hall
(who appears to have been a great lover
of antiquity) ; his pedigrees of the Lanca-
shire families, collected by himself, with
the great additions made by the before-
mentioned worthy baronet, are an in-
valuable treasure, and with them I have
been kindly favoured by him ' ; p. xi. In
the same work (102) is a Percival-Radcliffe
pedigree.
There are monuments in St. Paul's
Church to Katherine Pickford, 1765, and
to Sir Joseph Radcliffe, 1819.
23 Joseph Pickford in 1779 paid 241. to
the Duchy for Royton ; Duchy of Lane.
Rentals, bdle. 14, no. 25m.
24 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xiv, 1 6 1.
25 Aikin, A Description of the Country
from Thirty to Forty Miles round Man-
chester, 239.
26 Corry, Lanes. 1825, ii, 527 ; Butter-
worth, Oldham, 1826.
15
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
but part of the lyth-century structure remains at the
east end, consisting of a wing running north and south
with a gable at each end. The house is built of
stone, with stone slated roofs and brick chimneys, and
has a long frontage facing south, with a slightly
recessed middle portion two stories high and loftier
gabled wings. The site slopes from north to south,
so that in the south or principal front the ground
floor is raised well above the level of the garden,
allowing for a good basement. A double flight of
stone steps leads from an outer door on this side to
the garden.
The 1 8th-century rebuilding, together with subse-
quent additions and alterations on the north side, has
made it very difficult to determine the lines of the
original plan, but the whole of the later work on the
south front is built on an older basement apparently
of the same date as the east wing, which goes to show
that the extent of the original house on this side was
the same as that of the present one. The buildings
are grouped round a quadrangle of irregular shape,
longer from west to east, but those on the north and
part of the west side are of modern date, which makes
it impossible to say how far they carry out the original
arrangement. The east wing, as before stated, is part
of the lyth-century building with mullioned and
transomed windows and a square projection on the
west side to the courtyard containing a radiating oak
staircase.* 7 The south and south-west parts of the
building are of plain 1 8th -century work with little or
no architectural detail. The older wing has a good
stone chimney on its east side with brick shafts set
diagonally, and at the north end has string-courses
marking the first and second floors, which are not
continued round the south end. The gable is with-
out coping, and the general appearance of the wing
at this end suggests that it had formerly been the
back of the house or that some of its features have
been removed in later times. It is probable that the
original house was built on three sides of the court-
yard only, the north, which would be the principal
front of the building, being left open.
The 18th-century rebuilding appears to have been
done at two different times, there being a straight
joint on the south front about the middle of the centre
wing, between the door and the window east of it.
The spacing of the windows also points in the same
direction. They are of the usual tall square-headed
type, with stone architraves, and originally had case-
ments and wooden millions, but these have been
replaced by sashes, which detract from the appearance
of the house. The walls of the older wing are of
rough masonry, but the later work is built in squared
coursed stones, with projecting quoins, and at its west
end is faced with brick. Against the brick wall at
the south-west corner is a spout-head with the initials
T p M and the date 1 768.
There is some good iSth-century panelling with
classic cornice, now painted over, in a room in the
middle wing, and a large room in the east wing,
which was altered in the i8th century and has two
windows of that date on its east side, preserves a
portion of its decoration, though the oak dado has
recently been taken away.
The house has been for a long time divided into
two. The western part is now a private residence,
and the east wing is used as a Church Institute.
There was recently a pedestal sundial in the garden
with many facets, but it has been taken away by the
owner. A wall sundial on the south side over the
door is still in position.
Other local families may be named. The Shaws of
Heyside recorded a pedigree in 1664, and occur in
various ways for a century longer. 18 The Tetlows of
Royley 19 seem to have been succeeded in the iyth
century by the Rhodes family. 30 Holdens of Holden-
fold occur.* 1 At Thorpe the Taylors had a resi-
dence." Dryclough was once held by the Mellors.**
*7 The local but foolish tradition is that
the stairs are built round the trunk of a
tree which grew on the spot, and now
forms the newel.
88 Dugdale, Visit. 260 ; they had only
recently settled in Royton. The epitaph
of Oliver Shaw, who died I Aug. 1706,
'after various conditions of life,' is given
by Butterworth, op. cit. 29. 'Old Mrs.
Shaw, from Heyside,' was buried at O_ld-
hatn, i Nov. 1710. She was probably
Alice daughter of Thomas Chetham, of
Heyside, and wife of Oliver.
For the Chetham family's connexion
with Royton see Ernest Axon's Chit.
Genealogies (Chet. Soc. new ser.), 6, 9,
12. A Ralph Chetham, who died in or
about 1538, left his 'take and farmSold '
in Royton to his sons Adam and Robert,
and part of the Moor Hey to his son
James; ibid. 17. In 1541 James Chetham
contributed to the subsidy ' for goods ' ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 145.
The Shaws had disappeared before 1817,
when Butterworth wrote.
Heyside was in 1842 'notorious for
wickedness of the vilest description ' ;
Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. v, 267.
39 Sir John Byron (about 1270) granted
to Robert the Falconer lands in Royton,
within bounds beginning at Royton wall
and following the bounds of the oxgangs
of the vill of Royton as far as Eliclough
on the south, by the edge to Wallsyke
{where was Robert's house) and to the
Mill Brook ; up this to Royley Brook,
and so to the starting-point ; at a rent of
6s. 6d. ; Black Bk. of Clayton, 81/241.
Two Falconers, Adam and Robert, con-
tributed to the subsidy of 1332 ; Exch.
Lay Suit. 30, 31.
The charter cited is headed ' Copy of
the Charter of Adam de Tetlow, of Royley
in Royton.' Alexander son of Adam de
Tetlow complained that a number of men
had seized his goods at Royton in 1372,
taking his linen and woollen cloth, maser
bowls, and silver, brass, wood, and pewter
utensils, &c.; Coram Rege R. 463, m. 55.
John Tetlow of Royley is mentioned in
1541 ; Shaw, Oldham, 18. Mary Tetlow
widow seems to have been the principal
resident in 1641, having an income of
20 a year ; ibid. 92.
80 In 1653 John Rhodes (Roades) of
Royley in Royton leased land in the Ryott
and the Gorsey Hill in Hartingstead Yate
to Edmund Taylor ; ibid. 145. A further
lease was made in 1655 ; 149. Edward
Shacklock of Moston in 1666 bequeathed
lands he had purchased of Henry Wrigley
and John Rhodes to John Rhodes, the
younger son of the last-named ; ibid. 1 66.
Royley is mentioned by Butterworth
(op. cit. 115) as noted for its coal. At
the adjacent hamlet of Streetbridge there
were in 1817 a paper mill and collieries; 107.
81 Holdenfold, it is supposed, took its
name from the proprietors. Ralph Holden
contributed to the subsidy in 1622 ;
114
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 158.
Ralph Holden died 23 Aug. 1625, leaving
a son and heir Ralph, about nine years of
age. His lands in Royton were held of
the king. By his will he left them to his
son, then to his wife, and to his brothers
Edmund and Ralph in succession. If
Edmund or the other brother should suc-
ceed he was to pay a rent of 4 a year
to the poor of Oldham ; Towneley MS.
C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), p. 518.
83 Butterworth, op. cit. 1 08. James
Taylor died 19 Dec. 1624 holding lands
in Heaton Fallowfield, Castleton, and
Royton ; the last estate was two mes-
suages, &c., held of the king. All was left
to his son John, then over fifty ; then a
division was to take place among John's
daughters Elizabeth Hayward, Susan
Butterworth, and Mary Ogden. The
Royton lands were to go to Elizabeth,
then wife of Thomas Heaward or Hay-
ward, and their son Robert ; Townele
MS. C. 8, 13, p. 1,187. For another
John Taylor of Thorpe (1654) see Oldham
Notes and Gleanings, iii, 53.
Ralph Taylor is said to have had a small
cotton mill at Thorpe Clough as early as
1764; E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1856),
119.
88 Ibid. 113 ; they were in 1817 'regu-
lar carriers to different parts of the king-
dom.' Mr. Andrew had there a large malt
kiln. The only windmill in the parish
stood there, and there were collieries.
Cifi&&
PRESTWICH : DEYNE HALL, TAKEN DOWN 1837
ROYTON HALL
SALFORD HUNDRED
There are incidental notices of other estates in the
township. 34
Royton Moss has long been inclosed. 35
For the Established Church St. Paul's was built in
1 7 54 s6 and consecrated in 1757 ; it was restored and
enlarged a century later, and was rebuilt between
1883 and 1889. An ecclesiastical parish was assigned
to it in I835. 37 There is a mission church, All
Saints', in connexion with it. The rector of Prest-
wich is the patron. St. Mark's, Heyside, was built in
1878 ; M the patronage is vested in five trustees ; it
has a mission room called St. Chad's.
The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel built in
1804. The Primitive and Independent Methodists
also have chapels
The Baptist Church dates from 1873.
From 1847 to 1861 Royton and Shaw were
worked together by the Congregationalists. In the
last-named year a separation was made, and a church
was built at Royton in 1864. At Heyside, where
services began in 1842, a school-room was built in
1851 and a chapel in l88o. 19
The Society of Friends have had a meeting-place at
Turf Lane, Heyside, from about 1665 ; 40 the first
burial took place in that year. The house was rebuilt
in 1885, but is used only occasionally. 41
The Roman Catholic school-chapel of SS. Aidan
and Oswald was built in 1880."
The Calvinistic Methodists and the Mormons had
meeting-places in 1856.
CHADDERTON
Chaderthon, Chaderton, c. 1250; Chaterton, 1291;
Chatherton, 1304; Chadderton, 1468.
This township measures about 3 miles from north
to south, and less than 2 miles across ; its area is
3,138 acres. 1 The surface is hilly, but the general
slope is from east to west ; the highest points, 500 ft.,
are in the extreme north-east. The Irk and some
tributary brooks flow through the township. The
growth of Oldham has given an urban character to
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
the east and south-east borderland ; and on the west
a small town has grown up round Middleton Junc-
tion. The population in 1901 was 24,892.
The road from Manchester to Oldham passes near,
and sometimes within the south-eastern boundary.
Three roads from Middleton to Oldham go through
the township from east to west, with numerous cross-
roads. 2 The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's
line from Manchester to Rochdale, opened in 1839,
traverses the western half of it, going northwards,
and has a station about the centre, called Middleton
Junction, from which lines branch off west and east to
Middleton and to Oldham. The same company's
Manchester and Oldham line runs along the eastern
boundary, and has a station at Hollinwood. The
Rochdale Canal also passes through the township.
Chadderton Heights, Chadderton Fold, and Brichin
Lee are hamlets in the northern part of the town-
ship ; Foxdenton lies to the east of Middleton
Junction ; Black Lane, Nimble Nook, Butler Green,
and Coldshaw 8 on the south-east border ; Hale Moss
and White Moss on the south. 4 Here also was the dis-
trict called Theale Moor. 5
The boundaries of Chadderton have varied from
time to time. Butterworth, writing in 1817, calls
attention to the then ancient bounds, shown on his
map, as contrasted with his verbal description ; Hollin-
wood had in 1713 been taken into Oldham. 8 There
was also a small detached portion, lying under Copster
Hill on the southern border of Oldham, into which
it has now been absorbed.
There is a tumulus close to Chadderton Hall. Re-
mains of Roman roads are found.
The soil is sand, with subsoil of clay and gravel.
The land ii mostly pasture, the dairies being the
chief agricultural industry. There are numerous
cotton mills on the Oldham side ; also collieries, iron
works, chemical works, and brick works. The coal
pits are mentioned frequently in the 1 7th century. 8
In 1833 hats were made.
A local board was formed in 1873 ; 9 this has be-
come since 1 894 an urban district council of eighteen
members, chosen by three wards North, Central, and
M In 1369 William son of John de
Chadwick and Agnes his wife had 2 mes-
suages, 24 acres of land, &c., in Royton ;
Final Cone, ii, 176.
Robert Wyld died in 1625 holding lands
of the king ; Robert his son and heir was
fourteen years of age ; Towneley MS. C. 8,
13, p. 1291.
Humphrey Booth in 1635 held a mes-
suage, &c. in Royton of the king ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii, 44.
85 A moiety of the fields lately en-
closed ' from Royton Moss was sold in
1626 ; Shaw, 72. In 1817 there was no
waste land, and only a few acres needed
draining. There were no woods ; Butter-
worth, 104, 105.
86 Butterworth, op. cit. 99, 100. The
ground was given by Thomas Percival
and the cost of the building defrayed by
subscription.
For its endowments and services in
1778 see Booker, Prestwich, 85 ; and in
1808, Oldham Notes and Gleanings, iii, 94,
95 ; see also iii, 205.
e ? Land. Gaz. 5 May 1835.
88 For district, ibid. 25 Mar. 1879.
89 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. v, 264-8.
The barn of Robert Wild of Heyside was
in 1672 licensed as a Presbyterian meet-
ing-place ; Shaw, Oldham t 176. Some of
the Wilds were Quakers.
40 Meetings of Quakers were reported
at the Bishop of Chester's Visitation,
1669.
41 Sylvester Sykes was buried at Hey-
side in 1665, and the place was used on
sufferance till 1 6 86, when a lease was
secured, and a house built. This was
pulled down in 1832.
John Lees, a Royton Quaker, made an
improvement in the carding machine in
1772 ; E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1856),
116.
43 Kelly, Engl. Cat A. Missions, 337.
1 3,082 including 39 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901.
8 'This township is truly remarkable as
containing a great number of roads, on
the borders of which are erected numerous
cottages, which are all denominated lanes,
viz., Burnley Lane, Stock Lane, Block
Lane, Old Lane, Denton Lane, Thomp-
son Lane, Dowry Lane [Drury Lane],
Mought Lane, Turf Lane, Tonge Lane,
and Bawtry Lane ' ; Butterworth, Oldham
(ed. 1817), 163.
8 The right of way through Coleshaw
Lane, on payment of \d. a year, was re-
cognized in 1672 ; Shaw, Oldham, 178.
4 'This township extends to a white
stone, which formerly was fixed near the
middle of White Moss ' ; Butterworth,
op. cit. 163. A perambulation of the
bounds between Chadderton and Nuthurst
was ordered in 1520 ; Towneley MS. CC,
no. 834.
* See further in the account of Moston.
Leases of land in Theale Moor are given
in Shaw, Oldham, 50, 173, 174, 193.
6 Butterworth, 167 ; the boundary here
was : ' From Werneth old mill to Collier
stone, near Cash yate, from thence in a
direct line, cutting off about five yards of
the south-east corner of the chapel yard
[St. Margaret's], by Grace well, to the
corner house above Grocock's, and so on
by the Bowling green aforesaid." Collier
Hill indicates one of these boundaries ;
Grace Well has perhaps been absorbed in
the canal reservoir.
A survey of Hollinwood was made in
1614 ; Shaw, op. cit. 56. The bounds as
settled in 1713 are given in Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, ii, 220-2, from the Raines
MSS. in Chet. Lib. xxiv, 255.
8 See a letter from Mrs. Byrom and;
Mrs. Potter in 1683, printed in Shaw,
Oldham, 190.
9 Land. Gass, 21 June 1873.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
South. The public library, built by Mr. Carnegie,
was opened in 1904. The other public buildings
include town hall, baths, and isolation hospital.
One of the Oldham cemeteries is at Springbrook,
on the Middleton road.
There were 121 hearths liable to the tax in 1666.
The largest houses were those of Edmund Ashton,
thirteen hearths, and Alexander Potter, seven. 10
From the earliest record of it, the
MANORS survey of 1 2 1 2, it appears that CHAD-
DERTON was a member of the Mont-
begon or Tottington fee, 11 and so passed to the Lacys
and the Crown. At the date mentioned, having
been given to the * ancestors ' of Gilbert de Notton,
lord of Barton in right of his wife, it was held by
him as 12 oxgangs of land, by the service of the
fourth part of a knight's fee." It is supposed to have
been held under him or his immediate successor by
Geoffrey de Chetham, thus passing to the Traffords."
About 1255 Gilbert [de Barton] son of Sir William
de Notton, released to Sir Edmund de Lacy the
homage and service of Richard de Trafford for the
manor of Chadderton and its appurtenances. 14 From
this time, therefore, the TrafFords held directly of the
lords of Tottington and Clitheroe. 14
Richard de Trafford made a partition of his estates,
and thus Chadderton came into the possession of his
younger son Geoffrey, who
adopted the local surname. 16
It is difficult to decide as to
the succession at this point ; a
Henry de Chadderton seems
to have been in possession in
1 292," yet Geoffrey de Chad-
derton, either the same or his
son, held the manor in I3O2. 19
William de Chadderton, son
of Geoffrey, followed ; he was
living in I332. 19 His son
Geoffrey left a daughter and
heir Margery, who in or before 1367 married John
de Radcliffe, 10 illegitimate son of the rector of Bury.
The husband died in 1407, having survived his wife
and their son John, but continuing to hold Chadder-
ton by the courtesy of England until his death. The
tenure was described as of the king as Duke of Lan-
CHADDERTON. Ar-
gent a griffin ttgreant
gules.
10 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
11 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 61. In 1324 it was
returned that Thomas Earl of Lancaster
had held the fee in right of Alice his wife ;
the sake fee due from Chadderton was 31.;
ibid, ii, 102.
12 Inq. and Extents, loc. cit. It descended
to Gilbert's son Roger (who died in 124.1),
and was in 1234-5 granted by Roger to
Gilbert de Barton (his nephew) as the
manors of Chadderton and Denton in Lan-
cashire with mills and the land of Cfomp-
ton; Feet of F. Hen. Ill, Div. Cos. no.
66.
Gilbert de Notton granted to Stanlaw
Abbey land in Chadderton within bounds
beginning at the Constable's Oak, and
going by Netherlee Brook and the Moss,
' as the moss and the dry land divide,' to
Tache Lache and the bounds of ' Caule
Shaw" (Coldshaw), and by a lache on
the south back to the oak ; fPhalley
Coucher (Chet. Soc.), i, 48. In 1549 two
^arts of a messuage in Chadderton were
held by James Ashton of the king, by
.reason of the attainder of the Abbot of
Whalley, the service being $.d. yearly ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, 29. A
house called Thatch Leach lies about a
quarter of a mile to the south-east of
Foxdenton Hall.
la 1242 Gilbert de Barton held the
fourth part of a knight's fee in Chadderton,
of the Earl of Lincoln's fee of Tottington ;
it belonged to the dower of the countess ;
Land. Inq. and Extents, i, 153.
In 1324 the judge of Chadderton paid
41. to the steward of the court at Totting-
ton in respect of a fine for respite of suit ;
Lanes. Ct. R. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
9. In 1626 three constables were required
to attend the Tottington court ; Shaw,
Oldham, 70.
13 See the account of Cheetham.
"Duchy of Lane. Anct. D. L.I22I ;
the date is fixed by the name of the first
witness 'Henry de Wingeham, Chan-
cellor of the King,' 1255-8.
Gilbert de Barton's succession had been
in 1224 disputed by Roger de Notton ;
Cal. Pat. 1216-25, p. 488.
ls The Traffbrd tenure is that recognized
in the feodaries, &c. In the De Lacy Inq.
of 1311 (Chet. Soc. p. 1 9) it was stated
that Henry de Trafford held of the earl
the manor of Chadderton by the service of
one knight's fee, and suit of court.
In 1346 Isabel Queen of England held
it of the heirs of Alice de Lacy as the
fifth of a knight's fee, paying 31. by the
hands of Henry de Trafford her tenant,
and 21. for castle ward ; Add. MS. 32103,
fol. 146.
In 1445-6 Sir Edmund Trafford held
Chadderton for the fifth part of a knight's
fee ; the relief due for it was 20*., but he
said that he was in ward, and no relief
was paid ; Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees,
bdle. 2, no. 20.
The reduction from the fourth part of
a knight to the fifth may have been due
to the separation of Foxdenton.
In 1856 Chadderton still owed suit and
service to the court baron of the honour
of Clitheroe ; E. Butterworth, Oldham
(ed. 1856), 13.
18 Margery, widow of Geoffrey de Chet-
ham, in 1275 claimed dower in 20 acres
in Moston and Chadderton against Geoffrey
de Chadderton ; De Banco R. 10, m. 35.
Chadderton is not noticed in the settle-
ment of Geoffrey de Chadderton's estate
in 1278, unless the 'Couentre' is a mis-
take for it ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 153. Geoffrey de Chadder-
ton was a juror in 1282 ; Inq. and Extents,
i, 244. In 1291 Thomas de Cowlishaw
complained that Geoffrey de Chadderton,
the chief lord, had deprived him of com-
mon of pasture in 100 acres of moor in
Chadderton, appertaining to Thomas's free
tenement in Foxdenton ; but he did not
succeed ; Assize R. 1294, m. 9. In the
same year Geoffrey de Chadderton made
a claim against William son of Robert de
Staynringes, and Christiana his wife, re-
specting his hereditary estate ; ibid. m.
1 1 d. The defendants may have been the
William de la Hacking and Christiana his
wife of the fine above referred to.
V Henry son of Henry son of Richard
de Trafford claimed the manor of Chad-
derton against Henry de Chadderton, on
the ground that his grandfather had de-
mised it to the defendant while of unsound
mind. As in relating he claimed against
Geoffrey de Chadderton, the defendant
116
Henry was acquitted ; Assize R. 408, m.
40 d.
18 Inq. and Extents, i, 313.
In 1301 Geoffrey de Chadderton was
one defendant to a plea of novel disseisin ;
and Geoffrey son of Geoffrey de Chadder-
ton, was a defendant in another case ;
Assize R. 1321, m. 3. In 1304 Geoffrey
de Chadderton the elder claimed certain
lands as his inheritance against Adam de
Rossendale and Margery his wife ; Assize
R. 419, m. 4. In the following year
Geoffrey de Chadderton called upon Henry
son of Henry de Trafford to warrant him
in the possession of certain lands in Chad-
derton claimed by the rector of Prestwich ;
De Banco R. 153, m. 292 d.
Between 1301 and 1305 Geoffrey de
Chadderton and Joan his wife acquired an
estate in An coats ; Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 250 ; Final Cone, ii, I. Geoffrey de
Chadderton and Geoffrey his son attested
a Royton charter in 1310. Geoffrey,
perhaps the younger, was living in 1318,
when Richard his son is mentioned ;
Mamecestre, loc. cit. He died before 1320,
in which year his son William held Fox-
denton ; ibid. 279.
19 The descent here followed is that re-
corded in the inquisition of 1408, recited
in 1511 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv,
96. Geoffrey de Chadderton had several
other sons, e.g., Alexander and Roger ;
Assize R. 1435, m. 37. They had lands
in Moston and Nuthurst in 1320 ; Mame-
cestre, 279. Alexander was living in 1329 ;
Assize R. 427, m. 3.
William de Chadderton, who, as shown
above, succeeded before 1320, was in 1332
among the plaintiffs regarding land in
Chadderton and Oldham ; Assize R. 1411,
m. I2d. In the same year Margery,
widow of William de Chadderton, contri-
buted to the subsidy ; Exch, Lay Sub.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 30.
^John de Radcliffe, 'the parson's son
of Bury,' and Margery his wife were
plaintiffs respecting waste in Chadderton
against John de Huxley and Beatrice his
wife in 1367, and against Sir Henry de
Trafford in 1369 ; De Banco R. 426, m,
35 5 435> m - I2 6- Margery seems to
have been living in 1386 ; Def. Keeper's
Rep. xl, App. 525, 526.
SALFORD HUNDRED
caster by the fourth part of a knight's fee, and by 3/.
yearly (for sake fee) and zs. for ward of Clitheroe
Castle. 21
The heir, John, grandson of Margery, was only
fourteen years of age in 1407. He proved his age
in 141 5, 22 was made a knight, and was living in 1431
when he made a settlement
of his manor of Chadderton,
his wife at that time being
Elizabeth. 23 His heir, a son
Richard, died in 1436," leav-
ing a son a little over a year
old, "and three daughters, Joan,
Margery, and Elizabeth, who
succeeded their brother and
divided the inheritance among
them. Joan married Edmund
Ashton, of the Ashton-under-
Lyne family; their descendants,
the Ashtons of Chadderton
Hall, held the manor till the end of the 1 7th century.
Margery married Ralph Standish of Standish, and a
third of the manor long remained in the possession of
this family. Elizabeth married Robert Radcliffe of
the Ordsall family, and their descendants settled at
Foxdenton.
Joan Ashton died in August 1478 ; her husband
Edmund continued in possession of her third part of
the manor until his death in March 148990 ; their
grandson Edmund son of John was then eleven years
of age. The mesne lordship of the Traffords, ignored
ASHTON of Chadder-
ton. Argent a mullet
sable pierced of the field.
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
in some preceding inquisitions, was now exercised,
Sir John Traffbrd taking the wardship of the heir. 16
Edmund Ashton married Janet, one of the daughters
and co-heirs of Sir James Harrington," and died on
5 March 1542-3, leaving a son and heir James, then
forty-eight years of age. In addition to the third
part of Chadderton, he held the manor of Shuttle-
worth, and lands in Chadderton, Shuttleworth,
Oldham, and Rochdale. 28 James Ashton died
25 August 1549 ; his son Edmund, married in his
grandfather's lifetime to Anne daughter of Ralph
Prestwich, was over twenty-eight years of age. 29
This son Edmund left the family estate unaltered at
his death in August 1584, and was succeeded by his
son James, forty-nine years old. 30 A pedigree was re-
corded in I567. 31
James Ashton married Dorothy, one of the four
daughters and co-heirs of Sir Robert Langley of
Agecroft, and received with her the advowson of
Prestwich and various lands ; and although they died
without issue, the Ashton family appear to have re-
tained Dorothy's share of the Langley property.
James Ashton was sheriff in 1590-1." At his death
in 1612, he was succeeded by his brother Richard's
son Edmund, only eleven years of age. S3 He served
as sheriff in 1627-8." He fought on the king's
side in the Civil War, being one of those who sur-
rendered at Oxford in 1646, and afterwards com-
pounded for his estate." He died early in 1650,
leaving a son James, 38 who had a family of nine chil-
dren. The eldest son, Edmund, was stated to be
31 Inquisition recited, as above stated,
in Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 96.
The clear value was 20 marks. The
other Chadderton estate named is a plough-
land in Witton.
John de Radcliffe seems to have mar-
ried a second time ; for the feoffees of
John son of Roger de Barlow in 1405
granted lands in Manchester and Spotland
to John de Radcliffe for life, with remain-
ders to Robert, Alice, Jemima, Joan,
Ellen, and Elizabeth, his children prob-
ably by Margery de Barlow, after whose
death the trustees had them.
22 He was born 26 Jan. 1392-3, at
Medecroft, and baptized in Bury Church,
the sponsors being John de RadclifFe of
Chadderton and Margaret del Heap ; Dtp.
Keeper's Rep. xxxix, App. 543.
23 Final Cone, iii, 97. Elizabeth, the
widow of Sir John, died 1 5 Aug. 1442 ;
her daughter and heir was Margaret, wife
of Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe, then aged about
thirty years ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1489.
24 The writs of Diem clausit extr. after
the deaths of Sir John de Radcliffe of
Chadderton and of Richard his son were
respectively issued on 7 Oct. and 13 Nov.
1436 ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 37.
25 The inq. p.m. is in Towneley MS.
DD, no. 1487 ; in this the mesne lordship
of Sir Edmund Trafford is recognized ;
the clear value of the manor wa 30.
Richard and Elizabeth his wife had jointly
held messuages and lands in Spotland.
26 Two records remain ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. iii, 74, 80. In the former, Edmund
Ashton is stated to have died 20 Mar.
1489-90 ; in the latter, on 29 Aug. 1488.
The third part of the manor and lordship
of Chadderton, with ten messuages, 200
acres of land, &c., were held of the king
as Duke of Lancaster by the third part of
the fourth part of a knight's fee, and were
worth 20 a year clear Sir John Traf-
ford sold the marriage of the heir to Ed-
ward Ashton, clerk, and other members
of the family, for 46 13*. d. The
inquisitions seem to have been taken, on
the heir's coming of age, in 1500 and
1501, and to have been connected with
the Traffords" mesne lordship and its
appurtenant right of wardship and mar-
riage. This mesne lordship having been
ignored in the inquisition the king, as
duke, put in a claim to the 4.6 131. $d. ;
to the ' utter undoing ' of the said Edward
Ashton and the others ; Duchy Plead. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 47. The mat-
ter again came up in the cases of Thomas
Radcliffe and Ralph Standish, in 1511 and
1512 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 96 ;
iii, 2.
V The agreement for the marriage was
made in 1491 ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.),
bdle. 3, no. 47. On the division of the
Harrington of Wolfage estates' in 1517
James Ashton of Chadderton, son of Janet,
received lands in Brixworth valued at
15 151. a year, as his portion ; Norris
D. (B.M.).
28 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, 4 5
the rent of i zd. for sake fee is mentioned.
Edward Ashton, brother of Edmund, had
the manor of Shuttleworth for life.
James Ashton had special livery of his
lands in 1545 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxix,
App. 550. A detailed account of his
possessions at the time is among the Raines
D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle. 4, no. 60.
29 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, 29.
The provision for the son's wife is recorded
in the previous inquisition.
Edmund son of James Ashton had
special livery in 1550 ; Dep, Keeper's Rep.
xxxix, App. 550.
80 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, 66.
A settlement of the manor, &c., was im-
mediately made by James Ashton ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 56, m. 33.
The will of Edmund Ashton, dated
1583, is printed in Piccope, Wills (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 169, 170.
. 81 Visit, of 1567 (Chet. Soc.), p. 20;
this records the marriage of James Ashton.
82 P.R.O. List, 73.
88 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 224.
Annuities of 10 each were settled
on Richard Ashton in 1569, and on Ed-
mund Ashton in 1577, by their father
Edmund and elder brother James ; Raines
D. (Chet. Lib.), bdle. 4, no. 65, 66. The
will of James Ashton is printed in Shaw,
Oldham, 53. Richard Ashton died in May
1609, holding lands in Oldham ; his wife
Anne survived him, and his son Edmund
was eight years of age ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 145.
In addition to their lands the Ashtons
had a lease of the tithes of Oldham cha-
pelry, and presented to the curacy ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 112.
84 P.R.O. List, 73. A settlement of
his third part of the manor was made in
1624; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 103,
no. 1 8. He paid ^25 in 1631 on declin-
ing knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 216. An early will (1623)
of his is printed in Shaw, Oldham, 63.
84 Roy. Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 91 ; he had taken the
National Covenant and the Negative
Oath.
86 James Ashton of Chadderton was
buried at Oldham I May 1651. John
Vicars in Dagon Demolished says about
Mr. Ashton that he was ' once a desperate
Malignant in the first war against the
Parliament, but afterwards, having made
his peace, taken the Engagement, and
turned a great stickler for the present
times, was made a justice of peace and
became one of Mr. Constantine's greatest
enemies,'sequestered his benefice(Oldham),
seventeen years of age in 1664, when a pedigree was
recorded. 37 The ultimate heir of the Chadderton
estates was the youngest son,
William, born about 1649,
who was rector of Carlton in
Lindrick and of Prestwich till
his death in 1731. He sold
the family inheritance, but left
a considerable fortune, divided
between his daughters, Kathe-
rine, wife of John Blackburne
of Orford, and Dorothy, wife
of Sir Darcy Lever of Alk-
rington.* 8
Chadderton Hall, with its
third part of the manor, was
purchased in 1684 by Joshua
Horton of Sowerby, Yorkshire,
who came to reside here. 39
HORTON of Chadder-
ton, baronet. Gules a
lion rampant argent
charged on the breast
ivith a boar's head coup-
ed azure, a bordure en-
grailed of the second.
His son Thomas, sometime Governor of the Isle of
Man, was succeeded by his
son William, high sheriff in
1 7 64,* when he was made a
baronet. He died ten years
later, his son Sir Watts Horton
succeeding. 41 On his death
in 1811, Chadderton went
to his brother, the Rev. Sir
Thomas Horton, 42 and on his
death without sons to Sir
Watts's only daughter, Harriet
Susanna Anne, who married
Major Charles Rees of Kil-
maenllwyd, Carmarthenshire,
and died in 1827, leaving a
son Horton and two daughters.
Major Rees or Rhys retained
Chadderton till his death in
1852. It was sold to the Lees
of Clarksfield family in 1865,
and the trustees of the late
Colonel Edward Brown Lees
are the present owners. No
manor is now claimed. 43
Chadderton Hall 44 is a brick-built 18th-century
house with stone dressings, the principal front facing
south with projecting end wings, connected on the
ground story by a well-designed classic screen of
coupled Tuscan columns carrying entablature and
balustrade. The design is one of some merit, and
together with the stables and other outbuildings which
are built at right angles on either side, forms a good
architectural whole. The roofs have flat hips and
are covered with green slates, and the window bars
and the sashes remain. The interior contains a good
staircase with rich renaissance detail. Of the appear-
ance of the former old hall nothing is known, but the
house was probably rebuilt in its present form about the
middle of the 1 8th century by Sir William Horton. 44 *
The grounds are now used as pleasure gardens.
Of the third part of the manor held by the
Standishes of Standish little can be said. The
family do not seem to have resided here, but the
share is duly mentioned in inquisitions 44 and settle-
CHADDERTON HALL
banished him,and otherwise persecuted him.
His death, by ' such a languishing sickness
as made him daily pine away, so as no
means or physic could help him,' was
regarded as a divine punishment, and it
happened the day before or day after
Mr. Constantine was to have appeared
before him, as justice 5 Local Gleanings
Lanes, and Cbes. ii, 17.
7 Dugdale, Vhit. (Chet. Soc.), 18.
Edmund Ashton is said to have been
killed in a duel 17 March 1664-5 > he
was gentleman of the bedchamber to the
Duke of York, and lieut.-colonel in the
Horse Guards ; Butterworth, Oldham, 157.
The story must be false, for Edmund
Ashton, having attained his majority,
appeared by proxy at Ightenhill manor
court on 15 April 1665, to be admitted
to lands at Padiham previously held by
his grandfather Edmund ; Raines D.
(Chet. Lib.), bdle. 8. The age, as re-
corded by Dugdale, may therefore be some
years too little.
Edmund Ashton was still living in 1684,
when he concurred with the other lords
of the manor in granting leave 'to dig,
delve, search for and get coals, to sink,
tunnel, and make pit shafts,' &c., on the
North Moor, on the west side of the Mere
Ditch; Shaw, Oldham, 188.
88 See the account of him among the
rectors of Prestwich. By his will (1728)
he made provision for the payment of
,4,000, the marriage portion of his daugh-
ter Dorothy ; and by a codicil (1731) left
to her and her son Ashton Lever, and
the heirs male, his chapel in Prestwich
Church.
89 These particulars are from the Horton
pedigrees in Burke's Commoners, i, 284,
with later particulars from Landed Gentry,
under De Ferry of Kilmaenllwyd ; G.E.C.
Complete Baronetage, v, 128 ; Shaw, Old-
ham, 193, &c., and Canon Raines in
Notitia Cestr. (1849), "> rl 4"
William, son of Joshua Horton of
Chadderton and Mary his wife, was bap-
tized at Oldham 12 October 1686. Other
children were also baptized there, showing
that the family resided.
40 P.R.O. List, 74.
41 He was high sheriff in 1775. There
was a recovery of the third part of the
manor in 1778, Sir Watts Horton being
tenant ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 628, m.
7<j. Sir Watts Horton's conciliatory con-
duct at a time of bread riots in Oldham is
118
described in E. Butterworth's Hist, of
Oldham (ed. 1856), 138.
43 Sir Thomas was the owner in 1817 ;
Butterworth, Oldham, 155. He died in
1821.
A large number of letters and papers of
the Ashton and Horton families came
into the possession of Canon Raines, and
are now in the Chetham Library, vols.
xxxii-xxxv of his MSS.
48 Information of Mr. Thomas Hey-
wood.
44 A view of the hall (1794), with a
short description, is given in Dr. Aikin's
Country Round Manch. 24 1 .
44a Raines" notes to Gastrell's Notitia
(Chet. Soc. xix).
45 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 126;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 76 ;
after the death of Margery, wife of Ralph
Standish and then of Thomas Radcliffe,
one of the daughters and heirs of Richard
Radcliffe of Chadderton, who died in May
1476 seised of the third part of the manor
and various lands and messuages held of
the king as of his duchy of Lancaster by
knight's service, Sir Alexander her son
was heir. Sir Alexander died in 1507
holding the same third by the same ser-
SALFORD HUNDRED
ments down to 1660.** Two years later it was sold,
with Royton, to Thomas Percival and his brother
Richard, and descended with
Royton for some time. 47
In 1787 Thomas Butter-
worth Bayley of the Hope
in Pendleton was one of the
chief landowners. 48
FOXDENTON,^ the fami-
ly seat, gives a name to the
third of the manor which be-
longed to Elizabeth Radclyffe
and descended to her son
William, who died in 1507,
leaving as heir his son Thomas,
then six months old. In this
case also the wardship was
claimed by the Traffords in right of their mesne
RADCLYFFK of Fox-
denton. Argent nvo
bends engrailed sable, a
label of three points gules.
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
manor. 50 In 1567 Thomas Radcliffe made a settle-
ment of his manor, and dying in the same year was
succeeded by his son William, then forty years of
age." William, who forfeited the manor to his brother
John in ten years," died in 1 590 without issue. John,
dying in 1587, was succeeded by his daughter Mar-
garet, 53 who at her death in I 590 was also the heir of
her uncle William ; she married Richard Radcliffe
of Newcroft, a younger son of Sir William Radcliffe of
Ordsall, and left as heir a son William, nine years of
age in I59I. 54 He was living in 1642, when he
made a settlement of his estates.* 5 He left three sons,
one of whom, Sir William, fought on the king's side
in the Civil War, and was knighted. 56 He was with
Lord Hopton's force when it capitulated at Truro
in l646. 57 He died soon afterwards, and was
succeeded by his brother Alexander, 58 but the
ultimate heirs were two daughters Mary, who
vice ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 25.
Ralph his son and heir in 1512 came
forward to correct the finding of the in-
quest, stating the descent of the manor
and establishing the Traffords' mesne
lordship ; ibid, iii, 2.
In 1540 the king granted the Earl of
Derby an annual rent of 20 marks issuing
from the third part of the manor of Chad-
derton, together with the wardship and
marriage of Ralph son and heir of Alex-
ander Standish, a minor ; Duchy of Lane.
Misc. Bks. xxii, 161 d. Edward Standish
in 1556 sought a division of 100 acres of
land, &c., which he held in Chadderton
jointly with Thomas Radcliffe of Fox-
denton ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 202, m.
13. About the same time Mary Standish,
widow, complained of the interruption of
a road between Chadderton and Alkring-
ton ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 305.
Edward Standish, who died in 1610, held
the third part of the manor ; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 18$.
In this and other inquisitions the service
is erroneously stated as the third part of a
knight's fee, instead of the third part of a
fourth part.
44 E.g. Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 75,
no. 1 1 (1610); bdle. Si, no. 8 (1613); bdle.
121, no. 5 (1632); bdle. 165, no. 8 (1660).
*1 Shaw, Oldham, 157. The Standish
inheritance seems to have been sold piece-
meal. In 1668 Edward Standish sold land,
&c., to various tenants ; ibid. 169.
48 Land Tax returns at Preston. The
other principal contributors were Sir Watt*
Horton and Mr. Radclyffe's executors.
49 As above stated, Gilbert de Barton
sold his right in Chadderton to the superior
lord, Edmund de Lacy, about 125$. Fox-
denton, however or Denton simply, as it
was anciently called was not included in
this sale, but transferred to the Grelleys,
lords of Manchester, and held of them by
the Chadderton family e.g. by Geoffrey
de Chadderton in 1282, and by William
de Chadderton in 1320, as i oxgang, by
the rent of id. ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents,
i, 247 ; Mamecestre, 279. From this time
Foxdenton seems to have merged again in,
Chadderton, its connexion with Man-
chester being forgotten.
Gilbert de Barton granted to the canons
of Coekersand land in Denton, with the
usual easements in the vills of Chadderton
and Denton, and acquittance of pannage
for their pigs in the wood of Lyme. The
bounds recited mention Ridley Syke,
Blacklache, the Church land, Hazelhead
Brook, and Ripley Brook ; Coekersand
Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 732.
50 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 139;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 36 ; iv, 96.
From this it appears that Elizabeth had
married again, and in 1497 a ve John
Duncalf for life a messuage and 40 acres
in Chadderton. William Radcliffe's feoff-
ment, made shortly before his death, is
recited, making provision for his various
children. Two of these, John and Roger,
were illegitimate, and their lands reverted
at their death in 1527 and 1528 to
Thomas Radcliffe ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. vi, 60.
The inquisition after William Radcliffe
is also recorded in Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
113, m. 19, in connexion with the Traf-
ford claim to the wardship of the heir.
At m. 1 8 is the Standish case.
Margery Kirke, widow of William
Radcliffe of Chadderton, died in 1521,
Thomas the son and heir being then
described as over sixteen years of age ;
she had held eight messuages, 40 acres of
land, &c., in the township ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. v, 38.
61 Ibid, xi, 25. The settlement re-
cited in it granted the manor, after the
death of Thomas, to the use of his eldest
son William for sixty years, then to the
use of any wife of William for her life,
then to any son of the said William and
his heirs male ; then to the second and
third sons of Thomas in the same way.
William was to 'leave and forbear the
company of Margery Hawkirk, with
whom he was suspected to lead an un-
godly life,' and within ten years marry
' such gentlewoman or other woman being
of honest name and fame,' approved by
the trustees ; see ibid, iii, 13.
The will of Thomas Radcliffe is
printed in Piccope's Wills (Chet. Soc. ),ii,
163-4 ; his sons William and John, and
daughters {Catherine, Ellen, Margaret,
Elizabeth, and Anne, are named, and three
bastard children. He desired to be buried
in Oldham Church, near his wife.
52 In accordance with the father's set-
tlement.
53 Inq. p.m. last cited, and xiv, 54.
John Radcliffe, who was ' of Gisburn,' in
1580, in consideration of the marriage
between his daughter Margaret and
Richard Radcliffe of Newcroft, gave his
manor and lands in Chadderton to trus-
tees for their benefit. John had various
disputes with his elder brother William
(see Ducatus Lane. [Rec. Com.], iii, 177,
512), who in 1589 laid claim to the
estate, but seems to have been defeated.
William made settlements of the third
part of the manor, with various mes-
suages, water-mills and dovecotes, lands,
&c., in Chadderton, Foxdenton, Oldham,
and Glodwick, in 1587 and 1588 ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 49, m. 54 ; 50, m.
118.
William Radcliffe died 30 June 1590,
holding two messuages, &c., in Glod-
wick, his heir being his niece Margaret ;
ibid, xv, m. 23. His nuncupative will is
printed in Wills (Chet. Soc. new ser.), i,
108. He left his goods to his wife and
his son Walter.
54 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xv, 25.
She died 28 November 1590. There were
a younger son and six daughters, of whom
one grew up. Her husband died 13
January 1602-3, an( * was buried in Flix-
ton Church, where there is a brass.
45 He granted to Sir Alexander Rad-
cliffe of Ordsall and other trustees his
capital messuage of Denton and the manor
of Chadderton, with the demesne lands ;
the coal mines at Huntclough ; part of a
water corn - mill and two kilns, and
various tenements ; the capital messuage
called Newcroft in Urmston ; for the use
of his son and heir Robert, with remain-
der to younger sons William and Alexan-
der. The father reserved to himself
rooms at Foxdenton and an annuity of
40, and made provision for his younger
sons and his daughters Margaret, Eliza-
beth, Susan, and Mary ; Shaw, Oldham,
93-
56 He was made a knight in the field,
at the pursuit of Essex's army, i Septem-
ber, 1 644 ; Metcalfe, Knights, 202.
*7 He had a colonel's commission from
Prince Charles. After the surrender he
had leave to return to Foxdenton, Lord
Fairfax reporting that he was ' very civil
and fair in his demeanour,' the country
commending him 'for preserving them
often from the injuries which they were
subject unto by the unruly soldiers.' His
estates were, of course, sequestered by the
Parliament, but he compounded, stating
the annual value of the estates as 235,
and claiming a mitigation of the fine on
the ground that he was neither ' a papist
in arms,' nor a participant in the ' rebel-
lion of Ireland.' He made his will in
1647, desiring to be buried in Oldham
Church, and making provision for his
wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Rowland
Egerton of Farthinghoe ; Shaw, Oldham
96-8, 103-8. Dame Elizabeth's will,
dated 1650, is printed ibid. 116, 117.
58 In 1652 a settlement was made by
Alexander Radcliffe and Mary his wife ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 152, m. 6$.
The remainders, after his issue, were to
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
married John Byrom of Salford, and Susan, who
married Alexander Potter of Manchester. 59 These
ladies bequeathed Foxdenton to their distant cousin
Alexander Radcliffe, great-great-great-grandson of the
Sir William Radcliffe of Ordsall from whom they
were descended. 60
In this branch of the family the spelling Radclyffe
being used Foxdenton has descended to the present
time. 61 Alexander was duly succeeded by his son,
grandson, and great-grandson, each named Robert.
The last of them, dying in 1854, had a son and heir
Charles James, who was in 1882 followed by his son
Mr. Charles James Radclyffe, born in 1839, of Fox-
denton and Hyde near Wareham. 61 Foxdenton ceased
to be the family residence about a century ago. 63
The hall is a plain classic building with projecting
end wings and steep hipped roofs, erected probably
about the beginning of the i8th century. The first
hall was described as a ' noble and lofty edifice of the
1 6th century fronting northerly, with two wings,
overlooking a beautiful lawn.' ^ Of this house, how-
ever, nothing remains, and a stone under the steps of
the present hall on the north side, which bears the
date 1620, together with the initials W.R. and the
Radcliffe coat of arms, seems to indicate a rebuilding
of some portion of the house at the date mentioned. 631 *
FOXDENTON HALL
Susan, then wife of Alexander Potter of
Foxdenton, to Mary Radcliffe, to Sir
Alexander Radcliffe of Ordsall, &c. ;
Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), 4/72. See also
Cal. Com. for Compounding, ii, 1445. He
died about eighteen months after this, for
his widow Mary joined in a mortgage of
Foxdenton in 1654; Shaw, Oldham, 146.
By this time his sister Mary was the wife
of John Byrom of Salford.
A fine respecting a third part of the
manors of Glodwick, Oldham, and Chad-
derton in 1662 may relate to the Radcliffe
inheritance ; the deforciants were John
Deane and Magdalen his wife ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 168, m. 118.
59 Major Byrom and Dr. Potter were in
possession in 1667, when the manor court
allowed John Hall, with their permission,
to build a cottage, which might stand 'so
long as those who live therein do not beg,
but labour for their living ' ; Shaw, op.
cit. 169.
60 The Potters resided at Foxdenton.
In 1681 Alexander Potter was assessed
there; ibid. 186. He and his wife made
a demise of their moiety of Foxdenton in
1684 ; ibid. 192. He died in 1691, aged
eighty-eight, and was buried in Oldham
Church ; ibid. 205. His widow was buried
there 25 January 1696-7 ; ibid. 218.
In 1692 there was a recovery of Mary
Byrom's moiety of the manor ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 228, m. 97.
On ii May 1693 Susan Potter of Fox-
denton and Mary Byrom of Salford, widows,
made their wills, devising Foxdenton and
other estates to trustees, for the benefit of
John, grandson of Sir Alexander Radcliffe
of Ordsall, and then of Alexander, elder
son of Captain Robert Radcliffe, late of
Withenshaw he was killed in a duel in
1686 ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), iii,
617 and his sons in tail male ; then of
Edward, younger son of Robert, &c. ;
Shaw, Oldham, pp. 210-13. Alexander
was at this time about fifteen years of age.
Abstracts of a number of Radclyffe
leases from 1707 onwards are printed in
Shaw's Oldham, pp. 243, &c. On 6 Janu-
ary 1725-6 Alexander Radclyffe of Fox-
denton leased to Edmund Radclyffe the
messuage called Cowper's Tenement,
wood and timber and mines of coal
J2O
and stone being excepted, but with
reasonable hedgebote, &c. The rent was
to be 2 if., one day's ploughing (or
41. dd,\ the carriage of twenty baskets
of coal to Foxdenton Hall (or 21. fid.), one
day leading dung (or 21. 6</.), four days'
' shearing ' in harvest (or 21. 8^.), three
days' harrowing (or 35.), two fat hens (or
ii. 4</.), at death the best beast ; two young
oaks or ashes were to be planted each
year ; ibid. 284. A ' fifteenth ' levied in
1720 is printed on p. 272.
A settlement was made in 1730 by
Alexander Radclyffe, Elizabeth his wife,
and Robert Radclyffe ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 305, m. 97.
61 Robert Radclyffe paid a duchy rent of
21. in 1779 ; Duchy of Lane. Rentals,
14/25 m.
62 For pedigrees see Burke's Commoners,
iv, 399 ; Landed Gentry , Foster, Lanes.
Pedigrees.
63 Butterworth says ' some time since,'
writing in 1817 ; Oldham, 146.
63a Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Sac. xi, 1 62.
63b Ibid. The stone was probably a
doorhead.
SALFORD HUNDRED
The sash windows retain their wooden bars, and the
elevation has a certain dignity now much impaired by
neglect and change of surroundings. A gatehouse,
named in the year 1651, has now disappeared. eae
Manor courts were held in the iyth century by
the three lords jointly, as it would appear. 64
The church at Prestwich had land in Chadderton
of the gift of Gilbert de Barton ; a moiety of it was
granted by Robert the rector to Richard son of Gil-
bert de Scolecroft. 65 The Hospitallers also had land
in the township, 65 and grants to Stanlaw and Cocker-
sand Abbey will be found recorded in the notes. 67
Apart from the lords of the manor there were not
any freeholders of note before the I7th century. 68
About that time the Scholes family came into notice ;
they held land in Okeden or Ogden of the lords of the
manor. 69 The mills are mentioned in several ancient
deeds. 70 Matthew Fold is mentioned in 1691."
PRESTWICH WITH
OLDHAM
John Ashton of Cowhill was one of the victims of
the ' Peterloo Massacre' in 1819."
There are several places of worship in Chadder-
ton. 73 The earliest in connexion with the Established
Church St. Margaret's, Hollinwood is now in Old-
ham. It was followed by St. Matthew's, 1 848-5 7 ;
the Crown and the Bishop of Manchester present
alternately. 74 Then came Christ Church in 1870,
the patronage being vested in five trustees ; it has a
chapel of ease called Emmanuel, and some mission
rooms. 75 St. Luke's, to which the Bishop of Man-
chester collates, was built in 1888 : the district was
taken from St. Matthew's.
The Wesleyan Methodists have churches at Chad-
derton Fold and Middleton Junction, and a preach-
ing room at Cowhill.
The Baptists have a chapel at Mills Hill, on the
border of Tonge.
63C Raines* notes to Gastrell's Notitia
(Chet. Soc. xix). Raines notes in 1849
that numerous family portraits still hung
in the house.
64 Oldham Notes and Gleanings, ii, 223,
from Raines MSS. xxiv, 107.
65 Hornby Chapel D. The bounds de-
scribed began on the east side of the springs,
and mention the land of Robert de Hulton,
the lache under Lonesedge, Romesdene,
Hennerode; Ytheyc; andTinte Carr. The
rent payable was id.
By another grant the parson of Prest-
wich gave to Robert son of Gilbert de
Scolecroft and his heirs by Amaria daugh-
ter of Peter de Hopwood all the land in
Chadderton granted in pure alms by
Gilbert de Barton to God and B. Mary of
Prestwich at a rent of zs. ; Booker, Prest-
ivich, 250 ; Agecroft D. 5.
Richard de Scolecroft, son of Gilbert
son of Wllet, granted to his son Alan the
half of the land he had purchased from
Sir Gilbert de Barton, and to hold as
freely as the grantor had held it of the
rectors of Prestwich ; Booker, op. cit. 252.
The bounds of this land ate identical with
those of the first-mentioned deed, so that
Gilbert de Barton, after selling to the
Scolecrofts, had granted his lordship to
Prestwich Church. Then Alan son of
Richard de Scolecroft gave this land to his
brother Robert ; ibid. 251.
William de Scolecroft in 1415 demised
his lands in Chadderton to Robert de
Buckley for five years ; Raines D. (Chet.
Lib.), 3/35.
The family took their name from a
place in the north-west corner of the
township, now Scowcroft.
In 1304 Master William de Marklan,
the rector, claimed two messuages, 31
acres of land, and 7 acres of meadow in
Chadderton and Radcliffe as the free alms
pertaining to the church of Prestwich ;
the defendants, who held it as a lay fee,
were Richard de Radcliffe, Geoffrey de
Chadderton, Margery de Scolecroft, and
Adam her son ; De Banco R. 149, m. 255;
R. 158, m. 158 d, &c. Adam de Scole-
croft and Adam son of Amaria contributed
to the subsidy of 1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 30.
66 It is mentioned in the list of their
lands in 1292 ; Plac. de Quo War. (Rec.
Com.), 375.
67 These monastic lands are probably
the lands in Chadderton held by Thomas
Holt of Gristehurst in 1560; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 46.
68 In 1537 the free tenants numbered
12, 13, and 19 in the Standish, Ashton,
and Radcliffe lordships; Shaw, Oldham, 13.
An assessment for the fifteenth in 1577
is printed in Oldham Notes and Gleanings,
iii, 61-3, from the Raines MSS. xxiv,
275. It gives the names of the contribu-
tors ranged under the three lordships.
69 ' For goods ' James Scholes contri-
buted to the subsidy of 1526 ; Shaw, Old-
ham, 1 6. William Scholes contributed to
that of 1541 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 145. Various members of
the family holding under the Standish
part of the manor paid to the fifteenth in
1577, John Scholes contributing as a
' mesne tenant ' ; Shaw, 29. John Scholes
died in 1589, holding a messuage and
23 acres called Okeden of the lords of the
manor in socage by a rent of 6J. t leaving
a son and heir John, aged over thirty-
eight in 1619 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 147. This
John Scholes died in 1630, holding the
same lands, and leaving as heir his son
William, over twenty-three years of age ;
Towneley MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.),
p. 1 08 1 -2. Robert Scholes contributed
to the subsidy in 1622 ; Misc. (ut sup.),
i, 157. Richard and William Scholes
were two of the four presenting the names
of those liable to be assessed in Chadderton
in 1641 ; Shaw's Assessment, 14 ; see
also Shaw, Oldham, 153, 155, 171. 'The
late Mr. S. Scholes' s estate, near Earn-
shaw Lane,' which separates Moston and
Chadderton, is mentioned in Butterworth's
Oldham (1817), 165.
James Scholes, 1671, issued a half-penny
token ; Lane, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 75.
With regard to their holding it may be
noted that Richard de Okeden paid zs. zd.
to the subsidy of 1332; Exch. Lay Subs.
30.
The other 'mesne tenants' in 1577
were the Mill, James Whitehead, Henry
Brearley, and Francis Buckley. The
Whiteheads and Buckleys occur in other
lists. John son and heir of Richard
Chadderton in 1507 demised his tenement
called Colesha (Coldshaw) for twenty-one
years to Nicholas Whitehead and Margery
his wife ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), 4/48.
Stockfield (Hibbert) and Birchen Bower
(Robinson) are mentioned in 1817 as
recently seats of the owners ; Butter-
worth, op. cit. 162, 163.
7 In 1448 John Huntington, warden
of Manchester, was arbitrator in a dispute
between the rector of Prestwich and the
lords of Chadderton as to tithe of th mill.
Elizabeth daughter of Richard de Rad-
cliffe, one of the co-heirs, was not then of
full age ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.), 3/40.
Twenty years later an agreement wag
made for the leasing of the ' old mill ' ;
Edmund Ashton, Thomas Radcliffe, and
Thomas Duncalf also agreed to make no
new mill during the term, but would re-
quire their tenants to grind at the old
one, as before ; ibid. 3/42.
The three lords in 1581 ordered their
tenants to grind at the Chadderton mill
and not elsewhere, under a fine of 6s. 8</.j
Shaw, Oldham, 31. Further orders were
made in 1 5 99 and 1617; Oldham Notes
and Gleanings, ii, 163 (from Raines MSS.
in Chet. Lib. xxiv, 58).
Edmund Ashton in 1 669 leased to James
Wilson of Poppythorn in Prestwich,
clothier, the fulling mill in Chadderton ;
Raines D.
7* James Taylor was the owner or
lessee ; Shaw, Oldham, 209.
7 2 E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1856),
170.
73 The ' curate at Chadderton,' men-
tioned in 1622, was perhaps the curate of
Oldham ; later curates lived in Chadder-
ton ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 67. The name of the place may be
wrongly given.
7 4 Lond. Gam. 22 Oct. 1844. The
original building of 1848 a temporary
one, of wood was burnt down ; the pre-
sent church was consecrated 9 November
1857.
75 For district assigned, ibid. 28 Mar.
1871.
121
16
122
SALFORD HUNDRED
BURY
BURY
ELTON
HEAP
BURY
WALMERSLEY - WITH
SHUTTLEWORTH
TOTTINGTON HIGHER END
TOTTINGTON LOWER END
MUSBURY
COWPE, LENCH, NEWHALL
HEY, HALL CARR
The parish of Bury, of which two townships
Cowpe-Lench and Musbury lie in the hundred of
Blackburn, has an area of 24,915 acres. The Irwell
flows southward through the middle of it, and it is
bounded by hills on the east, west, and north, those
in Tottington attaining elevations of 1,200 to
1, 500 ft. The Carboniferous Rocks occur through-
out the parish. At Bury, Elton, and Red vales the
Coal Measures cover a considerable area ; elsewhere
the Lower Coal Measures occur, except between
Walmersley and Birtle, where the Millstone Grit is
thrown up by faults.
Anciently there were only two manors or town-
ships in the parish, but these were later subdivided,
the old ' hamlets ' becoming townships ; and in recent
years great changes have been made in the boundaries
to accord with the changes that have taken place in
the distribution of the population and the resulting
progress of local government. To the county lay of
1624 Bury and its hamlets paid 6 i6s. 6V., and
Tottington 3 8/. ^d., when the hundred contributed
j^ioo. 1 To the fifteenth the payments respectively
were z $*. ^d. and 15^. 8</. out of 41 \\s. \d?
There is evidence in the history of the town of
Bury of the disturbances raised by Adam Banastre in
the time of Edward II, Henry de Bury being killed by
his emissaries. Many people of the district no doubt
accompanied the Pilkingtons, whose fortified dwelling
stood in the town, to the foreign wars, as well as to
the fatal fields of Bosworth and Stoke. There were
also domestic wars nearer home ; for about 1447 a
number of the people of Butterworth and Spotland,
having gathered a company of sixty ' malefactors,' came
to Bury arrayed in manner of war, with a white
banner carried before them ; they then marched off
to Hundersfield in Rochdale, where the demonstra-
tion ended in the death of one Roger Smethley. It
seems to have been intended to intimidate the Holts.*
The Reformation appears to have passed by with-
out any resistance or opposition, the people here, as
in the neighbourhood, soon becoming favourable to
the Puritans. On a certain Sunday of July 1588
the town was disturbed by a number of Oldham men,
who, in time of divine service, made * foul disorders '
by galloping horses in the street, shouting and piping ;
*a lamentable spectacle in the place of preaching
ministry,' as the narrator remarks. 4 About the same
time the mining industry comes into notice, by a
dispute concerning ' mines, delphs, and pits of coal.' '
The making of woollen yarn had been mentioned by
Leland fifty years earlier.
In the Civil War the lord of Bury took the lead on
the king's side, and the rector was also a Royalist,
while John Greenhalgh and Edward Nuttall dis-
tinguished themselves in the same cause. A conflict
is reported to have taken place close to the town of
Bury on 14 August i648. 6 The restoration of
Charles II was cordially welcomed in Bury, 7 but the
revolution appears to have been acquiesced in as
readily, and nothing is known of any Jacobite sym-
pathizers in the risings of the 1 8th century.
In 1798, during the French War, a volunteer
force was created under the name of the Loyal Bury
Volunteer Association. 8 A rifle corps was formed in
1859, an ^ l ^ e town is now ^e head quarters of the
5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (Territorials). 9
Bury has had its share in the great development of
Lancashire manufactures, and here, as elsewhere, dis-
tress in times of bad trade produced disturbances, of
which the most notable examples were the riots of
l826, 10 and the ' plug drawing ' of 1842. The agri-
cultural land in the parish is now apportioned thus :
Arable land, 1,315 acres; permanent grass, 12,691 ;
woods and plantations, 61. The following are
details :
Arable
acres
180
Grass Woods, &c.
acres acres
1,248 8
Elton
14-3
7 T
1,721 14-
Heywood ....
Tottington . . .
Ramsbottom . . .
Walmersley
T J
93
26
7
56
* / J
1,435
2,032
3,533 39
2,720
1 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland), 22.
2 Ibid. 1 8.
8 Pal. of Lane. Plea. R. n, m. 32.
4 Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
572-
* Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 258.
6 B. T. Barton, Hist, of Bury, 35. The
writer admits that the story is merely
traditional; the 'castle' is said to have
been finally destroyed at this time. It
was said that for many successive years
all the grain grown on the place of con-
flict in Bury Lane (now Bolton Street)
was ' streaked as if with gore,' due to the
blood shed there. Butcher Lane is said
to have been named from a butcher who,
being pursued in the fighting, made his
horse leap across both the hedges border-
ing the lane ; ibid. 44. The name, how-
ever, occurs earlier.
It may be added that the History quoted
was a compilation from earlier writers and
was issued in 1874. The author died in
1896.
123
The worthies of the parish include Henry Dunster,
1609-59, the first president of Harvard ; Captain
William Kay, who took part in the defence of Lathom
House in 1644, and died a prisoner for debt in
Lancaster Castle in 1670 ; Edward Rothwell, a Non-
conformist divine, who ministered in Bury, Holcombe,
and the district, and died in 1731 ; John Warburton,
1682-1759, book collector ; Josiah Nuttall, naturalist,
1771-1849; John Ainsworth, local historian, born
near Chamber Hall, 1777-1858 ; 10a James Bateman,
botanist, born at Redvales in 1811, and died at
Worthing in 1897 ; Sir James Phillips Kay-Shuttle-
worth, bart., a founder of the system of school inspec-
tion, 1804-77; his brother, Sir Edward Ebenezer
Kay, judge, 1822-97 ; Sir John Holker, politician
7 For an account of the festivities see
Manch. Guardian Local N. and Q. no.
577, quoting Parl. Intelligence, no. 27
(2 July 1660).
8 Barton, Bury, 71.
9 There is a full account of the local
force in T. H. Hayhurst, Bury and
Rossendale Volunteer Movement (Bury
1887).
lu Barton, op. cit. 163.
lOa Bury Library Quart. July 1906,
P-55-
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
and judge, 1828-82 ; and Sir William Hardman,
1828-90, sometime Recorder of Kingston and editor
of the Morning Post. Lives of most of them will be
found in the Dictionary of National Biography. Others
are noticed in the different townships.
The church of ST*. MART stands in
CHURCH the centre of the town, to the north of
the market-place, on an ancient site, but
is itself a modern building erected entirely in the
I gth century. A church is said to have been built
here in the 1 3th century, and restored or rebuilt
about 1535; but it had fallen into a state of decay
by the middle of the i8th century, and in the year
1773 was taken down, with the exception of the tower,
and a new building erected between the years 1773
and 1780. Old prints show this church to have been
rectangular in plan, with a square projecting chancel,
built in pseudo-Gothic style, with two tiers of pointed
windows, straight parapets, and drafted angle quoins.
The tower, which is described in 1829 as an 'old
small semi-spire steeple ' detracting from the appear-
ance of the church," having been damaged in 1839,
was taken down four years later, and the present
tower and broach spire built in 18445. The i8th-
century church stood till 1870, when the chancel
was taken down and the present one begun ; but in
the course of reconstruction the whole of the old
building was declared to be unsafe, and was pulled
down in 1872. The present handsome church was
erected between 1870 and 1876, Mr. F. S. Crowther
being the architect, and consists of an apsidal chancel
56 ft. 6 in. long by 27 ft. 8 in. wide, with south chapel
and north vestry, nave 84ft. 6 in. long by 3 oft. wide,
with north and south aisles and south porch. The
tower of 1 845 was retained at the west end, and is
joined on to the new church by a wide narthex ex-
tending the whole width of the nave and aisles, to
which it is open by three arches. The building is of
stone, in the style of the I4th century, with lofty
clearstory and roof, quite overshadowing the tower
and spire, which, though too big for the church as it
was before 1870, is now too small. The interior is
partly lined with bricks, and is a fine example of
modern Gothic work. The height of the chancel is
Institution
oc. 1189 . .
bef. 1226 .
Name
Peter the Chaplain *
Henry" ....
63 ft., and that of the nave 76ft. The fittings, like
the structure, are all modern, and there is nothing
about the building of antiquarian interest.
The churchyard was enlarged in 1843, and closed
for interments in 1855. It is paved with headstones
laid flat, and has an 18th-century pedestal sundial on
the north side.
There is a ring of eight bells, six by A. Rudhall of
Gloucester, 1722, recast by Mears & Stainbank, and
the two trebles by Taylor & Co., of Loughborough,
1892."*
The plate is all modern, and consists of two chalices
of 1 8 60- 1, two patens of the same date, and a silver
bread-box given by Archdeacon Blackburne. One of
the patens is inscribed ' The gift of Elizabeth Plant,
relict of Thomas Plant, to the church of Bury,' and
the other * The gift of Mary Hutchinson, relict of
William Hutchinson, to the church of Bury.' There
are also two large plated flagons given by the Rev.
James Bankes (rector 171043), and a plated paten.
The registers date from 1590 (baptisms 1590,
marriages and burials 1591), and have been printed, up
to 1698, by the Lancashire Parish Register Society."
There is a clock and chimes in the tower, given in
1903 by Mr. Henry Whitehead, High Sheriff of
Lancashire.
The church of Bury is known to
ADVQWSQN have existed at the end of the I2th
century. The patronage has always
descended with the lordship of the manor, 13 the Earl
of Derby now having the right of presentation. In
1291 the income was taxed at 20 marks, 14 but fifty
years later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was only
worth half that sum, Bury proper contributing
IO2/. 2^., and the moiety of Tottington 3 1/. 2<^. 15
The gross value of the rectory in 1534 was returned
as 30 6s. 8</. 16 Nearly two centuries later it was
given as about 250.^ A large amount of the glebe
lying in the town of Bury, the rector was empowered
in 1764 to grant building leases for ninety-nine
years. 18 This greatly enhanced the rector's income,
which in 1834 was nearly 2,000, and afterwards
increased. It is now given as 2,000. 19
The following is a list of the rectors :
Patron
Cause of Vacancy
11 Jas. Butterworth, Bury, 1829.
The church of 1775 was thus described
in 1824 : 'The new building is spacious
and handsome, but the old small half-
spire steeple detracts from its appearance
and ought to have shared the fate of the
body of the church ; ' Baines, Lanes. Dir.
i, 577. Canon Raines on the other hand
says : 'In 1773 the nave of the church
was rebuilt in a debased style, and in
1843 the fine old tower and spire were
with difficulty razed and rebuilt ; ' Notitia
Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 28.
An organ was first placed in the church
in 1752 5 Barton, Bury, 298. This work
has a view of the church of 1775 as
frontispiece.
1] These are recastings of two bells
added to the original ring of six in 1843.
The sixth and seventh bells are inscribed
with the initials of A. Rudhall, the
date 1722, and the names of the church-
wardens of that year.
12 Vols. i, x, and xxiv, transcribed
by Rev. W. J. LOwenberg and Henry
Brierley, the third vol. by Archibald
Sparke.
18 It was so in 1287 ; De Banco R.
67, m. 56. Sir Roger de Pilkington
claimed the presentation in 1367, Henry
son of Margery de Radclift'e being defen-
dant ; De Banco R. 429, m. 127 d.
14 Pope Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249.
15 Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. The
other half of Tottington paid to Prestwich.
" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 226.
The glebe lands returned 481. \d. ; tithe
of grain and hay, 15 ; of lambs and
wool, 4 ; of calves, &c., 20*.; Easter
roll, offerings, &c., 7 us. 8<; mor-
tuaries, 6s. %d. The Archdeacon of
Chester received 151. ^d. for synodals and
procurations.
V Bishop Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 27, 28. In 1673 there were
five wardens and five assistants ; about
1718 there were six churchwardens, viz.
one for Bury, chosen by the rector ; one
each for Heap, Walmersley, and Elton,
chosen by the rector out of three pre-
124
sented for each of these hamlets ; and
two named by Tottington. In 1552
there were four churchwardens for Bury,
and a warden for each of the three
chapels-of-ease ; in 1850 it was the cus-
tom for the rector to nominate a warden
and sidesman without any parish meeting,
the other townships sending in three
names, of which the rector chose two ;
Cb. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 45, 47.
18 Raines, op. cit. ii, 28 ; the Act is
printed in Barton, Bury, 149. In 1824
half the town was said to be glebe, the
other half being the Earl of Derby's
leasehold.
19 Mancb. Dioc. Dir. 1910.
20 He was one of the witnesses to the
foundation charter of Burscough Priory ;
as his name stands third, after the Arch-
deacon and the Prior of Norton, he could
not have been a mere stipendiary chap-
lain ; Farrer, Lanes. Pipe .8.350.
91 Henry, parson of Bury, attested a
grant by Roger de Montbegon before
1226 ; Hopwood D.
SALFORD HUNDRED
BURY
Institution
oc. 1275 . .
Name
Patron
14 Jan. 1318-19.
23 Dec. 1323
12 Dec. 1331
13 Mar. 1334-5 .
17 May 1335
22 Oct. 1367
28 Aug. 1406
17 July 1442
9 May 1462
1 6 Feb. 1482-3 .
19 Oct. 1507
4 Feb. 1554-5
21 Aug. 1568
Geoffrey"
Roger de Freckleton * 3
Richard de Radcliffe S4 Margery, lady of Bury
Adam de Radcliffe 5
John de Radcliffe w Margaret de Radcliffe . .
Henry de Over " Henry s. of Sir Henry de
Bury
John de Radcliffe ts Henry de Bury . . .
John de Pilkington 59 Sir Roger de Pilkington .
Thomas de Hulton M Sir John de Pilkington .
Roger Bradeley 31
George Pilkington S2 Thos. Pilkington
John Nabbs, B.Can.L. 33 . . ,
Richard Smith, LL.B. 34 . .
Richard Jones, M.A. 3S . . . ,
Gowther Kenyon K
John Shireburne, B.D." . . .
Cause of Vacancy
Sir T. Pilkington
f John Ireland .
\Thos. Stanley .
Hugh Jones .
Earl of Derby .
res. R. de Freckleton
d. R. de Radcliffe
d. A. de Bury
res. John
res. H. de Over
d. J. de Radcliffe
d. R. Bradeley
d. G. Pilkington
res. J. Nabbs
d. last rector
d. R. Jones
82 There was in 1275 a dispute as to
2 acres of land between Geoffrey, rector
of Bury, and Richard son of Robert, the
former claiming them as the free alms of
his church, and the latter as his lay fee ;
De Banco R. 7, m. 33.
About the same time a Geoffrey de
Bury, not described as parson or clerk,
was witness to a grant to Stanlaw Abbey;
Wballey Coucber (Chet. Soc.), ii, 481.
23 He was ordained deacon in 1311 on
the presentation of Siegrith, lady of Urms-
ton ; Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 1 14,6.
24 Ibid, i, fol. 86 ; he was a priest,
and exchanged the rectory of Radcliffe
for that of Bury. He took part in the
rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster,
in 1322, being present with Robert de
Holland at Ravensdale after the king had
forbidden the assembly. He was fined
10 marks ; Coram Rege R. 254, m. 6 1
(where he is called Richard de Bury,
parson of the church of Bury).
25 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. ioo&; he
was a clerk. He is no doubt the Adam
de Bury of the next presentation. Adam,
rector of Bury, was ordained subdeacon
in Sept. 1325, and priest a year later;
ibid, i, 150, 152.
26 Ibid, ii, fol. 107^ ; a clerk. In
1334 John son of Robert de Radcliffe,
rector of Bury, was accused of mainten-
ance ; Coram Rege R. 8 Edw. Ill,
m. 3. He was among those charged
with complicity in the death of Sir Wil-
liam de Bradshagh ; Cal. Fat. 1330-4,
PP .498, 572.
2 ' Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. no ; a
priest. It is probable that John de Rad-
cliffe had failed to comply with the canons,
or had incurred censure through the pro-
ceedings mentioned in the last note, and
that he resigned, Henry de Over taking
his place for three months, so that he
might secure a fresh presentation.
It should be noted that an Adam, par-
son of Bury, and Roger his brother are
named in 1337; Cal. Pat. 1334-8, p. 452.
28 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. no; an
acolyte. John de Radcliffe, as a trustee,
is frequently mentioned. In 1343 he
was charged with trespasses against the
peace, including a part in the murder of
Adam de Lever at Liverpool ; Assize R.
430, m. i8d. ; Coram Rege R. 344,
m. 8 ; and two years later secured a
pardon by offering to go to Gascony, or
elsewhere, for a year at his own charges
on the king's service; Cal. Pat. 1343-5,
p. 53 1 ' He died on 22 Aug. 1367. His
son John became lord of Chadderton, but
was illegitimate, the next-of-kin and
heir of John the rector being Ralph ton
of William de Radcliffe ; De Banco R.
426, m. 35 ; R. 435, m. 139.
29 Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 83 ; a priest.
He was still rector in 1394, and perhaps
in 1402 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 38.
80 Lich. Epis. Reg. vii, fol. 95*; he
had only the first tonsure. A Thomas
de Hilton was prebendary of York in
1401 and 1404 ; Le Neve, Fasti, ill, 171,
224.
Thomas de Hulton in 1427 agreed to
allow Thurstan de Langley, rector of
Prestwich, to receive all the tithes, mor-
tuaries, oblations, &c., within the town
of Tottington and Tottington Frith, ac-
cording to the sentence given in the
Court Christian at Warrington, before
Richard de Stanley, Archdeacon of Ches-
ter, or his official ; Agecroft D. 75.
81 Lich. Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 126 ; a
priest.
82 Ibid, xii, fol. ioo ; a priest.
George Pilkington, chaplain, was a
younger son of Robert Pilkington, and
was about 1462 a defendant with his
brothers, Thomas, Edmund, &c., in a
charge of robbery made by Peter Legh ;
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 24, m. 27 d. In
1481 George Pilkington, rector of Bury,
Robert Pilkington, late of Little Lever,
and others, were summoned to answer for
aiding and abetting divers felonies ; Pal.
of Lane. Writs Proton, file 22 Edw. IV b.
83 Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, fol. 116 ; he is
called Master John Nebbe.
34 Ibid, xiii-xiv, fol. 55. Richard
Smith appears to have been presented a
second time, on 21 Oct. 1507, by Sir
Henry Halsall and Sir John Ireland ;
Act Bks. at Chester. He held the rec-
tory for fifty years, appearing at the
bishop's visitation in 1554. In 1523 it
was reported to the Chancellor of the
Duchy that he had been presented by the
Earl of Derby, and that the rectory was
worth 40 marks.
A few years later Richard Smith com-
plained that he had appointed a parish
clerk, but John Greenhalgh and others,
probably as claiming a voice in the nomi-
nation, had combined against the new
clerk and the rector. On the Sunday
before All Saints' Day 1526, they came
to church in the morning, 'making
semblance as though they had come to
hear there divine service,' but bearing
125
weapons concealed under their clothes.
The rector, having said his hours, went in
procession, the clerk preceding him with
the crucifix as usual, when the confede-
rates sprang up and attacked them,
snatching the crucifix from the clerk's
hands and casting it down, using them-
selves more like Jews and Paynims than
otherwise.' There was 'no mass nor
other divine service ' in church that Sun-
day. On Hallowmass itself the rector,
' fearing to come abroad in the daylight,
came into the said church early in the
spring of the day, intending to have served
Almighty God as to him of duty did apper-
tain," but found John Greenhalgh and the
others lying in wait, and had to refrain
' from saying of mass and other service.'
This seems to have gone on until the
following January ; Duchy Plead. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 151-3.
In 1542 Smith was official of
Chester ; Duchy Plead, ii, 154. He built
a chapel on the north aisle of his church,
no doubt intending to found a chantry
there, but lived to see the spoliation of
these endowments and the restoration of
the old religion under Mary. Hugh
Watmough, rector in 1614, allowed
Roger Kay of Widdell to make a seat
in the north chapel, which chapel had
been erected by Richard Smith, formerly
rector, and repaired by his successors ;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 265.
84 Act Bks. at Chester Dioc. Reg.
Hugh Jones presented by grant of the
Earl of Derby. The new rector paid
first-fruits I Oct. 1557 ; Lanes, and Ches.
Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
409. He was probably one of the Jones
family of Middleton. His will, made in
1568, is printed in Piccope, Wills (Cher,
Soc.), ii, 223. To the curate, Sir Roger
Hodgkinson, he bequeathed, among other
goods, his surplice and 5.
86 Church Papers at Chester Dioc. Reg.
Paid first-fruits 26 Nov. 1568 ; Lanes.
and Cbes. Rec. ii, 409.
87 In 1572 there was a disputed pre-
sentation to the rectory. One John Shire-
burne, brother of Roger Shireburne of
Chipping, claimed to be admitted, but had
to submit to a searching examination.
He professed himself ' obedient to the
Queen's Majesty's proceedings in religion.'
He had been in the company of Sir John
Southworth. Though he had not preached
at Blackburn denouncing the ' nakedness of
the Church of England for want of cere-
monies,' he had extolled good works in a
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Institution
1572
6 July 1608 .
23 Aug. 1623
1 6 Mar. 1632-3
1654 . .
1654-6 .
2 Mar. 1660-1
26 Feb. 1674-5
19 May 1710
19 July 1743 .
6 Feb. 1778
Name
Patron
Peter Shaw, B.D. 38 ....
Hugh Watmough, B.D. 39 . .
George Murray, B.D. 40 . .
Peter Travers, B.D. 41 . . .
William Alt, M.A." . . .
John Lightfoot 43 . . . .
John Greenhalgh, D.D. 44 .
Thomas Gipps, B.D. 45 . . .
James Bankes, M.A. 46 . . .
Hon. John Stanley, D.D. 47 .
Sir William Henry Clerke,
B.C.L. 48
Cause of Vacancy
John Favour
Earl of Derby
bart.,
Oliver, Protector
Countess of Derby
Earl of Derby .
Thos. Bankes .
Earl of Derby .
d P. Shaw
d. H. Watmough
d. G. Murray
sermon. Robert Cottam, a priest, once
curate of Longridge, had paid him a visit
when he lay sick. As being resident in
Lord Derby's house he did not himself
teach the Catechism to the youth of the
parish. The Communion, he believed,
was administered once a year only, unless
sick folk asked for it. He had never
been at burials or wakes ; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol. 531. From these
replies it would appear that he had actu-
ally been in charge for some time, though
not instituted. The admission asked for
was no doubt refused, but Shireburne be-
came rector of Brindle (q.v.).
88 Paid first-fruits 20 Nov. 1572 ; Lanes,
and Ches. Rec. ii, 410. Collated to the
sixth prebendal stall at Durham, 1572 ;
Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 313. He was plain-
tiffin a tithe case in 1598 ; Ducatus Lane.
(Rec. Com.), iii, 386. The ' wife of John
Shaw, old Mrs. Shaw, the parson's
mother,' was buried 4 May 1597, and the
parson himself on n July 1608 ; Bury
Reg. His son became rector of RadclifFe.
8 Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol.
72 ; the patron for this turn was vicar of
Halifax. The rector had been educated
at University College, Oxford ; M.A.
1586; B.D. 1594; rector of Thornton-
in-Craven, 1599-1623 ; Foster, Alumni ;
Whitaker, Craven. Paid first-fruits 17
Dec. 1608 ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. ii, 411.
He was buried 21 Aug. 1623 ; Bury Reg.
There is an allusion to him in N. Asshe-
ton's Journ. (Chet. Soc.), 6.
40 The dates of institution, &c., from
this time onward to 1800 are taken from
the Inst. Bks. P.R.O., as printed in
Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Notes. For
fuller accounts of the modern rectors see
Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), iii, 98101.
George Murray was of Queens' College,
Cambridge, and had been tutor of Lord
Strange ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii,
fol. 72. He paid first-fruits 17 Nov.
1623 ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. ii, 412
(where the name is given as Massye). He
was a prebendary of Lichfield from 1623
to 1633 ; Le Neve, Fasti, i, 590, 602.
Buried 12 Mar. 1632-3 ; Bury Reg. His
will was proved at Chester in 1633.
41 Paid first-fruits 31 May 1633 ; Lanes,
and Ches. Rec. ii, 413. The name is also
spelt Travis. Shortly afterwards he was
appointed rector of Halsall, retaining both
benefices till ejected by the Parliamen-
tarians, on account of his zealous adhesion
to the royal side in the war. On 24 April
1641; it was ordered that as Peter Travers
was ' disaffected to the Parliament and the
proceedings thereof,' and was actually at
Lathom House, a hostile garrison, his
rectory should be sequestered ; and that
William Alt and Andrew Lathom, 'godly
and orthodox divines,' should ' officiate the
cure ' and take for their pains the rectory
house, tithes, and other profits. Mr. La-
thom dying, Mr. Toby Furness, another
' godly and orthodox divine,' was ' settled
in the rectory' in his place. A tenth
part of the profits was paid to Mrs. Doro-
thy Travers, wife of the sequestered rector,
for the maintenance of herself and her
children ; Common-wealth Cb. Surv. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 38-40. It is
clear that the three ministers named were
rather curates in charge during the seques-
tration than rectors. Toby Furness had
had a similar charge at Prestwich ; he
signed the ' Harmonious Consent" in 1648,
and continued to minister at Bury till his
death about 1653 ; Bury Classis (Chet.
Soc.), i, 90, 135. For Andrew Lathom,
see ibid, ii, 2424 ; his will is printed.
An incident of the time should be re-
corded: The Manchester Parliamentarians
took from the church of Bury 'the sur-
plice, and put it on the back of a soldier,
and caused him to ride in the cart the
arms were carried in, to be matter of sport
and laughter to the beholders ' ; Lanes.
War (Chet. Soc.), ix.
43 Rector Travers appears to have died
by 1654, for Halsall as well as Bury was
filled up in that year ; Plund. Mins. Accts.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 49, 60.
William Alt, as ' minister of Bury,' signed
the 'Harmonious Consent' of 1648. He
had been a curate of Bury for many years,
his name appearing in the registers from
1628. He died 5 April 1656, and was
buried at Bury. See the account of him
in Bury Classis (Chet. Soc.), ii, 208.
43 Paid first-fruits 4 July 1656 ; Lanes,
and Cbes. Rec. ii, 414. He was presented
in July 1654 by the Countess of Derby
(Plund. Mins. Accts. ii, 46) ; but the Pro-
tector's presentation appears to have pre-
vailed, though Lightfoot succeeded after
William Alt's death. He is identified by
Dr. W. A. Shaw with John son of the
celebrated Dr. John Lightfoot ; Bury
Classis, ii, 246. He was Episcopalian in
his leanings, and was in 1655 denounced
by the congregation of Bury for ' certain
mistakes and miscarriages in point of
doctrine and practice' ; ibid. 142. From
the date it would appear that he took up
his residence at Bury in the lifetime of
Mr. Alt, and also ministered there. In
1659 ne was engaged in suits respecting
tithes ; Excb. Dep. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 32, 33. He became vicar of Bow-
don in 1660, and died in 1661. He had
been an advocate of the Restoration, and
is said to have been deprived of his bene-
fice for praying publicly for the king at
the time of Sir George Booth's rising ;
Mancb. Guardian Local N. and Q. no. 577.
44 He was a son of John Greenhalgh of
Brandlesholme, and educated at St. John's
College, Cambridge ; Admissions St. John's
Col. i, 9; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 126.
He was elected fellow of his College in
1632, but expelled by the Earl of Man-
chester (for the Parliament) in 1644 ;
Baker, Hist, of St. John's Col. (ed. Mayor),
126
res. J. Lightfoot
d. J. Greenhalgh
d. T. Gipps
d. J. Bankes
res. J. Stanley
i, 294, 296. He was a Royalist, and
attended the Earl of Derby on his way to
Bolton in 1651, being afterwards chaplain
at Knowsley ; Stanley Papers (Chet. Soc.),
iii, pp. ccxxxix, cclxxvii. He took the
D.D. degree in 1672. He died 27 Oct.
1674; Bury Reg. Hi will was proved
at Chester.
45 He was a correspondent of John
Walker, author of The Sufferings of the
Clergy ; Bury Classis, ii. He was edu-
cated at Trinity College, Cambridge, of
which he became fellow ; M.A. 1662. In
1674 he received a faculty to preach
throughout England and Ireland from
James, Duke of Monmouth, then Chan-
cellor of the University ; Stratford, Visit.
List, Chester. Hi sermon at the Preston
Gild of 1682 was published, and in 1697
he printed a sermon Against Corrupting
the Word of God, directed against the
Presbyterians, which roused some contro-
versy ; Fishwick, La. Lib. 391-2. His
will was proved at Chester in 1710.
A terrier compiled by this rector in
1696 for the benefit of his successor is in
the possession of W. Farrer. There is a
copy in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii,
fol. 368. It contains a full account of the
rector's dues and the tenants of the glebe,
with advice as to dealing with the people,
especially those of Tottington. The Easter
dues were as follows : House and offering,
$d. ; every communicant, \d. ; garden,
id. ; hen, id. ; cow, \d. ; calf, \d. (ex-
cept there be seven); plough, 4</.; foal, id. ;
sheep, each id. ; every lamb, id. (except
there be seven) ; every loom, id. ; every
swarm of bees, id. ; wintering only sheep,
each \d. ; or summering them only, \d.
46 Church P. at Chester. Thomas
Bankes had the right of presentation for
that turn only. The date in the text is
that of presentation. There was probably
some dispute as to title, for the new rector
was not instituted till 5 March 1712-13.
The rector was of the Winstanley
family, and founded a charity for the poor.
An anecdote of him is in Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.),xxxi, fol. 278.
James Bankes, of Trinity College, Cam-
bridge, M.A. 1686, became rector of
Lilley 1 706 ; Foster, Alumni Oxon.
4 < Also rector of Winwick, under which
church he is noticed. At Bury he founded
a charity school, and started a dispensary.
Some anecdotes of him will be found in
Raines MSS. xxxi, fol. 335, 355.
48 Educated at Oxford ; fellow of All
Souls ; B.C.L. 1778. Succeeded his
brother as eighth baronet in the same
year ; G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, iii, 8 1.
He is said to have been a charitable man,
but incapable of managing his affairs ; his
creditors came upon him, the benefice was
sequestrated, and he died in the Fleet
Prison ; Raines MSS. xxxi, fol. 344.
A further account of his speculations is
given in Barton, Bury, 106, 107.
SALFORD HUNDRED
Institution Name
23 Sept. 1818 . Geoffrey Hornby, LL.B." . . .
28 Mar. 1850 . Edward James Geoffrey Hornby,
M.A. 40
10 Sept. 1888 . Frank Edward Hopwood, M.A." .
13 Feb. 1894 . Foster Grey Blackburne, M.A. 51 . .
27 Apr. 1909 . John Charles Hill, M.A. i:i . . .
Patron
Earl of Derby .
Little is known of the condition of the pre-Refor-
mation clergy. There was no endowed chantry at
the parish church, but probably each of the chapels of
ease, at Holcombe, Edenfield, and Heywood, had a
curate of its own. Richard Smith, rector in 1 542,
paid a curate, and the stipend of another assistant
priest was contributed by Charles Nuttall and others. 53
In 1548, however, only the rector and these two
assistants are named in the bishop's visitation list ; in
1554 there were four, a curate having been found for
Edenfield; the same names reappear in 1563, when
the rector was ' excused,' perhaps for absence, and two
years later there are five names in the list showing
an increase in the number. This extraordinary state-
ment is somewhat modified by the fact that two of
those named did not appear, and that another's name
was marked out, the active clergy being reduced to
the rector and his curate, Roger Hodgkinson. 44 It
was reported to the royal commissioners in 1559 that
the curate of Bury did not read the Gospel, Epistle,
Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments, according to
the proclamation. 45 A similar indifference or hostility,
though perhaps from other causes, appears in 1592,
when the rector and curate were ordered to use the
Catechism, go the perambulations, and * observe her
majesty's injunctions in all things ' ; the church-
wardens were to provide Jewell's Reply and Apology:*
About 1 6 10 the incumbent was 'a preacher,' and the
three chapels were ' maintained by the inhabitants.' w
BURY
Cause of Vacancy
d. Sir W. H. Clerke
d. G. Hornby
d. E. J. G. Hornby
d. F. E. Hopwood
d. F. G. Blackburne
During the sequestration under the Commonwealth
the curates in charge preached constantly every Sabbath
day and once every Thursday, the market day, keeping
a constant lecture there, as had been accustomed ;
they lived in the parsonage house. 48 The Restoration
appears to have been quietly accepted in Bury itself,
where the two landowners, the Earl of Derby and the
rector, were both Royalists. Nonconformists, however,
were numerous, and in 1669 the vicar reported to the
Bishop of Chester that he heard that several con-
venticles were 'constantly kept at private houses of
Independents, Presbyterians, Dippers and other such
like jointly, of the bset rank of the yeomanry and
other inferiors.' 49 The matter became evident after
the Revolution, 60 and Bury has now, like other Lanca-
shire parishes, provision for a great variety of worship
and doctrine.
Apart from the grammar school at
CHARITIES Bury, founded in 1625 and refounded
in 1 726,' and some other endowments
for ecclesiastical and educational purposes, the general
charitable funds have an income of about 190 a
year. 61 Some ancient benefactions have been lost.
The whole parish participates in the sums given by
John Guest in 165 3," Thomas Rothwell in 1737,**
and Rector Bankes in I743. 64 The old manor or
township of Bury, including Bury, Heap, Elton, and
Walmersley, benefits under the will of Samuel
Waring, I742. 66 Bury proper had in 1828 two small
49 Son of Geoffrey Hornby, rector of
Winwick ; educated at Peterhouse, Cam-
bridge ; LL.B. 1809; rector of Felbrigg-
with-Moulton in Norfolk, 1813.
60 Son of the preceding rector ; edu-
cated at Merton College, Oxford ; M.A.
1843 ; incumbent of Christ Church, Wal-
mersley, 1841 ; vicar of Ormskirk, 1846;
Hon. Canon of Manchester, 1855.
81 Son of Canon Hopwood, rector of
Winwick ; educated at Christ Church,
Oxford; M.A. 1 868; incumbent of
St. James's, Congleton, 1869 ; rector of
Badsworth, 1879.
88 Son of Rev. Thomas Blackburne,
rector of Prestwich ; educated at Brase-
nose College, Oxford ; M.A. 1864 ; rector
of Nantwich, 1872 ; Hon. Canon of Man-
chester, 1898 ; Archdeacon of Manchester,
1905 ; died I Feb. 1909.
63a Educated at Trinity College, Cam-
bridge ; honorary canon of Worcester.
48 Clergy Litt (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 12.
84 From the visitation lists at Chester.
The church ornaments existing in 1552
included four sets of vestments for the
priest to say mass in, three great bells in
the steeple and a little sanctus bell, a veil
to hang before the altar in Lent, &c. ;
Cb. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 45, 46.
Roger HoHgkinson was one of the old
clergy, having been ordained priest in
1547 ; Ordin. Bk. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), 80. He was still curate in 1575 ;
Pennant's Acct. Bk. Thomas Duerden
was curate in 1599.
54 Ck. Gds. 47, quoting S.P. Dom.
Eliz. x, 288. The depositions of John
Shireburne in 1572, already cited, have
some suggestive features.
88 W. F. Irvine in Lanes, and Chtt.
Antij. Soc. xiii, 57.
*7 Hitt. MSS. Com. Rep. v, App. iv, 12.
Each chapel had its own curate in 163.4 ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 95.
58 Commonw. Ch. Sur-v. 40. At this
time there were no ministers at Holcombe
and Edenfield, 'for want of mainten-
ance' ; 44.
i9 Visit. P. at Chester Dioc. Reg.
60 Quakers were presented at the
bishop's visitation of 1671 ; ibid.
81 The original founder, Henry Bury
(d. 1636), who was a native of the place,
also gave a number of books, three or four
of which are still preserved ; Old Lanes.
Libraries (Chet. Soc.), 139. A school
magazine called the CLi-vian is published.
62 The details given are from the End.
Char. Rep. for Bury, published in 1901 ;
the county borough of Bury was not in-
cluded. The report of 1828 is reprinted.
63 John Guest gave rent - charges of
3 15*. each to the ministers of the
parish churches of Winwick, Leigh, Wi-
gan, Deane, RadclifFe, Bolton, Bury, and
Middleton, to be spent in linen cloth for
the poor. His estate being insufficient
for the fulfilment of the bequests, an Act
was passed in 1663 under which this
parish received 60, Bury having 40 and
Tottington the rest. The rectors appear
to have had charge of the capital, but
I2 7
owing to the insolvency of one of them
only 30 remained in 1828, for which
Rector Hornby allowed 30.1. interest, ex-
pended in linen cloth. It appears that
3 131. 4t/. was then independently held
for the benefit of the township of Cowpe
Lench in the Hundred of Blackburn ; it
has since been lost.
64 As in the preceding charity, half of
the capital of 10 had been lost before
1828, and the 51. given as interest by the
rector was expended on fourpenny loaves
for poor persons attending church. The
testator had named ' sixpenny jannocks.'
The Guest and Rothwell Charities are
now represented by 64 consols, and by a
scheme approved in 1863 the income,
351. 4</., is spent on clothing or other
necessaries for the poor of the ancient
parish.
65 The capital of 60 is represented by
a rent-charge of 3 still paid by the owner
of the Winstanley estate. The income is
distributed in flannels, &c., by the incum-
bents of the different ecclesiastical parishes.
A benefaction of the Rev. John Lo-
max, 1694, had been lost by 1786.
65 He left 20, which was increased by
unknown benefactors to 84. In 1828
George Ormerod, the historian of Cheshire,
as heir of Thomas Johnson, who had held
the capital, granted a rent-charge of 4 41.
a year ; this is still paid, and a guinea each
is sent to the rector of Bury, and the
vicars of Elton All Saints, Walmersley, and
Heywood St. Luke, for distribution to the
poor. The original gift was for linen cloth.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
charities. 67 In Heap, in addition to Heywood School,
1737, is the foundation of John Nuttall, ij6^^ 8 with
the more substantial recent gifts of William Clegg,
1887, and others. 69 Walmersley had a school at
Baldingstone, founded in \j\6, and over 22 for
the general benefit of the poor, the gifts of Richard
Haworth,i76o, 71 and John Hall, 1867." The most
considerable single charity is that founded in 1892-6
by Miss Nancy Ha worth for the poor of Walshaw,
partly in Tottington Lower End and partly in Elton. 7 *
Tottington has old school endowments and some gifts
for the poor, including ^35 a year from Miss Jane
Brennand's bequest in iSSz. 74 The township of
Cowpe Lench participates in Mrs. Alice Martha
Crabtree's bequest. 75
BURY
Biri, 1194; Buri, 1212 ; Bury, 1227, and usual;
Byry, 1292 ; Bery, 1323.
The township of Bury lies principally in the narrow
tongue of land between the Irwell and the Roch,
stretching north for over 4 miles from the conflu-
ence of these streams. The surface is generally level,
but rises on the north-east border to a height of 600 ft.
The area is 2,329^ acres. 1 The population of the town-
ship in 1901 was 44,032 and of the borough 58,029.
The town of Bury occupies the centre of the town-
ship. The church is situated above what was the old
course of the Irwell, the ground falling rapidly to the
north of the Bolton and Rochdale road leading past
the church. Just at the south-west corner of the
church this road is joined by that from Manchester,
and the open space or Wylde 2 at that point is still
known as the Market-place. The statue of Sir Robert
Peel, erected in 1852, stands here ; and to the west
was formerly the fortified manor-house of the Pilking-
tons. The road leading west to Bolton descends to
cross the Irwell at Bury Bridge ; the district to the
south of it is called Tentersfield. Going east from the
church it passes through Freetown and Pits o' th'
Moor, to the north-east of the last-named being
Woodgate Hill. One branch of this road takes a more
southerly course, crossing the Roch at Heap Bridge
and leading to Heywood ; to the south of it lies Pirn-
hole. Another branch runs almost due north, passing
Chesham and its park on the right, and going through
Little Wood Cross and Limefield to Walmersley and
Haslingden. The Manchester road goes southerly
from the church, passing through Buckley Wells, Fish-
pool, and Redvales, to Blackford Bridge over the Roch.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway
from Manchester to Accrington passes north through
the township, with a station (Bolton Street) near the
church. A line to Tottington branches off from this.
The same company's line from Bolton to Rochdale
crosses the other at right angles, with a station (Knows-
ley Street) to the south of the former. 3 Electric tram-
cars run along the main thoroughfares in all directions.
Bury has .long been a seat of the woollen manu-
facture ; Bury blankets are known everywhere.
Leland, about 1535, speaks of 'yarn sometime made
about Bury, a market town on Irwell ' ; 4 a deputy
aulnager was appointed in 1564 to stamp woollen
cloth.* Defoe, writing about 1730, observed that at
6 ? Robert Shepherd in 1666 granted to
trustees a rent-charge of 9 arising from
his messuage called Hall-de-Hill in Elton;
they were to expend 7 IQJ. for the bene-
fit of poor householders in Bury, and in
apprenticing children. In 1828 the 9
was paid by the then owner of the pro-
perty, and was distributed in sums of from
5*. to 15*. among poor persons selected by
the trustees.
William Yttes in 1810 bequeathed
400 for the benefit of the poor. This was
in 1828 invested in Government stock,
and the income 16 3*. lod. was distri-
buted in sums of I or. each.
Thomas Openshaw, who died in 1869,
left 4,000 for the poor; Barton,5ary,io6.
68 His 10 was lent to James Starky,
whose descendant, James Starky of Hey-
wood, in 1828 paid 81. a year interest ; it
was given on Good Friday to poor com-
municants. The capital was, in 1863,
given to the official trustees ; the in-
come, 5$. 8</., is distributed as formerly.
Samuel Haworth in 1767 left a charge
of 2 los. a year for linen or woollen
cloth for the poor ; but his property being
leasehold, the charge expired when the
lease ran out, before 1828.
Heywood School was discontinued in
1891.
Bequests by Ann Bamford in 1778 for
education were void under the Mortmain
Acts.
69 William Clegg gave 1,000 to com-
memorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee ; it is
now invested in consols, and the total in-
come is 27 ii. %d. a year. In 1890 the
sons of the Rev. Robert Minnitt gave 150
in fulfilment of their father's intention ;
this produces 4 6s. The two charities
are worked together ; tickets for 5*. each
are given to poor persons to be expended
on clothing or the like necessaries.
'-The school was discontinued in 1883.
In this and similar cases the interest on
the capital is now applied to provide prizes,
&c., for school-children of the district.
7 1 The residue of the testator's estate
produced 481 ; this sum was in 1828 in
the hands of Thomas Kay, and the in-
terest, 19 4*. g^d., was distributed in
doles of money. In 1831 the capital was
expended in the purchase of a copyhold
farm in Musbury ; this was sold in 1887
for 720, now represented by 649 con-
sols. The income, 17 i6s. %d. t is still
given in money doles to about ninety re-
cipients.
? 2 His bequest was not available till
1876, when it was invested in 48 1 51. 8</.
consols, of which a third was allotted to
Walmersley. The income, 4 145. 8</.,
is distributed in money doles and gifts of
flannel.
' 8 Her will was proved in 1897. She
left 2,000, increased by a codicil to
3,000, to the minister and churchwar-
dens of the Jesse Haworth Memorial
Church for the benefit of workpeople at
her brother's mills at Walshaw, and of
the poor of the district. The income,
82 js. 4</., is distributed in money gifts.
Thomas Howard in 1808 left a rent-
charge of 5 5.$. for the poor of Elton ; it
was distributed in blankets, but the charity
expired with the lives of the persons named
in the lease.
?* She left 1,000 to the vicar and
churchwardens of St. Paul's, Ramsbottom,
to keep her gravestone in good order, and
to distribute the remainder of the income
to the poor. An additional amount of
41 8i. from other sources was invested
with it, and the total income is 35. All
but about 4*. for the care of the grave it
spent upon the poor in various ways, 5
being subscribed to the cottage hospital.
128
John Hall's benefaction has been de-
scribed above. A third of the amount was
allotted to Tottington Lower End, and
the income is distributed in payments to
the sick.
The Rev. Thos. Bridge, rector of Mai-
pas ( 1 625-80), left 200 to the ' township'
of Holcombe ; as there was no such town-
ship the executors refused to pay, but gave
100 to Tottington. In 1828 the in-
come was applied, according to the testa-
tor's wish, in apprenticing children. The
capital has long been lost ; see Gastrell,
Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 32.
John Buckley in 1737 gave 10 for
the poor of Tottington Lower End, but
nothing was known of it in 1828.
Lawrence Rostron in 1812 directed that
his executors and their assigns should
distribute to the poor any interest they
might receive from the trustees of the
turnpike road from Rochdale to Edenfield.
Nothing is known of this charity since
1867.
7* She in 1877 bequeathed 500 for
the ' deserving poor ' of St. James's, Water-
foot ; the ecclesiastical district includes
part of Cowpe Lench. See the End. Char.
Rep. for Whalley (Newchurch in Rossen-
dale), 1901, p. 22.
1 3,828 acres, including 104 of inland
water. This is the area of the borough.
2 B. T. Barton, Bury, 40.
8 The Liverpool and Bury line was
opened in 1848.
4 Itin. vii, 49 ; he also remarks that
Bury had ' but a poor market.' Camden,
on the other hand, calls it a market town
' not less considerable than Rochdale ' ;
Brit. (ed. 1695), 745.
6 8 Eliz. cap. 12 ; Bury is one of the
five towns named. For a Bury ulnage
case in 1547-9 see Duchy Plead. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 6-10.
SALFORD HUNDRED
BURY
Bury ' the manufacture of cotton . . . was ended,
and the woollen manufacture of coarse sorts, called
half-thicks and kerseys, begun ; which employs this
and all the villages about it.' 6 There are also extensive
cotton mills, iron and brass foundries, paper mills,
and bleach works. Bury is also noted for simnel
cakes, and the fourth Sunday in Lent is kept as a
festival ; 7 parkin, a corruption of Tharcake, was made
at the beginning of November. 8
The old festivals were those of the Royal Oak,
Robin Hood, and ' Maying Night.' 9 Football games
were played at certain seasons. 10 Otter-hunting was
one of the sports of the district. 11
Fairs are held on 5 March, 3 May, and 1 8 Septem-
ber. The wakes begin on the Saturday after August
Bank Holiday.
The dungeon, 13 pillory, 13 and town cross 14 have
disappeared. The ghosts or * boggarts ' have also
gone. 15
The printing press was introduced in ijSg. 16 The
first newspaper was the Bury Mercury, issued in
1 83 1. 17 There are now four the Times (begun in
1855) and the Guardian (1857), published twice a
week, and the Visitor and the Advertiser, each once. 18
There is a theatre. 19
A halfpenny token was issued in 1667.
In Bury town there were 114 hearths liable to the
tax ; John Greenhalgh's rectory had ten hearths,
John Brook's house eight, Richard Tootell's seven,
those of John Eckersall and John Redferne six each.
In Bury Upper End were fifty-two hearths. 21
Various changes in the boundaries have taken place
in recent years, 22 and the present township or civil
parish of Bury contains not only the ancient hamlet
or township, but parts of Elton, Walmersley-with-
Shuttleworth, and Heap. 23
The manor of BURT was held of the
MANORS lord of Tottington as one knight's fee. 24
The tenant bore the local surname, and
in 1193-4 Adam de Bury offered 5 marks for having
the king's good will after the rebellion of John,
Count of Mortain.* 5 Under Roger de Montbegon
Adam de Bury, son of Ailward de Bury by his wife
Alice de Montbegon, 26 in 1212 held the fee of one
knight ' of ancient tenure ' ; 27 the formation of this
. holding may therefore date from the early part of the
1 2th century. In 1302 Henry de Bury held the fee
of the Earl of Lincoln. 28 In 1313 he made a settle-
ment of the manor, 29 and two years later was killed
in some of the disturbances raised by Adam Banastre. 30
6 Tour through Great Britain (ed. 1738),
iii, 182.
7 Barton, Bury, 23.
8 Ibid, 109. 9 Ibid. 10-13.
10 Ibid. 41 ; Christmas, Shrovetide, and
Good Friday each had special matches,
the final games being played in Easter
week.
11 Ibid. 45.
12 Ibid. 42. The old court house stood
near the cross ; ibid. 44.
18 Ibid. 43 ; it was used for the last
time about 1800.
14 Ibid. 43, 300. It stood near the
centre of the market-place, and was taken
down in 1818.
16 Ibid. 13, 34; one of them was like
a white rabbit.
18 Ibid. 7 ; Local Gleanings, Lanes, and
Ches. i, 71, gives ' in or before 1798.'
V Manch. Guardian N. and Q. no. 490.
18 In 1867 they were the Times, Guar-
dian, and Broadsheet.
19 An early theatrical performance in a
barn in Moss Lane in 1787 ended in the
collapse of the building and death or injury
to many of the spectators ; Barton, Bury,
18-23 ; see also 32.
20 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 75 ;
it was issued by Samuel Waring, other-
wise notable as a prosperous Noncon-
formist ; ibid., and Ormerod, Parentalia.
21 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lane. ; for
1666.
22 By the Bury Improvement Acts, 1872
and 1885. The bounds are described in
the Bury Times Business Directory.
28 The county borough includes Bury
and parts of Elton, Tottington Lower
End, Walmersley - with - Shuttleworth,
Birtle-with-Bamford, Heap, Pilsworth,
Pilkington, and Radcliffe. It was made
a single civil parish or township in 1894
by Local Gov. Bd. Order 31671.
24 Lanes, Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 59, 60, 145. After
the Montbegons sold Tottington to the
Lacys, Bury was held of the Earl of
Lincoln, as in 1242, when it was part
of the dower of the countess (ibid. 153) ;
and afterwards of the Earls and Dukes of
Lancaster. Sake fee of 81. and castle-
ward lot. were payable for Bury ; Extent
of 17 Edw. II ; Sheriff's Compotus of
22 Edw. III.
25 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 77. A little
later Henry de Bury is named ; ibid.
355-
It was probably another Henry de Bury
who about 1240 attested a surrender of
part of Rochdale rectory ; Whalley
Coucber (Chet. Soc.), i, 143.
26 In 1 244-5 Adam de Bury laid claim
to the Montbegon inheritance on the
strength of this descent ; the jury did
not allow it, so that Alice may have been
illegitimate ; Assize R. 482, m. 17.
Alice, wife of Eward (or Ailward) de
Bury, received from her father, Adam de
Montbegon, land in Tottington ; Lanes.
Inq. and Extents, i, 6 1.
*7 Ibid. 60. Robert de Bury and
Adam de Bury attested an Eccles
Charter about 1205 ; JPhalley Coucher
(Chet. Soc.), i, 57. It is impossible to
say how many Adams there were. Adam
de Bury secured an acknowledgement of
his right to a moiety of Shuttleworth in
1227 ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 49. He was one of the twelve
knights engaged in the perambulation of
the forest in 1228 ; Lanes. Pipe R. 420.
A little later he confirmed land in Mar-
land to Stanlaw Abbey ; W 'bailey Coucher,
ii, 593. He held the knight's fee in
1242 ; Inq. and Extents, i, 153. Four years
later he recovered a small strip of land,
probably on the boundary, against Geoffrey
de Radcliffe ; Assize R. 404, m. 3.
An Adam, son of Adam de Bury, ap-
pears in 1246 at Bradley, near Chipping,
but he may be of another family ; Final
Cone, i, 1 02.
The king in 1250 ordered the sheriff
not to place Adam de Bury on juries so
long as he continued to be coroner ;
Close R. 64, m. i. In 1251 Adam was one
of the knights attesting the grant of
Ordsall to David de Hulton ; Gregson,
Fragments (ed. Harland), 347.
The rights of Adam's mill were in 1256
acknowledged by two of the tenants, who
agreed to grind corn growing on the
lands they held of him to the twentieth
measure ; but should Adam allow his
mill to fall into decay then they were to
129
be at liberty to grind elsewhere, without
giving any multure to him ; Final Cone, i,
1 2O. Two years before this Adam had
claimed suit of mill against various
tenants ; Curia Regis R. 154, m. 16, 17.
An Alexander de Bury made a grant
of Gollinroyd about 1260 ; Ormerod,
Parentalia, 43.
Adam de Bury was plaintiff and de-
fendant in suits of 1277 and 1278 ; Assize
R. 1235, m. 13; R. 1238, m. 31, 32;
R. 1239, m. 37, 39. He was again plain-
tiff in 1281 ; Pat. 9 Edw. I, m. 14 d.
Sir Adam de Bury and Adam his son
attested a Barton charter before or about
that time ; De Traffbrd Deeds, no. 192.
In 1287 Anabel, widow of Adam de
Bury, claimed a third part of the manor
of Bury and advowson of the church,
against Henry de Lacy ; De Banco R.
67, m. 56.
28 Inq. and Extents, i, 313. Already in
1300 he had been charged by Alexander
son of Henry del Hurst with unjust dis-
traint on cattle and corn at the Rhodes in
Bury, but in reply urged that Alexander
was his villein ; De Banco R. 131, m. II.
He occurs as plaintiff in 1306 and 1309 ;
De Banco R. 161, m. 437 d. ; R. 179,
m. 206 d. In 1311 Sir Henry de Bury
held the manor of Bury by the service of
one knight and suit to the court of Tot-
tington from three weeks to three weeks;
De Lacy Inq. (Chet. Soc.), 19.
29 Final Cone, ii, i 3 ; Geoffrey son of
Robert de Bury acted as deforciant. The-
advowson of the church was included
with the manor ; after the death of Henry
de Bury they were to remain to Margery
daughter of Richard de Radcliffe for life j
after her decease to Henry son of Henry
de Bury and his issue, and in default suc-
cessively to Alice, Agnes, and Isabel,
daughters of the elder Henry ; finally to
Adam son of Matthew de Bury and his
heirs. This fine was frequently cited in
the subsequent disputes as to the manor.
Henry son of Adam de Bury was plaintiff
in 1313 ; De Banco R. 198, m. 36 d.
80 At an inquiry in 1323 it was stated
that Sir Adam Banastre and others made
their confederacy on the Wednesday before
St. Wilfrid's Day, 1315, and a few days
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
PILKINGTON. Argent
a cms patonce voided
gules.
STANLEY, Earl
Derby. Argent on a
bend azure three hart?
heads cabossed or.
His son Henry died without issue, on which his
daughter Alice, wife of Roger de Pilkington, and her
son Roger succeeded in establishing their right to the
manor, although her mother Margery, daughter of
Richard de Radcliffe, had endeavoured to secure
it or a portion of the estate for her younger son
Henry. 31
The Pilkingtons remained in possession till I485, 3U
when all the manors and lands of Sir Thomas
Pilkington were forfeited for his adherence to
Richard III, the new king granting them to the Earl
of Derby in 1489." The manor of Bury then de-
later sent Nicholas de Singleton and
others to capture Adam de Radcliffe and
his brothers. Adam was seized at the
parsonage house at Radcliffe, and his
captors then went to Sir Henry de Bury's
house to find the brothers, who, however,
were not there. Henry de Bury was
thereupon taken, and John de Croston,
Stephen Scallard, and others slew him,
and stole his horse and other goods and
chattels, for which death they were
hanged ; Sir William de Bradshagh and
many others of the confederates were out-
lawed ; Coram Rege R. 254, m. 52.
From these particulars it would seem that
the confederacy was made on 9 Oct. and
the murder was done on or about the
1 2th. On the following Wednesday (16
Oct.) the king ordered Robert de Lathom
and others to inquire into it (Cal. Pat.
1313-17, p. 419), and another record of
the trial states that John de Walton,
Stephen Shaw, and Adam son of Adam
de Freckleton were the guilty ones, while
a large number of others were with them,
and Adam Banastre, Henry de Lea, and
William de Bradshagh knowingly received
them after the felony was committed ;
Coram Rege R. 299, Rex m. 20. This re-
cord gives 1 6 Oct. as the date of the death,
and a number of particulars are given as
to the fate of the guilty persons.
81 By the fine above referred to Margery
de Radcliffe (as she was usually called)
had the manor for her life. In 1318 and
1319 certain lands were settled by fine,
the remainders being the same as in the
earlier one 5 Final Cone, ii, 29, 34. No
mention is made of younger sons of Sir
Henry. In the latter year Margery was
plaintiff in a suit respecting Bury mill ;
De Banco R. 299, m. 66 d. In a feodary of
a little later date it is stated that Mar-
gery de Radcliffe and Henry her son held
3 plough-lands and 6 oxgangs in Bury for
a knight's fee ; Duchy of Lane. Knights'
Fees, bdle. i, no. 1 1 . Margery daughter of
Richard de Radcliffe appeared against Wil-
liam de Rawstorn and Adam son of Robert
de Middleton to enforce them to do suit
at her mill ; De Banco R. 229, m. 66 d.
In 1322 she charged Robert de Walkden
with having come with other malefactors
and disturbers of the peace probably in
connexion with the rising of Earl Thomas
and taken from her manor of Bury
sixty cows, twenty-nine oxen, two horses,
ten heifers, &c. ; and Robert was com-
mitted to prison ; Coram Rege R. 254,
m. 69 d. Margery was living in 1334;
Coram Rege R. 298, Rex m. i d.; she was
also living in 1336 as appears by a later
case cited. She presented to the rectory
in 1319, 1323, and 1331 ; and Henry
son of Sir Henry de Bury in 1335, as
will be seen by the list of rectors. This
presentation is almost the only recorded
act of the younger Henry. In 1348 Alice,
then widow of Roger de Pilkington, ap-
pears to have been in undisputed posses-
sion ; De Banco R. 354, m. 3 d.
In Oct. 1351 Henry son of Margery de
Radcliffe made his claim to the manor of
Bury, except twenty-one messuages, 300
acres of land, 300 acres of meadow, 300
acres of wood, and 2s. rent. The defend-
ants were Alice and Roger, widow and
son of Roger de Pilkington, and a number
of others holding lands within the manor.
The fine of 1313 was adduced ; Henry de
Bury, Margery, and the younger Henry
were all dead ; but Margery had alienated
the manor to Henry, the plaintiff; Henry
had also secured a release from one Adam
de Bury, described as the true heir of
Henry the elder ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. i, m. 7. Henry son of Margery de
Radcliffe also claimed forty messuages,
600 acres of land, &c., in Bury, Totting-
ton, and Middleton ; ibid. m. 7 d. Similar
statements as to the succession were made
in reply to a claim to messuages and houses
in Bury put forward at the same time by
John de Radcliffe, the defendants being
Alice and Roger de Pilkington and John
son of William de Bury ; ibid. m. 2 d.
In this case the jury found that Henry
son of Sir Henry died before Margery ;
and that Adam, the true heir, was a
younger son of Sir Henry.
The name of the plaintiff Henry's
father is not given in these suits, but he
is called Henry de Bury, and may have
been, like Adam, a son of Sir Henry born
after the fine of 1313 ; see Dep. Keeper' t
Rep. xxxii, App. 348.
A further claim made by Henry son of
Margery in 1353 was defeated, the jury
again finding that Henry son of Henry de
Bury died before Margery, and that the
plaintiff was not ;" rerum natura in 1313 ;
Assize R. 435, m. 21 d. In the following
year Henry son of Margery did not pro-
secute a claim he made against John de
Radcliffe the elder; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 3, m. i. John de Radcliffe was more
successful in 1355 against the Pilking-
tons, it being found that the lands he
claimed were his free tenement, and that
Alice de Pilkington had wrongly entered
into possession; ibid. R. 4, m. 27 d. About
the same time Henry son of Margery was
also successful in a claim to certain lands,
it being found that these were in Totting-
ton and not in Bury ; ibid. m. 28 d. It
is here stated that the quitclaim by Adam,
the son and true heir of Sir Henry de
Bury, was dated in 1336. The dispute
still continued in the following year ; ibid.
R. 5, m. 19 d., 20 d. See Lanes. Inq. p.m.
{ Chet. Soc.), ii, 175.
81a In spite of the claims put forward
Roger de Pilkington appears to have re-
tained possession, contributing to the aid
of 1 346-5 5 as lord of Bury ; Feud. Aids,
iii, 87. He probably made a settle-
ment of the manor in 1350, a fine of
,100 being recorded in that year for an
130
alienation ' ; Accts. (Exch. Q.R.), bdle.
108, m. 34. From a suit of July 1354,
it appears that lands in the Rhodes which
William the Baxter of Stockport had
granted to Margery de Radcliffe de-
scended to Roger de Pilkington, who
obtained a quitclaim from Almarica,
William's widow ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 3, m. 3d. In 1368 Sir Roger de Pil-
kington again made a formal statement of
his title ; De Banco R. 431, m. 351.
An account of the family is given under
Pilkington in Prestwich. In 1421 it was
found that Sir John de Pilkington had
held a moiety of the manor and the ad-
vowson of the church in conjunction with
Margery his wife, and also a fourth part
of the manor by grant of his father, while
he had given the other fourth part to his
ion Sir John de Pilkington and Margaret
his wife ; the whole manor was held of
the king as of his duchy of Lancaster ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc. ii, 179). A
number of the Pilkington charters of the
period 1420-50 are copied in Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, fol. 117.
In 1431 Sir John Pilkington was in
possession ; Feud. Aids, iii, 96. So also
in 1445-6, the reliefbeing stated as 1001.5
Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no.
20. In 1443 Sir John Pilkington com-
plained that the bailiff of Salfordshire had
unjustly distrained his cattle at Redvales
(Redyuals). The bailiff asserted that
Bury was held of the king by knight's
service, to wit, by homage, fealty, and
scutage, and by the service of doing suit
at the king's wapentake of Salford every
three weeks, by the rent of 10*. called
castle ward, and by the rent of 8*. ; and
the castle ward rent being in arrear for
four years, he had taken four oxen. Sir
John denied that this rent was due from
him ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 5, m. i6b. In
1483 it was returned that Sir Thomas
Pilkington paid 8*. yearly for Bury and
los. for ward of Lancaster Castle ; Duchy
of Lane. Misc. 130.
88 Pat. 4 Hen. VII, 23 Feb. In the
inquisition after the death of Thomas, the
second earl, in 1521, it was found that he
had held the manor of Bury and tene-
ments there of the king, as of his duchy of
Lancaster by the service of one knight's
fee and by the rent of 8*. ; it was worth
30 clear per annum. Sir Henry Halsall
was appointed steward of Bury and Pil-
kington in 1509, with an annuity of 10;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 68.
At that time (1519-20) there were four
constables of Bury, appearing at the court
of Tottington. The bailiff of the latter
manor complained that he had not been
allowed to distrain within the lordship of
Bury for several amercements, and that
stray sheep seized within Tottington had
been driven off by servants of the Earl of
Derby. The earl had liberty of waif and
stray within Bury, and after the sheep
SALFORD HUNDRED
BURY
scended regularly to the fifteenth earl, 33 who in 1872
sold his rights, the advowson excepted, to the Improve-
ment Commissioners, who have been succeeded by
the present corporation. He remained the principal
landowner, as his successor, the present earl, still is.
The principal incidents of the tenure by the
Pilkingtons were the grant of a weekly market and
two fairs about 1440," and the licence in 1465 to
fortify the manor-house of Bury, afterwards known as
the Castle. 35
At the beginning of last century three courts leet
were held annually for the manor of Bury in April, at
Whitsuntide, and in October ; a court baron was held
every three weeks for the recovery of debts under 4O/. 36
A family bearing the local surname long continued
to have lands within the parish ; 37 they may have
been descended from the former lords of the manor.
The bridge appears to have given a surname to a
resident family. 38 CHESH4M, sometimes called a
manor, was once owned by the Holts of Stubley. 39
A family named Allen formerly lived at Redvales. 40
Haslum also occurs. 41 The Hulmes of Davyhulme
had property in Bury."
A petition for the delimitation of the bounds of
Bury and Middleton was addressed to the Chancellor
of the Duchy about 1 520."
The custom of the county as to the distribution of
the goods of intestates led to disputes in the latter
had been recovered by his servants pro-
clamation was, as usual, made in the
market of Bury, and they were delivered
to their owners ; Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 84-8. The earl
was said to hold the manor of Bury,
'to be one of the four judgers' at
every court held within the lordship of
Tottington ; Duchy of Lane. Dep. xii,
Gia.
The manors of Bury and Pilkington
with the advowson of Bury were among
the dower lands of Charlotte, Countess of
Derby, in 1652, and she was allowed to
compound for them. The ' old rents ' of
Bury in 1640 amounted to ,163 81. gd.,
and the tolls of fairs and markets to 10;
Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 182, 184.
M The manor of Pilkington, the ad-
vowson of Bury, &c., were included in a
settlement by William, Earl of Derby, in
1677; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 199, m.
55. The advowson of Bury and other pro-
perties were in the hands of John, Earl of
Anglesey, and Henrietta Maria his wife
in 1708 ; ibid. bdle. 260, m. 53. The
manors of Bury and Pilkington, with the
advowson of Bury, were included in a
general arrangement in 1715 ; ibid. bdle.
276, m. 71. The manors of Bury and
Pilkington and the ' perpetual advowson,
presentation, donation, and the free dis-
position of the church of Bury' were like-
wise included in a recovery of the estates
of Edward, Earl of Derby, the first of
the Bickerstaffe line, in 1 747 ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 567, m. 3. There were
similar recoveries in 1776 and 1797 ;
ibid. R. 623, m. ia ; Assize R. 10, Aug.
Assizes, 37 Geo. III.
84 Henry VI about 1440 granted to Sir
John Pilkington a weekly market on
Friday and two fairs of three days each at
the feasts of St. George and the Nativity
of Our Lady ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
xxxviii, fol. i.
Edward IV seems to have confirmed
or varied this grant to Thomas Pilkington;
Lanes, and Cbes. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 299. In the ijth and l8th
centuries Thursday was the market day.
Thomas Chetham of Nuthurst com-
plained that having been appointed
(Fin 1521) bailiff of the manors of Bury and
Pilkington for eighteen years during the
minority of the heir, he had exercised his
office till 22 April, ' on which day yearly
time out of mind hath been a fair within
the said manor of Bury' ; but John
Greenhalgh and about six score ' misruled
and riotous persons,' provided with bills,
gleaves, batts, staves, swords, and bucklers,
assaulted at the toll booth, commanded
him ' not to be so hardy nor further to
intermeddle in the said office of baili-
wick,' and made a solemn cry in the fair
that all should obey only the orders of
John Greenhalgh, as deputy bailiff of Sir
Richard Tempest ; Clowes D.
In 1826 the Thursday market had long
been obsolete, but custom had established
one on Saturday. Fairs were held on
5 March, 3 May, and 1 8 September ;
Baines, Lanes. Dir. i, 581.
85 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. 179 ;
licence to Thomas Pilkington to build,
fortify, and caste-Hate a mansion within his
manor of Bury. It appears to have fallen
into decay very quickly, as Leland about
1535 speaks of it as a ruin ; I tin. vii, 49.
It ' stood in Castle croft, close to the
town, on the banks of the old course of
the Irwell' ; Baines, Dir. i, 576. The
* old course ' is represented by the boun-
dary of the township of Elton. There is
a plan in Aikin's Country Round Manches-
ter, 269 ; and a description of remains
found in 1864 in Trans. Hist. Soc. xx,
1 7-20 ; and see Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq.
Soc. xxii, 152. Some of the stones, show-
ing the masons' marks, have been built
into the walls of the volunteer drill hall.
86 Baines, Dir. i, 580.
7 Alan son of William de Bury it
named in 1357 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 6, m. i d.
James Bury, who died about 1515, had
various messuages and lands in Bury,
Middleton, and Tottington, held of the
king as of his duchy of Lancaster by the
sixth part of a knight's fee ; Ralph, the
son and heir, aged forty in 1521, had been
an idiot from his birth, and his uncle
Rawlin, brother of James, was the next
heir ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 34.
Ralph died in 1539, and was succeeded by
his cousin Gilbert, son of Rawlin ; ibid.
viii, no. 24.
There is nothing to show in what part
of the manor (or parish) of Bury their
lands were situated.
88 Henry de Bury in 1309 claimed 4
acres of land and half an acre of meadow
against Robert del Bridge ; De Banco R.
1 79, m. 206 d. ; and three years after-
wards the defendant called upon John son
and heir of John de Heaton to warrant
him; ibid. R. 195, m. 219 d. It was
found that John, the heir, was a minor,
and the case was adjourned till he should
be of age ; ibid. R. 198, m. 36 d.
Geoffrey del Bridge in 13 13-14 claimed
common of pasture in Bury against Henry
de Bury, Hugh son of Thomas de Long-
worth, and others ; but it was shown
that Geoffrey had no land except an ap-
provement from the waste, to which
common of pasture did not pertain ; Assize
R. 424, m. i.
89 Geoffrey son of John del Holt in
1345 purchased a messuage and lands
from Henry de Broxop (Broksoppe) and
Margery his wife ; Final Cone, ii, 121.
Robert del Holt of ' Chesum ' is named
in 1428-9 ; ibid, iii, 125.
In the inquisition (1555) after the
death of Robert Holt of Stubley, his lands
in Bury are stated to have been held of
the Crown by knight's service ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no. 48. Robert Holt,
his nephew and heir, who died two years
later, settled a part of his land in Ches-
ham and Bury on his wife Cecily for her
life ; ibid, x, no. 7. The succeeding
Robert Holt, who died 1561, held his
lands in Bury of the Earl of Derby in
socage by a rent of 41. $d. for all services;
ibid, xi, no. 15. John Holt of Stubley,
who died in 1622, held the 'manors' of
Naden and Chesham ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 336.
Chesham for over a century descended
with Naden (and Stubley) ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 63, no. 177 ; 198, m. 92.
In 1708 the manor of Chesham, with
lands, houses, water-mill, horse-mill,
dovecote, &c., in Chesham, Bury, Tot-
tington, Elton, Middleton, &c., were the
subject of a settlement by James Holt,
Dorothy [Grantham] his wife, Vincent
Grantham, and Edward Jodrell the elder ;
ibid. bdle. 261, m. 84.
40 Captain John Allen was summoned
by the heralds in 1664 ; Dugdale, Vith.
p. v. There is a pedigree in Raines' MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 84, 85, from which
it appears that John Allen had a soa
Richard, whose daughter Elizabeth married
William Dawson of Manchester, and was
the mother of James Dawson, executed
for participation in the rebellion of 1745.
Captain Allen's daughter Dorothy was
mother of John Byrom of Kersal.
41 Isabel wife of John de Wakefield in
1313-14 claimed Haslum against Henry
de Bury and Richard Spacald ; Assize R.
424, m. i.
Robert Nevill, son and heir of Sir
Thomas, by William Bradford his guardian,
complained in 1429 that Sir John Pil-
kington had disseised him of three mes-
suages, 200 acres of land, &c., in Bury
and Haslum, held of Sir John in socage,
by the service of id. a year, and grinding
his corn without multure at the mill of
Bury. Sir John replied that the tenure
was knight's service, and that Robert,
being a minor, was his ward. The jury,
however, found for the plaintiff ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 2, m. 21.
Adam de Haslum occurs in 1256 ;
Final Cone, i, 120. The surname con-
tinued to be common in the district.
Haslam Brow lies to the south of Bury ;
Haslem Hey is in Elton.
42 Final Cone, iii, 102 ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xviii, no. 9. The land was
called Quistondene, and was perhaps in
Walmersley ; there are deeds about it
(1276 and 1427) in Court of Wards,
Deeds and Evidences, box 153, no. i, 7.
48 Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 239.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
part of the same century. 44 There were also disputes
as to the mills. 45
The township was formerly governed
BOROUGH by the constables appointed at the
manor court at Whitsuntide. 46 In
1846, however, the inhabitants obtained an Improve-
ment Act, under which the
^* /ff\ government was entrusted to
| ^/yiU twenty-seven commissioners
elected by the ratepayers ; 47
and after thirty years a royal
charter was granted incorpo-
rating a borough. 48 The
council consists of a mayor, ten
aldermen, and thirty council-
lors. The area, more exten
sive than the old township, 4 "
is divided into five wards
Church, Redvales, East, Moor-
side, and Elton, each electing
six councillors. Bury became
a parliamentary borough on
the passing of the Reform Act
of 1 8 3 2 ; it returns one mem-
ber. 50 The municipal and
parliamentary boroughs are conterminous. Bury
became a county borough in 1888. A coat of arms
was granted in 1877.
Gas 51 and water" were formerly supplied by
private companies, but are now under public control.
The corporation have established electric lighting
works and work the electric tramways. The market,
formerly held in the open square by the church, was
in 1841 transferred to an inclosure erected by the
Earl of Derby, who received the tolls ; it was roofed
with glass in i867, 53 and, with the market rights,
became the property of the town in 1872. The
present market was built in 1901. The Town Hall
was erected by the Earl of Derby in 1850. The
Improvement Commissioners and Corporation have
BOROUGH OF BURY.
Quarterly argent and azure
a cross double parted, fret-
ted and counter changed be-
tween, in the fir it quarter
an anvil sable, in the second
a fleece or, in the third t-wo
shuttles crossed saltirewise
of the fourth, and in the
fourth quarter a papyrus
plant proper.
provided baths, recreation grounds, art gallery, 54
library, and technical schools, 55 fire brigade,
abattoirs, a cemetery, opened in i866-9, 56 and an
infectious diseases hospital. The Bury Hospital and
Dispensary are due to private benevolence. 57
The Athenaeum, began in 1836 as a mechanics' in-
stitution, was built in 1850 ; it has a library, reading
and other rooms, and a large hall for meetings. 58
Bury County Court district was formed in 1 847- 89
The parish church was adequate for the established
worship until 1770, when St. John's was built on
glebe land called Listerfield ; a district was assigned
to it in i86o. 60 St. Paul's, built in 1841, had a
district assigned two years later. 61 Holy Trinity,
opened in 1863, had also to wait two years for a
legal district. 6 * St. Thomas's was built by Thomas
Openshaw, a local benefactor, in i866, M St. Peter's,
Redvales, in 1872," and St. Mark's, Freetown, in
l883- 65 The rector of Bury holds the patronage of
all these churches except St. Paul's, which is in the
gift of five trustees.
John Wesley visited Bury seven times, the first in
1 7 74, the last in 1778. The Wesleyan Methodists have
two churches, the Primitive Methodists one, and the
United Methodist Church six, of which Brunswick, the
principal, was opened in 1837 and rebuilt in I862. 66
The Baptists have three churches. 67
The Congregationalists began services about 1 790,
the first chapel, now known as New Road Chapel,
being opened in 1793 ; it was rebuilt in 18845. A
second, Bethel, was started by a secession from the
former in 1804, due probably to a desire for more
liberal doctrine ; the chapel was built in 1 807, and
enlarged in 1882. A second secession led to the
building of Castlecroft Church in 1837-40. The
chapel at Blackford Bridge originated with services in
1869 ; a school chapel was opened in 1875, and on
this being destroyed by fire, the present building was
erected in i888. 63
There are also a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist
44 Lawrence Grime of Shropshire al-
leged that children of intestate parents in
Lancashire ought to have the clear estate
divided equally among them, except an
heir had been declared or some promo-
tion or advancement had been made to
some of the children during the parents'
lives. The custom was denied by Oliver
Grimes ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, civ, G,
8 ; cvii, G, 4.
4& Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 325 ;
Lanes, and Cbes. Rec. ii, 267. These dis-
putes appear to have been renewed in the
latter part of the I7th century; Raines
MSS. xxxi, fol. 342-4.
The will of James Greenhalgh (1524),
lessee of Bury Mill, is printed in Piccope,
Wills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 203.
46 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), ii, 673.
4 ? 9 & 10 Viet. cap. 293. The Local
Government Act of 1858 was adopted
Between 1864 and 1870; Land. Gaz.
*6 Aug. 1864; 20 Nov. 1866; 8 July
1870. Other Improvement Acts were
passed in 1872 (increasing the number of
commissioners to thirty, and giving further
powers) and 1882; 35 & 36 Viet. cap.
146 ; 45 & 46 Viet. cap. 170.
^ 8 Dated 9 Sept. 1876.
* 9 See a former note.
50 The members have almost invariably
1>een Liberals ; Pink and Beaven, Par/.
Rep re. of Lanes. 327-30. In the early part
of last century there was a great variety
of political parties Painites, Jacobins,
Rumpers, Republicans, Carlilites, and
Chartists ; Barton, Bury, 7. The story
of the earlier elections is told in the same
work, 165-91.
61 Gas was made as early as 1818 ;
Barton, Bury, 101. The gasworks, first
erected by a private company formed in
1828, were purchased by the Improve-
ment Commissioners in 1857. The
streets had been lighted with gas from
1836.
5a The Bury and Radcliffe Waterworks
Company, formed in 1838, supplied water,
but its works were acquired by the Im-
provement Commissioners, and passed to
the corporation. The Bury and District
Joint Water Board, formed in 1900, now
owns the works, which have numerous
reservoirs.
58 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 522. A
Market Act was passed in 1834.
54 It contains the Wrigley collection of
pictures, &c.
55 Opened in 1894.
56 The Commissioners became the
burial board in 1864 (Lond. Gaz. 14 June).
57 The first dispensary is said to have
been due to Rector John Stanley ; the
present institution was founded in 1829.
The hospital was built in 1882, and en-
larged in 1893.
58 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 522;
Barton, Bury, 127.
132
89 Lond. Gaz. 10 Mar. 1847.
60 Ibid. 25 Jan. 1860. The original
provisions as to the pews are given in
Barton, Bury, 150, 152.
61 For endowment see Lond. Gaz.
28 July 1863. The site was given by
Lord Derby; Barton, Bury, 153, 154.
M Lond. Gaz. 6 Feb. 1866; endow-
ments, ibid, ii May 1866, and 30 July
1869. The schools were erected about
1 849, and service was held in them from
1 86 1 ; Barton, Bury, 154.
63 For district see Lond. Gaz. 21 May
1867 ; Barton, Bury, 155.
64 For district see Lond. Gaz. 1 1 Feb.
1873 ; Barton, Bury, 156.
65 The Sunday school began in a room
in Hudcar Mill in 1826 ; in 1850 a school
building was erected and service was held
in it; Barton, Bury, 156, 157.
66 The Wesleyan Methodist chapel in
Union Street was built in 1815-17; it has
a burial-ground. The New Connexion
had a chapel in Bury Lane in 1813 ; the
Primitive Methodists opened a preaching-
room in 1824 ; Baines, Lanes. Dir. i, 577.
The present Primitive Methodist chapel
was opened in 1866. For particulars as
to the United Methodist Free Church see
Barton, Bury, 159.
*7 That in Tenterden Street dates from
1845 ; that at Chesham from 1881.
68 Full details are given in Nightingale,
Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 185-210.
SALFORD HUNDRED
church and a Free Christian church ; this last
originated in a change of the views of the Rev.
Franklin Howorth, the Unitarian minister. 69 The
Salvation Army has a barracks.
In Bury, as in many other places, the earliest
chapel opened by Protestant Nonconformists is now
held by Unitarians. Silver Street Chapel was erected
in lyig, 70 and the teaching became Arian or
Unitarian about 1790, this no doubt leading to
the first Congregational meeting above recorded.
The old chapel was replaced by another in Silver
Street in 1837, and this again having been injured
by the construction of the railway, by the present
one in Bank Street in 1852." The Unitarians have
also a cemetery and mortuary chapel at Hole Bottom.
The followers of Joanna Southcote had a meeting-
room in Bury in 1829." The Swedenborgians
opened a New Jerusalem chapel in 1 860, but it has
been abandoned.
The Roman Catholic church of Our Blessed Lady
was built in 1842," and St. Joseph's in 1871.
ELTON
Elton, 1275.
This L-shaped township stretches westward from
Bury for about 3 miles, and northward for z\ miles,
and has an area of 2,553 ac 1 " 68 - 1 The part near Bury
has long been urban, and indistinguishable from Bury
proper except by the Irwell's course. The surface in
the western limb rises gradually till 800 ft. is attained
in the north-west corner at Bowstone Hill ; in this
portion are Elton proper and Walshaw Lane. The
northern limb, bounded on the east by the Irwell,
also rises to the west, over 400 ft. being attained ;
this portion contains Brandlesholme in the centre,
with Woodhill to the south and Summerseat to the
north. The population of the registration district
was 13,997 in 1901.
BURY
From Bury Bridge the roads spread out to the north,
north-west, west, and south-west, to Haslingden,
Blackburn, and Bolton. The Lancashire and York-
shire Company's Bolton and Bury line crosses the
south-eastern corner. The Bury and Bolton Canal,
opened in 1796, starts in this township near Bury
Bridge, and proceeds along the western bank of the
Irwell ; there is a large reservoir for it on the border
of Elton and Radcliffe.
In 1666 there were seventy-five hearths to con-
tribute to the tax, including Thomas Greenhalgh's
house with twelve, Thomas Symonds's, six, and Roger
Kay's of Woodhill, six.'
The cotton manufacture is the chief industry, with
bleaching and dyeing ; there are iron-foundries and
paper-works.
The Wellington Barracks are the ddp6t of the
2Oth Regimental District Lancashire Fusiliers.
The recreation ground was the gift of Mr. Henry
Whitehead of Haslem Hey.
Elton has now disappeared as a township, the greater
part having been added to the borough of Bury, but
part to Ainsworth and other townships.*
There does not appear to have been
MANORS any manor of ELTON, although in the
1 3th century a family occurs bearing the
local surname.* Elton was considered a hamlet of
Bury, and its manorial history is involved in the
latter's. 5
The estate of BRANDLESHOLME in Elton,
however, was called a manor. Its early possessors 6
gave way to the Greenhalghs, who retained it till
the beginning of the i8th century. But little is
known of this family, who are said to have sprung up
in Tottington, 7 until the i6th century. Henry de
Greenhalgh and Alice his wife made settlements of
their estate in Bury and Tottington in 1397 and
1398." Thomas Greenhalgh died at Brandlesholme
89 Lanes. Noneon. iii, 182, 183 ; he
became a Trinitarian.
< The expenses of the building are
given in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi,
fol. 436.
71 Nightingale, op. cit. iii, 178-84.
72 J. Butterworth, Bury (reprint, 1902),
II.
78 There was, however, a chapel about
1829; ibid. 'In 1821 there were not
more than five Catholic families in the
town, when mass was said once a month
in the upper room of a wool warehouse.
In 1834 the first resident priest was ap-
pointed ' ; Kelly, Engl. Cath, Mission, 1 1 1.
1 2,079, including 77 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901.
3 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
8 The final change was made in 1894 ;
Local Govt. Bd. Order 31671.
4 Alexander de Elton and Richard his
son were defendants to a claim made by
Adam de Bury in 1278 ; it was shown
that Adam was never in seisin of the
tenement in dispute; Assize R. 1238,
m. 32.
5 Elton Carr is named in a Pilkington
feoffment of 1435 ; Raines MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), xxxviii, fol. 9.
6 The name appears to be BrandulPs
holme. Gilbert son of Brandulf and
Matthew his brother were in 1253-4
among a number of Bury people who had
evaded the suits of mill claimed by Adam
de Bury; Curia Regis R. 154, m. i6d.,
17. John son of Richard de Brandles-
holme (?) had a grant of fruits at the
Rhodes in 1281; Harl. MS. 2112,
fol. 155/191-
Henry de Hull and Margaret his wife
claimed messuages and lands in * Brandol-
festone' in 1305 against Richard, son of
Juliana, daughter of Richard de Brandies-
holme ; De Banco R. 154, m. 146 d.
Richard son of Henry del Hill in 1343
gave all his land in Cecilyhalgh and
Woodridding in the hamlet of Brandies-
holme in the vill of Bury to Henry de
Bury ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 847.
7 They were the hereditary bailiffs ;
Whitaker, Whalley, i, 327.
Maud de Greenhalgh contributed to
the subsidy in Tottington in 1332 ; Excb.
Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
37-
John de Greenhalgh, Serjeant of Tot-
tington, occurs in 1351 and later in the
disputes concerning the succession to Sir
Henry de Bury's manor and lands ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. I, m. 7 d. ; R. 4,
m. 28 d. John de Greenhalgh was
wounded at Bury in 1343 by John de
Buckden ; Assize R. 430, m. 16.
The surname has a great variety of
spellings Grenehalgh, Greneholl, Gren-
oll, Greenall, Greenhaugh, Greenhough,
Greenough, &c. It is probably de-
rived from some place in Tottington,
as stated in the pedigree recorded in
1664. Another branch of the family
had lands in Tottington, as will appear
later.
8 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), iii, 50, 52. The estate consisted
33
of three messuages, 48 acres of (arable)
land, &c., in Bury and Tottington ; the
remainders were to John and to Geoffrey,
sons of Henry and Alice ; to Alice and
Margery, daughters of Thomas son of
Thomas de Barlow (in moieties), and to
John son of William de Elton ; and to the
right heirs of Alice the wife of Henry.
Henry de Greenhalgh and Alice his
wife in 1401 unsuccessfully claimed the
guardianship of the heir of Robert del
Holt, Robert's wife having been Alice
daughter of Alice by a former husband,
Thomas de Barlow. John, the son of
Henry and Alice, is named ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. i, m. 24^. Henry was a juror in
1387 and 1394 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), i, 27, 49. Robert de Greenhalgh
occurs similarly in 1406 ; ibid, i, 88.
Geoffrey de Greenhalgh, aged forty, was
a witness to the age of John de Radcliffe
of Chadderton in 1415 ; Lanes. Rec. Inq.
p.m. no. 19, 20. James son of Geoffrey
de Greenhalgh the elder was interested
in the succession to lands in Moston in
1427 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.) ii,
18 ; while in 1419 James the son
and heir of Geoffrey de Greenhalgh
no doubt the same person had claimed
lands in Bury, with appurtenances at
Blackburn (perhaps in Tottington), and
obtained an Inspeximus of the record in
1444-5 5 Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 538.
In 1425 the trustees of James sons of
Geoffrey Greenhalgh granted him lands
in Horwich with successive remainders
as follows : To John son of Henry
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
on 1 8 July 1576, holding the manor, with various
messuages and lands, of Henry, Earl of Derby, as lord
of Bury, in socage by a rent of ^s. a year. John his
son and heir was about twenty-six years of age. 9 John
Greenhalgh was buried on
21 January 1614-15 ; 10 but
his son Thomas had died in
1591," leaving an infant son
John to succeed his grand-
father. The family were in
the service of the Earls of
Derby," and John Greenhalgh
was in 1 640 appointed Gover-
nor of the Isle of Man ; ls and
holding this office at the time
of the Civil War, his estates in
Lancashire were seized by the
Parliamentary authorities. He
died in the island 16 September 1651," and was
GREENHALGH of Bran-
dlesholme. Argent on a
tend sable three hunting-
bornt stringed of the ftld.
succeeded by his grandson Thomas, son of Richard
Greenhalgh, born in i633. 15
Thomas Greenhalgh recorded a pedigree in i664, 18
and married Elizabeth elder child of Dr. Henry
Bridgeman, Dean of Chester and Bishop of Man, by
whom he had a large family. 17 He was sheriff of the
county in 1 667-8. 18 In his will, dated 1692, John
his son is named as the heir, 19 but appears to have died
without issue, as Henry, another son, is described as
of Brandlesholme in 1728. On his dying intestate,
administration was in that year granted to his daugh-
ters Fanny and Anne. 10 The manor descended to
Elizabeth wife of Samuel Matthews, who in 1732,
and again in 1742, made settlements of it.* 1 In
1770 Joseph Matthews and Elizabeth Matthews,
widow, were two of the vouchees in a recovery of
Brandlesholme and the other estates. 1 * About
that time it was sold to Richard Powell of Heaton
Norris, a merchant. In 1849 Brandlesholme
Greenhalgh ; Henry son of the said John ;
Rayner Greenhalgh and Thurstan his
brother ; Robert and Thomas, sons of
William Greenhalgh ; Geoffrey son of
John Greenhalgh ; Thomas and Ralph,
sons of Roger Greenhalgh ; and Robert
ton of Thomas Greenhalgh ; Anderton
Evidences (Mr. Stonor), no. i.
Edmund Greenhalgh attested a charter
in 1462 ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 164^,
no. 1 8. He in 1479, being described as of
Brandlesholme, obtained a general pardon ;
Add. MS. 32108, no. 1443. He seems
to have been charged with a share in the
death of Thurstan Kay 5 Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 32, m. 7 d. In 1500 he was re-
lieved from attendance on juries ; Towne-
ley MS. CC, no. 690. In the same year
Thomas Greenhalgh, son and heir appa-
rent of Edmund, became bound in ,200
to Robert Langley of Agecroft, probably
in connexion with the marriage between
his son John and Anne Langley recorded
in the pedigree ; Agecroft D. 93.
In 1519 John Greenhalgh, as bailiff
of Tottington, made a complaint of
various trespasses and offences against the
customs of the fee ; Duchy Plead, (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 84 ; see also
ii, 1 08. In 1525 he complained that
Thomas Buckley, who had a lease of
lands from him in Tottington, had made
waste therein ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 145,
m. 4 d. He was the leader in disturb-
ances in Bury Church in 1526; Duchy
Plead, i, 151. He died in 1555 or 1556,
leaving a son and heir Thomas of lawful
age ; Mancb. Ct. Leet Rec. i, 29. John's
widow Anne died at the beginning of
1567 ; her will contains a number of
family bequests, including some to her
son Thomas. To John Greenhalgh (prob-
ably her grandson) and his wife she left,
among other things, a chalice with a
paten and all things belonging unto the
chapel, which were to descend as heir-
looms with Brandlesholme ; Hugh Hard-
man (not named in the Visitation Lists)
seems to have been the resident priest ;
Piccope, frills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 136-8.
A settlement of the manor of Brandles-
holme, with lands in Bury, Moston, New-
ton, Collyhurst, Horwich, and Spotland,
was made by Thomas Greenhalgh in
1556 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 17,
m. 137.
9 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 10 ;
it is recited that the recovery of 1556 was
in consideration of a marriage between
John son and heir of the said Thomas
Greenhalgh, and Alice daughter of Robert
Holt of Stubley, the remainder being to
John and Alice and their heirs. See
Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. i, 180, where
there is a note of Thomas's will. John
Greenhalgh, the heir, did not attend the
Manchester court to do his service until
1585 ; ibid, i, 184, 235, 253,
A settlement of the Brandlesholme
estate, including three fulling mills, was
made in 1591 by John Greenhalgh, Alice
his wife, and Thomas the son and heir
apparent ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
53, m. 295.
10 Bury Reg.
11 He was buried 17 Sept. ; ibid. An
inquisition was made in 1599, when it
was found that John the father was seised
of the manor of Brandlesholme and other
estates, and had in 1585 made a settle-
ment on the marriage of his son Thomas
with Mary daughter of Robert Holt.
Thomas died 16 Sept. 1591, leaving a
son John, two years of age ; John the
father and Alice his wife were in 1599
living at Brandlesholme, and Mary the
widow of Thomas was living at Middle-
ton ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii,
no. 61.
13 The seventh earl, in his praise of
Captain John Greenhalgh, says : ' His
ancestors have formerly dwelt in my
house. . . . This certainly might breed
a desire in the man that the house where
his predecessors have served might still
flourish ' ; Stanley Papers (Chet. Soc.), iii
(B), 12.
18 Ibid, n, 12; the earl praises him
for his government of the island, stating
that he was 'a gentleman well born,'
having ' a good estate of his own,' which
he had managed well ; also that he had
done ' his king and country good service '
and been 'approved valiant." He con-
cludes : ' He is such that I thank God for
him.' See further accounts by Canon
Raines, ibid. pp. cxxxii-cxxxiv, and Assbe-
ton's Journ. (Chet. Soc.), 6. He paid
25 in 1631 on refusing knighthood ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
216.
14 He is traditionally supposed to have
fought at Worcester, distinguishing him-
self by his bravery ; see Diet. Nat. Stag.
16 Royalist Corap. Papers (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 107-15 (John
Greenhalgh), 115-27 (Thomas Green-
halgh). Alice Greenhalgh, widow of
John, had been the wife of Richard Burgh
of Larbreck, and was sister of Thomas
Chaderton of Lees ; she petitioned for
her lands. Nothing is said about her
husband having fought at Worcester. The
agreement for the marriage of Richard
son of John Greenhalgh with Alice
daughter of Edward Rawstorne was
made in 1631, and is printed at length.
Richard died in Jan. 1635-6, being
buried at the parish church on the igth.
Thomas Greenhalgh, the son and heir,
petitioned for a declaration of his title to
the manor, his grandfather's name having
been included in the third of the Acts of
Sale, 1652 ; Peacock, Index of Royalistt
(Index Soc.), 41.
16 Dugdale, Vint. (Chet. Soc.), 124-6.
W Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), i,
267. In 1682 Thomas Greenhalgh of
Brandlesholme and his sons John, Henry,
Orlando, and Richard, were made bur-
gesses at the Preston Gild ; Pres. Guild
Rolls (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
1 86.
Adam Martindale relates that having
about 1670 kept 'a day of preaching and
prayer' in 'a dark corner' of the parish,
Dean Bridgeman being at his son-in-law's
house, and hearing of it, caused an arrest
to be made. ' I was carried before the
reverend Dean, who, knowing me well, said
he wondered that I would expose myself
to the lash of the law for conventicling,
and that under his nose.' However,
' after some other discourse in a loving
and familiar way he dismissed me, pre-
tending kindness to me for my Lord
Delamere's sake.' On a trial the charge
was dismissed ; Adam Martindale (Chet.
Soc.), 104-5. '
Oliver Heywood also has allusions to
Thomas Greenhalgh's relations with the
Nonconformists ; Diaries, i, 253 ; ii, 223.
18 P.R.O. Litt, 73.
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xvi, fol.
389 ; in 1705 Henry and Orlando were
the sole surviving executors. Henry
Greenhalgh of Brandlesholme acquired
Dauntesey Warth in 1704 ; ibid, xxii,
453. Thomas Greenhalgh died 15 Jan.
1691-2 ; Bury Reg.
80 Raines MSS. xvi, 391.
21 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 307,
m. IS35 3 2 9- "I-
M Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 612, m. 6;
Robert Nuttall, merchant, was the other
vouchee. The estate is described as the
manor or lordship of Brandlesholme and
lands, &c., in Elton, Tottington, Walmers-
ley, Kersal, Pendlebury, Preesall, Stal-
mine, Hackinsall, and Stainall.
SALFORD HUNDRED
BURY
POWELL of Brandies-
holme. Gules a lion
rampant within a bar Jure
engrailed or.
belonged to his grandson, Captain Henry Folliott
Powell. 23
BRANDLESHOLME HALL stands on high ground
a mile and a half north of Elton, to the west of the
road to Holcombe Brook, and
is now a house of little or no
interest, modern rebuilding and
repairs having deprived it of
all its architectural features. It
was formerly a good specimen
of the half-timber gabled houses
of the district, built on a low
stone base, and erected prob-
ably in the i6th century with
a later stone wing with mul-
lioned windows at the north
end. The greater part of the
external timber-work, however,
appears to have perished or
have been otherwise destroyed before the middle of the
last century, when the house seems to have been in a
more or less dilapidated state, the principal front, which
faces the east, being then patched with plaster and
modern sash windows introduced.'* 1 In 1852 the
south end was taken down and rebuilt in brick and
stucco, no attempt being made to reproduce the former
style, and the rest of the building being very much
dilapidated was repaired in 1908 in a manner more
resembling in style the work of 1852 than that of the
original building. Externally, therefore, the house,
which has long been divided into two, preserves
nothing of its ancient appearance, a portion of stone
walling on the north, some brickwork at the back
(west), and a few stone slabs on the roofs, which
have been renewed with blue slates, being all the old
work now left. The interior, however, exhibits a
good deal of the timber construction, and the hall
preserves its wide open fireplace and original oak
ceiling beams. In another room is a portion of a
ceiling with well-moulded oak beams, and other
portions of old timber-work still remain. But the
general aspect of the house, inside as well as out, is
wholly modernized, and new rooms have been added.
On the north-east is a stone barn, and in a corner of
the grounds on the south-west side at the end of a
terrace approached by eight stone steps are the re-
mains of a small stone building, locally said to have
been a chapel, but more probably a summer-house,
with the initials H.G. (Henry Greenhalgh) and the
date 1709 on the door-head.
The Hospitallers owned Haslem Hey, which about
1540 was tenanted by Edward Earl of Derby, at a
rent of 1 zd. u The Holts of Stubley held it of the
earl. 15
CHAMBER HALL, on the border of Bury, appears
to have been at one time the residence of a Green-
halgh family, 16 and then of the Kays. 27 The place
was leased to Robert Peel, who there established his
great cotton-printing works. His son, the celebrated
statesman, was born in the house or in an adjacent
cottage. 18 It is a question debated locally whether
Sir Robert or his younger brother was born in this
cottage during some repairs or additions at the hall ;
these additions, which were probably the new brick
front, may not have been begun till after Sir Robert's
birth. 19 The hall was used as a Baptist college from
1866 to I874. 30
It was situated about 400 yds. directly north
of Bury market-place, on low ground at the
foot of the plateau on which the old town of Bury
was built, and not far from the left bank of the
Irwell. The railway, going north from Bury, passed
close to it on the east, and its surroundings, which
had been growing less attractive for the last
thirty years, were somewhat squalid. In 1825,
however, the house is described as standing * amid
fertile fields,' Sl and the position was no doubt origi-
nally a pleasant one. Of the lyth-century house only
a small portion remained, at the back or north side ;
the front part, which was built of brick and dated
from the latter part of the i8th century, forming the
larger and principal portion of the building. The
old house was of three stories, was built of thin rough
coursed stones with dressed angle quoins, and retained
its old mullioned and transomed windows with label
mouldings, one at the east end on the third floor
having eight lights. The roof was covered with stone
slates, and in the north wall was a stone with an
inscription very much worn, dated 1611. The later
addition was of the same height but of two stories,
breaking the west gable of the old building, and
had a very plain brick elevation, with a central door-
way and two sash windows on each side on the ground
floor, and five similar windows above. 8 * The house
28 There are rival accounts in the notes
in Assbeton's Journ. 5, 6 ; see also
Notitia Cestr. ii, 29. Francis Mathew,
created Earl of Llandaff in 1797, who is
stated to have sold Brandlesholme, was
the son of Thomas Mathew (who died in
1777) by a daughter of Richard Mathews
of Dublin; G.E.C.Complete Peerage, v, 1 26.
** Pictorial Hist, of Lanes. 1844, p.
247, where there is an illustration of the
building at that date. The writer says :
* The gables seem to have formerly been
adorned with tracery, some vestige of
which still remains. The chimneys are
both very ancient and very ample. Modern
repairs detract from the uniformity and
beauty of the edifice.'
24 Kuerden MSS., v, fol. 84.
25 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), iii, 336.
26 Thomas and James Greenhalgh of
Chamber occur in the early part of the
1 7th century ; Bury Reg. A Bury family
also lived there ; ibid.
*7 James Kay of Chamber Hall in
Elton in 1711 sold land in Castlecroft to
Robert Nuttall ; Raines MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), xxxi, fol. 350.
38 The history of the Peel family be-
longs to Blackburn. A description of the
works in 1795 is given in Aikin, Country
round Manchester, 268-9.
Robert Peel was selected by Messrs.
Haworth (his uncle) and Yates as their
junior partner and manager of the
works established at Bury about 1770.
He acquired a large fortune. He was
made a baronet in 1800, and died in
1830; Abram, Blackburn, 220 ; Bar-
ton, Bury, 4996 ; Lanes, and Ches.
Hist, and Gen. Notes, i, 1 30 ; Local Glean-
ings Lanes, and Ches. i, 205 ; Diet. Nat.
Biog.
Sir Robert Peel, the statesman, was his
eldest son, and was born in 1788. His
public career, which was not directly con-
nected with Lancashire, began when he
was twenty-one, his father having bought
135
for him the representation of Cashel, for
which he sat as a Tory. In 1 8 1 7 he was
elected for the University of Oxford, and
afterwards represented other constituencies.
In 1810 he was under-secretary for war
and the colonies, and was in office almost
continuously for twenty years ; prime
minister, 1834-5 ; built up the Conserva-
tive party ; prime minister, 1841-6, when
he pursued the policy of repealing duties ;
continued in his great work of the repeal
of the corn laws, 1846. He refused the
Garter. He died 29 June 1850, having
been thrown from his horse ; Diet. Nat.
Biog.
29 See letter by Viscount Peel in a Bury
newspaper, June 1899, quoted by Manch.
Guardian, i Feb. 1908.
80 Barton, Bury, 95. The college is
now at Rusholme.
81 Corry, Hist, of Lanes, ii, 658.
82 There is an illustration of the old
part of Chamber Hall in The Pictorial
Hist, of Lanes. 1844, p. 250.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
was pulled down in February 1909, the inscribed
stone above referred to being placed in the Bury
Museum.
Somerset, now Summerseat, was held by the Raw-
stornes under the lord of Brandlesholme. 88
Woodhill was long the residence of a family named
Kay. 54 Roger Kay, the refounder of the grammar
school, was of this family. 343
The principal landowners in 1789 were : Powell
for Brandlesholme, Peel for Chamber Hall, Richard
Bridge, Mrs. Nuttall for Woodhill, and Mrs. Johnson
for Seddon's."
In connexion with the Established Church, All Saints'
was built in 1843, and had a separate district assigned
to it in I844- 36 St. Stephen's, built in 1881, had a
district assigned to it three years later. 37 The patron-
age of these churches is vested in the rector of Bury
and the vicar of All Saints' respectively. Christ
Church, Walshaw Lane, was built in 1892 as a
memorial to Jesse Haworth of Walshaw Mill, who
died in 1897, by his sister Miss Nancy Haworth and
his nephew the Rev. John Gorell Haworth.
The Wesleyan Methodists have two churches in
Elton ; the United Methodist Church one ; and
the Primitive Methodists also one, built in I868. 38
For Roman Catholics the school-chapel of Our
Lady of Good Counsel and the Guardian Angels was
built in 1886, and a church in 1892.
HEAP
Hepe, 1278 ; Hewood, 1292.
The greater part of the township of Heap lies on
the south bank of the Roch, and has a detached
portion, called Whittle, between Pilsworth, Uns-
worth, and Middleton ; but there is also a consider-
able area to the north of the stream, containing
Little Bridge, Bridge Hall, and Broad Oak on the
west, and part of Bamford with Jowkin and Meadow-
croft on the east. There are several detached portions,,
due probably to a division of the wastes between
Heap on the one side and Birtle on the other. The
area of the whole is 2,938^ acres. 1 The population
of the borough of Hey wood in 1901 was 25,458.
The principal road is that eastward from Bury
across the Roch at Heap Bridge, through Charles-
town and Heady Hill, 2 and the town of Heywood,.
where it divides, to Rochdale on the north-west and
Middleton on the south. Another road from Bury
to Rochdale keeps on the northern side of the Roch,
and is joined by a cross road from Heywood through
Hooley Bridge. 3
At Heywood all branches of cotton spinning
and manufacture are carried on, and there are iron
and brass foundries, saw mills, boiler and wagon
works ; power looms are made. At Heap Bridge
there are great paper mills, and woollen and cotton
mills.
An urn containing a large number of Roman coins
was found at Plumpton House near Hooley Bridge in
I856. 4
There were 126 hearths liable to the tax in 1666.
The largest dwellings were those of Robert Heywood
(with nine hearths), Roger Holt (seven), and William
Bamford (six). 5
Heap has disappeared as a township ; the borough
of Heywood has taken the larger part within it, and
other parts have been added to the neighbouring
townships. 6
The manorial history of Heap is in-
M4NORS volved with that of Bury, but there are
some estates in the hamlet or township
which appear to have been considered as manors. 7
BRIDGE H4LL, on the north bank of the Roch, 8
where the road from Bury to Heywood and Middle-
ton crossed the stream, was long held by a branch
88 Thurstan Rawstorne in 1583 had two
messuages and land in Elton, which he
sold or mortgaged to Thomas Warburton ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 45, m. 58.
He was a juror in 1 604 ; Lanes. Jnq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ch.es.), i, 28.
Children of William Rawstorne of Sum-
merseat occur in the Bury Registers,
1610 to 1616, and he was buried 8 Dec.
1618. He also occurs as a juror.
Lawrence Rawsthorne of Summerseat
died early in 1630.; administration of his
effects was granted to his widow Ellen ;
Will* (Chet. Soc. new ser.), i, 239.
Thurstan Rawstorne, gentleman, died
at Summerseat i Dec. 1634, holding
three messuages, &c., in Elton of John
Greenhalgh of Brandlesholme by the
twentieth part of a knight's fee and a
yearly rent of \d. Ellen his daughter and
heir wa seven years of age. Ellen his
widow lived at Bolton ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 38.
A right of way over Summerseat was
claimed by Thomas Greenhalgh in 1576
against Thurstan Rawstorne and Lawrence
Bury ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii,
43-
The Old Hall, Summerseat, was about
a century ago the residence of Christopher
Roberts, an inventor and mathematician ;
' in his disposition calm and philosophical
he kept aloof from the pursuit of wealth,
and died, as he had lived, blameless.' He
was a Swedenborgian ; Barton, Bury, 245.
84 The name occurs constantly in the
Bury Registers. The will of Roger Kay
of 'Wyddall,' dated 1563, mentions his
son Arthur ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
xvi, fol. 383. Susan daughter of Richard
Kay of ' Widdell ' in 1724 married Robert
Unsworth of Elton ; ibid, xxxi, 290.
843 Roger was the son of Roger Kay,
husbandman, of Bury, and entered St.
John's College, Cambridge, in 1684, as
sizar attending on John the son of Thomas
Greenhalgh, who was at the same time
admitted as a fellow-commoner ; Admis-
sions St. John's Col. ii, 97. He became
fellow of the college (1689-92), rector of
Fittleton and prebendary of Sarum, and
died in 1731 ; Baker, Hist. St. John's
Col. (ed. Mayor), i, 300, 301; Le Neve,
Fasti, iii, 666, 669. In 1726 he en-
dowed the grammar school of Bury with
Chadwick Hall and other estates in Spot-
land, a rent-charge on Ewood Hall in
Haslingden, &c. ; and by his will of 1729
left Ewood and other lands to his nephew
Roger Kay ; the Warth in RadclifFe to his
niece Rachel, wife of Richard Allen,
surgeon ; his other nieces were Dorothy
Sudell, widow, and Susan wife of Roger
Kay of Widdall; Char. Rep. of 1828,
xix, 217,221.
From the Bury Registers it appears that
Roger Kay of Widdall had sons Richard
and Roger, born in 1650 and 1663 re-
spectively ; the latter is the benefac-
tor. Richard Kay of Widdall had a son
Roger, born in 1692, who is the nephew
referred to.
88 Land tax returns at Preston.
86 Lond. Gam. 23 Feb. 1844; for en-
136
dowments, ibid. 3 May 1844 and 10 Aug.
1866. The site was known as Goose
Hill Bank.
8 ? The schools were erected in 1870.
88 Barton, Bury, 204.
1 The area of Heywood in 1901 was
3,660 acres, including 51 of inland water,
according to the Census Rep.
8 Here was the old district or hamlet
of Lumhalghs or Lomax.
8 For the mill at this place, stopped in
1 86 1 through disputes in the Fenton
family, see Heywood N. and Q. (ed.
J. A. Green), i, 37. This publication
gathers up a number of notes about per-
sons and places in the district.
4 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. ix, 166.
6 Subsidy R. bdle. 250, no. 9 Lanes.
8 Under the Divided Parishes Act, 1882,
Diggles was transferred from Heap to
Birtle-cum-Bamford. The final change
was made in 1894 by Local Govt. Bd.
Order 31671 ; Heap is now divided be-
tween Heywood, Bury, Birtle-with-Bam-
ford, and Unsworth.
7 Heap as a surname occurs, but the
connexion of the family with the place is
not known.
8 In 1278 William son of William del
Bridge successfully claimed a messuage
and an oxgang of land in Bury against
Adam de Bury, Henry son of Cecily de
Heap, and others. Roger de Bolton was
the plaintiffs predecessor in title ; Assize
R. 1238, m. 31. It is not clear whether
or not this was the Bridge family already
noticed in Bury proper.
SALFORD HUNDRED
BURY
of the Holt family, 9 who were succeeded by the
Nuttalls ; 10 after whom came the Grundys and the
Wrigleys, now owners.
B4MFORD, also on the north bank of the stream, 11
gave its name to the family which owned it from the
1 3th to the I gth century. Adam de Bury granted
all his lands in Bamford to Alexander de Bamford at
a rent of 40^." There is but little record of the
family. 13 Henry son of Thomas de Bamford was
outlawed for debt in 1389, and it was found that he
had one messuage at Bamford, held of Sir Roger de
Pilkington in socage by the rent of 3*. 6d. y and
another in Spotland, held of John de Wolstenholme
by a rent of i\d Samuel Bamford, who died on
10 June 1629, held the manor of Bamford, with
messuages in Bamford and Bury, of the Earl of Derby
by a rent of 3/. 4^., and also the manor of Wolsten-
holme. The heir was his nephew William Bamford
9 Some deeds of the family may be seen
in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol.
280, &c.
In 1445-6 John Holt of the Bridge,
who also had Stake Hill m Thornham,
agreed with John Clegg of the Mill-house
concerning the marriage of his son Henry
with Margery daughter of John Clegg.
The deed mentions lands formerly held by
Henry Holt and Margery his wife in Bury
and Middleton ; ibid. 1 8 1.
Roger Holt of Bury, son of Henry Holt
of Bridge, occurs in 1490 ; Pal. of Lane.
Writs Proton, file 5 Hen. VII.
Roger Holt died 5 Sept. 1594, holding
the capital messuage called Bridge Hall, a
water-mill adjoining, and messuages, &c.,
in Heap, of the Earl of Derby in socage,
by a rent of 2s. a year. He also had lands at
Stake Hill in Middleton, Feilden in Hund-
dersfield, and Whittaker in Clegg. His
son Richard having died before him, the
heir was Richard's son Roger, eleven years
of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no.
6. The will of Richard Holt is given in
Raines, op. cit. 281 ; it appears that
his mother's name was Anne, and he had
brothers, Roger, Henry, Edward, and
Francis. Roger Holt of Bridge Hall was
buried 5 Feb. 1616-17 ; Bury Reg.
Peter Holt, the next to succeed, was,
according to the pedigree, a son of Roger.
He took sides with the Parliament and is
described as captain, being no doubt the
Captain Holt of Bury who helped to de-
fend Bolton against Lord Derby ; Civil
War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 81. In 1643
he married Elizabeth, widow of Henry
Kelly of Manchester, his mother Mary
and son and heir Roger being named.
From the Bury Registers it appears that
Elizabeth, 'an ancient professor,' was
buried 21 Nov. 1646. At this time Peter
was a member of the Bury Classis. He
married again in 1649, Jane Gregory
being his wife, and died 10 Aug. 1651 ;
Bury Reg. She afterwards married Robert
Gregge of Chester, and had a son Edward
Gregge of Hapsford ; Raines, op. cit. 282,
283, where Peter's will is given. A son,
Peter Holt, M.A., ' a youth of the best
hope,' died in 1 644 ; Bury Reg.
Roger, the heir, married Jane Green-
halgh of Chamber in 1644-5 5 'bid. He
recorded a pedigree in 1664-5, when
forty-four years of age ; Dugdale, Visit.
(Chet. Soc.), 149. He died 29 May
1682 ; Bury Reg. Bridge Hall appears
to have gone to his brother John, who in
1697 sold it to a cousin Nathaniel Gas-
kell of Manchester and Clifton ; Raines,
op. cit. 282-5. In 1736 Hugh Lord
Sempill and Sarah his wife and the other
heirs sold Bridge Hall to Robert Nuttall ;
ibid. 289.
A dispute concerning Bridge Hall and
the corn mill in 1595 is recorded in Du-
catus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 412. The
defendant, Thomas Shaw, was guardian of 
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