82 
Balcarres. His brother Alexander succeeded to the Hoghton 
estates. He left these to his half-brother, who came to an 
untimely end in a dispute about some cattle. He was killed on 
the night of November 20th, 1589, in a fray with Thomas Langton, 
Baron of Newton, a kinsman of his own. Lord Derby, the 
lord-lieutenant of the country, was directed to make an enquiry 
into the turmoil, but he found so many were implicated in the 
dispute, and the laws were so very severe, that it would appear 
he deemed it best to let the matter rest. Restitution was, how- 
ever, made to the Hoghton family. Walton-le-Dale was given 
as compensation for the murder of Thomas, and although no 
deeds exist showing their title, that manor belongs to the Hogh- 
tons to this day. Sir Richard Hoghton next on the roll, paid £1,000 
to King James for the dignity of a baronetcy. He had been 
knighted before by the Earl of Essex in Ireland. He invited the 
King, on his return from Scotland to London, to visit Hoghton 
Tower. This was in 1617. The king occupied himself with 
hunting in the ancient deer park, one of the oldest in the king- 
dom. So careful were the proprietors of the estate to preserve 
game for the chase, that it is said in a part of Hoghton Park 
the trees were so thick that the sun’s rays could not reach the 
ground. The famous dun-coloured cattle, the old English breed, 
were kept here, similar to those that existed in later years at 
Gisburn. The crest of the Hoghtons is a white bull, and their 
supporters are two animals of the same kind. 
On the second day of his visit, the king visited the alum 
mines, close to the park wall. The site of these mines is very 
picturesque, and worth seeing. 
The next day was Sunday, and a grand dinner was prepared 
for his Majesty. The list of the eatables prepared for the delectation 
of the king for dinner and supper was read, and it contained all 
the choicest joints and viands that could be procured. The well- 
known story that the king knighted the loin of beef here lacks 
confirmation. The term ‘‘sirloin” was certainly known long 
before. It was used in the time of King Henry VI. Troublous 
times were now coming upon the land. Sir Gilbert Hoghton 
had succeeded to the estates, and he was a personal friend of 
King Charles I. 
In the troubles of the civil war in the early part of the 17th 
century, when the land was divided into two great camps, the 
Hoghtons sided with the king; but in this district the Starkies 
of Huntroyd, the Shuttleworths of Gawthorpe, and the Ashtons 
supported the claims of the Parliamentarians. When the war 
broke out Preston was stormed by the Parliamentarian forces. 
Sir Gilbert escaped. Two hundred men in charge of Captain 
Starkie, of Huntroyd, were directed to take Hoghton Tower. 
The tower was defended by a garrison of 40 or 50 musketeers 
