AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



wealth, 41 and in 1715-17 other estates seem to have 

 been confiscated or threatened. 41 William Butler 

 was executed for taking part in the rebellion of 

 1715.** 



The Old House at Badsberry was in 17 1 8 be- 

 queathed by John Cross to endow a school at Bils- 

 borrow. 44 Mary Cross of Myerscough in 1889 

 founded a charity for the poor. 44 Midghalgh was 

 early in the l8th century owned by a family named 

 Lund, 48 and was a Roman Catholic mission station.' 

 Anthony Lund, the heir of the family, was a 

 Douay priest ; he built (he present chapel at Ferny- 

 halgh." 



BLEASDALE 



Blesedale, 1228. 



Although now in the parish of Lancaster, owing to 

 its inclusion in the forest, Bleasdale has remained in 

 the hundred of Amounderness, and was probably 

 once within Garstang. It occupies a hilly country, 

 divided into three main parts by the Riven Calder 

 and Brock, which rise near the Yorkshire border and 

 flow south-west through it. The northern part lies 

 on the slopes of GrizeJale and Stake House Fells, the 

 height on the border of Wyresdale ranging from 900 ft. 

 to 1,5*0 ft. above sea level. The central portion, 

 between the riven, is occupied by Bleasdale Moon 

 on Oakenclough and Hazelhunt Fells ; most of this 

 is over 1,000 ft. level, 1,505 ft. being the highest 

 point. Bleasdale Tower lies on the north side of 

 the Brock. The part of the township south of this 

 stream is in the main lower, but on the eastern 

 boundary the ground rises very steeply, the flat- 

 topped Parlick at the south end of the ridge attaining 

 1,416 ft. above sea level, while Fairsnape Fell to the 



PART OF 

 LANCASTER 



north attains 1,700 ft. on the boundary of Yorkshire. 

 In this part Admanh Chapel is situated. The stream 

 which bounds the township on the south is also called 

 the Brock. There are 7,298 1 acres ' in the township, 

 and the population in 1901 was 403.* 



There are few roads ; one leads from the western 

 boundary to Bleasdale Tower, while another leads 

 circuitously to Admarsh, Lower Fainnape and Blind- 

 hurst. 



Some prehistoric remains have been found. 1 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



The North Lancashire Reformatory School was 

 built by subscription in 1857 for the training of boys 

 in farm work. The boys are now taught various 

 trades and work in the mills. 



In 1314 there was an iron mine. 4 The land is 

 now chiefly in pasture,' the soil being a peaty moss, 

 with clay subsoil. Butter and cheese are made. At 

 Oakenclough are paper-mills and a fish hatchery. 

 The water of the streams is impounded by the Fylde 

 Water Board, affording the chief supply for the 

 western part of the hundred. 



Cuthbert Anthony Parkinson of Blindhurst, 1666- 

 1728, was a Franciscan historian and missionary.* 



The district of BLE4SDJLE was in- 

 FOREST eluded in the forest of Lancaster before 

 the time of Henry II, and was therefore 

 exceptcd from the charter of the forest of 1 2 1 7. The 

 boundary as defined in the perambulation of 1228 

 included the greater part of the present township, the 

 Calder, instead of Grizedale Fells, being the northern 

 boundary. 7 The value to the earl in i 297 was only 

 2j marks a year. 8 



Bleasdale scarcely ever occun in the records.* The 

 most important family of later times was that of Parkin- 

 son of Fainnape, 10 a pedigree being recorded in 1 6 1 3." 



11 The cue* of Sir T. Tyldesley and 

 Elizabeth Jcpton have been mentioned. 



John Parker, recount, in 1653 detired 

 to compound for two-thirds of hit estate 

 sequestered ; Col. Com, for Comp. !T, 

 3174. Thomas Pierson of Newcastle 

 was allowed to compound for his estate 

 in Myerscough, though it had been 

 ordered for sale ; ibid, iv, 2958. Andrew 

 Thistleton of Myerscough House had his 

 estate sold in 1653 ; ibid. 314;. These 

 estates and that of Francis Wcitbjr were 

 ordered to be sold under the third Act, 

 1651; Indue if Reyaliia, 44. 



" The estates of John Parkinson and 

 John Edsforth, ' Papist,' seem to hare 

 been forfeited ; Lanes, and Chei. Ric. i, 

 174-5. The following 'Papists' regis- 

 tered estates in 17171 Anne Baine, 

 James Brand, Robert Cardwell of Barton, 

 William Catttrall, Elizabeth Crookall of 

 Badgebury (Ba itberry) within Myerscough 

 and Francis Malley ; Estcourt and Payne, 

 op. cit. 



41 Gillow, B,kl. Diet, of Engi. Calk, i, 

 366. 



44 End. Cktr. Rtf. (Lane.), 1903, 

 p. 115. 



"Ibid. 117. The grots income is 

 8 161., which is given annually to nine 

 or ten perioni in gifts of money. Mis* 

 Cross, who founded many other charities 

 (tee the Pretton report), died in 1896. 



44 Anthony Lund the younger registered 

 hit estate as a ' Papiit ' in 1717; Est- 

 coutt and Payne, op. cit. I 5 I. 



' r.illow, Hajdock Paper,, 61-4. 



41 Gillow, BiU. Did. ofEfl. Catk. i, 



350. He died in iSn, baring sold 

 Midghalgh. 



1 Including 10 acres of inland water. 



1 Including 124 in the Reformatory 

 School. 



y.C.H. LtJict. i, 243 ; Lanct. end 

 Ckti. Antiif. Soc. xvii, 155; xviii, 1 14. 



4 Land. In-j. and Exttnti (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), ii, z8. 



5 There are only 8 acres of arable land 

 to 3,113 of permanent grass ; woods and 

 plantations occupy 319 acres. 



Gillow, BiU. Diet, of Engl. Cat*. , 

 143. He joined the Franciscans at Douay 

 and was tent to the English mitsion 

 in 169;. He published his Colltftanta 

 Anrlo-Minoririca in 1726. 



'Fairer, Lanct. Pift R. 411. The 

 bounds are thus given : From the source 

 of Calder south to Ulvesty, thence to the 

 summit of Parlick, down Mereclough to 

 the Brock, down the Brock to Wensnape, 

 thence up to Stogesthol and to Senesty, 

 thence going down to the Calder and up 

 this stream to its tource. See alto Cat. 

 Pat. 1 338-40, p. 417. 



A committion to define the bounds of 

 the forett of Bleasdale was issued in the 

 time of James I ; Lanct. and Ckii. Kit. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanct. and Chei.), ii, 179. 



' Lanct. Ing. and Extent}, i, 290. The 

 vaccariei of Blindhurst, Hazelhead, Fair- 

 snape and ' between the Brooks (Brocks) ' 

 existed in 1313; ibid, ii, 118. The 

 pasture between Calder and Gritedale was 

 alto accounted for; ibid. 178. 



In the time of Henry VII the tenant! 

 of the Chase complained of distraints 



made by Sir John Booth, the king's re- 

 ceiver, on their cattle in the pasture lands 

 in Rleasdale ; Dueatut Lane. (Rec. Com.), 

 i, 112. 



A mill site was granted in 1609 al 

 Admarsh ; Pat. 7 Jas. I, pt. xi. 



By the county lay of 1624 Bleasdale 

 was required to pay 141. ttifj. to each 

 jioo contributed by the hundred ; Greg- 

 ton, Fragment! (ed. Harland), 2). 



10 Anthony Richardson, the queen's 

 lessee, had a dispute with Ralph Parkinson 

 in 1572 respecting Admarsh, Fainnape 

 and the Fells, and the matter occun 

 later ; Ducatta Lane, ii, 399 ; iii, 47, 



275- 



11 I'iiit. (Chet. Soc.), 1 34 ; the succes- 

 sion is given as Ralph -s. Ralph -a. 

 Ralph -. Robert (living 161 ;). 



Robert Parkinson in 1602 and George 

 in 1641 were burgesses of the Guild; 

 Premn Guild R. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), $7, 1 1 6. George Parkinson sold 

 or mortgaged Fairsnape and Blindhurst, 

 water-mill, Ac., to Edward Hodgkinson 

 in 1649 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 

 146, m. 103. A dispute occurred in 

 16(9 between the widows of George and 

 Robert Parkinson ; Etc*. Dtp. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 34, 



One moiety of Fairsnape and Blind- 

 hurst passed by marriage to the Cliftont 

 of Lytham and thence by tale to William 

 Garnett of Salford. The other moiety 

 remained in the Parkinson family till the 

 1 8th century, when there wai a further 

 partition between William Sharp of Lan- 

 caster (as husband of the granddaughter 



