AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



Mowbreck,' 1 which remained the seat of the mission 

 till 1 809, when it was removed to the chapel opened 

 at Kirkham. As an offshoot of this St. Joseph's, 

 Wesham Cross, was opened in i886. M 



RIBBY-WITH-WREA 



Rigbi, Dom. Bk ; Riggebi, 1226; Rygeby, 1246; 

 Ruggeby, 1249. 



Wra, 1226; Wraa, 1329. 



This township has an area of 1,387 acres. 1 Wrea 

 or Wrea Green is situated near the centre of the 

 northern border, with Ribby to the east of it. The 

 surface is higher and more undulating than in most 

 of the neighbouring townships, rising to over 100 ft. 

 above the ordnance datum in the centre and again in 

 the north-east. There is moss land at the west end. 

 The population numbered 475 in 1901. 



The chief road is that going west from Kirkham to 

 Lytham ; it passes through both hamlets. From 

 Wray Green cross roads go south to Warton and 

 north to Westby and Blackpool. 



The soil is clayey, and wheat, beans and oats are 

 grown, but three-fourths of the land is pasture. 



One of the Ribble guides used to be stationed at 

 Wrea. 



KIRKHAM 



There is a parish council. An infectious disease* 

 hospital was opened in 1902. 



Among the members of Earl Tostig'i 

 MANORS Preston fee in 1 066 was RIBBT, assessed 

 as six plough-lands,' so that it included 

 the later townships or hamlets of Ribby, Wrea, 

 Bryning and Kellamergh. It was afterwards held in 

 demesne by Count Roger of Poitou, who in 1094 

 granted tithes from it to St. Martin of Sees. 3 Ribby 

 proper continued to be parcel of the demesne of the 

 honour of Lancaster, and is named in the Pipe Roll 

 of i 168-9,* and in later accounts as contributing to 

 various aids. 8 ff'RE/f, however, which was separately 

 assessed as one plough-land, was granted in drengage,* 

 and was in 1212 held by Richard and Gerard by a 

 rent of 6/. 7 They were probably ancestors of the 

 families afterwards using the local name, of whom, 

 however, few particulars can be given. 8 Ribby, in its 

 old form of Rigby, has also given a surname to 

 families' who came into notice in a number of places 

 in Lancashire. 10 



In the time of Henry VIII and later there were 

 disputes as to the right of pasture, 11 and as to the 

 bounds of the manors. 18 



Ribby and Wrea were usually farmed with 

 Singleton. 13 An extent of Ribby which was made in 



" At in other cases practically nothing 

 ii known of the 17th-century history. 

 The existence of the minion in 1669 it 

 proved from the report to the Bilhop of 

 Chester already given in the account of 

 Kirkham Church. For convicted re- 

 cuunti c. 1670 tee Mite. (Cath. Rec. 

 Soc.), v, 201. 



Robert Westby (d. 1762) it detcribed 

 in an anniversary book now at Kirkham 

 at the founder of the chapel at Mowbreck, 

 and a priett it known to have retided 

 there in 1727. In 1774 there wat also a 

 private school. Ten yean later Bithop 

 Gibton confirmed titty-five pertont at 

 Mowbreck, and the number of communi- 

 cantt wai laid to be about 180. See 

 Livir fool Catk. Annual (Willowt) ; Gillow, 

 Haydock Papery 68, 79. 



In 1769 wai printed at Manchester 

 'The Recantation of William Cant, late 

 a clergyman of the Church of Rome and 

 for many yean the officiating priett at 

 Mowbreck near Kirkham ; with some of 

 the cautet which brought on hit conver- 

 sion to the Church of England.' The 

 recantation itself wai read in Kirkham 

 parish church before the vicar, Sec. ; 

 Prtiton Guard. Lof, Nottt, no. 320. 



M Livtrpcol Calk. Annual. 



1 1,390 acres, including 7 of inland 

 water; Centut Rtf. 1901. 



Y.C.H. Lane,, i, 288. From the 

 later recordt it would appear that there 

 were three plough-lands in Ribby, one in 

 Wrea, two in Bryning and one in Kella- 

 mergh, or teven in all. 



' Farrer, Lanct. Pifi R. 290. Thii 

 will account for the 261. SJ. paid to the 

 Prior of Lancaster, at recorded in the 

 account of Kirkham Church. 



4 Ibid. 1 2. It contributed in con- 

 junction with Prtiton, &c. 



* The king'i demetne of Ribby (three 

 plough-lands) wai in 123$ granted to 

 Master John le Blund, king'i clerk, for 

 life ; Cal. Pat. 1232-47, p. 93. In 1226 

 Ribby paid half a mark tillage and 91. to 



the farm of the wapentake ; Lanct. Inq. 

 and Extenrt (Rec. Soc. Lanct. and Chet.), 

 " *35> '39- ' toc compotui of the 



demesne in 1246-8 Ribby appears with 

 8 81. ilj</. ; ibid. 170. In 1248-9 in 

 a Ullage Ribby paid i mark; ibid. 176. 

 The ' manor ' of Ribby is recorded in 

 1256-8; ibid. 221. For other notices 

 tee ibid. 230, 287. The accounts of 

 the halmotes of Ribby and Wrea in 1325 

 are printed in Lanct. Ct. R. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanct. and Chei.), 94-;. 



* For a time Wrea wai held by the lord 

 of Clifton (q.T.) in exchange for Salwick, 

 but was exchanged back in 1 200. 



7 Lanct. Inq. and Extentt, i, 51. Adam 

 de Wrea and Gerard hit brother in 1 200-1 

 gave the king 2 marks for confirmation 

 of their tenementi ; Rot. dt Oblatit (Rec. 

 Com.), 124. Wrea paid 6>. in 1226 and 

 5*. tallage ; Lanct. Inf. and F.xtentt, i, 1 39, 

 135. In 1 246-8 one plough-land and three 

 drengaget in Wrea contributed 191. 6./. 

 to the demesne rents, and the drengt of 

 Wrea in 1248-9 paid tallage 201.; ibid. 

 170, 176. In 1256-8 the three dren- 

 gagei paid 391. in all, and a new rent of 

 nj,/. wat accounted for; ibid. 221-2. 

 Ribby and Wrea each contributed 2 marks 

 tallage in 1261 ; ibid. 228. 



In 1x97 the vill of Ribby and the 

 free tenants of Wrea paid in all 19 1 if. 

 yearly to the Earl of Lancaster ; ibid. 289. 



The above-named Gerard de Wrea, 

 also Richard de Wrea and William hit 

 ion were benefactors of Cockertand 

 Abbey ; Ckartul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 228-9. 



In 1324 John ion of Jordan del Wrea 

 claimed a messuage, \ oxgang of land, 

 Sec., in Wrea againtt Adam ton of John 

 Sharpies; De Banco R. 153, m. 98. 

 Adam and John sons of John ion of 

 Jordan del Wrea were in 1329 defen- 

 dants to a claim for a mettuige and 

 1 oxgangt of land put forward by the 

 representatives of three litters, of whom 

 Agnes wife of Robert del Boot had a 

 ion Richard ; Margery wai wife of John 

 ton of William ton of Simon de Medlar, 

 and Margaret wai the other ; Assi/e 

 R. 427, m. 3 ; De Banco R. 278, m. 

 H7d. For the Boot family tee alto 

 De Banco R. 309, m. 13 ; 316, m. 459 ; 

 328, m. 324. 



1*7 



William del Bank unsuccessfully claimed 

 two messuages, Ac., in Wrea and Newton 

 against Adam del Bank and others in 

 1351 ; Duchy of Lane. Attize R. I, m. 

 viii d. In the following year Thomas 

 Tauntaler of the Grenet did not prosecute 

 hit tuit against John ion of Richard dc 

 Newton, who teems also to have been 

 called John del Wrea ; ibid. R. 2, m. j ; 

 Assize R. 435, m. 4. 



It was recorded in 1618 that John 

 Nickton of Kellamergh held a cottage 

 and land in Wrea of the hein or assigns 

 of William de Wrea by i J./. rent; 

 Lanct. Inf. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 88. 



'In 1311 there wai a dispute between 

 William son of Anabil de Preetall and 

 Thomas ton of Robert de Rigby regarding 

 waite in Ribby ; De Banco R. 184, m. 3. 



10 At in Little Hulton, Duxbuty, 

 Wrightington and Goosnargh. 



11 In 1517 inquiry wai made, when it 

 wai found that the free tenants of Wrea 

 had alwayi had right of pasture on Ribby 

 Moor; Townelcy MS. OO (Singleton 

 rental). 



11 Duchy of Lane. Dep. I Mary, lx-i, 

 R 5. John Benson and James Davy, 

 queen's farmers of part of Ribby, Cuth- 

 bert Clifton of Wettby and the lordi of 

 the manor of Kirkham were the parties 

 to the dispute. It wai alleged that, 

 large parti of the waites of Westby and 

 Kirkham having been wrongfully inclosed 

 within the preceding twenty years, the 

 tenant! of those manors, being short of 

 common, had paitured on all the waite 

 or moor of Ribby. The bounds of this 

 last began at the east end of a close 

 adjoining Richard Crook's house, followed 

 an old ditch called Raa Ditch to the east 

 end of Tarnbreck, thence west to Tarn- 

 breck Cross, then along a running water 

 to the east end of a clote by Henry 

 Hall's house, and thence along a running 

 water westward. 



" William Skillicome, farmer of the 

 king's lordships of Ribby, Wrea and 

 Much Singleton, not having paid the rent 

 due, was in 1483 ordered to be removed ; 



