A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



centre, Scales lying to the north-east of it, on the 

 border of Clifton. The southern end has been 

 reclaimed from the Ribble, and about a third of the 

 remainder is flat ground, under 25 ft. above sea 

 level ; north of this the surface rises sharply to over 

 50 ft., Newton being situated on the slope, and then 

 the ground again becomes even, descending a little 

 at the northern boundary. The population in 1901 

 was 229. 



The road from Preston to Kirkham passes through 

 Scales and Dowbridge, with a loop round by Newton ; 

 and the road from Preston to Lytham crosses the low- 

 lying ground to the south. 



The soil is clayey and loamy, with subsoil of sand ; 

 wheat, beans and oats are grown, but nearly all the 

 land is used for pasture. 



The township is now governed by a parish council. 



There was formerly a curious inscription on the 

 High Gate Inn. 2 



In 1066 NEWTON was a member 

 MANORS of Earl Tostig's fee, and assessed as two 

 plough-lands. 3 Afterwards it was in- 

 cluded in the barony of Penwortham, and found to 

 be divided equally between the fees of Freckleton 

 and Preese, held by knight's service. 4 The former 

 moiety was held by Singleton and Whittingham of the 

 lord of Freckleton. 6 The other moiety long descended 

 like Preese. 6 This was sold in i6o8, 7 and in 1617 was 

 held by James Townend and Edmund Hankinson. 8 



There were immediate tenants who assumed the 

 local surname, and were benefactors to Cockersand 

 Abbey. 9 A small part of Newton descended from 

 BraJshagh 10 to Coppull, and was in the time of 

 Henry VI sold to Thomas Stanley n of Lathom, so 

 descending to the Earls of Derby. 12 



Newton occurs but seldom in the records 13 ; the 

 'manor' is named in I563. 14 In 1580 SC4LES 

 also was spoken of as a manor. 15 In 1794 the lords 



8 Printed in N. and Q. (Scr. 6), ii, 336, 

 from a local paper. 



* V.C.H. Lanes, i, 288*. 



4 Ibid. 335. 



5 One of the moieties of Newton was 

 in 1 202 held of Roger de Freckleton by 

 William de Winwick and Maud his wife ; 

 Feet of F. Yorks. 4 John, no. 45. The 

 other moiety was probably that held by 

 Gunilda (or Quenilda), described as ' lady 

 of Newton ' in the Cockersand charters. 



Alan de Singleton and Warioe de 

 Whittingham held the Freckleton moiety 

 in 1242 ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 152. 



In 1292 Alice daughter of Richard de 

 Marklan and widow of William de Newton 

 claimed dower in two-thirds of three 

 messuages and 3 oxgangs of land in New- 

 ton against Henry de Lacy Earl of Lin- 

 coln, Maud daughter and heir of John son 

 and heir of William de Newton and wife 

 of William de Beconsaw, and others. 

 Adam de Freckleton claimed the lordship, 

 and stated that William de Newton had 

 held of him by knight's service, and John 

 his son also ; Maud the daughter and heir 

 of John was under age, and the tenement 

 was given to the Earl of Lincoln, whp 

 allowed one-third to Almorica, John's 

 widow. The jury, however, found for the 

 plaintiff under a grant made by William 

 de Newton ; Assize R. 418, m. 9 d. ; 419, 

 m. i id. 



In 1384 Robert de Freckleton gran^ 

 John de Newton a messuage and i ox- 

 gangs of land in Newton and WarUtti for 

 life ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes', and 

 Chcs.), iii, 24. 



6 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 30., 1 52, 

 316. It continued in the families of 

 Frees and Skillicorne till the 1 7th ceotury. 



In 1292 Margery widow of John fFran- 

 ceys claimed dower in half an oxging of 

 land in Newton against Robert de P.ees ; 

 Assize R. 408, m. 43 d. 



William on of William de Prers, a 

 minor, in 1361 recovered a messuage^ and 

 land in Newton against Adam Wodebridde, 

 Alice his wife and William Browning ; 

 De Banco R. 408, m. 79. 



Margery de Frees in 1401 held 2 ox- 

 gangs of land in Newton of the king as 

 of his honour of Penwortham by knight's 

 icrvice ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.) v i, 

 76. John Skillicorne in 1478 held nii^e 

 messuages, 100 acres of land, &c., in Newj- 

 ton of the king, paying 6d. a year ; ibid, ii, 

 105. The family had an earlier interest in 

 Newton, for in 1357 Adam Skillicornt 



purchased an oxgang of land, &c., there 

 from William de Thornton and Maud his 

 wife ; Final Cone, ii, 155, 1 80. 



Nicholas Skillicorne in 1606 still held 

 the ' manor ' of Newton-with-Scales ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 70, no. 83. 

 Soon afterwards it must have been sold, 

 for in a Skillicorne fine of 1609 it is not 

 named ; ibid. bdle. 76, no. 31. 



7 In Aug. 1 608 James Townend and 

 Edmund Hankinson paid $ for licence 

 to agree with Nicholas, John and William 

 Skillicorne respecting the manor of New- 

 ton-with-Scales, a windmill, Sec. ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Plea R. 301, m. gd. 



8 James Townend of Weeton (Ducatus 

 Lane, iii, 407) died in 1618 holding a 

 moiety of the manor of Newton-with- 

 Scales, and various messuages, lands, &c., 

 of the king as of his duchy by the hundredth 

 part of a knight's fee. William his son 

 and heir was fourteen years old ; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Chcs.}, ii, 

 97. Some Townends occur in the Preston 

 Guild Rolls. 



Edmund Hankinson died in 1619 hold- 

 ing a moiety of the manor, various lands, 

 &c., of the king as of his duchy by the 

 twentieth part of a knight's fee. The 

 heir was his son Robert, three years old ; 

 ibid. 123. 



For the Hankinson family see Preston 

 Guard. Loc. Notes, no. 546. Hugh Hornby 

 of Kirkham is said to have married Mar- 

 garet daughter and eventual heir of Joseph 

 Hankinson of Kirkham (she died 1804), 

 and thus probably the moiety of the manor 

 descended to Hornby of Ribby ; Burke, 

 Landed Gentry. 



In 1652 one moiety of the manor of 

 Newton-with-Scales and messuages, wind- 

 mill, &c., there was held by Thomas Davy, 

 Margery his wife, Robert Clifton and Jane 

 his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 151, m. 108. 



A moiety of the manor was held in 

 1753 by the Hornbys of Ribby; ibid, 

 bdle. 348, m. 240. 



Nothing further is known of any manor 

 of Newton. 



9 Adam son of Leysing de Newton 

 and Robert hit ion were benefactors ; 

 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 201, 

 205. Summerbrook Furlong, Dounanes- 

 breck, Fretlands, Avenams, Aldefield and 

 Feredale are names occurring in their 

 charters. 



Gunilda daughter of Richard son of 

 Swain and wife of Robert son of Huck 

 gave land in Lumland, as also did her 



166 



ton Jordan de Newton ; ibid, i, 203-4. 

 William son of Albert with his wife 

 Siegrith daughter of Robert de Newton 

 also gave land in Summerbrook Furlong ; 

 ibid. 205. 



Another benefactor was William son 

 of Richard de Bispham, who gave the 

 canons the eastern moiety of Dalebridgc 

 Head, in part bounded by the 'great 

 street,' from Dalebridge at Lund to the 

 Carr ; ibid, i, 205. 



The abbey's rentals 1451-1537 are 

 printed ibid, iii, 1262-3. 



10 Adam son of Richard de Bradshagh 

 and Margaret his wife in 1331 settled a 

 messuage and ij oxgangs of land in 

 Newton upon Adam's son William and 

 Ellen his wife ; Final Cone, ii, 79. 



11 William Coppull the elder sued for 

 the manor of Newton-in-Amounderness, 

 with twelve messuages, 200 acres of land, 

 &c., in Warton, Kirkham, Kellamergh, 

 Wesham, Greenhalgh, Elswick and Ham- 

 bleton ; the defendant was John Coppull ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Wea R. 20, m. 14 (about 



1456). 



John son of William Coppull sold to 

 Thomas Stanley lands in Newton, Freckle- 

 ton, Kirkham, Warton, &c., which had 

 descended to him from his mother Alice 

 daughter of John son of William de 

 Bradshagh ; Kuerden MSS. iii, C 33. 



"The Derby rental of 1522 (t 

 Lathom) shows 541. 8</. received from 

 the tenants in Newton ; also ten hens 

 valued at i t,d. 



Henry Earl of Derby was plaintiff in 

 1591 respecting lands, &c., and the repair 

 of Proud Bridge in Newton, Scales, Clifton 

 and Freckleton ; Dueatus Lane. (Rec. 

 Com.), iii, 253. 



13 William del Bank claimed two mes- 

 suages, &c., against Adam del Bank in 

 1351; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. I, 

 m. i d. (July), 8 d. (Mich.). 



John le Spenser of Newton in 1375 

 made complaints of depasturing ; De 

 Banco R. 457, m. 341. 



About 1541 began disputes between 

 John Gnmboldston and members of the 

 Elston family respecting a tenement in 

 Newton-in-Scales ; PaL of Lane. Writs 

 Proton. Lent, 32 Hen. VIII ; Sessional 

 P. 33 Hen. VIII, Writs of Assize, Aug. 

 36 Hen. VIII. 



14 In a claim by William Skillicorne, 

 who held by inheritance, respecting the 

 common ; Ducatus Lane, ii, 270. 



15 Ibid, iii, 92, in a petition by James 

 Browne. The Browne family had had 



