A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



HARDHORN-WITH-NEWTON 



Hordorn, 1332. Nuton, 1332. 



Staininghe, Dom. Bk. ; Steyininges, 1292 ; Stayn- 

 yng, 1297 ; Steyninge, 1302. 



This township is bounded on the south and east 

 by the brook running from Marton Mere to join the 

 Wyre. The surface is in general low and level, but 

 there are elevated portions rising to 50 ft. above sea 

 level in the centre, south and east. On the central one 

 stands the hamlet of Hardhorn ; to the south-west is 

 Newton and to the south Staining ; while near the 

 south-eastern boundary is Todderstaffe Hall. The 

 area is 2,651' acres and the population in 1901 

 numbered 597. 



A road leads north-west through Staining and 

 Newton and then north to Poulton, with branches 

 west to Blackpool and north and east to Hardhorn 

 and Singleton. The Preston and Wyre railway runs 

 near the eastern boundary, with a station at Todder- 

 staffe called Singleton. 



Agriculture is the only industry, chiefly as dairy 

 farms. The soil is variable, with subsoil clay. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



Richard Davie or Davies of Newton raised a 

 company for the Parliament's service in the Civil 

 War, but was killed with most of his men at the 

 capture of Bolton in 1 644.' 



In 1066 STAINING, assessed as six 

 M4NOR plough-lands, was part of Earl Tostig's 

 lordship of Preston.* Afterwards it was 

 held by the Constable of Chester, for about 1134 

 William Fitz Nigel, lord of Halton, granted three 

 plough-lands in Staining to his newly-founded priory 

 of Runcorn, while his son William recovered them 

 when he transferred the house to Norton, but 



granted two-thirds of the demesne tithes to the 

 canons. 4 His successor, John de Lacy, 1211-40, 

 gave the whole in free alms to Stanlaw Abbey. 5 

 Later the monks were said to hold it by the service 

 of half a knight's fee and a castle-ward rent of 

 5/. Sa The grange of Staining seems to have been 

 the abbey's manor-house for all their estates in the 

 Fylde. 



In 1348 the monks obtained a charter for a market 

 on Thursdays at their vill of Hardhorn and a fair 

 on the eve, day and morrow of St. Denis (8-10 

 October) ; in the following year by another charter 

 the weekly market was assigned to Monday. 6 



The manor remained in possession of the monks 

 till the confiscation of the Whalley estates after the 

 rebellion of the north in 1537, and was sold by the 

 Crown to Thomas Holt, 7 who sold to George Single- 

 ton. 8 The family had probably been tenants under 

 the abbey for some time, 9 and they continued in 

 possession until the beginning of the 1 8th century. 

 George Singleton, the pur- 

 chaser of Staining, died in 

 1551 holding the manor with 

 messuages, lands, &c., of the 

 king by the third part of a 

 knight's fee. 10 His successor 

 was his son William, of full 

 age, who died in or about 

 1556 holding the 'manor or 

 grange ' of Staining as before 



and leaving a numerous family, 



. .... , SINGLETON of Stain- 



the heir being a son Thomas, ing Argtnt tkrte ckevl . 



seven years old. 11 Thomas ranch gules between as 

 died in 1563, still a minor, many martlets sable. 

 and a younger brother, John, 

 succeeded. 11 He died in 1589 holding the manors 



1 The Census Rep. 1901 give 1,653 

 acres, including 13 of inland water. 



8 War in Lanes. (Chet. Soc.), 42, 50. 



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



4 Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helaby), i, 691 ; 

 Dugdale, Mon. Angl. vi, 314. 



6 Whalley Couch. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 419. 

 The benefactor also released the whole 

 farm of Staining. William the Monk 

 and Thomas de Beaumont his heir had 

 given to John Constable of Chester, 

 probably the grandfather of John de Lacy, 

 the whole vill of Staining for 15 marks 

 paid and 305. rent ; ibid. 420. This 

 grant was attested by Henry the prior 

 (of Norton), and throws some light on the 

 intermediate history of the place. In 

 1208 Philip brother of Geoffrey de 

 Valoines of Farleton had some estate in 

 it ; Rot. de Oblatis et Fin. (Rec. Com.), 

 425. 



Cecily de Layton allowed the monks a 

 moiety of the marsh between Marton Mere 

 and Little Carleton, and William and 

 Richard le Boteler also made concessions 

 as to the marsh, which divided Staining 

 from Layton. Theobald Walter, butler 

 of Ireland, allowed them to draw water 

 from Marton Mere for their mill, but they 

 were not to take any fish ; ibid. 421-4 ; 

 Cal. Pat. 1225-32, p. 71. The other 

 charters in the Coucher refer to agree- 

 ments as to tithes made with the monks 

 of Sees and Lancaster as rectors of 

 Poulton ; see also Lane. Ch. (Chet. Soc.), 

 i, 70 ; ii, 527. 



The Abbot of Whalley in 1469 claimed 

 common of pasture in Stainingand Weeton 

 against John Skillicorne ; Pal. of Lane. 



Plea R. 36, m. 14, There were later 

 disputes ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 10 ; ii, 19, 31. 



s The Abbot of Whalley paid 41. a year 

 to the Earl of Lancaster in 1297, and in 

 1 302 held by half a knight's fee ; Lanes. 

 Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 289, 316. The service for 

 Staining with Hardhorn and Newton was 

 that of half a knight's fee and 51. for 

 castle ward in 1324; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, 

 fol. 40. Similarly in 1346 the abbot held 

 five plough-lands in Hardhorn or Newton 

 or Staining for half a knight's fee, and paid 

 51. for castle ward ; Survey of 1 346 (Chet. 

 Soc.), 54. The five (not six) plough-lands 

 appear again in 14456 ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. 



The tenant about 1540 is not named, 

 but 6s. was paid for Staining Grange 

 itself. The principal tenants at that time 

 were Lawrence Rigson, house and wind- 

 mill, paying 2 ; Constance Singleton, 

 widow, house and 30 acres arable, 331. ; 

 Lawrence Archer, similar tenement, 

 301. 4^.; and Thomas Wilkinson, a mes- 

 suage and 20 acres, i ; Whalley Couch. 

 iv, 1242-3. 



6 Chart. R. 143 (22 Edw. Ill), m. 9, 

 no. 9 ; 144 (23 Edw. Ill), m. 8, no. 7. 

 Nothing further seems to be known of 

 them, but the Monday market of Poulton 

 may have been derived from the second 

 charter. 



7 Pat. 35 Hen. VIII, pt. iv. 



8 This is stated in the pedigree of 1664. 



9 Cf. Constance Singleton above. In 

 a writ of 1474 there are named John 

 Singleton of Woodplumpton and Margaret 



his wife, George Singleton of Staining 

 and Richard his son ; Pal. of Lane. Writs 

 Proton. 13 Edw. IV. 



10 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 17. 

 He had granted certain messuages, &c., 

 to George Browne and his heir and 

 others to trustees for the use of Alice 

 wife of hi son William Singleton. He 

 had also land in Woodplumpton. 



A few deeds of the family are preserved 

 in Dods. MSS. clui, fol. 73. 



11 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no, 30 : 

 the estate included two windmills. The 

 inquisition names his mother Margaret, 

 his grandmother Eleanor, late wife of 

 George Westby, his sons Richard, John 

 and George. His great - grandfather 

 Award Singleton in 1501 had settled a 

 burgage in Preston and a close in Wood- 

 plumpton called *Mykelleghe' on Eleanor 

 wife of Lawrence Singleton son of Award. 

 The descent thus appears : Award -s. 

 Lawrence - s. George -. William. 

 Daughters Helen and Margaret are named 

 in the next inquisition. It appears that 

 Lawrence Singleton died in or about 1518; 

 Fishwick, Poulton (Chet. Soc.), 69. 



An annuity was granted by the Crown 

 (as guardian) to Alice widow of William 

 Singleton, together with the custody and 

 marriage of Thomas the heir, in 1557; 

 Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bk. xxiii, 146 d. 



12 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 43. 

 Margaret widow of George Singleton had 

 married William Ambrose and was still 

 living ; Eleanor Westby had died. John, 

 the brother and heir, was aged thirteen. 

 Alice the widow of William Singleton 

 is named ai if living at Staining, but her 



