A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Richardson 47 and White 48 ; but the chief residents 

 in the 1 5th century and later seem to have been the 

 Ambrose family of AMBROSE HALL and Cat- 

 forth. Their estates passed by sale in 1650 to 

 Richard Shaw, and about 1870 to Charles Birley. 60 

 CAT FORTH, called a manor, was held by the Shire- 

 burnes of Stonyhurst, 61 and BARTLE gave a surname 

 to a local family who in the 1 4th century had part 



of the manor of Great Eccleston. 68 In this part of 

 the township is Moor Hall, which has for a long 

 time been held by a branch of the Threlfall family. 63 

 Isolated references are all that can in most cases be 

 given. 64 



George Nicholson of Woodplumpton in 1631 paid 

 10 on declining knighthood. 65 Several sequestra- 

 tions for religion or politics marked the Common- 



47 William Richardson and Anne his 

 wife in 1590 gave two messuages, &c., to 

 William Waring ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 F. bJle. 52, m. 219. 



Thomas son of William Richardson, 

 who died at Myerscough in 1637, held 

 three messuages, &c., in Woodplumpton 

 and other lands in Claughton, Bils- 

 borrow and Sowerby, and left a son and 

 heir William, one year old. The re- 

 mainder in default of heirs male was to 

 trustees for the maintenance of a school- 

 master at Garstang ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 76. 



48 Anthony White acquired a messuage, 

 &c., in 1582 from Nicholas White; Pal. 

 of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 44, m. 132. 

 Anthony White died in 1606 holding in 

 socage and leaving as heir a daughter 

 Margaret wife of Henry Singleton and 

 twenty-nine years of age ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. 

 (Rec. Soc.), i, 100. 



49 William Ambrose the elder settled 

 messuages, &c., in Woodplumpton, 

 Kirkham, Goosnargh, Garstang and 

 Lancaster in 1421 ; Final Cone, iii, 79. 

 The remainders appear to have been to 

 his son William, and in default of issue 

 to Joan, Ellen and Margaret sisters of a 

 Nicholas (?) Ambrose. About the same 

 time a William Ambrose is found acting 

 as arbitrator in Furness ; West, Furness 

 (ed. 1805), 264. 



Nicholas Ambrose in 1448 complained 

 of trespass by John Hestholm, Joan his 

 wife and others ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 

 1 1, m. zb. 



Richard Ambrose in 1478 made a 

 feoffment of lands, &c., in Kirkham and 

 Woodplumpton ; Towneley MS. C 8, 1 3 

 (Chet. Lib.), A in. 



Alexander Ambrose in 1492 obtained 

 licence to agree with Agnes and Margery 

 daughters of Richard Walton concerning 

 their holding in Woodplumpton, News- 

 ham and Upper Rawcliffe ; PaL of 

 Lane. Plea R. 78, m. 4 d. Richard son 

 of Richard Walton and Agnes his wife 

 occur in 1474 ; Pal. of Lane. Writs 

 Proton, file 15 Edw. IV. 



The lands of William Ambrose were 

 estimated for the subsidy of 1523 4 at 

 301. a year ; Fishwick, op. cit. 9. 



In 1541 Nicholas Ambrose of 

 Plumpton sold to William Eccleston a 

 messuage with appurtenances in Wood- 

 plumpton ; Add. MS. 32106, fol. 337d. 

 In i 548 a settlement of Ambrose Hall, 

 with ten messuages, lands, &c., in Wood- 

 plumpton, Penwortham, Goosnargh and 

 Winmarleigh, was made by Nicholas 

 Ambrose, the remainder being to his son 

 and heir William ; but three messuages, 

 &c., the dower of Elizabeth Ambrose, 

 widow, were to go to Thomas Singleton ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 13, 

 m. 149. In 1555 Nicholas appears to 

 have sold a further part of his estate in 

 Woodplumpton and Charnley Eaves to 

 William Eccleston ; ibid. bdle. 16, m. 128. 

 These, however, were re-sold to William 

 Ambrose in 1559, a tenement in Little 

 Eccleston being given for them ; Add. 

 MS. 32106, fol. 199. 



William son and heir of William 

 Ambrose made a feoffment in 1564 5 Pal. 

 of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 26, m. 212. In 

 1 577 he made a settlement of the whole 

 or part of his estate, which included a 

 water-mill, with contingent remainders 

 to his brothers Thomas, Ewan and George 

 and to Richard and Leonard sons of 

 William Ambrose of Catforth Hall ; 

 ibid. bdle. 39, m. 58. 



A pedigree was recorded in 1567 show- 

 ing the descent thus : Richard Ambrose 

 -s. William -s. Nicholas -sons William, 

 Thomas, Henry, Roger, Ewan, George, 

 and da. Ellen ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 46. 



Thomas Ambrose claimed a capital mes- 

 suage in 159$ against Thomas Richardson 

 and Isabel his wife (widow of Roger 

 Ambrose) as heir of his brother William ; 

 Ducafus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 409. 



Roger Ambrose had died in 1585 hold- 

 ing a messuage called Little Blacklache 

 of John Warren by izJ. rent; this and 

 another piece of land held by knight's 

 service were parts of William Ambrose'i 

 estate (then deceased), and Roger had also 

 acquired a further parcel from John 

 Singleton of Chingle Hall, held of the 

 queen as of her duchy by knight's 

 service. His son and heir William was 

 seven years of age ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 62. 



William died unmarried in 1641 and 

 the estate went by a deed of 1607 (in 

 possession of William Farrer) to the 

 allied family of Catforth Hall. For 

 confirmation Richard Ambrose of this 

 place obtained in 1612 a royal grant of 

 Ambrose Hall for himself and his heirs ; 

 Pat. 10 Jas. I, pt. xv. In 1650-1 

 William Ambrose of Catforth, Elizabeth 

 his wife and Richard his son and heir 

 mortgaged Ambrose Hall to William 

 Shaw of Preston, who eventually became 

 the owner ; W. Farrer's Deeds, and 

 Fishwick, op. cit. 183-5, where pedigrees 

 will be found. William Ambrose of 

 Catforth had succeeded his father Richard 

 by 1631 ; W. Farrer's Deeds. 



* Fishwick, loc. cit. 



61 Catforth was called a manor in 

 1422 ; Dunkenhalgh D. The deeds 

 noticed in the Shireburne abstract book 

 at Leagram Hall begin with a grant by 

 Sir Robert de Stockport to Richard de 

 Newsham of land in Woodplumpton to be 

 held by a rent of ted. Afterwards the 

 land seems to have passed to the Fishwick 

 family (1366 to 1522), and in 1575 

 Thurstan Southworth sold messuages, 

 &c., in Woodplumpton to Sir Richard 

 Shireburne, while Robert Midghalgh and 

 George his son and heir in 1591 sold 

 land in Newsham called Ravenshawhalgh 

 (or Rainshalgh) to the same. 



Though these deeds are silent, it appears 

 that Sir Richard Shireburne in 1508 gave 

 the manors of Aighton and Catforth, with 

 various lands, &c., to his executor to 

 fulfil the trusts in his will, and that 

 Catforth was held of Sir John Warren in 

 socage ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 

 no. 46. Similar statements were made 

 in later inquisitions, but the abstract 



288 



book shows that part of the demesne was 

 in 1546 sold to Elizabeth (or Ellen) 

 Rodes by Sir Richard Shireburne and 

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

 bdle. 12, m. 299. Probably the other 

 parts were also alienated, and in 1594 the 

 Shireburne estate in Catforth was not 

 called a manor. 



Gilbert de Catforth attested some early 

 charters. 



52 See the account of Great Eccleston. 



" Information of Mrs. Charles Threl- 

 fall. Edward Stanley acquired land, &c., 

 in 1588 j Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 50, m. 23. In his will, dated 1587, 

 he names his nephew Thomas Threlfall ; 

 Fishwick, op. cit. 196. In 1595 Thomas 

 Threlfall claimed a messuage, &c., in 

 Woodplumpton against William Richard- 

 son and Anne his wife ; Ducatui Lane. 

 iii, 387. It was probably the same who 

 was chapel- warden in 1610 ; Fithwick, 

 op. cit. 231. 



54 Some examples may be recorded. 



In 1310 John de Cottam and Denise 

 his wife claimed dower in three mes- 

 suages, &c., in Woodplumpton against 

 Richard son of William de Rediford ; 

 De Banco R. 181, m. 224 d. John son 

 of Robert de Rediford claimed a messuage, 

 Ac., in 1333 against Robert son of Ralph 

 de Dardeslow. It appeared that John de 

 Rediford, grandfather of plaintiff, gave 

 to Joan his daughter, but she died 

 without issue. The defendant said that 

 the gift was to his father Ralph and his 

 heirs ; ibid. 293, m. 91 ; 295, m. 58 d. 



Henry son of Richard Russel of Wood- 

 plumpton and Cecily his wife in 1336 

 acquired three messuages, &c., from John 

 son of John son of Simon de Howick ; 

 Final Cone, ii, 101. 



Sir John Tempest and Alice his wife 

 were plaintiffs in 1352 ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Assize R. 2, m. I. Margery de Ncttleton 

 claimed against Robert de Newsham and 

 Alice his wife in 1359; ibid. 7, m. I. 

 John son of Robert de Rainford and 

 Agnes his wife appear in 1361 ; Assize 

 R. 441, m. I d. Robert de Newsham 

 and Joan hi) wife had lands in 1388 ; 

 Final Cone, iii, 30. 



Robert Lache of Battle and James his 

 son and heir in 1522 granted a windmill 

 and land to William Braboner of Goos- 

 nargh ; Add. MS. 32107, no. 393-5. 

 See Ducatus Lane, iii, 63. 



The Subsidy Roll of 1 545-6 shows the 

 following owners of land : Nicholas 

 Ambrose, Henry Charnley, Thomas 

 Henryson, George Kighley, William 

 Latus, John Newsham and the wife of 

 John Richardson ; Fishwick, op. cit. 10. 

 Some other rolls are given ibid. 



Christopher Hudson made a purchase 

 from John Fell in 1555 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 16, m. 113. Richard 

 Hudson had land, &c., in 1582; ibid, 

 bdle. 44, m. 102. 



65 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 222. A later namesake was a bene- 

 factor of the poor. Alice Nicholson of 

 Bartle, widow, founded the s'hool at 

 Catforth. 



