Chap. 1.] 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



15 



"Th est) being witnesses: — Robert Ho Jersall, Richard Lynols, Richard 

 Hodersall, Robert Wahusley, and Richard Coke, and many others. 



"Given at the Nativity of Saint John Baptist, year 9, Hen. 7. 

 [1494.] " 



"Sir Henry Hoghton, Knight, ' deHvered possession to Richard de 

 Towneley, andhisheirs, of all his lands in Ribchester and Hothersall.' " ' 

 But the Towneleys could only have held the manors of Ribchester and 

 Hothersall for a very short time, as in 1468-9 the following extract 

 shows : — 



"8 Edward IV., 12 February, 1468-9. 



" To all Christian believers. James Straytburell, chaplain. 

 WTiereas, I am seized for myself and heirs by virtue of a certain 

 Recovery, before John Needham and Thomas Litelton, Justices at 

 Lancaster, against Henry Houghton, Esquire, among other things, of 

 all the lands in Chepyn, I have allowed to William Hoghton, son of 

 Henrj' Hoghton, Esquire, a certain annual rent of 100s. from the said 

 land to the term of his life. These being witnesses, John Botiller, 

 Richard Clifton, John Skilicorne, Esquires, and others. 



"Given 12 day of February, iu the eighth year of Edward the 

 Fourth." 



" 9 Edward 4 (20th March, 1470). 



" Let all know. I, James Straytburell, Chaplain, gave to Henry 

 Hoghton, Esq., mj' manors of Lee and Hoghton, and also all the 

 lands iu the Lee and Hoghton, Chiruok Richard, WhithiU in le 

 Wodes, Grimsargh, and Alston, half the Manor of Alton, and all 

 dominical lands to the same appertaining, wholly excepted, and 

 also all my messuages and lands in Hodersall and Dilworth, and 



interesting and curious custom, taken 

 from a very learned address delivered in 

 1877 before the members of the Man- 

 chester Academia of the Catholic Reli- 

 gion, by the Rev. Charles Boardman, 

 D.D., of Longridje : — 



"In the Gulathmgs' law it was enacted 

 as follows (6) : " We have commanded 

 each yeoman and his wife to have an 

 ale-making, and to hallow it on the holy 

 {i.e., Christmas) night to Christ's honour 

 and Holy Mary for a good year and 



peace. If this is not done, they shall 

 forfeit three marks. If the man acts 

 thus for three years, then has he forfeited 

 every penny of his fortune, one-half of 

 which goes to the king, the other to the 

 bishop. He has the choice of going to 

 shrift, ' doing penance to Christ, and re- 

 maining in Norway. If he wiU not do 

 this, then must he leave the land of our 

 king.' " " Early Norse Christianity." 

 'Towneley MSS. 



