WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



John Sadler of Liverpool, the inventor of a process 

 of transferring patterns to earthenware, was buried 

 here. 1 



The flail was till recently used in threshing. 8 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



The churchyard cross has disappeared, but there are 

 pedestals of others. The pinfold stood in Brickwall 

 Lane ; the stocks were renewed in 1725 and 1791 ; 

 the ducking-stool is mentioned in 1 728.* 



About 1 760 Sefton became the head quarters of a 

 social club calling itself the Ancient and Loyal Cor- 

 poration of Sefton. The members were in the main 

 merchants and tradesmen of Liverpool, who assembled 

 at the Punch Bowl Inn at Sefton every Sunday and 

 regulated their proceedings after the customs of the 

 borough corporation, the chairman being called the 

 mayor and elected in October for a year, other officers 

 being called bailiffs, recorder, town clerk, &c., while 

 there were aldermen, common council men, and free 

 burgesses. For a number of the members mock offices 

 were provided, as: An African Committee Man, Gover- 

 nor of the Tantum Quarry on the Gold Coast, Prince 

 of Anamaboe or Palaver Settler, Poet Laureate, Butter 

 Weigher, and Contractor for Gunpowder. A lady 

 patroness was also duly elected. They had their regalia, 

 long preserved at the Punch Bowl Inn, consisting of 

 two large maces and two small ones, a sword, wands, 

 cocked hats, and gowns, and at one time a silver oar ; 

 the earliest mace bears the inscription, ' The gift of 

 F. Cust, Esq., 1764.' They are now in the Liverpool 

 Museum. 4 



SEFTON 



At the death of Edward the Con- 

 M4NOR fessor five thegns held SEFTON, which 

 was assessed at one hide, and was 

 worth 1 61. beyond the customary rent. 5 It appears to 

 have been granted about I loo by Roger of Poitou to 

 the ancestor of Richard de Molyneux (living in 1 2 1 2), 

 and was the chief place of a fee consisting of ten and 

 a half ploughlands held by this family by the service of 

 half a knight. 6 The family of Molyneux, the head 

 of which may perhaps be considered to have been 

 one of the ' barones comitatus,' have continued to hold 

 the manor without interruption to the present day, 

 and from it are derived the titles 

 of Earl of Sefton and Baron Sef- 

 ton borne by the head of the 

 family. 



The ancestor mentioned was 

 probably Robert de Molyneux, 

 to whom about 1125 Stephen, 

 count of Boulogne and Mortain, 

 granted land in Down Lither- 

 land/ In the latter half of the 

 century Richard de Molyneux, 8 

 sometimes called Richard son of 

 Robert, held the estates ; from 

 him the descent of the manor 

 is clearly established. 9 



His son and successor was Adam, who held the 

 manors for about thirty-five years, and appears to have 

 been one of the most prominent men in the district 

 in his time. 10 He is sometimes described as a knight." 



6 7 



