WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



son and heir Richard being in 1388 still a minor, 1 

 whose wardship was granted to a relative, Thomas de 

 Molyneux of Cuerdale.* 



Again there was a short tenure of the manors and 

 a long minority, for Richard died 27 December, 

 1397, leaving a son and heir Richard, not quite fifteen 

 months old. 1 The latter fought under Henry V in 

 the French wars and was made a knight ;* in 1424 

 occurred his quarrel with the Stanleys, which 

 threatened to become a private war. 5 Henry VI, 

 for services rendered and expected, granted him and 

 his heirs the offices of master forester of the forest 

 and parks of West Derbyshire, steward of this wapen- 

 take and of Salfordshire, and constable of the castle 

 of Liverpool. 6 By his first wife, Joan, daughter and 

 heir of Sir Gilbert Haydock, 7 he had several sons. 8 



Richard, the eldest son and heir, notwithstanding 

 the feud with Stanley, had been married before 1432 

 to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley, 9 by 

 whom he had several children. 10 He is stated to have 

 been killed at the battle of Blore Heath, 23 Septem- 



SEFTON 



ber, 1459, fighting on the Lancastrian side," and was 

 succeeded by his eldest son Thomas, who married 

 Anne, a daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Dutton 

 of Dutton, another of those who fell at Blore Heath. 11 

 Thomas Molyneux was sheriff in 1473 and later 

 years, 13 and in 1475 accompanied Edward IV on his 

 expedition to France; 14 in 1481 he received from 

 the king a grant of the manor of Ulnes Walton, 

 moieties of Eccleston, Leyland, Heskin and Kellamergh, 

 and various other lands and rents in Lancashire for 

 the service of one knight's fee and 100 rent. 15 He 

 also purchased the advowson of Walton. 16 In 1482 

 he joined the expedition to Scotland, and was 

 knighted at the recovery of Berwick. 17 He died 

 12 July, 1483, leaving as his heir his son Richard, 

 then five years of age, 18 and other children. 



There was once more a long minority, during 

 which, as the Croxteth Deeds show, the widow, Dame 

 Anne Molyneux, was a vigilant guardian, bent on in- 

 creasing the family possessions. 19 William, a younger 

 brother of Richard, became heir on the latter's death, 



