A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The third plough-land, held of the lords of 

 Warrington by Molyneux of Sefton, 1 was by Richard 

 de Molyneux granted to his son Robert, who held it 

 in I z 12, and was the ancestor of the long line of 

 Molyneux of Thornton, Melling, and finally of 

 Mossborough in Rainford.* In 1246 Robert de 

 Molyneux called upon Adam de Molyneux of Sefton 

 as mesne tenant to acquit him of the service which 

 William le Boteler claimed in respect of the plough- 

 land in Thornton, Robert complaining that he was 

 distrained to do suit to the court of Warrington 

 every three weeks. 5 Adam agreed to discharge the 

 service, but his son William, on succeeding, neglected 

 the obligation, and three years later Robert had again 

 to complain that he was summoned to do ' bode and 

 witness' at the Warrington court, and to entertain 

 William le Boteler's beadles whenever they came to 

 Thornton. 4 



In this trial Robert was represented by his son 

 Robert, who appears to have succeeded him, and was 

 about 1 290 followed by his son, also named Robert, 5 

 who died perhaps about 1336, when his eldest son 

 Robert succeeded. This Robert died without issue, 

 his heir being a nephew, Robert, son of Simon de Moly- 

 neux, then a minor. In 1358 Richard de Molyneux 

 of Sefton had a contest with William le Boteler of 

 Warrington as to the profits of the wardship. 6 In 

 1356 he had complained that Robert le Norreys of 

 Melling, and Joan his wife, with John de Lancaster 

 and Mabel his wife, had abducted the heir, who was 

 by right his ward. 7 Robert Molyneux's wife, Alice, is 

 said to have been a daughter of Robert le Norreys. 8 

 Their son Robert settled in Melling, 9 and the story of his 

 descendants will be found in the account of that town- 

 ship. Their manor of Thornton regularly descended 

 to Dame Frances Blount, from whose trustees it was 

 purchased in 1773 by the first earl of Sefton, 10 who 

 thus became possessed of all the manors in this place, 

 either by descent or purchase. This complete lord- 

 ship has descended to the present earl. 



The Hospitallers had land here, which about 



1540 was held by Henry Blundell at a rent 

 of 5K" 



The windmill of Thornton was in 1368 in the 

 possession of Richard de Aughton ; " it was afterwards 

 assigned by Margaret Bulkeley to the sustentation of 

 her chantry in Sefton church, and the chantry priest 

 was tenant in I 548. 13 



There do not appear to have been any resident free- 

 holders here in 1600. To the subsidy of 1628 

 Robert Bootle, as a convicted recusant, paid double ; M 

 he and his wife Jane, with a number of others, appear 

 in the recusant roll of 1641." Sarah Sumner, widow, 

 as a ' Papist,' registered an estate here and in Little 

 Crosby in 1 7 1 -j. K 



INCE BLUNDELL 



Hinne, Dom. Bk.; Ines, 1212 the common spell- 

 ing to 1350 ; Hynis, 1242 ; Ince, -1360. 



Ince Blundell embraces a considerable area of flat, 

 fen country laid out in pastures and cultivated fields, 

 where corn, root crops, and clover-hay are produced 

 in a rich alluvial soil. The River Alt forms a tortuous 

 boundary along its north-eastern, northern, and western 

 edges. The low-lying fields are mostly separated by 

 deep ditches, which serve for division and drainage. 

 Near the sea coast, and near the mouth of the Alt, 

 there is a narrow band of sandhills. The trees clus- 

 tering about Ince Blundell Hall and village emphasize 

 the scarcity of timber in the district, for they stand 

 out as an abrupt mass in the bare landscape. Solitary 

 trees here and there incline to the south-east, showing 

 the direction of the prevailing winds. The lower 

 keuper sandstone of the new red sandstone or trias 

 is here entirely obscured by sand, deep boulder clay, 

 and alluvial deposit. Beneath the alluvium, which 

 covers an increasing extent of ground as the River 

 Alt approaches the sea, are found the beds of grey 

 clays belonging to the glacial drift series. The brook 

 called Twine Pool and Hynts Brook divides Ince from 



