WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



The following registered estates as ' Papists ' in 

 1717 : William Brown of Lostock ; William Davy, 

 here and at Great Crosby ; Thomas Gore ; Thomas 

 Rigmaiden ; and Richard Tickle, here and at Altcar. 1 

 Richard Blundell, of Carr-side, registered a leasehold 

 house at Altcar. 8 



It is probable that the Roman Catholic worship was 

 maintained here all through the seventeenth century, 3 

 either at Ince Blundell Hall or at Alt Grange, or both, 

 but there seems to be no evidence of it until the end 

 of that period. During the eighteenth century the 

 Jesuits were in charge. 4 The church of the Holy 

 Family, built in 1858, is attached to the hall; the 

 baptismal register dates from 1775.* 



LITTLE CROSBY 



Crosebi, Dom. Bk. ; Little Crosseby, xiii and xiv 

 cent. ; Little Crosby, 1405. 



This township lies to the north of Great Crosby, 

 Thornback Pool being the boundary on that side. 

 Extending along the coast, a wide belt of sand-hills, in 

 which are rabbit warrens, forms an efficient protection 

 to the low-lying land from the inroads of the sea. 

 Some of the inhabitants are fishermen, who reap a 

 harvest of shrimps, flukes, and cockles from the sea 

 and broad firm sands. 



Excepting those which cluster about Crosby Hall, 

 there are but few trees or hedges, fields being princi- 

 pally divided by ditches. The alluvial soil produces 

 good crops of potatoes and corn, whilst there are also 

 meadows and pastures. The lower keuper sandstones, 

 which here represent the geological formation, under- 

 lie the entire township, but, as elsewhere in the neigh- 

 bourhood, are obscured by sand and deep boulder 

 clay, and along the coast by blown sand which 

 obscures the grey clays of the glacial drift series. 



The acreage is 1,81 1. 6 The village, hall and park 

 are at the southern end of the township ; to the 

 north are Moorhouse and Hightown, a modern 



SEFTON 



hamlet ; on the shore near the last-named is a light- 

 house, built in 1839. The population in 1901 

 was 563.' 



The Liverpool and Southport road passes diagonally 

 through the township from south to north, roads to 

 Thornton and Hightown branching off to the east 

 and north-west. The Lancashire and Yorkshire 

 Company's line from Liverpool to Southport also 

 crosses it, with a station at Hightown. 



The place was noted for the abundance of fine 

 laurels. 8 



There are six crosses, one being in the village.' 

 At Harkirk, now within the park, a number of 

 Anglo-Saxon coins were found in 161 1. 10 



The village well having become dry about thirty 

 years ago has been closed up. 



Narrs Croft and Wildings Croft occur among the 

 field names in 1779. 



A local board was formed in 1870 ;" this in 1894. 

 became an urban district council of six members. 



LITTLE CROSBr was in 1066 



M4NOR part of the holding of Uctred, and 

 rated as half a hide." Afterwards it 

 became part of the Widnes fee, and following the 

 descent of that lordship passed eventually to the 

 crown. 13 A subordinate manor was early created 

 here, held in 1212 by Richard de Molyneux of 

 Sefton ; l4 and subsequently it was granted as a depen- 

 dent manor to a junior branch of the family. 



The first of this line was Roger de Molyneux, son 

 of Adam and grandson of the above-named Richard." 

 About 1266 Robert Blundell demanded from this 

 Roger an acquittance of the services which Alice de 

 Lacy, lady of Halton, in right of her dower required 

 from him, which Roger as mesne lord ought to 

 perform. 16 



About 1287 Roger was succeeded by his son 

 Richard, who held Little Crosby, Speke, an da moiety 

 of Rainhill for nearly forty years." He married 

 Beatrice, apparently daughter and heir of Adam de 



