A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Hindley, 1 and in 1312 was chosen a knight of the 

 shire.' An elaborate settlement of the manor was 

 made about the same time, 3 providing for its descent 

 to Richard's son John and his heirs, with reversion to 

 daughters Maud, Margaret, Agnes, Elizabeth, and 

 Margery. 4 



In accordance with this settlement the son, 

 Sir John Molyneux , about 1325 succeeded to Little 

 Crosby. 4 A prominent man in the county in his 

 time, 6 he was twice married and had several children, 7 

 who appear to have died before him ; consequently on 

 his death in or about 1 362" Little Crosby became 

 the portion of his sister Agnes, who had married 

 David Blundell of Great Crosby. The descendants 

 of Agnes and David still possess the manor. 



The origin of the Blundells' interest is unknown, 



but, as already shown, Robert Blundell was one of 

 the free tenants in 1266. The earliest of the family 

 to appear is Osbert de Ainsdale, living about 1 1 60.* 

 He had several sons, the eldest being Robert, who 

 succeeded to Ainsdale, and had in 1190 a grant of 

 Great Crosby from John, count of Mortain, confirmed 

 when John became king ; he is here described as 

 John's forester. 10 He died in 1214, and was followed 

 by his son Roger," who within five years was in turn 

 succeeded by a younger brother Adam, also known as ' de 

 Ainsdale.' ll This Adam occurs as witness to charters 

 and in other ways down to about 1250. His wife 

 was named Emma," and their son Robert, afterwards a 

 knight, and called ' de Crosby ' as well as ' de Ains- 

 dale,' adopted the surname Blundell, which has since 

 been borne by his descendants." 



1 See the accounts of Hindley and 

 Culcheth. Beatrice afterwards married 

 Robert de Bebington, and was living in 

 1549; De Bane. R. 173, m. 128; R. 

 286, m. 340 ; also R. 355, m. 109. The 

 former actions arose out of a lease of the 

 manor granted in 1326 by Beatrice to 

 Stephen de Hamerton ; Kuerden's fol. 

 MS. n. 399. 



2 Pink and Beavan, Par!. Ref. of Lanes. 



8 Richard de Molyneux, rector of Sefton, 

 as feoffee, gave to Richard son of Roger 

 de Molyneux and Beatrice his wife, all 

 his manor of Little Crosby in its entirety, 

 with remainders as stated; Blundell of 

 Crosby D. K. 229. A copy of this 

 charter seems to have been made for each 

 of those in the remainder, two of the series 

 being now at Little Crosby Hall. 



The names of the homagers are thus 

 given : Nicholas Blundell, William son of 

 Adam, Richard son of Thomas, elsewhere 

 surnamed ' de Aykescho,' Richard Boly- 

 mer, Randle Wolvesegh, and William 

 Ballard. 



Of these tenants William son of Adam 

 was the most important after the Blun- 

 dells ; Adam being son of Gilbert of Little 

 Crosby, originally one of the chief land- 

 holders in the township ; see Assize R. 

 408, m. 4. Adam by his wife Ellen had 

 a son William (occurring down to 1322), 



Hugh son of William de Liverpool re- 

 leased to Henry, son of Nicholas Blundell, 

 half the manor of Little Crosby and one 

 oxgang, which Agnes widow of Richard 

 son of William of Little Crosby formerly 

 held. 



William son of Adam of Little Crosby 

 gave one oxgang a twenty-fourth part of 

 the vill to his daughter Aline, who 

 married John de Hindley ; and another 

 oxgang to his daughter Sibyl. Richard, 

 son of William, unsuccessfully laid claim 

 to this part of his father's estate in 1334 ; 



later, however, Richard recovered certain 

 lands and pasture rights which he had 

 temporarily lost through his father having 

 given a moiety of his lands (for his life) 

 to his two daughters, Sibyl wife of Alex- 

 ander de Whalley, and Alice (as she is 

 now called) wife of Roger son of Hugh 

 of Great Crosby, who seem to be the 

 Sciletia and Alice of the charters above 

 quoted ; Assize R. 1444, m. B. 



4 The Molyneux settlement was in 1 3 \ 4 

 confirmed by a fine relating to a mes- 

 suage, five oxgangs, &c. and the manor of 

 Little Crosby, Richard and Beatrice being 

 plaintiffs, and Roger, son of Robert dc 

 Molyneux of Rainhill, the deforciant. 

 There is a variation in the statement of 

 the remainders which afterwards led to 

 lawsuits, the daughter Agnes being omitted 

 altogether, and Margery, then wife of John 



Crosby D. K. 195. The original It at 

 Little Crosby. 



In 1 345 he granted Adam son of 

 Thomas son of Wilcot half an oxgang in 

 Little Crosby, with the meadow which 

 Adam formerly held from Beatrice, the 

 grantor's mother ; ibid. K. 308. At the 

 beginning of 1349 he enfeoffed Robert, 

 son of William de Crosby, of his manors 

 of Little Crosby, Speke, and Scholes, and 

 all his lands in Rainhill and Appleton ; 

 ibid. K. 258 (original at Little Crosby). 

 In December, 1350, he gave to William 



part of the manor of Little Crosby, of 

 which one oxgang was held for her life by 

 Agnes, widow of Richard son of William 

 of Little Crosby ; ibid. K. 222 (original 

 at Little Crosby). 



6 Rot. Scot. (Rec. Com.), 307, 421, &c. 



1 Sir John's first wife was named 

 Agnes ; Norris D. (B.M.), . 494, dated 

 1314. His second wife was Clemency, 

 daughter and co-heir of Roger de Cheadle, 

 and widow of William de Baguley ; Ear- 

 waker, East Ches. i, 170; Staff. Hiit. 

 Coll. (Salt Soc.), xvi, 5, 6, from a Chest. 

 Plea Roll of 1336; Genial. (New Ser.), 



in the descent. 



Richard son of Sir John de Molyneux 

 and Isabel his wife were defendants in a 

 plea of 1342; Assize R. 1435, m. 47</. 



de Orrell, and then Pat 

 Her second husband seem 

 voured to secure his wife's estate for the 

 Molyneuxes of Little Crosby, though by 

 her former husband she had had a daughter 

 and heir, Margery wife of Simon de 

 Lydiate ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 122, 

 K. 276, K. 304, K. 216, K. 184, K. 256. 

 The Lydiates claimed the manor of Little 

 Crosby in 1342 ; Kuerden's fol. MS. n. 

 495- 



William son of Adam granted to 

 Richard son of Roger de Molyneux all 

 his lands, including half a plough-land in 

 Little Crosby, with the homage of 

 Nicholas Blundell, and 6d. rent from the 

 Moorhouses, exception being made of an 

 oxgang held by his sister Alice and Adam 

 ton of Thomas ; another oxgang held by 

 Richard de Walton by the service of \d., 

 and a third by Patrick de Prescot by a 

 barbed arrow ; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 

 251. He had several children Richard 

 (occurring down to 1345) who had a 

 son William, whose wife was named 

 Margery ; Thomas, who had a son Adam ; 

 Robert ; Sciletia ; and Alice who married 

 Hugh the Tunwright of Huyton, and had 

 a son Robert ; see Blundell of Crosby D. 

 K. 255, K. 258 ; also Kuerden fol. MS, n. 

 3 9 3, 4 > i , 49*- B 7 t hi '"'> dated 1 3 8 2-3, 



:; Final Cone, ii, 19. 



bably the death of the eldest son Thomas 

 without male issue, though by his wife 

 Margery de Charnock he left a daughter 

 Agnes, afterwards the wife of Henry de 

 Atherton ; see Final Cone, ii, 18 ; De 

 Bane. R. 344, m. 442, and R. 347, 

 m. 1 4 8</. Norris D. (B.M.) n. 944 is 

 the marriage agreement, dated 1304, by 

 which Thomas son and heir of Richard 

 de Molyneux was to marry Margery 

 daughter of Henry de Charnock, while 

 the latter', son Adam was to marry 

 Richard's daughter Joan. 



Henry, son of Henry de Atherton of 

 Hindley, and Agnes his wife, released in 

 1 343 their right in the manors of Little 

 Crosby and the Scholes in Eccleston to 

 Beatrice, formerly wife of Richard de 

 Molyneux of Crosby, and Sir John de 

 Molyneux; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 



5 Richard de Molyneux held the manor 

 in 1324; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 33*. 

 Sir John de Molyneux in April, 1328, 

 gave his mother Beatrice for her life all 

 his right in the vill and manor of Little 

 Crosby, excepting 5 marks of yearly rent 

 which he had of her gift ; Blundell of 



86 



from Roger son of Adam son of William 

 de Crosby, his father (Sir John) being a 

 witness; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 127, 

 259. Five years later he was plaintiff in 

 a case of trespass ; De Bane. R. 352, m. 



8 Sir John de Molyneux was living in 

 1362; Norris D. (B.M.), n. 572. 



9 CockersandChartul.(C\xl. Soc.), ii, 568 

 to 595, and notes. 



1 Kucrden MSS. v, fol. 124, mi. 172, 

 173. See also the account of Great 

 Crosby. 



In 1199 Robert de Ainsdale, son of 

 Osbert, had a protection from King John ; 

 it was dated at Bourg-le-Roi in Maine ; 

 Rot. Cart. (Rec. Com.), 18. 



11 Farrcr, Lanes. Fife R. 247.' 



18 Cockersand Cbartul. ii, 590, 591 ; 

 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), 117. 



" Blundell of Crosby D. K. 203. 



14 He is described as a knight in the 

 deed last referred to. ' Robert de Crosby, 

 son of Adam de Ainsdale,' confirmed hi. 

 father's grants in Garston to the monks 

 of Stanlaw ; Wholly Coucher (Chet. Soc.), 



' As Robert de Crosby, knight, he gave 

 to Ralph de Greenhol and Anabel hi. 



