WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



whether this estate reverted to the Blundells of Crosby 

 or passed to the heirs of Thomas. 1 



Another portion, also originally an eighth, was 

 held in 1212 by Roger Mallot or Malice," and de- 

 scended soon afterwards to Robert Mallot. 3 Thomas 

 Banastre held it by charter in 1298;' while in 1323-4 

 John and William sons of Roger had the same portion. 6 

 A sub-division followed, and in 1346 the tenants of 

 each of the three oxgangs of land which composed the 

 tenement were separately recorded thus : Richard de 

 Wall, paying is. 6d. ; Robert de Wyresdale, Roger 

 Bolymer, and Margery daughter of Thomas Jordan- 

 son, y. ; and William Rogerson with John del Dale, 

 half; and Henry Woodward, half, 3/. 6 Some frag- 

 ments can be traced further, and appear to have been 

 acquired by Molyneux of Sefton. 7 



The greater part of the land of the manor was held 

 in villeinage, and in the extent of 1323-4 already 

 quoted is a list of the twenty-four holdings, the tene- 

 ments ranging from a quarter of an oxgang to three 

 and a half oxgangs, with a note appended that the 

 oxgang of land contained 5 acres, the assized rent 

 being at the rate of \s. 6d. for each oxgang of land. 

 It is further stated that 'the commonalty of the town 

 of Crosby holds a certain field called the Ford, and 

 pays los. yearly at Michaelmas.' 8 The extent of 

 1346 enters much more minutely into the customs 



SEFTON 



and conditions of the township. 9 The free tenants 

 remained as formerly, but William de Liverpool, 

 clerk, and Nichola his wife, had acquired 6 acres next 

 Balifield by charter of the lord's father. 10 



In 1246 the town of Great Crosby was amerced 

 4cu. for wreckage found on the shore, because the 

 booty was taken without warrant and hidden." 



In the reign of Henry VI there was a dispute 

 between Henry Blundell, lord of Little Crosby, and 

 the king's tenants of Great Crosby about the bounda- 

 ries. By the assent of Sir Richard Molyneux, steward 

 of the latter place, Thomas Lathom, then escheator, 

 was made arbitrator, and taking sixteen of the tenants 

 he rode with them himself to survey the boundary, set- 

 ting up the meres then and there, after which Henry 

 Blundell made a ditch along the boundary so marked 

 out." 



It was an established rule that no man should 

 build any house except within the precincts of the 

 town, wherefore the king's tenants in 1532 com- 

 plained that a certain Nicholas Johnson, supported by 

 James Blundell of Ince and about forty companions, 

 had built a house on a new site, in defiance of the 

 other tenants and the constables of the town. More- 

 over ' the said Nicholas, with eight others, for about 

 three weeks after the said house was built, armed 

 with bows, arrows, bucklers, &c., kept watch by 



