WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



At the confiscation Robert Standish and William 

 Prescot were the cantarists, celebrating according to 

 their foundation for the souls of John Winwick and 

 his family, with a yearly obit for the said John. 

 Their stipends (20 marks) ' had been paid by the 

 priory of Burscough, and were continued after the 

 dissolution by the receiver in virtue of a decree of 

 the Duchy Chamber.' 



The ' Chantry Well ' marked on the six-inch Ord- 

 nance map is about a hundred yards north of the 

 church; it is a walled-in dipping well.* 



The tithe maps are kept at the vicarage. 



A grammar school at Huyton was founded in the 

 sixteenth century or earlier. 



The charities of Huyton, 4 apart 



CHARITIES from a recent benefaction by Sir Thomas 



Birch, 6 are small in amount.' Knows- 



ley has a share in the charity founded by William 



Marsh in 1722.' 



KNOWSLEY 



Chenulveslei, Dom. Bk., Knuvesle, 1199; Knouse- 

 legh, 1258; Knouleslee, 1261; Knusele, l262;Knous- 

 legh, 1 346. Pronounced Nowsley, sometimes Nosely. 



This township has an area of 5,058 acres. 8 A 

 projecting corner, Radshaw Nook, in the north-west 

 lies between two brooks, which there form the 

 boundary, and after joining flow into the Alt. The 

 population in 1900 was 1,325. 



The country is generally flat, very slightly undu- 

 lating on the east, where it reaches 330 ft. above sea- 

 level. The land which lies outside the park itself is 

 divided into rich arable fields, yielding crops of pota- 

 toes, turnips, and cereals. The soil is variable, some- 

 times sandy loam, or peat. In the south-eastern part 

 of the township the geological formation consists of 

 the millstone grit and coal measures ; on the western 

 side and in the north-eastern corner of the lower 

 mottled sandstone of the bunter series, and all the 

 central and northern parts of the pebble beds of this 

 series of the new red sandstone. 



Game, in the shape of pheasants, partridges, and 

 hares, is particularly abundant in the district. 



The north of the township lies on the edge of 



HUYTON 



mossland, the birches and bracken in the plantations 

 being typical of moss vegetation. The village of 

 Knowsley, which is situated in the north-west, is 

 entirely modern. 



In the north-east is Longbarrow ; Bury is within 

 the park, on the north. The well-wooded park sur- 

 rounding Knowsley Hall is the principal feature of 

 the township, occupying the eastern half of its area, 

 and stretching over the boundary into Eccleston. 

 ' The scenery in the park, which is beautifully undu- 

 lating, is exceedingly varied, abounding in charming 

 lawn and woodland views, with noble groups of trees 

 in different elevated positions. From almost every 

 part of the park, but more especially that portion of 

 it more immediately in front of the hall, the view 

 of the surrounding country is commanding and 

 beautiful, not being confined to inland scenery, but 

 embracing on the west a splendid marine and sea 

 prospect. . . . The park throughout is magnificently 

 wooded, more especially that portion which is known 

 as the Gladewoods, in which there is one large tree 

 constantly attracting much attention and interest from 

 the fact of its having been twisted in the stem either 

 by some freak of nature or other singular agency, 

 which gives it the appearance of a huge corkscrew. 

 The park also contains a large and artistically arranged 

 lake, upward of 90 acres in extent. . . . Near the 

 head of the lake there is a nude statue called the 

 " White Man," the tradition being that the statue 

 was found in the lake. ... A large portion of the 

 eastern side of the park, consisting of several hundreds 

 of acres, forms the deer park, in which there are 

 numerous herds of red, fallow, and other deer. 

 The gardens and pleasure grounds, which are very 

 extensive, are most artistically laid out and beautifully 

 decorated with works of art.' a 



The principal road is that from Prescot, west, 

 north, and east, skirting the park and passing the 

 church. Another road, crossing this, leads northward 

 from Huyton, passing near the hall, and ultimately 

 turning to Kirkby. 



Six almshouses, erected in 1883 ; a parish hospital, 

 1899; and a recreation ground are gifts of the 

 Stanley family. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



Claning (ix, 1 1 ,) ; 1436, Roger Tyrehare, 

 on the death of Cosyn (ix, 123) ; 1444, 

 John de Lathom, on the resignation of 

 Tyrehare (ix, 127) ; 1454, John Holme, 

 on the resignation of J. de Lathom (xi, 

 n); 1489, John Lathom, on the death 

 of Holme (xii, 122*); 1517, William 

 Prescot, on the death of Lathom (xiii- 

 xiv, 60). 



1 Out of this 335. 4 </. had to be given 

 to the poor; Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 



They had a chalice (8 oz.), two 

 Testments, a mass book, and two altar 

 cloths. In 1548 Robert Standish was 

 aged 57 and the other 64. They appeared 

 at the bishop's visitation in that year, but 

 in the list of 1554 'mortuus' is writ- 

 ten after each name. See Lanes. Chant. 

 Chet. Soc.}, 93, &c. ; and Chest. Visit. 



5 The following notes arc taken from 

 the Report of the official Endowed Chari- 

 ties inquiry in 1900, which contains a re- 

 print of that made in 1 829. Sir Thomas 

 Bernard Birch, bart. of the Hazels, who 

 died in 1880, left 500 for the poor. 



and represented by Mersey Dock bonds. 

 A share of the interest is now paid to 

 Tarboclc. It had been found that William 

 Webster who died in 1684, and whose 

 bequest is supposed to have been the 

 principal portion of the 130, had not 



proper 



Lists. The 



granted to the earl of Derby in 1549 ; 



Pat. 3 Edw. VI, pt. xi. 



8 Lanes, and Chet. Antiq. Soc. xix, 200. 



4 The principal charity recorded by 

 Bishop Gastrell in 1717 a bequest of 



100 by Lady Derby does not seem to 

 ive been paid ; Notit. Cettr. ii, 180. 



14 a year, distributed in doles of flannel 

 and blankets. The vicar and church- 

 are chosen from the ecclesiastical district 

 of Huyton and not the whole of the 



6 A table of benefactions dated 1710 

 shows that before that time 93 had 

 been bequeathed to the poor of Huyton, 

 and 60 to the poor of Tarbock. In 

 1829 the commissioners found that the 

 overseers of Huyton and Roby had a 

 Liverpool Corporation bond of 130, the 



sums to persons in distress belonging to 

 the township named. Another bond of 

 160, including 40 given by the Case 

 family, was regarded as bread charity, 

 21. worth of bread being distributed each 

 Sunday to poor persons of the township. 

 These sums were in 1900 found intact 



157 



Huyton with Roby and Tarbock. The 

 bread charity still continues. 



William Williamson Willink, by his 

 will proved in 1884, left 50 each to the 

 vicars of Huyton and Roby, the interest 

 to be added to the Christmas offertories 

 for the poor. 



7 This was a charge of 201. a year on 

 a house in Church Street, Prescot ; half 

 of the sum to be given to the poor of 

 Knowsley. The commissioners in 1829. 

 found that the payment had been dis- 

 continued for some time, but were- 

 able to identify the property from which 

 it was due. The rent is now charged 

 on three houses in Derby Street, Pres- 

 cot, and paid to the parish council of 

 Knowsley. 



Census of 1901 : 5,061, including. 

 79 acres of inland water. 



Pollard, Stanleys of Knowiley, 20-3. 



