A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



In 1651 he repulsed an attack on the island by 

 Parliamentary forces, and having learnt that Charles II, 

 who had been crowned in Scotland, was about to 

 invade England, Lord Derby determined to join him, 

 and left the Isle of Man in August with 300 men. 

 He endeavoured to raise as many men as possible in 

 Lancashire, but after the defeat in Wigan Lane, where 

 he was wounded, he fled southwards to join Charles 

 at Worcester, and fought gallantly there on 3 Sep- 

 tember. The royalist cause now appearing hopeless, 

 the earl turned north again, no doubt wishing to 

 reach the Isle of Man, but on the way he and his 

 party surrendered to Captain Edge as prisoners of 

 war. He was taken to Chester and tried on the 

 charge of treason ; his death had already been 

 determined upon, and he was sentenced to die at 

 Bolton on or before 1 6 October. 1 The place was 

 chosen as it was supposed the inhabitants cherished 

 a hostile feeling against the earl on account of the 

 slaughter there seven years before. The sentence 

 was duly carried out,* but it was found that the 

 people were sympathetic instead of hostile. The 

 executioner, named Whewell, was a farmer of the 



district. 3 The earl was buried at Ormskirk. Shortly 

 after this the Isle of Man was captured by the 

 Parliament. 



On the Parliament taking possession of his estates 

 they had first to satisfy the demands of various 

 claimants under wills and settlements. Lady Vere 

 Carr claimed 1,000 under the will of her grand- 

 mother the countess of the sixth earl. 4 The countess 

 of Lincoln, formerly wife of Sir Edward Stanley, 

 brother of the seventh earl, claimed rent-charges 

 from various lands in Lathom, Burscough, and Child- 

 wall, and Upton Hall in Cheshire, for the benefit 

 of herself and her sons Charles and James Stanley, 

 under deeds of 1637, and a large amount for 

 arrears. 5 The almsmen of Lathom also put in a 

 claim. 6 



After the earl's execution his countess desired to 

 compound, 7 and in 1653 was allowed to do so after 

 the rate of five years' purchase for the estates in fee 

 simple, four years' purchase for estates in tail, three 

 years for estates of one life, &c., the values of the 

 year 1 640 to be taken as the standard ; and personal 

 estate after the rate of one-third. 8 



