WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



by the Wolfalls to the Ford family, whose heirs sold 

 to John Morris. 1 



Other families whose names occur in suits or deeds 

 are Lathom, Moss,' and Lyon. 3 Thomas Lathom of 

 Wolfall is named in a list of the gentry of the hundred 

 made in 1512. He died in April, 1515, holding a 

 capital messuage and various lands in Wolfall of 

 Thomas Wolfall by knight's service and the rent of 

 I $d. per annum ; also in Rainford, Aspull, Wigan, 

 Whiston, Glest, Ormskirk, and Eggergarth. His 

 widow Joan held these lands for nine years, and on 

 her death the son Thomas entered into possession, 

 although he was only nineteen years of age. 4 The 

 younger Thomas Lathom died in 154.6, holding his 

 father's lands ; his son and heir was another Thomas, 

 then only three years of age.* The last-named, 

 whose wife's name was Frances, sold his lands between 

 1573 and I58o. 6 



Richard Ogle, watchmaker, as a ' Papist ' registered 

 in 1 7 1 7 an estate here and at Rainhill, of the value 

 of 64 a year. 7 



In 1785 the principal owners, as shown by the 

 land-tax returns, were Thomas Seel and the Case 

 trustees. 



The parish church and its chapel of ease have 

 already been described. William Bell, the vicar 

 ejected in 1662, afterwards ministered in Huyton, 

 but does not seem to have formed a permanent con- 

 gregation. 



The Methodists attempted services about 1 800, but 

 were driven out by the mob. 8 



William Alexander of Prescot, an Independent 

 minister, occasionally preached here early last century, 

 and a chapel was opened in 1836. The work failed, 

 and 1856 is given as the date of the founding of the 

 Congregational church, which was at first a branch 

 from Crescent Chapel, Everton. A small chapel, now 

 used as a schoolroom, was opened, and was succeeded 

 in 1 890 by a larger church, with a prominent spire. 9 



What provision was made from time to time after 

 the Reformation for those who adhered to the Roman 

 Catholic religion is unknown, except that at one 

 time a priest resided at Wolfall Hall. This, however, 

 ceased about the middle of the eighteenth century. 10 

 A new mission was begun at Huyton in 1856 in a 

 temporary chapel near the station, a resident priest 

 being appointed in 1859. The present church of 

 St. Agnes at Huyton Quarry was built in 1861." 



ROBT Rabil, Dom. Bk. ; Rabi, 1292; Roby, 

 1332, and usually is the south-western portion of 

 the township of Huyton-with-Roby, its separate area 

 being 1,059 acres - The surface is almost level. 



HUYTON 



The principal road is that from Liverpool to Prescot 

 by Broadgreen ; this goes eastward through the centre 

 of the township, having the residences called Court 

 Hey and Roby Hall on the southern side of it. The 

 London and North-Western company's main line 

 from Liverpool to Manchester runs along an embank- 

 ment to the north of the road ; there is a station called 

 Roby. Court Hey was the seat of the late Robertson 

 Gladstone, brother of the statesman, and himself a 

 prominent personage in Liverpool. 



Wheathill is at the boundary of the three townships 

 of Roby, Tarbock, and Little Woolton. Childwall 

 Brook separates Roby from Childwall. Page Moss 

 was at the northern corner. 



There are the remains of an ancient stone cross by 

 the road from Liverpool to Prescot. The stocks used 

 to be next to it. 1 ' There is an old font in the church- 

 yard. 1 * 



In the time of Edward the Confessor 

 MANOR ROBrwzs one of the six manors of Uctred, 

 and as it is placed first in the list was no 

 doubt the chief of them, Knowsley coming next." 

 The two together were assessed at one hide, and in 

 later times Roby was usually said to be of two plough- 

 lands. 14 After the Conquest it lost its pre-eminence 

 and seems to have had no special manorial rights, 

 being a member of Knowsley and held in demesne. 

 To a subsidy levied by Henry III Roby contributed 

 I2/. 2^. 16 but later than this its contributions are 

 always joined with those of Huyton. 



On two occasions its immediate lords, the Lathoms, 

 endeavoured to raise its standing. In 1304 Robert 

 de Lathom procured from the king a charter allowing 

 a market and fair at Roby, and free warren there. 

 The market was a weekly one, on Fridays ; and the 

 fair annual, on the eve, feast, and morrow of St. Wil- 

 frid. 17 In 1372 Sir Thomas de Lathom granted a 

 charter making his vill of Roby a free borough for ever. 

 To each burgess he gave a rood of land as a burgage 

 for which I zJ. in silver was to be paid the lord every 

 year. A burgess might dispose of his burgage, paying 

 the lord \d. when he quitted it. Though the bur- 

 gesses were to be free of toll, terrage, and stallage, 

 they were to bring their corn to the lord's mill to 

 grind, to the sixteenth measure, and render services 

 like other tenants of the vill, having at the same time 

 similar liberties of pasture and turbary. 18 



These attempts to ' improve ' the position of Roby 

 appear to have met with no success, and there does 

 not seem to be any further allusion to the borough or 

 fair. The market is mentioned casually in an assize 

 roll of 1332, when John de Grelley, Simon son of 

 Simon de Bickerstath, Adam de Wolfall, and others, 



1 About the time of Edward I, Roger 

 son of Richard de Wolfall gave to Richard 

 de la Ford a place lying in Walton Riding 

 for the rent of an arrow. In 1307 and 

 1315 John son of Richard de la Ford had 

 further grants of land in Huyton from 

 the sons of Adam le Kiryk (?) of Rain- 

 hill, which were enlarged or confirmed by 

 Roger de Wolfall and Alice de Wolfall ; 

 Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 230, &c. . 87, 

 89, 43, 84, 92. 



John de la Ford was living in 1334, 

 but appears to have been succeeded by a 

 Thomas whose daughter Alice (who mar- 

 ried Nicholas de Liverpool) and widow 

 Joan are mentioned in one or more deeds 

 of the years 1361, 1364, and 1369. In 

 this last year Alice's feoffee, the vicar of 

 Huyton, gave to John le Norreys Alice's 



lands in Huyton, Ditton, Roby, and Child- 

 wall ; ibid. 95, 91, 96, 94, 22, 57, 55. 



De Bane. R. 248, m. 253; 253, 

 m. 122. 



8 Lane,. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 46, 57. 



4 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, n. 6. 



6 Ibid, ix, n. 10. George Lathom of 

 Huyton gave a portion to his son and heir 

 George, on the latter's marriage with 

 Margery, daughter of John Ditchfield of 

 Ditton; Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 138*, 



Pal of Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 36, m. 

 265 ; 37, m. 171 ; 38, m. 41 ; 39, m. 

 32 ; 43, m. 121. 



T Engl. Catb. Non-jurors, 119; he is 

 identified with the son of Cuthbert Ogle 

 of Whiston, recorded in the yitit. of 1664. 



175 



8 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iv, 163. 



9 Nightingale, op. cit. iv, 163-5. 



The mission was abandoned after the 



death of Fr. John Greene, a Domin 

 1750; Gillow, Sit!. Diet. 



in, 42 



Engl. Corn. 



Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1 90 1 . 



Lane,, and Che,. Antij. Soc. xix, 199. 



18 Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Sen), xvii, 72. 



14 V.C.H. Luna, i, 283*. 



It is, however, sometimes called 3 

 plough-lands, as in Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 45, 76, early in 

 Henry Ill's reign. 



" Lay Subs. (Lanes.), 130-2. 



17 Chart. R. 97 (32 Edw. I), m. i, 

 n. 12. 



Engl. Hist. Rev. xvii, 295, where the 

 charter is printed. 



