WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



king directed the rolls to be searched with reference 

 to the former claim by Maud for her dower ; and in 

 July sent a statement of Henry's claim to the t 

 bishop of Lichfield, commanding him to inquire into 

 the legitimacy of the claimant. In November a 

 further letter was sent by the king to the bishop on 

 the petition of Sir William Carles and his wife Emma. 

 The bishop's reply does not seem to have been pre- 

 served ; being again directed to make inquiry, in 

 November, 1 372, on the following 2 5 April he certified 

 to the justices at Westminster that upon diligent inquiry 

 it was found that Henry de Torbock was legitimate. 1 



In the meantime a decision had been given in the 

 king's court. In 1365 Sir William Carles and Emma 

 his wife complained that Henry de Torbock and 

 others had ousted them from their manor of Tarbock. 

 Henry replied that he was the lawful son and heir 

 and had therefore done no injury or disseisin, for 

 Emma was a bastard and had no right in the manor. 

 The recognitors acquiesced in the above decision that 

 Henry was born in lawful wedlock and was the true 

 and right heir of Richard de Torbock, and accord- 

 ingly gave judgement that the claim of William and 

 Emma was a false one.* 



Henry de Torbock, now in possession, had to 

 make complaints as to destruction of trees, &c. 3 On 

 7 March, 1370, as Henry son of Sir Richard de 

 Torbock, he enfeoffed John Bellerby, vicar of Prest- 

 bury, 4 and Richard Causey of his manors of Tarbock, 

 Turton, Walton Lees, Welch Whittle, and the fourth 

 part of Dalton, and all his other lands. 5 This was 

 probably in view of his marriage with Isabel, widow 

 of Robert atte Poole, and daughter and heir of 

 Thomas de Capenhurst. 6 



1 ! 37S John Carles, apparently the heir of Sir 

 William, made another attempt to recover the manor 

 of Tarbock ;' but the bishop's declaration would decide 

 the matter against him, and the last heard of this 



HUYTON 



claim is in the Lent of 1391, when acknowledging 

 that ' Henry son of Henry de Torbock is now of my 

 certain knowledge ' in possession of the manors in 

 dispute, he quitclaimed all right in them and gave a 

 warranty to the possessor. 8 



Henry son of Richard de Torbock, who thus re- 

 covered his father's manors, died about 1380, and in 

 1382 his son Richard made a settlement of them, the 

 remainders being to Henry brother of Richard and 

 others. Four years later, as Sir Richard de Torbock, 

 knt., he made a further settlement. 9 He died on 

 8 February, I 386-7, in Spain, having no doubt accom- 

 panied the duke of Lancaster on his journey to claim 

 the crown. At inquisitions in June, 1389, it was 

 found that he had held Tarbock of the manor of 

 Knowsley by knight's service and a rent of Js. 6d. ; 

 also Walton Lees of the lord of Upholland in socage ; 

 and the manor of Turton of the lord of Lathom. 

 He had no issue, and his next heirs were Sir William 

 de Atherton, senior, and Elizabeth daughter of Sir 

 Geoffrey de Worsley ; but by virtue of the feoffments 

 made his brother Henry, son of Henry de Torbock, 

 then seventeen years of age, was heir to the manors 

 and in possession of them. 10 



The new lord of Tarbock was made a knight in 

 1399-1400, and married 11 Katherine daughter of 

 Sir Gilbert Halsall ; in 1407 the succession was 

 granted to her children, John, Thomas, William, 

 Robert, Elizabeth, Ellen, and Alice. This was con- 

 firmed in May, 1418." Sir Henry died soon after- 

 wards, and his son and heir John died at Halsall on 

 30 September, 1420, leaving a son Henry, nine 

 years of age, and two daughters, Margaret and Eliza- 

 beth, also very young. 15 



John de Torbock, who in 1410 had been espoused 

 to Clemency, daughter of Ralph de Standish, 14 had 

 before his death arranged for the succession to his 

 estates, by enfeoffing Henry Halsall, archdeacon of 



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