A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Gilbert de Halsall, with whom in one plea Robert 

 son of Alan de Holland was joined. The defence, 

 which was accepted, is noticeable : Barton was not 

 a vill, but a member of the vill of Downholland. 1 

 Thus it had lost its ancient independent status. 



A local family took a surname from the hamlet. 

 In 1314 Richard son of Adam de Barton gave to his 

 son Roger land which the grantor had previously 

 purchased from his sister Anabel, formerly wife of 

 Robert the clerk of Halsall, except the house which 

 Richard's son and heir inhabited. 1 Robert son of 

 Richard de Barton gave to Robert de Cowdray some 

 arable land and meadow in the Flats in 1 344.* 



Roger son of Robert de Barton in 1375 gave to his 

 son Robert and Margaret his wife and their heirs 4 acres 

 with a chamber built in the garden. 4 About 1388 

 Robert son of Roger de Barton was refeoffed of his lands, 

 with remainders to Richard the son of Robert, and then 

 to Alice and Maud, his daughters. 5 The son appears 

 to have died without issue, so that the inheritance 

 came to the daughter Alice, who married Richard 

 Fazakerley ; while in September, 1404, Maud, still 

 unmarried, quitclaimed all her right in the property 

 to Alice. 6 



The next in possession was William Fazakerley/ 

 probably the son of Alice and Richard, and his son 

 Henry in 1495 enfeoffed Henry Molyneux, chap- 

 lain, 8 of a tenement in Barton then occupied by the 

 grantor's brother John. 9 He had in 1491-2 arranged 

 for the marriage of his son Robert with Cecily, 

 daughter of John Ireland, of Sefton or Maghull, 

 brother of Richard Ireland. 10 



The son and heir of Robert and Cecily was 

 Thomas Fazakerley, who soon after the acquisition 

 of the Holland manors by the Halsall family, and 

 while still a minor, was ' pulled forth ' of his holding 

 by divers men acting by order of Thomas Halsall. 

 Thereupon his relatives in Great Crosby and Thorn- 

 ton took possession of the disputed lands (including 

 the Peck and the Hook) by force in April, 1525, and 

 ' bette and hurted ' the tenants who had been in- 

 truded therein." 



Thomas Fazakerley seems to have died childless, 

 and Henry Halsall was in 1566 able to purchase 

 (through Gilbert Halsall of Barton ") the share held 

 by Alice, wife of Peter Snape of Formby, and one 01 

 the sisters and coheirs. 11 



A branch of the Norris family also had some 



holding here. 14 Part at least of their estate was the 

 acre belonging to Cockersand Abbey, which was held 

 in 1501 by John Norris. 15 



The half of Barton held by knight's service by the 

 lords of Warrington was by Pain de Vilers granted 

 together with Ince Blundell, and the mesne lordship 

 was long considered to be in the hands of the lords 

 of this place. 16 They quickly created subordinate 

 manors. One oxgang was granted to Simon Blundell ; 

 but this was about 1240 given to William Russel 

 and Amabel his wife, probably as the latter's dowry. 

 Thereupon Benedict the son of Simon made hi* 

 claim in the king's court against Richard son and heir 

 of William Blundell, and it was decided that the 

 latter must compensate Simon by an equivalent grant. 17 



This oxgang in Barton descended regularly with 

 the manor of North Meols. The other three oxgangs 

 also came into the possession of the lords of North 

 Meols, and at the inquisition after the death of 

 William de Aughton in 1388, the jury were unable 

 to say of whom he had held a portion of Barton 

 rendering z 1 3*. I oJ. A further inquiry being 

 ordered, at first it was found that it was held of 

 John le Boteler of Warrington by knight's service 

 and the service of I oJ. yearly ; but after yet an- 

 other inquiry the mesne lord was found to be John 

 Blundell of Ince. 18 The later inquisitions of the 

 North Meols family describe their tenement a& 

 held of the crown, in right of the duchy of Lan- 

 caster, by knight's service, viz. the sixth part of a 

 fee. 19 



John Waring and William Shepherd of Croxteth, 

 as ' Papists,' registered estates here in IJIJ. M 



The rector of Halsall has established a mission 

 room in Barton. 



LYDIATE 



Leiate, Dom. Bk. ; Lydyate, 1276 ; and Lydeyate, 

 1292 ; the usual spellings. Liddigate occurs 1202, 

 Lichet, c. 1 240 ; Lydegate, 1 296 ; Lidgate, 1 299 ; 

 Ledeyate, 1414; Lidezate, 1481." 



This township has an area ot 1,995 acres- 1 * 

 Lydiate proper is bounded on the south by small 

 brooks which divide it from Maghull, and on the 

 east and north by the Sudell or Lydiate Brook ; while 

 on the west the 25 ft. level is almost coincident with 

 the boundary. The township also includes the 



