A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



In the middle of 1277 the same Alice prosecuted 

 her claim against Robert de Halsall. The defendant 

 called William son of Benedict to warrant him as to 

 part ; as to the mill he denied that Benedict her hus- 

 band was ever in seisin, all his interest being AJ. yearly 

 rent. 1 



In 1292 Emma, widow of William the Finder, 

 claimed dower in a small holding from Robert de 

 Lydiate, and the latter called upon William son of 

 Benedict to warrant. This he failed to do. Emma 

 therefore recovered her dower against Robert, who was 

 to have the value of it out of William's lands.* 



Who this Robert de Lydiate alias de Halsall was 

 there is nothing to show ; he seems to have held a 

 small subordinate manor of William de Lydiate. 3 In 

 I 303 Thomas son of Robert de Halsall gave 201. for 

 licence to agree with Robert de Halsall of Lydiate. 4 



The double lordship of Lydiate again comes out in 

 1313 in a suit brought by the abbot of Cockersand 

 for common of pasture of which he had been dis- 

 seised, as he stated, by Benedict son of William de 

 Lydiate and Thomas son of Robert de Lydiate. 5 

 Two years later the succession to what may be called 

 the junior moiety of the manor was settled by fine 

 between Thomas de Lydiate and his son Gilbert, the 

 remainders being to Gilbert's brothers William, Adam, 

 and John in succession. 6 



About the same time (1315) Richard son of Bene- 

 dict de Lydiate settled an oxgang of land, &c., on his 

 daughter Cecily, married to Elias de Occleshaw. He 

 had received this oxgang, which lay in Gildhouse, 

 from his brother William, and it had previously been 

 held by Adam de Churchlee. 7 



Benedict de Lydiate, at Easter, 1325, complained 

 that Gilbert de Halsall, John del Wolfall, and Denise 



his wife, and others had disseised him of ten acres of 

 pasture in Lydiate. In this complaint he was joined 

 by Gilbert son of Thomas de Lydiate, and Margery 

 his wife ; also by Alice, widow of Thomas ; as repre- 

 senting the other moiety of the manor. 8 The defence 

 was that the land was ' wood, not pasture.' Benedict 

 and the others had enclosed the wood and so sought 

 to deprive the defendants of the right to send their 

 pigs there in mast-time. The jury took this view. 9 



This case introduces another family into the history 

 of the township, the Wolfalls. 10 A settlement was made 

 by fine in 1323 of two messuages, eighteen acres of 

 land, and \yd. rent in Lydiate upon John del Wolfall 

 and Denise his wife for life." From this time the 

 Wolfalls constantly appear in the neighbourhood in 

 various relations. 



Benedict de Lydiate must have died soon afterwards," 

 for though he paid to the subsidy in 1327 he is not 

 named in 1332. For a time Gilbert de Lydiate was 

 the foremost man in the township, as in the assize of 

 1331 and the subsidy of 1332." John son of Benedict 

 becomes prominent about 1350." In that year he 

 pleaded that Sir William le Boteler of Warrington, 

 Elizabeth his wife, and many others, including the 

 Wolfalls and Elias de Gildhouse, had unjustly disseised 

 him of his free tenement in Lydiate, viz. two-thirds of 

 the manor. The recognitors decided in his favour, 

 saying that he was seised of it until the defendants 

 ousted him by force and arms." 



Shortly afterwards, in 135 2, John de Lydiate and 

 two others were charged with having disseised Margery, 

 widow of Robert de Lydiate, of her third of the junior 

 moiety. 16 A year later Elizabeth daughter of Robert 

 de Lydiate claimed certain lands as her inheritance, of 

 which John de Lydiate and his tenants were in 



