WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



HALSALL 



one of their three daughters and co-heiresses, brought 

 it to Sir Thomas Halsall, who died in 1539. His 

 widow afterwards married John Osbaldeston of Os- 

 baldeston, and died at this place 19 August, 1567.' 

 Inquisitions taken after the death of her son Henry 

 state that she held the manor of Melling and ten 

 messuages, 200 acres of land, &c., in Melling and 

 Liverpool. The manor was held of the queen by 

 knight's service, and was worth 4 clear. By inden- 

 ture and fine in 1566 the succession was arranged 

 to Henry Halsall and his heirs, or in default to Jane's 

 other children, or to her right heirs. Henry Halsall 

 accordingly succeeded to the manor, and on his death 

 in 1575 without issue his grandson Cuthbert being 

 illegitimate it passed to Maud, wife of Edward 

 Osbaldeston, one of the daughters of Dame Jane 

 Halsall, and to Bartholomew Hesketh as son and heir 

 of her other daughter Joan, who had married Gabriel 

 Hesketh, the former being thirty-six years and the 

 latter twenty-two. 3 In 1587 Bartholomew Hesketh 

 purchased the Osbaldeston share, 3 but no further 

 mention is made of it after 1598 * in the known in- 

 quisitions or settlements of this family, nor does any 

 claim seem to have been made to it. 



The Molyneuxes of Sefton claimed a manor here 

 also. Sometimes it is described as Melling simply, 

 at others as ' half of Melling,' and at others is joined 

 with Lydiate. Sir William Molyneux purchased the 

 Swifts' share of Elizabeth Harrington's inheritance in 

 1521 and the Grimshaws' share in 1554.* In the 

 inquisition of 1623 'the manor of Melling' is said 

 to be held of the king by knight's service, viz. by 

 the tenth part of a fee. 6 The family continued to 

 hold it down to the end of the eighteenth century, 

 when it was sold to John Foster for 1,050 ; eight 

 small chief-rents were payable, ranging from \d. to 

 is., and amounting to 5/. %d. 



The manor-house in Melling now belongs to a 

 family named Cartwright. 



A charter by Robert de Byron granted land in 



Melling to Nicholas son of Henry de Bootle, at the 

 yearly rent of \d. ; and a further grant at the same 

 rent was made in 1 309.' Another charter granted 

 Adam son of Richard de Thorp land which Robert 

 de Brookfield formerly held, extending between Alt 

 and Melling Moor, and pannage of his pigs in the 

 common wood. 8 This same Adam de Thorp had 

 from William son and heir of Henry de Lea a grant 

 of all his lands and tenements in Melling, including 

 the homage of Richard de Lund (with 8J. rent), 

 Adam del More, Robert de Byron (zd.), Richard son 

 of Robert ( I od.), and Amery the priest's son (6d.), 

 at the yearly rent of three grains of pepper.' In 

 1280 Baldwin de Lea granted all his lands in Melling 

 with various homages to William his son. 10 In 1305 

 Emma de Aintree and her daughters Alice and 

 Margery, Alice de Parr, and others were charged 

 with having disseised Randle de Aintree and Hawise 

 his wife of their free tenement in Melling, but it was 

 found that the real holder was William son of Adam 

 Barret of Aintree, who had demised certain tene- 

 ments in Melling for a term of years to Gilbert the 

 brother of Emma, and that she had entered as 

 successor." 



It thus appears that Melling was much divided 

 from early times, making its lordship somewhat un- 

 certain. Hence the vague expression of the extent 

 of 1346, 'all the tenants and abbot of Cockersand,' 

 is easily understood." 



About the beginning of the fifteenth century the 

 Molyneux family of Thornton, who, as already shown, 

 had long claimed a manor, 13 made Melling their 

 principal residence, their house being known as The 

 Wood, or Hall of the Wood. Robert de Molyneux, 

 the first described as ' of Melling,' " had a son John 

 who married Agnes daughter of Henry Blundell of 

 Crosby, 15 and was succeeded by his son Robert and 

 his grandson John. 16 The latter's son and heir 

 Robert died 5 July 1541, leaving a son and heir 

 John, then aged twenty-three, and younger children. 1 ' 



