WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



Villiam's son and heir Robert succeeded about 

 g6o,' and was in turn (about 1 307) succeeded by 

 jiis son William, who appears to have married Joan, 

 daughter and heiress of Alan de Meols, who held a 

 quarter of the vill. A grant of all Alan's lands there 

 was made to William de Cowdray in 1326, and it 

 was confirmed by Adam de Meols in 1343.* 



It will therefore be convenient to give an account 

 of the Meols family at this 

 point. The first to be noticed 

 is Alan de Meols, who between 

 1204 and 1209 took oath that 

 he would not interfere with 

 the grant in Ratho to the 

 monks of Sawley.* Early in 

 the reign of Henry III he 

 secured from John de Lacy a 

 confirmation of his lands, the 

 charter describing them as 44 ox- 

 gangs held by homage and a 

 service of 8s. yearly.' The heir 

 of Robert de Meols was holder 



ooo 



MEOLS 01 

 Argent, three 

 chief. 



in I243, 5 and in 1296 another Robert de Meols was 

 tenant of Henry de Lacy, rendering 8/. \\d., while 

 to the same Henry in 1311 Alan de Meols rendered 

 %s. yearly by custom. 6 Alan was still tenant in 1323 

 and 1324.' Adam son of William de Meols, men- 

 tioned above, contributed to subsidies in 1326 and 

 1332- 8 



William de Cowdray was thus, in his own right 

 and his wife's, lord of the whole manor. A somewhat 

 earlier acquisition may also be noticed here. Albert 

 Bussel, third baron of Penwortham, who died in 

 1 1 86, granted to Houkell son of Adam the whole land 

 of Swartbank. 9 Geoffrey son of Houkell (or Houth- 

 kell) afterwards, about 1240, gave this tract to William 

 de Cowdray as trustee, it would seem, for Henry de 

 Pool, ancestor of the Becconsall family, who in turn 

 gave it to Thomas Banastre of Bretherton. In 1298 



NORTH MEOLS 



the latter granted it to William de Cowdray and Joan 

 his wife, 10 and it thus became incorporated with the 

 possessions of the lords of the manor." 



William de Cowdray was succeeded before 1343 

 by his son Robert, who died before 1350," leaving a 

 son and heir William, who died soon after, his heirs 

 being his sisters Katherine and Eleanor. The latter 

 married Henry, son of Gilbert de Scarisbrick, but 

 died about 1346, leaving a 

 daughter Isabel, who died in 

 infancy." Katherine was twice 

 married to Alan, son of Richard 

 de Downholland, who died be- 

 fore 1345, leaving an only 

 daughter Eleanor, who died un- 

 married ; " and to Richard de 

 Aughton, a younger son of 

 Walter de Aughton. 15 The suc- 

 cession was not undisputed, 



DDDD 

 D D D 

 DO 

 D 



Thou 



de Cowdr 



Gules, ten billet!, 4, 3, 



Robert, claiming under an en- 

 tail to the heirs male of Robert's 



father William. This, however, only affected the 

 share inherited from the Meols family, and Thomas 

 appears to have enjoyed this portion for life only, so 

 that the whole manor descended to the heirs of 

 Richard and Katherine de Aughton, 16 and in 1380 

 the whole was given to William de Aughton, their son, 

 and his heirs." 



William married Millicent, one of the four 

 daughters and co-heirs of John Comyn, lord of 

 Kinsale and of lands in the counties of Warwick and 

 Worcester. 18 He was pardoned some outlawry he 

 had incurred in 1381-2 at the special request of 

 Queen Anne.; 19 and in 1386 had letters of protec- 

 tion on going to Ireland in the king's service. 8 " He 

 died at the beginning of 1388, seised of the manor of 

 North Meols, held of the duke of Lancaster by 

 knight's service, and by the service of 9^., sake fee, 



Mins. Accts. bdle. 1148, n. 6 



8 Exch. Lay Subs. bdle. 1 30, n. 5 ; 

 rtsoExch. L. S.of 1 3 32 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ,5. 



9 The grant was made in pure alms 

 for the souls of the grantor, his wife, and 

 others, the service required being 'the 

 maintenance of a certain place of enter- 



ships, escheats, . &c.' in North Me 

 Crossens, and ' Foly ' (? Sollom) ; also the 

 Cowdray part of Barton by Halsall ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxlii, fol. 233. 



16 In the Pleadings (1350) Thomas's 



of Richard de Aughton's wife, ] 

 put in her claim ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 1 60. 



18 The Aughton family adopted the 

 Comyn arms sable, three garbs or as 



of the manor, while the defendants alleged 



it was only a sixth part. The story is 



2 3 I 



Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 232*. 

 Col. Pal. K. (.385-9), 114,189. 



