A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



the tenants claimed that they had by custom a bull, a 

 boar, and a stallion, found by the priory, and they 

 desired its continuance. They had ' followed scythe 

 and sickle ' with their cattle in the pastures until 

 Candlemas, and in return they had given a hen for 

 every cow, and calf calved. 1 



The lands of John Fletcher of Burscough were con- 

 fiscated by the Parliament and sold in 1652 ; this 



JURSCOUCH PRIORY CHURCH : NORTHERN PIERS OF 

 THE CROSSING 



seems to have been for recusancy only.* In 1717 

 estates in the township were registered by William 

 Bradshaw, Richard Cropper, George Culcheth, and 

 Edward Tristram of Ince Blundell, as ' Papists.' 3 



John Houghton in 1733 left 10 for building a 

 public school on the brow near the pinfold, and 100 

 as endowment. 4 



The reference in Domesday to M4RTIN* shows 

 that before 1066 one-half of it had been united to 

 Harleton ; 6 the other half is not mentioned, but it 

 had probably been merged in Lathom. It is this 

 latter portion which was bestowed by Robert de 

 Lathom upon the newly-founded priory of Burscough 

 in 1189,' and which apparently is the 'plough-land' 

 referred to in the survey of 1212 as thus granted. 8 It 

 appears, however, that the same Robert de Lathom 

 had already granted land here to his nephew (nefos) 

 Henry, from whom it descended 

 to Henry de Radcliffe. The 

 latter exchanged it for lands 

 in Oswaldtwisle held by his 

 brother Matthew, 9 whose son 

 Richard about 1240 resigned 

 Martin to the prior and canons 

 of Burscough. 10 After its ac- 

 quisition by the canons, this 

 half of the original Martin be- 

 came part of Burscough ; yet 

 as late as 1366 the whole is 

 called Burscough-with-Martin." 

 Agreements were made in the 

 latter part of the thirteenth 

 century as to the boundaries between Burscough and 

 Martin on the one side and Scarisbrick and Harleton 

 on the other. These were supplemented by others a 

 century later. 12 Martin Grange was retained by the 

 canons among their demesne properties, and the earl 

 of Derby had rented it of the king's commissioners 

 in I538. 13 Others of their lands there had been 

 leased out just in the same way as those in Burscough 

 described above. 14 



In 1612 Martin Hall or Grange was granted to John 

 Breres of Martin, who appears to have sold it to the 

 Wrightingtons of Wrightington, under whom he 

 became tenant. 15 It descended with the Wrightington 

 estates until recently, when it was sold to the earl of 

 Derby. 



In 1694 an Act was passed for ratifying and con- 

 firming an indenture of lease of Martin Mere, made 

 by the earl of Derby to Thomas Fleetwood. 18 



There is a Wesleyan chapel at Burscough. 



WRIGHTINGTON or 



a chevron argent between 

 three cross crosslcts fickle 



260 



