A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



the same year new feoffees of the estates were ap- 

 pointed on the arrangement of a marriage between 

 Frances (or Dorothy) Booth and James the son and 

 heir of Thomas Scarisbrick. James was then about 

 six years of age, and he chose Dorothy, aged four. 1 

 Thomas Scarisbrick did not long survive, his will 

 being dated 4 October, 1530.* 



The son James Scarisbrick's lands were in 1543 

 valued at 20.' Soon afterwards a complaint was 

 made against him by Ralph Olgreve of Manchester, 

 that he had carried off the latter's wife Isabel from 

 her father's house and was living with her at his own 

 mansion. 4 A little later (1547) Thomas Gorsuch and 

 Margaret his wife complained that he had trespassed 

 on their lands and made illegal claims. 5 In 1551 he 

 purchased from William Bradshagh the manor of 

 Uplitherland and the third part of the manor of 

 Aughton, but sold it soon afterwards. He sold the 

 manor of Eggergarth and various lands to Lawrence 

 Ireland of Lydiate. 6 



His son and heir Edward succeeded early in the 

 reign of Elizabeth. He married Margaret, daughter of 

 Alexander Barlow of Barlow, and had several children. 

 He was a justice of the peace, and in religion ' conform- 

 able,' though his wife was a recusant, his children were 

 trained up in Popery and his daughters never came to 

 church. 7 He died on 27 April, 1599,* and was 

 buried in the Scarisbrick chapel (' his own chancel ') 

 in Ormskirk church. By his will, as he had no sur- 

 viving son, he made Henry son of Thomas Scarisbrick 

 of Barwick his heir, bequeathing to him his sealing 



ring and other heirlooms. 9 He had previously made 

 a settlement of his estates, described as the manor of 

 Scarisbrick, two windmills, a hundred messuages, 

 3,000 acres of land, &c. ; these were to go to the 

 above named Henry Scarisbrick, who was to marry 

 Anne daughter of Anthony Parker of Radham in 

 Yorkshire, with remainder to Henry's younger 

 brothers, Anthony, Francis, and Thomas ; and then 

 to Edward, son of James Scarisbrick of Downholland. 10 



The new lord of Scarisbrick was only fifteen years 

 of age on succeeding." The wife chosen for him was 

 a daughter of Anne, sister of Edward Scarisbrick, so 

 that the two lines were re-united by the marriage." 

 He did not long enjoy possession, dying on 1 7 Octo- 

 ber, 1608; he was buried in 'his own chapel' at 

 Ormskirk. His son and heir Edward, the only child of 

 the marriage, was not born until the following March. 11 



Edward Scarisbrick, shortly after coming of age, 

 married Frances daughter of Roger Bradshagh of the 

 Haigh, by whom he had nine children. He had been 

 brought up in the Roman Catholic religion, but appears 

 to have avoided conviction as a recusant; his wife's name 

 is in the list of 1641. He was at ' the great gathering 

 of Catholics at Holywell' in 1629," and, adhering to 

 the royal side in the Civil War, shared the misfortunes 

 of the defeated. In 1645 and 1649 his name occurs 

 among those ' delinquents and Papists in arms ' who 

 had to supply Liverpool with timber and l 0,000 as 

 compensation for its losses during the sieges ; and his 

 estates were sequestrated. 15 He died in 1652, and 

 was buried in St. Andrew's, Holborn. 16 



