A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



his thirteen children is unknown. He appears to 

 have died in 1671, when administration was granted, 

 and his daughter Margaret, who married Edward 

 Stanley of Moor Hall, is called his heir ; Moor Hall 

 and Gerard's Hall thus passed into the same owner- 

 ship. 



The MICKER1NG was one of the estates sold by 

 the Bradshaghs in the reign of Henry VIII. It was 

 purchased in 1 547 by William Laithwaite ; ' a 

 further small portion was acquired in 1552-* 

 William died in 1565, and his son Robert in 1572, 

 when James Laithwaite succeeded to the Mickering.* 

 He died at the beginning of 1 6 1 o, and in his will 

 describes the difficulties he had had, and the heavy 

 payments necessary, before he obtained the estate. 

 These, he considered, amounted almost to a new 

 purchase ; consequently, he and his brother Henry, 

 having no male issue, resolved to put aside the 

 restriction imposed by their father. James willed 

 that the Mickering should go to his grandchild James 

 Burscough, although aware that William, the son of 

 Robert, was desirous to claim under the old entail. 4 



James Burscough died in 1633, and the estate 

 descended to his second son Maximilian. The elder 

 brother Gilbert had his estate sequestered for 



'delinquency' in 1643, and dying next year 

 Maximilian claimed it, conforming to the existing 

 government, but had to petition again in 1652, a 

 new sequestration being enforced. 6 In 1658 part of 

 it was purchased by John Tatlock of Cunscough from 

 Maximilian, and more in 1682 from his daughters. 

 From John Tatlock (who died in 1712) this and 

 other estates descended to his son Richard ; and on 

 the latter's death in 1737 to his daughters Elizabeth 

 and Ellen. The latter died unmarried ; the former, 

 ultimately sole heir, married in 1743 William John- 

 son, vicar of Whalley. 7 



There was also a Bochard or Butcher family 

 residing in Aughton, the members of which are 

 mentioned from time to time. 8 



One of the free tenants of Aughton about I 300 

 was Adam del Green. He had been a 'native' under 

 the priory of Burscough, and the charter of his 

 manumission has been preserved. By this the prior 

 and convent gave to Adam son of John del Green 

 and all his issue perpetual liberty, so that thence- 

 forward they should be free men of St. Nicholas of 

 Burscough wheresoever they wished to dwell ; for this 

 grant sixpence of silver was to be paid annually to the 

 priory. 9 



WARRINGTON 



WARRINGTON POULTON-WITH-FEARNHEAD 



BURTONWOOD WOOLSTON-WITH-MARTINSCROFT 



RIXTON-WITH-GLAZEBROOK 



The ancient parish of Warrington lies along the 

 northern bank of the Mersey between Sankey Brook 

 and Glazebrook ; the township of Burtonwood, how- 

 ever, lies to the north-west of this area, on the 

 western side of the Sankey. The total area is 

 12,954 acres, and the population numbered 69,339 

 in 1901.* The surface is level and lies low. From 

 Penketh on the west to Glazebrook on the east, 

 the geological formation consists wholly of the new 

 red sandstone or trias, and mainly of the upper 

 mottled sandstone of the hunter series of that for- 

 mation. In Great Sankey and Burtonwood the pebble 

 beds of the same series occur, and in Rixton-with- 



Glazebrook the keuper series, owing to the effect 

 of a .fault running from south-east to north-west 

 through the township. The soil is loamy and fertile, 

 and the neighbourhood has long been famous for 

 potatoes and other vegetables. 10 



For the county lay, fixed in 1624, each of the 

 four townships paid equally, this parish contributing 

 6 5/. when the hundred gave l oo." To the ancient 

 fifteenth Warrington itself paid 2 I is. 8d., Burton- 

 wood l8/. \d., Woolston-with-Poulton i zs. 8/, 

 Rixton 1 zs. \d. t and Glazebrook 8/., making 

 6 p. 8^." 



The history of the parish is largely that of the towr 



accusation of recusancy ; notwithstanding 

 his former conviction, he maintained that 

 though his wife was a recusant ' he had 

 been brought up in the Protestant religion 

 according to the laws of England ; he was 

 conformable to the Church and Common- 

 wealth of England as the same is now 

 [1651] established, to the best of his 

 knowledge.' Even in 1644 he had ' fre- 

 quented the church of Liverpool, joined 

 with the congregation there in prayers, 

 hearing the word and receiving the sacra- 

 ment from the hands of Joseph Thomson, 

 then minister there.' In 1652 he pro- 

 fessed that he dared not return to his 

 own county, on account of his debts, he, 

 his wife, and thirteen children being 

 forced to beg their bread. Soon after- 

 wards he took the oath of abjuration, and 

 it is probable that his lands were then 

 restored to him ; Royalist Comp. P. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 27-33. In 

 some of these he is called 'gent.', and 

 in others ' yeoman.' 



1 Pal. of Lone. Feet of F. bdle. 13, 

 m. 278. 



