A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Henry de Eltonhead in 1332 contributed to the 

 subsidy. 1 In 1337 Alan, son of Henry, put in a 

 claim to the manors of Haigh and Blackrod.* The 

 next of this, the senior branch, to appear is John de 

 Eltonhead, grandson of Henry, who was in posses- 

 sion for about fifty years. One of his earliest acts 

 was the recovery of the share of the manor held by 

 Henry, son of Alan de Eltonhead, by which he 

 became sole lord of the manor. 3 From this time for 

 more than a quarter of a century there are only 

 fragmentary notices of the family. 4 From 1500 

 onwards, however, a fairly complete account can be 

 compiled from the inquisitions post mortem 4 and the 

 pedigrees recorded at the visitations. 6 



The family would appear to have conformed, after 

 a brief resistance, 7 to the religious changes of Queen 

 Elizabeth, but Richard Eltonhead the elder took arms 

 for the king in the Civil War, and had to compound 

 for his estates. 8 In 1676 Richard Eltonhead and 



Richard his son conveyed to Thomas Roughley the 

 hall of Eltonhead and the lands belonging to it ; 9 

 and the sale was completed in 1684.' From Thomas 

 it passed to his sons Henry and Percival, and then to 

 their creditors, being purchased in 1712 by Isaac 

 Greene," from whom it has descended, through the 

 Gascoynes, to the Marquess of Salisbury, the present 

 possessor. 1 * 



Early in the thirteenth century, WOODFALL in 

 Burtonhead was granted to the canons of Cockersand 

 by Siegrith de Button and Richard de Burtonhead ; 

 Emma wife of Simon son of Roger de Rainhill, with 

 the assent of her husband, resigned all her right 

 in it." 



The family called after this estate, of which there 

 are few particulars, began with an Adam son of 

 William Blundell, 14 whose two sons William and 

 Richard had some disputes concerning their in- 

 heritance. 15 The Woodfalls continued here until the 



lExcb. Lay. Subs. 16. Henry and 

 Robert de Eltonhead are named among 

 the lords of Sutton in 1302, and Henry 

 and Alan in 1313; Assize R. 418, m. 

 1 5 ; 424, m. 7. Six years later Henry 

 was claiming lands in Sutton from Alan, 

 and a year later was demanding the 

 guardianship of Alan's son and heir from 

 Ellen the widow and others, alleging that 

 Alan had held of him by knight's service ; 

 De Bane. R. 233, m. 20 d. ; 236, m. 204. 

 Henry, the son and heir of Alan, was a 

 minor in 1321 ; De Bane. R. 238, m. 

 139. Robert de Langley and Cecily his 

 wife called upon Henry son of Adam 

 ( ? Alan) son of Robert de Eltonhead in 



above-named Nicholas, died in Oct. 1526. 

 The capital messuage called Eltonhead, 

 with windmills, lands, &c., was held of 

 the earl of Derby by knight's service and 



grandson Richard, son of John's son John, 

 aged 24 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, 



his eldest son, Henry, who in Jan. 1695, 

 conveyed it to Philip Foley and others 

 appointed by the Land Bank, and four 

 years later granted his equity of redemp- 

 tion to his brother Percival Roughley. 



1705 Eltonhead was the subject 



Thomas Eltonhead, the estate is called > 

 manor ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes 

 and Che,.), i, 277. 



with Elizabeth, daughter of Johannah 

 Warner, but the creditors appear to have 

 taken possession in 1710, Isaac Greene 



p. 115; of 1664, p. 103 (Chet. Soc.). 

 From these it appears that the Richard 

 Eltonhead in possession in 1530 left sev- 

 children, including Richard, the heir, 



in consideration of certain payments to 

 Thomas, Henry, and Richard Roughley, 

 Susannah and Joshua Palmer, and other 

 creditors, made by Isaac Greene, he 



360 



