WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



The families of Harflynch ' and Eccles * also appear 

 in the sixteenth century ; and others of the neigh- 

 bourhood, like the Byroms, Parrs, and Woodfalls, 

 were also owners of land. 



The Gerards appear to have made a park, and 

 this portion, W1NDLESHAW, is sometimes described 

 as a manor. 3 



Manor courts are still held for Windle. 4 



Adam Martindale, a puritan divine, born near 

 Mossbank in 1623, has recorded some interesting 

 details as to the neighbourhood. 5 



In the time of the Commonwealth the estate of 

 William Mainwaring in Windleshaw was sequestrated 

 for his delinquency and recusancy, and two thirds of 

 the estate of Janet Ball, widow, were under seques- 

 tration for recusancy. 6 



PRESCOT 



In 1717 the following ' Papists ' registered estates 

 here : Henry Tyrer, Thomas Unsworth, Alice Lead- 

 better, and John son of Thomas Fletcher.' The 

 land tax returns for 1785 show that the township 

 was then divided into Moss End, Moss Bank End, 

 and Hardshaw. The principal contributor to the 

 tax was Mr. Bailey, paying about an eighth. 



The early history of HARDSHAW is quite un- 

 known. It was the property of the Hospitallers and 

 ranked as a separate manor. 8 It seems to have been 

 held of them by the Orrells, 9 and from about 

 1330 until the seventeenth century by the Travers 

 family. 10 It was afterwards acquired by Edward 

 and Richard Egerton, holders about 1633, under 

 the earl of Derby." Towards the end of . the 

 eighteenth century it was held by John Penketh 



