A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



His eldest son, Richard, succeeded. He was thrice 

 married. 1 By his second wife, whom he married in 

 1535, he had a son Richard, who succeeded in 1558 ;* 

 and by his third, another son, William, whose descen- 

 dants came into possession in 1612. 



The son Richard held the manors for more than 

 forty years. He was a justice of the peace, and in 

 I 590 made 'show of good conformity ' to the eccle- 

 siastical laws, but was ' not greatly forward in the 

 public actions of religion.' * A few years earlier, 

 according to information furnished by a servant of 

 his, ' neighbours used to come to Bold at such time as 

 other men were at church.' 4 Richard Bold had no 

 children by his wife, 6 but made over all his manors to 

 his illegitimate son, Sir Thomas Bold. 6 The latter 

 died without issue in September, 1612, when Richard 

 Bold, son and heir of the William Bold mentioned 

 above, entered into possession.' 



The new lord married Anne, daughter of Sir Peter 



Legh of Lyme. 8 He was sheriff in 1630,' and died 

 on 19 February, 1635-6, his heir being his second son, 

 Peter, aged only nine years. 10 The heir escaped the 

 most dangerous period of the Civil War, and on 

 attaining his majority accepted the existing order," 

 serving the office of sheriff in 1653-4." He died 

 before the Restoration, leaving an infant son, also 

 named Peter, to succeed. 



The heir was in 1671 entrusted to Adam Martin- 

 dale to be educated, along with her own son, by Lady 

 Assheton of Middleton, his mother's sister. 18 Soon 

 afterwards he was entered at Lincoln's Inn, and sent 

 to Christ Church, Oxford. 14 At an early age he was 

 elected one of the knights of the shire, 15 and in 1690 

 was sheriff. 16 He died in 1691, his son Richard 

 being still a minor. 



Soon after coming of age Richard Bold was elected 

 knight of the shire, 17 but he died young on 21 March, 

 I7O3-4. 18 His heir was an infant son Peter, who went 



406 



