A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Mossock of Heatonhead in Cunscough. 1 A partition 

 of the estate was made in 1661, when the coheirs 

 each took a fourth part of the manor-house with cer- 

 tain tenements, and a fourth part of the tithes of corn 

 and grain arising out of certain lands in the town- 

 ship.' In 1 68 1 Anne Mossock, having survived her 

 husband and having no issue, conveyed her share of 

 the tithes of the parish to Sir William Gerard of 

 Brynn, bart., Thomas Eccleston of Eccleston, and 

 Thomas Culcheth of Culcheth, esqs. 3 She died in 

 1 699 after devising the remainder of her estate to her 

 nephew and heir-at-law, Richard Shuttleworth of 

 Westleigh, esq., 4 who ultimately inherited the whole 

 estate, with the advowson of the vicarage of Leigh 

 and the ancient rectory or Kirk Hall estate. He was 

 a recusant and as an adherent of the Pretender took 

 part in the rebellion of 1715, for which his estates 

 were forfeited, except the portion which Anne 

 Mossock succeeded in retaining, as described in the 

 account of Leigh. 



Three of the shares held by Richard Urmston's 

 devisees were acquired some years after 1715 by one 

 of the Hiltons of Pennington, 6 and were subsequently 

 sold by Samuel Cheetham Hilton to the predecessor 

 of John Hodson Kearsley, M.P. for Wigan (1831-2 

 and 1835-7), whose executors conveyed his estates in 

 or about 1848 to John Hall of Walmesley, near Bury. 

 In August, 1900, they were formed into a joint-stock 

 company, under the title of the Westleigh Estates 

 Company, the representatives of John Hall, esq., own- 

 ing one moiety, and Mrs. Bubb of Ullenwood, Chel- 

 tenham, the only child of the late William Hall of 

 the ' Seven Springs,' Cheltenham, esq., brother of 

 John Hall, the other moiety. 6 



The Higher Hall was rebuilt on a new site by 

 Mr. Kearsley. After being occupied as a ladies' 

 school, it became the residence of Mr. James Diggle, 

 but has recently been demolished owing to subsidence 

 caused by coal workings. 7 



The remaining fourth part of the manor was 

 acquired by the Athertons. In 1762 Robert Gwil- 

 lym, gent., and Elizabeth his wife suffered a common 

 recovery of the manor of Pennington, the advowson 

 of the vicarage of the church of Leigh, and a fourth 

 part of the manor of Westleigh, in favour of their son 

 Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym, 8 from whom these 

 estates have descended to John Powys, fifth baron 

 Lilford, as described in the account of Atherton. 



A court-leet of the manors of Westleigh and Pen- 

 nington was formerly held yearly on the second 

 Monday in November, but no court has been held 

 for many years. 9 



OLD HJLL.The origin of the tenure by the 

 Bradshagh family of a fourth part of the manor oi 

 Westleigh has not been ascertained. Roger de Brad- 

 shagh 10 gave lands here to his son John, about the 

 year 1250, a date suggested by the witnesses' names, 

 one of whom was Adam de Westleigh." Besides John, 

 afterwards of Westleigh, Roger had issue, William, 

 who married Mabel la Norrise, and had with her the 

 manors of Haigh and Blackrod, 12 and Adam, perhaps 

 ancestor of the Bradshaghs of Aspull. 13 John de 

 Bradshagh had issue two sons, Richard 14 and William. 

 Richard had Westleigh by inheritance from his father 

 and Blackrod under a settlement made in 1337 by 

 Mabel de Bradshagh ; William had Haigh under a 

 similar settlement. 15 Richard had issue Roger, who is 

 named with his wife in the settlement of I337- 1 * 

 Hugh their son married Margaret daughter and heir 

 of John de Verdon of Brixworth, county Northants, 

 who immediately after her husband's death in 

 August, 1383," married John son and heir of Roger 

 de Pilkington. 18 In 1385 William son and heir 

 of Hugh and Margaret, being under age, was com- 

 mitted to the care of Henry de Bradshagh, who 

 was to pay 80 within eight years for ward- 

 ship of the heir's lands in Westleigh and Black- 

 rod. 19 At the death of Sir William Bradshagh, chr., 

 in 1415, he and Joan his wife were seised of this 

 manor, and held it of the king in chief as of his 

 duchy of Lancaster by knight's service and 6d. per 

 annum. It was worth 20 beyond reprises. Eliza- 

 beth wife of Richard Harrington son of James 

 Harrington, knt., was his daughter and heir, then 

 aged thirteen years. 80 William Harrington, knt., 

 their son, had a dispensation in 1442 to marry 

 Elizabeth daughter of Edmund Pilkington, esq., 

 being within the degrees of consanguinity." He 

 died in 1488, James Harrington, knt., his son and 

 heir being then forty years of age." 



Sir James Harrington made his will in 1493 and 

 died in 1497, leaving ten daughters his coheirs." In 

 the partition of his estates made in 1517 the manor 

 of Westleigh fell to the share of Anne, one of his 

 daughters and coheirs, wife of Sir Richard Stanley " 

 of Hooton, county Chester, knt., Alice wife of 



