A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Among the miscellaneous deeds preserved by Towne- 

 ley is an agreement made in 1546 concerning Page- 

 field, lying between Winwick and Southworth. 1 ' 



ASHTON 



Eston, 1 2 1 2 ; Ayston, 1 246 ; Ashton, 1254; 

 Assheton, 1292. 



Grateswode, 1367 ; Garteswood, xvi cent. 



This township, called Ashton in Makerfield or 

 Ashton-le- Willows for distinction, has an area of 

 6, 249 J acres. 1 The highest ground, 3 50 ft., lies near 

 the boundary of Billinge ; the lowest, about 90 ft., 

 is at the eastern corner, where Glazebrook forms part 

 of the boundary. San key Brook is the south-west 

 boundary, and two of its tributaries separate Ashton 

 from Billinge and Haydock. Millingford Brook runs 

 through the centre of the township from north-west to 

 south-cast. Ashton village lies on its northern bank ; 

 on the same side are Stubshaw Cross, Heybridge, 

 Brynn, Whitley Green, and Brocksteads. The southern 

 side of the brook contains Garswood, with Seneley 

 Green, Leyland Green, and Downall Green. The 

 population in 1901 was 18,687. 



The place-names Soughers lane, Skitter farm, and 

 Cramberley occur in 1825. 



The surface is sometimes undulating, mostly flat, 

 the soil being clay, sand, and stone. There are occa- 

 sional patches of old moss-land, but the greater part 

 of the country is cultivated, where possible, and good 

 crops of potatoes, turnips, wheat, and oats are pro- 

 duced. In the south there are fine plantations, in- 

 cluding the grounds of Garswood Park, which make 

 a refreshing clump of greenery. But in the northern 

 parts the majority of the trees are reduced to blackened 

 stumps, standing leafless and gaunt, until they fall from 

 sheer decay. As in other mining districts collections 

 of water lie in many places, indicating the subsidence 

 of the ground, as the result of mining. 



A narrow strip of the Permian rocks extends from 

 Abram tp Edge Green, separating the Coal Measures 

 from the New Red Sandstone, and the latter formation 

 covers the former in the immediate vicinity of the 

 town of Ashton. Elsewhere the Coal Measures alone 

 are in evidence. 



The principal road, that from Wigan to Warring- 

 ton, roughly agreeing with the old Roman road, passes 

 north and south through the township and village ; 

 at this point it is crossed by the road from St. Helens 

 to Hindley. The road from Ashton to Billinge is 



crossed at Leyland Green by one from St. Helens to 

 Winstanley. The Lancashire Union line of the 

 London and North Western Railway from St. Helens 

 to Wigan has stations at Garswood and Brynn. The 

 Liverpool, St. Helens, and South Lancashire Railway of 

 the Great Central system touches the southern border. 



Traces of the Roman road have been discovered, 

 and a coin of Trajan was found. 



In 1825 Ashton was a Marge and populous vil- 

 lage,' ' the centre of a brisk manufacturing district 

 where the poor are industrious and their employers 

 prosperous." It had in 1 840 cotton-spinning establish- 

 ments and fustian manufactures, and was noted for 

 hinges and locks. The making of tools, screws, and 

 locks continues ; large collieries are also worked. 



Stubshaw Cross, Ashton Cross, and Four-footed 

 Cross, once marked on the map, have quite disappeared, 1 

 but the first has given a name to a hamlet. 



A lazaretto for those suffering from an epidemic of 

 the sweating sickness in the time of Elizabeth is said 

 to have been built on Ashton Common. 4 



A fair of two days' duration was held on 22 and 

 23 September, principally for toys and amusements. 4 



A local board was established in 1872, but has 

 become an urban district council of fifteen members 

 with five wards under the Local Government Act of 

 1 894. The council owns the water and gas works. 



Before the Conquest 4SHTON was 

 MANORS no doubt one of the fifteen berewicks or 

 dependent manors of the royal manor of 

 Newton. 7 Later it was a member of the fee of 

 Makerfield, which had Newton for its head. 8 At the 

 survey of 1 2 1 2 it was found to be held by Thomas 

 de Burnhull or Brindle, being three plough-lands of 

 the three and a half held by him in thegnage for 3 5/., 

 and providing a judge and a half at the court of 

 Newton. 9 Two plough-lands he had in his own 

 hands, embracing, it would appear, Ashton proper, 

 or Brynn, north of the Millingford Brook ; the third 

 plough-land, probably Garswood, was held of him by 

 Henry de Ashton, ' of ancient feoffrnent,' 10 and under 

 this Henry appears to have been held by Henry son 

 of Roger, * of ancient marriage.' Henry de Ashton 

 had also granted 20 acres to the Hospitallers. 11 



Thomas de Burnhull was followed by a son Peter," 

 who married Avice, the heiress of Windle and other 

 manors. 11 In 1254 he obtained the right to erect a 

 mill in Ashton. 14 The son of Peter and Avice was 

 Peter, who dying about 1295 16 was succeeded by his 

 brother Alan. Alan, who was living in 1315, 16 left 



wick Hall,' and educated at St. Omers and 

 Valladolid, see Pal. Note-book, iii, 103. 



The will of John Goulden of South- 

 worth, dated 1701 and proved 1715, in 

 the Ches. Reg. mentions his wife Kathe- 

 rine, his son Thomas, and his nephew 

 Richard Hitchmough. The testator had 

 property in Southworth, Croft, Poulton, 

 Woolston, Fearnhead, and Moscroft. 



"Towneley MS. GG, no. 1069. 



1 6,251, including 63 of inland water, 

 according to the census of 1901. 



3 Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 717. 



8 Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. xix, 235, 

 236. 



4 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 628; 

 no reference is given. 



Ibid. 639. 



' Land. Gats. 14 June, 1872. 



7 V.CJ1. Lanes, i, 286. 



8 Ibid. 366n. It is regularly entered 

 among the members of Newton fee in the 



inquisitions ; see Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. 

 Soc.), ii, 99. 



9 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 74, 75. 



10 i.e. reaching back to the time of 

 Henry I. 



11 Ibid. The grant to the Hospitallers 

 does not appear again. 



Wballty Coucber (Chet. Soc.), iii, 

 852 ; Thomas de Burnhull and his son 

 Peter attested a charter. Peter de Burn- 

 hull was in possession of Ashton by 1246; 

 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 98. 



18 See the account of Windle ; her 

 manors were Windle, Skelmersdale, and 

 half of Rainhill. 



14 Final Cone, i, 1 1 6. By this Robert 

 Banastre also released to Peter de Burn- 

 hull all right to any suit of mill from 

 Peter and his heirs and the men of his 

 fee in Ashton ; for the grant and quit- 



142 



claim Peter gave 35 marks, and promised 

 to render at Newton 2s. a year for 

 ever. 



15 Thomas Moody, of Ashton, in 1292 

 complained that Gilbert de Clifton 

 (guardian), and Peter son of Peter de 

 Burnhull had disseised him of certain 

 land, but they showed that it had never 

 been arable land in plaintiff's time, only 

 moor and marsh ; Assize R. 408, m. 60 d. 

 Thomas Moody had another charge to 

 make against Gilbert de Clifton that he 

 had been seized at Ashton and taken to 

 the church of Wigan, where he was im- 

 prisoned ; ibid. m. 53 d. 



16 Alan son of Peter de Burnhull was 

 lord of Ashton in 1302 and 1305, as 

 appears by pleas of those years ; Assize 

 R. 418, m. 4 ; 420, m. 3. He was lord 

 of Skelmersdale in 1 300 ; Final Cone, i, 

 189; ii, 143 n. He is also called Alan de 

 Windle. 



