A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



can be traced for over a century, when, owing prob- 

 ably to the failure of the Culcheth line, the hall 

 ceased to have a chapel, Rixton and Croft sufficing. 



A schoolhouse on the common was built before 

 1720." 



The Salford Guardians' Cottage Homes for children 

 are built in Culcheth. 



HOUGHTON, MTDDLETON, AND 

 ARBURY 



Hoghton, 1420; Houghton, 1608. Midelton, 

 1212. Herbury, 1242 ; Erthbury, 1246; Erbury, 

 1420 ; Arbury, xvi cent. 



This township has resulted from the combination 

 of Middleton and Houghton, originally united, with 

 Arbury. This last is a narrow strip of land along 

 the eastern boundary of Winwick ; the rest of the 

 area is divided unequally between Middleton on the 

 north, and Houghton on the south, there being no 

 defined boundary between them. The total area 

 is 853^ acres, made up thus : Houghton, 336 ; 

 Middleton 244^ ; Arbury, 2J&. 1 It is situated on 

 gently sloping ground, rising from south to north to 

 about I oo ft. above sea level. The country is open, 

 portioned out into fields of light sandy loam, with 

 clay in places, producing good potatoes, wheat, oats, 

 clover, and turnips. The land is divided by low 

 hawthorn hedges, and contains a little timber, seldom 



extending beyond small clumps. The geological 

 formation consists of the Bunter series of the New 

 Red Sandstone, the Pebble Beds in the northern part, 

 the Upper Mottled Sandstone in the southern. Some 

 of the roads are little better than cart-tracks, and 

 badly metalled. Houghton Green is the only vil- 

 lage ; Middleton has a hall of that name, and Arbury 

 is only a farm-house. In 1901 the population was 

 414. 



A road from Winwick Church leads through Arbury 

 to Croft and Culcheth ; it is joined by another from 

 the south, coming from Warrington and Fearnhead 

 through Houghton and Middleton. 



In the north of Middleton there is a tumulus, near 

 the Arbury boundary. 2 A spa well is also used. 



Blackbrook divides Houghton from Fearnhead. 



In 1852 a number of Civil War notices were 

 found concealed in a cavity in an old farm-house at 

 Houghton Green. 3 



The manor of MIDDLETON, from 

 MANORS which HOUGHTON became separate in 

 later times, was included in the fee of 

 Makerfield. 4 It was assessed as a plough-land and a 

 half, and in 1212 was held in thegnage by a total rent 

 of 2Oj. in four equal shares, each of which appears to 

 have been responsible in turn for providing a judge at 

 the court of Newton. 5 The manor, thus early divided, 

 was further partitioned later, and as the shares are not 

 usually recorded in the deeds, nor the services due to 

 the chief lord, it is impossible to trace the separate 

 parts. 6 The greater part was early acquired by the 



140 Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 270. 



1 The census report of 1901 gives 855. 



8 This appears to be the Highfield 

 tumulus described by Dr. Robson in 

 Trans. Hist. Soc. xii, 189. 



8 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 18. The occu- 

 pier of the house about 1640 was Thomas 

 Serjeant, then constable of the township. 



4 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 366 n. The manors of 

 Middleton and Houghton, held in socage, 

 and Arbury, held by knight's service, con- 

 tinued to be recognized as parts of New- 

 ton fee ; see Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Cliet. Soc.), 

 ii, 99. 



Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 77. The four tenants 

 were Robert de Middleton, Henry son of 

 Siward, William de Middleton (who is 

 not stated to be responsible for a judge), 

 and Richard son of Henry. Under the 

 first of these John de Middleton held one 

 oxgang and discharged the service due to 

 that quarter, i.e. a rent of 5*. and the 

 fourth part of a judge. There were thus 

 already five tenants. 



6 In a suit of 1334 John son of Geof- 

 frey Henne, John son of John son of 

 Robert de Middleton, Gilbert de South- 

 worth, and Quenilda and Agnes daughters 

 of Thomas Wrych, were stated to be lords 

 of the vill ; Coram Rege R. 297, m. 20. 

 This throws some light on the following 

 charters : 



Elias son of Robert de Ainsworth 

 granted to Gilbert de Southworth and his 

 heirs his lordship of a whole fourth part 

 of the vill of Middleton, in return for a 

 mark of silver ; Towneley MS. HH, no. 

 1713. It is curious that Ainsworth is a 

 hamlet of Middleton, near Manchester } 

 Robert de Ainsworth may have been the 

 Robert de Middleton of 1212. 



Adam son of Richard de Middleton 

 granted to Adam son of Richard son 

 of Quenilda de Middleton land in 



Houghtongreves, being his part of two 

 and a half oxgangs, lying between the land 

 of Andrew son of Richard and that of 

 Robert son of John ; Rodley Carr is 

 named among the bounds ; the rent was 

 a pair of gloves ; ibid. no. 1829. Hugh 

 de Haydock and William his son were 

 among the witnesses. 



Robert son of Molle or Maud de Mid- 

 dleton gave to Gilbert de Southworth an 

 oxgang of land in the vill of Middleton and 

 Houghton, previously let to Benet de 

 Hulme and Henry le Waleys, the oxgang 

 being the twelfth part of the vill. Rents 

 of a barbed arrow to the grantor and 2O</. 

 the due proportion to the lord of 

 Makerfield were payable ; ibid. no. 1822. 

 The same Robert granted to Peter de 

 Middleton, chaplain, land in the Stall of 

 Houghton; ibid.no. 1817. This place- 

 name occurs long afterwards in 1436, 

 when John Houghton granted to Simon 

 Pierpomt the Stall in Houghton ad- 

 joining the Peel; ibid.no. 1801. John 

 the son of Robert son of Molle granted 

 land in Blackwell Shaw to Gilbert de 

 Southworth ; one of the boundaries was 

 Egatishurst Brook; ibid. no.iSiS. Black- 

 well Hey is named in a grant by William 

 son of Richard de Middleton in 1296 to 

 his chief lord, Gilbert de Southworth ; 

 no. 1816. 



In 1292 William Post of Houghton 

 complained that he had been disseised of 

 an acre from the waste assigned to him 

 as belonging to an oxgang in Middleton 

 and Houghton ; the defendants, who lost 

 the case, included Andrew de Middleton 

 and Ralph the Serjeant of Newton ; 

 Assize R. 408, m. 5. William Post, 

 described as son of William de Fairdale, 

 afterwards granted his landa in the vill to 

 Gilbert de Southworth ; Towneley MS. 

 HH, no. 1941. William son of William 

 Post in 1310 released to Gilbert son of 



166 



Gilbert de Southworth his claim on land 

 approved by the latter in Cumberhale 

 Carr ; ibid. no. 1928. Richard son of 

 William Post granted land in Houghton 

 to his brother Robert in 134.5 ; ibid. no. 

 1630. Emmota daughter of William 

 Post in 1370 granted to Gilbert son of 

 John de Houghton lands which descended 

 to her on the death of Gilbert son of 

 Richard Post ; ibid. no. 1585. 



John son of John de Bultham granted 

 to John son of William de Middleton, his 

 uncle and chief lord, half an oxgang in 

 Middleton, which William son of Richard 

 de Middleton granted to Alice his daugh- 

 ter; ibid.no. 1828. The witnesses include 

 John son of Richard de Middleton, William 

 son of Richard de Middleton, Andrew de 

 Middleton, and Peter, vicar of Budworth. 



Richard son of Henry de Middleton 

 granted to Richard son of Austin de Mid- 

 dleton half an oxgang in the vill which his 

 mother Margery had held in dower, to be 

 held as the twenty-fourth part of Middle- 

 ton, by the service of a pair of gloves or 

 \d. ; ibid. no. 1841. He reserved two 

 messuages and the croft in Houghton. 



In 1307 William Gillibrand and Mar- 

 gery his wife recovered against Gilbert de 

 Southworth 12 acres of land and \ an 

 acre of meadow; and as this was owing to 

 th default of Andrew de Middleton, 

 when called to warrant, Roger the son of 

 Andrew granted to Gilbert de Southworth 

 half an oxgang in Middleton and Hough- 

 ton as compensation ; Hultley Hurst in 

 Middleton is named in the charter ; ibid, 

 no. 1819. 



Roger de Ashton and Alice his wife in 

 1318 claimed an eighth part of the manor 

 of Middleton, less an oxgang, from Andrew 

 de Middleton, who granted it to them, 

 receiving 20 marks ; Final Cone. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 31. 



In the same year Thomas ion of 



