A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



later, left two sons, Sir John " and Sir Richard ; and 

 the former, who took part in the battle of Crecy and 

 the siege of Calais, 36 dying without issue, was followed 

 by his brother in i^Bo. 31 



Sir Richard by his marriage with Joan de Colwick 

 increased the family estates. 38 He died in June 1397, 

 holding the manor of Clayton, and lands in Royton, 

 Butterworth, Woodhouses in Ashton, and others out- 

 side Lancashire ; John, the son and heir, was then 

 only ten years of age, 89 and his wardship was 

 granted to Sir John Ashton. 40 A settlement of lands 

 in Droylsden was in 1415 made on the occasion of 

 the marriage of Sir John Byron's daughter Elizabeth 

 with Thomas son of Sir John Ashton.* 1 Sir John is 

 stated to have married Margery daughter of Sir John 



Booth of Barton, by whom he had three sons and five 

 daughters. 42 He acquired lands in Blackley from 

 Lord La Warre and in Gorton from Sir Robert 

 Booth ; 4I in 143 5 he did homage to Nicholas Thorley, 

 one of the feoffees of Lord La Warre ; 44 and in 1440 

 he made a settlement of his lands in the counties of 

 Lancaster, Lincoln, and Northampton. 45 Two years 

 later he made a grant to John Byron, said to be the 

 son of his younger son Nicholas, who ultimately 

 became heir to the whole of the Byron manors and 

 lands. 46 Sir John was sheriff of the county from 

 1437 to 1449 ; 47 when he was succeeded by his son 

 Nicholas, a grant of the reversion having been ob- 

 tained in I444. 48 



Nicholas Byron remained sheriff till I46o. 49 He 



CLAYTON HALL FROM THE SOUTH-WEST 



86 Sir James appears to have been in 

 possession in 1 348 ; Byron Chartul. no. 

 21/189 ; an< l bis son John in 1354 ; ibid, 

 no. 27/10. 



Robert the Smith of Ashton in 1353 

 demanded a messuage and lands in Man- 

 chester against Elizabeth widow of Sir 

 James de Byron and against John de 

 Byron ; Assize R. 435, m. 8. 



86 Wrottesley, Crecy and Calais (W. Salt 

 Arch. Soc. xviii), 13, 115. Sir John de 

 Byron had licence for divine service in his 

 oratory at Clayton in 1365 ; Lich. Epis. 

 Reg. Stretton, v, fol. n. 



8 ? The writ of Diem Clausit extr. was 

 issued on 1 8 July, 1380; Def>. Keeper' t 

 Rep. xxxii, App. 353. 



Sir John de Byron was plaintiff in 1377 

 respecting lands on the borders of Man- 

 chester and Ashton ; Byron Chartul. 

 no. 1/285. 



88 For Colwick see Byron Chartul. 

 no. 32 (1362); no. 2/300 (1415); no. 

 5/305 (after 1426). Joan the widow 

 of Sir Richard de Byron died in Dec. 

 1426 holding various manors and lands ; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. 5 Hen. VI, no. 41. In 



1415 she complained to the Lord Chan- 

 cellor that her son Sir John Byron had 

 forcibly carried her from Colwick to 

 Lancashire, and made her promise not to 

 alienate her lands ; Early Chan. Proc. 

 bdle. 6, no. 294. 



89 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 65. 



40 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 528. 



41 Byron Chartul. no. 1/23 ; no. 8/24. 

 The feoffment included all Sir John Ash- 

 ton's lands in Droylsden except the 

 Pighill by Lumlache. 



48 The remains of what is believed to be 

 his memorial brass in Manchester Cathe- 

 dral are described by the Rev. E. F. Letts, 

 in Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. i, 87. 



The Bishop of Lichneld in 1420 granted 

 Sir John Byron and Margery his wife 

 licence for their oratories at Clayton and 

 Begerworth ; Lich. Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 3*. 



Sir John was knight of the shire in 

 1421 and 1429 ; Pink and Beaven, Parl. 

 Repre. of Lanes. 51, 53. 



In 1424 there was an arbitration as to 

 the boundary between Droylsden and 

 Ashton ; the limits fixed were from 

 Lumlache Head, by the most towards 



284 



Audenshaw, by the ditch to Hardhill next 

 Oselache in Droylsden, eastward by the 

 end of Overmost Ditch in Sinderland, 

 across the Little Moss north to the far 

 edge and by the bound of this moss to the 

 starting point ; Byrcn Chartul. no. 1/286; 

 no. 2/287 5 no - 3/288. 



In 1429 there was a settlement of the 

 disputes respecting the moorlands in Ash- 

 ton and Droylsden between Thomas son 

 and heir of Sir John Ashton and Sir John 

 Byron; ibid. no. 9/289; no. 11/291, 13. 



In 1439 and 1441 settlements were 

 made by Sir John Byron and Margery his 

 wife of the manor of Clayton, and lands 

 in Clayton, Manchester, Ashton, With- 

 ington, Heaton, Oldham, Crompton, But- 

 terworth, Spotland, Edgeworth, and Tur- 

 ton ; Final Cone, ill, 104, 106. 



48 See the accounts of the townships. 



44 Byron Chartul. no. 40/332. 



45 Ibid. no. 39/331. 



48 Recited in the later John Byron's 

 Inq. p.m. (1498). 

 4 ? P.R.O. List, 72. 

 48 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 538. 

 P.R.O. List, 72. 



