A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



her daughter and heir Loretta by marriage with John 

 del Booth, about 1 292, carried it into a family which, 

 as Booth of Barton, retained it for 300 years. 



John de Barton, the son of Gilbert, retained lands 

 in the township which his descendants enjoyed for 

 some generations ; occasionally they laid a claim to 

 the manor." 



By 1282 the manor was in the hands of the 

 lord of Manchester, and it was surveyed with the 

 estates of Robert Grelley, who died in that year.* 8 In 

 13202 Barton proper seems to have reckoned as 

 half a knight's fee, or eight oxgangs of land. 34 



Of the Booth family only a brief sketch can be 

 given. Loretta, the heiress of Barton, was perhaps still 



unmarried in June 1292 ;** 

 but about this time, if not ear- 

 lier, John del Booth or Booths 

 married her." He was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Robert ; 31 

 in or before 1343 Robert was 

 followed by his son Thomas del 

 Booth, 38 who died, apparently 

 by violence, 89 in 1368, having 

 directed his body to be buried 

 before the altar of St. Kathe- 

 rine in Eccles Church. 40 His 

 eldest son John succeeded, and 



BOOTH of Barton. 

 Urgent three boars' heads 

 erect and erased table 

 langued gules. 



lived until September 1422 ; he had a numerous 



next year demanded two-thirds, or two- 

 thirds of a moiety, against Robert Grelley ; 

 De Banco R. 7, m. 21 ; 13, m. 3 ; 17, 

 m. zjd. Cecily, the widow of Gilbert de 

 Barton, had the other third ; ibid. R. 33, 

 m. 48 ; see De Trafford D. no. 1 99, 200. 



Agnes may have married, secondly, 

 Alexander le Mey of Bromyhurst ; Alex- 

 ander and his wife Agnes in 1 277 granted 

 to the former's son Alexander a messuage 

 and two parts v of an oxgang of land in 

 Barton, to be held of the heirs of Agnes ; 

 Final Cone, i, 152. If so, she was living, 

 a widow, in 1292 ; Assize R. 408, m. 32, 

 3 d. The Mey family long continued to 

 hold lands in Barton. 



M John de Barton was engaged in 

 various suits regarding the manor in 1278 

 and 1279; De Banco R. 27, m. 39 d, 

 43 d. ; 30, m. 48. 



Thomas del Booth and Gilbert de Bar- 

 ton, with his sons Hugh, Edmund, and 

 John, were implicated in a seizure of 

 cattle and assault at Barton in 1345 ; 

 De Banco R. 344, m. 21. Gilbert de 

 Barton was a defendant in 1353 ; Assize 

 R. 435, m. 4. In the following year 

 John son of Gilbert son of John de Barton 

 claimed certain lands in Barton which hi* 

 father Gilbert had demised to Robert de 

 Hulme and his heirs ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Assize R. 3, m. 3. In 1361 he claimed 

 two-thirds of the manor of Barton against 

 Roger La Warre, Eleanor his wife, Thomas 

 del Booth, and Ellen his wife ; Assize R. 

 440, m. i. 



In 1360 John de Barton 'and Robert 

 hit son granted Thomas del Booth an acre 

 by the Pool Brook near the Pool Bridge, 

 to strengthen Thomas's mill race and 

 enlarge the mill pool ; De Trafford D. 

 no. 224. In 1363 John de Barton, in 

 conjunction with Denise his wife and 

 Robert his son, enfeoffed Thomas del 

 Booth and Ellen his wife of all their 

 lands in Barton, between Eccles and 

 Irlam and between Newham and Davy- 

 hulme, for an annuity of 201. ; ibid. no. 

 225. Releases were afterwards given by 

 Alice and Margaret sisters of Robert de 

 Barton, and by Edmund, a son of Gilbert 

 de Barton ; ibid. no. 227, 228. 



In 1388 Maud, widow of Robertson 

 of John de Barton, released to John del 

 Booth her rights, including her dower in 

 Boysnope, for a rent of 301. ; ibid. no. 

 232, 233. In 1404 Thomas de Barton 

 allowed John del Booth and his heirs to 

 bear his arms three boars' heads sable ; 

 Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. i6oi. ; Ormerod, 

 Chet. (ed. Helsby) i, 524 ; while in 1423 

 Thomas son of Gilbert de Barton, perhaps 

 the same person, gave a release to Thomas 

 del Booth of all his right in the manor of 

 Barton, and in all messuages, lands and 

 tenements, rents and services in the vill ; 



De Trafford D. no. 239. With re- 

 gard to the permission to use the Barton 

 arms, it may be noted that variations of 

 the coat had already been assumed by the 

 Booths ; Visit. 1533 (Chet. Soc.) 79 ; also 

 De Trafford D. no. 256. 



88 Lanci. Inq. and Extents, i, 246. There 

 were 40 acres in the demesne, bringing in 

 261. 8</. a year ; a garden and plat of 

 meadow were in the lord's hands ; the 

 fishery yielded i Sd. and the herbage and 

 pannage 91. ; perquisites of the halmote 

 were valued at 5*. ; lands let brought in 

 381. 8d. ; and the rents of the free ten- 

 ants 171. n^d. ; the mill was worth 45*. 

 a year, but one-third was held as dower 

 by the widow of Sir Gilbert de Barton. 



84 Mamecestre, ii, 362, 379. The mill 

 of Barton, situated by the Irwell, was 

 worth 401. in 1322; the tenants of the 

 lord ground thereat to the sixteenth mea- 

 sure. A several fishery between Barton 

 ford and Frith ford was worth %d. ; 

 four fens had been partially inclosed for 

 building upon, and with some arable land 

 let at 121. ; ibid. 371, 372, 364. The 

 lord's tenants of Irlam and seven other 

 hamlets held eight oxgangs of land, and 

 paid i6d. sake fee, 51. for castle ward, and 

 provided puture for the Serjeants ; ibid. 

 289. 



84 Loretta, as daughter of Agnes daugh- 

 ter of Sir Gilbert de Barton, released her 

 lands in Barton to her trustee, Ralph de 

 Monton, chaplain ; De Trafford D. no. 

 210. No direct proof of the marriage 

 with John del Booth has been met with, 

 but it may be assumed from the descent of 

 the lands ; Loretta is not heard of again. 



86 Averia, wife of Adam son of Simon 

 de Barton, in 1284 demanded against John 

 de Barton a messuage in Barton, and 

 against John del Booths an oxgang of land 

 in the same vill ; De Banco R. 52, m. 24. 

 In 1292 Amery, daughter of Gilbert de 

 Barton claimed land in Barton against 

 John del Booths, but was non-suited on 

 failing to appear ; Assize R. 408, m. 16. 

 Ten years later John de Booths did not 

 prosecute a claim against Cecily widow of 

 Gilbert de Barton ; Assize R. 418, m. 8. 



The plural form, Booths, which occa- 

 sionally appears, leads to the supposition 

 that the place from which this family 

 derived its name was Booths in Worsley. 

 If so, the founder of it may be identified 

 with a John de Booths, who as late as 

 1303 was claimed by Henry de Worsley as 

 his native and fugitive, but who produced 

 Henry's charter, releasing to him all 

 action of nativity, so that he with his 

 sequel and chattels should remain free and 

 of free condition for ever ; De Banco R. 

 145, m. i d. 



8 7 By fine in 1307 a settlement of lands 

 in Barton was made, Robert ion of John 



3 66 



del Booths being plaintiff, and John del 

 Booth of Barton deforciant ; Mr. Ear- 

 waker's note. Robert de Booth attested 

 charters in 1317 and 1325 ; De Trafford 

 D. no. 265, 264. Agnes widow of 

 Robert del Booth is named at Easter, 

 1354; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 3, 

 m. 2. 



88 John son of Gilbert dc Barton in 

 1343 granted to Thomas del Booth and 

 his tenants at Bickford common of pasture 

 on Pool Moss in Barton, viz., between 

 Pool Brook and Sandyford under Harley 

 Cliff in Boysnope, and between the fences 

 of Poolfields and the bounds of Worsley 

 upon Chat Moss ; Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. 

 i$8. Thomas del Booth had claimed 

 common of pasture as the right of his 

 father Robert, dispossessed by Gilbert de 

 Barton, John his son and Denise his wife, 

 and Robert son of John ; De Banco R. 

 334, m. 179 d. 



In 1345 John La Warre, lord of Man- 

 chester, and Joan his wife granted to 

 Thomas son of Robert del Booth 30 acres 

 of the waste in Barton at a rent of ICM., 

 with remainder to John son of Emma de 

 Bury, brother of the said Thomas ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxlix, fol. 157*. Roger La Warre, 

 lord of Manchester, confirmed to Thomas 

 del Booth all the lands, &c., in Barton 

 which had descended to him from his 

 father, and his other lands more recently 

 acquired ; ibid. fol. 1600. Roger La 

 Warre in 1355, after reciting that John 

 La Warre had granted Thomas del Booth 

 30 acres in Barton at a rent of 291. 4^., 

 and 30 acres of the waste at a rent of 

 ioj. ; and that Joan La Warre and Roger 

 had granted to Thomas and Ellen his wife 

 and their heirs lo acres for the rent of id. 

 during the life of Thomas and 51. after- 

 wards, reduced the total rent to zd. a year 

 for the life of Thomas and his sons 

 Thurstan and Robert, 441. \d. to be paid 

 afterwards, and granted other lands ; De 

 Trafford D. no. 219. The rent was in 

 1357 reduced to id. after the death of 

 Thomas ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 

 no. 1 5. Roger, a son of Thomas, is named 

 in 1362 ; De Banco R. 418, m. i d. 



89 In 1369 Ellen his widow appeared 

 against John son of Thomas de Hulme, 

 Robert son of Richard de Worsley, and 

 many others, concerning her husband's 

 death; Coram Rege R. 434, m. nd. 

 John de Hulme was pardoned in 1384 for 

 his share in the matter ;CaI. Pat. 1381-5, 



P- 393- 



40 Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc.), 131. 

 His will is printed in Baines, Lanes, (ed. 

 1868), i, 283 ; from Had. MS. 2112, fol. 

 133/169. Licences for his oratories were 

 granted to Thomas del Booth of Barton in 

 1361, 1365, and 1366 ; Lich. Epis. Reg. 

 v, fol. 6, II, 1 5 b. 



