SALFORD HUNDRED 



DEANE 



appears to have been held under them by the Hulton 

 family, passing with the manor of Blackburn to the 

 Radcliffes in 1335." The Radcliffes of Smithills 

 occur during the I5th century, having made the 

 place their chief manor.* Sir Ralph Radcliffe, the 

 third of the same name in succession, dying about 

 1460," the estates went to the heir male, Ralph son 

 of Sir Ralph's brother Edmund ; and he leaving a 

 daughter and heir Cecily, they passed to her husband 

 John Barton of Holme, near Newark,* 3 and they and 

 their descendants retained possession until the i8th 

 century. 



John Barton, having made a settlement of his 

 manors and lands in 1514, and seen his son Andrew 

 married to Anne or Agnes daughter of Sir William 

 Stanley of Hooton, renounced the world, and in July 

 1516 entered the monastery of the Observant Friars 

 at Richmond in Surrey, and was there professed." 

 Andrew Barton added a moiety of the manor of 

 Oswaldtwisle 24 to the family possessions, recorded a 

 pedigree at the visitation of I533,* 4a and died in 

 1549, l eavm g a son an d heir Robert, then twenty- 

 four years of age.* 6 Robert Barton, who succeeded, 

 was the justice to whom George Marsh surrendered 



19 This seems the most probable account 

 of the matter, as Smithills and Blackburn 

 afterwards descended together, but there 

 are no charters concerning Smithills avail- 

 able, and it may, of course, have been held 

 by the Radcliffes under the Hospitallers. 



20 Some family deeds, relating chiefly 

 to the manor of Oswaldtwisle, are pre- 

 served in Towneley MS. OO, no. 

 1645-76. See also Abram, Blackburn, 

 251-5. 



21 The first Sir Ralph was knight of the 

 shire in 1397 and 1404 ; Pink and Beaven, 

 Parl.Rcpre. of Lanes. 44, 46. The writ of 

 Diem daunt extr. af er his death was issued 

 12 May 1406 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, 

 App. 5. Ralph his son had livery soon 

 afterwards; Abram, op. cit. 251. He 

 was knighted by the Duke of Bedford 

 at Leicester in 1426 ; Metcalfe, Bk. of 

 Knights, I. 



Sir Ralph Radcliffe II was a knight of 

 the shire in 1413, 1423, and 1427 ; Pink 

 and Beaven, op. cit. 49, 52, 53. In 1424 

 Ralph son of Sir Ralph Radcliffe made 

 a feoffment of lands in Salford, &c., in 

 which his brother George, rector of Hough- 

 ton, is named ; Towneley MS. OO, 

 no. 1656. This was in connexion with 

 the proposed marriage of his son Ralph 

 with Ellen daughter of John Massey of 

 Tatton, as appears by the above-cited in- 

 quisition, in which is also given a settle- 

 ment of 1431 in favour of Cecily, Sir 

 Ralph's second wife. There are named 

 her son Edmund Radcliffe, and daughters 

 Emma and Douce. Sir Ralph's brother 

 Nicholas is named among the remainders. 

 He died in Jan. 1432-3, but Smithills is 

 not named in the inquisition after his 

 death, though Ralph, his son and heir, 

 then twenty-nine years of age, is described 

 as 'of Smithills' ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. 

 Soc.), ii, 34-6. 



In the same year (1433) the feoffees 

 delivered to Ralph son of Sir Ralph Rad- 

 cliffe the manor of Smithills, and lands in 

 Much Hoole, Croston, Leyland, Ulnes 

 Walton, Edgeworth, Bradshaw, Turton, 

 Halliwell, Egburden, Sharpies, Harwood, 

 Bolton, Blackburn, Flixton, Lostock, 

 Tonge, &c. ; Towneley MS. OO, no. 

 1658. The escheator also was ordered to 

 deliver lands to Ralph Radcliffe of Smith- 

 ills, son and heir of Ralph son and heir of 

 Sir Ralph, and Ellen his wife, daughter of 

 John Massey of Tatton ; Dep. Keeper's 

 Rep. xxxiii, App. 34. Two years later 

 Cecily widow of Sir Ralph de Radcliffe 

 was indicted for felony; ibid. 35. In 

 1436 Ralph Radcliffe granted to feoffees 

 various lands, with the reversion of the 

 lands in Heaton and Horwich, which 

 Cecily widow of Sir Ralph had held in 

 dower. This was for the benefit of his 

 wife Janet, and there were a remainder to 

 Edmund his brother and a dowry of 

 So marks for his sister {Catherine. Ed- 



mund was still a minor ; Towneley MS. 

 OO, no. 1657. 



The third Sir Ralph left a daughter and 

 heir Joan and a widow Katherine ; and 

 disputes quickly arose between them and 

 Elizabeth widow of Edmund Radcliffe 

 and Ralph son of Edmund, the heir male ; 

 OO, no. 1645, ^646. The date of the 

 former of these (29 Hen. VI) is uncertain ; 

 perhaps it should be 39, for it quotes deeds 

 of 37 Hen. VI. The writ of Diem clausit 

 txtr. was issued 4 Aug. 1460 ; Dep. Keeper's 

 Rep. xzxvii, App. 177. 



The daughter Joan is said to have mar- 

 ried Ralph Barton of Holme. 



82 Ralph Radcliffe died in Oct. 1485, 

 his daughter Cecily being then twelve 

 years of age ; she was immediately mar- 

 ried to John Barton. At the inquisition 

 taken in 1506 it was found that Ralph 

 Radcliffe had held the manor of Tingreave 

 and various lands, but of whom the lands 

 in Smithills, Heaton, and Halliwell were 

 held the jury did not know. In 1475, as 

 Ralph son and heir of Edmund Radcliffe, 

 he had granted the manor of Smithills and 

 all his lands in Lancashire to feoffees, 

 and by his will directed them to make an 

 estate to Agnes his wife of specified lands 

 in Flixton and Lostock ; to others he 

 granted the mill of Smithills, the park, and 

 a close called Croftliff, with lands else- 

 where. Provision was made for Ellen, 

 Ralph's sister ; also for Elizabeth daughter 

 of Sir Ralph Radcliffe ; and 7 marks a 

 year was to be paid ' to an honest priest 

 to celebrate divine service in the church 

 of Bolton.' Denis Haworth was the priest 

 chosen, and he prayed for twenty years in 

 Bolton Church for the said Ralph and his 

 ancestors. 



As heir male of the Radcliffes Nicholas 

 Radcliffe of Worsley in 1498-9 sought to 

 regain the manors of Smithills and Tin- 

 greave against John Barton and Cecily his 

 wife. He was son and heir of Ralph son 

 and heir of the Nicholas Radcliffe named in 

 the inquisition of his brother Sir Ralph in 

 1433 ; and claimed under a settlement by 

 which Oliver and Nicholas, the brothers 

 of Sir Ralph, should have succeeded in 

 tail male ; Pal. of Lane. Writs Prot. 

 14 Hen. VII ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), 

 ii, 34. 



A change of feoffees was made in 

 1503, the manor of Smithills being then 

 held for the use of John Barton and 

 Cecily his wife ; Towneley MS. OO, no. 

 1647. In 1504 there was a recovery of 

 the manor, John Barton and Cecily being 

 tenants ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 

 no. 12, 97. 



John Barton was son of the above- 

 named Ralph Barton and Joan ; see Visit. 

 of 1533 (Chet. Soc.), 198, where is an 

 account of the origin of the family, from 

 Thoroton, Nottt. (ed. Throsby), iii, 157. 



23 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 82. 



The manor of Smithills and lands there 

 and in the neighbourhood were stated 

 to be held of Thomas West, Lord La 

 Warre, but the services were unknown. 

 Andrew Barton, the heir, was aged eigh- 

 teen. The father's will is very lengthy ; 

 it provides that Smithills shall be given 

 to his son Andrew on attaining his ma- 

 jority, with remainders to his younger 

 sons Alexander, Leonard, and Francis ; 

 then to the heirs of Sir Ralph Radcliffe 

 his grandfather. His brother, Stephen 

 Barton, had an annuity of ^4 to enable 

 him to study at Cambridge or the Inns of 

 Court. James Bolton, priest, was to have 

 7 marks a year, 'provided that he say 

 divine service in the chapel of the manor 

 of Smithills and pray for me, for the soul 

 of Cecily sometime my wife and for the 

 souls of all our ancestors,' and execute 

 other duties assigned to him by the testa- 

 tor. By a later deed he gave 10 to 

 Nicholas Clerk, priest, to study art or 

 divinity at Cambridge or teach grammar 

 at Bolton-le-Moors ; money to the re- 

 pairs of the Friars Preachers' house at 

 Lancaster ; to Bolton and Deane churches 

 money for pixes, altar cloths, &c., 'so 

 that the most high and excellent sacra- 

 ment of the altar may be more reverently 

 ministered there ; ' money to his brothers 

 Stephen and Christopher, his sister Eliza- 

 beth Ardern, and his bastard brother John 

 Barton ; lastly he willed ' that a table of 

 alabaster be bought and given to the 

 chapel of Our Lady in the church of 

 Holme, and that the table now being 

 there be restored to the chapel of Smithills; 

 the said chapel in Holme to be repaired 

 and necessary ornaments to be given to 

 the same.' 



24 In 1 547 a general pardon was granted 

 to Andrew Barton of Deane and of the 

 Inner Temple ; Various Coll. (Hist. MSS. 

 Com.), ii, 2. 



2 ^ Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 197. 



24 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 27 ; 

 he had held the manor of Smithills and 

 lands there of the king, as of the late 

 Prior of St. John of Jerusalem, in socage 

 by a rent of izd. He was a commissioner 

 for levying the subsidy of 1541 ; Misc. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 141. His 

 will with an inventory is printed in Pic- 

 cope's Wills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 98-103. 

 He desired to be buried in Bolton Church; 

 left 5 a year for the free school at Win- 

 wick, 12 marks to his chaplain, John 

 Pincock, and 10 a year for some years 

 to Ralph Barton (a younger son) ' towards 

 his exhibition and learning.' Certain 

 plate was given to his son Robert as an 

 heirloom, and ' all the chapel gear except 

 one suit of vestments, the best but one.' 



Various deeds of Andrew Barton's, 1538 

 to 1548, relating to Blackburn, are pre- 

 served in Towneley MS. OO, no. 1648, 

 1652, 1674-8. 



