SALFORD HUNDRED 



DEANE 



shaped triangular piece of ground bounded on two 

 sides by the road, and on the west by a fence wall, 

 with gateways leading to the entrance-way from a 

 lane at the back of the house. In the outer angle of 

 the wilderness was a brick * arbour,' built presumably 

 in the i8th century, and a small pond. The gardens 

 proper lay along the full length of the west side of 

 the house and outbuildings, with a private walled-in 

 garden directly to the west of the hall. 



The courtyard in front of the house is about 80 ft. 

 by 5 oft. It is partly inclosed on the east and west 

 by the projecting wings of the house, and beyond, by 

 a high stone wall. In the middle of the south side is 

 the gatehouse, a two-story building with a central 

 gateway, and one room on each side. The upper 

 floor consists of one apartment, said to have been a 

 court-house, but now used as a servants' dormitory. 

 The gatehouse is a solidly built structure of stone with 

 mullioned windows, a grey stone-slated roof finishing 

 with a stone gable at each end, and at each corner of 

 the building is a tall brick chimney, square at the 

 bottom and set diagonally above. On the ridge of the 

 roof is a bell-cote, now boarded up, and till lately 

 containing a bell reputed to be of silver. It was 

 made by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1731, 

 and was inscribed, ' Come away make no delay,' but 

 was stolen some years ago at the time when repairs to 

 the house were being made. The two bottom rooms 

 of the gatehouse are entered from the inner court only, 

 and not from the gateway passage. The oak doors 

 hung midway in the gateway passage are double 

 hung, and have a wicket. On their top rail is carved 

 *G R B Peace be within these walles 1637.' The 

 initials are those of George Rigby and Beatrix (Hulton) 

 his wife. On each side of the inner quadrangle 

 leading to the gardens beyond are stone doorways 

 with picturesquely stepped gables of good early 

 Renaissance type, with spiked finials. The gateway 

 on the east side of the court has the date 1631 

 with the arms of Rigby on the lintel, and the 

 initials c R on a panel in the gable above. The door- 

 way of the opposite side has the initials G R B on both 

 sides, and facing the courtyard the date 1634. These 

 little stone gateways flanking the inner courtyard, 

 taken in conjunction with the rather severe mass of 

 the gatehouse and the black-and-white work of the 

 house, are very effective, and seem to put a touch of 

 refinement into the building which it otherwise 

 would lack. The courtyard itself, crossed in each 

 direction by flagged paths between squares of grass, 

 has a formality quke in keeping with the Renaissance 

 spirit of the gateways. 



The outer courtyard is 1 30 ft. long from west to 



east and about 70 ft. wide, its area being thus more 

 than double that of the inner courtyard. It extends 

 up to the road on the east side, having a wide entrance 

 gateway with massive stone piers surmounted with 

 balls, and narrow side gates, facing to the road. 

 There is a mounting-block outside the side gate 

 nearest the house. On the west side is a wall with 

 a central stone alcove, surmounted by a figure of a 

 boy, and in front of this a sundial on a pedestal. 

 The court is partly turfed, and has a curved carriage 

 drive, which takes away somewhat from the formality 

 which the classic style of the alcove would suggest as 

 necessary. The range of stable buildings which 

 bounds the quadrangle on the south side is a massive 

 stone structure with a gable at each end facing north, 

 and good mullioned windows with hood-moulds. 

 There has been a good deal of alteration, and the old 

 flat-arched doorways are built up. But generally the 

 building retains its original appearance, and in the 

 part now called the Shippon is a central stone pillar. 

 On its eastern gable is the date 1668 with the arms of 

 Kenyon impaling Rigby. The roofs at this end of 

 the building, together with the great barn, are of grey 

 stone slates, while the rest of the buildings are 

 covered with blue slates. The south front of the 

 stables faces the lower or stable-yard, which has a fine 

 stone-built barn with massive buttresses on its east side. 

 The west side of the yard is bounded by a high brick 

 boundary wall separating it from the house gardens, 

 and the south-west corner is occupied by a picturesque 

 brick dove-house presumably of 18th-century date, 

 with stone dressings and grey stone-slated pyramidal 

 roof. The west end of the stable range facing the 

 garden was erected in 1722 by Lloyd Kenyon, and 

 rebuilt again in 1864, as an inscription sets forth. 

 On this side of the building also is an elaborate shield 

 of arms with helm, crest, and mantling, carved in 

 stone. The Rigby arms occur again on the head 

 of a gate in the fence wall to the north-east of 

 the house. 



Among the former proprietors in the townships 

 were the Farnworth 73 and Valentine families. 74 



The land tax returns of 1789 show that in Middle 

 Hulton the chief contributors were the Rev. Mr. 

 Bagot and his tenants, who paid over one-fifth ; the 

 Duke of Bridgewater, Miss Killer, and others paid 

 smaller sums. In Little Hulton in 1788 Joseph 

 Yates and his tenants paid more than half, the re- 

 mainder being contributed by Mrs. Ann Kenyon, the 

 Duke of Bridgewater, the Rev. Walter Bagot, Peter 

 Shakerley, and others. In Over Hulton in 1802 

 the trustees of William Hulton seem to have been 

 the sole proprietors. 75 



7* Geoffrey de Worsley granted to Hugh 

 rector of Standish land called the Edge 

 and Hope Croft, at a rent of i id. ; Elles- 

 mere D. no. 45. Rector Hugh afterwards 

 gave all his land that which Richard the 

 clerk of Irlam farmed and Hope Croft to 

 Adam de Farnworth ; a pair of white 

 gloves was to be paid yearly to the grantor 

 and I2</. to the chief lord of the fee ; ibid, 

 no. 43. William son of Hugh de Standish 

 claimed a messuage and lands in Hulton 

 from Roger son of Adam de Farnworth in 

 1292, alleging that Hugh had demised 

 them to Adam. The claim failed ; Assize 

 R. 408, m. 48 d. Adam son of Roger de 

 Farnworth in 1301 sought estovers in 60 

 acres in Hulton against Richard son of 



Henry de Worsley and others ; Assize R. 

 321, m. 8 d. 



In 1370 Henry de Farnworth leased 

 lands in Hulton Edge (except Hopecroft), 

 which were part of his mother Maud's 

 dower ; Ellesmere D. no. 63. Another 

 lease was made by Richard son of Henry 

 de Farnworth in 1397; no. 65. Eight 

 years later the Hulton lands were granted 

 to Richard son of Richard de Farnworth 

 and Alice his wife, daughter of Thomas 

 the Roper ; no. 69. Nicholas Farn- 

 worth and Margery his wife in 1494 

 assigned to trustees an annual rent of 

 71. 3</. from the Edge in Hulton ; 

 no. 74. A few years later this and other 

 Farnworth lands were sold to Joan Dame 



33 



Stanley, the heiress of Worsley ; no. 

 110-14. 



A family named Edge resided on this 

 estate. In 1551 there was a suit between 

 George Grundy and Ellen widow of John 

 Edge respecting Hobb Croft in Hulton, 

 held under the manor of Worsley ; Duchy 

 Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 

 119). In 1564 John Edge sought lands 

 in Middle Hulton from Dame Jane Brere- 

 ton and others; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), 

 ii, 281 ; iii, 4158. 



7< In 1487 Thomas Valentine and John 

 his son and heir apparent granted to 

 George Valentine son of Thomas for life 

 lands in Hulton called Woodcroft, Herber- 

 croft, Dowers, and Wood Hey ; Vaudrey D. 



7* Land Tax Ret. at Preston. 



