SALFORD HUNDRED 



DEANE 



worth and Rumworth, and the rest of the inherit- 

 ance. 43 The manors were acquired by the Hultons 

 of Over Hulton. 44 



John the elder brother of George Hulton was 

 seated at Darleys in Farnworth. He died at Black- 

 burn 2 1 July 1 606, holding also lands in the Fylde 

 and at Over Darwen. Darleys was held of Nicholas 

 Mosley as of the manor of Manchester, and was 

 entailed on John Hulton's male issue, with remainder 

 to George Hulton of Farnworth ; John Hulton the 

 son and heir was thirteen years of age. 45 



The small part of the manor held by a family 

 which adopted the local name, appears as early as 



1 246, when Emma de Farnworth mother of Adam 

 claimed half an oxgang of land then in possession of 

 Adam the Chief. 46 Nine years later Adam de Farn- 

 worth claimed that Gilbert de Barton, as mesne lord, 

 should acquit him of the service for his oxgang and a 

 half demanded by the superior lord, Thomas Grel- 

 ley. 4r It was probably about this time that Gilbert 

 de Barton released his claim to half of the ^s. rent 

 due from Adam's land. 48 Adam left two sons, Richard 49 

 and Roger. 50 Of these the former left issue, 51 but 

 the inheritance, or the chief part of it, appears to have 

 descended to the heirs of Roger. 52 By the end of the 

 1 5th century the heir was Nicholas Mitchell alias 



of Rumworth, of the same, by the third 

 part of a knight's fee and the rent of 

 41. 6d. ; and various lands in Kearsley, 

 Bolton, and Lever. Thomas, his son and 

 heir, was born in 1601. The inquisition 

 recites the agreement made in 1593 on 

 his marriage with Margaret, daughter of 

 Robert Hyde of Norbury ; gives the 

 names of the children as Thomas, George, 

 Richard, Elizabeth, Mary, and {Catherine ; 

 and adds his will ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 468. 



The Hulton Pedigree gives an elder son 

 William, born in 1594, who left issue, but 

 this seems to be erroneous. 



48 In 1649 Judith Hulton, widow (of 

 Thomas, the heir above-named), was 

 plaintiff, and William Hulton (younger 

 brother of George, father of Thomas) and 

 Elizabeth his wife were deforciants of the 

 manors of Farnworth and Rumworth, and 

 houses, mill, lands, and common rights 

 there and in Lever ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 F. bdle. 146, m. 76. In 1658 Richard 

 Bradshaw was plaintiff and Judith Hulton 

 and George Hulton (probably the younger 

 brother of Thomas) deforciants of the 

 manors, &c. ; ibid. bdle. 163, m. 67. A 

 year later the same Richard Bradshaw 

 was plaintiff and William Hulton and 

 Elizabeth his wife deforciants of the 

 manors ; ibid. bdle. 164, m. 52. 



William son of George Hulton of 

 Farnworth became minister of Ringley 

 Chapel ; Barton, Farnivortb, 156. 



44 Farnworth and Rumworth appear 

 among the manors of William Hulton 

 of Over Hulton in 1738 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 321, m. 3. 



In 1787 it was recorded that 'William 

 Hulton, esquire, of Hulton Park, claims 

 the lordship of the waste of this town- 

 ship ; hath frequently exercised the right 

 of driving the commoners and hath gotten 

 coal under Halshaw moor ; but he holds 

 no court, nor is there any tradition of a 

 court having ever been held ; and, except 

 the instances I have given, and a few ap- 

 plications to him for liberty of making 

 brick upon the waste, I can find no traces 

 of any manorial title ; ' Doming Ras- 

 botham in Barton's FarnwortA, 1 1. 



43 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 68. During last century 

 Darley was a seat of Benjamin Rawson 

 of Nidd Hall, Yorkshire, and his daughter 

 Elizabeth. 



46 Assize R. 404, m. 6 ; Adam the 

 Chief gave J mark for licence to agree. 



4 " Final Cone, i, 1 1 6 ; Thomas Grelley 

 had claimed 31. from Adam de Farnworth 

 for Gilbert's default. Gilbert promised 

 to acquit him. The case proves that the 

 Farnworths* land was held under Barton. 



48 Lever Chartul. no. 34, 35 ; Adam's 

 mother Emma was a daughter of Leising 

 de Lever, and she had had the oxgang and 

 a half from her father on her marriage 



with Siward de Middleton. From a char- 

 ter quoted below (Ellesmere D. no. 85) it 

 appears that Adam's father was named 

 Robert de Farnworth. Adam de Farn- 

 worth may therefore be identified with the 

 Adam son of Robert son of Wrgem, to 

 whom Adam the Chief and John de Lever 

 granted land in Farnworth at a rent of 

 id. ; Ellesmere D. no. 78, 79, the latter 

 deed being endorsed ' service of Richard 

 de Farnworth.' 



49 Richard de Farnworth in 1277 

 brought an action to compel John son 

 of Gilbert de Barton to adhere to the 

 above-cited fine respecting acquittance 

 of the service demanded by Thomas Grel- 

 ley ; De Banco R. 21, m. 10 ; R. 27, m. 

 87 d. ; R. 29, m. 10. In 1295 Richard 

 son of Adam de Farnworth granted to 

 Adam de Lever land which he had re- 

 ceived from Roger son of Meredith de 

 Hulton ; Lever Chartul. no. 57. This 

 Roger son of Meredith de Hulton was 

 also called Roger son of Meredith or 

 Marmaduke de Hulton, and was engaged 

 in suits with the Levers in 1301 onwards 

 concerning lands in Farnworth ; Assize R. 

 1321, m. 4, 11, 13 ; 418, m. II d. 



12. 



50 In 1283 Adam de Lever granted to 

 Roger son of Adam de Farnworth the 

 moiety of three parts of 1 2 acres, approved 

 by Henry de Blindsill by the high road 

 through Walkden to Manchester, and re- 

 leased all claim to certain homages and 

 services from lands which Adam de Farn- 

 worth had purchased from John de Lever, 

 a rent of i %d. being due ; Lever Chartul. 

 no. 48. This Roger is no doubt the Roger 

 de Farnworth, clerk, who in 1278 was 

 suing Adam de Lever for common of pas- 

 ture in Farnworth; Assize R. 1238, m. 

 33d. Some grants by Roger are pre- 

 served : To Adam de Lever he gave a 

 moiety of the wood inclosed adjoining 

 Kearsley ; and to Richard de Redford an 

 approvement of the waste ; Lever Chartul. 

 no. 28, 38. 



61 In 1298 Roger son of Meredith de 

 Hulton gave to Richard (? Robert) son of 

 Richard de Farnworth land which had 

 been formerly held by Henry son of 

 Robert de Hulton ; ibid. no. 71. 



52 In 1292 Adam son of Roger de 

 Farnworth gave a mark for licence to 

 agree with Roger de Farnworth respecting 

 the warranty of a charter ; Assize R. 

 408, m. 7. Nine or ten years later 

 Adam son of Roger de Farnworth and 

 John the son of Adam made claims, as 

 by inheritance, for lands held by Robert 

 son of Richard de Farnworth ; Assize R. 

 1321, m. 4 ; 418, m. 6a, 1 1 d. 



A dispute of some interest occurred in 

 1313-14, when Robertson of Richard de 

 Farnworth claimed a messuage and lands 

 in Farnworth and Walkden against John 

 son of Adam de Farnworth and Hawise 



37 



his wife, who alleged an enfeoffment by 

 Roger de Farnworth. The places named 

 had been called 'towns' in the writ, but 

 the jury decided that Walkden was neither 

 town nor hamlet, but only a place within 

 Farnworth ; Assize R. 424, m. 3. 



The family contentions appear to have 

 been settled in 1328 by Robert son of 

 Richard de Farnworth releasing to John 

 son of Adam the lands in Hulton and 

 Farnworth formerly held by Roger de 

 Farnworth, Robert's uncle ; Ellesmere D. 

 no. 80. 



John de Farnworth, whose wife was 

 named Mabel (no. 62), had a son Henry, 

 living in 1373 when Adam son of John 

 de Lever granted an inspeximus of a 

 charter granted by his ancestor John de 

 Lever to Adam son of Robert de Farn- 

 worth, the lands having come into Henry's 

 possession ; ibid. no. 85, and see no. 79. 

 The witnesses' names prove that this 

 Adam de Farnworth must be the Adam 

 son of Emma already named. In 1366 

 Henry de Farnworth had granted lands 

 to Richard de Farnworth (probably his 

 son, though not so described), with re- 

 mainders to Richard son of Agnes 

 daughter of Henry Atkinson de Heaton, 

 and to Richard son of Mabel daughter 

 of Ellis de Ridley ; to this deed Henry 

 affixed his own seal and that of the said 

 Richard de Farnworth ; no. 84. In 1393 

 Henry de Farnworth of Worthington and 

 Joan his wife were re-enfeoffed of lands in 

 Hulton and Farnworth, with remainders 

 to Henry's children, Richard, Avice, and 

 Joan ; no. 87. Henry was dead in 1394 ; 

 no. 2. 



A William Tasker had had a bond from 

 Henry de Farnworth in 1376, and received 

 one from Henry's son Richard in 1394, 

 while in 1397 he and his wife Emma had 

 a grant of Mabotsfield in Farnworth ; 

 ibid. no. 86, 88, 89, 25. In 1426 Richard 

 son and heir of William Tasker sold to 

 Sir Geoffrey Massey of Tatton all his 

 right in the lands of Richard de Farn- 

 worth ; no. 92. 



Richard de Farnworth in 1405 gave to 

 trustees his lands in Farnworth and Hul- 

 ton ; his father's widow Joan was still 

 living ; ibid. no. 90. Richard left a son 

 Richard, who married Alice, daughter of 

 Thomas Roper (no. 69), and two daughters 

 Alice and Margery. Geoffrey son of 

 the younger Richard in 1454 granted to 

 feoffees his lands in Farnworth and Hul- 

 ton, gave to Sir Geoffrey Massey Tasker's 

 Place in Farnworth, formerly the property 

 of his grandfather Richard, and also 

 granted to Sir Geoffrey the marriage of 

 Hugh Farnworth, his son and heir ap- 

 parent ; ibid. no. 93-5. In 1459 and 

 1466 various arrangements respecting 

 Tasker's Place were made among the 

 Masseys ; no. 97-100. An arbitration in 

 1474 between Lawrence Farnworth and 



