SALFORD HUNDRED 



DEANE 



whose great-grandson, Robert Bolton, was living 

 in 1598, and had Prestall. 17 Isabel, the other 

 Prestall co-heir, married Henry Southworth, but 

 had no children, and her share was sold to the 

 Traffords. 18 



The Seddons' share descended to Giles, 19 Ralph, 

 and Thomas Seddon, son, grandson, and great-grand- 

 son respectively of Joan and Richard. Thomas Seddon, 

 who died during his father's lifetime, left two daughters 

 as co-heirs. Elizabeth, the elder, married Thomas 

 Marcroft, 20 and had a son Robert ; Cecily, the younger, 

 married Peter Seddon, and left a son Ralph, described 

 as of Pilkington.' J1 



Of all these the Boltons and Marcrofts are specially 

 associated with Kearsley. There does not appear to 

 be any record of their history. Robert Marcroft sold 

 his lands to Richard Ashton, who in 1651 sold to the 

 Starkies of Huntroyde ; Kearsley Hall is still in the 

 possession of this family." In 1836 Ellis Fletcher of 

 Clifton owned the waste. 23 The only ' manor * of 

 Kearsley claimed in recent times is that of the 

 Hultons of Over Hulton, apparently as part of the 



Farnworth estate acquired from the Hultons of 

 Farn worth. 84 



Kearsley occurs as a surname. 25 



In 1790 the principal landowners wereLe Gendre 

 Starkie, Sir John Mosley, and Jonathan Doming. 26 



Kearsley Hall was in the I jih century the residence 

 of William Hulme, the founder of the Hulmeian 

 exhibitions at Brasenose College, Oxford." 



In connexion with the Established Church, St. 

 John's, Halshaw Moor, on the boundary of Farn- 

 worth, was built in 1826, and had a district assigned 

 to it in i829. 28 The incumbent, with the designa- 

 tion of vicar of Farnworth, is appointed by Hulme's 

 trustees. St. Stephen's, Kearsley Moor, was built in 

 1871 ; the vicar of Farnworth is patron. 19 



The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists each have 

 chapels. 10 



The Congregational Church, built in 1901, replaces 

 a school-chapel. A Sunday school had been held as 

 early as 1845." 



The Swedenborgians have a place of worship known 

 as New Jerusalem. 31 



*' See previous note. Robert Bolton of 

 Kearsley frequently served on juries in 

 the time of James I. He died 30 Aug. 

 1638, holding a house and lands in Kears- 

 ley, Farnworth, and Worsley of the lord 

 of Manchester ; Robert his son and heir 

 was twenty-eight years of age ; Towneley 

 MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 65. 



18 This statement is taken from the 

 pedigree compiled by Ralph Assheton. Sir 

 Edmund Trafford and Edmund his son 

 and heir in 1582 joined in selling twenty 

 messuages, a water-mill, &c., in Prestall, 

 Kearsley, and Farnworth to Nicholas 

 Mosley ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 

 44, no. 39. These lands subsequently 

 appear in the Mosley inquisitions ; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 

 66. 



19 In 1494 Joan widow of John Hulton 

 of Farnworth granted to Giles Seddon of 

 Kearsley all the lands which Oliver Seddon 

 had held of her in Kearsley and Rudaden; 

 Lever Chartul. no. 197 ; and in 1 506 Ralph 

 Assheton the younger likewise demised to 

 Giles Seddon of Kearsley, Katherine his 

 wife, and John, Adam, and Arthur Seddon 

 their sons, lands tenanted by Oliver Sed- 

 don ; no. 198. 



In 1553 Thomas Marcroft and Eliza- 

 beth his wife and Peter Seddon and Cecily 

 his wife sought lands in Kearsley and 

 Farnworth from Giles and William Seddon; 

 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 279. 



20 Richard Leigh of Highfield and 

 Thomas Marcroft of Kearsley were 

 among the proprietors of Farnworth in 

 1598 ; Lever Chartul. no. 204. Thomas 



Marcroft of Kearsley was living in 1 600 ; 

 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 

 249. 



21 A division of a tenement in Kearsley 

 held in common by Henry, Earl of Derby, 

 Ralph Assheton of Great Lever, and Ralph 

 Seddon of Pilkington, was made in 1589. 

 The tenement had been Oliver Seddon's, 

 and the following rents were due from it : 

 To the Earl of Derby, ^^d. ; to Ralph 

 Assheton, lot. and four hens; and to Ralph 

 Seddon, 6;., two hens, and two days' 

 ' shearing ' (reaping). The lands held by 

 Thomas Marcroft in right of his wife 

 Elizabeth are mentioned ; Lever Chartul. 

 no. 205. 



A 'manor' of Kearsley is mentioned 

 among the Earl of Derby's possessions in 

 163 1 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 18, 

 no. i. 



Peter Seddon of Prestolee in Prestwich, 

 and Ralph Smith of Unsworth, trustees of 

 Hugh Parr of Kearsley, and John Parr, 

 his only son and heir apparent, settled 

 lands in Kearsley and a house in Man- 

 chester in 1654 ; Hulme D. in. 



For the Seddons of Outwood and Kears- 

 ley see Nathan WalivortKs Correspondence 

 (Chet. Soc.). 



23 Information of Mr. Daniel Howsin 

 of Padiham. 



28 Baines, Lana. iii, 42. 



34 Kearsley was usually named among 

 the Hulton manors ; e.g. Pal. of Lane. 

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



25 Richard de Redford, Adam de Lever, 

 and Richard the Chief granted to John 

 son of Adam de Kearsley 3 acres of the 



waste in Backbottom, with housebote, hey- 

 bote, and other liberties ; Lever Chartul. 

 no. 30. The compiler has added a note 

 that the land was (in 1607) supposed to 

 be the Little Keys, part held by Thomas 

 Marcroft and part by Oliver Seddon. 



See Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen. 

 Notes, i, 249. 



28 Land tax returns at Preston. 



a ? Barton, Farnivortb, 143. See the 

 account of Reddish. 



88 Loud. Gaz. 13 Jan. 1829. It 

 was built under the 'Million Act,' by 

 which several Lancashire districts bene- 

 fited. For an account of the origin and 

 progress of this church see Barton, 

 Porn-worth, 191-216. The foundation 

 stone was laid in 1824; the church was 

 opened in 1826, and greatly enlarged in 

 1871. 



29 For district, Lond. Gas. 6 Feb. 1872. 

 The foundation stone was laid in 1870, and 

 the church was consecrated in July 1871 ; 

 Barton, op. cit. 236-40. 



80 Ibid. 231, 365. The Wesleyans be- 

 gan to hold Sunday services in 1835 ; the 

 chapel was built in 1870. Meetings had 

 begun even earlier in Lower Kearsley ; 

 schools were built in 1836 and a chapel 

 in 1865. 



81 B. Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 

 142. 



82 Barton, op. cit. 372-5 ; services 

 were begun in 1827, and a chapel erected 

 in 1836; the present church was dedi- 

 cated in 1878. The Rev. Woodville 

 Woodman, pastor from 1837 to 1872, 

 was a man of some note. 



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