A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



antiquary Browne Willis of Bletchley. 43 Thomas 

 Willis, perhaps the son, was lord of the manor in 

 1765," but soon afterwards it was sold, together with 

 Davyhulme, and has since passed through several 

 hands." It was in March 1822 purchased from Wil- 

 liam Marsden's trustees by John Miller, who bequeathed 

 it for life to George Lewis Ridehalgh. The last-named 

 was succeeded by his son, Colonel George John Miller 

 Ridehalgh; after his death in 1892 his widow held 

 it, and on her death recently it passed to Mr. George 

 Ridehalgh, the present lord of the manor. 46 



A rental of 1779 shows that the Duchy of Lan- 

 caster then received lo/. 4</. from Urmston ; of this 

 sum 8/. 3</. was paid by William Allen and <)d. by the 

 owner of Newcroft. 47 



Manor courts were held up to about the time of 

 Colonel Ridehalgh's death, but had degenerated into 

 an annual dinner. 48 



Urmston Hall stands a little to the west of the 

 church and is a two-story timber and plaster building 



URMSTON HALL : NORTH FRONT 



on a stone base, now used as a farm-house. The 

 principal front, which faces north, is entirely of wood 

 and plaster under a single gable about 2 1 ft. wide, and 

 on the east side are two timber gables with a good 

 brick chimney between. The whole of the west and 

 south fronts, together with an addition at the south- 

 east, are built of brick. The house is probably of late 

 16th-century date, but has been a good deal altered 

 since, and is in only a moderate state of repair. Two- 

 windows, each of seven lights, in one of the side 

 gables are now made up, and all the windows have 

 lost their original glazing, or are otherwise modernized. 

 The gables are without barge-boards, but that on the 

 north front has a good hip knob on which is the date 



1721 and the initials jH E - Probably a good deal of 



repair and renovation was done at this time, and the 

 south-west sides rebuilt in brick. From the north- 

 east the house, which stands back from the road amid 

 trees, has a very picturesque appearance, the two fronts- 

 being well broken up with 

 gables and chimneys. The 

 quatrefoils along the front 

 elevation and other portions 

 of the black and white work, 

 however, are only painted on 

 the plaster, but the main 

 timber construction of the 

 building remains, and what 

 restoration there has been 

 follows the original lines. 

 The half-timber work con- 

 sists of a simple design with 

 horizontal pieces and straight 

 uprights and a central band 

 of ornament. The entrance 

 door on the north side is the 

 original one of thick oak, 

 nail-studded, and with good 

 ornamental hinges and ring 

 handle. 



Of the other portions of 

 the manor no proper account 

 can be given. The Urmston 

 family continued to hold 

 theirs for some time. 49 The 

 principal estate was NEW- 



43 Pedigree m Burke, Commoners, ii, 

 37 2 ~5- J onn Willis brother of Thomas 

 was rector of Bletchley, but was buried at 

 Flixton 24 July 1741. 



Anne Willis daughter of Thomas was 

 born ii Aug. 1736 ; Thomas the son was 

 born ii Feb. 1737-8 ; and Hulme, an- 

 other son, was buried 4 Mar. 1738-9 ; 

 Flixton Reg. 



44 Lawson, Flixton, 104, quoting an ad- 

 vertisement in the Manchester Mercury, 

 9 July 1765. 



There was a recovery of the manor of 

 Urmston, &c., in 1759, Thomas Willis 

 and Arthur Trollope being vouchees ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 591, m. 3. 



45 In 1773 Roger Sedgwick was plain- 

 tiff and William Allen and Ellen his wife 

 defendants in a fine respecting the manor 

 of Urmston, with messuages, dovehouse, 

 lands, common of pasture, and turbary, 

 &c., in Urmston, Davyhulme, Newcroft, 

 Shaw, Flixton, Lostock,^ Bent Lanes, Bar- 

 ton on Irwell, and Manchester ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 389, m. 48. Wil- 



liam Allen, a Manchester banker, became 

 bankrupt in 1788, and his estates were 

 sold. 



46 From information of Mr. Ridehalgh's 

 solicitors, Messrs. Taylor, Kirkman & 

 Co. 



4 7 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 14, 

 no. 25 m. 



48 Lawson, op. cit. 105. A volume 

 containing the Urmston Halmote Re- 

 cords from 1613 to 1699 is in the care of 

 the solicitors above named. 



49 They have been noticed already in 

 the account of the claims of Ralph de 

 Hyde and his wife Aline. A Geoffrey de 

 Urmston contributed to the subsidy of 

 1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), 41. 



Richard the son of Adam de Urmston 

 was succeeded about 1352 by his son Ro- 

 bert, who in July of that year was plaintiff 

 against Thomas de Trafford ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Assize R. 2, m. 4 ; R. 3, m. 3 d. 5. 

 Robert also continued the family suits 

 against the Hydes ; ibid. R. 2, m. 4 ; 



54 



R. 3, m. 3 d. 4 d. ; R. 8, m. 4. Richard 

 son of Geoffrey de Urmston was also con- 

 cerned in this litigation ; Assize R. 435, 

 m. 6 d. Robert de Urmston did not pro- 

 secute his writ in 1353 against Richard 

 and Geoffrey sons of Geoffrey de Urmston; 

 ibid. m. 22. 



One of the disputes concerned a fishery 

 in the Mersey as far as the thread of the 

 water, taking salmon, bream, pike, &c., 

 with nets or otherwise. Robert, quoting 

 the charter of 1 300, stated that Adam his 

 grandfather had given to Richard his son 

 and heir, on his marriage with Cecily 

 daughter of Thomas de Hulme, three ox- 

 gangs in Urmston, with the buildings upon 

 them, a moiety of the mills and fishery 

 within all his limits (defensis), except his 

 vivaries ; but Ralph de Hyde and Aline 

 his wife had disseised him. They denied 

 that the proffered charter was Adam's ; 

 ibid. m. 30 d. Afterwards they objected 

 that the wording of the writ was wrong, 

 as it read ' de libero tenemento suo ' instead 

 of ' de communa piscarie sue,' and this 



