A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Robert Radcliffe had messuages and lands in Rad- 

 cliffe and Sharpies in 1 5 Sg, 56 and a further estate in 

 the same places was the subject of agreement between 

 James Radcliffe and Robert Radcliffe the elder in 

 1595." The elder and younger Robert were free- 

 holders in i6oo. 68 It was probably the younger 

 Robert who died in 1617, holding messuages in 

 Radcliffe of Sir Richard Assheton in socage by I zd. 

 rent, and having other property in Manchester and 

 Salford. 59 Edward Radcliffe, the son and heir, was 

 twelve years of age, and was living in 1665, when a 

 pedigree was recorded Radcliffe of Radcliffe Bridge. 60 



Alexander Radcliffe of Leigh, who recorded a pedi- 

 gree at the same visitation, in 1680 purchased Edward 

 Radcliffe's estate in Radcliffe, which his descendants 

 continue to hold. 61 The land-tax return of 1788 

 shows that Mr. Radcliffe paid about a thirtieth of the 

 tax. Lord Grey de Wilton paid nearly half. The 

 rest of the land was in small holdings. 6 * 



<O 30 



PLAN OF RADCLIFFE CHURCH 



A few other families occur from time to time 

 Openshaw, 63 Wroe, 64 and Hardman. 65 In 1688 the 

 principal inhabitants were Gervase Staynrod, Henry 

 Coulborne, John Allen, and Roger Walker. 66 



Land called Nickerhole in the south-west of the 

 township was in the i6th century the subject of 

 several disputes. 67 



An Inclosure Act for Radcliffe and Ainsworth was 

 passed in 1809, and an award made in I8I2. 68 



The church of ST. S4RTHOLO- 

 CHURCH MEW* stands at the east side of the 

 town in the centre of a bend of the 

 River Irwell, the ground between which and the 

 church on the south side still remains open as field 

 and pasture. The building consists of chancel 23 ft. 

 by 1 9 ft., with vestry on the north side and chapel 

 on the south, each 22 ft. 6 in. by 21 ft.; nave 36 ft. 

 by 20 ft., north and south transepts each 2 1 ft. 6 in. 

 by 1 8 ft., north aisle 1 2 ft. 6 in. wide, south aisle 

 2 1 ft. wide, and western tower 



^ 1 2 ft. 6 in. by 1 2 ft. All these 



measurements are internal. 



A great deal of alteration 

 and rebuilding, done in the 

 1 9th century, has made the 

 whole of the outside of the 

 church, with the exception 

 of the tower, of modern date ; 

 but it still preserves to a large 

 extent its ancient appearance. 

 The history of this later work 

 may be thus summarized : In 

 1817 the chancel and vestry 

 were rebuilt ; in 1 846 the 

 north transept was recon- 

 structed, an organ chamber 

 built on the north side of the 

 chancel, the south porch re- 

 moved, and a west door opened 

 out in the tower ; in 1870-3 

 the building underwent a very 

 thorough restoration, when 

 the clearstory was taken down 

 and rebuilt and a new roof 

 constructed, the south aisle 



68 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 51, 

 m. 125. 6 7 Ibid. bdle. 57, m. 23. 



68 Mite. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 247. 



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

 and Ches.), ii, 75. James Radcliffe of 

 Sharpies was one of the jurors. 



60 Dugdale, Vhit. (Chet. Soc.), 239. 



61 Richard Radcliffe of Leigh s. 

 Thomas . Alexander, d. 1 646 s. 

 Alexander, d. 1700 s. John, d. 1700 



s. John, Recorder of Liverpool, d. 1 744 



. Alexander, Recorder of Wigan, d. 

 1786 s. John, d. 1799 s. Thomas 

 Hayward, d. 1829 t. John, d. 1845 

 dau. Frances, d. 1897. She married 

 James Darlington and had several sons 

 and daughters ; information of Mr. R. D. 

 Radcliffe. 



68 Land Tax returns at Preston. This 

 Radcliffe family is named in Baines, 

 Lanes, (ed. 1836), in, 7. 



68 James Openshaw appears to have 

 sold lands in Radcliffe in 1558, and pur- 

 chased others in 1565 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 20, m. 69 ; 27, m. 115 ; 

 Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 250. 



John Openshaw, who died in 1638, 

 held two messuages and lands in Rad- 

 cliffe of Ralph Assheton of Middleton ; 

 John, his son and heir, was thirty-nine 

 years of age ; Towneley MS. C. 8, 13 

 (Chet. Lib.), 949. 



64 Richard Wroe was a freeholder in 

 1 600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 249. Dr. Richard Wroe, warden of 

 Manchester, a benefactor of the poor of 

 Radcliffe, was probably a descendant of 

 this family, though said to have been born 

 in Unsworth ; his grandson will be found 

 among the rectors. 



65 John and James Hardman had a 

 dispute with Richard Assheton, lord of the 

 manor, in 1 600 ; Dueatus Lane. (Rec. 

 Com.), iii, 409. Roger Hardman of 

 Radcliffe was a member of the Bury 

 Class! s in 1646. 



64 Hiit. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 

 196. The Aliens and Walkers are later 

 found among the landowners. 



7 John Harrison leased ' Niberhole ' 

 to Geoffrey Hulme, son of Roger, for 

 sixty years, but afterwards expelled him 

 and his family, whereupon Geoffrey in 

 1557 complained to the Chancellor of the 



62 



Duchy ; Duchy of Lane. Plead, xxxv, H. 

 4. A few years later James Harri- 

 son, as heir of his father John, claimed 

 land from Geoffrey and John Hulme, 

 who held by lease from the father ; Du- 

 catus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 243, 286. 

 In 1602 John Harrison of Breightmet was 

 the owner of ' Nytheroll,' and sold it to- 

 William Petto of Bury, as the latter 

 alleged ; but John Harrison, together 

 with Henry Aspinall, Alice Harrison 

 widow, and Elizabeth Hulme widow, 

 having obtained divers charters, &c., would 

 not allow him possession ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Plead, ccvii, P. 4. 



Henry Aspinall of Radcliffe died in 

 1620 holding a messuage and lands called 

 ' Nicolhole ' of Richard Assheton in socage, 

 by zi. rent 5 John, his son and heir, was 

 forty years of age ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 208. 



68 Act 49 Geo. Ill, cap. 8. Copies of 

 the award are preserved at the parish 

 church and the County Offices, Preston. 



69 In 1459 the church was called 'St. 

 Mary of Radcliffe' ; Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, 

 fol. ib. 'St. Mary' has been readopted; 

 lately. 



