A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



widow Agnes was living in 1353, but probably died 

 shortly afterwards. 84 The manor and advowson then 

 went to the representative of the second daughter, 

 Maud, who was first in the remainder. She mar- 

 ried Thomas de Barton of Fryton in Rydale, by 

 whom she had several sons ; 2i and secondly John de 

 Ainsworth, 26 who continued after her death to hold 

 the manor by the courtesy of England, but was out- 

 lawed.* 7 Maud's right passed to her son John de 

 Barton, 13 after whom Thomas de Barton, perhaps as 



trustee, was in possession, 29 followed by William, 

 the son of John. William de Barton occurs between 

 1363 and I384. 30 He married Isabel, daughter of 

 William de Radcliffe, and had a son Ralph, who died 

 in 1398 seised of the manor of Middleton with 

 its hamlets of Ashworth, Birtle, Ainsworth, Mea- 

 dowcroft, and Lynalx. The heir was his son Richard, 

 born at Middleton in 1386. The wardship was 

 granted to James de Radcliffe. 31 Richard de Barton 

 had sons John " and Richard, and was living in 



by the service of one knight's fee ; by 

 suit to the county court of Lancaster from 

 six weeks to six weeks, to the wapentakc 

 court of Salford from three weeks to three 

 weeks, and to the court of Tottington from 

 three weeks to three weeks ; also by a 

 payment of IQS. a year for castle-ward and 

 131. 4</. forsake fee. Roger's heirs were 

 his daughters Ellen (aged twenty), Maud 

 (eighteen), Alice (sixteen), Margaret 

 (twelve), and Margery (nine). 



There is nothing to show why Maud, 

 the second daughter, took precedence of 

 her sister Ellen in the succession. The 

 younger daughters, Margaret and Margery, 

 appear to have died without issue, as in 

 1350 Maud, Ellen, and Alice were de- 

 scribed as the co-heirs, and the last-named 

 seems to have resigned her right to her 

 sister Maud ; Assize R. 1444, m. 3 d. 



34 She presented to the rectory in 1328 

 (as Agnes de Barton), 1339, 1340, and 

 1 343, as will be seen by the list of rectors. 

 She married (2) John de Barton, and (3) 

 John de Malton. From a Rivington dis- 

 pensation it appears that Agnes was a sister 

 of Adam de Hulton ; Towneley MS. GG, 

 no. 2055. 



John de Barton and Agnes his wife 

 were plaintiffs in 1324 in respect of a 

 messuage and land in Middleton ; De 

 Banco R. 252, m. 43d. In 1328 John 

 de Malton and Agnes his wife demised to 

 trustees the dower lands of Agnes, after 

 the death of John de Barton ; Dods. MSS. 

 cliii, fol. 82. In the following year 

 Richard de Whitlegh and Alice his wife, 

 Henry the Mouner of Thornton and Ellen 

 his wife, and Robert son of Robert de 

 Thornton did not prosecute their claim 

 for land in Middleton against John de 

 Malton and Agnes his wife, Thomas de 

 Barton, Maud his wife, and John, Roger, 

 Thomas, Adam, and William, their sons ; 

 Assize R. 427, m. 3 d. A settlement was 

 made in 1335 ; Final Cone, ii, 97. 



Agnes, as widow of Roger de Middle- 

 ton, in 1336 released to her daughter 

 Maud her right to lands in Meadowcroft, 

 Lynalx, Birtle, Ainsworth, and Ashworth 

 in the vill of Middleton ; Dods. MSS. 

 cxlii, fol. 129. Her seal showed a lion 

 rampant. Agnes, the widow, complained 

 in 1 340 that Thomas de Newbold, rector 

 of Middleton, Geoffrey son of Ellen de 

 Middleton, and others had broken her 

 close at Middleton ; De Banco R. 321, m. 

 244; 326, m. 79. In 1347 she made 

 a claim against Roger de Harwood and 

 Ellen his wife, who was the eldest daugh- 

 ter of Roger ; and in the same year 

 Geoffrey Pusshe claimed half an oxgang of 

 land against Agnes ; Assize R. 1435, m. 

 51 d; De Banco R. 351, m. 223 d. Agnes 

 was a defendant in 1353 ; Assize R. 435, 

 m. 22 d. 



25 See the plea quoted in the last note. 



Thomas de Barton and Maud his wife 

 were in 1331 defendants in a plea respect- 

 ing a messuage and lands in Middleton ; 

 De Banco R, 287, m. 480 d. 



The Bartons are usually described as 

 'of Rydale,' and probably did not reside 

 at Middleton till the end of the I4th 

 century. 



26 Maud wife of John de Ainsworth in 

 1342 complained that her trees at Middle- 

 ton had been cut down and carried off; 

 De Banco R. 332, m. 30 d. Roger de 

 Harwood and Ellen his wife in 1344 and 

 later claimed a messuage, 80 acres of land, 

 &c., in Middleton, against John de Ains- 

 worth and Maud his wife. It was alleged 

 that Joan, daughter of Roger son of Roger 

 de Middleton, had died without issue, and 

 that the estate claimed should then have 

 passed to Ellen ; De Banco R. 340, m. 

 430 ; 345, m. 33od. ; 349, m. 279 d. 



a ? He was outlawed for the death of 

 Adam son of Ellis de Knowles, and the 

 manor taken into the duke's hands, as 

 appears by an inquiry held in 1366. After 

 a year and a day it should be given to 

 William son of John de Barton of Rydale, 

 and others ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 130* ; 

 L.T.R. Memo. R. 131, 132 ; Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. 43 Edw. Ill, pt. i, no. 72. Though 

 the date of the inquiry was 1366 it will be 

 seen from the list of rectors that the Duke 

 of Lancaster presented to the rectory in 

 1351, by reason of the forfeiture of John 

 de Ainsworth. John was still living, and 

 the duke in possession, in 1382, but must 

 have died soon after this, as Ralph de 

 Barton presented to the rectory in 1386 ; 

 Cal. Pat. 1381-5, p. 132; and list of 

 rectors. John de Ainsworth's son John 

 was outlawed for debt in 1373 ; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 27, 37. 



23 John de Barton of Rydale in 1350 

 claimed thirty messuages, 200 acres of 

 land, &c., in Middleton, held by John de 

 Ainsworth, Maud his wife, and John their 

 son. It appeared that the elder John 

 received two-thirds of the estate claimed 

 with Maud his wife, and the other third 

 by grant of her sister Alice, with life re- 

 mainder to Robert son of Thomas de 

 Barton ; Assize R. 1444, m. 3 d. 



Grants by Alice daughter of Roger de 

 Middleton to John son of Robert de Ains- 

 worth and Maud his wife in 1347-8 are 

 preserved in Towneley MS. GG. no. 1710, 

 1927. 



In 1351 John de Barton charged Adam 

 de Meadowcroft and others with driving 

 his cattle away ; Duchy of Lane. Assize 

 R. i, m. 5, 6. He made a similar com- 

 plaint in 1352 ; ibid. R. 2, m. lod. He 

 was defendant for a debt as late as 1356, 

 but 'did not appear ;' ibid. R. 5, m. 7, 25. 



He is called 'John de Rydale' in the 

 aid 1 346-5 5, when he held the knight's fee 

 in Middleton formerly held by the heirs of 

 Robert de Middleton ; Feud. Aids, iii, 87. 



29 Thomas was no doubt the younger 

 brother of John, mentioned above in 1329. 

 He appears as defendant in a plea respect- 

 ing lands in Middleton from Dec. 1355, 

 the claimant being John son of Adam de 

 Wardley ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4, 

 m. 25 d. ; 5, m. 10 ; 6, m. 4 ; 7, m. 5. 



164 



80 As in the above-cited inquisition on 

 the outlawry of John de Ainsworth, Wil- 

 liam son of John de Barton was defendant 

 in 1363 and plaintiff in 1367, in suits 

 respecting tenements in Middleton ; De 

 Banco R. 415, m. 142 d. ; 426, m. 

 285 d. In 1370 Thomas de Barton of 

 Rydale released to William de Barton and 

 Isabel daughter of William de Radcliffe 

 all his right in the manor of Middleton ; 

 the armorial seal shows ermine, on a fess 

 three annulets; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 1 30^. 

 About the same time the feoffees settled 

 on William and Isabel the manor of 

 Middleton with the advowson of the 

 church, and lands in Ainsworth, Meadow- 

 croft, Thornham, Hanging Chadder, Birtle 

 and Ashworth, after the death of John 

 de Ainsworth ; ibid. fol. 130. 



In 1379 William de Barton of Fryton 

 was to cross the seas in the forces of John 

 of Gaunt; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 

 115. In 1381-2 he granted to Richard 

 Browne of Nasserton land in Middleton 

 and the advowson of the church there ; 

 Close, 5 Ric. II, m. 28 d. By fine in 

 Aug. 1382 he granted the manor to Wil- 

 liam de Atherton for life, with reversion 

 to himself and his heirs ; Final Cone, iii, 

 14. 



The writ of Diem cL extr. after his 

 death was issued 12 Dec. 1384; Def. 

 Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 357. 



Isabel survived her husband, for in 1391 

 Ralph son of William de Barton of Ry- 

 dale granted a rent of 10 to his mother 

 Isabel daughter of William de Radcliffe, 

 to be taken annually out of his manor of 

 Middleton ; Raines D. (Chet. Lib.). 



81 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 86, 

 93. Nothing is said as to the tenure of 

 the manor, but its ' hamlets ' are named 

 as Ashworth, Birtle, Ainsworth, Meadow- 

 croft, and Lynalx. See also Dep. Keeper's 

 Rep. xl, App. 528. 



A settlement of the manor of Middle- 

 ton was made in 1390, the remainder 

 being to Richard the son of Ralph ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxlii, fol. 131. The feoffees granted 

 Ralph leave to present to the rectory ; 

 ibid.; and in fact he presented in 1386, 

 1390, and 1395, as appears by the list of 

 rectors. Ralph probably married a daugh- 

 ter of William Fairfax ; Dods. MSS. cliii, 

 fol. 94. In 1389-90 he enfeoffed John 

 Fairfax, rector of Prescot, Thomas Gerard, 

 and Thomas Fairfax, of the manor of 

 Middleton, for his life; Close R. 13 Ric. II, 

 pt. i, m. 20 d. 



82 Richard de Barton proved his age in 

 1408 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 8. 

 He in 1418 enfeoffed John del Booth and 

 others of the tenements occupied by Wil- 

 liam del Holt, William del Lumhalgh.es 

 (Lomax), and Christopher Kay, to hold 

 for his mother Isabel for her life and then 

 to that one of his sons who should marry 

 a daughter of Sir John Byron ; Dods. MSS. 

 Iviii, fol. 1 66. The seal showed the 

 Barton arms as before. It appears that 

 John his son and heir was to marry 



