A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



twenty-five years of age, succeeded. At the battle of 

 Flodden he captured Sir John Forman, serjeant- 

 porter to James IV, and Alexander Barrett, high 

 sheriff of Aberdeen, with two others, whom he de- 

 livered to the English commander, the Earl of Surrey, 

 afterwards created Duke of Norfolk. 49 From the king 

 in 1523 he received a perpetual grant of a leet or view 

 of frankpledge in the vill of Middleton, with courts, 

 fines, and amercements belonging ; also the park and 

 free warren in his demesne lands in the manor, with 

 all liberties. 50 He was also made a knight. 51 Sir 

 Richard died 1 1 January 1548-9, and was buried at 

 Middleton. 51 His son and heir Richard was thirty- 

 eight years of age, but did not long enjoy possession, 

 dying on 4 August 1 5 50." His son, another Richard, 

 who was fourteen years of age/ 4 had also but a brief 

 tenure, as he died on 17 July 1563, holding the 

 manor of Middleton by the ancient service of a 



knight's fee and 23^. \d. rent, and also the manor of 

 Radcliffe, a recent acquisition. Richard his son and 

 heir was only five years old. 55 



Richard Assheton twice served as sheriff of Lan- 

 cashire, 56 and was knighted at the coronation of 

 James I. 57 He died in 1 6 1 y, 58 and his son and heir 

 Richard followed him within twelve months, leaving 

 as heir his son Ralph, then twelve years of age. 59 He 

 paid 2$ in 1632 on refusing knighthood. 60 In 

 1640 he was returned as one of the knights of the 

 shire. 61 In the Civil War he took a leading part on 

 the Parliamentary side. 62 He was appointed a deputy 

 lieutenant of the county in 1642, in opposition to- 

 the Crown nominees, and sequestrator in 1643. As 

 colonel of the levies he was constantly in active ser- 

 vice ; commanded at the siege of Bolton in 1643, 

 relieved the town of Lancaster and defeated Lord 

 Derby at Whalley, but was himself defeated at Mid- 



Visit. 0/1533 (Chet. Soc.), 59; he 

 wished to know how his achievement 

 could be commemorated in his arms. His 

 wife was Anne daughter of Sir Thomas 

 Strickland, and she had borne him seven 

 sons and a daughter. 



In June 1521 an agreement was made 

 by Sir Thomas Gerard and Richard Ashton 

 by which Richard son and heir of the 

 latter was to marry Anne daughter of 

 Sir Thomas ; Anne wife of Richard Ash- 

 ton the father, and Thomas and Edmund 

 his brothers, are named ; Dods. MSS. 

 Iviii, fol. 166, no. 34. 



Sir Richard Ashton partly rebuilt the 

 church ; see Iter Lancastrentc (Chet. Soc.), 



3. 34- 



50 Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. 22, p. 63. 



51 He was not described as a knight at 

 the visitation in 1533, but in 1541 as 

 Sir Richard he contributed to the subsidy ; 

 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 143. 



53 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, 28 ; he 

 held the manor of Middleton, twenty 

 messuages, &c. there, and the advowson of 

 the church, by the service of a knight's 

 fee and a rent of 231. $d, a year. The 

 inquisition gives details of provision for 

 Lady Anne Bellingham, widow of Sir 

 Robert Bellingham, whom he married as 

 his second wife (19 Oct. 1541) and who 

 was living at Middleton in 1549; also 

 (1541) for Katherine wife of his son and 

 heir Richard, also living at Middleton ; 

 also for Ralph, Leonard, John, and 

 Thomas, younger sons, living respectively 

 at Atherton, Chelsea, Cambridge, and 

 Newstead, Notts. Robert, another son, was 

 rector of Middleton, John succeeding him. 



Sir Richard was buried at Middleton on 

 14 Jan. 1548-9. In the older printed 

 pedigrees there seems to be some confusion 

 at this point. 



Special licence of entry was given to 

 the heir in 1 549 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. 

 xxx ix, App. 550. 



48 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 23. 

 The provision made for the younger sons 

 is set forth as in the last inquisition ; 

 John Ashton was still at Cambridge. 

 Mary the daughter of Sir Richard had 

 married Sir John Southworth. By Richard 

 Ashton and Katherine his wife various 

 messuages in Middleton, including the 

 manor or site of the manor, were granted 

 to trustees as a marriage settlement on 

 Richard the son and heir, and Elizabeth 

 daughter of Sir William Davenport. 



For the marriage see Earwaker, East 

 Ches. i, 437, 451. The marriage was 

 arranged in 1551, and Elizabeth accord- 



ingly became seised of Middleton Hall, 

 the Little Park (2 acres), and lands in 

 Middleton called Brereleighs, the Bottoms, 

 and the Hills. After Richard Ashton's 

 death she appears to have married one 

 Bradburn, and being convicted of felony 

 and murder, her lands came into the 

 queen's possession. Elizabeth died at 

 Middleton 17 Feb. 1606-7, the convic- 

 tion having never been rescinded ; Lanes, 

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



', 75- 



54 Special licence of entry was granted 

 to the heir on 24 June 1558 ; Dep. 

 Keeper's Rep. xxxix, App. 550. 



64 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 3 ; in 

 addition to Middleton and Radcliffe he 

 held land in Bamford of the Earl of Derby. 

 The inquisition states that Katherine 

 widow of his father Richard, who after- 

 wards married Sir William Radcliffe, was 

 then living at Ordsall. A few days before 

 his death Richard Ashton granted to trus- 

 tees the manor and church of Radcliffe 

 and Middleton Park for the use of John, 

 a younger son. 



In April 1564 the queen granted Gil- 

 bert Gerard custody of the body and 

 marriage of the heir, with an annual rent 

 of 13 6s. 8</. out of the manor of Mid- 

 dleton ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xxiii, 

 262 d. ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxix, App. 

 550. Warrant for livery of his lands 

 was granted to the heir in Nov. 1579; 

 ibid. The minority probably accounts for 

 the unsatisfactory character of the pedigree 

 recorded in 1567 ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 64. 



46 In 1597-8 and 1606-7 i P.R.O.Lw/', 

 73. About this time the spelling of the 

 surname became fixed in its present form. 



A settlement of the estates was made 

 in 1582 by Richard Assheton and Mary his 

 wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 44, 

 m. 73. 



4 ' Metcalle, Knights, 145. About the 

 same time a settlement of the manors of 

 Middleton and Radcliffe, &c., was made 

 by Sir Richard Assheton and Mary his 

 wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 65, 

 no. 42. A brief pedigree was recorded in 

 1613 ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 7. 



58 'Dec. 27, St. John's Day [1617] I 

 with my Coz. Assheton to Middleton. Sir 

 Ric. had left his speech, and did not know 

 a man. . . . He departed very calmly 

 about eight at night. No extraordinary 

 sorrow, because his death was so apparent 

 in his sickness. Presently upon his death 

 there was inquiring after his will, which 

 was showed by Mr. John Greenhalgh of 

 Brandlesome and Sir Richard's second son 



1 66 



Ralph Assheton, who with my lady were 

 executors, and Coz. Assheton of Whalley 

 supervisor. My now Coz. Assheton of 

 Middleton, Richard, began to demand the 

 keys of the gates and of the study for the 

 evidence, and to call for the plate, upon 

 cause his brother John had some part 

 in them. There were some likeness of 

 present falling out of him and the execu- 

 tors, which certainly had been, had not 

 my Coz. Assheton of Whalley so [managed] 

 as was little or no discord. The reason 

 was former unkindness between Sir Ric. 

 and his son, to which Sir Ric. was moved 

 by my lady and those that were of her 

 faction ' ; N. Astheton's Diary (Chet. Soc.), 

 70-2. Sir Richard was buried at Middleton 

 on 28 Dec. 'My lady' was Sir Richard's 

 second wife, Mary, daughter of Robert 

 Holt, of Ashworth. 



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

 Ches.), ii, 104-7. The inquisition states 

 that his father, Sir Richard Assheton, 

 had in 1599 assigned an annual rent of 

 20 as provision for his son John, who in 

 1619 was still living at Middleton ; he 

 made a settle nent on Mary his wife in 

 1604, who also was living in 1619 ; in 

 1614 he provided for his youngest son 

 Ralph. On Sir Richard's death, 27 Dec. 

 1617, his son and heir Richard succeeded. 

 He made various grants of annuities, in- 

 cluding one of 13 6s. %d. to his younger 

 brother John, who gave him 100. The 

 manor of Middleton and various messuages 

 and lands in Middleton, Pilsworth, Thorn- 

 ham, Ainsworth, Birtle, Siddal, and Tonge 

 were held of the king as of his Duchy of 

 Lancaster by knight's service and 231. 4^. 

 rent, and were worth 100 marks clear per 

 annum. Mary his wife survived him, and 

 was the executrix. 



There is in the church a brass of 

 Richard Assheton, his wife, and their six 

 sons and two daughters, with an inscrip- 

 tion stating that he died 7 Nov. 1618 in 

 the forty-first year of his age. He was 

 buried on 19 Nov. His widow, a 'right 

 worthy and truly religious matron,' was 

 also buried at Midaleton, 27 Feb. 1644-5. 



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

 i, 223. 



In 1628 and 1636 he made settlements 

 of the manor of Middleton ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 114, no. 5 ; 129, no. 18. 



61 Pink and Beaven, Part. Repre. of Lanes. 

 71 ; he was 'excluded or disabled by or- 

 dinance of the House in 1648.' 



62 In 1642 it was understood he was 

 to bring 250 to the aid of the Parlia- 

 ment ; N. and Q. (Ser. i), xii, 360. 



