A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



access from the back of the hall to the upper rooms 

 of the older part of the house. 



At the south-east corner of the hall, near to the 

 bay window, a door opens into the main corridor of 

 the 1 8th-centuiy wing, which contains two lofty 

 rooms on the ground floor with elaborate plaster 

 ceilings. Both rooms are panelled and have good 

 fireplaces, and are excellent examples of the style of 

 the period. The staircase, which leads from the 

 corridor close to the door from the older part of the 

 building, is a fine example of early 18th-century 

 Renaissance detail, with large open twisted balusters 

 and massive square carved newels. 



Marland was in 1540 sold by the Crown to Thur- 

 stan Tyldesley, together with the Whalley lands in 

 Swinton. 17 In the time of Elizabeth it was pur- 



chased by the Radcliffes of Langley, 18 and by them 

 sold* in 1630 to the Holts of Stubley. 19 A local 

 family took its surname from the place. 10 



BUERSILL* 1 was an estate anciently held by 

 the Hospitallers. 21 About 154.0 the tenant was John 

 Stafford, who paid a quit-rent of 1 3^." It was after- 

 wards sold to the Byrons, 24 who sold it to a large 

 number of occupying holders. 85 In 1626 the quit- 

 rent was payable to the Earl of Derby. At the same 

 time James Halliwell of Pike House had land there. 26 

 BALDERSTONE gave its name to a local family," 

 who were succeeded by the Holts, 28 Gartsides, 29 and 

 Heywoods ; M but there had been much subdivision, 

 and Robert Heywood in 1626 had but a few acres. 

 The chief holders were Robert Holt, 31 and Charles 

 son of John Holt,* 1 the latter having the hall. The 



W Pat. 3 2 Hen. VIII, pt. 4. For the 



Tyldesleys see the account of Wardley in 

 Eccles. 



18 Richard Radcliffe and Owen his son 

 and heir apparent in 1565 purchased from 

 Thurstan Tyldesley, Margaret his wife, 

 and other members of the family, ten 

 messuages, 1,000 acres of land, 2,000 

 acres of moor, &c., in Marland, Castle- 

 ton, and Spotland ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 F. bdle. 27, m. 202. Owen Radcliffe 

 and Edmund Radcliffe secured the same 

 estate, or an additional portion of it, from 

 William Sherington, Elizabeth his wife, 

 and Gilbert Sherington in 1578; ibid, 

 bdle. 40, m. 8. Owen Radcliffe in 1589 

 made a settlement of his estate in Castle- 

 ton and Spotland ; ibid. bdle. 51, m. 42. 



An account of Langley and its owners 

 will be found under Middleton. In 1604 

 Edmund Radcliffe died in possession often 

 messuages, lands, &c., in Marland, not 

 described as a manor, held of the king by 

 the hundredth part of a knight's fee ; he 

 held other messuages, &c., in Castleton by 

 services unknown, and others in Spotland 

 of Sir John Byron ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 21-2. In 1626 

 Henry Radcliffe, the only freeholder 

 mentioned, held 720 acres in Marland, 

 which he had received from his great-uncle 

 Richard Radcliffe ; Raines MSS. xxi, 

 10. Henry died in 1630 holding the 

 4 manor of Marland ' of the king by 

 knight's service ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. xxvii, no. 25. 



19 Robert Holt purchased the manor of 

 Marland with messuages, lands, &c., in 

 Marland and Castleton, from Richard 

 Radcliffe and Elizabeth Radcliffe, widow. 

 The vendors gave warranties against the 

 heirs and assigns of Henry Radcliffe 

 (father of Richard), Edmund Radcliffe, 

 Owen Radcliffe, and Richard the father of 

 Owen ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 117, 

 no. 1 1 ; Clowes D. no. 20. 



20 For the earlier bearers of the name 

 see Whalley Coucher. Henry Marland 

 was vicar of Rochdale from 1426 to 

 1455. For later members of it see Fish- 

 wick, op. cit. 312. 



21 It gave a name to residents ; see 

 Whalley Coucher , ii ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 34. 



M See Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 



375- 



23 Rental in Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84 ; 

 the rent should no doubt be i^\d. t as in 

 the manor survey of 1626. 



24 Twelve messuages, lands, &c., in 

 Nether Buersill and Castleton were in 

 1 554 sold to Sir John Byron by William 

 Stafford and Lawrence son of John Staf- 

 ford ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 15, 



m. 6. The manor of Buersill is named 

 among the ByVon estates in 1582 ; ibid, 

 bdle. 44, m. 223. 



25 Survey of 1626 ; Raines MSS. xxi, 

 21. The acreage is given as 680. 



26 Ibid. 23. 



2 7 Adam de Balderstone attested a 

 charter in the time of Henry III ; Whal- 

 ley Coucher , iii, 645 ; John son of Hugh 

 de Balderstone in 1290 released to the 

 monks of Stanlaw his right in the service 

 of Richard son of Andrew de Haworth ; 

 ibid, iii, 723. Henry de Balderstone 

 about 1300 made a grant of all his part of 

 the waste of Buersill Moor to Sir Richard 

 de Byron ; Byron Chartul. no. 68/176. 

 More extended grants were made by 

 Henry de Balderstone to Sir Richard and 

 Sir James de Byron in 1347 and 1348 re- 

 spectively ; ibid. no. 19/188, no. 21/189. 

 This was perhaps a trust, for Sir James 

 at once granted them back to Henry for a 

 term of sixteen years ; ibid. no. 22/200. 



28 Thomas Urmston in 1414 released 

 to trustees, including James Holt, all his 

 right in lands in Castleton formerly be- 

 longing to Henry de Balderstone ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxvii, fol. 164. Shortly afterwards 

 the estate is found in possession of James 

 del Holt and Eleanor his wife ; a settle- 

 ment made in 1419 gives remainders, in 

 default of male issue, to Henry del Holt, 

 bastard, Elizabeth wife of Ellis de Buck- 

 ley, and Agnes wife of Bernard de Butter- 

 worth. James was a son of Geoffrey del 

 Holt; ibid. 



From a plea of 1424 it is evident 

 that James de Chetham (of Nut- 

 hurst) and Eleanor his wife (a daughter 

 of EUis de Buckley) had a share of the 

 estate ; ibid. It was afterwards settled 

 on the above-named Elizabeth Buckley. 

 James Holt dying without heir Henry 

 Holt succeeded, and was followed by his 

 son Henry, who died in 1520 without male 

 issue. He was known as Henry Holt of 

 Balderstone, and held nine messuages, 

 300 acres of land, &c., in Castleton, of 

 the king as of his duchy by services un- 

 known ; the heir was Ellis Buckley son 

 of Richard, grandson of the above Ellis 

 and Elizabeth Buckley, aged forty years ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 31. 



29 In 1557-8 Roger Gartside claimed 

 against Gabriel, bastard son of James 

 Gartside, four messuages, 200 acres 

 of land, &c., in Castleton, which 

 Henry Marland and others had [about 

 1450] given to Agnes Gartside, Eliza- 

 beth Townley, and Alice Belfield, 

 daughters of a certain Henry Holt ; the 

 lands were afterwards divided, and James 

 Gartside, as son and heir of the said 

 Agnes, had granted her share to Roger as 



2O4 



his brother and heir ; Dods. MSS. cxvii, 

 fol. 166 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 203, m. 

 7 ; 204, m. 14. 



Henry's daughters did not obtain their 

 right without a lawsuit ; Ducatus Lane. 

 (Rec. Com.), i, 200 ; ii, 40 ; Fishwick, 

 Rochdale, 318. 



By a settlement in 1565 Roger Gart- 

 side and Isabel his wife provided that their 

 estate of six messuages, lands, &c., in 

 Castleton should descend to their daugh- 

 ters Margery and Agnes, the latter being 

 then wife of Robert Holt ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 27, m. 166. A partition 

 or sale of lands in Castleton was in 1579 

 made by Charles Holt, Peter Heywood 

 and Margery his wife, John Holt, and 

 Thomas Holt and Robert his son and heir, 

 acting together ; ibid. bdle. 41, m. 14. 

 Peter Heywood and Margery his wife 

 held six messuages, &c., in Castleton in 

 1580 ; ibid. bdle. 42, m. 50. Peter Hey- 

 wood held of Robert Savile or of John 

 Bradyll ; Ducatus, iii, 22, 35,43. 



80 In 1590 part of the land (26 acres) 

 was granted to Peter Heywood and Mary 

 [Margery] his wife, daughter and co-heir 

 of Roger Gartside, who in 1626 were re- 

 presented by their son Robert Heywood ; 

 Surv. of 1626 (p. 8). Margery Hey- 

 wood, widow of Peter, had died in 1602, 

 holding six messuages, &c., in Castleton 

 of John Holt of Stubley, and leaving a 

 son and heir Robert, then aged twenty- 

 nine ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xviii, 

 no. 47. 



31 He is described as 'grandson of 

 Charles Holt of Stubley,' and held 72 

 acres ; Surv. 7. Thus he was not the 

 Robert son of Thomas of the fine of 1579 

 quoted above. 



Charles Holt appears as purchaser from 

 James Chadwick in 1564; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 26, m. 196, 239. He 

 had a messuage and lands in Castleton 

 in 1574, which in the following year 

 he granted for life to Ottiwell Holt, 

 Isabel his wife, and Alexander his son ; 

 ibid. bdle. 36, m. 134 ; 37, m. 93. Otti- 

 well Holt was of Brimrod ; the pedigree 

 is given (Holt of Mosside, Marland) in 

 Fishwick, Rochdale, 330-3. 



82 Surv. 7 ; he held 64 acres. 



John Holt had in 1577 perhaps by 

 purchase from the heirs of Henry Holt 

 an estate of eight messuages, lands, &c., 

 in Balderstone, Castleton, and Hunders- 

 field ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 39, 

 m. 139. Charles Holt in the following 

 year purchased land from John Talbot and 

 Robert his bastard son ; ibid. bdle. 40, m. 

 68. John Talbot and Mary his wife had in 

 1566 sold a messuage and lands in Balder- 

 stone and Kirkholt to George Cowper, and 



