SALFORD HUNDRED 



BOLTON-LE-MOORS 



ton 40 probably received theirs from their former 

 owners. The Wood family was long resident in the 

 township ; pedigrees were recorded in 1613 and 

 1 665." Another family, named Green, also appear 

 among the freeholders in the 1 6th century." Several 

 of the landowners of the district had small estates in 

 Turton. 4 * Birchwood gave a name to its ancient 

 owners. 44 The names of John Horrocks " and John 

 Yate 46 occur in the inquisitions. 47 



The freeholders in 1600 were William Orrell, 

 Ralph Green, Richard Wood, and Walmsley. 48 



The returns of 1 788 show that the lands of Mordecai 

 Greene paid more than half the tax ; the other estates 

 were small, those of John Orrell and the Rev. Thomas 

 Rothwell being the most considerable. 49 



The court leet records begin in 1737 ; the last 

 court is said to have been held in I85O. 40 



There are two ancient chapels in the 

 CHURCH township, one at Turton itself, close to 

 the eastern boundary, and the other at 

 Walmsley, on the western border, to the north of 

 the modern hamlet of Egerton. The free chapel of 

 Turton was in 1523-4 in the gift of Ralph Orrell, 

 and James Anderton was then incumbent. 41 The 

 ornaments remaining in 1552 were claimed by John 

 Orrell as heirlooms. 42 Arthur Pilkington was the 

 priest in charge in 1542, 1548, and 1554; he was 

 also there in 1563 and 1565, but was then * decrepit ' 

 or ' sick,' 43 so that it is uncertain to what extent the 

 chapel remained in use for a time ; about 1 6 1 o, how- 

 ever, it was ' well supplied with the ministry.' S1 

 Humphrey Chetham, on acquiring the manor, rebuilt 

 the chapel in 1630, and bequeathed money for a 

 small library ; the books, chained to the shelves, are 





ghaw claimed a similar tenement against 

 Alan and his son Henry, and received 

 seisin ; Assize R. 1238, m. 34 d. 



Sireda wife of Richard de Edgeworth 

 failed in her claim for dower in a mes- 

 suage and half oxgang in Turton, made in 

 1292 against John de Birkenshaw ; Assize 

 R. 408, m. 3. At the same time Henry 

 son of Richard de Birkenshaw claimed 

 common of pasture against Henry de 

 Torbock and Ellen his wife ; ibid. m. 62. 



40 The will of Ralph Egerton of Turton, 

 1702, mentions his grandsons Charles and 

 Ralph Mainwaring 5 his son-in-law John 

 Cross (of Over Darwen) was to have 15 

 a year during his imprisonment at Lan- 

 caster, and several children of John Cross 

 are named ; his granddaughter Elizabeth 

 Bradshaw was 'well provided for.' A 

 tuition bond for John Cross's children is 

 dated 1706. See Abram, Blackburn, 504. 



41 To the pedigree of 1613 (Visit. Chet. 

 Soc. 49) are brief notes of some family 

 charters. By one of these Henry de 

 Huton granted to William son of Alex- 

 ander de Subosco, with Agnes his daughter, 

 land in the Wood, as in the charter of 

 Godfrey de Bullinges. In 1345 Alexander 

 del Wood was refeoffed of land in Turton, 

 with remainder to his son Henry and his 

 issue by Margery his wife, daughter of 

 Henry de Bradshaw. Roger son and heir 

 of Alexander del Wood granted lands in 

 Turton to Margery de Coldcotes. 



Alexander del Wood was a defendant 

 to a Turton pasture claim in 1285 ; 

 Assize R. 1271, m. 12. He gave land in 

 Sharpies to Henry his son ; far. Coll. 

 (Hist. MSS. Com.), ii, 13. 



A pleading of 1560 gives the names of 

 the following persons as having rights of 

 common on Turton Moor : Christopher 

 Horrocks, Thomas Asshaw, Roger Brown- 

 low, Anthony Green, John Isherwood, 

 Richard Wood, and Peter Worthington ; 

 Ducatut Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 244, 246, 

 printed in Scholes' Supplement, 18, 19. 



John Wood died in 1619 holding two 

 messuages and 60 acres of John Orrell, 

 by 31. rent. Richard, his son and heir, 

 was over forty years of age ; Lanes. Inq. 

 p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 159. 



See also Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 



335- 



These Woods were probably ancestors 

 of Anthony A Wood, the Oxford historian, 

 for his family had been friends of the 

 Worthingtons of Blainscough, who had 

 land in Turton. 



Catherine Chetham was described as 

 of the Wood' in Oct. 1671 ; Clowes D. 

 She was the widow of George Chetham. 



48 In 1 505 a settlement was made of 

 the estate of Ralph Green and Margaret 

 his wife in Turton and Pleasington ; the 

 remainders were to their children James 

 and Lettice, and to the right heirs of Mar- 

 garet ; Final Cone, iii, 157. Anthony 

 Green had closes called Marled Earth and 

 Over Meadow in 1532; Duchy Plead. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 8, 9. In 

 1563 Anthony Green held lands in Turton 

 of John Orrell, by 6J. rent and doing suit 

 at the court of the manor ; Scholes' Sup- 

 plement, 20 (Ducatus, ii, 293). In 1569 

 he made a settlement of his lands in Tur- 

 ton, Westleigh, and Golborne ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 31, m. 91. His 

 dispute with John Orrell was continued 

 in 1572 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 232, m. 

 14. 



Ralph Green died in 1610, holding a 

 messuage and lands in Turton of William 

 Orrell by 6d. rent ; also lands in West- 

 leigh and Golborne. Anthony, his son 

 and heir, was over forty years of age ; 

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

 Ches.), i, 193. 



Among other names may be mentioned 

 that of Howell, which occurs in 1332 ; 

 Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), 40. James Howell was pardoned 

 an outlawry at the suit of Christopher 

 Worthington in 1444 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. 



*1 A PP- 538. 



William del More of Kirkdale held 

 land in Turton in 1409 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. 

 (Chet. Soc.), i, 93. 



A settlement by John Tailor and 

 Cecily his wife was made in 1415, with 

 remainder to a bastard branch of the 

 Bradshaghs of Haigh ; Final Cone, iii, 73. 

 There was a dispute in 1688 between 

 Richard Taylor and John Parkinson re- 

 specting lands in Turton ; Excb, Dep. 

 (Rec. Soc.), 73. 



43 The Byrons of Clayton had land 

 there in 1441 ; Final Cone, iii, 106. The 

 Bartons of Smit hills also ; ibid, iii, 158. 

 Lands in Turton continued to be 

 reckoned among their possessions, but the 

 tenure is not stated distinctly ; e.g. Lanes. 

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

 i, 211. The Entwisles had land held of 

 the Orrells in socage by a rent of i8</. ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no. 30. 

 The Worthingtons of Blainscough also 

 held lands of the Orrells in socage ; ibid, 

 vi, no. 52, &c. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 173. Leonard 

 Asshaw had lands in Turton held of 

 William Orrell by 4^. rent ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no. ii. 



Sir James Harrington of Westleigh died 



279 



in 1497 *eised of land in Turton held 

 by services unknown ; ibid, iii, no. 40. 

 It became the property of the Treshams 

 John Tresham having married Isabel, 

 one of the co-heirs and a sale or feoff- 

 ment of it was made in 1571 by Thomas 

 Tresham and Meriella his wife ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 33, m. 105. Alex- 

 ander Rigby (1621) and Christopher 

 Norris (1639) in the next century each 

 had a small estate in Turton ; the former 

 held of John Orrell by a rent of \d. 

 probably the old Asshaw estate ; and the 

 latter, of Humphrey Chetham by a rent of 

 6</. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxv, no. 

 31 ; xxx, no. 36. 



44 Roger de Birchwood gave all his land 

 in Turton to Robert son of Thomas de 

 Longworth in 1297 ; Towneley MS. 

 DD, no. 699. Roger's brother Henry is 

 named. 



The bounds of Birchwood began at 

 Redclough Head. In 1381 Henry son of 

 Henry de Birchwood made a feoffment of 

 his estate ; ibid. no. 720. These deeds 

 were among the evidences of Livesey of 

 Livesey. 



45 John Horrocks died 13 May 1592, 

 holding two messuages, &c., of William 

 Orrell in socage by a rent of zs. ^d. ; 

 Christopher, his son and heir, was thirty- 

 one years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. xvi, no. 32. 



46 John Yate died at Yatebank 14 May 

 1632, holding of Edward Mosley j acre 

 called the Hollins, lately improved from 

 the waste, by the three-hundredth part of 

 a knight's fee. Anne Yate, his daughter 

 and heir, was four months old, and Isabel 

 his widow afterwards married Osbal- 

 deston ; ibid, xxvii, no. 15. Sir Edward 

 Osbaldeston in 1637 held an acre in 

 Turton ; ibid, xxvii, no. 1 5. 



4 7 Accounts of Whittle Tenement and 

 the Batteridge will be found in Scholes, 

 Turton Documents, 88, 105. 



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

 i, 246, 249-51. 



49 Land tax returns at Preston. 



50 Scholes, Turron Tower, 25, 40. Two 

 volumes of the records are in the possession 

 of Sir Lees Knowles, who has recently 

 published them. 



51 Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 25, quot- 

 ing Duchy of Lane. Dep. Hen. VIII, x, 

 R 7 . 



62 Ibid. 24. 



68 Visitation Lists at Chester. There 

 was a dispute as to the road to the chapel 

 about 1600 ; Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 288. 



M Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 1 1. 



