A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



LONGWORTH of Long- 

 worth. Argent three 

 dragons' heads couped 

 sable. 



pedigrees were entered at the heralds' visitations in 

 1567* and i6i3. 6 Christopher Longworth died in 

 1608, holding various messuages and lands in Long- 

 worth, including a water-mill, of Rowland Mosley as 

 of his manor of Withington 

 by knight's service and 9^</. 

 rent. He also held lands in 

 Bolton. Thomas his son and 

 heir was twenty- three years 

 of age. 7 Thomas Longworth 

 and Dorothy his wife made 

 a settlement of the manor of 

 Longworth and lands there 

 and in Bolton in 1632.* Soon 

 afterwards, however, the manor 

 appears to have been sold 

 probably to Lacy, who recorded 

 a pedigree in 1664* and in 

 1738 it is named in a settle- 

 ment of the estates of William Hulton of Over 

 Hulton. 10 It afterwards descended regularly in this 

 family, 11 but in 1907 was purchased by the Corpora- 

 tion of Bolton in connexion with the town's water 

 supply. The Delph reservoir is now being formed 

 in Longworth. 



The Radcliffes of Radcliffe in 1 309 drew a rent 

 from Longworth." The freeholders in 1600 were 

 Christopher Longworth r.nd James Worthington. 13 



RIVINGTON 



Rowinton, Rawinton, Revington, 1202 ; Ruh- 

 winton, 1212 ; Riuiton, 1226 ; Rowynton, Rouyn- 

 ton, 1278 and common; Roynton, 1332; Rouyngton, 

 1400 ; Revyngton, Ryvington, xvi cent. 



The township occupies the western and northern 

 slopes of Winter Hill, which rises to the height of 

 1, 49 8 ft. near the meeting-place of the boundaries of 

 Rivington, Horwich, Halliwell, and Sharpies. A spur 

 of this hill shoots out westward and then southward, 

 terminating at the Pike or Peak, 1,15 8 ft. high ; from 

 this the ground slopes rapidly to the west and south, 

 and more gently to the south-east. On the Pike is a 



tower built in 1733, and said to mark the position 

 of an older beacon. 1 Fine views are obtained from 

 this point. The western boundary is about 3 miles 

 from north to south, and is formed by the reservoirs 

 of the Liverpool Waterworks, begun in 1 847, and 

 completed ten years later. 1 The area of the township 

 is 2,768 acres. 3 The population in 1901 numbered 

 421. 



The little village of Rivington, with its church and 

 chapel, lies near the embankment separating the upper 

 and lower reservoirs ; the hall is further to the east. 

 A large part of the hill-side, from the village to the 

 southern boundary, has been formed into a park, which 

 was in 1904 presented to the corporation of Bolton by 

 Mr. W. H. Lever, the present lord of the manor. 4 



The principal road is that along the foot of the hill 

 from Horwich to the village, where it is crossed by a 

 road from Anderton over the embankment and eastward 

 to Belmont and Bolton. There are some other old 

 roads, and new ones have been formed in connexion 

 with the great park. 



The River Douglas rises on Winter Hill and flows 

 south-west, forming part of the southern boundary ; 

 while the Yarrow, rising on the same hill, forms the 

 northern boundary. 



There were calico-printing works at Knoll. 61 Veins 

 of lead and calamine were formerly worked. 6 * The soil 

 is clayey, with subsoil of gravel, and grass is the chief 

 crop. 



On Noon Hill is an ancient mound. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



There were 62 hearths in this township liable to 

 the tax in 1666, but no house had as many as six 

 hearths in it. 7a 



The manor of RITINGTON in 1212 

 MANOR was held of the king in thegnage by the 

 Pilkingtons of Pilkington ; it was assessed 

 as 6 oxgangs of land, and a rent of los. was paid. 83 

 About the end of the I3th century an eighth part was 

 acquired by the Hulton family, so that in 1324 Roger 

 de Pilkington held seven-eighths of the manor at a rent 

 of 8/. 9</., and Richard de Hulton held the other 

 eighth by it. 3</. 9a This partition appears again in 



heir was his grandson Thomas (son of 

 Nicholas) Longworth, who was of full age 

 when the inquisition was taken in 1448 ; 

 Lanes. Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 36, 37*?. 



Lettice widow of Thomas Longworth 

 in 1446 claimed dower in six messuages 

 and various lands in Longworth, Bolton, 

 and Thornton-in-Sefton against Thomas 

 Longworth of Longworth ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Plea R. 9, m. i8i. 



An arbitration was agreed on in 14.62 

 respecting lands in Longworth within the 

 vill of Withington between Robert and 

 Peter Longhals on one side and on the 

 other Richard Southworth, John Brad- 

 shaw and Elizabeth his wife, Thomas 

 Longworth and others ; the lands had 

 lately belonged to one Thomas Long, 

 worth; Kuerden fol. MS., P 316, no. 

 676. 



There was a dispute in 1530 between 

 Orrell of Turton and others and 

 Thofna"S!l ( L on S wort h (or his heir) concern- 

 ing the corr}Wln pasture called Longworth 

 Moor, and a greSftf waste or pasture called 

 Turton Moss 5 PaT^^f Lane. Sessional 

 Papers, Lent, 21 Hen.^iqiL A little 

 later Anthony Green claimettka right of 

 way in Longworth and Turton against 



Thomas Longworth ; Duchy Plead. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 8. 



5 Chet. Soc. p. 23. It begins with 

 Thomas Longworth, and proceeds : 8. 

 George s. Thomas, s. George, living 

 1567 sons Thomas, Alexander, Christo- 

 pher, Richard and five daughters. 



6 Chet. Soc. p. 40. It begins with the 

 George living in 1567, whose will was 

 proved in 1596 : s. Christopher, s. 

 Thomas, living 1613, whose wife was 

 Dorothy Hudleston. 



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

 Ches.), i, 115. The dependence of Long- 

 worth on Withington immediately has 

 received evidence from a deed of 1462 

 quoted above. 



8 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 119, no. 



35- 



9 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 171 ; 

 Thomas Lacy, the first of Longworth, had 

 married a daughter of Adam Hulton of 

 Hulton, who may then have been the 

 owner. 



10 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 321, m. 3. 



11 See the account of Over Hulton. 

 William Hulton appears to have been sole 

 proprietor in 1794 and 1799 ; Land tax 

 returns at Preston. 



286 



13 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 5. Henry de Traffbrd seems to 

 have been their tenant ; De Banco R. 179, 

 m. 206. 



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

 i, 247. 



1 The ' beacon upon Rivington Hill ' is 

 mentioned in 1591 ; Hist. MSS. Com. 

 Rep. xiv, App. iv, 603. 



2 W. F. Irvine, Ri-vington, 149-53. The 

 portion of the reservoirs and filter beds 

 within the township occupies about 275 

 acres. 



8 The 1901 Census Rep. gives 2,771, 

 including 218 of inland water. 



4 Mr. Lever's gift also includes the 

 beacon tower on the Pike and land around 

 it 



s ^_Baines, Lanes. Dir. 1825, ii, 670. 



6a Lewis, Topog. Diet., ed. 1831. 



7a Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9. 



83 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 67. In this account 

 of the township great help has been 

 derived from Mr. W. Fergusson Irvine's 

 Hist, of Ri-vington (1904), and Lieut.-Col. 

 J. Pilkington's Hist, of the Pilkington Family 

 (1894), and the authors' further aid. 



te Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 37^. 



