A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



and Richard was living in I3io. w He was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Robert, 30 who had a son Richard 

 married to Joan, daughter of John de Heaton, 31 and 

 other children. Though a considerable number of 

 the family deeds have been preserved the history of 

 the manor is unknown for about thirty years, 32 from 

 1350 to 1380, and then another Robert de Pilkington 

 is found in possession. His parentage is not stated. 33 

 His first wife was Alice, daughter of Adam de Hulton ; 

 and then he married Alice de Astley ; but in 1379 



this union was dissolved, on the allegation of kinship 

 with his first wife ; M and Robert soon afterwards 

 married Katherine, daughter of John de Ainsworth, 

 then settled near the Peak. 35 



Their son Alexander succeeded to the manor about 

 14-O3, 36 and in 1420 was found to hold seven parts of 

 Rivington of Sir John de Pilkington in socage by the 

 service of 5/. yearly. 37 He married Katherine, 

 daughter of Richard de Crook, and was succeeded 

 by his son Ralph. 38 From his first wife, Margery 



29 Richard de Pilkington acquired land 

 between Tunstead Brook and Baxton- 

 dene water from Roger son of Simon del 

 Knoll ; and he made a grant to Godith, 

 Simon's widow ; Towneley MS. GG, no. 

 1662, 1918 ; also no. 2051, 2052. In 

 1310 Richard del Knoll demised to Richard 

 de Pilkington, for ten years, all his land 

 in Rivington ; ibid. no. 2000. 



80 Robert was a minor at his father's 

 death, and in 1318 took action against 

 Robert son of John de Ditton and Ellen 

 his wife for an account of his lands which 

 they had held whilst he was under age 5 

 De Banco R. 222, no. 232. In the pre- 

 vious year he had acquired from Richard 

 son of John del Knoll all his land at the 

 Knoll in Rivington ; Towneley MS. GG, 

 no. 1914. In 1322 Robert and his 

 brother Adam agreed to waive their 

 actions against John de Ditchfield and 

 his brothers Richard and William ; ibid, 

 no. 1866. Robert occurs again in 1330, 

 1333, and 1335 ; no. 1958, 1955, 1714. 

 He contributed to the subsidy in 1332; 

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

 Ches.), 31. 



He enfeoffed Alexander son of Cecily of 

 his manor of Rivington in 1336, and it 

 was regranted to him ten days later with 

 remainders to his son Richard, and in 

 default of issue to John and William, 

 brothers of Richard ; Towneley MS. GG, 

 no. 1730, 1675. Robert was still living in 

 1347 ; Assize R. 1435, m. 18. 



81 The settlement referred to in the 

 last note was made just after Richard's 

 marriage, and Robert de Pilkington on 

 the same occasion granted Richard and 

 Joan certain lands in Rivington. The 

 bounds began at 'the oak in the lane,' 

 went along the lane to Tunstead Brook, 

 beyond the brook to the hedge dividing 

 Goose Hey and Fernylea, along the hedge 

 to Baxtondene Water, down this to the 

 boundary between Anderlon and Riving- 

 ton, and then by the boundary of Broad- 

 hurst to the starting-point. The re- 

 mainders are the same as before, except 

 that Margaret, a daughter, is inserted ; 

 Towneley MS. GG, no. 1678. 



In 1330 Alice, widow of Roger son of 

 Simon del Knoll, released to Richard son 

 of Robert de Pilkington all her right in 

 Rivington ; ibid. no. 2075. Richard 

 occurs again in 1346 and 1347; no. 

 1903 ; Assize R. 1435, m. 18. 



82 John de Pilkington of Rivington was 

 witness to a local charter in 1367; 

 Towneley MS. GG, no. 1870. He was 

 no doubt the younger brother of Richard 

 mentioned in the remainders in 1336, and 

 may have been a trustee in possession. 



An incident of this period may be 

 recorded. Ralph de Pennington, clerk, 

 prosecuted two men called ' Baxton men ' 

 in 1375 for digging in his quarry at 

 Rivington ; De Banco R. 457, m. 381 d. 



83 Col. Pilkington (op. cit. 36) con- 

 siders that he was a younger son of Sir 

 Roger de Pilkington of Pilkington, and 

 that the silence is explained by Robert's 



constant service abroad. As there is no 

 evidence of any grant from the older 

 Robert to the younger, it is more prob- 

 able that the descent of the manor was 

 regular, and that the second Robert was 

 grandson and heir of the former one. 

 Robert Pilkington of Rivington was a 

 witness in the Scrope-Grosvenor trial, 

 1385-9. He was then aged forty or 

 more, and had seen Sir Robert Grosvenor 

 use the disputed coat at the taking of the 

 tower of Brosses and at La Roche sur Yon 

 about 1369, and all through that expedi- 

 tion ; Sir H. Nicolas' Scrape Roll, 302 

 (quoted by Col. Pilkington, op. cit. 66). 

 In 1386 one Robert de Pilkington went to 

 Ireland, having the king's protection ; 

 Cal. Pat. 1385-9, p. 156. 



" Towneley MS. GG, no. 1785 ; 

 decree of divorce between Robert and 

 Alice. The first marriage if it was a 

 marriage, about which there is some doubt 

 took place about 1360. The reason is 

 given in proceedings concerning the third 

 marriage ; no. 2055. There was issue of 

 the first (or second) marriage, for in 

 1445 Robert de Bolton claimed the manor 

 of Rivington as son and heir of Imania, 

 daughter and heir of Alice and Robert ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 8, m. i6b. In 

 1385 Robert de Pilkington agreed that 

 his daughter Imania should marry Roger 

 son of Robert de Bolton, lord of Little 

 Bolton ; Mr. W. H. Lever's D. (note by 

 Col. Pilkington). Roger son of Robert de 

 Bolton in 1408 gave a receipt for part of 

 a debt of 25 marks due by Alexander de 

 Pilkington ; GG, no. 1660. 



85 Some account of the Ainsworth 

 family is given under Middleton. The 

 marriage agreement was made in Aug. 

 1382, in which it was recited that as 

 Katherine was nearly related to Alice de 

 Hulton, John her father should seek a 

 dispensation from the Court of Rome ; 

 GG, no. 1843. He appears to have 

 neglected to do so, and it was not until 

 they had been married many years that 

 the dispensation was sought ; it was 

 granted by Boniface IX in 1401. On 

 receipt of his decree the Bishop (of Lich- 

 field) made the usual inquiry by the 

 Abbot of Whalley and the Prior of Bur- 

 scough, and the latter absolved the parties 

 and confirmed the marriage on 10 June 

 1403; Lich. Epis. Reg. vii, fol. 210; 

 Towneley MS. GG, no. 2055. It was 

 recorded that Robert and Katherine were 

 married at Castleton Church in Nov. 

 1382, between the third hour and the 

 ninth (or, between terce and none), in the 

 presence of a number of relatives and 

 friends, and after due publication of banns 

 at Bolton and Castleton. 



About the middle of 1402 a settlement 

 was made by Robert de Pilkington and 

 Katherine daughter of John de Ains- 

 worth, who is not called Robert's wife, 

 no doubt on account of the proceedings 

 mentioned above. The remainders after 

 their deaths were to Robert's sons : 

 Alexander, Richard, William, Robert, 



288 



Roger, John, and Ewan ; then t 

 Richard son of Henry de Pilkington, and 

 then to Sir Roger de Pilkington ; ibid, 

 no. 1716. A later one was made in Nov* 

 1402 ; ibid. no. 1668. 



Robert seems to have died shortly after 

 this, for the executors of his will were 

 discharged, after the performance of their 

 duty, in October 1403 ; no. 1920. 



86 In June 1402 Robert de Pilkington 

 gave to Alexander his son and Katherine 

 his wife, daughter of Richard del Crook 

 of Whittle, certain lands in Rivington 

 which he had acquired from Roger de- 

 Barton and Alice his wife, and from 

 Robert del Knoll, &c. ; ibid. no. 2076, 

 2077, 1682, 1683, 1705. The manor of 

 Rivington and all its appurtenances had 

 been granted by Robert to his son in 

 1398, no. 1677, 1731 ; but see also no, 

 1683, 1707, 1733, 1734. 



Inquiry was in 1407 ordered into a 

 complaint by Robert Union that Alexan- 

 der de Pilkington, Katherine his wife, 

 and Ralph his son had disseised him of 

 his free tenement in Rivington ; no. 

 1666. The date (8 Hen. IV) may be 

 erroneous ; in 1428 (7 Hen. VI) Alex- 

 ander agreed to Robert Union's claim to 

 the Knoll; no. 1741. In 1441 a similar 

 agreement was made by Alexander's son 

 Ralph; no. 1758. The dispute wa* 

 amicably settled before 1436 ; no. 1688, 

 In 1447 Robert Union released all actions 

 against Alexander de Pilkington ; no 

 1972. 



8 7 Lanes. Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 25, 26* 

 The rent, which is thai for half, not 

 seven-eighths, of the manor does not agree 

 with ihe other records quoted above. 



Alexander de Pilkington occurs fre- 

 quently until 1473, an< ^ he seems to have 

 died in the following year. In 1429 he 

 made a settlemenl of his lands in Riving- 

 ton and Mellor ; Towneley MS. GG, 

 no. 1698, 1723. Again, in 1460, he 

 made a feoffment of the manor of 

 Rivington ; no. 1699. In 1473 Peter 

 Shutlleworth and others became bound to 

 him in 20 ; no. 1810. In the following 

 year Giles Lever, vicar of Bolton, and 

 others made formal teslimony 'lhat 

 Alexander Pilkinglon of Rivington, lying 

 on his deathbed, being in good mind, was 

 examined by the said vicar his ghostly 

 father if ever he had made any bargain, 

 annuity, or gift of any of his lands and 

 tenements in Lancashire or in Mellor ' 

 except for a term of years ; and in reply 

 he swore before all of them thai he had i 

 nol done so, but thai his lands would 

 descend to the right heirs of his body j 

 no. 1717 (dated 14 Hen. IV for Edw. 

 IV). 



Alexander had a daughter Clemence, 

 who married Sir Lawrence Fitton, dead 

 in 1460 ; no. 1942. 



88 See a preceding note. Ralph son of 

 Alexander Pilkington occurs in 1459-60, 

 and in 1468 made a lease of lands in. 

 Rivinglon to Edmund Crosse ; ibid. no_ 

 1679, 2006, 1681. 



