A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



was of full age. 81 The fortunes of the family were 

 declining, and after the death of George's son and 

 heir Robert in 1605," the estates were sold. 



SEAL OF RIVINGTON SCHOOL, 1566 



The arms are those of Bishop James Pilkington, 

 who bore Urgent a cross patonce voided gules, on a 

 chief vert three suns or, impaled ivith the cross and 

 lions of the bishopric of Durham, 



The Pilkington manor was purchased in 1611 by 

 Robert Lever of Darcy Lever and Thomas Breres of 

 Preston. 53 The former, who died in 1620, left his 



moiety of the manor and Old Hall, with appurtenances, 

 to his younger son Robert, a great benefactor of Bolton 

 School. 54 Dying unmarried Robert's estate went to a 

 son of his elder brother James, a third Robert Lever. 55 

 The new possessor lived on till 1688, when by his 

 will his lands, &c., in Rivington, Heath Charnock, and 

 Walton-le-Dale went to his daughter Jane, who had 

 married John Andrews of Little Lever in I648. 56 

 Their heir was their son John, whose son and heir, 

 also John Andrews, purchased the other moiety of the 

 manor in 1729." 



This second moiety descended from Thomas Breres, 

 who died in i6i7, 53 to his son Thomas. On his 

 death in 1673 Thomas Breres was followed by his 

 brother John, a clergyman, sometime incumbent of 

 Chorley. 59 The Breres family lived at Rivington, 

 and several stones bear the initials of William Breres, 

 the son and heir of John, and his wife Martha, show- 

 ing their alterations in the hall buildings. William 

 died in 1723, and his son John sold his moiety of the 

 manor in 1729, as stated above. 60 



After their purchase the Andrews family seem to 

 have removed from Little Lever to Rivington. 61 John 

 Andrews, the purchaser, died in I743, 63 and was suc- 

 ceeded by his daughter Abigail, wife of Joseph Wilson 

 of Bolton. In 1765, in default of issue, the estate 

 reverted to the male line, the heir being Robert 

 Andrews, grandson of Abigail's uncle Robert. The 

 new owner pulled down the old hall and built the 

 present house. On his death in 1793 the manor 

 descended to his eldest son Robert, who died un- 

 married in 1858, then to the younger son John, who 



of Piers' brother Henry Bradley ; Towne- 

 ley MS. GG, no. 1713. 



For the family picture above mentioned, 

 showing Richard Pilkington, his wife and 

 children, see the account of the church, 

 infra. There are prints of it in the works 

 cited. 



81 The New Hall in Rivington and its 

 appurtenances, except the church and 

 churchyard and the water-mill, and mill 

 hill were in 1 544 granted by Richard 

 Pilkington to George, his son and heir, 

 and Anne his wife at a peppercorn rent ; 

 ibid. no. 1724. A settlement of the 

 manor of Rivington and lands in Riving- 

 ton, Heath Charnock, and Walton-le- 

 Dale was made in 1579 by George Pilk- 

 ington and Anne his wife ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 41, m. 203. George 

 appears to have purchased four messuages 

 and lands in Rivington and Heath Char- 

 nock in 1569 from Christopher Anderton 

 and Dorothy his wife ; ibid. bdle. 31, m. 

 53. In 1590 George Pilkington appears 

 as a plaintiff ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), 

 iii, 225. A little later, in 1596, he gave 

 lands, &c., in Walton-le-Dale to his son 

 and heir Robert ; Towneley MS. GG,no. 

 1722. He died soon afterwards. 



52 Robert in 1601 mortgaged the manor 

 and other estates to William Bispham, of 

 London, who took possession the follow- 

 ing year and held it till Robert's death on 

 '17 Nov. 1605. The manor of Rivington 

 was found, as already stated, to be held of 

 the kirtg in socage by 6s. T,d. rent. The 

 heir was Robert's brother James, and 

 sisters {Catherine and Alice were living ; 

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

 Ches.), i, 151-3. 



53 In July, 1611, by fine Robert Lever 

 and Thomas Breres secured from the 

 executors of Robert Pilkington's will and 

 James his heir, the manor of Rivington, 



and messuages, lands, water-mill, dove- 

 cote, &c., in Rivington, Walton-le-Dale, 

 and Heath Charnock ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 79, no. 7. 



A survey of the Old Hall estate, made 

 in 1610, is printed in Irvine, Rivington, 

 158-60. The New Hall was then in the 

 possession of Katherine Pilkington, sister 

 of Robert and James ; a water corn mill 

 and kiln was let at a rent of 1, six days' 

 ' shearing ' and five boon hens ; ' a fair 

 inn, with a fair new barn, stables, and 

 other necessary buildings,' brought in a 

 rent of 1 5$., and four days' shearing was 

 due. Chief rents were received as follows : 

 The heirs of Adam Bradshaw, 8<f. ; of 

 Robert Birkenhead, -id. ; of William Riv- 

 ington, a barbed arrow ; of Roger Broad- 

 hurst, 3< ; of Robert Shaw, id. ; of 

 Richard Knoll, ^d. ; and of Roger Riv- 

 ingta, nil. The extent of the demesne 

 was 80 J acres, to which 10 acres inclosed 

 from the common had been added ; the 

 other tenements comprised 155 acres. 



A survey made in 1627 is printed 

 ibid, i 6 i. 



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

 and Ches.), ii, 255-6. His will is printed 

 in Irvine, Rivington, 161-3 > he De " 

 queathed 40*. a year to ' the wages of a 

 preacher to be hired at Rivington.' 



To the subsidy of 1622 there con- 

 tributed 'for lands' Robert Lever and 

 Ellen Breres ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 152. 



85 Robert Lever's will is printed ibid. 

 1 66-8 ; it does not provide for the descent 

 of Rivington. For the Lever pedigree see 

 Dugdale's Vint. (Chet. Soc.), 186. 



66 Irvine, Rivington, 39-41, 177, where 

 an abstract of his will is given ; also of 

 that of his wife Frances, dated 1694. John 

 Andrews was a captain in the Parliament's 

 army during the Civil War, and one of 



290 



the elders of the Bury Presbyterian 

 Classis; ibid. 50, and Shaw, Bury Classis 

 (Chet. Soc.). 



8 ? Irvine, Rivington, 50, 51. 



88 Ibid. 41. An abstract of his will ii 

 given ; he also left 401. a year towards a 

 preacher for the church of Rivington. 



59 For the will of John Breres see ibid. 

 178. 



Ibid. 41-3, 48-50. 



In 1657 a fine was made between John 

 Breres, clerk, and Thomas Breres touch- 

 ing a moiety of the manor of Rivington ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 160, m. 20. 

 From the will of John Breres, clerk, the " 

 younger, made and proved in 1667, it 

 appears that he was the purchaser, and 

 had demised it for fifty years after the ' 

 death of his uncle Thomas, subject to 

 provisions for redeeming it ; Irvine, op. 

 cit. 173. In 1657 a John Breres was 

 appointed to be minister of the chapel of 

 Heapey ; Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Soc, 

 Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 201. The younger 

 John was son of the elder, and was ad- 

 mitted to St. John's College, Cambridge, 

 as a sizar in 1655, being then over eigh- 

 teen years of age ; he had been at school 

 at Burnley ; Admissions St. Jubn's Coll. i, 

 121. In the hearth tax of 1663 he paid 

 for three hearths while Thomas paid for 

 one only ; Irvine, op. cit. 47. 



Thomas Breres' will is printed, ibid. 

 1 74 ; he left the hall of Rivington, &c., 

 to trustees, and mentions his brother John 

 Breres. An abstract of John's will is 

 given ibid. 48. 



For the Andrews and Crompton tenure 

 see Irvine, op. cit. 51, 52, and the pedigree 

 in Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), iii, 230 ; 

 also Local Gleanings Lanes, and Cbes. ii, 

 240. 



62 His will is given by Mr. Irvine, op. 

 cit. 185. 



