A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The principal road is that crossing the township 

 near the centre to join the roads from Bolton to Hor- 

 wich and from Bolton to Chorley, on the north and 

 south respectively. The Lancashire and Yorkshire 

 Company's line from Bolton to Preston runs west 

 through the centre, and the same company's line from 

 Bolton to Wigan crosses the south-east corner. 



In 1666 William Yate had to pay the tax for 

 twenty hearths in Lostock Hall ; there were only 

 thirty other hearths in the township liable, and no 

 house had more than three hearths. 3 



During the 1 2th century LOSTOCK 

 M4NOR was with the adjoining Rumworth a mem- 

 ber of the Manchester barony, and the 

 two were by the younger Albert Grelley given to 

 Thomas de Pierpoint as the third part of a knight's 

 fee. Together they were assessed as three plough- 

 lands, Lostock by itself being one. 4 Richard de Pier- 



point, the heir of Thomas, held both in 1205,* and 

 probably in 1212 ; he was a benefactor of Cockersand 

 Abbey. 6 Afterwards they descended to Thomas de 

 Pierpoint, 7 who was twice married ; by his first wife 

 Margery he left a daughter Alice, and by his second, 

 Margaret, a son and heir Richard and a daughter 

 Ameria. Richard succeeded his father, but died 

 without issue; whereupon Ameria, wife of William de 

 Anderton, claimed as sole heir of her brother, the 

 elder sister, being only of the half blood, not having a 

 share. 8 The Hultons succeeded. 9 Their inheritance 

 was afterwards divided ; 10 Lostock became a manor of 

 the Athertons of Atherton, 11 and was sold by Sir John 

 Atherton in 1562 to Christopher Anderton. 12 



The new owner, son of Lawrence Anderton, was a 

 lawyer. 18 In religion he went with the times, at least 

 externally, being engaged in making a great fortune ; 

 but his wife adhered to the Romish faith. 14 He died 



8 Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9. 



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

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 55 ; the date lies 

 between 1162 and 1180. Lostock like 

 Rumworth continues to appear among the 

 Manchester manors until the beginning of 

 the i 7th century. 



6 Richard de Pierpoint occurs in tlie 

 Pipe Roll of 1177-8; probably he was 

 the heir of Thomas ; Farrer, Lanes. Pipe 

 R. 38. The same or a later Richard, as 

 tenant, in 1205 surrendered to Robert 

 Grelley 40 acres of wood in Lostock and 

 Rumworth, for which he received a gold 

 ring ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 24 ; Curia Regis R. 33. The 

 name of the tenant in 1212 is not re- 

 corded, but Richard de Pierpoint was one 

 of the jury ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 2. 

 He also had a portion of Ince near Wigan; 

 ibid. 74. 



6 His grant included 'all the buildings 

 of Robert the Clerk of Lostock,' and the 

 bounds were marked by crosses and other 

 signs ; the Blacklache and the Gnat Brook 

 are named ; Cockersand Cbartul. (Chef. 

 Soc.), ii, 716. 



7 Richard de Pierpoint held it in 1242 ; 

 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 154. Thomas 

 de Pierpoint occurs in 1254 ; ibid. 193. 



8 This statement of the descent is 

 given in a plea of 1283 and 1285 by the 

 elder daughter Alice ; and again in one of 

 1314, by which Richard Smult and Alice 

 his wife claimed a moiety of the manors 

 of Lostock and Rumworth, Alice being a 

 daughter and heir of Thomas de Pier- 

 point who was seised in the time of 

 Edward I. The defendant was Ameria, 

 the other daughter and heir, wife of Wil- 

 liam son of William de Anderton, and 

 later of Robert del Birks ; De Banco R. 

 50, m. 4d ; 60, m. 70 ; 206, m. 232. 



Richard son of Thomas de Pierpoint 

 was defendant in 1276 ; Assize R. 1238, 

 m. 31. As early as 1282 William son of 

 William de Anderton and his wife Ameria 

 were in possession of the manors ; Lanes. 

 Inq. and Extents, i, 248. In 1288 a 

 settlement was made of the manor of 

 Lostock by William and Ameria ; it was 

 to descend to the latter's heirs ; Final 

 Cone. \, 164. 



At a somewhat earlier date, 1279, 

 William de Anderton claimed a messuage, 

 two mills, two plough-lands, and two ox- 

 gangs in Lostock and Rumworth against 

 Robert Grelley and Alexander de Pilking- 

 ton, both parties claiming under a demise 

 by Thomas de Pierpoint ; De Banco R. 

 28, m. 38 d ; 30, m. 34. The other four 



oxgangs were probably held in dower, for 

 in 1292 Cecily wife of John de Bradshaw 

 had dower in Rumworth ; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 9 ; while in 1313 Margery wife of 

 Stephen de Hamerton and widow of 

 Robert de Cunliffe, the feoffee of 1288, 

 claimed dower in both manors ; De Banco 

 R. 204, m. 98. William de Anderton 

 was still tenant in 1302 ; Lanes. Inq. and 

 Extents, i, 314. 



9 By fine in 1310 Ameria, widow of 

 William de Anderton acknowledged the 

 manors to be the right of Richard de 

 Hulton, for which he granted them to 

 Ameria and her issue ; in default to re- 

 vert to Richard and his heirs ; Final Cone. 

 ii, 4. The meaning seems to be that 

 Ameria, having no children, sold the 

 manors of Lostock and Rumworth to 

 Richard ; possibly Richard was her nearest 

 kinsman. 



Ten years later Richard de Hulton was 

 found to hold the third part of a knight's 

 fee in Rumworth and Lostock by homage, 

 fealty, and suit of court, worth 35. \.d. a 

 year ; paying 41. 6d. sake fee and 3*. 6J. 

 castle ward, and giving puture of the ser- 

 jeants and foresters ; Mamecestre (Chet. 

 Soc.), ii, 288. Lostock, as one plough- 

 land, contributed a third of the services, 

 and the puture was commuted into an 

 annual payment of 161. ; ibid, ii, 377. 



10 Rumworth became part of the estate 

 of the Hultons of Farn worth, as may be 

 seen in the account of that township. 

 They continued to hold lands in Lostock 

 also. John Hulton died in 1487 holding 

 a messuage, 40 acres of land, &c., in Los- 

 tock of the lord of Manchester by services 

 not known to the jurors ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. iii, no. 26. In the case of 

 William Hulton, who died in 1556, the 

 lands in Lostock were regarded as appur- 

 tenant to the manor of Rumworth, the 

 old service of the third part of a knight's 

 fee and 4*. 6d. rent being recorded ; ibid. 

 x, no. 32. The Hultons in 1 588 and later 

 years appear to have sold all or most of 

 their lands in Lostock and Rumworth by 

 degrees to Christopher Anderton and his 

 son James ; see Anderton of Lostock Evi- 

 dences (Stonor deeds), no. 49-54, 65 ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 51, m. 17. 



11 The origin of the Athertons' estate 

 is not clear. In 1353 Sir William de 

 Atherton and Henry del Halgh were 

 shown to have disseised Thomas son of 

 Margery de Bury of the manor of Lostock 

 in Rumworth. It was found that Wil- 

 liam son of Alan de Atherton had held 

 the manor, and had granted it to Alex- 



296 



ander dc Atherton for life, then to Roger 

 de Atherton and his issue male, in default 

 successively to Hugh, John, and Thomas, 

 sons of Roger ; the inheritance at last 

 coming to Thomas son of Roger, other- 

 wise son of Margery de Bury, who re- 

 covered his seisin ; Assize R. 435, m. 29. 



The ' manor of Lostock ' held by the 

 Athertons in 1414 was the estate of 

 Cockersand Abbey, in which they seem to 

 have succeeded the Lostock family, hold- 

 ing it by the old rent of izJ. ; Sir Wil- 

 liam Atherton held two-thirds in the year 

 mentioned, and Margaret the widow of 

 Robert Atherton held the other third, the 

 total value being 12 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. 

 (Chet. Soc.), i, 107 ; Cockersand Chartul. 

 loc. sup. cit. Though this estate may have 

 given the title of manor, the Athertons 

 also held about two-thirds of that part of 

 Lostock which was held of the barons of 

 Manchester, for in 1473 out of the sake 

 fee of 180". John Atherton of Atherton 

 contributed nd. and also did suit to the 

 court of Manchester, &c.; Mamecestre, 480. 

 In the inquisition after the death of John 

 Atherton, who died in 1488, the Cocker- 

 sand estate is not mentioned, and he is 

 stated to have held the manor of Lostock 

 and lands in Rumworth and Heaton of 

 Sir Thomas West, Lord La Warre, as of 

 his manor of Manchester, by fealty and 

 the rent of lid. ; the clear yearly value 

 was 10 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 

 no. 39. Similar statements are made in 

 the later inquisitions ; ibid, v, no. 12 ; viii, 

 no. 40. 



12 Anderton Evidences, no. 16-19, 21 5 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 24, m. 96. 

 The sale included the manor of Lostock 

 alias Lostock Hall, and messuages and 

 lands in Lostock, Rumworth, and Hea- 

 ton, with water-mill, dovecote, &c. The 

 manor was included in a settlement made 

 in 1583 ; ibid. bdle. 45, m. 25. 



18 The parentage of Lawrence Anderton 

 is not known, but in the marriage settle- 

 ment of 1583 the remainders, after Chris- 

 topher's issue and the heirs of his father 

 Lawrence, were to William Anderton of 

 Anderton and Peter his brother, and then 

 to Anderton of Clayton ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Plea R. 255, m. 7-9; Anderton Evi- 

 dences, no. 46. Similar remainders were 

 ordained in 1592 ; ibid. no. 64. 



For an account of the family, see T. E. 

 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 49-83, 165-6. 



14 Lydiate Hall, 57-8, where is quoted 

 the statement of one George Dingley, a 

 priest who turned informer : ' Mrs. An- 

 derton of Lostock, is lately [1592] a 



