A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



year. 18 On coming to the throne John confirmed his 

 grant in the same terms, 14 and in 1212 Hugh, called 

 ' de Blackrod,' was returned as tenant. 16 About 1217, 

 William, Earl Ferrers, was placed in possession, 16 but 

 in 1 22 1 the title of Hugh le Norreys was acknow- 

 ledged. 17 Hugh died soon afterwards, and in 1223 

 Hugh, his son and heir, became lord of Blackrod, 18 

 and appears in 1226 as paying 

 the 2Os. rent. 19 



From Hugh the manors of 

 Blackrod and Haigh appear to 

 have descended to his brother 

 Alan, who in turn was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Hugh. A 

 number of suits between dif- 

 ferent members of the family 

 establish the succession, and 



. j TT i BRADSHAGH. Argent 



Show that Robert de Hoi- three mullets between two 



land was also concerned in bendlets table. 



the manor. 10 The younger Hugh left a daughter 

 Mabel as his heir,* 1 and she, having no children, 

 diverted the succession to her m ^ m ^ ^__ 

 husband's family. Thus Black- 

 rod came into the possession 

 of Roger de Bradshagh of 

 Westleigh,** and descended 

 with the latter manor * $ till 

 the division of the Harrington 

 estates at the beginning of the 

 1 6th century." Of Blackrod 

 one portion was granted to 

 Henry Norris of Speke, who 

 appears to have been the heir 

 male of the family, and rejoiced 

 greatly to recover a part of the 



NORRIS. Quarterly 

 argent and gules, in the 

 second and third quarters 

 a fret or, over all afesse 

 azure. 



inheritance ; another part, with the advowson of the 

 chapel, to Richard Hoghton ; and a third share to 

 Sir William Stanley of Hooton." The Norrises in- 



18 Norris D. (B.M.), no. 1002 ; the 

 seal is broken. Hugh le Norreys also held 

 the adjacent manor of Haigh in Wigan, 

 and in 1194 is called Hugh de Haigh; 

 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 78. 



14 Cal. Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), 26 ; 

 dated loOct. 1199. Hugh offered lomarks 

 and two chasours for this confirmation of 

 his charter; Lanes. Pipe R. 116. It 

 appears that the old rent of Blackrod was 

 only ioj. ; ibid. 127. 



15 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 68. 



16 Ibid. 1 2 1-2. William Ferrers mar- 

 ried Margaret daughter and heir of Wil- 

 liam Peverel, and their great-grandson 

 William, Earl Ferrers, was placed in pos- 

 session of all the Peverel lands soon after 

 the accession of Hen. Ill ; Rot. Lit. Claus. 

 (Rec. Com.), i, 318,414. In 1324 the 

 ' Earl of Ferrers ' was supposed to be the 

 mesne lord of Blackrod ; Dods. MSS. 

 cxxxi, fol. 37^. 



*7 Rot. Lit. Claus. i, 480. 



18 He paid 10 marks for his relief, and 

 livery was ordered in May 1223 ; Excerpta 

 e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 103. 



19 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 133, 138. 



20 In 1278 Margery widow of Hugh 

 le Norreys claimed dower in Blackrod 

 against Hugh son of Margery de Haigh 

 (i.e. no doubt Hugh le Norreys son of 

 Alan), and against Cecily daughter of 

 Hugh le Norreys and Robert le Norreys ; 

 Cecily and Robert called Hugh le Norreys 

 of Haigh to warrant them ; De Banco R. 

 24, m. 47 ; 27, m. 54 d. ; 28, m. 35 d. ; 

 Cal. Close, 1272-9, p. 557. The same 

 plaintiff appeared against Hugh and Henry, 

 sons of Alan le Norreys and Robert de 

 Holland, claiming dower in 30 acres of 

 wood ; but the jury found that she had 

 received 2 oxgangs for her third of the 

 wood, except pannage and bees, and the 

 claim failed ; Assize R. 1238, m. 33. 



In another suit Emma daughter of 

 Hugh le Norreys claimed two messuages, 

 20 acres of land, &c., against Hugh le 

 Norreys, Robert le Holland, and Roger 

 Thunwath, when Hugh stated that his 

 uncle Hugh had died seised, and he, as 

 nephew and heir, had entered. The jury, 

 however, found that Hugh and Roger had 

 disseised Emma ; Robert de Holland was 

 not present ; ibid. m. 31 d. 



About the same time inquiry was made 

 if Hugh le Norreys had held 87 acres of 

 land and 19 acres of meadow, &c., in 

 Blackrod, which had come to his brother 

 Alan's son Hugh le Norreys ; and the jury 

 found that the elder Hugh had enfeoffed 



Alan son of Hugh le Norreys, Robert le 

 Norreys, Cecily daughter of Hugh le 

 Norreys, and Hugh son of Haynon (Anian) 

 le Waleys ; ibid. m. 33. 



In 1280 Robert le Norreys and Cecily 

 daughter of Hugh le Norreys claimed a 

 tenement in Blackrod against Hugh le 

 Norreys of Haigh ; De Banco R. 34, m. 8; 

 R. 36, m. 55. 



Hugh le Norreys in 1277 and 1283 

 made grants to his sister Emma and to 

 Robert, son of Alan le Norreys ; Norris D. 

 (B. M.), no. 1003-5. The seal shows 

 a fleur de lis, with the legend : + s' 



HVGONIS NORRAIS. 



In 1292 Margery widow of Alan le 

 Norreys (no doubt the Margery de Haigh 

 above named) was non-suited in claims 

 against Henry de Rockeley for dower in 

 certain lands, &c., in Blackrod. It was 

 alleged that Alan son of Hugh le Norreys 

 had granted them to the defendant and 

 his wife Ellen ; Assize R. 408, m. 5, 49 d. 



For further details of Alan le Norreys 

 see the accounts of Speke, Sutton, and 

 Formby. 



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

 Ches.), i, 185 ; ii, 9 ; settlements of the 

 manors of Haigh and Blackrod in 1298 

 and 1312 by William de Bradshagh and 

 Mabel his wife. 



John de Chisenhale in 1301 and 1302 

 claimed common of pasture in Blackrod 

 against William de Bradshagh and Mabel 

 his wife ; Assize R. 1321, m. 10 ; R.4i8, 

 m. 13. 



In 1312 William de Atherton released 

 to Sir William de Bradshagh all claim 

 upon the manor ; Norris D. (B.M.), no. 

 1006. 



In 1317 William de Bradshagh, an 

 outlaw, was said to hold the manors of 

 Haigh and Blackrod of Robert de Holland; 

 Kuerden fol. MS. 52. 



22 By fine in 1337 between Mabel, 

 widow of William de Bradshagh, and 

 William son of John de Bradshagh the 

 manor was settled on Roger son of Richard 

 de Bradshagh of Westleigh, with remain- 

 ders to his brothers Adam and Henry, 

 then to Richard, son of John de Brad- 

 shagh, and to Hugh son of Robert le 

 Norreys ; Final Cone, ii, 105. 



The official returns seem to conflict 

 with this, for in 1324 Roger de Bradshagh 

 was stated to hold Blackrod for one 

 plough-land by the yearly service of 2OJ.; 

 while in 1346 Maud (Mabel) de Brad- 

 shagh, as heir of Hugh le Norreys, held 

 it in socage by a rent of zos. and the 



300 



usual relief; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. $jb ; 

 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146*. 



The descent of this branch of the 

 Bradshagh family is given in the account 

 of Westleigh. 



28 Henry son of Richard de Ince in 

 July 1351 recovered a rent of los. in 

 Blackrod, which he claimed against Roger 

 son of Richard de Bradshagh ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Assize R. i, m. 3. 



Roger de Bradshagh in 1356 allowed 

 Hugh de Adlington and others to make 

 an attachment of water for the walk 

 mill in Adlington ; Norris D. no. 1008. 

 In 1367 Mabel, widow of Richard de 

 Kighley released to her father, Roger de 

 Bradshagh, all right in the manor ; ibid. 

 no. 1009. 



In 1383-4 it was found that Hugh de 

 Bradshagh held two-thirds of the manor 

 by knight's service and 20*. rent ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxxxi. 



In 1400 William son of Hugh de 

 Bradshagh made a settlement of the 

 manor, with the reversion of lands held 

 as dower by Margaret widow of Roger 

 de Bradshagh, and Margaret widow of 

 Hugh de Bradshagh. William's wife was 

 named Joan; Norris D. no. 1010, 1011. 

 A further settlement was made in 1414, 

 with remainder to Elizabeth wife of 

 Richard son of Sir James de Harrington ; 

 Richard and Elizabeth received a third 

 part of the manor ; Final Cone, iii, 72. 

 For the marriage covenant see Dods. MSS. 

 cxlix, fol. 33. Sir William de Bradshagh 

 died in the following year, and it was 

 found that he held Blackrod of the king 

 as of his Duchy in socage by the service 

 of 2OJ. a year ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. j 

 Soc.), i, 109-111. 



24 It was found in 1445-6 that Sir 

 Richard Harrington held Blackrod in 

 socage, rendering 20*. a year ; he held it 

 by the courtesy of England ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Knights' Fees, 2/20. In 1483 

 Sir William Harrington held the manor. 



Sir James Harrington held it at his 

 death in 1497 by the same service 5 its 

 clear annual value was 40 marks ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, no. 40. The 

 estates became divisible among his daugh- 

 ters ; see Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), 

 ii, 170. 



25 The deed of partition (1507) is among 

 the Norris D. (B.M.). 



Sir William Stanley and Anne his wife 

 were to have in Blackrod the messuages, 

 &c., occupied by Gilbert Taylor (Mitten 

 Greaves), and Alexander Vaces (Vaus) ; the 



