A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



was the principal landowner contributing to the 

 subsidy, Robert Alston and Richard Thornley being 

 the others. 85 Thomas Sturtivant, Thomas Bolton, 

 Robert Alston, Thomas Thornley, Thomas Rodes 

 and Christopher Mawdesley contributed for their 

 lands in I543- 56 Robert Shireburne, Thomas 

 Thornley, Henry Mawdesley, Richard Alston, Roger 

 Sturtivant and Richard Bolton were the landowners 

 in 1 597." Those in 1626 were : Henry Shireburne, 

 Richard Thornley, Richard Parkinson, the heirs of 

 Robert Alston, Thomas Boulton and John Sturtivant ; 

 James Beesley and a large number of others paid 

 -specially as non-communicants. 58 Several 'Papists' 

 registered estates in lyiy. 69 The land tax return of 

 1789 shows that the Earl of Derby, Sir H. Main- 

 waring, and Blundell were the chief landowners. 



An inclosure award was made in l8l2. 60 



The parish church has been described above. 



The Wesleyans made attempts to found a congre- 

 gation, but abandoned them about i85o. 61 



The Nonconformists after the Restoration had a 

 meeting-place 62 and in 1705 the chapel in Hesketh 

 Lane was built. 63 It is associated with the name of 

 Peter Walkden, minister from 1711 to 1738, whose 

 Diary was published in i866. 64 It was closed in 

 1880 and then sold. The Congregationalists had 

 another chapel from 1838 to i882. 68 



In 1604 it was reported to the Bishop of Chester 

 that an ' old priest ' was harboured in Chipping ; and 

 ' James Bradley, recusant, [was] reported to be a leader 

 of priests to men's houses.' 66 John Bradley, Grace 

 Fairclough and Richard Singleton, as recusants, com- 

 pounded for their sequestrations in 1630 onwards by 

 payment of z each. 67 Little, however, is known 

 of the story of the proscribed religion there, and 

 the Roman Catholic church of St. Mary, opened in 

 1828, seems to be the offspring of the mission long 

 before worked from the adjacent Leagram Hall. It 

 was served by the Jesuits until 1857 and since then 

 by secular priests. 68 



THORNLEY WITH WHEATLEY 



Thorenteleg, 1202 ; Thorndeley, 1258 ; Thorne- 

 delegh, 1262. The d in the middle occurs to 1350 

 and later. 



Watelei, Dom. Bk. ; Whetelegh, 1227 ; Queteley, 

 1258 ; Wetteleye, 1302. 



This township stretches from south-west to north- 

 east for over 4 miles along the northern slope of 

 Longridge Fell, the highest point within the town- 

 ship being about 1,100 ft. The Loud forms the 

 north-west boundary ; it falls into the Hodder just 

 outside the limits. Wheatley, which anciently was 

 the principal member of the township, is now con- 

 sidered to be no more than a small area of 55^ acres, 

 somewhat south of the centre. The whole town- 

 ship measures 3,220^ acres, 1 and in 1901 had a 

 population of 313. 



The principal road is that from Longridge eastward 

 through the length of the township, which it enters 

 about half a mile north of Longridge railway station. 

 Passing Cockleach it descends till it comes to the 

 Loud, and then for a mile and a half runs near this 

 stream, passing between Wheatley on the south and 

 Lee House on the north. At Higher Arbour it 

 divides, part going north-west, crossing the Loud 2 into 

 Chipping, and part ascending eastward past Thornley 

 Hall and Bradley Hall, the latter being near the 

 boundary of Chaigley. From Thornley Hall a branch 

 goes north to cross the Hodder. 



A Roman road is said to have crossed the township 

 into Yorkshire, passing near Bradley Hall. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



Included in the grant of Chipping- 

 M4NORS dale in 1102 THORN LET descended 

 like Clitheroe. 3 From later records it 

 seems that the Osbaldeston family were lords of the 

 place. 4 The immediate lordship was held by a 

 family using the local name, 5 who were about the 

 beginning of the I4th century succeeded by the 



45 Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 130, no. 82. 



56 Ibid. no. 125. 



sr Ibid. bdle. 131, no. 274. 



58 Ibid. no. 317. 



49 James Richmond, Thomas Wilcock, 



John Bolton, James Lowde, John Dew- 

 urst, Bartholomew Dilworth, Thomas 

 Dobson and James Parker ; Estcourt and 

 Payne, Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 103, 127. 



60 Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 56. 



61 T. C. Smith, Chipping, 1 80. 



63 During the indulgence granted by 

 James II a meeting was set up at Chip- 

 ping ; O. Heywood, Diaries, iii, 228. 

 Among the Presbyterian parsons and 

 their meeting-places' registered in 1689 

 was Thomas Whalley for Christopher Par- 

 kinson's house in Chipping ; Hist. MSS. 

 Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 231. This minister 

 went to Hindley ; O. Heywood, op. cit. iv, 

 309. Christopher Parkinson was probably 

 the benefactor of the school. 



68 T. C. Smith, Chipping, 165-80 ; 

 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. ii, 210-17 (a 

 view is given). James Bolton left 4.0 

 for a meeting-house, ' but when the door 

 of liberty is shut ' to poor widows and 

 orphans 5 Gastrell, Notitia (Chet. Soc.), 

 43- 



64 Peter Walkden was born near Man- 

 chester in 1684 and educated at the school 

 there. After leaving Hesketh Lane he 

 went to Holcombe and then to Stockport, 



where he died in 1769. An account of 

 him, with extracts from his diaries and 

 papers, may be seen in Trans. Hist. Soc. 

 xxxii, 118 ; xxxvi, 15. 



66 Nightingale, op. cit. ii, 220-3. 



66 Visit. P. at Chester Dioc. Reg. 



67 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xxiv, 

 174, 178. The list of recusants in 

 1667-8 is printed by T. C. Smith, op. cit. 

 29. See also Misc. (Cath. Rec. Soc.), 

 v, 147-9- 



68 Foley, Rec. S. J. v, 339 ; Smith, op. 

 cit. 158-60. 



1 3,219 acres, including 3 of inland 

 water; Census Rep. 1901. 



2 In 1635 there is mention of a new 

 stone bridge built at a place called Loud 

 Bridge, where was formerly a bridge of 

 Wood, the highway being a frequented 

 one ; Cat. S. P. Dom. 1625-49, p. 510 5 

 1636-7, p. 333. 



8 See the account of Chipping. In 

 1258 rents of 6s. $d. from Wheatley and 

 2s. 6J. from Thornley were due to Ed- 

 mund de Lacy ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 217. 

 The rent of js. due from 'Utteley' in 

 1241-2 probably relates to Wheatley; 

 ibid, i, 156. 



4 There does not seem to be any evi- 

 dence of the manner in which this family 

 acquired the mesne lordship. In 1349 it 

 was found that the heir of Thomas de 

 Osbaldeston held in service one plough- 



32 



land in Wheatley and Thornley, where 

 eight plough-lands made one knight's fee ; 

 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 693, quoting 

 the Lansdowne Feodary. 



In 1445-6 Richard Balderston held 

 Thornley with Wheatley as well as Os- 

 baldeston ; Duchy of Lane. Kts.' Fees," 

 bdle. 2, no. 20. 



5 The assignment of dower to Iseult 

 widow of Robert by Richard son of Robert 

 in 1 202 gives the names of several under- 

 tenants, including Jordan (probably of 

 Wheatley) and Roger de Bradley. The 

 mill is named ; also clearings called 

 Braderode and Flaxerode ; Final Cone. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 10. 



Ralph son of Adam de Thornley occurs 

 in 1262 ; ibid. 137. He was living in 

 1292, being then engaged in several suits. 

 As chief lord of Thornley common of 

 pasture was claimed against him by John 

 son and heir of John de Knoll in respect 

 of 40 acres of wood, it being alleged that 

 Ralph had disseised plaintiff's father ; 

 Assize R. 408, m. 33d. Ralph on his 

 part alleged that he had a right to grind 

 his demesne corn at John de Knoll's mill 

 in Thornley quit of multure ; ibid. m. 53. 

 At the same time Richard son of William 

 de Thornley was non-suited in a claim 

 against Robert son of Thomas de Sales- 

 bury for a tenement in Thornley ; ibid, 

 m. 76. Richard de Thornley appears in 

 1302 ; ibid. 418, m. 13. 



