A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



1256 acquired land in Broughton from Geoffrey the 

 Cook, 9 and in 1262 he warranted to Alan de Singleton 

 a moiety of Broughton. 10 



William and his son Alan died before 1292, when 

 Alan's son Thomas was in possession and engaged in 

 various disputes. 11 Soon afterwards Broughton and 

 the other estates of the family are found in the 

 possession of Joan wife of Thomas Banastre of 

 Bretherton, she being the sister and heir of Thomas 

 de Singleton. Thomas died in 1299 or 1300, Joan 

 claiming dower in the latter year. 12 As a widow in 

 1303 she made a settlement of the manor of Little 

 Singleton and various lands in Thornton, Broughton, 

 Dilworth and Bilsborrow, the remainders being 



to William Banastre and Adam his brother." From 

 the account already given of Bretherton in the parish 

 of Croston it will be seen that William was the son 

 of Joan and Thomas. Broughton descended in the 

 same way as Bretherton, 14 and in the i6th century 

 the Earl of Derby held the manor, 15 though the 

 other heirs of Balderston had estates in Broughton. 16 

 This principal manor of Broughton then disappears 

 from the records. 



What in later times was called the manor was 

 the estate of BROUGHTON TOWER, held by a 

 branch of the Singleton family. There are but 

 fragmentary notices of them. 17 James Singleton of 

 Broughton and Robert his son occur in a feoffment 



5 marks for having his scrjeanty (of 

 Amounderncss and Blackburn), which had 

 been taken into the king's hands ; ibid. 

 204. In 1208 he proffered 10 marks for 

 the restoration of the plough-land in 

 Broughton ; Abbrev. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 

 58. 



Richard died in or before 1211, when 

 his son Alan proffered 20 marks for livery 

 of his father's estates in Singleton and 

 Broughton, and for confirmation of his 

 office of bailiff of Amounderness ; Farrer, 

 op. cit. 237-8. In 1 21 2 Alan is found 

 in possession of his serjeanties of Amoun- 

 derness and Blackburn ; but Broughton 

 was in the king's hands, rendering 6 

 marks yearly ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 

 52, 134. He also held Bilsborrow in 

 1226, and portions of Freckleton and 

 Whittingham in 1242 ; ibid, i, 140, 152. 

 He died in 1244 holding these offices and 

 lands, and leaving a son William who 

 was the heir; ibid, i, 158, 160. 



In 1245 Alice widow of Alan de 

 Singleton came to an agreement with 

 William de Singleton as to dower ; Final 

 Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 92. 

 She was marriageable in 1246, and the 

 king had granted her marriage to William 

 de Lancaster ; Assize R. 404, m. 22. 



Alan had perhaps a brother John, for 



tohn son of Richard de Singleton in 1261 

 eld 2 oxgangs of land ; Lanes. Inq. and 

 Extents, i, 228. Alan had a second son 

 named Richard, who perhaps became a 

 canon of Cockersand ; Final Cone, i, 103, 

 150. The family were benefactors of 

 this house ; see Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. 

 Soc.), i, 225-8, 264-5. 



9 Final Cone, i, 119; concerning 40 

 acres of land. 



10 Ibid, i, 141. Thirty acres were ex- 

 cepted, and these William warranted to 

 Thomas de Singleton at the same time. 

 The plaintiff was Hugh son of Richard 

 de Stapleford. From other sources it is 

 known that Alan was the son and heir of 

 William ; probably Thomas was another 

 son. William son of Alan de Singleton, 

 with the consent of Alan his heir, gave 

 land in Bilsborrow to Cockersand Abbey; 

 Ctckersand Chartul. i, 268. 



In 1297 thevill of Broughton rendered 

 81. to the Earl of Lancaster, and the 

 tenants paid a further io*. for having 

 common in the forest of Fulwood ; Lanes. 

 Inq. and Extents, i, 289. 



" Katherine widow of Alan de Singleton 

 was in 1292 the wife of Thomas de 

 Clifton, and claimed dower in lands in 

 Broughton. One parcel had been granted 

 to Master Robert de Singleton by William 

 the father of Alan, and Alan had added 

 some land in Whittingham ; it was 

 ordered that Master Robert should hold 

 hit land in peace, while Katherine should 



have an equivalent from the lands of 

 Thomas the son of Alan ; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 23. A similar decision in her favour 

 was given as to land held by Thomas son 

 of Thomas de Singleton ; ibid. In two 

 other claims also Thomas the son and 

 heir of Alan warranted the defendants 

 Nicholas son of Alan de Singleton and 

 William de Singleton and rendered dower 

 to Katherine from his own land ; ibid. 

 m. 3 1 d. 



At the same time William de Earlsgate 

 was non-suited in claims against Thomas 

 de Clifton and Katherine his wife, and 

 against Nicholas son of Alan de Single- 

 ton ; ibid. m. 76. This Nicholas again 

 appears in 1295 ; De Banco R. 109, 

 m. 70. 



13 Compare De Banco R. 127, m. 

 119 d. ; 131, m. 1 06 d. 



18 Final Cone, i, 201. The descent is 

 thus recorded in pleadings of 1334: 

 Alan -s. William -s. Alan -s. Thomas 

 -sister Joan, who married Thomas Banastre 

 -s. William -*. Adam ; Coram Rege R. 

 297, m. 27. 



William son of Ellen de Broughton in 

 1308-9 released all actions, &c., to Sir 

 William Banastre ; Dods. MSS. cxlix, 

 fol. 45*. 



14 Adam son of William Banastre in 

 1324 held the manor of Broughton by 

 the service of 8*., and had pasture in 

 Fulwood for the cattle of his tenants 

 (except in time of pannage) by paying 

 i CM. ; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 39^. 



In 1334 it appeared that the king had 

 demanded a payment of 4 a year from 

 the men of Broughton ; Coram Rege R. 

 297, Rex m. 19 d. This probably referred 

 to the right of pasture in Fulwood, for 

 which los. was paid. The men of 

 Broughton appear to have exceeded their 

 rights, and in 1336 were fined 13 6s. %d. 

 for all transgressions ; Whalley Couch. 

 (Chet. Soc.), ii, 373-4. 



Thomas son of Adam Banastre held the 

 town of Broughton, viz. one plough-land, 

 in 1346, by the tenth part of a knight's 

 fee and a rent of lot. ; Survey of 1346 

 (Chet. Soc.), 50. 



Lands in Dilworth, Broughton, Whit- 

 tingham, Preston and Goosnargh were 

 held by Edward Banastre in 1382, and 

 inherited by his daughter Constance ; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 1 6. 



In 1445-6 Richard de Balderston held 

 Broughton by the tenth part of a knight's 

 fee; Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, 

 no. 20. 



15 Broughton was included in the for- 

 feited Harrington lands given to Thomas 

 Earl of Derby in 1489 ; Pat. 4 Hen. VII. 

 In 1513 it was stated that Thomas, late 

 Earl of Derby, William Knowles, clerk, 

 and others (apparently trustees) held the 



118 



manor of Broughton of the king in socage 

 by the rent of 8j. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. iii, no. 15. On the partition made 

 in 1564 the manor of Broughton was 

 assigned to Edward Earl of Derby ; Pal. 

 of Lane. Plea R. 216, m. 10. 



16 See the inquisitions of Edmund 

 Dudley (1509), Thomas Radcliffe of 

 Winmarleigh (1521) and his successors, 

 and Alexander Osbaldeston (1544). The 

 Balderston manors, &c., are grouped 

 together, without any statement of the 

 separate tenures. 



17 Adam de Singleton occurs 1254 to 

 1286; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 192, 264. 



Gilbert de Singleton died in or before 

 1326 holding lands in Broughton of Adam 

 son of Sir William Banastre by the service 

 of a rose and id. yearly. There was a 

 messuage there, 50 acres of arable land 

 worth Sd. a year each, a horse-mill (fallen 

 down) worth only 101. a year, a windmill 

 (broken) worth the same, a little close 

 called the Fernyhalgh worth zs. Tenants 

 at will held 47 acres of arable land paying 

 6d. an acre ; and 3 acres of meadow ren- 

 dered u. each. Gilbert had lands also in 

 Freckleton, Warton and Great Plumpton. 

 His son and heir Thomas was twenty-six 

 years old ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 19 Edw. II, 

 no. 67. Thomas in 1335 claimed the 

 family manors against John son of Thomas 

 Banastre as son and heir of Gilbert son of 

 Alan de Singleton ; De Banco R. 301, 

 m. 42. 



Thomas de Singleton was living in 

 1 346, when he was called to warrant John 

 son of Gilbert de Singleton ; De Banco 

 R. 346, m. ii ; 347, m. 148 d. John 

 seems to have had a son Thomas ; ibid. 

 348, m. 427. Thomas son of Gilbert 

 de Singleton had licence for his oratory at 

 Broughton in 1349 ; Gillow, Haydock 

 Papers 57. The same Thomas was a 

 plaintiff in 1351 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize 

 R. i, m. iiii d. 



Adam de Singleton in 1348 granted to 

 Robert his son and Joan his wife and 

 their heirs all the lands which Alice widow 

 of John de Singleton and mother of the 

 grantor had allowed Robert and Joan and 

 a part of Threpmeadow. The remainders 

 were to Nicholas the brother of Robert, 

 to Robert and Thomas, grantor's brothers. 

 Among the witnesses were Thomas son 

 of Gilbert de Singleton and Richard de 

 Singleton ; Kuerden fol. MS. fol. 387. 

 The seal shows a cheveron between three 

 roundels, with the legend -\- SIGIL. ADE DE 

 SINGLETON. A Thomas son of Nicholas 

 de Singleton occurs in 1396-7 ; ibid, 

 fol. 191. Robert Singleton of Broughton 

 occurs in 1422 ; ibid. fol. 383. 



Sir Thomas Banastre in 1372 granted 

 Robert son of Adam de Singleton and 

 Alice his wife the lands, mills, &c., which 



