LEA, ASHTON, INGOL AND COTTAM 



Lea, Dom. Bk. ; Le, 1212 ; Lee, 1297 ; Eng- 

 leshel[e], 1200; Englisle, 1292; Inglisle, 1301; 

 Frenkyssele, 1277 ; Franckesleye, 1292 ; Frensshele, 



1352- 



Estun, Dom. Bk. ; Eston, 1 1 68 ; Estone, 1 20 1 ; 

 Assheton, 1292. 



Ingole, Ingool, c. I 200. 



Cotun, 1227; Cottun, 1258; Cotum, 1261; 

 Colon, 1280 ; Cotom, xv cent. 



This composite township lies to the west of Preston. 

 It is divided into two nearly equal parts by the Savock 

 or Savick Brook, flowing west to the border, and 

 then turning south to become itself the boundary at 

 that point. The Kibble's old course is the boundary 

 on the south. The river is tidal here, and the land 

 by it is level, but the surface rises to about 60 or 70 ft. 

 above the ordnance datum, and then falls again to the 

 Savock. North of this stream the ground again rises 

 and over 100 ft. is attained on the border of Wood- 

 plumpton. 



Lea forms the western part of the township. It 

 was formerly divided by the Savock into French Lea 

 on the south and English Lea, now Lea Town, on 

 the north, but the old names have long been forgotten. 

 On the northern border is Cottam or Gotham, while 

 Ingol lies in the north-east corner, on the border of 

 Broughton. Sidgreaves is or was on the boundary 

 of English Lea and Cottam. South of the Savock 

 the eastern part of the township is called Ashton, or 

 Ashton-upon-Ribble, having Tulketh to the north- 

 east on the border of Preston, and Ashton Bank on 

 the south-west by the Kibble. Greaves lies between 

 Ashton and (French) Lea. A large part of Ashton 

 has now become urban ; the dock of the Preston 

 Corporation's Kibble navigation scheme is situated 

 there in what was formerly the bed of the Kibble, 1 

 the course of which stream has been straightened. 

 The township boundaries also have been altered so as 

 to include about half of Ashton within the township 

 of Preston.* 



The areas of the several parts are as follows : Lea, 

 1,776 acres ; Ashton, 828^ ; Ingol, 365 ; Cottam, 

 518^ ; in all 3,488 acres. 8 The population in 1901 

 was 6,586.* 



The principal roads are those from Preston, west 



PRESTON 



through Ashton, Greaves and Lea towards Lytham, 

 and north through Ingol to Woodplumpton. From 

 Greaves on the former road another important one 

 goes north to Inskip and the Wyre district ; cross- 

 roads connect it with Cottam, Lea Town and 

 Clifton. The Preston and Wyre Railway, owned by 

 the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North- 

 Western companies, runs north-west and west through 

 the township, with a station called Lea Road. The 

 Lancaster Canal crosses the Savock from Preston and 

 then goes west through the township. The Preston 

 tramway system extends into Ashton, and there are 

 branch railways to serve the dock. 



There are brick and tile works at Ashton and 

 Cottam. In the other parts of the township agri- 

 culture remains the only industry. 



The present reduced township is governed by a 

 parish council. 



There was formerly a holy well * in Ingol, ' a 

 walled-in structure reached by a flight of steps.' In 

 French Lea was St. Catherine's Well. 



' Danes Pad ' goes west through Ingol and Cottam ; 

 it is supposed to mark the line of a Roman road. 



In 1066 LEA, assessed as one plough- 

 MANORS land, and ASHTON as two, were mem- 

 bers of the fee of Preston or Amoun- 

 derness held by Earl Tostig. 6 After the Conquest 

 they appear to have been included in the royal 

 demesne, and were held in thegnage by a number of 

 tenants, the hamlets being French Lea, English Lea, 

 Ashton, Tulketh, Ingol, Cottam, Sidgreaves, and per- 

 haps others. French Lea, as above stated, lay between 

 the Savock Brook and the Ribble ; in this part the 

 hall was built ; while English Lea was to the north 

 of the Savock. 7 



Henry II granted FRENCH LEA among other 

 manors to Warine de Lancaster to hold by the 

 service of falconer, 8 and this was confirmed between 

 1190 and 1 1 94 by John Count of Mortain to 

 Warine's son Henry de Lea. 9 A further confirma- 

 tion or renewal was granted in 1 1 99 after John had 

 become king. 10 In 1 207 the king obtained Henry's 

 manors of Liverpool and Uplitherland in exchange 

 for ENGLISH LEA, 11 and the service thenceforward 

 to be rendered was a payment of zoj. yearly instead 

 of falconry. 11 The two Leas were thus united 

 under one lordship and have so remained. In 1212 



1 The work of altering and deepening 

 the course of the Ribble and making the 

 dock was begun in 1884, and the dock 

 was opened in 1892 as the! Albert Edward 

 Dock. The entrance is through a dock 

 basin and two locks. Vessels ofi8-ft. 

 draught can come up to the dock. Ware- 

 houses have been built at the side of it. 



8 Part of Ashton was included within 

 the municipal borough in 1880 and a 

 further part in 1888 ; in 1894 these 

 part* were included also in the township of 

 Preston by Loc. Govt. Bd. Order 31607. 



3 The Census Rep. of 1901 gives 3,098 

 acres, including 18 of inland water, as the 

 area of the present reduced township 

 the old name being retained and 357 

 acres, including 2 of inland water, as the 

 area of the part taken into Preston. In 

 addition there are 22 acres of tidal water 

 and i 3 of foreshore in the reduced town- 

 ship ; while the alteration of the Ribble 

 course and the boundary have made further 

 changes at the expense of Penwortham, 

 perhaps 100 acres. 



4 Eight-ninths (viz. 5,872 persons) were 

 within the borough (and new township) 

 of Preston. 



6 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xx, 



173- 



V.C.H. Lanes, i, 288*. 



7 The positions of the two parts of the 

 township are shown by various charters. 

 Thus about 1290 Amphelicia widow of 

 Richard le Scrivain (scrivener) released 

 to William de Lea her lord her right to 

 dower in her husband's lands beyond 

 Wadebridgegate towards the west in 

 French Lea, between Ribble and Savock, 

 and also all the land her son William 

 had granted in Sidgreaves ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 460. The same William son 

 of Richard le Scrivain of French Lea 

 released to William son of Sir Henry de 

 Lea land within bounds which began 

 at Wadebridge, followed Wadebridgegate 

 across to the Ribble, along Ribble to 

 Savock, and along Savock to Wade- 

 bridge ; ibid. no. 457. It may be added 

 that Richard son of Robert Scriftoriut of 



129 



French Lea occurs in another deed ; 

 ibid. no. 419. 



The two Leas, English and French, 

 seem also to have been known as Great 

 and Little Lea. 



8 This grant is known only by the 

 confirmations. Warine the Falconer is 

 named in the Pipe Roll of 1185-6; 

 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 60. As Warine 

 de Lancaster he gave the fourth part of 

 an oxgang of land in Lea to the abbey of 

 Cockersand for the soul of King Henry, 

 &c. ; Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 

 207. Warine probably died about 1191. 



9 Farrer, op. cit. 432 ; it mentions a 

 confirmation previously granted by John 

 to Warine de Lancaster. Henry son of 

 Warine gave 20 marks for the charter ; 

 ibid. 1 1 6. 



10 Chart. R. (Rec. Com.), 26. 



11 In the Pipe Roll of 1200-1 English 

 Lea appears as paying an increment of 

 4J. for the half-year ; Farrer, op. cit. 

 130. 



13 Cat. Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), 171. 



