A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



for a weekly market and a fair at Midsummer had been 

 granted to the town by Edward I in I28y. 19 



In 1599 the mayor and burgesses of Preston, in 

 virtue of their charters, which granted all the toll and 

 stallage of the wapentake of Amounderness, complained 

 that they had been defrauded of their dues by the 

 bailiffs of Kirkham. The bailiffs in reply quoted their 

 charters, and stated that the Abbot and convent of 

 Vale Royal had had, in addition to the Midsummer 

 fair, another fair at St. Luke's Feast (viz. 17-21 

 October), by prescription. 20 



' Formerly the fee-farmer convened annually a jury 

 of thirteen inhabitants who constituted a court leet 

 and met in June, when they nominated two bailiffs 

 for the borough, a constable for the borough, town 

 and township, with tax-layers, viewers of fish, flesh 

 and other provisions; scavengers, by-law men, affeerers, 

 swine-ringers, pinders or pounders, assizers of bread 

 and beer, and leather searchers. The lord himself 

 appointed a collector of tolls. The bailiffs and twelve 

 or more burgesses constituted a corporation.' 21 A 

 court of requests was granted in 1770, and used to 

 meet monthly for the recovery of small debts. J2 



A local board was appointed in i852, 23 and this 

 was in 1894 transformed into an urban district council 

 of nine members. There was no school board. The 

 Fylde Rural District Council holds its meetings in the 

 town. Kirkham and the district around are supplied 

 with water by the Fylde Water Board ; the gas 

 supply is in the hands of a private company, formed 

 in i8 39 . 24 



Kirkham occurs as a surname, 25 but in mediaeval 

 times there does not seem to have been any important 

 resident family. 26 The mill was held by the Cottams. 27 

 Many of the neighbouring gentry had burgages or 

 lands in the town. 28 



William Walker, attorney, had his estate sequestered 

 by the Parliament for adhering to Charles I. 29 James 

 Lowde recorded a pedigree in i664. 30 Thurstan 

 Whalley of Warton registered an estate at Kirkham 

 in 1717, being a ' Papist.' 31 



The parish church has been described above. 



The Wesleyan Methodist church was built in 

 l844- 32 The Congregationalists' first chapel, Zion, 

 was built in 1810 and the next in 1818 ; the present 

 church replaced it about igoo. 33 



la The market day was Thursday and 

 the fair was for five days at Midsummer, 

 23-7 June. The charter is known from 

 the abbot's reply in 1292 to the writ 'de 

 quo warranto,' and from the copy in an 

 inspeximus of 1401 ; Plac. de Quo Warr. 

 (Rec. Com.), 383 ; Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, 

 p. 508. This inspeximus is printed in 

 Fishwick, op. cit. 1 8. Jn 1292 the abbot 

 claimed various privileges for 'his men' 

 at Kirkham on the ground of a charter 

 given to Vale Royal in 1269-70. 



In 1498 the abbot proved his right to 

 the market and fair ; Pal. of Lane. Plea 

 R. 86, m. 6. 



The charter was confirmed by Queen 

 Elizabeth in 1560. 



30 Duchy of Lane. Plead. Eliz. clxxxix, 

 P 5 ; cxciv, P 1 3. For decrees see Lanes, 

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

 Ches.), ii, 238, 242. 



21 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 484. 



M Act of 10 Geo. III. 



K Land. Gaz. 13 Jan. 1852. 



34 A public lamp lighted with oil at the 

 town's charge was ordered to be erected 

 ' in the middle of the borough of Kirkham 

 in some convenient place' in 1692; 

 Baines, op. cit. 487. 



20 See a preceding note. In 1259-60 

 Richard le Boteler claimed the custody of 

 the son and heir of Ralph de Kirkham 

 against Roger de Hetton ; Curia Regis R. 

 166, m. 36. 



36 The list of those who contributed to 

 the subsidy in 1332 is printed in Exch. 

 Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 71. No freeholders are mentioned as 'of 

 Kirkham ' in 1600. 



27 The mill seems to have been held in 

 shares. In 1326 Adam son of Richard 

 the Harper and Maud his wife claimed a 

 fourth part of the mill of Kirkham 

 against the Abbot of Vale Royal ; De 

 Banco R. 260, m. 218. 



William Cottam (or Cotom) in 1442 

 claimed the third part of the mill against 

 Robert son of William Cottam ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Chan. Misc. i/io, no. 7. Some 

 deeds of the family are preserved in 

 Kuerden MSS. iv, K 17, 18. From these 

 it appears that Nicholas son of Adam 

 Aldwayn in 1372 gave a tenement in 

 Kirkham to John son of Thomas 

 on of Henry de Cottam. John de 



Cottam in 1391 acquired a messuage 

 from Thomas Southwood and Cecily his 

 wife ; Final Cone, iii, 38. Again, Richard 

 son or Michael de Staining and Christiana 

 his wife in 1356 granted a burgage 

 in Kirkham to Adam Skillicorne, and 

 Edward Skillicorne in 1399-1400 gave 

 it to William Cottam ; Kuerden, loc. 

 cit. William's lands were in 1427-8 

 settled on his children Robert, James, 

 Joan, Amice and Margaret, while two 

 years later John Cottam, vicar of Kirk- 

 ham, gave a half-burgage to his father 

 William with remainders to Robert, 

 James and William sons of William, to 

 Peter son of John Cottam, to Amice, 

 Joan and Margaret, daughters of William. 

 From another deed it appears that the 

 vicar was a grandson of John Cottam, 

 who was no doubt the John mentioned 

 in 1372. 



Alice widow of William Cottam in 

 1435-6 released her dower in Kirkham, 

 Freckleton, Newton, Warton, Bankhouses 

 and Goosnargh to her son Henry ; and in 

 1446-7 William son of Henry Cottam 

 made a feoftment of his lands ; ibid. 

 Margaret daughter of John Cottam, clerk, 

 had in 1463 a burgage which was to 

 descend to William Cottam, and (in 

 default) to the right heirs of William son 

 of John Cottam. Roger son of James 

 Cottam in 148990 released to William 

 son of Henry Cottam all right in a bur- 

 gage, &c. 



28 The following appear in the inquisi- 

 tions : 



James Anderton of Euxton in 1552 

 held his lands in Kirkham of 'New 

 College' (Christ Church), Oxford, in 

 socage by a rent of 15^. ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 14; xi, no. 31. 

 He had purchased them in 1532 from 

 Rainbrown Robinson and Elizabeth his 

 wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 1, 

 m. 85. 



Evan Brown's burgages, &c., were in 

 1545 said to be held of the king, but 

 George Brown's, in 1567, were held of 

 the Dean and canons of Christ's Coll., 

 Oxf., in socage, by a rent of 14^. ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no. 24 ; xi, no. 4 ; 

 xiv, no. 42. 



The Kirkham lands of John Boteler 

 of Rawcliffe were in I 502 stated to have 



152 



been held (like Rawcliffe itself) of the 

 Earl of Derby ; ibid, iii, no. 45. The 

 tenure is not recorded in later inquisitions. 



The Clifton of Clifton estate in Kirk- 

 ham was in 1512 held of the abbey of 

 Vale Royal, in 1551 and later of the king 

 as of the dissolved abbey, and in 1585 of 

 the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church ; 

 ibid, iv, no. 12 ; ix, no. 18 ; xiv, no. 21. 

 The ' manor ' is not named in any of 

 the inquisitions. William Clifton of 

 Kidsnape also held of the abbey ; ibid. 

 v, no. 21. 



George Hesketh of Poulton died in 

 1571 holding burgages, &c., of 'the lord 

 of Kirkham ' by the rent of zs. 6d. ; ibid, 

 xiii, no. 15. In 1622 the same were 

 found to be held of Cuthbert Clifton ; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iii, 364. 



The tenure of William Skillicorne's 

 messuages, windmill and lands (1600) is 

 not stated. 



John Westby of Mowbreck in 1581 

 held two messuages, &c., of the dean 

 and chapter ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xv, no. 6 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), 

 i, 34. James Bradley of Bryning held a 

 burgage and windmill similarly in 1617 ; 

 ibid, ii, 79. 



In addition Sir Robert de Pleasington 

 held land in 1387 and William Ambrose 

 in 1421 ; Final Cone, iii, 29, 79 ; Kuerden 

 fol. MS. fol. 37. 



29 Cal. Com. for Comf>. ii, 1398. He 

 had left his house at the beginning of the 

 wars for Bangor in North Wales and had 

 contributed voluntarily to the mainte- 

 nance of the king's forces. He com- 

 pounded in 1646, but the fine was raised 

 to 220 on information that he had 

 joined Prince Rupert in Lancashire, after 

 professing penitence and being made an 

 officer of Parliament. 



George Crooke's leasehold estate was 

 sequestered for his recusancy ; ibid, i, 721. 



30 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 191. 



81 Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. 

 Nonjurors, 140. 



33 Hewitson, Our Country Churches, 327; 

 the first attempt to establish Methodism 

 was a failure ; the second, in 1841, re- 

 sulted in the present chapel. 



83 Preaching commenced in 1805 in a 

 small room. There is a memorial to the 



