A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



1346 shows that the Abbot of Vale Royal had a 

 grange there, paying 3*. \d. a year for it. Held in 

 bondage were 20 oxgangs of land, each of 14 acres 

 and paying i6s. 8</. 15 The tenants were bound to 

 carry victuals whenever the lord journeyed from Ribble 

 Bridge to Lancaster Castle and vice versa. In addition 

 there were 4 oxgangs of 13 acres each and render- 

 ing 1 3-f. 4</., held on like conditions. There were 

 several cottages let at i ^d, rent and a pinfold. The 

 survey of Wrea 16 shows seventeen tenants Adam 

 del Wrea, Adam del Sharpies, and others holding 

 land in all amounting to 3 \ oxgangs and 57^ acres, 

 doing suit to the halmote and paying double rent 

 as relief. 17 The rental of Ribby amounted to 

 19 ijs. $d., and that of Wrea to i ijs. \\d. A 

 rental of 1509 also has been preserved. 18 



In 1623 the manors of Ribby, Wrea and Singleton 

 were granted in fee farm to Edward Badby and 

 William Weltden. 19 Soon afterwards Ribby-with- 

 Wrea is found to be in the possession of Alexander 



Rigby, no doubt the owner of Middleton in 

 Goosnargh. 20 



The principal messuage in Ribby seems to have 

 been that called Counton or COMPTON 21 ; it was 

 acquired by the Parkers of Preston and Bradkirk, 22 

 and on the sale of their estates about 1720 passed to 

 a descendant of the above-named Alexander Rigby 23 

 and then to Richard Hornby, 24 who sold it to his 

 nephew Joseph Hornby 26 ; from him it has descended 

 to his granddaughter Miss Margaret Hornby. 26 



The inquisitions show that the Cliftons 27 and some 

 other local families had lands in Wrea. 28 



The people of the district in 1650 desired that a 

 chapel should be built there 29 ; but the first in con- 

 nexion with the Church of England was that of 

 St. Nicholas, built about 1 72 1 30 and rebuilt in 1 848-9. 

 An ecclesiastical parish was formed for it in i846. 31 

 The incumbents, styled vicars, are presented by the 

 vicar of Kirkham. 32 



A school was founded in 



Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xix, 123. 

 He seems to have been excused for the 

 time, but was again dismissed in 1485, 

 being indebted to the king in great sums 

 of money ; ibid, xx, 70 d. 



Sir Richard Hoghton was steward of 

 the three lordships about 1550; Ducatui 

 Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 304. 



14 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 149. 



15 The names of the tenants are given. 

 Adam Adamson de Singleton held oxgang 

 for which he paid 6s. %d. t and in lieu of 

 ploughing, reaping, &c., he paid is. 8d. 

 8*. $d. in all. He was also to give 

 merchet for his son or daughter and leyr- 

 wit for his son. At death all his goods 

 escheated to the lord, who was to discharge 

 debts, mortuaries, &c., and after reserving 

 the best beast was to give two-thirds to 

 the widow and children. There were 

 thirty-six other tenants in Ribby. 



16 Ibid. The first entry shows that a 

 tenement comprising a messuage, 1 8 acres 

 of land and 4 acres of pasture had lately 

 come into the lord's hands by default of 

 heir to one David of Scotland, and that 

 it had been divided into two moieties, held 

 by William son of Nicholas and Robert 

 son of Jordan, who paid the old rent of 

 35. i^d. and i mark each in addition. 



17 An extent made some time earlier 

 is printed in Baines' Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 

 6923. It shows the land divided into 

 6 oxgangs and 30 J acres, with a total 

 rental of 371. if/., including 2 marks from 

 Adam de Paris for 2 oxgangs of land 

 formerly John le Harper's. 



18 Towneley MSS. OO. This shows 

 that of the king's tenants in Ribby James 

 Bradley paid 1 161., Henry Newsham 

 1 81., James Bradkirk i 31. 4*/., a close 

 called Racarr 101., James Cowper 22.1., 

 Richard Cronkshaw 1 31. 4</., nine other 

 tenants 181. each. In Wrea were free 

 rents of the Abbot of Vale Royal for a 

 barn 31. 4^., the Earl of Derby is. and id. 

 in addition for Beetham lands, the heirs 

 of John Pearson is. zd., John Culban gd., 

 William Sharpies 8</., and others ; the 

 total being in. 6^d. 



19 Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xxiv, I d.; 

 Pat. 20 Jas. I, pt. iii. 



80 In 1670 Alexander Rigby was paying 

 a rent of ,14 is. 1 1 Jrf. for the manor of 

 Ribby and Wrea ; Pat. 22 Chas. II, pt. ii, 

 R i. 



11 Agnes Adlington, widow, in 1537 

 complained that William Singleton and 

 others had interrupted her right of way at 



Counton in Ribby, Warton Lees and Brown 

 Moss; Ducatui Lane, i, 154. About 

 twenty years later the tenants of Ribby 

 had a dispute with Robert Shaw and 

 others respecting title to lands in the 

 manor; ibid, i, 303. In 1559 Robert 

 Shaw, Alexander Shaw and Mary his 

 wife, administrators of Nicholas Becon- 

 saw, were plaintiffs in respect of a mes- 

 suage called Counton; ibid, ii, 218. 

 From another pleading it appears that 

 Nicholas had been a lunatic ; ibid, i, 292. 



From the pedigree of Parker of Bradkirk 

 it appears that William Parker married 

 Margaret daughter of Robert Shaw of 

 Compton in Ribby in 1561; Fishwick, 

 op. cit. 1 80. William Parker in 1596 

 purchased messuages and lands in Ribby 

 and Wrea from Hugh Jollybrand, Isabel 

 his wife, Edward Dicconson, Margery his 

 wife, Peter Wrooe, Cecily his wife and 

 Margaret Rigby ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 F. bdle. 59, m. 274. In 1598 William 

 Parker and Margery his wife sold a 

 messuage and land in Wrea to Richard 

 Pateson ; ibid. bdle. 60, m. in. 



82 In 1688 John Parker of Preston 

 gave to Christopher Parker of Bradkirk 

 the capital messuage of Compton in 

 Ribby, and by Christopher's will (1693) 

 Compton was to be sold ; Piccope MSS. 

 (Chef. Lib.), iii, 112 (from the deeds of 

 Hugh Hornby of Ribby). In 1709 and 

 1719 releases of various interests in 

 Compton were made to Alexander Parker, 

 executor, and in 1720 the sale seems to 

 have been effected ; ibid. 116, 118. 



28 Townley Rigby (the purchaser of 

 Bradkirk) and Grace his wife were in 

 1742 in possession of the manor of Ribby 

 alias Ribby-cum-Wrea, with messuages, 

 lands, &c., in Ribby ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 326, m. 100. Robert and 

 John Porter were the plaintiffs in this fine. 



24 The will of Lieut.-Col. Alexander 

 Rigby shows that he had lands in Ribby 

 in 1792 (Piccope, loc. cit.) ; but a fine of 

 1753 shows that the manor of Ribby was 

 then in the possession of Robert Hornby, 

 Jane his wife ; Hugh Hornby, Margaret 

 his wife ; Richard Hornby and Alice his 

 wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 348, 

 m. 240. The plaintiff in this case was 

 James Whalley. 



From the Hornby of Ribby pedigree, 

 in Burke's Landed Gentry, it appears that 

 Robert was thefather of Hughand Richard. 



25 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iv, 398. 

 Joseph Hornby was son of Hugh. 



26 Burke, as above : Joseph Hornby, 

 d. 1832 ; -s. Hugh, d. 1849 ; -8. Hugh 

 Hilton, d. 1877 sisters, Margaret Anne 

 and Mary Alice. 



37 The tenement in Wrea of Cuthbert 

 Clifton of Clifton was in 1512 held of the 

 king as of his duchy in socage ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 12. That in 

 Ribby of William Clifton of Kidsnape in 

 1517 was held similarly by a rent of 

 zotf. ; ibid, iv, no. i i. 



28 Robert de Newsham had land in 

 Ribby and Wrea in 1380; Final Cone, iii, 

 7. John Newsham of Newsham died in 

 1515 holding messuages, &c., in Wrea of 

 the king as duke in drengage, doing suit 

 at the halmote, and rendering jd. a year ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 75. 

 George Newsham in 1585 held a mes- 

 suage, &c., in socage by a rent of \\d. ; 

 ibid, xiv, no. 88. His son Robert sold 

 to John Bradley in 1591; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 53, m. 166. James 

 Bradley 's lands in Wrea in 1617 were 

 held of the king partly of his honour 

 of Pontefract and partly of his manor of 

 East Greenwich ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 80. 



George Hesketh's lands in Wrea in 

 1571 were held of the queen as of her 

 duchy by the rent of ^d. ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. xiii, no. 15. 



James Sharpies died in 1593 holding 

 a capital messuage, cottages, &c., in Wrea 

 of the queen by a rent of %d. Henry his 

 son and heir was twelve years old ; ibid, 

 xvi, no. 13. 



Nickson was a common surname. John 

 son of William Nickson in 1411 gave 

 lands in the hamlet of Wrea in the vill 

 of Ribby which he had inherited from his 

 mother Amery to John Fleetwood ; 

 Kuerdcn MSS. iii, R 12. 



89 Commoww. Ch. Surti. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 156. 



80 Bishop Gastrell in 1724 notes that 

 it had been built at the expense of the 

 inhabitants and that it was intended 

 that the schoolmaster should officiate till 

 some endowment could be obtained ; 

 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 426. The 

 chapel was then part of the school build- 

 ing. It was consecrated in 1755 ; Chester 

 Dioc. Reg. 



81 By order in Council 21 Jan. 1846. 

 88 Fishwick, Kirkham, 63-5 ; a list of 



the incumbents is given. 



88 Notitia Cestr. loc. cit. ; End. Char. 

 Reft. 



