of the manor of Newton-with-Scales were Joseph 

 Hornby, Richard Birley and Bertie Markland. 16 The 

 names of some of the former landowners may be re- 

 covered from the inquisitions. 17 The Hospitallers had 

 land in Newton from an early time. 18 



John Browne of Scales and Thomas Davie of 

 Newton-with-Scales paid 10 each in 1631, having 

 declined knighthood. 19 



A school, known as the Blue Coat School, was 

 founded in i/oy. 20 



FRECKLETON 



Frecheltun, Dom. Bk. ; Frequelton, 1212; Frekel- 

 ton, 1 242 ; Frekilton, 1 244. 



Formerly this township was bounded by two brooks 

 flowing south to the Kibble, which forms the boundary 

 on that side, and the Naze was a projecting point in 

 the south-east corner. A large tract of land reclaimed 

 from the Kibble has been added to the township to 

 the east of the Naze. The highest ground is in the 



KIRKHAM 



centre and north, attaining about 85 ft. above the 

 ordnance datum. The large but somewhat straggling 

 village of Freckleton lies near the centre, having a 

 mill by the brook to the east. The area of the town- 

 ship measures 2,417 acres, 1 and the population in 

 1901 numbered 1,239. 



The principal roads are one going west through 

 the village from Preston to Lytham and another 

 going from the village to Kirkham on the north. 

 Other roads lead south to the Kibble. 



Sailcloth and sacking used to be manufactured in 

 the village ; rope and twine are now made there, 

 and there is a cotton manufactory. 



Sites of two ancient crosses are known. 2 



There is a parish council. 



Before the Conquest FRECKLETON, 

 MANORS assessed as four plough-lands, formed 

 part of Earl Tostig's Preston lordship, 3 

 and afterwards became a member of the barony of 

 Penwortham, 4 being head of a knight's fee of eight 

 plough-lands. 8 This was held by a family assuming 

 the surname of Freckleton. 6 In 1242 Richard de 



land* in Newton from 1419 ; Townelejr 

 MS. DD, no. 1791, 1882, 1884. 



George Browne died in 1567 seised of 

 six messuages, &c., in the Scales and 

 Newton, held of William Skillicorne by 

 a rent of i ^./. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xi, no. 4. The estate went to James 

 Browne, a cousin. 



Another George Browne in 1572 

 purchased a messuage, &c., from Ellen 

 Taborner, widow ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 F. bdle. 34, m. 32. 



In pleadings of 1580 Scales is called a 

 ' manor.' James Browne, then claiming, 

 stated that his grandfather James Browne 

 of ' Houghton ' had held it, and had 

 settled it on his son William, with 

 remainders to younger sons Henry and 

 Alexander. William had two sons, Evan 

 (who had one son Richard, s.p.m.) and 

 George (s.p.m.), and the younger James 

 claimed as sen and heir of Henry. It 

 appeared that on George Browne's death 

 his brother Evan's daughters had shared ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Plead. 22Eliz. cxvi, B 19. 



James Browne died in 1586 holding 

 land of William Skillicorne by id. rent, 

 and two closes of the queen as of her 

 duchy by the hundredth part of a knight's 

 fee ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 42. 



John Browne in 159; purchased a 

 messuage in Newton-with-Scales from 

 William Skillicorne and Joan his wife ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 57, m. 68. 



Henry Browne of Scales was a free- 

 holder in 1600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 233. 



James Browne of Newton in 1621 

 held his messuage and land there of the 

 king by knight's service as of the fee of 

 Penwortham, and by -$d. rent. His son 

 John, aged thirty, was the next heir ; 

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

 Ches.), ii, 239. 



In the case of the Cliftons of Clifton 

 their tenement in Scales (once called a 

 'manor') appears to have been regarded 

 as part of the manor of Clifton, Scales 

 being on the border, but in Newton they 

 held land of the Earl of Derby in socage 

 or by knight's service ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. iv, no. 12,48. Henry Halsall, 

 however, in 1575, was found to have 

 held land in ' Newton in le Scales,' as 

 part of Clifton, of the queen ; ibid, xiii, 

 no. 34. 



16 Licence for gamekeeper ; Preston 

 Guard. Loc. Notes, no. 1129. 



17 Adam de Bradkirk in 1349 held 

 ij oxgangs of land in Newton of the 

 duke as of the fee of Penwortham by 

 knight's service, sake and ward ; another 

 J oxgang of Richard the Harper by 

 knight's service and a rent of "j\d. ; and 

 the fourth part of an oxgang of William de 

 Frees by knighl's service and 1 5</. ; Inq. 

 p.m. 28 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no. la. 



The Newsham family had land in the 

 township in 1380 ; Final Cone, iii, 7. 

 George Newsham in 1585 held two mes- 

 suages in Newton-in-Scales of William 

 Skillicorne by a rent of zd. ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 88. 



William Westby of Mowbreck in 1551 

 purchased two messuages, &c., from 

 Christopher Colborne ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 14, m. 253. This tenement was 

 in 1557 found to be held of Sir Richard 

 Hoghton in socage by the rent of a pepper- 

 corn ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no. 17. 

 The statement is repeated later. The 

 origin of the Hoghton lordship is un- 

 known ; it may have resulted from their 

 manor in Whittingham. 



George Hesketh of Poulton in 1571 

 held land, &c., in Newton of William 

 Skillicorne by i^J. rent ; ibid, xiii, no. 

 15. In 1622 this estate was held 'of the 

 lords of the said town ' by the same rent 

 of i \d. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes. 

 and Ches.), iii, 366. 



Robert Hankinson died in 1 604 holding 

 cottages in Newton of Nicholas Skillicorne 

 as of his manor of Newton-with-Scales 

 by \d. rent. Edmund his son and heir 

 was twenty-six years of age ; ibid, i, 135. 

 This Edmund, as already stated, acquired 

 a moiety of the manor. 



John Browning in 1617 held land in 

 Newton of the king as of his manor of 

 East Greenwich by 18.1. rent. Margaret, 

 his daughter and heir, was five years old ; 

 ibid, ii, 22$. 



Robert Hesketh of Rufford died in 1620 

 holding a messuage and land in Newton- 

 with-Scales of the king as of his duchy 

 in socage. Thomas Stanley afterwards 

 occupied the same; ibid, iii, 357~8. 



18 In 1246 the Prior of St. John 

 claimed warranty from William de Prees 

 respecting i \ oxgangs of land ; Roger and 

 Richard, sons of Jordan de Newton, were 



the prior's sureties ; Assize R. 404, m. 4. 

 The place is mentioned among the Hos- 

 pitallers' lands in 1292; Plac. de Quo 

 Warr. (Rec. Com.), 375. 



19 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 



i, 221-2. 



* John Hornby, the founder, who lived 

 in Newton, directed that the children 

 were to be instructed freely ' in learning 

 and in the principles of the Protestant 

 religion,' and taken to Kirkham Church 

 every Sunday ; End. Char. Rep. Kirkham, 

 24. 



1 2,207 acres, including 6 of inland 

 water; Census Rep. 1901. There are 

 also 67 acres of tidal water and 135 of 

 foreshore. 



a Hall Cross and Higher House Cross ; 

 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xx, 1 86. 



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



4 Ibid. 335, n. i. The Earl of Lincoln 

 in 1292 claimed wreck of the sea at 

 Freckleton and Warton in right of his 

 fee of Penwortham ; Plac. de Quo Warr. 

 (Rec. Com.), 382. See also Lanes. Inq. 

 p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 22. 



* Freckleton, four plough-lands ; Whit- 

 tingham, one ; Newton, one ; and Els- 

 wick, two. 



6 The earliest member of it known is 

 Roger de Freckleton, tenant in 1199, 

 when he confirmed to Richard de Freckle- 

 ton (who appeared by a brother, Adam) 

 the sixteenth part of a mill and fishery 

 in the township ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 7. In 1 200-1 Roger 

 appears as holding by knight's service ; 

 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 1 34. At the same 

 time he paid 5 marks for having the 

 pasture of Brethough Moor, to which his 

 claim had been allowed ; ibid. 132. He 

 is named also in the Pipe Roll of 1203-4 ; 

 ibid. 176. In 1 202 he confirmed to 

 William de Winwick and Maud his wife 

 the lands they held of him in Whitting- 

 ham and Elswick, and added 8 oxgangs 

 more, they releasing to him all claim in 

 his tenement and giving 9 acres in 

 Brechou (Brethough) in Freckleton ; 

 Feet of F. Yorks. 4 John, no. 45. 



It is possible that he was the Roger son 

 of Jordan who gave 2 acres on the south 

 side of Freckleton, together with his body, 

 to the canons of Cockersand ; Chartul. 

 (Chet. Soc.), i, 198. He had a son 

 Richard and a brother Swain, who also 



