AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



Some other owners appear in the inquisitions." Cocker- 

 sand Abbey had land there, adjoining Singleton Pool, 23 

 which was afterwards owned by the France family.* 4 



The descent of LITTLE ECCLESTON is obscure. 

 The local family soon disappears, 25 and in 1346 the 

 plough-land and a half there were held by Henry de 

 Bickerstath of the lord of Wyresdale.* 6 At other 

 times only 6 oxgangs of land are ascribed to them, 27 

 and in the 1 6th century their heirs were stated to hold 

 of Boteler of Rawcliffe. 28 In the Boteler inquisitions 

 the tenure of their land in Little Eccleston is not 

 recorded ; they appear to have been succeeded in the 

 1 8th century by the France family." The ' manor ' 

 does not appear in the records, but a few minor 

 owners are named. 30 



Richard Burgh of Larbreck paid 2$ the highest 

 fine in the parish and John France of Little Eccles- 

 ton 10, on refusing knighthood in 163 1. 31 A few 

 'Papists' registered estates in the township in 171 7." 



SINGLETON 



Singletun, Dom. Bk. ; Schingleton, 1168 ; Singel- 

 ton, 1176 ; Singilton, 1257 ; Singleton, 1286. 



KIRKHAM 



The larger part of this township is known as Great 

 Singleton with 1,575^ acres ; it contains the village 

 and chapel near the centre, with Enam or Avenham 

 to the south-west and Brackinscal to the south-east. 

 Little Singleton occupies the northern part, bordering 

 the River Wyre with its picturesque scenery ; it is 

 divided near the centre by a small area known as Pool 

 Foot, which, with a detached plot to the west, 

 measures 53^ acres. Little Singleton has an area of 

 1,294 acres ; the hamlet or village is near its centre, 

 with Mains to the north-west, while Singleton Grange 

 and Bankfield are in the eastern portion. The total 

 measurement is 2,923 acres, 1 and there was in 1901 

 a population of 373. The surface is almost level, but 

 falls away to the north and to the west ; on the latter 

 side are the low-lying Carrs, drained by a dyke cut 

 some years ago at the expense of the landowners. It 

 goes along near the western boundary of the township, 

 and empties into the Wyre, near Skippool, Poulton. 1 



A road from Kirkham and Weeton leads north to 

 Great Singleton and then to Little Singleton, where 

 it turns westward, crossing the boundary brook at 

 Skippool Bridge and turning south to Poulton. From 



M Among the purchasers from John 

 Daniell in 1571 were Nicholas Thompson 

 and Robert Kirkham ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 33, m. 61, 64. Nicholas 

 Thompson (who was son of Henry) died 

 in 1609 holding his messuage and land 

 in Larbreck of the king by the hundredth 

 part of a knight's fee. John, his son and 

 heir, was nineteen years of age ; Lanes. 

 Inj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 201. 



Robert Kirkham in 1573-5 sold some 

 of his lands to George Duddell, his wife 

 Anne and son Henry being concerned 

 also; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 35, 

 m. 149 ; 38, m. 132. Duddell (in right 

 of Thomas Daniell) had in 1578 a dispute 

 with the attorney-general as to lands in 

 Larbreck for Rufford Chapel ; Ducatitt 

 Lane, iii, 62. He died in 1589 holding 

 lands in Larbreck and other places, tenure 

 unstated, and leaving a son William, aged 

 twenty-four ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xv, no. 4.3. 



Henry Kirkham died in 1630 holding 

 a messuage, &c., in Larbrcck of Richard 

 Burgh as of his manor of Larbreck by 

 knight's service ; Towneley MS. C 8, 1 3 

 (Chet. Lib.), 721. He left three infant 

 daughters Agnes, Margaret and Anne. 



Robert Higgenson, who died in 1618, 

 also held his messuage, &c., of Richard 

 Burgh as of his manor of Larbreck by 

 knight's service. His heir was his 

 daughter Janet wife of Richard Simpson; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rcc. Soc.), ii, 169-70. 



Thomas Stanley of Great Eccleston 

 (1641) purchased a water-mill at Lar- 

 breck ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxix, 

 no. 14. 



M Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 

 185. The gift was made by Richard de 

 Molyneux and included one of his men, 

 viz. Alan son of Roger de Larbreck. 



M Ducatus Lane, iii, 373 ; John France 

 was tenant in 1597. For details of the 

 pleading and pedigree see Fishwick, op. 

 cit. 194. 



as Adam son of Patrick in 1246 

 obtained an oxgang of land in Little 

 Eccleston from Beatrice widow of Ralph 

 de Eccleston ; Assize R. 404, m. 14. 



In 1284 inquiry was made whether or 

 not Robert de Eccleston had held 3^ 

 oxgangs of land in Little Eccleston, the 



right of Simon son of William de Burton 

 to 3 oxgangs being acknowledged by John 

 son of Christiana de Lingard and brother 

 of Petronilla, Mabel and Quenilda, John 

 and his sisters being the heirs of Robert ; 

 Assize R. 1268, m. 12 d. Petronilla was 

 wife of William son of Simon de Stodley 

 and Quenilda of Roger at Creek. 



John son of John de Lingard claimed 

 a moiety of the tenement in 1324 against 

 Richard del Cross ; De Banco R. 252, 



m - 99 *53> m - 35 2 > 2 5 8 > m - IO - 



* 8 Inq. p.m. 20 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), 

 no. 63. See the account of Bickerstaffe. 



From a pleading of 1292 it would 

 appear that Little Eccleston had been 

 granted out afresh to the Bickerstaths. 

 Adam son of Ellis de Eccleston claimed 

 three messuages and 3^ oxgangs of land 

 in Little Eccleston against Ralph son of 

 Adam de Bickerstath, alleging that Ralph 

 had no entry except through William de 

 Lancaster, who had disseised plaintiff. 

 Ralph pleaded that there were other 

 tenants (including his brother Richard, 

 oxgang), but afterwards agreed with the 

 plaintiff, giving him a sor sparrow-hawk 

 fora quitclaim ; Assize R. 408, m. 15 d. 



Henry de Bickerstath was in occupa- 

 tion of a moiety of Little Eccleston 

 (viz. 6 oxgangs of land, &c.) in 1331, 

 when Adam de Bickerstaffe granted the 

 reversion to his own son Ralph and Joan 

 his wife ; Final Cone, ii, 80. 



Adam son of Ralph de Bickerstath 

 complained of waste at Little Eccleston 

 in 1360 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 8, 

 m. 7 d. 



27 Nicholas Atherton in 1424 held 

 6 oxgangs of land, Sec., in Little Eccleston 

 of John Duke of Bedford as of his manor 

 of Wyresdale, in socage, by suit at the 

 duke's court of Goberthwaite from three 

 weeks to three weeks ; Towneley MS. 

 DD, no. 1477. 



18 Thomas Atherton in 1514 held his 

 lands, &c., in Little Eccleston of John 

 Boteler of Rawcliffe in socage by i^d. 

 rent ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 

 68. His daughter Margaret Scarisbrick 

 held likewise ; ibid. no. 92. 



29 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 496 ; 

 J. Porter, Fylde, 161. In a recovery of 

 land, &c., at Little Eccleston, with a free 

 fishery in the Wyre in 1779, John France 



was vouchee ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 629, 

 m. 3 d. 



80 Robert Pacok (Peacock) of Eccleston 

 and Agnes his wife held a oxgangs of 

 land in Great and Little Eccleston in 

 1369, when a division was arranged by 

 which I oxgang in Great Eccleston was 

 assigned to the husband and the rest to 

 his wife ; Final Cone, ii, 175. 



The estate of the Kighley family ex- 

 tended into Little Eccleston ; ibid, iii, 4. 



William Ambrose purchased two mes- 

 suages in Little Eccleston and Larbreck 

 from Henry Farington in 1562, but 

 appears to have sold them to Thomas 

 Eccleston four years later ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 24, m. 250 ; 28, m. 165. 

 The tenure of Thomas Eccleston's land 

 in the township (1592) was not recorded. 



William Thomason purchased a mes- 

 suage, &c., from the Earl of Derby in 

 1564; ibid. 26, m. 156. He died 

 in 1587 holding the same 'in Little 

 Eccleston in the township of Larbreck.' 

 His heir was his son William, aged eight ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xv, no. 50. 

 At a later inquiry it was found that the 

 tenement was held of Henry Butler in 

 socage ; ibid, xvii, no. 63. 



John Wilkinson the younger died 

 in 1628 holding a messuage, &c., in 

 Little Eccleston of William Butler as of 

 his manor of Rawcliffe ; the estate had 

 been purchased from John Leckonby and 

 Thomas Hall. He also held the Half-hey 

 in the Wall of the king. His heir was 

 his nephew John (son of William) Wilkin- 

 son, aged forty ; Towneley MS. C 8, 13, 

 pp. 1311-12. 



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



1, 221. 



M Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. 

 Nonjurors t 134. They were Henry 

 Kirkham the elder and Henry the 

 younger, both of Larbreck ; William 

 Gillow, who was younger son of George 

 Gillow of Gillow House in Little 

 Eccleston ; and Henry Barton. 



1 The Census Reft. 1901 gives 2,730 

 acres, including 17 of inland water ; there 

 are also 35 acres of tidal water and no 

 of foreshore. 



1 This and much other local informa- 

 tion has been afforded by Messrs. J. W. 

 Fair and Rea, agents to Mr. T. H. Miller. 



I8 3 



