AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



there is practically 'no record IG of them. The in- 

 quisitions show that a number of the neighbouring 

 landowners had possessions in the township 17 and 

 after the Dissolution Thomas Fleetwood acquired 

 land in Little Poulton with Rossall and in Poulton 

 with the advowson. 18 The Heskeths of Mains 

 recorded pedigrees as ' of Poulton,' 19 but the resident 

 owners seem to have been of no higher than yeoman 



POULTON-LE- 

 FYLDE 



rank.*" The Bamber family was prominent in the 

 district.* 1 



From about 1535 to 1570 there was a dispute 

 about the mill-house and various lands between John 

 Lancelyn and Margaret his wife on one side and 

 William Butler on the other. 28 



Cockersand Abbey had some land in Poulton 23 

 and the Knights Hospitallers also. 24 



of the priory of Lancaster by knight's 

 service, rendering zs. io^d. yearly. The 

 heir Nicholas (son of John son of Robert) 

 was fifteen years old 5 Inq. p.m. 27 Edw. 

 Ill (ist nos.), no. 4. 



Nicholas de Poulton and Agnes his 

 wife in 14.08 made a grant of land within 

 their manor of Poulton which afterwards 

 (1461) came into the hands of John son 

 of Nicholas Boteler of Rawcliffe ; Dods. 

 MSS. liii, fol. ioib. 



16 Some minor cases may be recorded. 

 In 1 3 34 John son of Adam le Wayte 1 of 

 Kirk Poulton did not prosecute a claim 

 against Roger son of John son of James 

 de Poulton Parva and William de 

 Bartaill ; Coram Rege R. 297, m. 5 d. 

 The same John was plaintiff respecting 

 an oxgang of land in Kirk Poulton in 

 1357; his father Adam was son of 

 Richard de Poulton by his wife Alice 

 daughter of Walter del Moor. The 

 defendant, Nicholas son of John son of 

 Robert de Poulton, held in his grand- 

 father's right ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 

 4, m. 5 d. ; 6, m. 3 d. 



The above-named William de Bartaill 

 acquired a messuage and land in Kirk 

 Poulton in 1330 ; Final Cone, ii, 76. In 

 1333 he claimed from Henry the Sumpter 

 and Agnes his wife the performance of 

 an agreement as to a toft, &c., in Little 

 Poulton ; De Banco R. 294, m. 237. 



The Prior of Lancaster as rector of 

 Poulton claimed a messuage and 2 

 oxgangs of land in 1319 against Gilbert 

 de Howath and Joan his wife, the matter 

 of dispute being whether the estate was 

 free alms or a lay fee ; De Banco R. 

 231, m. 121 d. It seems to have been the 

 property of Joan, and in 1334 was settled 

 on Alan son of Gilbert de Howath and 

 his heirs by Cecily daughter of William de 

 Howick, with remainders to Alan's sisters 

 Christiana and Maud ; Final Cone, ii, 94. 



Alice widow of Robert del Marsh in 

 1292 claimed dower against the Prior of 

 Lancaster in three messuages and 3 

 oxgangs of land in Poulton ; Assize R. 

 408, m. 24 d. In Little Poulton in 1328 

 Nicholas del Marsh obtained half an 

 oxgang of land from William de Meols 

 and Alice his wife ; Final Cone, ii, 72. 

 The grant, dated 1326, is among the 

 deeds of Mr. Fitzherbert-Brockholes. 



The custody of lands in Little Poulton 

 738 in 13635 claimed by the Prior of 

 Lancaster against Alice widow of Henry 

 de Worsley and William de Bradkirk, 

 during the minority of Adam brother and 

 heir of John son of Adam de Bradkirk ; 

 De Banco R. 413, m. 81 d. ; 420, m. 

 257 d. Adam de Bradkirk had held 3 

 oxgangs of land of Lancaster Priory by a 

 rent of 2s. 6J. ; Inq. p.m. 28 Edw. Ill 

 (2nd nos.), no. la. 



Pleastngton and Shaffar occur among 

 the landowners in 1387 and 1395 ; Final 

 Cone, iii, 29, 45. The former estate is 

 said to have been sold to Richard Boteler 

 in 1469 ; Fishwick, Poulton (Chet. Soc.), 

 ii, quoting Harland's MSS. 



17 Sir James Harrington of Wol'"aj;e in 

 1497 held lands in Great and Little 



Poulton, but the tenure was not known ; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 168 ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, no. 40. 

 After the death of his widow Isabel in 

 1518 the lands in Poulton were said to 

 be held of the priory of St. John of 

 Jerusalem ; ibid, v, no. 2. The Poulton 

 lands seem to have been applied to the 

 endowment of a chantry at Brixworth, 

 according to Sir James's will ; afterwards 

 they were given by Queen Mary to the 

 Savoy Hospital ; Pat. 4 & 5 Phil, and 

 Mary, pt. xv. They were perhaps pur- 

 chased by James Massey of Layton ; 

 Thornber, Blackpool, 291. James Massey 

 in 1562 purchased lands in Great Poulton 

 and Marlon from the Butler family ; Pal. 

 of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 24, m. 82, 117. 

 John son and heir of James held two 

 messuages, &c., in 1585 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 47, m. 1 54. 



Sir Robert de Shircburne and Alice his 

 wife received land in Poulton from the 

 Prior of Lancaster in 1334; Anct. D. 

 (P.R.O.), B 2945. Richard Shireburne 

 of Stonyhurst was in 1441 found to have 

 held a messuage and land in Poulton of 

 the Abbess of Syon in socage ; Lanes. 

 Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 30, 31. His successor 

 in 1513, Sir Richard, was said to hold of 

 the heirs of Sir James Harrington in 

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

 46. This was recorded also of some of 

 his successors, but Richard Shireburne in 

 1628 was stated to have held of the king 

 as of his abbey of Syon lately dissolved ; 

 ibid, xxvi, no. 4. 



Thomas Catterall in 1579 held h' 8 ' anc ' 

 of Sir Richard Shireburne in socage ; 

 ibid, xiv, no. 4. 



Alexander Rigby of Middleton in 1621 

 held tithes and land of the king as of his 

 manor of East Greenwich ; Lanes. Inq. 

 p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 458. 



In some other cases the tenure was 

 not recorded. This happened with Skilli- 

 corne of Preese, whose lands were sold 

 to William Hodgkinson in 1567 ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 29, m. 64. 



18 Pat. 7 Edw. VI, pt. ix ; 2 Mary. 

 Thomas Fleetwood died in 1576 holding 

 lands in Poulton as part of the Rossall 

 estate by knight's service ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 2. 



George Allen in 1579 held his land in 

 Poulton of William Fleetwood in socage ; 

 ibid, xiv, no. 80. 



la Their residence in Poulton was 

 known as Little Poulton Hall. An 

 account of the family has been given 

 under Singleton. From the Brockholes 

 of Claughton D. it appears that Bartholo- 

 mew Hesketh, the father of George and 

 Gabriel, was the Bartholomew Hesketh 

 concerned in the foundation of Ruffbrd 

 chantry, and that he purchased lands in 

 Great and Little Poulton, Hoole and 

 Bretherton in 1523-4 from Thomas 

 Harrington of Newington in Kent. George 

 Hesketh died in 1571 holding messuages 

 and lands in Poulton of the queen as of 

 the late monastery of Syon by a rent of 

 5s. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.xiii, no. 15 ; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rer. Soc.), iii, 363. 



227 



20 Thomas Bocher and Agnes his wife 

 had an estate in 1556, the remainder 

 was to Richard Law ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 17, m, 140. 



Robert Clark died in 1599 holding a 

 messuage in Poulton and another in 

 Carleton, but the tenure was not recorded. 

 Henry his son and heir was nineteen 

 years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xvii, no. 44. 



Thomas Atkinson, who died in 1640, 

 held a messuage, &c., of the king as of his 

 duchy. His heir was a daughter Alice, 

 only five years old ; ibid, xxx, no. 48. 

 She died in 1642, the heir being her 

 uncle Christopher Atkinson, aged thirty- 

 four ; ibid, xxix, no. 55. 



21 Fishwick, Poulton, 177. 



Thomas Bamber of Great Poulton in 

 1616 held a messuage there of the king 

 by the two-hundredth part of a knight's 

 fee, also lands in Thornton and Nor- 

 cross by unknown tenures. His heir 

 was his son John, aged fifteen ; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), ii, 45. 



John Bamber of Poulton was among 

 those who compounded for refusing 

 knighthood in 1631 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 222. 



22 There are many references to the 

 matter in the Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), 

 i, 156, &c. From a statement made in 

 1 540 it appears that John Lancelyn and 

 Margaret (in her right) claimed messuages 

 and lands not only in Poulton, but in 

 many of the surrounding townships. 

 Margaret was the daughter of Richard 

 Butler, who had two sons, George and 

 Thomas. George dying without issue, 

 the estate went to Thomas, and William 

 Butler claimed as his son and heir ; Pal. 

 of Lane. Plea R. 168, m. 6. 



The claimant's legitimacy was disputed, 

 and he was known as Butler alias Parr 

 alias Ward alias Taylor. He appears to 

 have succeeded, and as William Butler of 

 Hackinsall died in 1586 holding land in 

 Poulton of the queen as of her duchy in 

 socage ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, 

 no. 47. 



23 Robert son of Richard de Burgh (or 

 Burrow) gave half an oxgang of land 

 which he had purchased from Richard son 

 of Waldeve, for the souls of himself and 

 Avice his wife, in payment of the third of 

 their goods, which should go to Cocker- 

 sand Abbey at their decease ; Cockersand 

 Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 189. Waldeve 

 de Poulton released his right ; ibid, i, 190. 

 For rentals 1451 to 1537 see ibid, iii, 

 1266-9. 



In the Lancaster Chartulary (Lane. Ch. 

 ii, 413) is a grant by Richard son of 

 Walter (sic) de Poulton to Robert son of 

 Richard de Boure and Avice his wife of 

 half an oxgang of land. John son of 

 Waldeve also gave them half an oxgang 

 (ii, 414) ; while Robert son of Richard 

 son of Waldeve gave Lancaster Priory 

 an oxgang of land ; ibid, ii, 415* 



24 This appears from the Harrington 

 inquisition above. It was not named 

 among the hospital's possession* in 

 1292. 



