A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



There are various roads through the township 

 connecting Lytham and Blackpool, with cross roads. 

 The branch railway line forming the direct route 

 between Kirkham and Blackpool crosses Marton from 

 east to west, but there is no station. 



Marton Mere * was formerly very extensive and 

 liable in time of floods to spread further over the 

 country around. An agreement as to clearing the 

 watercourse leading from it was made m 1731.* 

 * During the work of draining large quantities of the 

 trunks of oak and yew trees were found imbedded in 

 the soil, all of which were in a slanting position 

 towards the sea and some of them bore evidence of 

 having at some far-distant time been cut down.' 5 



The soil is peaty, sand and clay ; wheat and potatoes 

 are grown, but much of the land is in pasture. 



Thomas Fleetwood in 1 700 procured a charter allow- 

 ing three fairs to be held at Marton Mere, viz. 23-4 

 April, 22-3 June and 27-8 September each year. 6 



In 1894 Great Marton was added to Blackpool 

 and part of Little Marton to St. Anne's-on-the-Sea 7 ; 

 the remainder, the existing township of Marton, is 

 governed by a parish council. 



Before the Conquest M4RTON, as- 

 MANORS sessed as six plough-lands, was a member 

 of Earl Tostig's Preston fee. 8 Some time 

 afterwards, probably early in the 1 2th century, it 

 formed part of the honour of Peverel, forfeited in 

 1153. The Pipe Rolls record the receipts from 

 Marton 9 till the honours of Lancaster and Peverel 

 were in 1189 given to John Count of Mortain. 

 Before this time probably it had been divided, one 

 moiety being held immediately by a family bearing 

 the local surname and the other by Hervey Walter, 

 lord of the adjacent Weeton. 



GREAT MARTON was about 1200 held by 

 Adam son of Matthew de Marton, a benefactor of 

 Stanlaw Abbey. 10 Adam died in 1242 and was 

 succeeded by his son William, 11 a benefactor of 

 Cockersand 18 and Lancaster, 13 as well as of Stanlaw. 14 

 From the later descent of the manpr it appears that 

 William de Marton and Richard his son and heir 1S 

 conveyed the manor about 1260 to William le 

 Boteler of Warrington and his brother Richard le 

 Boteler of Rawcliffe, 16 and in these families the 

 latter having a branch, Boteler of Marton ir it 



8 For map see Lanes, and Ches. Rec. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 24. 



4 Fishwick, Pouhon (Chet. Soc.), 25-7. 



5 Ibid. 



6 Pat. 12 Will III, pt. iv, fol. 532, 

 no. 6. 



7 Both changes were effected by Loc. 

 Govt. Bd. Order 31813. 



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



9 In 1175-6 Randle de Glanville 

 rendered account of js. of the farm of 

 Marton, escheat of the honour of Peverel ; 

 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 31. Similar re- 

 ceipts occur until 1188-9, when the 

 sheriff accounted for 6s. of the farm of 

 Marton and 4*. of Clifton received before 

 the Count of Mortain had them from 

 the king ; ibid. 72. 



In 1216-22 the Earl of Ferrers was in 

 possession ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 121. 



Great Marton rendered 5*. a year to 

 the Earl of Lancaster in 1297 and Little 

 Marton lOs. ; ibid, i, 289. 



Part may at one time have been held 

 by Busselof Penwortham ; secPen-wortham 

 Priory (Chet. Soc.), 3. 



10 Whalley Couch. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 443. 

 He confirmed the right to draw water 

 from the Great Mere which had been 

 allowed the monks by Theobald le 

 Boteler, but reserved the right to build 

 a mill himself. 



Matthew de Marton attested the grant 

 of half an oxgang of land in the vill 

 made by William son of Richard to 

 Adam his brother ; Lytham D. at Dur- 

 ham, 2 a, 2 ae, 4 ae, Ebor. no. 30. 



Adam de Marton held three plough- 

 lands in 12 12 by knight's service ; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. i, 37. In 1236 he held the 

 fourth part and the twentieth part of a 

 knight's fee in Marton ' of ancient 

 feoffment ' 5 ibid, i, 144. Thus ten 

 plough-lands there made a knight's fee. 



11 William paid 3 marks as relief in 

 May 1242, on succeeding; Fine R. 

 26 Hen. Ill, m. 9; Close R. 53, pt. i, 

 m. 2. In the same year he was found to 

 hold the tenth part ani the twentieth 

 part of a knight's fee of the king in 

 chief; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 153. 

 This was a moiety of his father's tene- 

 ment. 



18 As William son of Adam de Marton 



he gave an acre in Landirg open-furlong 

 between land of Amery de Thornton and 

 Michael de Marton, also liberty to get 

 turf in the great moss of Marton ; 

 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), i, 153. 



13 He gave a toft, &c., next that of his 

 brother Michael ; Lane. Ch. (Chet. Soc.), 

 ii, 439. For Michael see Assize R. 

 1265, m. 4. 



14 As William de Marton, son of Adam 

 son of Matthew, he granted half a selion 

 extending from the Prior of Lancaster's 

 barn to Redcarr ; Whalley Couch, ii, 446. 

 As ' lord of Marton ' he granted half an 

 oxgang of land in Great Marton, with 

 2 acres on the east side of Suterdale, 

 in the Hall Stude and in Ketelsworth 

 towards Layton, and common of pasture, 

 also a house and garden ; ibid. 4478. 

 Margery widow of William in 1271 

 released to the monks her right in these 

 gifts ; ibid. 449. She had married 

 William de Kirkby. 



15 Richard son of William de Marton 

 about 1270 confirmed his father's grant 

 to Stanlaw ; Whalley Couch, ii, 450. 



Gilbert the clerk of Lancaster and 

 John son of Robert de Shireburne had 

 granted certain oxgangs of land, &c., in 

 Marton to Cockersand Abbey and 

 Richard son of William de Marton con- 

 firmed the gifts ; Cockersand Chartul. i, 

 1545. Gilbert de Lancaster, just 

 named, held half an oxgang of the monks 

 of Stanlaw for life, paying them 4$. rent 

 and promising his assistance in their 

 business in the county ; Whalley Couch, ii, 

 451. 



16 A number of the charters are in 

 Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 89, &c., 

 389. From these it appears that William 

 de Marton (son of Adam son of Matthew) 

 gave half an oxgang of land in Great 

 Marton to Sir Richard le Boteler, 

 together with the homage and service of 

 Amery de Thornton and a fishery in the 

 Great Mere ; ibid. 93. He made another 

 grant and his eldest son Richard con- 

 firmed his father's charter ; ibid. 91, 89. 

 Alice the widow of Richard de Marton 

 gave a release in 1296 ; ibid. 99. 



Richard son of William de Marton 

 gave land in Scoutlonglands and Redcarr 

 to Richard son of Richard le Boteler 

 and other land to Walter de Wilton and 



240 



William brother of Hugh de Marton ; 

 ibid. 91, 93. In the latter the grantor's 

 mother Margaret is named and it is 

 attested by Sir William le Boteler and 

 Sir Richard his brother. Amery son of 

 Simon de Thornton gave land in Great 

 Marton to Richard son of Sir Richard 

 le Boteler ; ibid. Henry de Haydock 

 gave half an oxgang of land in Norcross 

 to Richard son of Sir Richard le Boteler 

 and Ellen his wife, Henry's daughter. 

 The grantor had had it in free marriage 

 with Alice his wife ; ibid. 383. To the 

 same Richard, described as ' my nephew ' 

 (nepos), Walter de Carleton son of Sir 

 William granted land in Great Marton 

 which he had received from his brother 

 William ; ibid. 107. This charter is 

 attested by Sir William le Boteler, Henry 

 his son, William his brother, William de 

 Singleton and Alan his son. Studholme, 

 Hallstead, Faethewra and Crooklands 

 are other places in Marton named in 

 these charters. 



William le Boteler of Warrington 

 granted an oxgang of land in Marton, at 

 6d. rent, to Thomas son of William de 

 Bispham ; Add. MS. 32104, fol. ioo. 



Richard le Boteler (about 1277) granted 

 to Richard his son all his lands in Marton 

 received from William de Marton and 

 Richard his son ; Raines MSS. xxxviii, 89. 



Isabel widow of Henry le Boteler in 

 1294 complained that she had been seized 

 at Marton and imprisoned and that her 

 corn there had been reaped ; but William 

 le Boteler of Warrington stated in reply 

 that she had sold him the growing corn 

 for 6 marks ; De Banco R. 103, m. 72, 

 66 d. ; 105, m. 60. 



Isabel le Boteler, widow, in 1304 

 directed her tenant John de Staynall to 

 pay ft. to Father Humphrey, monk of 

 Whalley ; Whalley Couch, ii, 452. 



17 Richard Boteler of Marton died in 

 1323 holding a capital messuage, lands 

 and the fourth part of a fishery in Marton 

 Mere of Nicholas son and heir of William 

 le Boteler of Rawcliffe by knight's service ; 

 other messuages, horse mill, &c., of 

 William le Boteler of Warrington by 

 knight's service ; and a windmill of the 

 heirs of Richard Russell by an arrow 

 rent. His son and heir Richard was four 

 years old ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii, 





