A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



RAWCLIFFE HALL stands in a pleasant situation 

 a little over a quarter of a mile to the north of the 

 right bank of the Wyre, facing south, and is a two- 

 story building of I Jth-century date very much 

 modernized and added to in recent years. It has, 

 however, at one time been of considerable interest 

 and yet retains some of its ancient features, though 

 the disposition of the original plan is no longer easy 

 to trace. The principal elevations face the south and 

 west where the walls are covered with rough-cast and 

 the windows modern. All the roofs are covered with 

 blue slates. The greater part of the building appears 

 to be of late I yth-century brickwork, but this only 

 shows at the back where no rough-cast has been 

 applied. The north side of the principal or south 

 wing, however, retains its original timber construction 

 facing a small courtyard about 24 ft. by 21 ft., 

 possibly a late I yth-century development of the 

 original plan, the east and west walls having 

 apparently been built up against the timber framing 

 of the main wing. This timber work remains a very 

 picturesque feature and may indeed be of Elizabethan 

 date, or at any rate part of the ' new buildings of the 

 Hall of Rawcliffe ' which are mentioned shortly 

 before 1619." The timber framing extends the 

 whole height of the building, but the lower part is 

 filled in with 2 J in. brickwork, including, however, a 

 good door with traceried panels. The upper part 

 has a long range of mullioned and transomed wood 

 windows glazed with diamond quarries, and a plaster 

 cove below the eaves, the framing under the 

 windows being composed of two rows of square 

 panels with quatrefoil and other fillings. The timber 

 is without paint, and the work being generally very 

 little ' restored ' makes a very charming picture. 

 The courtyard, however, has been encroached upon 

 on the west side, and has been altered on the north, 

 from which side it was entered. At the north end 

 of the west wing is a large room going up the full 

 height of the building, now used as a billiard-room, 

 but said to have been originally the chapel. The 

 west front, though modernized, retains substantially 

 its 17th-century lines, being well broken up with 

 chimneys, one of which is incorporated in an 

 embattled two- story bay window. The south front 

 is uninteresting, although John France, who died in 

 1774, l e ft instructions in his will that this side of the 

 house should never be altered. ' It is questionable, 

 however, whether the wish was observed, as the 

 modernization seems to be later in date.' 44a There 

 is a central porch going up both stories, but the roof 

 runs the length of the front with overhanging eaves 

 and a gable east and west. The entrance hall has 

 the remains of an open fireplace, and there is a small 

 oak staircase with dog gate. There are I 8th-century 



additions on the north-east side and in other parts, 4Su 

 and on one of the outbuildings to the north-west is a 

 stone inscribed 'Tho. Roe, Ano. Dni. 1734.' On 

 the lawn on the west side is a lead statue of a girl in 

 haymaker's costume commemorating one of the farm 

 servants who lost her life under peculiar circum- 

 stances. 



Apart from the Butler family there is little to 

 relate of the township, 453 but several ' Papists ' regis- 

 tered estates in I7I7- 46 



For the Church of England St. John's was built in 

 1838; the vicar of St. Michael's presents to the 

 vicarage. 47 



The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel in 1844, 

 but services were discontinued in 1873, the congre- 

 gation having dwindled away. 48 



GREAT ECCLESTON 



Eglestun, Dom. Bk. ; Eccliston, 1212 ; Ecleston, 

 1285 ; Great Eccleston, 1296. 



This township has a considerable amount of low- 

 lying land by the Wyre, which river forms the 

 northern boundary ; but the Copp, which occupies 

 the south-west quarter, rises to a height of 55 ft. 

 above the sea level. On the northern slope of it 

 is the village of Great Eccleston. The area is 

 1,469 acres, 1 and in 1901 the population numbered 



583. 



The roads spread out from the village. Eastward 

 goes one to St. Michael's ; east and south, another to 

 Inskip ; west, to Little Eccleston, in the parish of 

 Kirkham, affording a way across the Wyre by Cart- 

 ford Bridge ; south, through Copp hamlet to Elswick. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



There have long been three cattle fairs in March, 

 April and November, held by custom. 



The soil is clay, and principally used for pasture 

 land, but wheat, oats, barley and beans are grown. 

 Rushes were formerly a staple commodity, and rush- 

 lights were made. 



Thomas Barrow, a local portrait painter of some 

 ability, was born at Great Eccleston in 1737 and 

 buried at St. Michael's in 1822.* 



A ghost story was connected with Cress House, 8 

 formerly owned by the White family. 



In 1066 Earl Tostig held GREAT 

 MANORS ECCLESTON, assessed as two plough- 

 lands, as a member of his Preston lord- 

 ship. 4 Later it is found to have been included in 

 the Wyresdale or Garstang fee of the Lancaster 

 family, and the immediate tenants in 1212 have 

 been identified as Ralph de Eccleston and Walter 

 son of Swain, lord of Carleton. 5 In I 242 Adam de 



44 Fishwick, Sr. Michael' s-on-Wyre, 157. 

 In a document drawn up by Henry Butler 

 shortly before his death (24 Feb. 1620-1) 

 the following places are mentioned in 

 Rawcliffe Hall : 'All the buildings on the 

 south side of the gates, the chamber over 

 the gates, the chappell, the east buttery 

 with the chamber over it called the lower 

 Heigh chamber, the closet in the same 

 over the porch, the kitchen, the larder, 

 the old rye barn, the slaughter house, the 

 slaughter house barn, the old stable, and 

 the kiln.' Also the ' chamber where my 

 son William usually does lie." 



41a Ibid. 



45 Fishwick, writing in 1891, says the 

 east side was modernized and partly re- 

 built ' about thirty years ago.' 



45a Geoffrey the Carpenter about 1247 

 released to William de Eccleston an 

 oxgang of land in the vill of Rawcliffe, 

 Hugh the chaplain having been the 

 tenant ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 57. This 

 may refer to Upper Rawcliffe. 



46 Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. 

 Nonjurors, 96, &c. Their names were 

 Hilary Ashton, Philip Butler and Henry 

 Curwen, in addition to the three Butlers 

 above mentioned. 



47 Fishwick, op. cit. 95-6. 



276 



48 Ibid. 132. 



1 The Census Rep. of 1901 gives 

 1,467 acres, including 13 of inland water. 



J Fishwick, St. Michaefs (Chet. Soc.), 

 199. 



8 * It is said that strange and unaccount- 

 able noises have been heard in the house, 

 and on several occasions a lady dressed in 

 white has appeared at a small window 

 looking out of the attics into the garden 

 below ' ; Hewitson, Our Country Churches, 

 419. 



4 F.C.H. Lanes, i, 288^. 



5 Land. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 2, 3. 



