A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The distinction between Great and Little Sowerby 

 was often ignored, and the same families appear to 

 have held lands in both hamlets, so that much con- 

 fuiion results. Among the owners were the 

 Carleton 58 and Ellel families," the latter adopting 

 Sowerby as a surname, and later the Botelers of 

 Rawcliffe, 40 Lawrences, 41 and others. 4 * Except perhaps 

 the Sowerby and Charnley families, none of these 

 was resident. 



One or two sequestrations in Sowerby are recorded 

 in the Commonwealth period, 4 * and two Inskip 

 Papists ' registered estates in 1 7 1 7." 



Before the Reformation there was a chapel at 

 Inskip, 4 * but it disappears afterwards, being probably 

 claimed by the Kighleys as private property. 



In 1 848 St. Peter's was consecrated for the services 

 of the Church of England. The vicar of St. M Jehad's 

 is patron. 4 * 



A Baptist congregation, due to a division in 

 Elswick Chapel, was formed in 1794 and met in 

 Inskip ; the chapel was built in i8i7- 47 



In 1680 Thomas Tomlinson of Crossmoor was 

 presented to the Bishop of Chester for keeping 

 conventicles of Quakers in his house. 48 



ELSWICK 



Edeleswic, Dom. Bk. ; Etleswhic, 1 202 ; Ethelis- 

 wyck, 1242. Elleswyk, xv cent. 



Exceptional forms are Eckeleswyk, Etheneswyk, 

 and Echemeswyk, 1292. 



This is the smallest township in the parish, having 

 an area of 1,036$ acres 1 ; the population in 1901 

 was 227. The eastern half is occupied by com- 

 paratively high land, 50 ft. above sea level ; the west 

 is low and flat. 



The village of Elswick stands on the higher land, 

 centrally placed ; the Leys and the Grange are to 

 the south of it. 



The principal roads cross at the village, going east 

 to Inskip, north to Great Eccleston, west to Thistleton 

 and Singleton, with a branch north to Little Eccleston, 

 and south to Roseacre and Wharles. 



The soil is clayey ; wheat, oats, barley and beans 

 are grown. 



The township has a parish council. 

 Several cannon balls have been found near Elswick 

 Grange ; they are supposed to be traces of the passage 

 of the Earl of Derby and his troops in 1643. 



In 1066 Earl Tostig held, as member 

 MANORS of his Preston fee, ELSWICK, assessed 

 as three plough-lands.* Afterwards it 

 was included in the lordship or barony of Penwortham, 

 and in part at least was given by Richard Bussel to 

 Richard Fitton.* This gift was probably surrendered, 

 there being no indication that the heirs of the Fittons 

 had any share in Elswick. Before 1212 it had been 

 given to the lord of Freckleton to be held by knight'* 

 service. 4 It was then assessed as two plough-lands, 

 of which a fourth part was in 1242 held in demesne, 

 while a plough-land was held by Warine de 

 Whittingham and the other half plough-land by 



88 William de Carleton wai defendant 

 in a plea respecting a tenement in 

 Sowerby in 1246 ; Assize R. 404, m. 7. 

 Ten years later Wimark daughter of 

 Adam released to Walter de Carleton 

 2 oxgangs of land in Sowerby and 

 20 acres in Plumpton, receiving other 

 land in Sowerby ; Final Cone, i, 128. 



89 Walter de Ellel son of Grimbald 

 gave Adam son of Henry the rector of 

 Bolton 3j acres in the Balgerfield and 

 other land in Fourlands (apparently in 

 Sowerby) ; Dods. MSS. liii, fol. looi. 

 Richard de Sowerby and Roger White of 

 Eccleston attested. 



40 Walter de Ellel granted Sir Richard 

 le Boteler the wardship and marriage of 

 his eldest son Richard with his inheritance 

 in Ellel and Sowerby ; Dods. MSS. liii, 

 fol. 90*. Hugh de Sowerby, with the 

 assent of Henry his son and heir, gave 

 certain land in Sowerby to John son of 

 Richard le Boteler ; ibid. fol. loob. 



In 1284 Richard de Sowerby com- 

 plained that Alice le Boteler had disseised 

 him of a tenement in Sowerby which he 

 had demised to William son of Richard 

 le Boteler for eight years. William had 

 granted it to his brother Edmund, and he 

 to Alice ; Assize R. 1265, m. 21 ; 1268, 

 m. 1 2. William son of Walter de Carleton 

 was joined in the defence. 



John Butler in 1534 was found to have 

 held of the king in socage ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no. 4. 



41 A fourth part of the manor of 

 Sowerby was in 1340 settled by Robert 

 de Washington the elder and Agnes his 

 wife upon Robert de Washington the 

 younger and Margaret his wife ; Final 

 Cone, ii, 113. 



This is probably the same fourth part 

 as that held by Robert Lawrence in 1450, 

 the tenure being of the king as duke by 

 the rent of a grain of pepper ; Lanes. Inq. 



p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 57 ; also 122, 131. 

 The Lawrence inheritance became much 

 divided. Thus Thomas Rigmaiden of 

 Wedacre in 1520 held lands in Carleton 

 and Sowerby of the king as of his duchy 

 by the tenth part of a knight's fee ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 65. 

 Richard Skillicorne of Preese also had a 

 share, which was in 1557 described as 

 1 40 acres of land held in socage by a rent 

 of id. yearly ; ibid, vii, no. 3 ; x, no. 25. 

 Evan Haughton in 1608 held part by \d. 

 rent ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 125-6. 



42 Sir Richard Shireburne died in 1513 

 holding land in Sowerby of the Earl of 

 Derby in socage ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. iv, no. 46. A similar statement is 

 made in later inquisitions. 



George Newsham, who died in 1585, 

 held his land in Sowerby of the Earl of 

 Derby in socage ; ibid, xiv, no. 88. 



Alexander and Thomas Charnley had 

 disputes with John and George Newsham, 

 1547-60; Ducatui Lane. (Rec. Com.), 

 ii, 94, 222, 230. Robert Charnley of 

 Myerpool was a freeholder in 1600 ; Misc. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 232. 

 John Charnley in 1636 held a capital 

 messuage called Myerpool in Inskip with 

 Sowerby of the Earl of Derby, lands in 

 Woodplumpton, &c. His heir was his 

 son Robert, aged thirty ; Towneley MS. 

 C8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 244. 



Norton Abbey in Cheshire had an alms 

 of 1 los. yearly from ' Sawarby,' perhaps 

 this township ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. 

 Helsby), i, 686. 



In 1596 there wat a suit between 

 Thomas Farington and Brian Jackson 

 respecting lands in Sowerby, late of the 

 Earl of Derby ; E&ch. Dep. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 8. 



48 Dorothy Grant of Sowerby had two- 

 thirds of her estate sequestered in 1653 



282 



for ' Popery ' ; Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 92. 



Bartholomew Jackson, for a like reason, 

 had two-thirds sequestered, but part of 

 the estate had not been surveyed, and 

 this led to further inquiries ; ibid, iv, 23-8. 



Richard Parkinson of Sowerby, refusing 

 to abjure his religion in 1653, likewise 

 had two-thirds of hit estate sequettered ; 

 Cal. Com. for Comp. i, 656. 



44 Thomas Eccles registered a house 

 called Gradwell's ; Estcourt and Payne, 

 Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 101. The other 

 was Christopher Medcalfe ; ibid. 106. 



45 It is named in a description of 

 boundaries- ' straight upon Inskip chapel' 

 in a Clifton rental first compiled in 

 1509; Towneley MS. OO. For its 

 equipment see Fishwick, op. cit. 1701. 

 In 1650 it* existence was remembered 

 by the people ; Commoniv. Ck. Surv. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 148. The 

 inhabitants were ' often debarred from 

 church by water and moist ground.' 



46 Fishwick, op. cit. 95 ; Hewitson, 

 Our Country Churches, 427. 



47 Fishwick, op. cit. 133 ; Nightingale, 

 Lanes. Nonconf. i, 90 ; Hewitson, 431. 



48 Visit. Ret. 



1 The Census Rep. 1901 gives 1,038 

 acres, including 5 of inland water. 



1 f.C.H. Lanes, i, 288*. 



s Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 374 ; dated 

 between 1159 and 1164. 



4 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 34. In 1202 land 

 in Elswick was included in the agreement 

 between Roger de Freckleton and 

 William dc Winwick and Maud his wife, 

 noticed under Freckleton ; Feet of F. 

 Yorks. 4 John, no. 45. 



Richard son of Roger de Freckleton 

 gave an oxgang of land in Elswick to his 

 son Richard on his marriage ; Kuerden 

 MSS, iv, F 13. 



