A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Jenkinson in 1733 left 20 for the poor of the same 

 township, and Henry Barton in 1784 left the residue 

 of his personal estate, which residue amounted to 

 354, for the poor of Nether Wyresdale and 

 Claughton in equal shares. These sums, with 

 assistance from the Caton estate, were used to purchase 

 the Cook Green Farm in Forton. These charities 

 have long been administered together. The landed 

 estate was sold in 1886 and the proceeds, 1,400 

 invested in consols, yield, with the interest on 24 

 in the savings bank, 111 38 lo/. 8</. a year. This 

 income is apportioned thus : Claughton, 20 los. ; 

 Scorton, 11; Garstang, $ los. %d. ; trustees' 

 allowance, i los. 'The original trusts are partly 

 for clothing, but the distribution is now made in 

 money. ... It has long been customary to confine 

 the Caton charities to Roman Catholics.' 



William Baylton in 1679 gave to trustees Dimples 

 Field in Barnacre and Calder Field in Catterall for 

 the poor of Barnacre and of Garstang and Catterall, 

 and added 60 in money, which was spent on land 

 in Forton. The estate is intact and produces 

 36 I 5/. id. a year, with a prospect of increase. In 

 1898 it was the custom 'to distribute 10 to the 

 poor, 6 to hospitals, 4 each to four public 

 elementary schools, and to reserve the balance for 

 expenses.' U1 



A rent-charge of 4 on land in Claughton granted 

 by Elizabeth Parker in 1757 in fulfilment of the 

 wish of her father Joseph Chorley is given thus : 

 i in Catterall, l in Claughton and 2 in Preston 

 to poor persons not in receipt of poor law relief. 



Margaret Catterall, widow, in 1868 left 100 to 

 the incumbent and churchwardens of St. Lawrence's, 

 Barton, for the poor of Bilsborrow, the interest to 

 be given in either money, clothing or food. The 

 income is 2 los. a year. 113 



John Corless in 1721 left 20 to the poor of 

 Garstang, the interest to be given in wheat. The 

 capital was in 1756 spent on the town hall, and l 

 a year has since been given from the funds of the 

 town, I/, each being given to twenty poor widows or 

 others on St. Thomas's Day. Elizabeth Vasey in 

 1811 bequeathed 20 for gifts of is. each to poor 

 widows of Garstang on Christmas Day. The trustee 

 died insolvent about 1858, and the capital was lost. 



Gregory Sturzaker of York left 50 for the poor 

 of Winmarleigh. This is now considered to be 

 represented by a rent-charge of 2 on a farm in 

 the township, part of the late Lord Winmarleigh's 

 estate. It is distributed by two of the farmers in 

 small doles at Christmas time. 



NETHER WYRESDALE 



Wyresdale, I 246. 



The township retains the name of the large dis- 



trict of which it forms part. The River Wyre in 

 general bounds it on the west, and Grizedale Brook, 

 on which at one point a reservoir of the Fylde water- 

 works has been formed, forms about three-fourths of 

 the southern boundary. The surface, level along 

 the Wyre, rises to the south and the east, 1,000 ft. 

 being attained on the side of Grizedale Fell. The 

 small village of Scorton lies in the south-west corner, 

 Dolphinholme in the extreme north. The area 

 measures 4,215 acres, 1 and in 1901 there was a 

 population of 454. 



The principal road, from Garstang into Over Wyres- 

 dale, passing through Scorton goes thence north-west 

 through the township, being crossed about the centre 

 by another road, south-east from Ellel. From Scorton 

 a road goes west to Cockerham, crossing the Wyre 

 by a bridge ; there are various minor roads, and 

 several other bridges over the Wyre, including one at 

 Dolphinholme. The London and North-Western 

 Company's main line to Scotland crosses the south- 

 west end, and has a station called Scorton near that 

 village. 



The pipe-line of the Thirlmere-Manchester water 

 supply passes through the township. 



The soil is loamy and clayey ; practically all the 

 land is in pasture. There is a fish hatchery, in the 

 hands of a limited liability company, on the River Wyre. 

 Formerly there was a cotton factory at Scorton. 



The township has a parish council. 



At Cross Hill, Scorton, is the base of an ancient 

 cross.* 



In 1066 this township was part of the 

 MJNOR large manor of G4RST4NG, rated as 

 six plough-lands, which was a member of 

 Earl Tostig's Amounderness lordship, 3 and in later 

 times NETHER WTRESDALE and Garstang were 

 used indifferently to denote the fee of the barons of 

 Kendal in this part of Lancashire, including the whole 

 or large parts of the parishes of Cockerham, Gar- 

 stang and St. Michael's, and some part of Lancaster 

 also. Members of the fee were granted out to free 

 tenants or to religious houses, 4 but Nether Wyresdale, 

 Holleth and Cabus in Garstang seem to have been 

 retained in demesne. 



The story of the Lancaster family has already been 

 told. 5 William de Lancaster I held a knight's fee 

 in Warton and Garstang in the times of Stephen and 

 Henry II. He gave Cockerham to monks of Leicester, 

 and at his death in or about 1170 left as successor a 

 son William, the founder of Cockersand Abbey. The 

 second William, by his wife Helewise de Stuteville, 

 left a daughter and heir Helewise to succeed him in 

 1 1 84. She married Gilbert son of Roger son of 

 Reinfred, 6 who died in 1220 and had a son known 

 as William de Lancaster III. He married Agnes de 

 Brus, but died without issue in 1246'; his widow 

 had Garstang and other manors in dower. 8 His 



111 The origin of this sum has not been 

 ascertained. 



112 Barnacre has half, Catterall and 

 Garstang each a quarter of the income. 



113 Protestant Nonconformists are ad- 

 mitted to the distribution, but Roman 

 Catholics excluded. 



1 4,243 acres, including 57 of inland 

 water; Census Rep. (1901). A small 

 detached portion of Cleveley was added 

 in 1887 by Loc. Govt. Rd. Order 20097. 

 At the same time (ibid. 20100) a small 

 part of Ellel was added. 



2 Lanes, and dies. Antiq. Soc. xx, 207. 

 To the north of the township is the site 

 of Bradshaw Cross ; ibid. 206. 



3 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 2886. 



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

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 25. 



& y.C.H. Lanes, i, 357-65, of which 

 the account here given is an outline. 



6 Gilbert, usually called Fitz Reinfred, 

 held one knight's fee in Lancashire in 

 1 2 12 ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 2. 

 This fee was usually said to contain 

 twenty-four plough-lands, and the Wyre- 



3OO 



dale portion was separately reckoned as 

 half a knight's fee. 



7 Ibid, i, 144, 165. He held in all 

 thirty-six and a half plough-lands in 

 Lancashire, either in demesne or granted 

 out in service or alms, by the service of 

 one knight. The yearly value was 

 93 iOi. 8j^. The heirs were Peter 

 de Brus, of full age, and Walter son of 

 William de Lindsay, aged sixteen. 



8 In 1269-70 Agnes de Brus distrained 

 Robert de Holland to appear at her court 

 of Garstang ; Curia Regis R. 1 99, m. 4 d. 



