A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



HECHAM or Heigham, called a manor, and 

 Dowanshargh 59 were estates that gave surnames to the 

 owners. 



The Knights Hospitallers 60 and the canons of 

 Cockersand 61 held lands in Claughton. 



Several of the inhabitants, in addition to Brock- 

 holes, had their estates sequestered for political or 

 religious reasons under the Commonwealth. 62 A list 

 of proprietors in 1689 has been printed. 63 A number 

 of ' Papists ' registered estates in 171 7." 



The commons were inclosed in I73O. 65 



The chapel implied in the grant of William de 

 Tatham in 1338 stood on Chapel Croft, and was 

 still existing in the time of Elizabeth. 66 It may have 

 been closed when the chantry in Garstang Church 

 was founded. The principal family and many of the 

 people remaining attached to Roman Catholicism at 

 the Reformation, it is probable that mass was said in 

 the township even in the time of Elizabeth and 

 onwards. There was a large number of convicted 

 recusants in Claughton in the time of Charles II. 67 

 From about the Restoration the succession of priests 

 is on record ; the list begins with Thomas Walmesley 

 and includes Roger Brockholes, 1707-43 ; John 

 Barrow, 1766-1811 m ; Robert Gradwell (afterwards 

 bishop), i8n-i7 69 ; and the late Mgr. Robert 

 Gradwell, 1860-1906. A priest's house, its upper 

 room being used as a chapel, was built about 1682," 

 and the present church of St. Thomas the Apostle 

 was built in 1 794 ; it has since been enlarged and 

 richly adorned internally." A mediaeval chalice 



brought from Mains Hall is preserved and in use 

 here. The vestment chest and a small oak tabernacle 

 that belonged to the Ven. Thomas Whitaker, who 

 had ministered in the district and was executed at 

 Lancaster in 1646, are also preserved. 



BILSBORROW 



Billesburgh, 1212 ; Billesburg, 1226 ; Billesburch, 

 1266 ; Billisburgh, 1297. The spelling Bilsborough 

 is still in use. 



This pleasantly wooded township on the south 

 side of the Brock occupies land which rises gradually 

 from west to east, from about 70 ft. above sea level 

 to about 250 ft. The area is 852^ acres, 1 and in 

 1901 the population was 181. 



The main road from Preston to the North goes 

 along the western boundary. From it a road through 

 Bilsborrow goes east into Goosnargh, with a branch 

 crossing the township north-westward, and passing 

 into Claughton by Higher Brock new bridge. The 

 London and North-Western Railway's main line 

 runs across the western end, and has a station named 

 Brock* on the boundary of this township and 

 Claughton. 



The soil is clay and gravel ; wheat, oats and potatoes 



are grown. There is a large paper-mill at Matshead. 



This place does not occur by name in 



MANOR Domesday Book, having at that time 



probably been part of Barton. 3 In 



12 1 2 BILSBORROW, or part, was held of the 



58 William de Claughton granted land 

 in Claughton, the Hecham road forming 

 part of the boundary ; Dods. MSS. cxlix, 

 fol. 686. William de Havile, vicegerent 

 of the order of St. John of Jerusalem in 

 England, granted land in Hecham and 

 Henry-field to William son of Geoffrey 

 de Whittingham ; ibid. fol. 69. William 

 son of Geoffrey de Whittingham received 

 the manor of Heigham in 1279 from 

 John de Tatham; Final Cone, i, 156. 

 Ralph de Hecham in 1287 granted land 

 in Hecham to William de Whittingham, 

 clerk, and Ellen his wife ; Dods. MSS. 

 cxlix, fol. 686. Adam de Whittingham 

 afterwards released all his right there to 

 John de Tatham ; ibid. fol. 696. 



Candelay son of Madoc granted land 

 in Hecham to William his son, and 

 William about 1228 granted it to Walter 

 son of Richard the rector of Tatham, 

 while Alice de Hecham, widow, gave 

 Walter de Tatham land in Henryfield ; 

 ibid. fol. 70. The above-named Ralph 

 (son of Roger) de Hecham gave lands in 

 Dowanshargh (?) to John son of Walter 

 de Tatham in 1274 ; ibid. fol. 696. Sir 

 Randle de Dacre, sheriff, and other 

 prominent men attested this charter. 



Ralph son of Roger de Hecham demised 

 land in Hecham to Joan (?) daughter of 

 Hugh de Mitton, and she in her widow- 

 hood transferred to Roger de Wedacre 

 and Maud his wife ; Add. MS. 32104, 

 no. 1309, 933. Ralph de Hecham also 

 granted Roger de Wedacre land the 

 bounds of which touched Fardenshaw 

 Brook, Anedarewelache, Wanesnape and 

 the Brock ; ibid. no. 932. 



John de Hegham contributed to the 

 subsidy in 1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. 59. 



William de Southworth in 1322-3 

 granted the manor of Hecham in Claugh- 

 ton to his daughter Elizabeth ; she married 

 John de Bardsey, who in 1355 farmed 



the manor to Robert de Haldlegh ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxlix, fol. 706-716. 



Jane Beesley of Goosnargh (widow of 

 Henry) in 1585 held the moiety of a 

 messuage called Rigmaiden House, alias 

 the Fell House, but the tenure is not 

 stated ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, 

 no. 24. The charters copied by Dods- 

 worth, and quoted above, in 16^2 be- 

 longed to Richard Chrichley or Critchlow 

 of Rigmaiden House in Claughton. In 

 the Civil War he took the king's side, 

 and his estate was sequestered ; he com- 

 pounded in 1649 by a fine of 7 los. ; 

 Cal. Com. for Comp. iii, 1951 ; v, 3290. 



There is a farm called Heigham. 



59 This name seems to have disappeared. 

 Avice daughter of Richard son of Adam 

 de Claughton granted to the Hospitallers 

 land which Peter de Dowanshargh held 

 by her father's gift; Add. MS. 32104, 

 no. 1307. The Dowanshargh family 

 appear to have granted their land to 

 William de Tatham ; ibid. no. 401, &c. 



60 Some grants to the order have 

 been mentioned already, but it appears 

 that they were already in possession of 

 land in the township in 1208, in the 

 half plough-land of Adam de Claughton ; 

 Final Cone, i, 33. The Prior of St. John 

 in 1334 claimed 4 acres against Richard 

 de Myerscough ; De Banco R. 298, 

 m. 273. 



The lands in Claughton were regarded 

 as part of the manor of Howath, and so 

 passed to Shireburne of Stonyhurst ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvi, no. 4. 

 Many tenants' names can be gathered 

 from preceding notes. 



61 Cockersand Chartul. i, 253-62. 

 Several of the benefactors have been 

 named already. Others were Walter de 

 Winwick, Grimbald son of William de 

 Slyne, Robert son of Paulin de Bilsborrow 

 and Adam son of Roger de Eccleston. A 



330 



number of place-names occur in the 

 charters, including Akenehead, Rede- 

 lache, Wlveley Brook, Huntersti, Nun- 

 house Stead, and Whitewell Brook ; 

 ' scaling ' is used as a common noun. 



62 See notes on Barton, Cottam, 

 Critchlow, Heritage, Parkinson, Walmes- 

 ley and Wilkinson. 



63 Fishwick, op. cit. 28-30. 



64 William Arthwright, James Barnes, 

 Hugh and Thomas Barton, Lawrence 

 Caton, Lawrence Cottam, Margaret 

 Cottam (her son Hugh under age), 

 John Green, Thomas Sweetlove and 

 Robert Wilson ; Estcourt and Payne, 

 Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 97, &c. 



65 Act 3 Geo. II, cap. 3, private. 



66 In 1590 inquiry was made as to 

 Thomas Brockholes' title to Langscales 

 in Catterall ; it was supposed to be held 

 for ' superstitious uses,' in connexion 

 with the chapel ; Exch. Dep. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 6, 7. This no doubt 

 refers to William de Tatham's chaplain. 



67 Misc. (Cath. Rec. Soc.), v, 176-9. 

 Notes are given on the families of Barton, 

 Baines, Cottam and Whittingham. 



68 Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. 

 i, 145. 



69 Diet. Nat. Biog. 



70 See the account of Preston. 



71 In 1748 Thomas Brockholes gave 

 Claughton House (later Butt Hill) to the 

 secular clergy priest who should assist the 

 Catholics of Claughton ; Brockholes D. 



73 There is a full account in the 

 Liverpool Cath. Annual for 1885 ; 

 Hewitson, Our Country Churches, 286-96 ; 

 Fishwick, op. cit. 121-2. 



1 8 5 1 acres, including 8 of inland water ; 

 Census Rep. 1901. 



a For the old station there see Hewit- 

 son, Northward^ 32. 



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

 334- 



