A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Several of the neighbouring landowners, great and 

 small, had estates in Bilsborrow, 16 but there are few 

 inquisitions relating solely to this place. 17 



Cockersand Abbey, 18 Lytham Priory 19 and the 

 Knights of St. John of Jerusalem M held lands in the 

 township. The estate of the last-named was con- 

 sidered a manor, and was held by the Balderstons by 

 I zd. rent." 



Joseph Wadsworth's Bilsborrow estate was forfeited 

 for taking part in the Jacobite invasion of 1 7 1 5." He 

 was one of the three hanged at Garstang ; another was 

 Thomas Cartmell of Bilsborrow. Thomas Walmesley, 

 innkeeper, was acquitted." 



The Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 

 1815." 



A free school was founded by John Cross in 1718." 



PILLING 



Pylin, 1194. 



This large township, containing 6,060 acres, 1 is 

 level and lies very low, the highest ground within it 

 scarcely exceeding 25 ft. above sea level. A large 

 part is moss-land, much of which has been reclaimed. 

 A small detached portion lies within Preesall to the 

 west, and another within Cockerham to the north.* 

 The principal village lies in the northern end, near 

 the place where the central brook runs into More- 



cambe Bay, the boundary on that side ; in the 

 southern half is a hamlet called Eagland Hill, where 

 3 3 ft. above sea level is reached ; on the border of 

 Upper RawclifFe lies Eskham. The population in 

 1901 numbered 1,407. 



From the village roads branch out in several direc- 

 tions to Cockerham, Garstang, St. Michael's, Knott 

 End and the shore of the bay. A single-line railway 

 from Garstang, opened in 1870, has its terminus 

 near the village, from which the connexion with 

 Knott End (for Fleetwood) was completed and opened 

 in 1908. 



About half the land is arable, and turf is taken 

 from the moss for fuel. 



Damage was done in 1719 by the sea breaking in. 3 

 An outbreak of part of the moss near Eskham took 

 place in i745. Sa A road across the moss called 

 Kate's Pad or the Danes' Pad was made of oak 

 planks resting on sleepers. 4 The local proverb said, 

 ' God's grace and Pilling moss are endless.' 



In 1765 a quadruple birth was recorded at Pilling. 

 The children lived for three weeks. 5 



The village was formerly isolated from the rest of 

 the parish by the moss-lands. The road to Preesall 

 and Stalmine was formed in 1780 and that to 

 Garstang was made passable in i8o8. 6 There is a 

 parish council for administering the affairs of the 

 township. 



In 1266-7 Avice widow of William 

 on of Hamnet de Bilsborrow claimed 

 dower against Paulin de Wedacre and his 

 brother Roger (or Richard) and against 

 Alice widow of Thomas de Grimsargh 

 and Gilbert her son ; Curia Regis R. 179, 

 m. 4d. ; 180, m. 3 d. A later William 

 de Bilsborrow granted .Thomas son of 

 Alan de Singleton the homage of William 

 ton of Roger de Bilsborrow and the rent 

 of izd. due from his 6 acres of land in 

 the vill ; Add. MS. 32104, no. 939. 

 Isabel daughter of Richard de Bilsborrow, 

 with her sisters Edusa and Avice, claimed 

 a messuage, &c., against Thomas son of 

 Alan de Singleton in 1289 ; De Banco 

 R. 79, m. 66 d. 



Matthew de Bilsborrow was plaintiff 

 in 1302 and later against Richard de 

 Morley (who called Joan widow of John 

 de Fulburne to warrant), William and 

 Robert sons of Grimbald and others ; 

 ibid. 143, m. 131 d.; 145, m. 7 d. ; 

 152, m. 22 d. ; 153, m. 29 ; 155, m. 144. 

 The pedigree was thus given : Matthew 

 -8. John -s. Tancard -s. Matthew, 

 plaintiff; ibid. 158, m. 51 d. 



Hugh de Bilsborrow and Richard de 

 Morley were residents in 1332; Exch. 

 Lay Subs. 61. Hugh son of William son 

 of Eustace de Bilsborrow had claimed 

 common of pasture in 1308-9 ; Assize 

 R. 423, m. 2 d. 4. The above Matthew 

 was plaintiff and Hugh and others de- 

 fendants in pleas of 1311-14; De Banco R. 

 184, m. 23d.; 189, m. i88d. ; 205, 

 m. 241 d. 



Adam de Bilsborrow was a benefactor 

 of Cockersand Abbey and Lytham Priory 

 and Matthew son of Adam of the former 

 house, as were John son of Richard and 

 William son of Roger de Bilsborrow. 



16 Some have been referred to already. 



William Vavasour and Isabel his wife 

 in 14901 claimed messuages, &c., in 

 Claughton, Bilsborrow and other places ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Writs Proton. 6 Hen. VII. 



Hugh Shireburne of Stonyhurst in 

 1528 held two messuages, &c., of the 



heir of Richard Balderston in socage by 

 a pair of white gloves yearly ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 65. 



George Kirkby of Upper Rawcliffe 

 held land in 1560 of Thomas Hoghton 

 by a rent of 2s. q.d. ; Towneley MS. 

 ' Lanes. Tenures ' (in possession of W. 

 Farrer), fol. 101. Sir Richard Hoghton's 

 tenure in 1630 was not recorded ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii, no. 13. 



Gilbert Latus of Goosnargh (1568) 

 held the fourth part of messuages, &c., 

 in Bilsborrow of Edward Osbaldeston in 

 socage by a rent of \^d. ; ibid, xii, no. 

 II. 



James Harrison of Woodplumpton 

 (1612) held land of Thomas Lord Gerard 

 as of his manor of Bilsborrow by \\d. 

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

 and Ches.), ii, 6. 



17 Henry Kighley died in 1629 holding 

 a messuage, &c., of the heir of John 

 Osbaldeston. Hugh, his son and heir, 

 was twenty-four years old ; Towneley MS. 

 C8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 723. 



Bilsborrow is named in the Hesketh 

 inquisitions, but the tenure of the lands 

 there was unknown. Richard Sollam in 

 1555 purchased messuages, &c., from Sir 

 Thomas Hesketh and Alice his wife ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 6, m. 164. 

 Henry Sollam in 1635 held six messuages, 

 &c., of Dutton Lord Gerard ; George, his 

 son and heir, was of full age ; Towneley 

 MS. C8, 13, p. 1074. 



Thurstan Tyldesley died in 1634 hold- 

 ing four messuages and the moiety of a 

 water-mill. Edward, his son and heir, 

 was forty-four years old ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii, no. 29. Richard 

 Tyldesley son of Thurstan died in the 

 same year holding six messuages, &c., of 

 John (sic) Gerard as of his manor of 

 Bilsborrow. He left two daughters, Jane 

 and Mary, aged ten and six in 1638 ; 

 Towneley MS. C8,*i3, p. 1186. 



James Walker also died in 1634 hold- 

 ing a messuage of Dutton Lord Gerard 

 in tocage by 8j. 6d. rent. His heir was 



33 2 



his son Henry, aged fourteen ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii, no. 22. 



18 Several of the gifts have already been 

 referred to. Richard son of Richard and 

 William son of Alan de Singleton, also 

 William de Slene, were other bene- 

 factors. The place-names include Black- 

 lache, Dernerakes, Fernyhurst, Foxhole- 

 hurst, Kirkfurlong, Morilegh, Stanrays 

 and Wernigshurst ; Cockersand Chartul. 

 i, 262-9. 



19 Adam de Bilsborrow before 1244 

 granted 4 acres of land from his wood, 

 with easements in the vill of Bilsborrow ; 

 Lytham D. at Durham, 2 a, 2 ae, 4 ae, 

 Ebor. no. 446. The Prior of Durham 

 was defendant in 1302 in respect of 

 4 acres, Matthew de Bilsborrow being 

 plaintiff; De Banco R. 143, m. 9. John 

 de Normanby, Prior of Lytham, in 1369 

 leased the Bilsborrow land to John White- 

 shank for fifteen years at a rent of 51. ; 

 Lytham D. no. 47. 



20 Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 375. 

 11 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 63. 



22 Lanes, and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 175. 



23 Fishwick, op. cit. 72. 



24 Ibid. 124. 



15 End. Char. Hep. for Garstang. 



1 6,175 acres, including 9 of inland 

 water ; Census Rep. 1901. There are 

 also 1,801 acres of foreshore. 



2 The former of these detached portions 

 was added to Preesall under the Divided 

 Parishes Act of 1882, the latter to 

 Cockersand Abbey in 1887 by Loc. Govt. 

 Bd. Order 20099. 



3 A brief was issued for a collection for 

 those injured ; Arch. ^Eliana, xvii, 81. 



3a Letter from Legh Richmond, vicar 

 of Garstang, in Fishwick's Garstang 

 (Chet. Soc.), 40. 



4 Rev. R. Bannister in Journ. Brit. 

 Arch. Assoc. vi, 33840. He states that 

 ' does ' were found wild on the moss till 

 a late period. 



* Fishwick, op. cit. 275. 

 6 Ibid. 109. 



